Hunter's Bounty (Veller) (12 page)

When Kile opened her eyes she was staring up at the trees, beautiful green trees, unfortunately she didn’t know where those trees were. She could be just outside of the City of Denal or she could be half way across the country. She might even be closer to Riverport than Coopervill. She could even be in those lush green lands that called out to her from beyond the Great Desert, if only that were the case. As she got to her feet, it didn’t take her long to get her bearings. For the last eight months she had been traveling the roads between Tobery and Coopervill to know exactly where she was. The mining town of Coopervill was only a day’s ride from the lake, which meant, although Emara missed her mark by quite a few miles, she did manage to get Kile closer to home. Now all she had to do was start walking.

The first thing
she needed to do when she reached Coopervill was to report to the Guild house. She was sure that Kane would have more paperwork for her to fill out since she had been missing for the last five or six days and she never did get the packaged delivered. One of the things she learned about the Hunter’s Guild was that they had a form for just about anything. She would also have to tell someone of the armies camped out on the other side of the border although she wasn’t sure who or what channels to go through with that information.

Actually, all that could wait until she got a change of clothing. She didn’t want to spend any more times in the
valrik’s rags than she absolutely had to. Then there was the matter of Grim and Vesper. She had no idea where they could have gotten off to. The only good fortune she had was in the knowledge that they hadn’t been captured with her. She had Reginald and his family searched every corner of the stronghold for the Mountain pony and the yarrow, and they came up empty. They either managed to escape when she was taken outside of Mr. Draw’s cabin or… well… the alternative was not something she wanted to ponder.

She
sat down at the end of the open field, or maybe she collapsed, it was difficult to tell. She was tired, hungry, her feet hurt and she smelled like a dead valrik. She lay back on the grass and stared up at the clouds passing over her head. How had she gotten herself into a situation like this? She was a long way from home, a long way from that small farm on the outer edge of Riverport. Where was that simple young girl of fourteen who thought she could become a Hunter and see the world?

She must have fallen asleep, since the next thing she felt was a tongue licking her face. She quickly woke up and stared into the eyes of a doe, which suddenly backed away.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you.” She apologized as she sat up.

Looking
around the field, she found that she was actually surrounded by deer. There had to be about seven or eight of them feasting on the grass around her. The sun had already started to set as a damp dusk settled over the land.

“What time is it?” She asked no one in particular.

-Time?-

The doe replied.

Kile always envied, what she came to refer to as the natural world, they didn’t have clocks or schedules, and they didn’t have places they had to be. There was a simple simplicity about their lives. One just followed the natural order of things. It was what Gorum, the headmaster’s dog back at the academy, had tried to explain to her that night. She hadn’t really understood it back then, but the more time she spent in the wild, the more time she spent in the natural world, she was starting to see what he meant. Only the vir place obstacles in their paths, and then complain when they can get around them.

She
slowly got to her feet, cringing all the way. It was still a good distance to travel and the sooner she got started, the sooner it would all be over.

-You okay?-

The doe asked her, and there was a genuine sense of concern in the words that the doe used.

That was another thing she envied about the natural world, animals didn’t lie. They didn’t hide what the
y felt or practice deception, they were what they were.

“Not really.” Kile replied, although she wasn’t sure what complaining to the doe was going to get her
. She felt she needed to be as honest with them as they were with her.

-Wait here.-

The doe told her as she set off across the field, leaving her to ponder what, exactly was she waiting for. She tried to take a step, but traveling across the flatlands and then through the forest had finally paid their toll on her bare feet. They were cut, they were bleeding and they were really starting to hurt. She knew she shouldn’t have stopped in the field. If she had kept going she might have been able to walk through the pain, as it was starting off, after a rest, the pain only felt that much greater.

She sat back down, tearing off another strip of the
uhyre rags. If this kept up, she wouldn’t have much more to wear. She started another layer of wrapping on her feet.

-Vir hoofs are not made for walking in the woods.-

“Tell me something I don’t know.” She said as she tied off the rag and then looked up, and even further up at one of the largest bucks she had ever seen. He towered over her, staring down at her, his massive antlers stretched out over his head as they pointed towards her. He was a sight larger than the ones she was used to seeing back in Riverport, but then she had only seen them from a great distance, not standing two feet in front of her.

“Sorry sir.” She replied, getting unsteadily to her feet. For some unknown reason she felt she had to stand in
his presence.

He looked her over, sniffed up one side of her and down the other, and she could tell that he didn’t like what he smelled.

-Uhyre?-

“No sir, just the clothes. Not exactly my first choice either
… but then I didn’t have much of a choice.”

-You are Kile.-

It wasn’t a question, it was a statement and it wasn’t so much the fact that this buck knew her name, or that he was willing to say it, but it was the way he said it. The word carried with it a note of admiration.

“Yes sir… I’m Kile Veller.”
She replied.

He
walked around her slowly, eyeing her carefully. She stood still. She could see the other does move around the clearing as they got closer, watching the exchange.

-I see you as no threat.-

He finally said as he came around to stand in front of her again.

“Thank you sir.”
She replied, although she wasn’t sure why she was thanking him. She could have told him she wasn’t a threat.

-And have you finally separated from that horrible beast you ride.-

“Grim… you know Grim?”

-Is that what you called it
? An appropriate name for the beast.-

“I haven’t really separated from him… well not permanently, I mean we did kind of get separated and I am still looking for him.”

-I saw him.-

One of the does
stepped forward.

“You did? Where?”

The doe looked to the buck first as if asking for permission to speak. The buck stepped back, bowing his head as the young doe came closer.

-That was… many mornings ago. He was heading toward the vir settlement.-

“Then he did manage to get away.”

That was at least some good news, although it didn’t mean that Grim was at Coopervill, he was only heading in that direction. Knowing the Mountain Pony the way she did,
she wouldn’t be surprised if he kept on going, right past Coopervill back to the mountains. She wouldn’t have blamed him if he did, of course that didn’t help her find Vesper and she was sure that the doe wouldn’t have noticed a small white rodent on the Mountain Pony’s head. Most of the inhabitants prefer to stay clear of Grim, both vir and animal alike.

“I have to go
. I have to get to Coopervill. I have to find them.” Kile said

-Vir hoofs are not meant to travel these grounds.-

The buck stated again.

“It’s not as if I have much of a choice sir. I’m not going to find boots out here.”
She replied. “It’s not all that far to go, only about a… day… or two.”

-Come Vir. I will take you as far as your… Coopervill
?-

He slowly
lowered himself to the ground. Kile stared in amazement, this was kind of out of character for a buck, but then so was talking to a Vir.

“Are you sure?” She asked.

Bucks have always been proud animals, more so than the does who Kile frequently visited when she had the chance. The bucks usually kept their distance, watching her from afar. For one of them to speak to a Vir, let alone carry one was a huge honor for Kile.

-I am sure.-

The buck replied, and Kile could feel the strain in his words. There was a calming tone, but a cautious undertone. He was taking a huge risk in letting a vir get this close to him, but in the same sense, there was a trust between them.

She
wasn’t going to ask him again for fear of him changing his mind and she could really use a ride. She pulled herself up onto his back and held on the best she could as he rose to his feet.

-Hold on tight.-

The buck said, but before she had a chance to ask what she was supposed to hold onto, he was off.

She had often thought riding a deer would be the same as riding a horse, but that wasn’t the case. The deer moved with a swift
gait, narrowly avoiding trees and rocks as it covered the ground in huge leaps. It was like riding the wind, a very rough wind as he made his way across the landscape. Unlike horses, deer were not used to having riders, and therefore were not accustomed to going around low branches. She quickly learned to keep her head down.

They traveled at a good pace over the fields of Denal, and although the trip took them well into the night, it felt as if only moments past before things became very familiar as the trees of the Apple Blossom Livery came into view.

The buck slowed down and finally stopped just along the outer fence. What had taken him two hours to travel would have probably taken her two days. She slipped off his back, using the fence as a ladder. It was a shame it wasn't later in the season, otherwise she would have offered him a fresh apple for his help, of course the fact that he knew exactly where to go, probably meant he would have his share of fresh apples come harvest time, whether they were offered or not.

“I’m sorry. I don’t have anything to offer you for your help.”

-I seek nothing in return. There will be a time when I may require the aid of a vir. You may return the favor then.-

“Of course. Anything that I can do to help
. Just let me know.” She replied, although she couldn’t think of anything that a deer would need her help with.

-Until then.-

He said as he moved off into the woods with the rest of his family. Waiting until they disappeared into the tree she turned her attention to the orchard. Her feet were sore, her clothes smelled worse than before, if that was even possible, and every muscle in her body ached, but she was now only ten minutes away from home, or the closest thing she knew as home. She was surprised at how much energy she had left, now that she knew the whole ordeal was over. She would talk to Kane in the morning, tell him about the Uhyre army and let him deal with it. It was no longer her problem. She would speak to Grim, assuming that he was there, and find out what happen to Vesper, and if he left the yarrow back at the cabin she would hand deliver him to the mountain folk personally.

She
was half way across the field when she heard someone running in her direction.

“Vesper… Vesper where are you?” A young woman called out. Her voice was on the very edge of panic.

Kile started to pick up speed, running to the sound of the voice, but something small, white and furry leapt from one of the lower branches of an apple tree and landing on her head. She spun around, tripped and fell to the ground, grabbing at the rodent.

-KILE-

The yarrow shouted in her head, and the words were filled with so much emotion that she even started to cry.

“Vesper! I thought I lost you.”

-Kile smell-

Well, so much for sentiment.

“Vesper… Vesper where are you?” Alisa called as she came around one of the apple trees.  When she saw Kile she stopped cold.

“Kile?”

“Sorry I’m late… I got…”

But before she could say anything more, Alisa quickly silenced her
. She looked around the field as if expecting someone to pop out of the trees at any moment. When no one did, she beckoned for Kile to remain quiet and follow her.

As Kile got to her feet, Vesper took his place on her shoulder. It was surprising how empty her shoulder felt without the yarrow riding on it. She followed Alisa across the orchard and into the
farmhouse through the back door. Alisa said nothing as she moved to the windows and quickly pulled the curtain closed.

She
suddenly turned around and faced Kile. She couldn’t tell if she was annoyed or scared. “Where in all of Aru have you been?” She asked in a harsh whisper.