Essentially we had two problems. First, the weight. The thing was rather heavy. Second, it was big and unwieldy. We would need a way to carry it, or simply drag it. But we were in a forest, it would likely get stuck on roots and other vegetation on the ground if we dragged it.

“Maybe we just take some parts?” Skadi suggested.

“What if four people carry it, and one keeps watch?” I pondered.

“We would need something easily carryable to put it on. Like a stretcher.” Cassie mused.

“It would have to be a rather strong one to bear the weight.” Torben said.

“We could place it on two logs, tie it with rope? Do we have enough rope?” Helena asked.

Rope was something we had in our backpacks. I was not entirely sure why, maybe to bind prisoners? Was that what the army used it for? Anyway, we collected our backpacks from where we had dropped them and looked for something useful.

“Could be enough rope.” Skadi said. “We would need two sturdy logs, or thick branches, and then hope our strength is enough.”

All of us were physically trained, thanks to the academy. Cassie was the weakest, so she would be the lookout. Skadi was a dwarf and I was a foxkin, that gave us an advantage. Maybe we could pull it off?

While our main motivation was food, Torben wanted to show off the kill. So we were all in agreement when it came to taking the thing back. I had no idea what would happen if we came back late but it would be close. The boar would certainly slow us down.

We found some thick workable branches. Skadi cut them with her axe. Then we bound the giant boar to them. We carried it with four people. It made navigating the forest a bit trickier, but it was worth it. Cassie was not only on watch, she also had most of the other things, like water, in her backpack to lessen the weight of the boar carriers.

Nyx could have helped. Instead she was sitting on the boar. Thankfully she did not weigh much in her small form. She did have a great view and was certainly keeping watch. But I think she also enjoyed being carried around.

It was an exhausting trip. We did stop a few times to take breaks. But eventually we left the forest and saw our camp.

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“I hope this thing tastes good.” Helena said. She sounded exhausted. We all were, I suppose.

“I want to see Archibald’s face when he has crackers and we have a boar.” I said.

“Assuming he did not catch something himself. Or bribe a second year for better food.” Skadi added.

“We are not supposed to share our supplies. The crackers are a deliberate part of your training.” Torben said. Helena glared at him. “The headmaster thinks a lot of nobles are too spoiled. It’s his idea.”

As we entered the camp we drew a lot of stares. Apparently our hunt went a lot better than most. We carried it to the supply wagon. Then I sat down next to it, exhausted.

“Next time we should kill something smaller.” I said. Nyx was still sitting on the boar. She looked down at me. “You could have helped.” I pointed out. Then again, she did get us a fish for lunch. Maybe we should have bribed her to help us carry the boar.

“That is an impressive catch.”

I looked up and saw Peter. He must have come to investigate the commotion we had caused.

“A horned boar, they have a nice smokey flavour.”

Helena licked her lips and stared the boar.

“Sir, are there any useful parts? Like, for alchemy?” I asked. The creature was clearly magical.

Peter smiled. “Indeed! The horn has some uses. Make sure to harvest that. The hide is worth something too.” He looked at the shredded part, where Nyx had used her claws. “If it is undamaged that is. And if you find yourself with too much meat you can sell any surplus to the academy. Just speak to one of the maids if you are interested.”

“So… how do we preserve the meat? We can't use everything today.” I asked the others.

“Maybe we should give some to the maids?” Torben suggested.

“MINE.” Helena hugged the boar.

“Well, it is a lot of meat…” Skadi said.

“How much salt can we get from the supply wagon?” Cassie asked.

“What about freezing it?” I asked.

“Well, it would require us to constantly renew the spell.” Helena pointed out. “We would need an enchanter to build us a freezing box to make it viable. Salt is an option.”

“Congratulations on your catch! Would you be willing to sell some of it?” It was Leo who asked. I had not noticed him approaching. His skeletal wolf was next to him. Nyx looked at it from the top of the boar.

“Go away Leo.” Helena said.

“I understand that you do not wish to marry me, despite the considerable benefits to both our families, but I am just here to inquire about your catch. I am willing to pay.”

“We neither need your money, nor your company.” Helena said.

“I am sorry that you feel that way. Hopefully I can change your mind in the future. The offer for the boar still stands. Find me if any of you are interested.”

He walked away.

“That was the son of Duke Harold.” Torben pointed out.

“I know.” Helena said.

Torben opened his mouth, then shut it again. I guess he decided to not ask any more questions. Then he shrugged. “Ok, back to the boar. I say we sell some to the academy. Keep enough for a day or two, we might catch something else anyway.”

It was a rather reasonable argument. In the end, we decided to have a feast tonight and keep enough for tomorrow. Helena grumbled a bit but ultimately agreed. We would need to heavily salt the meat to preserve it, which would not make it as tasty. And boar every day might get boring too.

We built a nice fire pit in front of our tent and prepared to grill some boar. It was a shame that we did not have any bread to go with it. Or maybe some potatoes. As we sat in front of the sizzling meat Cassie asked: “So, what's the deal with Leo?”