AaaAhhHCHOOOooo!
A sneeze rouses my from my slumber- my own sneeze.
Eyes still groggy, I skim through the room, tracing the outline of my sleeping quaters.
"Ahh" my lips part in a soft release of breath- a cloud of vapour drifting out of my agape maw.
My fingers find way onto the back of my neck, rhythmically scratching.
Upto this moment, sleep still had its clutches firm onto poor me.
Shaking off a drowsy wave of sleep, I stretch and shut the open window.
It had been ajar the whole night- its no surprise I woke up sneezing.
On my desk, the bread from last night lay- untouched.
I grabbed it, breaking off a piece and tossed into my maw.
My boots gets laced, whilst I chew, then came my shirt and my trusty grey hooded cloak above.
The door clicks locking behind me, its snapping coupled with my descending steps echo.
Through the hall and into the kitchen, I note the figures of Duke and Oliver, the hunters, hunched over a table, silently engrossed in bowls of steaming broth before them.
They don't notice me.
Within the kitchen, pleasantries gets shared.
A small talk and light banter from Irena- Meira was oddly silent today.
A bowl of broth and bread is placed before me
"Eat up," Irena remarks, "The guys are about to finish their breakfast," she gestures at the hunters in the hall.
"You shouldn't keep them waiting."
~~
Boots thud as we walk to the stables, just adjacent to the gates
A sharp stench of horse manure assaults my nostrils the moment we walk in.
I watch my steps, keen not to set foot into the overflowing murk.
Duke silently unties his steed and guides it outside.
"Where's the other guy?"
Oliver grunts
[Sheesh, moody] Intrusive thoughts kick in.
He extends his arms and hands me horse reigns
"You can ride, can't you?"
"Uhm...Yes?" I respond, hesitant and uncertain.
~Snorts~
"Come, we aint got all day."
The horse given neighs, shaking as I awkwardly angle my foot into the stirrup, swinging onto its back.
~neighs~
"Eaaasy, easy girl,"
I coo to calm down the agitated beast
The guys silently swing on to their horses- Ashva as the locals call them.
[Noble beasts] i think
Hooves clop as we ride past the gates and east, towards the rising sun.
For the distance we've ridden, I feel pissed off already.
The ashva below me seemed like balance wasn't a petinent concern- I've been thrown up and about for the past hour.
[So much for noble beasts] A snicker escapes my lips
Any attempts at making her stable just made it worse
[Stubborn Ashva]
The silence just made the ride a whole level more unbearing.
"Are we any closer to where are headed?" I shout out, to the duo in lead.
No response.
We ride in silence for a while more, lo and behold!
A herd of moose
"Hmm," an excited purr escapes, awed at the majestic cervids grazing
"We are hunting these?" I ask, bubbling with excitement
"No!"
"Why not?"
"Ye' got the manpower kid?" the ever silent Duke quips in, irritated.
I reel back from the sudden snap.
[Bite my head off, will ya!]
Something's up, since dawn, the groups dynamic has changed, not the lively bunch I met last night.
So my eyes weren't playing tricks on me- their heated exchange.
Inferred of course- from their jerky hand movements, body language.
It all clicked in
Absence of their colleague, Carlo, today hammered it to be a fact.
Have they discovered any links to me?
Am I the quarry of the hunt- being led unaware?
[Fuck!]
Forcing my racing heart to calm, I weigh my options,
I could turn tail and ride off- but they'll catch up, not to mention be suspicious if they haven't linked me to their dead friend.
Or go in blind?
[Hell no!]
I slump, drawing in a deep breath.
Its settled, irritate them enough to reveal their plans.
"What are we huntin' then?" I ask after an extended moment of quiet.
"Will you shut ye' mouth for a minute!" Duke snaps
Oliver looks back, shaking his head,
"Hogs" He answers, pinching the bridge of his nose, whilst sighing.
I nod, in acknowledgement
I shouldn't push them further- I'tll be bad for me.
Hiding a smirk, [bastards]
They didn't even realise, let out more than they knew.
Now, with my concerns soothed, my racing heart, (and a train of intrusive thoughts), rests easy.
~~
The 'hunt' I was looking forward to?
Spoilt
Why? You ask.
Well, the so called 'hunt' would be better off being called a massacre.
What I witnessed was nothing short of systematic dismantling of beasts.
Poor hogs!
One moment they were 'peacefully' grazing, the next?
Witnessing half of their kindred being skewered.
It was not a battle to be won, survival took precedence!
And so, they scattered and fled, abandoning four of their kin, gurgling their own blood.
I stand frozen watching Duke and Oliver put the skewered hogs out of their misery.
I can't help but wonder,
who are the beasts in this scenario?
The hogs themselves? The ones named 'beasts'
Or the humans before me? -executing hogs in reckless abandon.
No words exchanged, they proceed to skillfully butcher the carcasses,
I grate my jaw as a sickening 'shiiik' of their daggers slicing flesh reaches my ears.
The guys in question?
Unbothered, engrossed in their macabre art.
Reigns in hand, I silently observe, noting the skillful movements of their hands.
In no time, the once mighty hogs turned into strips of flesh and bone.
The duo wrapped the 'meat' within the skinned off hide, binding them tightly in ropes.
The bundles are then loaded onto the Ashva/ horses - mine included.
Satisfied with their work, the duo mount their ashva and stir them on.
I turn my ashva, following behind the duo, glancing back:-
Only visceral guts and bone remain of the 'poor' hogs.
I gulp,
Shuddering as I steer my horse.
[Damn!]