on her elbow, moving it ever so slightly to one side, correcting her aim.
Taria loosed the arrow and watched it whistle through the air, striking the elk right behind the shoulder. The animal leapt once and disappeared, crashing through the underbrush with the sound of a dozen reckless men.
Taria stood up and stomped her foot. “I cannot believe I lost him!” she complained.
Peregrin laughed. “Oh, I do not think you lost him, not yet at least! Now for the fun part: tracking the kill!”
“The fun part?” Taria asked, raising an eyebrow coyly. “I thought the eating was the fun part.”
“Oh, it is all good fun!” answered Peregrin, and the two laughed together.
Walking to the spot where the elk had been shot, Peregrin showed Taria the first blood spots. They moved in the direction in which the animal had ran and followed the trail of blood deeper into the Banewood. Shortly, Peregrin stopped, pointing out the blood to Taria, and let her track the elk on her own.
Peregrin greatly enjoyed having Taria with the clan. She was skilled with the horses, friendly with everyone, and prepared for them exotic meals that most of them had never tasted, not to mention, she was very beautiful to look at.
Several huntsmen had proclaimed their love for her already - half jokingly, and Peregrin took care to remind them all that she was only a guest in their midst, and Rothar would be coming for her in time. At times, Peregrin even had to remind himself of this.
“What do you think I will do when I go to the city?” Taria asked as she carefully scanned the forest floor for elk blood.
“I suppose you will do whatever you choose to do,” Peregrin answered, unintentionally pert.
“What kind of an answer is that?” asked Taria with a grin. “Do you not see me as being suited to any one thing more than another?”
Peregrin was apologetic. “No, no, that is not true at all. I am just saying, you are a very able woman, and you will do well at whatever you choose to do.”
Taria found another spot of blood and the two changed course slightly. Happily, the elk had veered away from a black swamp and opted for dryer means of escape, apparently scrambling up a steep rise.
“Perhaps you will not want to do anything,” Peregrin said. “Rothar does well enough, you could simply stay home and wait for him.”
Taria stiffened slightly and breathed in through her nose.
“No,” she said. “It would be too much like before, too much like Rama. I have been a kept woman long enough. I wish to have a job to do, money of my own. Freedom.”
“I am very sorry, Taria. I, of course, did not mean it like that.”
“I know. It is alright.”
At the top of the hill, they could hear heavy breathing coming from a cluster of small pines. Approaching carefully, they found the elk, down and panting hard. Peregrin pointed to a spot behind the animal’s ear and Taria finished the beast.
“Very good, Taria. Now you can pack him back to camp,” Peregrin joked.
On a small strip of paper, Peregrin wrote out instructions to where they were and tied it around his falcon’s leg. The raptor flew off to deliver the message to the men waiting back at camp. Within a half an hour, there would be a handful of men there to help butcher and carry the elk back to Heaven’s Falls.
Taria and Peregrin sat on the hill and watched the sun rising over the Banewood.
“This land is so beautiful,” Taria said, dreamily. “You are very lucky to get to live here.”
“Indeed, but I have known no other life, so to me, this is the standard by which all other beauty is judged,” replied Peregrin.
He was not looking at the sunrise, or the forest, he was looking at Taria, and she sensed it. Turning to him, she said, “You are an irreplaceable friend, Peregrin. It gives me great joy to be reunited with you after all of these years. I am happy that we are having this opportunity to get reacquainted before I go off with Rothar.”
She placed her hand on
Taria loosed the arrow and watched it whistle through the air, striking the elk right behind the shoulder. The animal leapt once and disappeared, crashing through the underbrush with the sound of a dozen reckless men.
Taria stood up and stomped her foot. “I cannot believe I lost him!” she complained.
Peregrin laughed. “Oh, I do not think you lost him, not yet at least! Now for the fun part: tracking the kill!”
“The fun part?” Taria asked, raising an eyebrow coyly. “I thought the eating was the fun part.”
“Oh, it is all good fun!” answered Peregrin, and the two laughed together.
Walking to the spot where the elk had been shot, Peregrin showed Taria the first blood spots. They moved in the direction in which the animal had ran and followed the trail of blood deeper into the Banewood. Shortly, Peregrin stopped, pointing out the blood to Taria, and let her track the elk on her own.
Peregrin greatly enjoyed having Taria with the clan. She was skilled with the horses, friendly with everyone, and prepared for them exotic meals that most of them had never tasted, not to mention, she was very beautiful to look at.
Several huntsmen had proclaimed their love for her already - half jokingly, and Peregrin took care to remind them all that she was only a guest in their midst, and Rothar would be coming for her in time. At times, Peregrin even had to remind himself of this.
“What do you think I will do when I go to the city?” Taria asked as she carefully scanned the forest floor for elk blood.
“I suppose you will do whatever you choose to do,” Peregrin answered, unintentionally pert.
“What kind of an answer is that?” asked Taria with a grin. “Do you not see me as being suited to any one thing more than another?”
Peregrin was apologetic. “No, no, that is not true at all. I am just saying, you are a very able woman, and you will do well at whatever you choose to do.”
Taria found another spot of blood and the two changed course slightly. Happily, the elk had veered away from a black swamp and opted for dryer means of escape, apparently scrambling up a steep rise.
“Perhaps you will not want to do anything,” Peregrin said. “Rothar does well enough, you could simply stay home and wait for him.”
Taria stiffened slightly and breathed in through her nose.
“No,” she said. “It would be too much like before, too much like Rama. I have been a kept woman long enough. I wish to have a job to do, money of my own. Freedom.”
“I am very sorry, Taria. I, of course, did not mean it like that.”
“I know. It is alright.”
At the top of the hill, they could hear heavy breathing coming from a cluster of small pines. Approaching carefully, they found the elk, down and panting hard. Peregrin pointed to a spot behind the animal’s ear and Taria finished the beast.
“Very good, Taria. Now you can pack him back to camp,” Peregrin joked.
On a small strip of paper, Peregrin wrote out instructions to where they were and tied it around his falcon’s leg. The raptor flew off to deliver the message to the men waiting back at camp. Within a half an hour, there would be a handful of men there to help butcher and carry the elk back to Heaven’s Falls.
Taria and Peregrin sat on the hill and watched the sun rising over the Banewood.
“This land is so beautiful,” Taria said, dreamily. “You are very lucky to get to live here.”
“Indeed, but I have known no other life, so to me, this is the standard by which all other beauty is judged,” replied Peregrin.
He was not looking at the sunrise, or the forest, he was looking at Taria, and she sensed it. Turning to him, she said, “You are an irreplaceable friend, Peregrin. It gives me great joy to be reunited with you after all of these years. I am happy that we are having this opportunity to get reacquainted before I go off with Rothar.”
She placed her hand on
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