Chase the Trail

The sounds of hunting dogs tearing at their collars had started the flight of almost everything else living in the small patch of forest in between Lisitzia and the Borgu mountainrange. Sel'qim listened closely, trying to discern which way the sounds were heading. It had been relatively safe hunting and foraging grounds until very recently, but now the hunting sport had expanded into it, now that the woods on the other side of Lisitzia wasn't considered completely safe anymore. Just because this forest wasn't very large didn't mean that there wasn't enough game there. It was mostly deer and boars - Sel'qim could live off one of those in about a year - but he had seen this happen before. Once hunting became a sport, it put a strain on the population, the ecosystem would change, attracting animals that lived off carcasses and introduced diseases at a higher rate. He climbed, finding a comfortable position to wait and watch. The hunting party was about eight people in sum, two of them mounted, four dogs. Not nearly enough. Sel'qim knew these woods well. The deer and boars made up for the majority of the creatures, but small forests had their own lords, the kings at the top of the food chain. He kept himself close to the trunk of the tree, watching the dogs lead the party, to follow the scent that probably reminded them of rabbits. The party moved several meters past the tree Sel'qim hid in, giving him the opportunity to see some of them from a different angle. He could spot the leather armor, hunter's garb of the area, he could see the daggers, the bows, a few clubs. Nothing that others, before them, hadn't been tried. He let them pass, listening for other sounds in the quickly deadening forest. The barking of the dogs probably would have drowned out other sounds for the hunters, but Sel'qim wondered why it didn't tip them off that it was growing very quiet, very fast. He climbed slightly higher, moving with practiced ease and without disturbing more leaves than he absolutely needed to, almost silent in the soft breeze of late spring. Sel'qim had learned how to move in these parts without upsetting the larger denizens of the forest. It was a good skill to have, even as only an occasional hunter. Not so the ones that were slowly working their way through the brush. They left broad paths of crushed plants and a myriad of footprints in the soft ground. An invitation for disaster, if Sel'qim had ever seen one. He tried listening for the tell-tale heavy footsteps, but the dogs and the loud conversation drowned out enough of the subtler sounds to make this a futile effort.

Years prior, Sel'qim had happened over the trail he had never seen before in this forest. An animal had left long, rolling footprints, with slight indentations that indicated long, perhaps unwieldy claws and an occasional swish of the tail. He had tracked it carefully, wondering whether the beast had found its home there, or it was nomadic, traveling to wherever it could find food, or favoured the weather. Its trail lost itself in the brush of the forest quickly, but would reappear every now and then when the ground didn't offer a lot of dead leaves and sticks to cover up the tracks. Judging by the length of each of the hind-feet, Sel'qim would have assumed the animal that had left them would have been on the larger side, maybe even larger than a large stag, or at least more robust. The claws however, made it seem like a predator, which might be a cause for concern, if he intended to continue hunting and gathering on these grounds. He was sure the tracks weren't much older than an hour, so there was a good chance of happening across the animal that had left them. On the other hand, the forest didn't seem to have changed much. The same sounds and smells, no bent branches or flattened bushes. It seemed to move comfortable in this environment.

He followed the tracks carefully, down into the depths, up to the small stream that ran through the south-side of the forest. There, Sel'qim spotted it. A large, almost feline-looking thing, staring intently into the swirling surface of the water. Its shoulders were about the height of his chest, and it looked like it could easily weigh as much as a horse. A shaggy coat of fur hid the contour of its muscles, and even though it seemed entranced by the water, there was a tension in its body, as if it was ready to pounce at a moment's notice. Still, Sel'qim thought it seemed peaceful, somehow. The face, elongated and with a set of long whiskers, was expressionless, but not seemed like it could take on kind features. The eyes, especially were large and attentive. It turned, its head just slightly to the side, and their eyes met for a long moment. Sel'qim held his breath for a long moment. He could see the muscles in its hind legs coil tight, preparing for an explosion of action, but it seemed willing to sit and wait, as long as Sel'qim didn't make any sudden movements. Sel'qim had seen what he needed to. The animal, doubtlessly new in the area, had eaten not too long ago, so it saw little reason to attack. Hunting spear or not, at this range, alone and without preparation, Sel'qim wouldn't get far, and had little chance for winning a real confrontation, and if it were up to him, he'd rather let it live. It seemed weary, like it had traveled a long way, before ending up in these woods. It had likely been looking for a home. He himself didn't consider the forest his, no matter the small size, and the frequency with which he found himself there. In his view, this was fine. They shared another long look, then Sel'qim retreated into the brush.

Sel'qim had never seen the Wanderer hunt, only what it left for the worms when it was done. It wasn't pretty. Most animals it ate in their entirety, leaving on scraps, and a large bloody spot where it had been. Sel'qim imagined that its kills were quick and clean. It certainly had the build for it. The dogs led the hunting party closer to the river, where the Wanderer spent much of its time. Shouting followed. Sel'qim hurried to catch up with the hunting party, following the trail they had left in the brush. The Wanderer was perched on the other side of the stream, staring down the hunting party, that seemed like it readied itself to cross the river. The dogs were tearing at their leashes. The Wanderer spotted Sel'qim, but didn't pay him any further attention beyond a brief moment of eye-contact, before it hurled itself across the water. It collided with the horse, tearing partially through it and killing it almost instantly. The tail whipped around, almost prehensile, flinging one of the footmen into the water. It was over in a matter of seconds. The hunting party was reduced to twitching bodies, leaking blood into the ground. The Wanderer turned several times, looking out for other unwelcome creatures, then, eventually, when it relaxed, it lowered itself to eat its fill on the horse. It seemed uninterested in the people, now that they weren't menacing it anymore. Sel'qim retreated, leaving it to its meal.