The Pheasant, that fell from the Sky || Hwarang

- 01 -

Yeseul crouched in the knee-deep snow, bow and arrow beside her, and overlooked the white field in front of her. Her beige hanbok with light-grey fur adornments kept her warm in the cold of winter. It was freezing cold. Her black hair peaked from underneath her light yellow with white fur equipped nambawi. She was on the hunt for pheasants or rabbits, whatever she would spot first. The young girl had chosen a spot in front of a big dead bush so she wouldn't be seen by the animals from afar. She had already been on the hunt for quite a while but didn't let herself give up unless she was able to bring something home. She had to. Picking up the bow and an arrow she aimed at the field. Something had to get into her trajectory soon, otherwise she would have to walk the long way back in the dark. Something she didn't necessarily liked to do. Yeseul had heard that the officials had been hunting yesterday. She suspected they were the reason no animal had been shot by her arrows yet. She had missed to shoot two rabbits, which was the reason for her going that far away from the city.

Suddenly a pheasant caught her eye. He was quite far away. Her sudden movement made the bird fly but nevertheless she shot the arrow. The arrow cut through the air. It hit the target, which fell behind the little hill.

A dead pheasant fell from the sky. Startled a young man looked at the bird and jumped off his horse. He took it from the snowy ground and looked at the arrow that stuck out of it. As he glanced around himself, he didn't see anyone, just fields covered in snow. Where was the shooter? He got back on his horse. Maybe he would encounter them on his way.

Yeseul picked up her remaining arrows. She couldn't leave anything behind, those arrows had cost her a little. They were so valuable to her that she had searched for those she had used trying to shoot those rabbits earlier.

As she looked up, she noticed a young man on a black horse riding towards her. Yeseul froze in her movement and kept her eyes on him.

The young man wore a bronze-like coloured hanbok equipped with dark fur and had part of his dark hair in a loose bun. He seemed to be of higher rank. As he came closer, she noticed his handsome face. She couldn't stop herself from being mesmerized by his handsome features and elegant figure.

He stopped his horse as he seemed to have noticed her as well. Their eyes met. Something inside Yeseul suddenly seemed very light. For a moment the two of them just stayed like this, looking at each other from afar. Would this moment end? Should this moment end?

Yeseul would've been stunned by his handsomeness for even longer if her eyes didn't land on her just-shot pheasant in his hand. He seemed to notice her eyes on the bird and held it up with a slight grin before made his horse walk towards her.

»Is this yours?«, he asked as he stopped his horse a few steps away from her.

»Yes, it is«, she answered.

»Good catch«

»Thank you, I hope you'll let me have it«, Yeseul countered. She suspected she needed that pheasant more urgently than him.

»Yes, I will.« He laughed and jumped off his horse. »Is this it for today?« He held the pheasant in front of himself.

»Yes, that's it. I've been hunting for long enough today.«

»Are you heading home?«, the young man asked as he gave Yeseul the pheasant. She took it with both hands and bowed lightly.

»Yes, I am.«

»Where are you heading?«

»Why? Where are you heading?«, she counter-asked.