The Road Not Taken

Kotori hadn’t planned to come this far out but he wasn’t one who ever planned to quit.  He’d been hunting and the deer he’d attacked was injured but not dead.  The stag was fast despite the injury to his back leg.  Had the deer even felt the injury or was the fear too strong?  It had jumped into the water bordering the old lands of Ashen, back when the Armada had lived next door to them.

Kotori wasn’t going to let some water be enough to cause the deer to get away.  Leaping in after the deer he swam to the Ashen land also.  The deer was ahead of him now and Kotori picked up his pace.  Time passed and finally, the deer was slowing.  Kotori had been pacing himself and sped up when it was obvious the stag was fading.

Kotori ran alongside the deer, slamming his horns into its shoulder and then leaping back as it swung its antlers at him.  Kotori drew back, but only so far as to the deer's rump where he bit into the leg again, this time he heard a satisfying crack of bone.  The deer called out in pain and swung its antlers at Kotori again before it stumbled away.  It was standing, panting, and watching Kotori.  The chase was over, it was giving up.  Kotori just needed to take it down without getting slashed by its antlers.  A good meal ahead, though a long way to haul the leftovers now.

"Kotori Fatalis"