Hunt
Alrienne Unfyr pulled her hood further over wavy golden locks,
attempting to hide her face. She not only had to hide her identity as
Alrienne, but as a woman. She couldn’t let people notice her feminine
features.
Alrienne reached down, gently patting her mount, the family’s bay
chestnut, Umber. He snorted in response and she tried to calm him with
a few quiet, soothing words. She was as worried about him being
spotted as herself, though she didn’t think anyone would recognize
him. Umber was rarely ridden, his main purpose a cart or plow horse,
and he was usually covered in a layer of dust from the fields. Today,
his coat absolutely shone, she’d cleaned him well that morning and
braided his mane and tail before leaving. She’d had to get up earlier
than the sun to finish her chores, get Umber ready, and get to the
starting area before her family woke.
Her sister knew she intended to be at the hunt, if Evina had told
anyone else, they would be keeping an eye out for her. She just had to
avoid attention until the horn blew, signifying the start. Once it
started, no one left the audience tents.
It wasn’t right that her family hadn’t been able to participate in the
hunt since her father had been injured a decade ago. It not only
brought prestige to their name, but meat to their table. It was a
burden shared by the village, to stock up for winter. The meat that
wasn’t served in the following feast, was turned into jerky and salted
for the lengthy frozen months. She was tired of them being beggars
just because her family only had two girls. The brisk autumn air
carried her breath away in a curling fog.
Her father was no doubt ashamed of being unable to attend the hunt due
to his injured arm, but would never allow her to attend as a
participant. No one in the village would. Alrienne stole a glance
around the few gathered tents, set up to see the hunters off and watch
the winners return with their kills. There weren’t any rules set in
stone about the hunt, but it was tradition to only have male
participants. Somehow, though, her being female didn’t disqualify her
from plowing the fields, bringing in the harvest, or butchering the
family hogs. Perhaps her presence would help turn the tide of popular
opinion. If ever just the slightest.
The village chief took his place in front of the line of horses and
Alrienne ducked her head slightly. She probably stood out, with all
the boys in the haphazard line sitting straight with chests stuck out
in pride, the autumn sun bouncing off their varied hair colors. The
hunt was a family honor, but it was more than that to Alrienne, she
was tired of her family having to beg for scraps during lean months,
as if having girls was something to be sneered at.
The chief gave his usual speech, talking about the glory of the hunt,
the need of the village, and the pride of the hunters’ families. The
men beside Alrienne were roused with bravery and she adjusted the
archery glove on her hand. Just let me get a deer, she
thought. Enough of an animal to not be looked down on. If she came
back with naught but a couple squirrels, she was certain to be mocked
and scorned.
As everyone got ready for the tribe’s druid to blow the horn, Alrienne
again thought about her younger sister; Evina was so sweet she didn’t
complain, but the hard labor was taking a toll on her. She’d never had
an issue with the dresses and the expectations of womanhood, at least
not yet. Evina was only thirteen though, things could change.
The sound of the hunting horn interrupted Alrienne’s thoughts and she
spurred Umber forward. Wind caught her as the horse bolted ahead,
pushing her hood backwards.
“Alrienne!” it was her father’s voice, but she left the sound behind
as she urged Umber into the forest. There were sure to be whispers
about her back at the tents, but she could leave them all as she
breathed in the crisp air. She knew and loved these woods and autumn
brought multicolored beauty to them. Alrienne made sure to put some
distance between her and the other competitors before dismounting.
Tying the reins together, she left Umber, knowing he wouldn’t wander
far and would come at her call.
Alrienne skipped across the creek, knowing not many others would join
her down here. Big game typically stayed higher up the ridge, but deer
came down to the creek during the day to drink. Alrienne followed the
stream on light feet. The path she knew she’d find was overrun with
leaves, where the deer had trampled the grass and climbed into the
trees higher on the ridge.
A good hour passed before a deer came into Alrienne’s sights. Inhaling
a sharp breath, she pulled her bow back. She’d recently increased the
tautness; the farm work had noticeably increased her strength. It made
her shots stronger and more accurate so she wasn’t about to complain.
Alrienne took her time aiming and as she was about to release, heard a
rustling in the nearby bushes. Hesitating, she saw a flash of dark
brown fur before a large bear bolted toward the deer. Alrienne’s
fingers trembled slightly as the bear attacked the deer and she
shifted her aim toward the bear’s neck. The moments ticked by, each
second suspended like a minute before she got a clean shot, releasing
with an exhale of breath.
The arrow didn’t save the deer. It was too wounded and lay bleating in
pain, but the projectile did finish off the bear. Notching another
arrow, Alrienne put the deer out of its misery. She waited, ensuring
there was no movement from either creature before climbing down and
calling for Umber. She held her whistle to her lips and blew, calling
for a trailer to haul off her kill.
While she waited, Alrienne tied a ribbon to each arrow, noting the
kills were hers. The kill carts were too high up and she had to blow
two more times before one heard her and came to collect. They had some
difficulty getting through the small forest path, but between the
three of them, and with a bit of help from Umber and some ropes, they
got the kills loaded up.
The man leading the cart stared at Alrienne for a while, quietly
contemplating. She’d seen both of these men in the village, though
they were neither friends nor enemies with her family.
The man’s partner spit in the dirt before saying, “I was thinking the
same thing, Erik. Remove the ribbon, no one needs to know.”
It felt like someone had punched Alrienne in the gut. They were right,
they had all the control. If they removed her tags, she wouldn’t be
able to prove they were hers if they simply denied it.
“Why?” the older man, Erik, gruffed out.
The younger man looked at him with a scowl, “What do you mean why? Can
you not see plain as day it’s a woman? Not even, a girl.”
“She killed it, didn’t she?” Erik said. “If she’s no big deal because
she’s a girl, is she worth impugning your honor for? My word means
more than that. I’m surprised at you.” He rubbed a hand across the
scruff of his beard, “I didn’t think women would intimidate you.”
The younger man’s scowl deepened as a reddish hue emerged on his
cheeks. Uttering profanities under his breath, he helped steer the
cart back toward the line.
Alrienne pondered walking behind them to ensure they didn’t remove the
ribbons from her arrows, but decided to trust the man named Erik.
Hopefully, he meant what he’d said. She didn’t want to offend him and
cause the very thing she feared. Instead, she turned Umber a little to
the side and headed toward camp in a roundabout way. There were still
hours left of the hunt but the mental image of the bear kept running
through Alrienne’s mind. The creature was huge, surely enough to bring
pride to her family. If she did much more than that and the doe, she
was likely to cause undue commotion and draw unnecessary attention.
Alrienne wanted to make a statement, but didn’t need to rub it in the
men’s faces. That’d only create hostility, which certainly wasn’t her
goal.
What Alrienne didn’t calculate for, was the scene that awaited when
she meandered back into camp.
~ G.G. Marshall
Enjoying the story? Read more!
Part 2 (Available: Thurs 4/17/25):
Rise Together (Part 2)
Part 3 (Available: Thurs 5/15/25): Rise Together (Part 3)
Part 4 (Available: Thurs 6/19/25): Rise Together (Part 4)
Want to learn more about the creatures in the story?
Valkyrie: Valkyrie Profile
Spirit Animals: Spirit Animal Profile