Ryder silently moved across the woods, watching his feet and surroundings all at the same time. His goal was to stay as silent as possible. He didn't want to make any noise caused by his feet. He heeded attention to the wind and its direction to ensure he was downwind from his prey. A deer no further than 150 yards from him. He drew his right hand slowly behind his neck and felt for a feather tip. He grabbed his arrow and began sling it into his bow. Still, too far to release, he slowly approached his target in a crouch. Straight ahead of him was a flat area in the forest, not surrounded by trees. He thought to himself this was quite odd to be in the middle of the woods, but he paid attention to his target. Usually, he would stay away from such an area as it would leave him open to the smell and sight of animals. In this case, it gave him perfect cover behind one of the massive boulders, and the deer was downwind, giving him an ideal shot from what he gathered was 70 yards from the now grazing sole male buck. He strung his arrow to his bow, slowly bringing his arrow to his face. His fingers rested ever so slightly on his chin, ready to release his fingers. He made sure of his aim and direction due to the difficulty of his shot. His concentration was immense.
Release…
The arrow shot through the air. Ryder could hear the crack of the bow as his hand released, the whiplash of the air past his ear as it traveled straight into the deer's side. The arrow pierced into its major organs. The deer still jumped and ran with all its might. Ryder's emotions were at an all-time high, and he was finally making his kill. He had tracked this animal for 3 days in the Lewa forest. Ryder went down to start following the tracks of his recent kill.
He thought to himself how far he had come at the age of 16 years. He started hunting with his Uncle Robin when he was 7 years old. Learning the tricks of the trade until he was 12 when he was finally sent out on his own to bring back his first kill. A tradition that was old as time in his village of Gaborone, which all the boys his age look forward to. There was little to do in Gaborone but hunt, labor, and trade. Those born into well-off parents got to choose the latter. He was selected to hunt and labor. His cousins, too, shared his fate but were of higher status than him due to his mother dying at the young age of three. Even though he was so young to die, he remembered her daily. His memories of her were short and problematic to remember his beautiful mother. Her touch was how she carried and cradled him or threw him in the air and would catch him at the last moment. Her long, beautiful brown hair smelled like lilac and lavender. Her skin was smooth to the touch, with her brown eyes would stare out and feel absolute safety. He would get lost in the thoughts, sometimes even wondering how to remember so far back. In his heart, he knew he missed and cherished her, wishing nothing but to have a conversation with her. He knew she would be proud of the firm, independent young man he had become.
He vowed he would never hinder his uncle and his uncle's wife. Every day he made sure to apply himself, whether it be dangerous solo hunts in Lewa forest or taking side work during harvesting. Those were some of his most demanding days. Rather than coming home, he would sleep outside with his dog Falco. Falco had gotten old and couldn't accompany him on his hunts any longer, but he was his best friend still. The days of harvest were hard on all the town people as all work had to be done in a few weeks. He would always be first in line and last to leave, yet receive the lowest pay because of his age. He didn't mind if he could provide more than what he took. His Uncle Robin was hard on him and Batch. Batch was his Uncle Robin's son and Ryder's cousin and was 2 years older than him. He was eighteen years of age, strong, good-looking, and ostentatious. Batch still was his big brother and hero. Though to anyone, it was apparent he was his mortal enemy. A mortal enemy might not be a solid designation for Batch, more like an unhealthy competitive sibling rivalry where Batch won everything. Though it didn't bother Ryder nearly as much, this rivalry made Batch the man he was today.
Ryder bent down on one knee, placed his hand on the ground, looked toward the deer's hoofs, looked to his left, saw blood on the brush in the distance, and made his way over. He can hear the loud wheezing of the deer in the background. The deer was on its side, gasping for air. He could see its chest moving up and down with exhaustion. He drew his knife while carefully moving behind the animal. This was the most dangerous part of the hunt, trying to end the animals' suffering while still alive. He moved slowly behind the animal's neck, grabbed its head up, and sliced through it.
The animal lying dead, Ryder prepared for the carcass. He strung it up to the closest tree and started sharpening his knife. Ryder began with skinning the buck's hide, then clearing out the entrails of the buck, carefully removing all its organs, leaving the liver aside from the rest, as this would be his dinner tonight. He then started to field dress and pack the rest of his kill. It was becoming dusk, so he wanted to move quickly. Predators, at this point, could for sure smell the blood. He would leave the organs beside his liver dinner on the ground for them while moving to a safer location with his kill. He decided to move back where he took the shot up the hill by the boulders. This was a clear, open space, perfect for a fire and camp. He strapped everything to his pack and his carcass on his shoulders. It would be at least a day's hike with the heavy buck. These are times when Ryder wished he had a horse, as this was made so much easier. These hunts made him strong, though bringing back the animals on his own and a buck like this weighing at least 150lbs pre-field dressed was nothing to scoff at for any man.
Ryder finally descended the hill and looked for a decent place to string the animal up. After finding a suitable area about 500 yards from where he would sleep, he strung the animal up to the highest limb his rope would allow. He tied his rope down and returned to start prepping his campsite. It would be fully dark within the hour. He quickly gathered firewood and easily started the fire with his knife and flint. After laying out his blanket, he began slicing and cooking his deer liver on a stick. This was his absolute favorite thing to do. Sleeping under the stars with a full stomach, meat to take home to his family as his successful hunt. Here is where he could be free and dream about his future. Ryder was always told his imagination would get the best of him. He wanted a life of adventure, friends, and importance. He wanted to be able to meet women from all areas of Gaia. He promised himself that whenever he turned 17, whenever that was since he didn't know his actual birthday, he would go and travel to the land of the Aesir.
His birthday was a mystery as his mother died before telling anyone. She was sick, as he was told. His memories of her were so bright and vivid but incomplete. He would stare at the sky and close his eyes as hard as possible to picture more. The few memories he had played back and back, but never more. It frustrated him as he tried but would eventually give up as he went back to dreaming of his life as a noble warrior wanted by all the maidens, every girl wanted him, and every man wanted to be him. He knew this was probably every 16-year-old boy's fantasy, but he didn't care. They didn't have his drive or capability, he would tell himself.
After finishing this meal, he walked around his camp to ensure everything was in place and put more wood on his fire. The fire was his most excellent protection at night, and he needed enough fuel to make it burn through the night. He would sleep with a long stick, acting as a staff, along with his knife and bow. He kept them close on his other side in case he needed to get to his weapons quickly. He curled up in his blanket, feeling the warmth of the fire on his face as he dreamed more of his life to come. His birthday was a few months away. They usually celebrated it during the first week of fall, but all he would receive was a day off work and a heavy meal. He was still more than appreciative of these ordinary luxuries.
The night was loud, with all the insects and frogs making their singing the highest throughout the night. It was Ryder's lullaby as he fell asleep…
A green light, not a green orb, appeared bright as the sun above Ryder. He was blinded by the light. His hand moved above his eyes to help him see. He stood up and grabbed his staff and knife. He was dazed, half asleep, but now his adrenaline was kicking in, and he was preparing for an attack. Still in a daze of confusion, he moved closer to the green orb.
"What the hell is that?" Ryder said as he stared in confusion.
The light finally dimmed and settled above one of the boulders resting on top. It was an orb, and green light showed from inside. It quickly lit up and blinded Ryder again when he blocked his face with his arms to keep the light shining through and blinding him again. Almost as fast as the light came, it went dark once again. This time, Ryder looked, and he couldn't believe his eyes. A wolf, no, this was no wolf; it had the body of a bear but almost the build of a wolf. It had wings on its side tucked in like an eagle resting. The creature had to be 6 feet tall while sitting up.
"Holy shit, it's a Dragonwolf!"
Ryder had heard of these myths. These were bedtime stories of the ancient past that warriors would tell children. No one actually believed them. Yet here was one staring at him directly. He quickly realized while he was in shock how much danger he was in. Immediately then, he got himself into a fighting position. He had no chance, he thought to himself. He saw its fangs lit by the now raging fire. The fire grew from its original state, now more like a rapid bonfire. How the hell did the fire get so damn big? Ryder quickly thought of everything he would miss out on as he would be eaten by this Dragonwolf. Mostly, he still thought about how he was still a virgin, and Batch would tease him for it. Ryder knew he had no chance to win, but damn it all; he would fight to the last second.
Suddenly, a deep, majestic noise swallowed the entire air surrounding him.
"Hello, Ryder, it's been a long time!"
Again, only words flew from Ryder's mouth.
"Holy shit, it just talked."
