Tisis

Winter with Julia (S)

"A-choo!"

The sounds rings through the silence of the early morning, making the prey animal I had just approached for a pounce perk up and scurry away.

I relax my musculature and turn around to face Julia.

"What was that?" I ask, my voice oozing with annoyance.
"A...sneeze?" she replies, immediately pulling her fur coat tighter.
"How are you not sneezing? How are you not freezing?!" she complains.

A strong gust of wind whizzes by, making my skin prickle all over the place, as if someone had stung it with a thousand needles.

"I am cold, Julia. And these fur suits aren't helping close as much as they would need to. But we still need to eat something, so we are required to hunt for prey. The few supplies we managed to stockpile aren't going to last through the entire winter. So, if you would please refrain from sneezing while I am trying to fetch us dinner, I'd be very grateful."
"Hey, it's not like I'm doing this on purpose! It's a defense reaction of my body against potentially harmful microorganisms."
"And it just cost us dinner. Listen...why did you want to come along today anyway, especially if you're not feeling well?"

Julia wipes away some snot with her forearm and response, "I'm fine."
"Uh-huh, I can see that. Listen, the last thing I need is you getting sick, so how about you go back to the den and warm yourself up?"
"You know the rules, you're only allowed to hunt in groups! And it's our turn to procure dinner today. I...I'm not backing down, because of some sniffles!"

I roll my eyes walk over to Julia, raise myself to my full height and say in my best authoritative voice, "Noted. Now go home."
"B-but..." she starts, but the glare I am shooting her shuts her up.
"...yes, sir," she begrudgingly replies and slowly backs off, her own spear firmly in hand.

Honestly, what was Freya thinking pairing me up with her. I should've gone with Heimdall, like usually...then that bastard wouldn't have escaped.

I shake my head as I watch her disappear in the brush before returning to my task at hand.

But I cannot really focus...I cannot shake the worry that she might not make it back alright.

I mean sure, she's gotten considerably more skilled in the past months, she learned what to look out for and applies it with great care.

I smile at the memory of how she first bounced after making her first kill, only to later be devastated for just having taken a life...and how easy it was.

That's the worst part, really...how easy it seems to have become.

But it is not easy.
Sure, taking a life itself is easy...but the emotional backlash is still there...the grave realization, that you have taken a life.

Which is why we must be grateful at all times and not let the lost life go to waste...lest we truly become savages, bereft of all what makes us 'human'.

Alright, focus...Julia is right, it's my turn to bring food back today and I won't be held responsible for everyone from the tribe to go hungry.

After hours of futile hunting, I finally manage to score a small critter who didn't make it away in time...hardly what I'd call 'a successful hunt', but the sun has long since passed over its zenith, snow has begun falling again and the chills have only been getting worse.

Like it or not, I need to call it a day...and hope that the other teams were more successful than me.

After bringing my meager findings before Freya, I apologize for it being so little, but she doesn't even look at the spoils, but instead asks, "You send Julia back. Why? Only hunt in pairs. More safe."
"She..." I start, but reconsider.