isn’t something I I’m very good at… though I can hit a black bear in the face with a rabbit.”
Whatever Katie was going to say was suddenly overridden by laughter as she no doubt imagined him throwing a rabbit at a bear’s face.
“I wasn’t aiming for the bear,” he said with a sigh, but that only increased the intensity of her melodic laughter.
“You are, by far, the most interesting man I’ve ever met,” she said once the laughter died. A smile played upon her lips as she said those words.
“I’m not yet a man,” Caleb said dismissively. “I’ve only seen sixteen years.”
Katie shook her head at his words. “I’m not a magistrate or a countess. I don’t think a man is made by the summers that he has seen but by the deeds that he has committed. By your words, you’ve encountered a black bear. You’ve also seen your kin dead, been taken captive by slavers, and killed more men than an average soldier does. If you’re not a man, then I’m a horse.”
Naturally, Caleb had no idea how to respond to that, so he simply said, “Are you interested in getting something to eat or not?”
Taking his words as a sign of victory, Katie rose to her feet and grasped the handle of one of the knives at her belt. “I’m ready when you are.”
Caleb quickly rose to his feet and walked passed her, moving through the cave entrance with focused eyes. Those same focused eyes narrowed moments later.
He saw three rabbits off to the left.
Don’t tell me that I’m going to have good luck now, he thought cynically. Shaking his head, he pointed towards them.
“Looks like we’ve got three rabbits, all at about twenty-five paces away,” Katie said thoughtfully as she withdrew two knives from her belt. “I don’t normally let people watch me in action, but I’ll make an exception.”
With that, she quickly threw her first knife with her right hand. The moment it left her hand, she tossed the knife from her left hand to her right hand. The second knife followed after the first with barely a second gap between them. The third knife made its way from her belt to her hand and from her hand towards her target just as fast.
After a display that took no more than five seconds, the three gray rabbits were hit by the fast traveling knives. The impact of the bladed weapons sent the small animals rolling, but that was the most movement that they seemed to be capable of.
“You’re really good at that,” Caleb said in a whisper. He was stunned. He had never imagined that he would see such a feat performed.
“My knives are perfectly balanced for throwing,” Katie said as she smiled. It seemed that she enjoyed hearing such a compliment from him. “Hitting a stationary target has never been difficult anyways. If they were running, I probably would have missed.”
“Whatever you say,” Caleb said as he began to walk down the hill towards the rabbits. By the rustling of leaves behind him, he could tell that she was following after him.
Once they reached the three dead rabbits, he removed the knives from them and handed them to Katie, who sheathed them after wiping the blood off.
“I’ll carry one of them,” Katie said as she held out her hand.
Caleb glanced at her for a moment before he handed her the largest rabbit. He had no doubts in his mind that any other would offend her.
“When we get back up there, I’ll need one of your knives,” Caleb said as he held a rabbit in each hand.
She nodded, clearly not surprised by his words. “We can’t very well cook them as they are now, can we?” she asked rhetorically, confirming that she understood the reasoning behind his statement.
Caleb merely nodded his head once before beginning his trek up the hill.
* * * * *
About hour later, Caleb and Katie were sitting in front of the fire with their cooked food in hand.
“So, what’s your plan?” Katie asked
Whatever Katie was going to say was suddenly overridden by laughter as she no doubt imagined him throwing a rabbit at a bear’s face.
“I wasn’t aiming for the bear,” he said with a sigh, but that only increased the intensity of her melodic laughter.
“You are, by far, the most interesting man I’ve ever met,” she said once the laughter died. A smile played upon her lips as she said those words.
“I’m not yet a man,” Caleb said dismissively. “I’ve only seen sixteen years.”
Katie shook her head at his words. “I’m not a magistrate or a countess. I don’t think a man is made by the summers that he has seen but by the deeds that he has committed. By your words, you’ve encountered a black bear. You’ve also seen your kin dead, been taken captive by slavers, and killed more men than an average soldier does. If you’re not a man, then I’m a horse.”
Naturally, Caleb had no idea how to respond to that, so he simply said, “Are you interested in getting something to eat or not?”
Taking his words as a sign of victory, Katie rose to her feet and grasped the handle of one of the knives at her belt. “I’m ready when you are.”
Caleb quickly rose to his feet and walked passed her, moving through the cave entrance with focused eyes. Those same focused eyes narrowed moments later.
He saw three rabbits off to the left.
Don’t tell me that I’m going to have good luck now, he thought cynically. Shaking his head, he pointed towards them.
“Looks like we’ve got three rabbits, all at about twenty-five paces away,” Katie said thoughtfully as she withdrew two knives from her belt. “I don’t normally let people watch me in action, but I’ll make an exception.”
With that, she quickly threw her first knife with her right hand. The moment it left her hand, she tossed the knife from her left hand to her right hand. The second knife followed after the first with barely a second gap between them. The third knife made its way from her belt to her hand and from her hand towards her target just as fast.
After a display that took no more than five seconds, the three gray rabbits were hit by the fast traveling knives. The impact of the bladed weapons sent the small animals rolling, but that was the most movement that they seemed to be capable of.
“You’re really good at that,” Caleb said in a whisper. He was stunned. He had never imagined that he would see such a feat performed.
“My knives are perfectly balanced for throwing,” Katie said as she smiled. It seemed that she enjoyed hearing such a compliment from him. “Hitting a stationary target has never been difficult anyways. If they were running, I probably would have missed.”
“Whatever you say,” Caleb said as he began to walk down the hill towards the rabbits. By the rustling of leaves behind him, he could tell that she was following after him.
Once they reached the three dead rabbits, he removed the knives from them and handed them to Katie, who sheathed them after wiping the blood off.
“I’ll carry one of them,” Katie said as she held out her hand.
Caleb glanced at her for a moment before he handed her the largest rabbit. He had no doubts in his mind that any other would offend her.
“When we get back up there, I’ll need one of your knives,” Caleb said as he held a rabbit in each hand.
She nodded, clearly not surprised by his words. “We can’t very well cook them as they are now, can we?” she asked rhetorically, confirming that she understood the reasoning behind his statement.
Caleb merely nodded his head once before beginning his trek up the hill.
* * * * *
About hour later, Caleb and Katie were sitting in front of the fire with their cooked food in hand.
“So, what’s your plan?” Katie asked
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