His leg ached as he moved down the hill, the descent did it no favours. He ignored it as he hit the bottom, picking up his pacer as he got closer to his prize. He would see the first one dead on its side, and turned his focus to the thrashing one. It’s broken legs keeping it from escaping. It wasn’t much of a fight, he timed between its thrashing as he dove it, and the Warlord kept it swift as he pierced its throat and ended its life with minimal mess.
He stepped back and surveyed their catch, panting lightly. He was definitely out of shape. He needed be on the top of his game if he planned to keep his pack feed and warm. Sniffing about the Oxins as he decided what to do best, Io would appear at his side, wrinkling her nose, leopard walking easily at her side.
Marshal landed heavily on his back, and the warlord grunted, shifting to take the massive birds weight. He didn’t pause for long, prowling between their kills. “Smart, very smart Io, and increased our haul, twice as much as could have caught otherwise” pride for his sister in his voice. “How about you and Bast grab the wagon, and i’ll start cleaning the meat?” he offered. He needed the coats as well as what was on their bones. He would be cleaning and preparing the warmer oxen coat for Io herself. He would need to cure and clean it carefully so it retained none of its current smell. Zee still had his thick beer coat, and he had already collected many coats for the Empress. The second Oxen coat would be a spare for any of his new members. Banshee, perhaps. He nodded his head in approval at the thought.
Bloodletter
