Erika took slow, controlled breaths through her nose as the rain began to patter down against the leaves around her. She crouched low while she moved forward, an arrow already nocked to her bow. She wasn’t very impressive in terms of her physique, but there was a kind of deliberateness and accuracy to her movements that implied that she had excellent control over herself. Never in her life had Erika been a clumsy girl.
The young buck she was stalking wasn’t overly large, but Erika actually approved of that. She was going to have to carry him back on her own, after all, and she didn’t want to risk a strong one running off with one of her arrows stuck in him. She needed every one she had left, at least until they could make more. Jonrik probably wouldn’t be making any more arrowheads for her until they found a better place to set up camp and stay put for a while.
When her prey stopped, so did she, standing still behind a tree wide enough to hide from sight the majority of her thin frame. A low rumble of thunder echoed around in the distance, but neither hunter nor hunted paid it any mind. Erika pushed a lock of damp hair from her face, setting up her shot, quietly lining up the arrow and drawing back the string, her breathing slow and calm. The buck was facing away from her, and she patiently waited while he grazed and sniffed about. Her arm was well trained to this by now, and she held her aim steady.
At last he grew tired of his spot, and turned to walk away, exposing Erika’s target. She took a moment to adjust her aim for his movement, and then did not hesitate in loosing. The arrow whistled through the air and struck the buck solidly in the chest cavity. Startled, he shot off into the woods at full speed, but he staggered wildly after a few steps. Erika gave chase, following his obvious trail of blood left on the ground. An excellent hit, she could safely say.
She found him less than fifty meters from where she’d landed her shot, laying still in the grass, thankfully having expired. Kneeling beside him and working to carefully retrieve her arrow, she offered brief thanks to Odin, before cleaning off the arrowhead and sliding it back into her quiver. Now came the fun part. Grimacing, she hefted the buck up and over her shoulders, starting the trek back to the camp.
Erika was quite tired and quite hungry by the time she returned, especially with the knowledge that she was carrying a large portion of dinner on her back. It would be more than enough meat to fill everyone’s bellies, though admittedly it was mostly for the warriors of the group. Erika could have filled herself up on a hare, and she did indeed intend to catch a few of those whenever they found a more regular place to set up camp. She didn’t want to go making snares and leaving them about if they were just going to pick up and move on the next day.
“Someone want to help me with this?” she suggested, setting the carcass down and drawing her skinning knife. Thankfully, the camp seemed mostly set up, and Faen looked to have caught a fish, though she wasn’t sure if he intended only on feeding himself. It would be best to string up the deer somewhere and skin him there, but Erika wondered if one of the men might be willing to take over the responsibility. She was more interested in getting off her feet for a while, and setting up a spot where she could stay dry for the night.