Hunt

He gets up early with too much energy.

Even if the other kids his age started learning in the past years, they finally convinced his dad.

Today is the first day of hunting.

They started equipping the tools needed, at first his dad asked him what he thinks they would need for the day, and when he finished his dad started explaining which tools were required and how to use them.

How some tools were unnecessary for this hunt, they wouldn't be outside for that long or making a camp either.

The backpack ready, checking the bow and arrows one more time.

None of the dogs will accompany them.

The weight on his back made him happy.

After starting to learn archery for so many years, he can finally put it to use for hunting.

***

After an hour of walking, his dad comes to a stop to look around and check the place.

– This should be a good place to start – Putting down the backpack – Uriel, let's start with the traps –

– This type is a great way to catch small prey like rabbits, squirrels, or other small animals – Taking a small wooden cage and a shovel – You can either use the cages or make a trap on the floor –

– How would they work? –

– We set them up in areas where the animals are likely to walk, like along the edge of a field or near a tree. When the animal steps on the trap, it triggers a mechanism that catches it –

– How does this one work? –

– Let's start with the back – signaling him to crouch down to see – The back is kind of open because we want the animal to look up here and see the food, and the piece of mesh it's preventing the animal from escaping. And the piece of wood up here is for the rainy season or winter, so the snow and rain would be out – Tapping the piece of wood above the little window – And what other reason do you think this window is for? –

– So well know which animal is or is it a skunk? –

– Yes – Changing his attention to explain the mechanism of the trap while smiling for the answer of Uriel – This wire when bumped from the inside would release from the top, it's all friction fit.

And when making it you don't want it to be so sensitive or non-sensitive enough, when you first make and set it there's the risk of being too sensitive because the wind is a factor too and you don't want the wind to blow your trap closed and then have a complete miss – his dad sound pained, like it happen too many times.

– Can I try setting one up? –

– Before that – glancing at him and starting peering around – Where do you think it would work and why? –

They weren't close to the edge of a field, but the trees have holes in them.

Burrows of squirrels and birds, and if he looked closer at the floor there were seeds and bitten leaves. Even fur and maybe two to three feathers close.

Somewhere close birds were chirping, probably up in the trees.

And then he saw it, a den hidden at the foot of a bush.

Bingo.

– There are various burrows on the trees, seeds, and bitten leaves on the floor. There's a little fur there – pointing in the direction of the things he found – And the most obvious thing is the hidden den in the bush there –

The face in his dad is something that he likes, he looks proud of him.

– You got most of them. In the direction of where we were coming, we can find a river and if you concentrate enough you can hear it from here – Getting to the left of Uriel and pressing his hand on his arm – Now close your eyes and breathe in for four seconds, maintain for seven, and exhale for eight –

After he repeated at least four times the breathing exercise his father spoke again.

– Now you can probably hear a lot of things clearly, but at the same time, you are hearing your own body. Right? – He nodded, something sounded strangely familiar with that – I want you to try to erase that sound, to erase what you are for a moment –

As his thoughts disappeared. He found himself in the Spirit Zone not long after that.

'How?

Is it because it's some sort of a sensitive state?'

Searching for the river, another being similar to the one in the house appeared again and it was going the way dad told him the river was.

'Maybe... Maybe he is guiding me?'

Following the being, he soon found the river and some small animals there, next thing he knew the being disappeared.

He is confused.

When his mind came back to where his body was, the being was at his father's side.

'Who are you?'

He decided that it was better to leave it for later when he is not with someone and he can't let his father just watch him that long.

– You are right – He feels a little ashamed of not noticing the river before – I think I would never know about it until we head back –

– It's better that you make these mistakes early – patting his back – Than make them in the hunt. Now we can try setting one up –

***

His dad explained the placement and camouflage of the trap, with the extra fact of how one can hide their smell. Finish setting it.

– From now on we need to check it daily. Because…? –

– If we catch something it wouldn't die or attract predators to this place. Or even just to see if the food is still there –

– That's correct. Let's move out of this zone – he is curious about the why – We can start with the bow now –

After what his dad says he can feel overflowing in excitement. They didn't take much time to go back walking.

– You need to learn how to track the animals and differentiate them – Pointing to some footprints ahead of them – These are from a deer. Let's move quietly –

He really tries to move silently the most he can.

He isn't.

Good luck that his father started to help him.

– You need to take the thing that is making noise to stop them from moving. Walk toe to heel, keep your arms close to you, move in erratic increments, and pause – taking the bow and repeating everything he tells him – Animals typically move a short distance, pause to sniff for food or predators and continue to repeat –

Repeating the movements of his father, little by little he is getting more silent in his moves. And when he was quiet enough to pass like an animal, they proceeded to go in the direction of the footprints.

At some moment dad tells him to always keep an eye and ear on his surroundings, and he can differentiate the movement of the foliage between them and the one in front.

A brown appeared, getting his bow and arrow out and watching his dad for some affirmation to start aiming, Vincent responded with a nod and Uriel started moving by his side the lowest he could. The deer is in front of him looking to his right.

Uriel holds pointing until the animal moves, covered with a bush in the middle so the deer can't see him.

He waits.

The deer moves and he moves his bow to aim along the line of the back of this paw.

It's moving the front leg and Uriel goes up a little.

'Now!'

And release.

A sound of a bone went through his ears, Uriel made a slightly troubled face.

The arrow was shot almost right, but it collided with the rib on the other side, he damaged a bone that can't be sold at his full price anymore.

'If I plan to sell in the future the animal parts this not going to work'

A sigh left him.

When he looked at the deer there was no movement.

'At least it was clear and killed it almost instantly'

– Look at that! – With the next thing he knows, he is being side hugged by his dad. – The fact that you get it almost perfectly in your first try says something about your aim. Hahaha! –

A laughter that echoed through the forest, someone was having a good moment.

With hearing the scuffing Vincent is doing to Uriel's hair with the latter's complaining sounds, it was able to cut the laugh for a moment just to come back accompanied with another laugh.

And if Uriel concentrated a little, he could have the sensation of the blue thing also laughing with them.

***

If someone asks about the first day of hunting, he would say it was neither good nor bad.

Yes. It was the first time he hunted, it was also his first time opening an animal and needing to put his hands in the insides.

So… that was an experience.

And only that came back to his mind, just because his uncle was doing a carving with a deer involved, something for the festival he told him. The necklace it's still pretty tough.

– What's in your mind? –

Not knowing when his uncle stopped carving to inspect him and neither when he got too much in his thoughts.

– Ahh… – The memory of cutting a vein by error comes back to torment him. It is very, VERY different from opening a fish – Yesterday I went to hunt for the first time –

– And? Your face tells that there is more –

– We also open the deer. And by accident I cut a vein. And i-it … scared me – he ended up whispering the last part, but pretty sure his uncle still heard it.

There is silence, they are in silence.

He doesn't know if it is good.

His uncle is just staring at the necklace.

In complete silence.

With every moment passing, he is regretting talking about that.

'Maybe he is disappointed, I shouldn't be afraid of the blood

For Unn, I need know how to hunt, I can't win my life by just chopping wood

It's not like a miracle would happen where I could learn magic and be a mage so soon in my lif-'

– Would you like to make a fox? – At some point of his mental rambling, his uncle has taken from somewhere a piece of wood. One that is giving it to him with a pen.

– Uhh-ok eh-I mean of course! –

When he finally gets to sit at the side of his uncle, he gets up oof his chair.

His uncle went to the furniture, searching for something in there. And when he comes back to the table, he has in his arms at least seven different wooden foxes.

– Foxes are good for practice –

And, well, they just spend the rest of the time carving, sometimes the silence was broken by a question of wether either of them can pass something to the other or we want something to drink or a snack.

Always shows his love in different ways. Either by teaching him how to carve, gifting figures or collars of wood to them, taking care of their dogs or just simply giving them food.

His uncle didn't bring the conversation of before.

He neither wants it.

Later he needs to thank his uncle for that.

But for the moment he just focuses on carving a fox.

He's going to enjoy this, carving in silence with his uncle Nancy.

Even when there is a huge difference in the pace.

His uncle is already starting another necklace for the moment he has the bases for the fox. He wants one day to be half the speed his uncle is at carving, to not focus too much on one part.

One day he will be able to carve pretty things to give people.

'That would be nice'

And if he leaves with a new figure of a deer, no one has to know why.

It was just a gift after all.