The next morning I decided to try making waffles. The compressed wood pizza platters held up well, so I tried making a waffle iron from the same stuff. I had to pre-heat the wood before pouring the mix, but they came out alright. And, even if they didn't, I would have just made pancakes.

"Hmm." I mumble around a test bite. "The outside is not as crispy as I'd like, but I've had worse. I'll have to find a blacksmith to make a proper one for me when we get to Riverton."

"I like it." Apricot declares. "It's like pancakes, but you have all these pockets to hold syrup."

"So, do you mind me running off to look for some game while you drive the wagon?" I ask after a few more bites. "With any luck, I'll be able to catch you up in just a couple hours."

"We should be fine without you for a couple hours." Amelia smiles humorously. "But, put the tarp on the wagon first, please."

"Yes, please." Apricot agrees. "That way I can lie back while Amelia drives."

"No, it's so I can lie back while you drive." The blonde counters.

"Why do I get the feeling that I'm going to be the one at the reins all the way to Riverton?" I ask the air before getting up to attach the tarp; it's just a single layer stretched over some wooden ribs, with flaps in front and back that can be tied up. "Anything else before we leave?"

"Make me another bundle of arrows." Apricot demands. "We might luck across a fat bird ourselves, and I want to practice shooting from the wagon."

"You just want to get good enough that he'll make you that crossbow." Amelia chuckles.

"Nah, I'm holding out for the ballista." Apricot grins back at her.

I just shake my head and make her a couple hundred arrows. There's still a ton of firewood left, so I decide to shove a bunch into my storage while I'm at it.

"Good idea." Amelia comes up and starts storing some too. "No need to hunt for deadfalls later on when we've got all this just sitting here." By the time we're done, the pile is about half it's former size.

"Alright, Stormie." I talk to the horse a few minutes later. "You take good care of the girls for me, I'll be back soon." He nods, but I'm pretty sure he just wants another apple.

"You stay safe out there too." Amelia pulls me in for a hug before climbing up into the driver's seat.

"Yeah." Apricot gives me one too, with a squeeze on the ass. "Don't go shooting yourself in the foot, or anything like that."

"Shouldn't he be the one telling you that?" Amelia smirks down at the pixie.

"I'll be careful." I promise both of them, and then help Apricot up into the wagon, getting my own squeeze in in the process. "See you in a couple hours." I send Amelia a smile before turning around and heading into the woods at a fast lope.

I've only been running for ten minutes or so when a fat grouse jumps out in front of me. I've already got Blackthorne in bow mode, so it takes me less than a second to nock an arrow and send it flying straight through the bird's breast. Killing it before it even knew what happened.

Tossing the body into storage to process later, I collect my arrow and start off again. I'm running at a forty-five-degree angle away from the road, the plan is to head out this way for an hour, then make a ninety-degree turn and return to the road at a slower speed. Hopefully, ending up not too far off from the girls.

I manage to bag a couple more game birds and a rabbit, but miss several more along the way. A few minutes after the turn, I'm glad I slowed down when I hear a snorting snuffling sound.

'Amelia didn't say anything about wild boar, certainly not any this damned big.' I think to myself while creeping up on it. The porker has got be well over a hundred kilos, maybe even one-twenty. 'Good thing these arrows could probably headshot an elephant, otherwise I wouldn't even dream of trying this.'

Careful not to make a sound, I draw back the bow and wait for the perfect shot. The beast is digging up some wild tubers with its back to me, so I don't have a clean shot. I'm standing there stock still for a good minute before something startles the boar.

Time seems to slow down as the wild pig's head raises up to look off to the right. I loose at the perfect moment, taking it right through the eye with a killing shot.

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Only after its body has slumped to the ground do I spot what startled the swine. Then, I'm forced to fire a half dozen more arrows in rapid succession as a pack of wolves charge out hoping to steal my kill. These are much healthier looking than that runt I ripped apart on my first day here. Much smarter too, as they scatter after the first two go down. One to a headshot, and the other with an arrow through the heart. The rest of my shots go wide as they scatter.

Not wanting to hang around near a pissed off pack of wolves, I scoop the three bodies into storage and start sprinting in the direction of the road. Ten minutes later, and I'm sure that I've lost them, if they were even chasing me to begin with. I let myself rest against a tree for a few minutes to catch my breath.

Just as I'm about to leave, movement in the woods draws my eye. Afraid that it's the wolves again; I've got an arrow aimed in that direction before I can even make out what I saw.

"You gotta be more careful guys, there's a pack of wolves around here." I tell the doe and her fawn as I ease the tension on the string. I wouldn't mind some venison, but I'm not gonna shoot a new momma.

The deer gets spooked by my words and bounds off deeper into the wood, her baby following along after. Thankfully, they went away from the direction the wolves are in. Shaking my head with a rueful smile, I then start for the road again.

I've already got a big catch, so I'm neither running, or creeping along. Just strolling casually through the woods. I've still got my bow out, but let several birds and this one weird rabbit with a horn go. But, it's not long before I stumble on another deer.

This time it's a young buck, maybe two years old by the antlers. I decide to go for it, but the deer is a bit outside my range for a sure kill. And, even though he's just standing there eating, he seems pretty alert, so I'm afraid he'll spook if I try creeping up on him.

I could use my nature magic to call it to me, but that's kinda fucked up. Instead, I send a pulse of magic through the ground. Roots and vines slowly encircle the buck's legs before cinching tight.

Dashing closer, I try to put an arrow through its head before it can break free. But, it thrashes at the last second, taking the shot through the neck instead. Drawing again, I make sure to get the kill shot before it can suffer anymore.

"Sorry mate, I tried to make it quick." I apologize to the buck before adding it to my storage. Just as I'm doing that another of those horned rabbits comes up and starts lapping at the blood the deer just spilled. "Carnivorous bunnies? That's just fucked up." I take out an arrow and slam the point through the top of its skull, just behind the horn.

Tossing the corpse into storage, I decide I'm done with hunting for the day and run straight for the road. Once there I spot the tracks from the wagon and chase along after it.

"Hey, I'm back." I call out once the wagon comes into sight.

Apricot peeks her head out of the back, and waves to me with a smile. Picking up the pace, I'm able to hop inside next to the pixie before Amelia can do more than tell Storm to slow down.

"Hey, babe." She smiles back at me. "You must have had a good trip, I didn't think you'd be back this soon."

"A handful of birds, and two rabbits, one with a horn."

"Ooh, those have the softest fur." She coos. "But, I doubt you'd be back if that was all."

"Yeah." I nod. "I just hope Southwood has a good butcher, I snagged a wild boar that's easily a hundred-ten kilos, maybe one-twenty. And, then a freaking pack of wolves tried to steal it from me."

"No!" She gasps.

"Yes." I grin at her worried reaction. "I was still hiding and was able to get two of them before the rest scattered. And then, after shoving the bodies into storage and sprinting the fuck away, I lucked on a young deer. More than one actually, I let a doe and her fawn go, only to find a two-year-old buck a few minutes later."

"Well, aren't you the lucky hunter." She copies my grin. "I guess we don't have to worry about meat any time soon. And yes, there is a good butcher in town. He goes by Skinner, -don't know his real name- I always found him to be a little creepy, but he does good work."

"Good. I could probably manage, but I'm more used to dealing with meat after it's been butchered." Sitting up, I peer past her. "Is that Georgie, and what was his name... Paul!" I snap my fingers as it comes to me.

"It is." She twirls around, and Apricot and I climb up to join her on the seat. "Hey guys, everything alright?" She calls out once they come closer.

"Hi, Amelia, nice wagon." Georgie stops next to us. "Everything's fine... well, everything except us having to get up before dawn to run these patrols." He adds after Paul grumbles.

"Well, you have my thanks for doing so." She says sincerely. "We, thankfully, haven't had any more troubles. Not, unless you count Sorrel finding a pack of wolves when he was out hunting earlier."

"Wolves?!" Paul perks up. "Where were they? How many?"

"Ten that I saw, eight now." I answer. "They were a few hours fast walk southeast from the waypoint. Little fuckers tried to steal a nice fat pig from me, but ran off when I downed a couple of them."

"You still have the bodies?" He peers into the wagon, looking disappointed to only find a mattress.

"They're in my storage along with the boar." I hold my hand out over the edge of the wagon and materialize the heart shot one, holding it up by the hind-legs.

"Nice shot." Georgie compliments my archery. "Right through the heart and out again. What bow do you use?"

Returning the wolf to storage, I reach back into the wagon and grab Blackthorne. "I picked up a longbow in town, but my staff got jealous and ate it." I shift it into bow-mode to their astonished looks.

"Hah. Nice trick that." He laughs but eyes me and my staff in a new light. "Alright, I'm sure the road's clear, but we still have to finish our sweep. I'll stop by Fred's later, and say hi. Oh, and I'm sure you know, but Rodrick already left for Riverton a few days ago."

"Thanks." Amelia nods to the guard. "And, thanks for watching the roads. I'll treat you both to a drink tonight."

"I won't say no to that." He nods back before spurring his horse into motion again. "Come on Paul, let's get this over with."

"Mhm, maybe we'll luck out and find those wolves." The guard follows after his partner.

***