An Unexpected Journey? You Better Believe It!

I Know I Said That I Love the Hobbit, But This Is Ridiculous!

Jael sighed as she paused for a second. "Everest, McKinley, why in blazes are you being bought by someone who is deaf? So annoying.....Now I have to retrain you to obey in ASL. I don't even know ASL; that's why I had to bloody buy the book."

The dogs looked up at her with their tongues lolling out of their mouths, and she sighed again. Why do I even bother? This was supposed to be a nice get-away trip because I had finally finished training them in elvish for their new owner, but, no~! The person who was going to buy them backed out, and now their new owner is deaf! I have to retrain them! How am I supposed to completely retrain them in a month?!?!

"'You're our best trainer, Jael~. You can just take them on your vacation, Jael~. They'll be fully trained by the time you come back, right~?' NO! Hunting is not a vacation! I finally got permission to hunt here in New Zealand, but now I have to take my precious vacation time and do some work! Am I getting paid for this? NO, I am not!"

Everest licked her face, and she wished for not the first time, that she was just a little taller. Oh, well. It could be worse, right? No, wait! Never say that because things always manage to prove you wrong! Things can't get worse! Yeah, that's it! There is literally no way that things can get worse!

She sighed and kept walking, patting McKinley on the head. "Why do I feel as if I just jinxed us, McKinley?" McKinley barked and Jael sighed once more.

"Well, nothing I can do about it, I suppose."

They walked for another hour through the snow before Jael sighed again. I'm bored, and I guess....it's about time for me to start training them in ASL. Ugh! Why me? Boss, you're so cruel!

She whistled, and Everest ran back toward her. "How do you have so much energy, boy? You are carrying a pack that weighs forty pounds." He bounced around her, and she sighed.

"This is why we call you Neverest, you know? I don't know how your new owner is going to put up with you."

She shook her head, took off her pack, and motioned for Everest and McKinley to come closer. She took off their burdens and began to set up her tent. Once she had finished, she grabbed her bow and said, "Everest, McKinley, stay!"

The dogs lay down as she headed out to "hunt". Yeah, I doubt I'll find anything. I just really don't want to start retraining them. It took them forever to learn all the commands in Elvish. Stupid geek that backed out on us. 'I'll buy these two if you train them to respond to Elvish.' 'Ok, I'll put my best trainer Jael on it. No, it's no trouble at all.'

No, trouble for you maybe! But first I had to learn Elvish! Then I had to train them in the normal commands. Then he decides that he wants them to know more. 'Teach them how to carry. Teach them how to herd. Teach them how to guard. Teach them how to tear people apart!' Bloodthirsty freak.

It's a good thing I was a Tolkien fan already. And he didn't even tell us all the commands at once! No, he decided to tell us at random intervals just as I would finish training them what he'd asked the last time.

Jael sighed as she stalked through the forest. Oh well, at least this new guy just wants them to know the basic commands. That should make it easier.

Suddenly, she caught sight of a doe. She instantly stilled, waiting to see if the deer had caught sight of her. After watching the deer for a few minutes, she concluded that it hadn't seen her, and she slowly raised her compound bow and notched an arrow to it.

She stealthily took aim and then loosed the arrow quickly. It hit the deer's heart, and the deer bounded two feet away before collapsing.

Jael walked up to the deer, quickly. She retrieved the arrow and placed it back in its quiver after quickly cleaning it. She placed her bow back in its case and retrieved her skinning knife.