Hunters

8 - Abandonment Issues

Alesana was relieved to see the raven as she woke up. He sat on the ground and observed her as if he was guarding her.

"You're back," she smiled.

She rolled up the blanket and started to put on her traveling clothes. To her surprise, the bird flew away again. Was it coincidence, or did the animal know humans so well it thought that she would feel uncomfortable changing clothes in its presence? It gave her a strange feeling. She'd never paid attention to animals when she was changing clothes, but the idea that animals could think about it caused a pit in her stomach.

"It's nothing," she said to herself. "It's probably just hungry."

That thought also stirred up her own appetite. Taking a bannock from her bag, she wondered how long it would take before she was out of supplies. Would she have to hunt soon? She had never enjoyed eating meat, and to think that the raven understood her and was even able to think about her, didn't make it any easier to kill an animal to eat it. She thought of the many berries she had seen. Were they poisonous? Could she take the risk? Would she — and with her, also her father — die because she felt guilty for eating meat? Was it ridiculous to think that a hare had just as much of a right to live as she — or her father?

Alesana set her teeth in the bannock and tried to focus on its tase. For now, she had enough food. It was better to worry about her supplies when she was actually running out of them, and maybe the raven could show her what fruits were edible. He also understood her invitation to sit on her arm, and he had shown her this sleeping place, so it wasn't that strange to put her trust in an animal. Perhaps he was sent to her with a reason; it couldn't be a coincidence that she had been dreaming about a black bird for years.

Two long days followed. Together with the raven, Alesana went deeper and deeper into the Moren. The black bird kept the loneliness at bay; she told him about the sudden but courageous death of her mother, the comfort her father had offered her, and the dreams that visited her for as long as she could remember. Without restraint, she shared everything that kept her mind busy; after all, it was just a bird she was talking to, and it would never be able to share her words with other people. It was a relief, but at the same time, she realized that it was still an animal. The bond between her and the bird would never be able to replace the friendship between two people. She was at peace with the knowledge that she was getting attached to the bird, but she also knew she shouldn't distance herself from her own kind once she was back home. However, trusting people was harder than trusting animals, for the latter could never disappoint you. Except when the bird decided to leave, Alesana realized when the animal spread its wings and flew away. It did it all the time, and up to now, it had always returned, but Alesana was still afraid the raven wouldn't come back. Just like her mother. Just like her father.

She was startled when the bird started to make scratching noises. It circled around her and concerned, Alesana looked around. Something had scared the bird, and the moment she saw what flew through the hanging branches of the trees, she grabbed both her sword and her bow, not knowing what weapon would be the most effective.