Chapter 22

It was the morning of the final day of the hunting trip. Instead of heading out to hunt, the party of woodsmen used the time to prepare for their journey back to the city. The usable hides were lain out and preserved, keeping them from becoming too stiff to use.

Alice found another tree stump to practice on while Su and the others worked on the hides. Her aim was still abysmally bad, only hitting the center of the target a few times thanks to luck.

"Hey Ash, do you think I will ever use this bow again? There are only a few years left before I head off to school, and I have to be ready for classes. I don't know if I'll have enough time to come on another hunting trip. Also… I know that these animals are what we eat but I'm not sure if I'm cut out to hunt them myself."

Ash wasn't idle while Alice was shooting, either. After each round of arrows, Ash ran forwards, pulling the arrows from the dirt before returning them to Alice. For the first few rounds Alice thanked him for his work, but then her arms began to tire. Now Ash was just making it harder for her, reducing the time she had to rest between volleys.

After a few more rounds, Her arms began to tremble, and her shots grew more erratic.

"Hey Ash, we should head over there and check out how they are preserving the hides! That sounds like fun, right?"

She quickly collected the arrows Ash had brought back, speed walking to a carriage and tossing the bow inside. If she hadn't been in such a rush to dump the weapon, she would have realized that it wasn't the weapons carriage. Hugo was a friendly guy, but his need for organization was a bit obsessive. Alice would surely get a reprimanding for putting the bow in the wrong carriage later.

Her arms hanging limply at her sides, Alice walked over to observe how the hunters were preserving the hides. The process was actually quite simple: stretch out the hide, then cover the inside of it with salt, drawing out the moisture. The rest of the taxidermizing process would be done after they returned to the city.

"Hey Su, do you know when we are going to leave? I can't wait to get back to a comfy bed… not that it is uncomfortable here!"

Hugo waved Su away, and the girl joined Alice in chatting. Su was endlessly chatty, and Alice could hold a conversation with anyone. The two seemed to never run out of things to talk about.

"I think we're leaving as soon as we are done salting the pelts. You are going to learn how to ride horseback soon, right? Next time you come with on a hunting trip, you won't have to ride in a carriage. Once you get used to it, riding horseback is super fun, but it will probably be a bit uncomfortable when you start out."

In this medieval world, cars hadn't been created yet. Horses and horse drawn carriages were the primary method of long distance travel, with the first being preferred. Bandits and robbers were fairly common, and people value their lives above all else. A lone horse is a lot more mobile than a carriage, allowing the rider to flee if attacked. The downside to riding horseback was the limited carrying capacity, leading most caravans to use a combination of the two travel methods. Typically, money would be carried by the leader of the group riding horseback, while heavy goods were carted using carriages.

As the future head of the Graves family business, Alice would need to be well acquainted with horseback riding. In the past she rode horses a few times, but had yet to take direct lessons on riding.

Earl, being a caring father, wouldn't let his daughter ride for long distances before teaching her everything he knew about riding horseback.

After finishing being taught, Alice would get a horse of her own.

"Hey Su, come help pack the hides! We're moving out in 10!"

The hunters finished salting the hides; it was finally time to go home. It was going to be a long two and a half hour journey back to Holen.

In a matter of minutes, the hunters were packed up and ready to move out. Alice hopped back into the extra supplies cart with Ash. Luckily he pelts, along with preserved meat, were stored inside the food carriage, saving Ash from a long ride with the smell of dead animals surrounding them.

The caravan began their journey back home, the wheels jolting the carriage around randomly.

"Crap! I put the bow back in the wrong carriage!"

The ash wood bow was sitting in the corner of the carriage, along with its quiver of practice arrows. It seemed no one had seen the bow while packing the sleeping tents, otherwise it would have been returned to the correct carriage.

"Well, I guess I will put it back when we get to the city. The carriages are already moving, I don't want to make us stop."

Alice held on to the bow, admiring the impressive workmanship of its creator. There were no inscribings or symbols on it, and it was a solid gray. At a first glance, it looked quite bland, but when looking at it closely, one could see the time put into creating the bow. It had been polished smoothly, and the grip was perfectly sized for a young hunter.

It was the perfect bow for anyone just starting to learn how to shoot.

"Maybe I'll get a bow of my own when we get home. If I manage to find time, I can go hunting with Su again, and impress her with my new archery skills! Uuugh… or I will be too busy studying. I need to focus on that, dad's company comes first."

Alice had grown accustomed to speaking her thoughts aloud whenever Ash was around, helping to fill the void in their conversations caused by his lack of speech.

The carriages continued their journey, and Alice slowly drifted off to sleep, leaning against Ash. Her dreams were filled with comfy beds and the tasty food made by Gary. Alice enjoyed the trip, but was ready to be back to the luxuries of home.