The Water Sprite

The Hunter

She had no sense of time.  Time was not a factor in her life, in fact she had no idea what it even was.  She merely lived one day into the next surviving through learning.  Every day brought a new lesson for her, but if she was lonely for company, it never really registered, because she always had something to do and some place to go.

Now with her new catch of meat, she quickly removed her arrow.  The hit was clean, the animal would not have felt a thing.  Offering it her thanks for its meat she then quickly threw it into her sack she had made herself from other hides before, also gathering a few handfuls of blackberries which she would use to make a thick sauce to flavour her meal.

Then slinging it over her shoulders, she slowly made her way back to her cave.  It was late afternoon, so night was due to fall.  The walk back was pleasant, she heard the birds beginning to settle themselves and after a few minutes of traipsing her way through the thick foliage, she soon found herself in the part of the forest where nothing but herself moved.  There was little in the way of plant life other than the tall dark trees and always there was mist.  It never fully lifted, though during the day, it was easier to  move about.

With her mind on her catch and what she needed to do when she returned, she did not notice movement until the one moving was almost upon her.

Snatching at the knife hidden in her furs, she held onto it tightly as the beast moved towards her.  Unsure of its intentions, she continued to walk towards it, but at a much slower pace while her eyes scanned her surroundings before moving back to watch it carefully.

It did not move like any animal she had ever seen.  In fact it was enormous, it was the largest she had ever seen.  Her heartbeat was racing in her chest and her hand tightened against her dagger, but as they drew closer to each other, she noticed it move a little to the side, in order to let her pass.

With her fur hood pulled up over her head, her eyes steeled for battle, only to watch as it walked straight passed her.  But the breath in her throat caught as its scent lingered in the air.  

That was no animal she thought to herself.  It too was wearing furs that did not belong to its body, it had hands and feet like her own but what she noticed immediately were the eyes that were as dark as the night and they too were fully trained on her as he passed by.

And she knew he was male.  She had learned much during her time to recognize masculine scent, and his was heavy in the air. 

Stopping, she quickly turned to look back.  He too had suddenly stopped to look back at her, but not knowing what to do or even what to say, they both turned at the same time and continued on their way.  Though now and then, she would look over her shoulder to ensure he was no longer behind her.  In fact he had left her alone and continued on his way with the same thoughts racing through his head.

Who was he?  Why have I never seen him before?  Where did he come from?  These were questions that raced through her mind as she slit the belly of her kill open.  

His eyes had been so dark, yet she had felt no malice or ill intent in them, only the same curiosity and shock at having seen someone similar to herself as if she too were the first he had seen.

Stripping the animals insides, she removed its stomach, bowel and other internal organs, before steeping the entire remains in hot water to make it easier to skin as her mind went wild over who he might be or even where he lived.

He was obviously a hunter like herself, he too was wearing furs and carried weapons she thought to herself as she then cut away the bowel and threw it into a small pail which she would use as bait for fishing.

Then taking the intestines, she ran two fingers either side, to empty them of its contents.  The skin of the intestines she used as thread to make her garments.  This she soaked in a pail of urine and fern fronds.  The heart, liver and kidneys were then removed and placed on the side bench which she would add to the meat.  After that she set about skinning the animal for its fur and flesh.

In all, it took her two hours to prepare her kill and to take what she needed from it, while throwing the rest into the waste pail.  Though nothing of the animal was wasted, she used everything.

Now setting about her small kitchen, she began to cook her evening meal.  Many of the spices she had found, were no longer edible, but there were a few she had been able to use, but the one condiment she was lacking was salt.  This was an important dietary need, and she got her salt content from meat while the rest of her nutrition she got from fruit, roots and edible leaves.

Fishing on the other hand was not something she was proficient at, rarely did she catch anything, but the bowel from the animal would be given to the fish as a way to express gratitude for her life the forest and lake had given to her.

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Several times after that first sighting, she passed him again, but he never said anything to her and nor did she speak to him.  They merely passed each other, both wary and attentive to each others movements.  But always his dark penetrating eyes would linger on her as he passed by.

Now making her way back from yet another hunting trip, she saw him in the distance making his way towards her.  It was always late in the afternoon, so she gathered he must live further in the forest surrounded by the foliage and wild life that lived there.

But this time, he did not move aside to let her pass, this time he stopped in his tracks and waited for her to approach him.

Suspicion raged through her.  He had never attempted to talk to her before, but his demeanor and stance suggested that he wanted to.  Unsure of whether to continue or to stand her ground, she instead stealthily removed her dagger.  Whatever he had planned, she was going to be ready for him.

Moving forward slowly, her heart was once again racing in her chest as she drew closer to him, but she also moved a little to the side, so she had leverage should he try anything untoward.

But the moment she aimed to walk passed, his hand slowly lifted into the air at his side to stop her.  In his hand was a large fish, he had just caught.  

"Your meat." he said softly.  

It was the first voice she had ever heard in that place, that she suddenly jumped at the sound of it.  But she understood what he wanted.  He wanted to swap the fish for he meat.  Though why, when he was a hunter himself, she thought to herself as her eyes raked the furs he was wearing.  This was the question on her lips which she did not have the nerve to vocalize.

Instead, she opened her sack and removed the carcass of her animal before slowly lifting into the air.

Taking the animal from her, she took his fish.  It was a straight swap, but not knowing what to say to him, she said nothing, as he then placed the animal into his own sack.  Then with a nod of his head, he continued passed her without another word, while she continued to her cave with a thousand questions running through her mind and a fish she delighted in, being her first for many months.