While walking between the trees, Hiro remembered his life in the previous universe. Upon reaching adulthood, he rarely went into the forest. Still he vaguely remembered his teenage life when his late father was alive. They went hunting together frequently. 

"I’d get my rifle down days beforehand and start cleaning it. Dad used to kid me. It doesn’t take that long to clean a rifle, he’d say.  But I always got so excited. Sometimes I think it’s the preparation, the anticipation that’s the most exciting part. But I couldn’t wait for opening day. I’d set up a practice range behind the house and tack up an old camouflage jacket on the barn.  I’d aim right for the top button. I wanted to be at my optimum when the real hunt began." He thought to himself.

It was the best time of year. The turning leaves casted a golden 

orange glow, the atmosphere was crisp, there was a smoky smell in the air as folks were starting up their wood stoves.  That’s when “buck fever” set in. The old adrenalin got pumping and they felt super alive. It’s their favorite season.

No one who hasn’t done it can understand the thrill of the hunt.  He believed it had to do with their early hominid origins.  In those days 

they had to hunt in order to live. Of course, there were berries and nuts and grasses which the women gathered. But the real food came from the hunters, who were men. They had to be out there every single day. No time restrictions, no hunting “seasons.”  Hunting was 24-7. What a life!  Sometimes he wished he’d lived then. 

It made he felt like he was getting back to his primitive origins when he was hunting, back to his natural self, away from all the artificial restraints of modern life.  He felt like his uncivilized, untamed self was coming out. It’s a kind of exhilarating liberation.

It made him feel proud to be a man, too. Not that he objected to 

women hunting, if they wanted. But to him, it felt like it’s a man’s 

tradition, going back to ancient times when they hunted with bows and arrows and knives. It was his father who taught him to hunt and that’s the way it’s been for centuries–father to son.  That’s why he preferred to hunt with just guys, his buddies. They understood one another. They know the tricks of the trade. 

For example, they had to watch the sounds they make.  With all 

the leaves down on the trail made a rattling, swishing noise when they trampled through the woods. So they had to learn to slide their

boots under in a way to minimize the noise. And no talking.  And smell. One would be surprised how distinctive humans smell in the woods when there weren’t so many around. One could smell them.  Animals could smell them. So they mixed up a perfume, they call it, a mixture of crushed mosses and leaves and cow dung for him and his buddies.  They dab it over their clothes before they head out.  That blunt the human smell and made it harder to know they’re coming.

Suddenly, Hiro felt slight pain as his shoulder hit a tree.

"Ouch!"

"Be careful, Lord Piero!" Jak, the young peasant behind him warned. Hiro or his name in this universe, Piero Sraffa waved his left hand to signal that he was fine.

He looked forward to the athletic womanly back that belonged to the leader of the group, the ranger and mercenary, Mireille. 

Her smooth maneuver was far superior to Hiro's father and buddies in his previous universe. 

"As expected of  someone who grew up in the medieval world." He silently praised the girl with nest-like red hair.

Hiro hoped his late father wouldn't object to him being led by the female, it was better than being dead in the wilderness.

Despite being the only athletic looking among the three girls, Mireille had a cute baby face. 

"Movement..” Mireille suddenly said, in a voice which held a hint of tension. It was completely different from the flighty attitude she had taken while leading the group.

Everyone turned to the direction where Mireille was looking, and readied their weapons.

“Where?”

“There. Over there,” Mireille said in response to Ninya’s question. She pointed at a corner of the forest, but nobody could see anything through the clutter of the forest. Even so, none of them doubted her.

There were several four legged animals, with each of them possessing a pair of short horns, which were twisted. 

"Could it be goats?" Hiro asked curiously. 

"Those are boer goats. No peasant rears that big goat because those things lived deep in the forest, but they grew up fast, becoming adults within just 3 months and the best thing is they got a lot of meat compared to usual skinny goats." Matta, the middle aged village chief explained.

Hiro observed the small herd of goats. The goats had white body with a reddish-brown head. Some had a completely white coat, but the reddish-brown on the head and neck was a common characteristic among them. They were large, robust goats with a well-muscled and compact body. Their ears were long, pendulous, and curved downward.

Mireille only nodded. The hunter seemed ignorant about these goats. 

Hiro commanded, " Can we catch all of them and bring them to my land?" 

Mireille replied while directing her bow, "I can shoot their legs but it would hurt them."

Daciana said reassuringly, "Don't worry. Those wounds will be light, I can heal them using my magic."

"My son and I would run at both sides to block their escape routes. Luckily, these goats don't run." Matta spoke in a determined tone.

Everyone looked to each other and nodded, showing that they understood the lord's desire. Their combat strategy was smoothly decided, and their silent teamwork was good.

Hiro, pretending to be their lord, was thoroughly impressed by this display, made a noise of quiet approval.

Mireille drew the string of her half-bow to its limits, until its limbs began creaking. With a whoosh, the bowstring sliced through the air, launching an arrow in a straight line. It struck the rear leg of a goat. She sent another arrow downrange when Matta and his son, Jak was dashing to left and right. 

The other members of the hunting group advanced.

The distance between them shrank, but there was no worry in Mireille’s hand, which was holding his bow. This was because the goats were totally harmless.

Another arrow went through the leg of another goat, that collapsed and struggled to stand up. 

"Don't kill them!" Hiro shouted his instruction again.

Although the goats were bulky, Matta and Jak were a lot bigger, causing the remaining goats encircled helplessly while being shot by arrows.

Meanwhile, Ninya surveyed the surrounding anxiously, with an eye toward conserving her spells. Although some of the goats were immobilized by wounded legs, she might have to deal with them if the situation changed.

The goats, that watched this scene in stunned silence, began fleeing as they were hissing in terror. However, Matta and Jak were too fast for them, and the demoralized goats were no threat to them.

In the blink of an eye, the wild goats had been tamed.

"Daciana, wait for a while before healing their legs. Otherwise, they won't be truly tamed!" Matta spoke  while holding down two goats.