I focus on Master Noortain as he explains how these wisps work and after the meeting he releases us to get started on our jobs. I close my eyes and concentrate before an organized list of tasks pops up.
Huntmaster Jobs
1. Domesticate Beast that produces food
2. Domesticate Beast that produces materials
3. Scout surrounding area
4. Recruit and train hunting party
5. Find resource deposits in outlying areas
After reading through the list I nod to myself before walking toward the entrance to the town, trying to ignore the various looks of disapproval or hatred directed towards me. As i reach the front gate I notice the wyrmling that's close to Master Noortain standing next to a building with various bones littered around it. Gulping the knot in my throat down I walk over to her and try to wait patiently until she notices me. After several minutes she huffs in anger before turning around and glaring at me, a look of deep hate set in her purple eyes.
"What? If you need something don't stand there like a useless beast and instead ask. Bad enough we actually left you alive but to let you join us is a mistake." Sheer snaps angrily as my ears droop slightly and my muzzle points towards the ground.
"Master Noortain has given me some tasks to help build up our food stocks. I saw all the bones and was hoping to ask if you had any advice on where a few weaker beasts could be found..." I say quietly trying to hold back the nervous cackle in my throat. I glance up to see Sheer's eyes squinted in suspicion before she sighs quietly before leaning against the building behind her.
"Damn that man....Fine if its a job from him I don't have much choice. About a half a day out to the west is a swamp filled with a bunch of lizard and snake monsters along with some nasty plants and undead. North there's more forest like this and you'll find some small creatures like blade bunnies, crystal butterflies, and a few wolf types. South is dangerous, found a bunch of wyverns, salamanders, minotaur's and some other nasty customers and they're equipped so they aren't just mindless beasts. East is where we came in from but your old camp is northwest so you should know the area. Now I think we're done here so you go do your job and leave me to mine." she says with venom in her voice before turning her back on me and going back to inspecting a large femur that's been sharpened.
After thinking about it for a few seconds I whistle loudly and listen as a howl is heard from across camp before a small cloud of dust appears behind the incoming form of Jawbone. After explaining our job to the rascal I decide to head to the north to start off and hopefully find some small creatures to bring back. As we leave the camp and enter the surrounding woods a tightness in my chest finally releases as I smile in happiness to the sounds of forest life around me. As we begin traveling Jawbone constantly has his nose in the air or on the ground and his body is tightly coiled and ready to pounce, a predatory glint shining in his red eyes. All of a sudden Jawbone freezes before crouching low to the ground as I pull the bow from my back and notch an arrow quickly. As we both slowly approach a small clearing we see a monster that I recognize immediately as a dawnstar doe. I remember Noortain mentioning that Jawbone was my companion so I try thinking really hard about him circling the clearing and pouncing from the other side and much to my surprise he nods his head once before creeping around the side of the clearing. I remember the hunts of my old cackle before Vargo killed our cacklemaster and took us over. I smile gently as I remember the dawnstar stags and does that we had kept as meat creatures and traded to elves as mounts for random weapons or food. I'm broken out of my memory by a tone chiming in my head and as I concentrate on it I can hear a voice telling me that Jawbone has reached his location and is ready on my signal. As I conform my readiness I watch as Jawbone darts out of the tree line and tackles the doe to the ground, his body weight holding the small deer like creature down as rays of light surround its body underneath him. One of the rays hit me and I feel a light tingling on my shoulder before it fades and I smile happily while pulling out a coil of rope from my pack and begin tying up the doe. After a couple minutes the beast is tied and draped across Jawbones back as I slowly move my hand across its pelt in an attempt to calm the frightened creature.
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"Well that went smoother than I thought it would. C'mon Jawbone lets get this little girl back to base and get her all tamed up. Next time we come out we'll have to find a stag so we can breed them but that's gonna be harder since the stags are really dangerous." I say happily as Jawbone barks in agreement while its tail wags happily behind it. After about an hour I can finally see the walls of camp and we rush towards the entrance, smiles on both our faces at our success as we enter the camp and I make my way toward Noortains home. After a few minutes I finally reach the front door and knock excitedly before the door opens and Noortain smiles kindly from within before his smiles becomes larger at the sight of the doe behind me.
"Master Noortain! Huntmaster Slab checking in to announce my hunt was a success! We happened upon this one not far out and took it down with barely any hassle but we need a place to break it in and house it. My old cackle used to have a taming pen built for wild beasts so if we have the blueprints for that we should definitely get one built so we can have a place to to start a herd. This is a Dawnstar Doe and is a fairly common forest creature. They use light magic that heals them so elves value them as a mount and they also taste really good so I figured they could be multiuse!" I say excitedly as I watch Noortain run his hand over the doe's supple fur before nodding at me.
"You did good Slab. For now bring it to the eastern corner of the camp, Fey has started fencing off the area for a new farm plot but we'll use it as a housing area until we get these pens you talked about set up. Now if you'll excuse me I need to get back to Dawn. We're going over something about a new building that could be a big boon for us." Noortain says to me as he nods once more before returning to his home. After he goes back inside I can't help but cackle in happiness as a warmth fills my chest and I smile genuinely for the first time in years.