The Ravenous Army

A Great Hunt

Arrick crouched low to the ground with his spear readied and watched a colossal boar rooting around the base of an oak tree in search of acorns and mushrooms. He'd tracked the beast by following as it rubbed against trees after wallowing in muddy ponds. The boar was ungraceful game, not hard to track at all. Great gnashes in tree trunks made easy markers for its destructive path.

He'd trailed this one over the course of two days, following close behind as it barely stopped to rest in search of food. From the flattened brush and depressions in the dirt he'd only guessed at the animal's size, but seeing it up close left him in complete reverence. He wasn't sure that he'd even be able to take it down, it was so large.

The thing grunted as it tilled the earth with its snout, great curled tusks jutting up from its lower jaw. It's stiff hair was almost black, thick, wiry, and covered in patches of dried mud. It stood taller than Arrick and had to be at least nine feet long from the tip of the snout to the base of its tail.

Arrick smiled. Kells would need to offer something truly wondrous to beat him now. With less than a day left in the competition it was all or nothing.

He tensed in anticipation as he waited for the hog to expose it's flank so he could impale it behind and just under the front leg, aiming for the lungs. The creature was shifting nervously, perhaps picking up on Arrick's scent-- or maybe just sensing that danger was near. Arrick couldn't find an opening as it hugged the large trunk of the tree.

The wild boar was not a particularly smart animal, Arrick found. Livestock generally were smarter than their feral brethren, whether that was influenced by their handlers or just a simple tradeoff for brute strength. They could be wily sometimes and difficult to fight, but generally speaking he'd had no issues killing them in the past. Hell, Arrick had killed one at the age of nine all by himself.

This boar stopped its hunt for worms and bulbs and tilted its head back, nose twitching. It turned toward the bush where he crouched, as if hearing his thoughts.

Arrick held his breath. He wanted to stay well away from the tusks in case his aim wasn't true. Most likely, a perfect jab wouldn't down the animal immediately. It would no doubt fight.

It didn't matter, however. Though he was sure he had been down wind and completely silent, the swine either saw him or sensed him. It shrieked and bolted the other direction, barreling through the shrubs. Arrick cursed and sprang from his hiding spot, bounding after.

The hooves of the boar loudly pounded the forest floor as it ran. Arrick followed solely on the sound of the snapping twigs in its wake as it ran faster than he could keep up with. He pumped his legs to their limit as he dodged trees and vaulted ditches, the boar continuing to squeal as he gave chase. He couldn't lose the kill now, he'd be damned if Kells presented more flesh than him.

A sudden clearing sent the boar in a different direction. Arrick caught sight of it as he entered the glade and saw his opportunity as it slowed to turn. The whole left flank was exposed.

Arrick threw the spear with all of his strength. Throwing would be far less accurate and powerful, but now the boar would never allow him to get close enough to land a solid blow. He could not track another animal with so little time left. With sun about to set, this was it.

The spear sailed through the air and just as the giant kicked up a spray of muck in its retreat, the head buried into the haunch. It was not a killing blow, but the boar was tripped by the attack.

The high pitched, guttural shriek of the pig suddenly turned into a deep moan as it's massive body hit the ground, the spear dislodging from its haunch.