Ch. 2: The Feast

Caliana ran. She sped through the forest like a wraith, her form only a flitting shadow in the dusky light of the sun. Grabbing her basket of berries as she ran, she quickly followed the path home. How could she have been so foolish! She was nearly spotted by the party as she had stepped out of the trees enough to get the sight of the mountain lion, and to hit both spots to kill it as quickly and mercifully as possible.

But she had no way to retrieve her arrows. And she had foolishly fired the arrows she had carved her name into. She practically signed her own death. Panting, she pressed herself against a tree to catch her breath. They wouldn't know it was her. They hadn't seen her face. They couldn't possibly know.

Relief flowed through Caliana as she realized she would be fine. The Hunters would probably take one if her brothers as their apprentice and she would be forgotten. That thought made Caliana frown. She didn't want to be forgotten. But she knew that being known like that would get her killed. No, it was better to be forgotten that dead.

Quickly hurrying to her hiding spot, she unstrung her bow and put the quiver away with it. Covering up the hole with some moss, she dusted off her dress and hurried home, her thoughts of the Hunters exposing her long gone.

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"They're here! The Hunters have arrived!" The cries of the young boys ran through the whole village, many men and women coming out to see the sight. Liam riding in front, followed by nine other men, all on horseback. On the back of Liam's horse was the dead carcass of a mountain lion, and his quiver held an unusual number of arrows. Instead of the standard twelve like the rest of the men in his party, it held 15, two from the archer who had shot the beast earlier, as well as the arrow aimed to warn him.

Dismounting from his horse, he bowed politely and then said in a voice that made many single women swoon, "Where is your leader?"

A man stepped forward, who looked to be about 45 years old, along with two young men that looked a lot like him. His sons most likely, surmised Liam. The man bowed as well as his sons. "Welcome to our humble village my Lord. I am Jesu, and these are my sons, Seth and Sebastian. I am the Mayor of this village. I will provide you with anything you require."

The man's tone showed respect, but Liam knew his tactics by introducing his sons and their hospitality. They would try and use that to get into his good graces, to perhaps get one of his sons to become a Hunter apprentice.

Liam said nothing in response, turning to his horse. "We will need a place to rest for the night. We will hold a competition in the morning. My men and I are weary and our horses need rest."

"Of course my Lord! And will you need hot meals and entertainment? I will provide all that I am able to ensure your comfort."

"A meal would be nice. I happened upon this mountain lion on my way here and I believe it would be well served roasted and shared among your people."

Jesu noticed the lion and nodded, whistling loudly. A moment later, a girl came out of one of the houses. She had light brown hair with golden highlights, cream white skin and a delicate face. Her eyes were blue with hazel flecks, and her lips had a natural pink tint to them. Her face appeared flushed, as if she had been working hard or running, giving her cheeks a rosy glow. Liam stared at her for a moment, and then looked away, feeling himself lose control over his desire for a moment.

"Yes Father?" The girls voice came out soft, but Liam heard a hardness in it, hidden underneath. Glancing at her again, he assessed her figure. She was rather slim, her breasts looked more small but they complimented her short stature, but her hips were curved generously. He inwardly swore once more and shook his head of the thoughts suddenly filling his head.

Looking more intently, past the woman's body, he could see something most others did not. The rigidness in her form, the muscles hiding in her arms. The kind of muscles only years of repeating an action could build.

His eyes hid his suspicion as she glanced at the lion, her eyes going wide with surprise before masking it, then flitting to quiver. She bit her bottom lip subconsciously, and then let it go as her father started talking. "My dear take the lion from the Lord and take to your mother to be skinned. We will be having a feast tonight thanks to His Lord's hunting skills."

Nodding, she turned and bowed politely, before approaching Liam. When she was only a few feet away, Liam spoke. "What is your name?" The girl paused and looked up at him surprised, then bowed and answered. "Caliana, My Lord."

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Caliana's heart was racing. She saw her arrows in his quiver, and instantly knew he would be looking for her. She had felt his eyes on her since she came out of the main house, and now he knew her name. She knew he would put two and two together. He probably had already.

Hiding her shaking hands, she masked all feelings she had and slowly rose from her bowing position. She waited for the death sentence to pass his lips, exposing her secret to the village. Her breath came out strained, her posture tense. Risking a glance, her eyes met the strangers, seeing something dark and cold in them. Take into a deep breath, she grounded herself, her eyes closing for only a moment before reopening.

The Hunters turned away from her, dismissing her. Approaching carefully, she removed the carcass from the horse, and carried it over her shoulder. Many of the Hunters who had been watching the pair, were surprised. The beast was not light. Yet she handled it as if she was a trained huntsman.

Bowing once more, Caliana left the area and went back to the main house, her heart pounding. Their exchange had only lasted a few minutes, but it had felt like eternity. Clearing her head, she began to help her mother skin and prepare the meat for the village feast.

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It was dark now, the sun having set some time ago yet the feast was still in full swing. The men of the village were laughing heartily, while the women served them ale and food, or occasionally would dance to provide entertainment. The feast had been held outside, in the large clearing at the front of the village, the forest located behind them. A bonfire had been built, and tables and blankets had been laid around it in a large circle. At one end of the circle, the Hunters all sat together. Jesu and his sons sat by them, constantly asking questions.

"How do you know who to pick when looking for an apprentice? How many Hunters are there? How long is the apprenticeship? How do people know your a Hunter? What kind of work do you do?"

The brother took turns asking questions, but they never really received an answer to any of them. Jesu just observed, watching the leader of the party. He had to be someone of importance among the Hunters, because the others kept answering for him, or taking the plates the women would bring for him. But where he could not exactly place.

Liam ignored the man watching him, his eyes searching the crowd and assessing each person. He had come to notice the women in Alestari were quite different from the women in Asteria. They were much more docile and submissive, never stepping out of line. The men and boys however, seemed overconfident, cocky, and arrogant.

Just then he noticed a young girl of about 12 trip, spilling some ale she had been holding on the ground in front of a man. Angered, even tho not a single drop touched him, he grabbed the girls hand and raised his other to strike her. Liams fingers reached for his throwing knife, as well as two others from the Hunters who had noticed the scene.

But all of their hands stilled when the slap landed on another woman. The young girl had been pushed behind her, her cheek shiny red from the power the slap had held behind it. Her brown hair swished as the force of the slap turned her head to the side. Turning her head back, Liam noticed the spark of fire in her eyes before she blinked and it was gone. Watching the interact, the man swore angrily before the woman bowed and spoke. 

He had no clue what she said, but it obviously appeased the man enough to forget about the girls. After assessing the young girl was alright, the woman turned, staring straight into Liam's eyes. Liam stroked his chin, assessing her. He had known it was Caliana the moment she pushed the girl out of the way.

Caliana bowed her head, then turned, and suddenly was gone.

After a moment, no one noticed that Liam was gone too.