Waiting for Hunter

by Silverty

 

 

Premise Tags: Nonlinear,

Mortal/Immortal Relationship,

Relationship Progression, Death,

Melancholy, Fantasy, Mentor/Pupil,

Spirits/Ghosts, Memory Loss.

Content Warnings:

Age Gap (see tags above).

 

 

He opened his eyes with a start. Where was he? No, more importantly, who was he? He looked at what he could see; a pair of fair hands with long, slender fingers and a pair of equally small and delicate bare feet.

He frowned and looked down. He was at least dressed, thankfully. But it was nothing more than a shapeless white robe upon his body.

He started to touch his face but he couldn’t feel anything; no warmth or coldness, no tactile pressure from touching anything solid. He touched his clothes as well but again, there was no feel of texture, no sensation of any kind.

Was he real? He couldn’t be sure. But he felt no fear, no panic or anger. He didn’t feel any joy or sadness either. There was… nothing.

Wait… he closed his eyes and looked deep within him. What was this feeling? …longing? He was yearning for something, but what? He closed his eyes again.

Hunter? He was waiting for a hunter? Why? He was a human; that much he could see. So why did he want a hunter?

He shook his head, perhaps in confusion.

Now, he could finally look around to see where he was. He was sitting under a magnolia tree. From the height and width of the trunk, it was an old tree. Its branches spread out in every direction to cover him in a shady canopy.

But it was bare now. The branches were empty and it let in the harsh, cold moonlight. 

A barren tree on top of a hill under a full moon… how clichéd. 

And a lonely soul tied to this spot, unable to move… that’s right, he had tried to move but found that he could not leave the tree. His limit was the edge of the tree’s shadow.

He didn’t know what to think. He couldn’t even remember who he was, how old or why he was here. All he knew was that he was waiting. If he closed his eyes… he could hear a voice: “Wait for me.” 

And a sensation; a kiss on his forehead. That was the last he remembered.

“Are you waiting for something?”

He turned. A man, dressed in furs stood on the other side of the tree. He looked young and old at the same time, with grey hair flecked with black, white and brown.

“You can see me?”

“You are a soul but I am not human either.”

The man’s golden eyes looked deep and piercingly into him. 

“I can’t remember who I am or why I’m here. But yes, I’m waiting for someone… a hunter.” He innocently answered everything the spirit asked of him.

The golden eyes softened and there was a smile on the harsh, chiselled face.

“Not a hunter. Hunter. He is my brother and he has asked me to send you a message: He is coming but he will be late. He hopes that you will wait for him.”

“How long do I have to wait?” he felt hope, and despair well within him. That was an improvement.

The man came forward and placed a leaf in his hand. It was a leaf from the magnolia but it was a beautiful yellow, tinted with orange. Preserved in time just before it fell from the tree.

“He says that when the leaves on this tree change to this colour again, he will be here for you.”

There was silence as he looked at the leaf, his thumb rubbing on the midrib. Again, there was no sensation against his fingers but a ghost of a smile flitted against his lips. 

Finally, he looked at the man again.

“I will. Thank you, brother of Hunter.”

“Call me Wolf. I cannot stay long but I’ll make it so that the frost and snow will not touch your feet. And perhaps, our other siblings will come to keep you company.”

And before his very eyes, he watched as Wolf changed into his namesake. With a howl at the glowing, full orb in the sky, he raced off into the snow and disappeared.

With nothing else he could do, he sat down, leaning against the sleeping tree and started his wait.

 

🍁☠️🍁

 

It was time to harvest the corn. A youth about fifteen wiped the sweat from his forehead before he swung his sickle, cutting down the stalks of mature corn. Everyone in the village was there. They had to harvest as fast as they could. 

The sooner they finished the harvest, the sooner the men could start hunting and storing meat for winter. The women too could start drying and processing the crops earlier. 

For the youth though, the sooner he was done, the sooner he could rest. When they were finally done, when they had removed the corn from the stalk and piled it to one side, it was nearly evening. Before he could make his escape, he was caught by his mother. 

“Go to the river and fetch me some water.”

The youth sighed but obediently picked up the pot. He walked slowly to the river. His mother did not tell him to hurry after all. And then he came across a man. He was sitting under a willow tree, his eyes closed, a bow and quiver full of arrows by his feet. This man was not from the village. 

The youth had paused, unsure of what he should do. This area all the way until the edge of the forest, almost two days walk away, was part of his tribe’s territory. After that, towards the lake in the east was part of the floating cloud tribe. 

This man was not from the floating cloud tribe either. In fact, his hair, the colour of autumn, along with his wheaten skin did not look like he was part of any of the known tribes.

And then, the man opened his eyes and looked at the youth. He sucked in a breath and held the pot in his arms tighter. He took a step back, ready to run back to the tribe if need be.

“You can see me?” The stranger looked surprised.

The youth only widened his eyes in trepidation. What did this strange man mean?

“Do not be afraid, little one. I’m only passing through. I mean you no harm.” The man’s green brown eyes looked gently at him, his voice soothing as if to placate a frightened animal.

The youth’s eyes widened and he turned to run, his hands releasing the pot in his haste. Before he could take another step though, his shoulder was grasped and he looked back in shock.

The man who had earlier been seated more than a hundred paces away was now holding onto his shoulder. Even the pot that he had dropped was in the man’s other hand.

To be able to travel so swiftly like a deer, so silently like an owl, was he human?

“G-great god…” the youth stuttered.

The man released his shoulder and smiled. 

“I’m but a spirit, not a god. Call me Hunter. What is your name, little one?”

“M-my n-name is-”

 

🍁☠️🍁

 

He woke up with a frown. So close! What was his name? He rubbed his temples with a sigh. 

He looked up at the tree. It was flowering now, and the tree was a beautiful pink and white. If he could smell, he believed that the air was full of the scent of magnolias… so much of it that one could get dizzy.

“Are you lonely?”

A woman- no, a girl moving into womanhood asked him. Her hair was pale gold in the moonlight and woven with a multitude of spring flowers. Her dark, violet eyes looked at him solemnly.

“A little. Are you Wolf and Hunter’s sister?”

“Yes I am. You can call me Flower.”

Looking at the abundance of flowers she was surrounded with, he nodded.

“The name suits you.”

She gave a little laugh, almost like a bell tinkling in the breeze.

“Thank you.”

He watched her sit beside him before he turned to look at the gleaming pearl suspended in the sky.

“How long more before Hunter comes?” the longing in his voice could not be disguised.

 “Soon. But still a way to go. My flowers have only started to bloom.”

“Oh”

He had learnt about longing, about hope and about despair. Now he learnt about disappointment, when his wish could not be fulfilled.

Flower looked at the youth, who had buried his face in his knees. The wait was long but there was no choice. Hunter longed for this boy too but it was not his turn. As siblings, they would come in his stead to keep the boy from fading.

She waved her hands and flowers started to grow in profusion around the youth. He looked up and blinked at the wildflowers that surrounded him.

“A small gift before I go. Hunter said that you loved these. Be strong. Soon, he will come to you and take you away.”

So saying, Flower stroked his soft downy head before she got up to leave. 

He watched as she glided away, flowers swaying at her feet, dancing and worshiping as she left.

 

🍁☠️🍁

 

The youth walked quietly in the underbrush. There was a rustle and coo. It sounded like a large bird. As quietly as he could, he pulled his notched arrow and let it fly. There was a squawk and then silence.

He quickly ran into the bushes and claimed his prize, a wild turkey. This was the largest game he had caught so far. And he had Hunter to thank for.

The youth had been sickly as a child. Even now, though he was past the age where they called him a boy, he was still not strong enough to join the men when they hunted.

So he had no choice but to help the womenfolk. Sometimes he minded the children or helped the elders with their chores. But he still longed to join the men while they trekked in the forest. While they stalked deer and buffalo. 

But it would be a longing unfulfilled. He couldn’t keep pace with the men and he couldn’t keep up with the terrain. He would be nothing but a burden.

But when Hunter knew that he wanted to learn, Hunter taught the youth. He brought him into the forest and taught him how to listen to the birds. He showed him how to follow the fox and where to wait for the hare.

The villagers were surprised at first but since they were small creatures, they knew he would come to no harm. And every little bit of meat was still food for the winter.

So at last, the youth got his wish. He had hunted and brought meat back to the tribe. No one could say that he was not a man. He had been ecstatic by his father’s praise that he had hugged Hunter the next time he saw him.

He saw the surprise in Hunter’s eyes and hurriedly let go. He was so used to playing with the children that he forgot to grow up. He hung his head down in shame, only to feel a hand upon his head.

“Don’t feel bad, little one. It is fine if you don’t grow up.” Hunter said with a smile.

The youth pouted. He wanted to be a man. He wanted to be seen as an adult, one who would no longer burden the tribe or worry his parents. He refused to be a useless obligation who could not contribute. 

Even his younger brother was stronger than him. The youth had hidden his envy when he watched his brother run after their father and the other hunters, bow over his shoulder and smile upon his face.

But the tribe did not see him as an adult. His brother had already been initiated in the coming of age ceremony but he had been excluded. No longer a boy but not quite a man. What did he have to do to prove himself in the eyes of the tribe?

“I should have been a man, should have had my coming of age ceremony. I should be with a bride of my own, one chosen by the tribe.” He said as he removed Hunter’s hand from his head. He did not see the flash of darkness in Hunter’s eyes.

“Do you wish for a bride of your own, little one?”

The youth looked up to see Hunter’s eyes, a shade darker than he remembered, the green almost gone. A wind had picked up and the fallen orange leaves swirled around them.

The youth smiled a sad smile instead. 

“I just want someone who will be mine. But no one will look for someone who cannot provide for them. And as I grow older, I do not have the courage to rely on my father and younger brother for meat.”

“And if I provided for you instead? Would you be mine?”

Hunter had never meant to keep coming here. His duties as the spirit of Autumn meant that he would have to get the world ready to sleep, to paint the leaves and to choose the strongest to survive his brother. He had passed through these woods every season without a person ever realizing.

He was nothing more than a passing spectator, as tribes grew and died, babies being born until they became elders who returned to the earth… He saw but never noticed.

He didn’t know why he was so kind to the boy. Maybe it was because the youth could see him, could talk to him. It assuaged some of the tediousness of his duties, a little respite during his lonely journey to change the seasons from warm to cold. 

He had not even realized that the youth was no longer a child. To Hunter who was numb to the passage of time, it would not be long before the boy would join his ancestors in the stars. And suddenly, he was afraid to lose him.

But Hunter’s words shocked the youth. He stared at the tall, strong man in front of him in silence. Finally the youth responded.

“You are only here when it is time to harvest until the first snow falls. It has been that way since I met you many autumns ago. When you go, I will have to face the cold alone.”

“Then come with me. I will take you to where there will always be food to eat and a warm hearth to sleep. You will never be weak again.”

“And I will be a spirit?”

Hunter looked at the youth, whose smile had faded with a fear in his eyes. Would this little one be happy with an ancient spirit like him? If the youth had not spoken of his longing, would Hunter have realized his own? He could only reach out and cup the youth’s cheek, his thumb caressing the supple skin. 

“Yes, but you don’t have to become one now. When you have had enough of the human world, when you think you want me more than your tribe, I will come for you and take you away.”

The youth looked conflicted when he heard that. He opened his mouth to say…

 

🍁☠️🍁

 

Not again! He opened his eyes in frustration when he was awakened before he could remember anything truly important. He rubbed his head in despair as he looked at the rosy, round moon in the sky.

“Hunter…”

“He’s on his way, hold on.”

He almost jumped out of his skin but he was getting used to these spirits showing up like this.

He turned to see a little girl, about ten looking at him with big, green eyes. Her hair was a vivid red and there were freckles on her nose.

When she saw him looking at him, she flashed him a bright, mischievous smile.

“I’m Strawberry, the youngest of the siblings. Big brother Hunter told me to tell you that he would be here soon.”

“Really?”

“Yes, but let everything grow first. I’ve only just arrived.”

The cheeky little girl with the bright red hair stuck her tongue out at him. The youth could only smile.

“So you are here to play.”

“I am. This is the time for everything to grow big and strong. Or else big brothers Hunter and Wolf will be too much for them.”

He nodded. That was true. If they were not ready for autumn, they would not survive winter.

He looked at Strawberry, who was standing beside him, with her head tilted. Sweet, innocent, so like the many children he had watched and guided.

“Ugh…”

He leaned forward and grabbed his head. His eyebrows creased in pain.

“What’s wrong?”

Strawberry hurriedly crouched by his side. If anything happened to this youth, she was going to get into trouble! Just because she couldn’t die doesn't mean that it wouldn’t hurt if she got spanked!

“I remember…”

 

🍁☠️🍁

 

“My son, come here.”

A young man looked up from what he was doing to turn towards his father. Seasons had come and gone and the youth had finally been initiated as a man. He was not as broad or muscular as the others in his tribe but he was still lean and strong. There was no trace of his past weak and sickly self.

“Yes, father?” He put down the leather he had been crafting to walk towards the older man.

“My son, it is time for you to get married.”

The man was silent, his head bowed. His father looked distressed. Everyone in the tribe knew that he had been single all this while, even though he had reached adulthood many years ago. 

“Since the first woman rejected you at your coming of age ceremony, you have not looked at another woman since. Why?”

‘Because I had hurt the one who was most precious to me.’ the man thought in his heart. 

But he only gave his father a melancholy smile.

“None of you ever saw me as a man. My coming of age ceremony was delayed by three years and I watched the boys I looked after become adults. The bride chosen by the tribe rejected me, calling me weak. Now that no one wants her, she comes back to me? Isn’t it just insincerity? And any other woman who accepts me, won’t they be reminded that I was once nothing more than a weakling who was a burden to the tribe?”

“But you are one of our best hunters now.” 

His father was shamed by his words but desperate to see to the continuity of the tribe.

“I don’t hunt like the other men. There will be those who will talk and be ashamed of me.”

The man truly did not stalk big game, or race across the plains to chase them. He laid traps and waited for them to come to him. There were those who felt that he did not display the manliness a hunter should have.

This was the excuse he gave. But the young man knew. The real reason he had not found a woman to marry was because of Hunter.

After his conversation with Hunter that day, he never saw the spirit of Autumn ever again. He had gone past being a boy to being a man, from being a weakling rejected by many to a sturdy provider coveted by all. 

But it was then that he realized how much that the young man missed Hunter. How he missed the gentle indulgence and patient teachings. Hunter was a teacher and a friend. 

And his place in the young man’s heart kept growing. The fear of losing his family and tribe had long been replaced by disillusion and disappointment with the tribe and finally, with longing for Hunter. He had thought that without his tribe, his family, he would be nothing. It turned out that without Hunter, he was empty.

Everything that had made him stand tall and respected in the tribe had been taught to him by Hunter. Every game he hunted, every bounty he foraged, every trap he made. They were all gifts that Hunter had given him during his time beside the youth. 

“I will teach the young ones and contribute to the tribe as always but I will not marry. Besides, hasn’t younger brother chosen a bride already? I will help him hunt a suitable wedding gift.”

His father looked at the gentle, calm smile and couldn’t say anything else. They had neglected him, looked down on him and considered him a burden. Now that he could contribute, everyone just had their own interests in heart. It was enough that he had not left the tribe.

“If that is what you wish.” His father sighed. They had brought this upon themselves and there was no one else to blame.

“Then I will go see if I have anything in my traps.” He collected his weapons and left the tribe, his back as straight as an arrow. Many maidens watched him leave, wishing to claim him as their provider.

The young man walked quietly in the forest, looking at the now bare trees and sleeping earth. Autumn was ending and it was another season without Hunter. Never had he regretted saying his home and family were more important, that he wanted to prove to the tribe that he was needed. His pride had been satisfied but now his heart was lonely.

He walked towards a part of the forest that he had warned the younger tribe members to stay away from. Previously, he had found bear and cougar tracks, making it dangerous to the unaware. 

There was a rustle near where he had set his trap and he broke into a trot, knowing that he had caught something in his trap. He was surprised by the strong smell of blood, wondering if the caught animal had injured itself. 

When he arrived, though, he had been frightened to see a grizzly gorging on the carcass of his prey. Why did he forget that now was the season for all animals to prepare for winter? An animal trapped like that was an easy meal.

The bear had already seen him. It was too late for him to back away quietly as the bear had already reared onto its hind legs, growling aggressively. 

The man kept his eyes on the bear but still moved back as fast as he could, hoping that it would go back to the meat. But this bear didn’t. It instead got back on all four feet and charged.

The man had no choice but to run. And the weak body from his youth became his deadly weakness. He could not run fast or far enough.

“Ah!”

He felt searing pain as the bear’s claws dug into his shoulders and back, felt the dizzying sensation of his head crashing into a tree. Desperate to stay alive, he turned over and used his spear to fend off the bear’s deadly jaw. Tears of pain welled in his eyes while he bravely fought off the bear. 

But while its jaws were occupied by the spear, the bear managed to claw into the youth again, this time from the front. He coughed up blood; it seemed like his ribs were broken and his lungs punctured. Was he going to die?

No! He would not die like this! Not when he still had not seen Hunter, had not told him that he was willing to be with him. But he was much weaker now, he could not fend off the rancid smelling, bloody jaw that was aiming for his throat…

 “Starr!!!”

The grizzly that had been about to end his life had disappeared. But Starr could not see anymore, his injuries had rendered him blind. The inhuman strength he had used to keep himself away from the bear’s jaws left him like a startled bird taking flight.

“No! Look at me! Starr!”

It was Hunter…  He had come back. Starr might not be able to see anymore but he could still hear, still feel the warmth of the embrace that held him.

With a pale face and a blood stained smile, Starr reached out weakly, unseeingly to touch Hunter. The man he had dreamt of, longed for, for many autumns. His weak, unsteady hand was grasped and he felt it cupped against a cheek. At long last. He smiled feebly, unseeingly at what he hoped was his beloved’s face.

“You came…”

Those two words took all the strength he had left and he gave a bloody cough. He could feel Hunter pulling him into a tighter, more painful hug. He was dying anyway, what was a little more pain? Keeping his eyes open took too much effort so he closed them. He couldn’t see anymore, why keep them open?

“No! Open your eyes! Starr!”

There was warmth channeling through him. It was giving him strength. But Starr knew; he was dying. A cracked pot cannot hold water, just like a broken body cannot hold life. He shook his head feebly, he didn’t want Hunter to waste his strength.

“You’ll be fine!”

Tears pooled and trickled down the side of Starr’s face. This was not how he had wanted to see Hunter again. He had wanted to meet Hunter again by the river, under the willow tree where they had always waited for each other. Starr would smile at Hunter and tell him the words that were lodged in his heart, that he would give up everything and be with him. 

But it was too late. Now, he was too weak to even keep his eyes open let alone speak. He could feel Hunter’s thumb caress his cheek, wiping away the tears. But Starr was feeling the cold. He had lost too much blood and every part of him was numb and weak. The only joy he had was that he would die in his beloved’s arms.

“No! Stop! Wolf... wait... please!”

The wind rustled, bringing a biting chill. Starr was too weak to understand the pleading desperation in Hunter’s voice. In the end, he felt a soft warmth on his forehead.

 “Wait for me.”

And then the warmth was gone. Starr was left alone, weak and dying as the cold slowly seeped into his bones. Bit by bit, his body grew colder, his senses and strength leaving him. But because of those three words, he died with a satisfied smile on his face.

 

🍁☠️🍁

 

“Starr”

Starr looked up. A man was approaching the magnolia tree. Dressed like a hunter, with hair like the autumn leaves and eyes a beautiful hazel. He gave a gentle smile and caught the youth that had launched itself at him.

“Hunter”

“I’ve come for you, my little one.”

Starr did not say a thing, only gripping Hunter a little tighter, burying his face in Hunter’s embrace. At long last. Unable to control his emotions any longer, he sobbed. 

Not at all like the strong hunter respected by his peers, nothing like the patient teacher who taught the children how to hunt and lay traps. He was once again Hunter’s ‘little one’, the happy youth who showed his emotions without a care.

“I’m sorry I’m late, little one. That day, when the first snow fell, I was so desperate so I tied your soul to this tree. At least I would be able to find you. I sent my siblings to comfort you and tell you every season that I was coming. I didn’t want you to despair…”

The normally silent Hunter explained rapidly, as if to comfort Starr, his hand stroking Starr’s back. Starr shook his head as he calmed down and finally looked up at Hunter. His tear streaked face shining like his name.

“You told me to wait, so I did.” 

The trust and love glowed in Starr’s eyes as he smiled. He placed his head against Hunter’s shoulder, sighing in contentment. Hunter was so overwhelmed that he placed a soft kiss on his forehead.

“I thought you didn’t want me anymore.”

“Never, my little one. Even though I did not go to you, I asked my siblings to watch over you for me.”

“I had wanted you to come and see me.”

“It was my fault. I was afraid that if I saw you in person, I would spirit you away. You still loved your tribe, your family more than me then. I didn’t want to make you unhappy.”

“And now, I no longer need to care about them. Take me away with you, Hunter. Wherever the moon goes, this little star will follow.”

“No, you aren’t a little star. You are my sun. And this moon will forever circle around you, never to leave again.”

Hunter cupped Starr’s cheek before he raised his chin. Their lips met and a promise for eternity was made.

Above them, the magnolia had turned a beautiful yellow, shading the lovers under its canopy, as if to protect them and their love. And above even that, the silvery full moon glowed, blessing the lands that had turned to amber and gold. Autumn had come once again.

 

 

🍁

 

 

Author's Account:

Silverty (SH).