"Then I'll head with Gravel to the bushes by that rock over there to prepare. Keep moving back slowly and try the calling."
Whispers, faster and quieter than usual, darted urgently between the two.
"Gravel, please take this crossbow."
Kein handed the crossbow, slung with a leather strap, to Gravel. The two, crouching low, slipped out from the bushes where they'd been hiding.
"Gravel, from now on, you mustn't make a sound. I've heard they're sensitive to noise and scent, with sharp eyes too. I'll move further back and mimic the black reindeer's call to make it think another male is nearby, luring it this way."
"Got it. I'll follow quietly."
"When the reindeer gets close, exhale toward the ground, keeping your nose and mouth as close to the earth as possible. I'm sorry, I should've explained this earlier. Finally, when I signal with my hand, shoot the crossbow with me. Aim for the chest, near the lungs."
Reave sketched the shape of a reindeer on the ground with his fingertip, pointing out the target area for Gravel.
"Understood."
"Alright, let's go."
Reave bent low, knees close to the ground, and began moving. He paused occasionally to lift his head, checking the black reindeer's position and status, stepping carefully to minimize noise, inspecting the ground before each step.
-Cl-cl-cl-cl-cl-
From behind, the soft, low-pitched calling sound, mixed with gentle breaths, came from Kein as he tried to lure the reindeer.
-Moo-oo~oo~
This time, a loud imitation of the threatening cry of a gray-tailed deer echoed.
Kein's calls reached the black reindeer, which had been grazing on Wingle berries in the bushes across the canyon. It paused, lifting its head and twisting its massive antlers to scan its surroundings.
The reindeer's small ears, tucked beneath its antlers, twitched as it tried to locate the source of the sound. When Kein mimicked the cry again, the reindeer descended the small hill where the Wingleberry bushes grew, then began climbing the slope toward the canyon where Reave, Gravel, and the more distant Kein were positioned.
Spotting the reindeer's movement, Reave opened and closed his mouth as if trying to say something to Gravel.
'Get. Down. And. Crawl.'
With his palm facing the ground, Reave exaggerated his lip movements to convey his intent, then dropped to his belly and began crawling forward.
Gravel followed suit, lying flat and inching along behind Reave. Each exhale was so close to the ground that tiny grains of dirt stirred in the breath, barely visible. Inhaling, they caught the scent of earth and moss, breathing silently and slowly as they moved without a sound.
-Tak- -Tak- -Chak-
The steady sound of the reindeer's hooves treading and brushing through grass reached their ears at regular intervals.
Perhaps thinking too frequent calls might arouse suspicion, Kein stopped mimicking the reindeer's cry. A brief silence settled between the reindeer and the hunters. Reave halted. Moments later, the sharp whistle of wind cutting through the canyon sounded, and the two hunters resumed their movement. The whooosh of the wind masked the occasional rustle of dry leaves or twigs they brushed against.
'We need to get closer… If the bolt bounces off that thick hide or lodges poorly, it's no good.'
Reave thought to himself, pressing his chest and stomach to the ground, tilting one ear upward to catch the reindeer's sounds.
The sound of hooves, mingled with the wind, grew closer. The rustle of dried grass, kissed by the early morning air, brushed against Reave's ears.
'Almost there. Just a little, just a tiny bit more…'
Reave's heart raced with the nearing sound of the reindeer. The pounding in his ears heightened his tension. Fearing even the faintest noise from a twitching jaw, he covered his mouth with his hand, holding his breath multiple times.
-Krrrk. Pfft!-
The sharp exhale of the reindeer sounded close. Hearing it, Reave shifted from his prone position to check the reindeer's location.
Its glossy black fur and dark brown antlers, branching like thick tree limbs toward the sky, came into view. Reave signaled Gravel by opening and closing his palm, propped his crossbow on one arm, and slowly rose.
Holding his breath, he aimed the crossbow at the reindeer, locked eyes with Gravel, nodded once, and pulled the trigger.
-Thwung!-
-Fwoosh!-
As the trigger released, the catch dropped, and the string snapped, launching bolts that struck the reindeer's neck and chest.
"Keiiiin!! We hit it!!"
Reave let out a deep breath and shouted toward Kein, who waited in the distance.
Startled by Reave's yell, the pain of the bolts, and the sudden appearance of Reave and Gravel, the black reindeer bolted down the hill, quickly putting distance between itself and the hunters.
"A reindeer that size, even if well-hit, will likely run quite far. Let's chase it quick."
Reave sprinted down the hill, speaking to Gravel running alongside.
"It's already that far—will it be okay?"
"Huff! Huff! Yeah, even smaller ones… if you hit one lung, you might track blood all day until sunset. If you hit both lungs or get lucky and strike the heart, sometimes they drop within a few lengths."
Holding the crossbow, Reave ran toward the direction the reindeer fled, explaining to Gravel.
"Reave~! How'd it go?"
Kein joined Reave and Gravel, running down the canyon, and asked.
"One in the neck, one in the chest."
"Did the chest shot go through?"
"No, the bolt just lodged in."
"Hmm… gonna have to run, huh?"
"Probably."
"But since you hit the neck too, it might not have gone far."
"A 500-gold reindeer? I'd run till sunset for that."
Wiping sweat from their foreheads with the backs of their hands, both men grinned as they ran.
"Whoa! Blood trail!"
Reave stopped, examining red bloodstains on bush branches.
"There's froth in the blood, so it definitely hit the lung. That way… we can probably walk slowly now."
Reave pointed toward a cluster of low trees and spoke.
Thinking the reindeer might have veered suddenly, Reave scanned the ground carefully and took the lead.
"Heh heh heh. What luck! We actually caught a black reindeer! A black reindeer! Right, Reave?"
"Luck was on our side. Still, picking a spot with Wingleberry bushes and fewer trees in the canyon for the calling probably helped tip the odds in our favor. Haha."
"What about you, Gravel? You said it was your first hunt, right?"
"I just focused on not messing up and followed Reave's instructions."
"You did great. You moved silently, and everything up to standing and shooting the crossbow was perfect."
Tracking the reindeer's blood trail, the three reached a small forest where low trees grew together.
It was a forest within the canyon, lined with trees whose small, varied leaves were turning red.
"There!"
Reave broke into a run. Kein and Gravel followed, pushing through branches, arriving where the black reindeer lay. It seemed to have taken its last breath moments ago. The still-warm body, over 4 cubits (2 meters) long, rested with its massive antlers leaning against a tree, motionless.
"Phew, up close, it's bigger than I thought."
Reave looked down at the reindeer's body and said.
"Didn't get far, so the bolt must've reached the other lung. Saved us half a day."
"Shall we get started? Gravel, gather branches and start a fire. Meanwhile, Kein and I will butcher it."
A fire was soon lit near the reindeer's body, and the butchering began.
Reave carefully skinned the reindeer, while Kein gutted it, removed the legs, and hung them on a tree with cords from his bag. Large cuts of meat were rubbed with powder from a small pouch and packed into a large sack, while smaller pieces were sliced and hung on a makeshift drying rack of branches near the fire.
Reave worked busily, hanging the reindeer's pelt on nearby branches, cutting meat with Kein, and separating flesh from bones. The reindeer was soon stripped of tendons and divided into parts by the two hunters.
Gravel, pulling out a small knife, learned butchering techniques from Reave and Kein. After hours, they finished processing the black reindeer.
"Phew! This is tough after so long!"
Kein plopped down by the fire, his arms and face smeared with reindeer blood, a testament to the effort.
"Still, it's been a while since we left the city, and you haven't forgotten how to butcher."
Reave skewered large meat chunks onto long branches, setting them by the fire, and sat.
"It's what we always did as kids. From small rabbits to big deer, gutting, skinning, and separating was daily life back then…"
Kein reminisced about their childhood in the village, picturing himself and Reave.
"Gravel, you worked hard too. Helping with the butchering sped things up."
"Was I helpful? That's a relief."
As the roasted reindeer meat cooked and the bloodstains on their clothes became noticeable in their newfound ease, they grabbed skewers of meat and continued talking. Sitting on the ground, Reave savored small pieces of meat seasoned with salt, pepper, and spices. Gravel and Kein, though less eagerly, bit into large chunks, celebrating their successful hunt with a fireside feast.