Chapter 23: First Kill

Chapter 23: First Kill

There were seven hyenas in the pack, brawling over the fresh meat of a dark antelope, thoroughly unaware that a group of inexperienced hunters were peeking at them from up a high vantage point, no more than two hundred metres away.

Ember knew little about hunting, but even he could tell the scout had literally gotten them an opportunity on a silver platter. Yet Sunny and Talon bickered about who would take the lead, or how they would go about the hunt. As far as Ember was concerned, both of them were getting at the same point, just one more eloquent than the other.

Tearing his eyes off the pack, he gazed at his aunt.

“What is it, Little Flame?” Zephyr asked, smiling down at him. After her initial mistake, she seemed to have settled on the nickname and had addressed him as such ever since.

“Can you tell me those hyenas’ relative levels?” he asked.

“They are all around level 10.”

He nodded in thanks. Level 10 meant they could still be hunted with a common bow and arrow. With that thought, Ember nocked an arrow and stepped beside the bickering kids.

“Quiet, you guys,” he said. “You are going to scare away the pack.”

Ember didn’t believe his voice would carry much weight among the kids, and yet, surprisingly, all four of them stopped and turned to eye him.

“What do you propose, nephew?” Sunny asked.

Ember suppressed a sigh. “There are three of us with archery skills and equipment. I think it’s best if we catch them off guard, shooting arrows from the plateau, while the—”

“But if the arrows miss,” Sunny interjected, “all the prey would scatter.”

“Let me finish,” he glowered at the boy. “While we would be shooting arrows, two of you: Talon and. . .” He eyed the pigtailed girl.

“Autumn,” the girl said, scrunching her nose, probably irritated that he didn’t even know her name.

“You want us to position in the other direction,” Talon said, narrowing his eyes, “to intercept the fleeing beasts?”

“That sounds like a good plan,” Autumn agreed.

Now that the majority had come to an agreement, Sunny didn’t bring down the party and took a position with his bow and arrow. Ember also managed to catch the other boy’s name, Lark, during a conversation between the two, sparing him another moment of awkwardness.

Thankfully, the ground duo hadn’t alerted the beasts before it was time in their over-enthusiasm. Perhaps he had given them too little credit. These were, after all, the cream of the crop. They had some inkling of what to do and what not to.

The three of them took position, too, nocking their arrows, when Sunny asked, “What is your archery at?”

“Six,” Ember answered, imbuing a breath of mana into the arrow, increasing its toughness. The metal arrow would have had no problem penetrating the hyena’s hide regardless. He just liked to be through.

His little uncle clicked his tongue. “Mine is only at four.”

“I have archery at seven,” said Lark, puffing out his chest.

“So what?” Sunny snorted. “I have mana sense at eight. But have you seen me showing it off or even mentioned it to others?”

Actually, I have, Ember thought, though his gaze remained on the game.

“Eyes on the prize, boys,” he said, aiming at the pack.

There were about two hundred metres between them. The shots weren’t going to be easy. But Ember was not concerned. Even if he lacked natural talent for archery, his heightened focus, Meditative Muse, and Keen Mind provided all the necessary conditions for steady hands and aim.

“We will probably have two chances to make a shot before they scatter,” he said, pulling the string, which wasn’t as taut anymore. “On my count of three. One. tw—”

He hadn’t even counted to two when an arrow hurtled downward, falling at the very centre of the pack.

Immediately, Ember released his own shot, followed by the other boy.

“Sorry, my finger slipped,” Sunny apologised, but Ember had no time for that.

While both their shots had struck, they weren’t severe enough to kill them. With swift motion, he nocked another arrow and aimed at the scattering beasts. He waited for a clear shot, his breathing calm, almost completely still.

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His second shot whispered through the air, missing his aim by a few inches, only to lodge into the hyena’s backside. The beast still scurried away, the arrow stuck in its body.

“They are fleeing!” Sunny shouted.

I can see that. With rapid motion, he shot again, while Sunny let go of his bow, reached for his magic wand, and charged towards the scattering beasts without a care in the world.

Down below, Talon and Autumn had already intercepted one beast each. Talon even claimed the life of a hyena that their arrow had wounded.

Looking at Sunny flinging fireballs and mana bolts at the beasts, Ember wanted to join him in charging with his wand as well, but he suppressed the urge. There would be many more opportunities, he reasoned. It was not even a couple of hours into the wilderness.