17 Skulking

"To fail to prepare is to prepare to fail"-Benjamin Franklin

Mason cherished this statement from his past life as he knew this, it held true throughout his life, sadly you cannot prepare for a malevolent lightning bolt.

Before stepping into the lush forest he calmed his nerves and mind till he numbed himself to the chirping and the clutter of noises he heard and focused so he had no wayward thoughts. Closing his eyes then he focusing on his breathing, the noise, how it felt to breathe.it diminished to the point where it was inaudible to the human ear, His heart slowed in tandem and followed a methodical beat, Its tune was powerful and percussive throughout his body as each thump of its drum he heard.His posture slacked to a crouch, with one last heavy breath he opened his eyes and they shone with resolve.

Mason skulked in the undergrowth in the shadows of these hulking beasts, each step methodical to not disrupt the foliage or make noise. He slowly skulked listing to every sound in the forest, the whistling winds which swept through, the birds which chirped.He smelled the air,it was fresh and not the desolate and polluted air he is used to experiencing before.

A Snap reverberating through the forest stopping its previous calm

The noise focused him as if it sent a jolt to his brain, the noise came from his left, The area was dark as the undergrowth was shadowed by those hulking trees canopy's.

As he approached the noise he slowly moved through tree to tree, bush to bush. Not revealing a single trace of his existence.

As he reached the point of the noise a clear opening showed itself where it was untouched by the shadow cast by the trees. Through the trees, he peered.

He saw a rabbit, A white-furred rabbit, red eyes gleaming.

He focused his mind muting all other stimuli, All other thoughts than this.

He stilled himself and as if turned to stone; his breathing dimmed and heart reduced to a faint tune.H e notched his arrow and steadied, His hands shook from the pressure, he did not know it was exciting but he didn't care to hesitate.In not much more than a second he instinctively calculated the drop of the arrow and average speed of the arrow from the pressure he exerted, The training paid off.

He aimed.

He had a stationary target, It would be his true first kill he earned.

The white rabbit looked around with ears up in alert then abruptly scurried away into the foliage.

Maybe he could sense Masons was steeped in the blood of his brethren. Ha, unlikely he thought to himself musing on his failure.

He knew he couldn't stalk the rabbit in this dense forest.

Mason was stumped by this

Mason didn't leave a trace unchecked, this was not Mason's fault.

Mason thought to himself what was it "Then what was it "

Un-notching his arrow it was like his senses returned to him he could smell, he could hear.

He could hear a rasping breath behind him