The wind carried with her Aureim's faint, icy kiss that fell upon the cheeks of the auburn haired girl crouched low amidst the flowing emerald seas of tall grasses wavering in the gentle autumn breeze. Her fur boots wrapped her delicate feet in soothing warmth, such as the white Fangorn Wolf pelt and elk hide tunic she adorned, traditional wear of the forest dwellers. With a pinewood bow clutched in her hands and a steel arrow nocked with red hawk feathers, the scraggly Valetor girl took aim at her prey, a majestic white stag grazing about the grass. His antlers stood tall and proud atop his broad head, crowning this beast of the Earth Mother as rightful king to all the creatures of the valley. But to a skilled hunter such as Saeras, he was her prey....her morning nourishment. The stag treaded gracefully a stone’s throw from Saeras, within perfect striking distance of her arrow. She pulled back the arrow and focused her eyes on the target, the gleaming, meaty neck of the beast, one shot was all she needed.
“You’re mine…” Saeras whispered under her breath, conjuring a hot mist against the bitter frost of Aureim, and then, she let the arrow fly from her fingers and swiftly dart through the air, ending with a satisfying thump into the animal’s hearty flesh and the loud dying wail of the stag. He collapsed into the grass with a slow trickle of blood staining into his bristling white fur and into the earth below, creating a crimson pool about the arrow wound. “Yes!” Saeras yelped with triumph. She ran to the wounded beast and plucked out her arrow, looking into his black marble eyes and seeing…his fear. The stag’s belly undulated with several short and frantic breaths, and its cold nose flared hot. He was in severe pain obviously, and there was only one thing to do for a suffering animal.
“Shhh….there there, beast.” Saeras cooed softly and petted the animal’s head, another hand reaching for her scramasax. “I shall put you out of your misery and return thee to the Earth Mother.” The Stag breathed harder, blood still seeping from the gaping wound in his neck. He was sure to die soon, but it was best for the animal to die quickly. Saeras took a few moments drawing the blade to bless her blade, “May your bones crumble to dust and may she who gave birth to all of nature rebirth you again from ashes and earth.” She then plunged her blade into the animal, who at first squealed and groaned with more agony, but soon faded…the soul leaving his body and returning to the Earth Mother. Once it was done, Saeras went to work. A few wee hours had passed as she dressed the stag and took only what was necessary, meat, antlers, and hide. Only bones remained of the stag. She sheathed her scramasax and stowed her bow, stuffing the meat into a bag of mineral salts to keep it fresh, and then Saeras was on her way back to the camp, carrying the spoils of another successful hunt.
