A handful of teams were already gathered in the lodge’s courtyard. They busily checked over their gear, while making small talk. The hunters’ actions were familiar and easy going, but there was also an intensity of attention. They honed blades, oiled leather, tightened straps, and made sure every other detail was attended to.

Billisha and Aluali recognized the mood in the air. They wished me a safe hunt and left, so that I could get to work. We’d caught up during the walk to the Hunter’s Lodge, and we’d catch up more later. From what I’d heard about their stay in Voorhei without me, they’d been busy.

I found my team inside. Mumu and Haol stood among a gathering of the more senior hunters around one of the butchering tables. Inleio pointed to a map spread out on the table and briefed them on the plan for today’s hunt; assigning sections of the forest to each of them.

Meanwhile, the rest of my team sat nearby listening in; Tegen whispering a running commentary for Teila. He waved me over and had me sit next to her.

The hunt would last two days, and the goal was to remove the threats to the village from the local area. If we spotted any regular prey--say, a deer or turkey--we’d leave them alone, as it’d take time to dress the kills and transport them back to Voorhei. No, our targets were any creatures that might threaten Voorhei; now or in the future.

Tegen talked Teila and me through the supplies we’d bring and the reasoning behind each. The man was a good teacher, and that was reflected when I looked at his Talents.

Integnei, human Talents: Braveheart, Patient

Nascent: Natural Mentor, ???, ???

I glanced at Teila to refresh my memory.

Teila, human Talents: Wood-wise

Nascent: Stealthy, ???, ???

Teila was unusual in that she wasn’t ten yet. She’d become an apprentice before most of the other villager kids.

Ten was the age when children technically became adults. Or more accurately, they took the first steps of a five-year process towards becoming adults. At ten, every human being, assuming they didn’t absorb silver or darklight beforehand, became Level 1. And as a result, they awakened their second Talent. That’s why most people waited until kids were ten years of age to decide whether to take them on as apprentices or not.

For the record, people could get engaged as early as thirteen, although they weren’t allowed to actually get married until fifteen, when they became full-fledged adults.

When I asked Teila about her apprenticeship, she told me that she had the Wood-wise Talent and that both her parents were hunters (on different teams). Everyone had high expectations for her, which is why she’d been assigned to Mumu’s team early.

The two of us listened to Tegen intently. While I was comfortable enough in the woods these days, that was with me doing my best to avoid trouble. This time, though, we’d be searching for it, and I was willing to take all the help I could get.

Tegen had just finished going through the day’s schedule when Ghitha Woldecsbrotter walked through the door with three strangers behind him. Two of the three were men and wore brigandine, while the third, a woman, wore a jerkin with a thickly quilted shirt underneath. All carried spears, bows, and packs similar to the ones we were preparing for the day’s hunt.

If the gear wasn’t a clue enough, each also had a sharpness to their eyes, a presence that spoke of the Way of the Hunter.

Banan of Albei, human, dawn Talents: Natural Woodsman, Knack for Leadership, Professional, Face

Nascent: ???, ??? Kuros the Spear, human, dawn Talents: Swift, Runner, Enduring, Spearman

Nascent: ???, ??? Otwei the Hunter, human, dawn Talents: Tracker, Wily, Poisoner, Decoy

Nascent: ???, ???

The room quieted when the locals noticed the strangers among them. Inleio gestured for the hunters to clear a path for him.

“Ghitha, welcome. What have you brought with you on your return from Albei?”

Ghitha nodded to Inleio, but when he spoke, his words were pitched to the room. “I have brought help for the hunt today. These three are great hunters from Albei, and there are another two waiting outside our gate. They are my gift to the lodge, so that all the hunters may return safely.”

If Inleio was angry at being ignored, he didn’t show it. “You know that we will not hunt the King of the Forest. The lightning bear is too dangerous. Your revenge--”

“My revenge is not the purpose of today’s visit,” Ghitha said, ”but if it so happens that the lodge recognizes the prowess of these hunters, then we can talk again. With the right preparation and the right leadership, the King of the Forest is no king at all. He is merely prey to our spears.”

I’d heard that Ghitha had a standing bounty of two gold coins for the head of the lightning bear, and the room was split about the idea--some seemed dismissive, while others speculated about the possibility.

“This is foolishness,” Inleio said, frowning.

“It is not. Danger now or danger later during the darkest days? What is the difference, except in how we prepare for it? I, for one, would rather we be the hunters than the hunted. My brother--”

“Your brother is dead,” Inleio said. “And even when he lived, he was not the master of this lodge, though you and he often forgot this truth. To his detriment, he did not heed my advice. I will not have the same thing happen to my other hunt brothers and sisters.”

Ghitha’s face was a storm of emotions barely contained. “If the lightning bear had been properly dealt with from the beginning, my brother and Family would still be alive.”

“This lodge has hunted the bear twice before. We will not make the same mistake again.”

“The only mistake--” Ghitha bit back the rest of his words. He took a deep breath and straightened his shoulders. “We are arguing for nothing. Today’s hunt is in the service of the village, and these hunters are my gift to it. Later, once they have demonstrated their skill, I will come again with an offer to each hunter here. A generous offer. And each of the hunt brothers and sisters can decide on their own whether or not to participate.”

“They will not,” Inleio said. “They know the danger.”

“‘We shall see,” Ghitha said. He turned around and swept out of the lodge, giving a faint nod to the hunter named Banan on his way out.

Banan gave the room an embarrassed smile. “We seem to have stumbled into a Family argument. Let me assure you, though, that we are all brothers and sisters of the hunt. My team and I will do our best to fulfill our obligations and keep this village safe. We have walked the Path of the Hunter for many, many years, and you can rely on us to be your spear.”

He had an easy way of looking each person in the eye and explaining forthrightly about his team’s purpose. Yes, their employer hired them with the aim of eventually hunting the lightning bear who ruled the forest west of Voorhei, but for now, they were here to support the lodge’s hunt.

###

Mumu’s team was recognized as the strongest in the lodge and, as such, was assigned the area bordering the lightning bear’s territory. There’d been signs of a giant javelina traveling through, as well as a dusk wolf pack expanding their hunting grounds. The wolves seemed to be skirting around the bear’s territory and encroaching towards the village.

Mumu scouted ahead of the team, while Haol kept an eye on our backtrail and Tegen watched over the apprentices. Honestly, I wondered if it was enough given the potential danger, but the adults were confident in their ability to keep Teila and I safe.

The hours passed, the cool air disappearing around mid-morning and the heat steadily building over the rest of the day. We stuck to the shade where we could, but the increasing humidity ensured there was no escape from the heat.

At lunch, I cast Cold Snap on the shady side of a boulder, and that provided a brief respite. We ate our jerky practically glued to the cool stone. The hunters had scoffed when they learned about the Cold Snap spell, but safe to say, they reconsidered the spell’s utility. I got head pats from the adults, and even shy Teila said a word of thanks.

Later, we spotted a beautiful stag drinking from a stream running through a ravine. Each and every one of us sighed to see him bound off.

An hour after that, we came across a group of three children, all blank faced. One seemed older, a boy standing a head taller than the others, while the other two were a boy and girl. All their clothes were simple but clean, and they sat under the shade of an oak tree. Just staring into space, waiting.

Mumu spotted them first, and she had the rest of us carefully approach. It was pretty obvious that they were false ones (what I used to call Little Horrors). Still, she was obligated to step out into the open and challenge their humanity. Then, if they turned out to be monsters, the adults would kill the larger of the three, and the apprentices would handle the smaller ones.

Well, Mumu didn’t need to go to the trouble. My Talent camera told me plainly that they were false ones. I credited the observation to my Spirit Eyes.

Mumu grinned at me. “So useful, our Little Pot,” she signed.

At that, Haol was free to snipe the largest of the false ones, while Teila and I shot the other two. He used Spiral Pierce to ensure the kill, while Teila used the only spell she knew, Camouflage. Tegen counted us down so that we could all release at the same time.

Haol’s arrow punched right through and nailed his target to the oak tree. Two more arrows made sure it was dead. Teila and I also hit our targets, but without the potency of Haol’s shots. We managed four releases each--our targets looking like pincushions by the time they shambled into spear’s reach.

Teila faded back to keep shooting, her Camoflauge keeping her hidden, but I stepped forward with my spear. I’d been practicing and wanted to see how far I’d come. Tegen stood nearby, as did Mumu and Haol.

My heart was racing and my palms sweaty, but I felt ready. I held the spear and knew the proper forms for thrusting. I reminded myself of the critical components. Balls of the feet, twist the hips, attack from the core, and extend through the target.

Inside me, I felt the uekisheile spin up my qi into the patterns required for Dog’s Agility. The world slowed down. My breathing eased. The false ones approached. The one on the right split open to expose the swamp green beak and ruffles hidden inside. The beak opened early, the creature anxious to bite and rend.

The beak was too tough for our arrows to pierce through, but the interior flesh was soft. An arrow from Teila flashed past me and plunged into the false one’s exposed flesh. The creature fell to the ground. Its companion cared not at all. It also split and opened its mouth to me.

I flashed forward like the arrow, the spear point catching the inside of the false one’s upper beak. I pushed and followed the line down into the soft center; using the impact to knock the creature off its feet. The flesh squelched as I drove the spear down. I lifted it free and struck again. Then I realized Teila’s creature was in my blindside, and I stepped around to make sure I could see it. Her false one was still on the ground, writhing.

Once I was sure mine was dead, I also gave Teila’s target a coup de grâce. Both of us waited a few minutes longer to see if anything else popped out of the woods, but nothing did. Teila let go of her Camoflauge spell, her face beaming.

“We did it,” she signed.

Mumu gave her a head rub, and I got one from Haol.

“Our apprentices are strong,” Tegen signed. “The village prospers.”

We collected the silverlight and cut the beaks from the carcasses. Tegen told us about how the beaks grew in layers and the usefulness of those layers in certain crafts. The rest of the creatures we left behind, though, as they apparently didn’t have any medicinal properties and the flesh tasted like ass. His words, not mine.

After a short break and some pointers about our archery and spearwork, we set off again.

###

Late afternoon, we started making our way back to Voorhei. We were halfway when we finally stumbled across fresh tracks left by the giant javelina. If Voorhei was straight ahead of us, then the javelina traveled from left to right, west to east. There were other hunter teams to the east, but it wasn’t guaranteed that they’d spot the signs of the javelina’s passage.

Teila and I listened in on the adults debating about whether we continued in our assigned area or followed the javelina’s trail. The teams had leeway in that regard. The forest was too dangerous and too unpredictable for the teams to be hemmed in by rigid rules, and the team leaders were expected to act independently with the village’s welfare in mind.

What teams were to the east of us and what were their capabilities? That turned out to be the deciding factor to follow the javelina’s trail. The other teams could handle most animals, but we didn't know anything about the javeina except for its size. It'd be dangeous if it had any strange abilities or powers, so we decided to track, join forces, and tackle the javelina together.

We moved slowly, as the tracks appeared fresh and we didn’t want to stumble across the javelina by surprise. The strange thing was, though, we never caught up. The javelina apparently never stopped to graze or rest. It just continued to travel, weaving a path through the forest. Maybe it was looking for something? Going on a tour?

It was weird. The tracks looked recent, like we were just behind it. Always behind. Never catching up. Mumu darted ahead to see if she could spot the creature. She climbed a pine tree. She even had me use my Spirit Eyes, in case it was a spirit playing tricks on us.

I didn’t notice anything odd, except that the tracks felt strangely empty. All of us were stumped.

An hour before dark, we hightailed it back to Voorhei to report on what we’d found. Tomorrow was another hunt day, and we’d ask for permission to pick up the javelina’s trail again.

###

We were tired, grimy, and sweaty from being out in the bush all day. I considered slipping away to the stream for a soak, but Tegen let me know that we were expected at the village gate. All the hunters had to be accounted for and treated for any injuries.

When we came in sight of the gate, I spotted Inleio’s desk. He was set up on the road leading into the village. Nearby were blankets upon which a couple of hunters were being treated. The big draw though--the thing that gathered all the hunters around it--was the corpse of a giant javelina.

Five feet tall on its side, the javelina must’ve been about ten feet tall standing. Before the body stood the hunters of Albei. Banan was doing the talking, gesturing with his hands as he described the kill in detail. We only caught the tail end of the story.

“He charged one last time,” Banan was saying, “but by then, the javelina had lost his strength and tripped. Well, of course, we pounced. We came in from both sides and focused on the wounds already inflicted on his neck. A prize like this, we wanted to keep the hide as intact as possible.”

Our team seemed to be the last to arrive. As Mumu went to report, I glanced towards the injured hunters. One had a gash across his shoulder that was bound by a bandage, and the other was getting his foot wrapped. It didn’t look serious--maybe a strain?

I’d been keeping the Healing Water spell a secret--mostly because of my initial caution of revealing too much about myself--but, as I got to know the hunters more and more, as I saw what they were capable of, I realized that it wasn’t as necessary as I’d feared it would be. They knew that I had the Spirit of Ikfael Glen as a backer. It shouldn’t be too unusual that I’d learned a healing spell from her. Not anymore unusual than anything else I did.

I walked over to offer my aid. Well, as expected, that caused a fuss from the gathered hunters, drawing attention from the javelina. My hunt brothers and sisters demanded an explanation, and I explained how I’d made a deal with Ikfael Glen. I didn’t go into details though, and I hedged enough that I made it sound like it was a recent event.

Afterward, I was scolded by Tegen for not letting the team know before we set out for the hunt. Any changes in Skills and Talents could impact the team’s survival. When he was done, Haol took a turn, and then Mumu. Even Teila got into the act--she puffed up her cheeks and admonished me. “Bad boy!”

What? Was I a dog now? I would’ve been upset except for two things: one, Teila was adorable, and two, the others weren’t able to hide the joy in their eyes.

I overheard a bit of Tegen whispering to Mumu. “The village prospers.”

###

The javelina was as normal as a ten foot tall animal could be. I checked it over from tusk to hooves. No zombification. No sign of spirit tomfoolery. Nothing that would make for the strange feeling I’d gotten from his tracks.

Otwei, the female hunter who’d come from Albei, must’ve noticed me frowning. “An impressive beast, yes?”

“Where was he? Our team found his tracks, but we ran out of time.”

“To the south,” she said. “He was rooting around a field of wild turnips.”

Hmm… we’d noticed he was heading that way, but then his tracks turned and led us on a meandering route away from where he’d eventually ended up. Strange.

“You are impressed?” Otwei asked.

“Of course,” I said. “He’s huge.”

“It is a shame you were not able to hunt this fine animal, but you do not have to worry--our team will gift the meat to the village. We are here at the village’s service, thanks to Ghitha’s tilwisei.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t know that word. Tilwisei?”

“To pay or provide a reward, so that one may exercise their Skills and Talents.”

So, like sponsorship then? I tucked the word away in my growing vocabulary.

“Ghitha’s sponsorship is good for the lodge and good for the village,” Otwei said. “You are young, but you should join us when we hunt the lightning bear. You will learn much from watching us hunt.”

I glanced around and noticed that the other hunters from Albei were also working the crowd; talking to the hunters and encouraging them to join the bear’s hunt. The final two members of their team turned out to be dolbec.

Agath of Dolbec’s Rock, human, dolbec, dawn Talents: Sturdy, Shieldman, Enduring, Loyal

Nascent: ???, ??? Moon of Dolbec’s Rock, human, dolbec, dusk Talents: Stalwart, Natural Skirmisher, Adventurous, Loyal

Nascent: ???, ???

My heart jumped a beat. For a moment, all I could see was the dolbec bandit who’d kept Billisha and Aluali captive. I quickly gave Otwei a noncommittal answer and jogged over.

The two were seven feet tall and looked close enough related to be brother and sister, with the brother, Moon, just a couple of inches taller. They’d taken off their brigandine and set aside their weapons. Only a couple of hunters talked to them--Mumu and Haol--and the dolbecs sat on the ground in order to not tower over Voorhei’s hunters.

The dolbecs were relaying their version of the hunt. It’d been their role on the team to draw the javelina’s ire and tank his attacks. That wasn’t a strategy used much in Voorhei’s Hunter’s Lodge, and my teammates were curious.

That was one thing consistent among the top hunters--they always wanted to learn more. About the animals in the forest, about Skills and Talents, about tactics and strategies, about everything. That seeking of knowledge was integral to their pursuit of the perfection of their path.

I listened in, but the talk was all shop. The dolbecs didn’t even bother encouraging Mumu and Haol to participate in the lightning bear’s hunt. They left that to their teammates. Speaking of which, I noticed Otwei talking to Borba and gesturing towards the giant javelina.

The kill proved to be a public relations coup for the Albei team, and they were working it hard. If my team had been quicker, would it be us bragging in their place? I couldn’t help feeling suspicious of their good fortune and our bad fortune. Watching Otwei, I was reminded that she had a Talent called Decoy.

“Do hunters ever compete?” I asked, the words spilling out of my mouth.

The adults turned their attention to me.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt. I was just suddenly curious.”

“Our Little Pot of Questions is always curious. Well, your path right now is to learn, so there’s no need to apologize,” Mumu said. “The answer is yes: hunters compete. The stag that you kill will not feed me or my Family. At the same time, the stronger you are, the stronger the lodge. And the stronger the lodge, the safer the village. So, while hunters compete, they do not begrudge each other their good fortune.”

“I’m guessing that’s the idea,” I said, “but some people don’t stick to it.”

Haol sighed. “Human nature is what it is. Fortunately, our lodge’s master is discerning. Very little escapes his eyes.”

Well, it wasn’t our lodge that I was worried about. If a team had a way to lure others offtrack, then wouldn’t that help them get the best kills? That was the question I wanted to ask, but I’d wait till we were alone.

Agath raised her hand--I swear it was the size of a dinner plate. “May I?”

I was uneasy, but her eyes were mild and I didn’t sense any intent to harm.

When I nodded, she patted my head, her rough hands gentle. “This is your apprentice? I like his curiosity. It is good to wonder about the world.”

Mumu answered. “Yes, one of them. The other ran off somewhere.”

“Apprentices do that, don’t they?” Agath said, withdrawing her hand.

The adults laughed at that.

“Except, I don’t run off,” I said.

Mumu slapped me across the back of my head. “What are you thinking? You run off the most!”