Kyto and Tabs spent the next couple of days coming up with various ideas about weapons they could make, from attempting to design a crossbow to contemplating a bow. They eventually resigned to focusing on spears as they would be the most accessible weapons. They had both gone into the woods looking for long, straight branches to create some spears. They spent the time removing the bark and making them as smooth and straight as they could, whittling away any burrs in the wood. They had then cut a knock at the end of one of the branches about seven feet in length and secured one of the sharp knives from the house on the end of it. They made a further four, all slightly differing sizes, but all appeared solid and reliable.
They brought one of the old chairs out into the clearing at the rear of the house and practised throwing the spears after completing various stabbing exercises. It was not the easiest skill Kyto had ever tried to learn as he had quickly discovered that Tabs had a much more natural ability than he did. Although a primitive weapon with kitchen knives attached to their ends, they were exceedingly sharp. They spent hours practising throwing, and between them, they quickly learned how to throw them to keep them flying true. Some of the spears were damaged while they trained and had to be repaired and one replaced. They had plenty of sharp knives and other objects they could use for the tips, and eventually, they ended up with seven spears, all of which, with minor tweaks and a couple of repairs where the tips had come loose, were decent and flew true when thrown.
They had hunted several times in the woods, but it had always bolted every time they tried to get close to a Wild One. Neither of them had the stealth necessary to get close enough to them due to the thick undergrowth, it was virtually impossible to move silently.
“Maybe we should try and hunt the ones that come to graze. We could set up a hide in the clearing.” Kyto said after another failed hunt into the woods.
“Be an easier option, I think. They always go to the tree's base, so if we build one close, they may come within throwing range.” Tabs said.
The next day, they built a wooden frame from branches and covered it in foliage from the undergrowth. The hide was three-sided with no roof and only stood four feet high, so they would have to stay crouched or seated. Kyto had thought it easier this way so that they could stand and throw the spears over it without having to try and build something that allowed them to freely move spears that were an average of seven feet long inside it if they had tried to cover it fully. They were happy with their finished design and waited for the evening to move it out near the base of the large tree. The herd that came to graze always entered from the same side of the clearing, and luckily, it appeared to be upwind, so their scent should not be picked up by the Wild Ones when in the hide.
The next day, when the herd turned up, they had walked to the edge of the clearing and stopped, immediately suspicious of the new structure in the field. That first day, they had not come any closer and returned to the woods. After two more days, they seemed to have gotten used to the object being there and eventually started coming back to graze. They had discovered a type of fungi that grew by the tree, which they thought drew them there to graze. The hide was about 25 feet from one of the giant fungi clusters, and they had yet to be in the hide when they came to graze. They had just left it empty to get used to the hide being there. On the fifth day, they decided to try their luck; the herd always visited around the same time of day, late afternoon, usually just before dusk.
They made their way to the hide a little after the sun had reached its zenith in the sky. They did not want to chance moving out to the hide and spooking any Wild Ones in the area, preventing the grazers from returning. They sat whispering to each other, waiting for the herd. Like clockwork, as the sun had just started to lessen, the group of Wild Ones appeared. They were led by a large one, which always appeared first, followed by smaller ones. They concluded that the large one must be a male and the smaller ones were females. They were dark brown coloured with pale green markings, and they had conical-shaped antlers and long pointed snouts; the antlers on the largest one were approximately five feet in length. They were surprised at how big they were at this distance from them. It had been deceptive watching them from the house balcony.
The largest one stood nearly six feet at its shoulder and then, with its head and neck and huge antlers, probably reached nearer twelve feet from its tips vertically to the ground when it stood upright. The smaller ones stood around four feet at the shoulders and had much shorter antlers, reaching only a few feet long.
They slowly made their way out onto the field area. Kyto and Tabs sat patiently. They waited for the group to approach the tree's base and begin grazing. Both had chosen their favourite spears and had another one each for backup.
Kyto had never hunted an animal before and only helped Jasper set snares. His palms felt sweaty, and he dried them off against his legs and gripped his favourite spear tightly in his hand. The large one had walked off slightly and stood about forty feet away. That was too far, and unless it came closer, they could not reach it with the spears. Tabs signalled to Kyto that one of the smaller ones was slowly walking towards the hide. It stopped at about fifteen feet from the hide. They signalled to each other, and Kyto started to count to three on his fingers.
As he reached three, they stood, pulling their arms back, ready to release the spears.
Kyto released his spear, throwing his arm forward as fast as possible. The spear flew true, and as it was about to strike the deer, it turned its body, and the spear glanced off its foreleg. His display triggered.
You hit a Lesser Elbou for 5% damage.
Tabs watched Kyto’s spear release and strike the Wild One with a glancing blow. Her spear was also in flight as the deer turned from the impact, presenting its side to her; she had thrown it with all her might, following a flat trajectory due to the distance from her. Her spear penetrated the deer behind its foreleg, sinking deeply into its flesh. Her display triggered.
You have hit a Lesser Elbou with a Critical Hit, doing 30% damage and causing a bleeding effect.
As soon as they stood, Elbou reacted, calling in a shrill alarm tone. Turning on mass, the herd started to bolt back towards the safety of the woods. The struck Elbou staggered from both blows of the spears but also turned and was running after them, Tab's spear now protruding from its side.
They grabbed their second spears and moved out from the hide after them. They moved to where the Elbou had been hit. There was visible blood splatter from the wound that Tabs had caused.
“It has a bleed effect.” Tabs said, her voice a higher pitch than normal. Adrenaline was flooding her body. The Elbou were already out of sight, having reached and disappeared into the undergrowth of the woods. The speed they had moved was phenomenal. They could hear them crashing wildly through the undergrowth and calling as they ran. Kyto was panting; he felt drained from just this exertion; the nervous tension had taken its toll on his still-recovering body, and he felt exhausted and could feel sweat on his brow.
“That was an amazing throw. Maybe we can track it?” Kyto said.
“It was lucky. Mine would probably have missed if it had not turned from your throw. You look exhausted.” Tabs replied.
Kyto could not argue. He did feel exhausted, “I am. I feel like I have been running for hours.” He was visibly shaking. The aftereffects of the venom were still taking their toll after his pent-up nervous energy had been released. Two weeks after, he had awoken, and although his strength had been returning, his stamina was suffering. He bent down and picked up the spear that had glanced off the Elbou.
Tabs walked across the clearing, following the blood splatters, bright crimson against the green and yellow grasses. It was clear where the Elbou had crashed back into the undergrowth and broken foliage.
“I am going to track it. You stay here.” Tabs said.
“Ok, but be careful,” Kyto said.
Tabs started towards the edge of the woods where they had disappeared. She could see the trail and still hear them calling and crashing through the woods in the distance, although they were getting further away. She followed the trail they had left, watching for the blood splatter as the herd created several paths as they bolted. A few hundred feet in, she came across the broken shaft of her spear. The Elbou had jumped between the v of two trees and caught the spear, snapping it. She could no longer hear the Elbou’s movement, but there was an occasional call in the distance.
She focussed on the trail the injured Elbou had left again and slowly proceeded. This far into the woods, the undergrowth was so thick that she struggled to push through the thick vines and bushes, getting snagged several times. Eventually, after about twenty minutes, she spotted the injured creature. She crouched down and stalked towards it. It had stopped and fallen onto its side. As she approached it, it lifted its head and tried to move in one last defiant attempt at escaping but stumbled and fell again as soon as it reached its feet.
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Tabs stood there watching the Elbou with mixed emotions. The adrenaline from the thrill of the hunt was still buzzing, but now she had caught up with it and saw it up close. The guilt she felt was immense. Tiny, frothy bubbles had started coming out of its nose and mouth. She walked over to the Elbou and knelt by its side, placing her hand on its warm body. The fur was soft and luxurious under her touch. The Elbou mewed softly, then released one final deep breath and stopped moving. The raw emotion of watching the Elbou taking its last breath brought tears to her eyes.
Congratulations, you have learned the skill hunting level 1
Congratulations, you have learned the skill tracking level 1
The alerts triggered on her retina, and she pushed them away angrily. She felt no joy in succeeding in the hunt; the remaining shaft of the spear was still protruding from its side, and she grabbed hold of it and pulled it free. It did not come out easily, and she could see that it had virtually penetrated the whole of Elbou’s body the length of the spear she removed.
“Come on, Tabs, get a grip, will you.” She said to herself.
The Elbou was four feet at the shoulder, so not small, and after significant grunting and struggling, she managed to pick the body up and drape it across her shoulders. It was surprisingly heavy, and thankfully, she had the strength to pick it up. The light was starting to fade as dusk came and would soon leave. The woods were dark anyway, and she returned to the clearing as the last light of day disappeared. Her ankle was burning again, and she knew the exertion from carrying the body would set back the healing process again. It still had never reached 100% since her escape.
Kyto was standing on the porch area watching for Tab's return, and as soon as he saw her, he went over. “I was getting worried.” He said as he approached her.
“This thing weighs a tonne.” She said, panting from the exertion of carrying the Elbou’s body.
“Let’s get it to the garage for now, and we can hang it,” Kyto stated.
Tabs walked around to the garage, and Kyto opened one of the double doors. He grabbed some rope hanging on the wall and threw it over one of the beams. He then secured the two back legs of the Elbou with the rope and took the strain as Tabs let the body off her shoulders. She felt as though she was floating with the pressure removed. She grabbed the rope with Kyto, and between them, they managed to pull the body so that it was hanging a few feet off the ground.
“You are covered in blood,” Kyto said.
Tabs looked at her top and did not pay any attention to it while returning that the Elbou’s blood had soaked into her top and ran down her front. She stared at it for a long moment before replying. “I am going to clean up.”
“I am going to drain it first,” Kyto said, placing a bucket under the head of the deer. He then picked up one of the large kitchen knives that he had brought from the house and slit across its throat. The remaining blood started to flow, trickling down the head of the Elbou and dripping into the bucket below.
Tabs shuddered as she watched him and then left to get cleaned up. She walked down to the river edge, removing her top, washed the blood from her clothes as best as she could in the moonlight, and washed her upper body where the blood had stained her skin. Kyto had not seemed affected by what he had just done, and it was the first time Tabs had seen this side of him. She supposed he must have seen the process before, but the casualness of him slitting the Elbou’s throat nagged at her conscience.
Tabs was returning to the house when Kyto stepped out of the garage and shut the door, ensuring it was secure.
“We need to let it hang for a day or two.” He said as Tabs walked up. Tabs had no top on, and Kyto had not seen her naked previously; she had gotten changed before, but he had always turned his back and given her privacy. He noticed the vicious scar running down her back for the first time.
Tabs walked up with no signs of embarrassment. “It is getting cold; I will get changed and light a fire.” She said.
Kyto gazed at her as she went to the house, and he felt a surge of emotion at seeing her half-naked body. She was beautiful. Since leaving the factory she had filled out, she was no longer skinny and emaciated. She was athletic and graceful as she walked past.
“Well, once it is butchered, we should have enough meat for a while, and I was thinking of seeing if we can smoke the meat. I have watched them do it in townships before, and when I was with Nanna and Jasper, we would occasionally catch Wild Ones,” he said, following Tabs back into the house.
Tabs grabbed a new top, pulled it on, covered herself, and hung the wet one on the back of the chair near the fireplace, which she lit.
“What is wrong?” Kyto asked. He knew she was not happy with something the way she was reacting.
“Nothing.”
“There must be. You have never reacted like this before.” He said.
“It was just the way you simply slit that Elbou’s throat so casually.” She turned, glaring at him.
“What? Oh, I did not even think. I have seen it done so many times that I knew it was the right thing to do. I'm sorry if it upset you.”
“It did not upset me; I was just worried that you could do it casually.” She replied.
“It has to be drained; otherwise, the blood spoils the meat,” Kyto replied.
“I understand it just took me by surprise.” She replied.
“Well, in a day or two, I will butcher it as best as possible and see how much meat we can get from it. If we can smoke and dry it, it will last much longer.” He stated.
“I can help with the butchering; I have done bits before with the raiders.” She replied.
“That’s good, it would be my first time.” He said.
Tabs sat silently, staring at the burning logs in the fire, listening to them spit and pop. ‘I am just being stupid,' she thought to herself. 'It is natural to hunt, and I am being silly because I feel guilty about taking its life.’
“Sorry.” Tabs said.
Kyto looked at her. “For what?” he said.
“Reacting how I did, I felt guilty for killing it, and then you cutting its throat just brought the realisation back that I was the one who killed it.” She said.
“I would not actively try to hunt Wild Ones if it was not to feed us. I cannot say that I feel great about taking the life of anything myself, but we are better making the most of it.” He said.
“I know it is. Just watching it take its last breath the way I did and looking into its eyes as they glazed over was a shock.” She said.
Kyto moved closer to her on the sofa and placed his hand on hers. She squeezed it gently, and they sat silently together for a long while.
“Could you teach me to read and write?” Tabs asked.
“Of course, I can; I don’t know why I had not thought about it earlier. That could help with your skill progression.” Kyto replied.
“I thought the same after you said about how your specialisations improved. I want to try and learn medicine as my mum used to. I have the foraging skills but need the medical side as well, and without the ability to read and no one to teach me, I need one or the other.” She said.
“No time like the present,” Kyto said, standing and walking to the table where a couple of the books from the office lay. “Umm, I think I will go and see what else is upstairs.”
A few minutes later, Kyto returned with a small book and handed it to Tabs. “What is this?” she asked.
“It is a storybook rather than a textbook; it should be easier to read and learn from.” He said.
“Oh, ok. What is it about?” she said.
“No idea. I have never read it before.” He said.
“What is it called?” Tabs asked.
“The Hobbit, there and back again.” He replied.
Tabs turned the pages in the book, looking at the text she could not understand, and closed the book again. “The Hobbit.” She said, tracing the letters on the book with her finger. “So, this word is ‘The’” she asked.
“Yes, and the other word is Hobbit,” Kyto replied. “I have no idea what a hobbit means, though.”
They spent the next couple of hours reading the story together. Tabs followed every word as Kyto spelt and pronounced them for her, repeating them and tracing the shape of the letters as they worked.
She said, “What does this word mean? " pointing at a word on one of the book's pages.
“Uncomfortable,” he said.
“Uncomfortable,” she repeated, slowly sounding the word out while she traced it with her finger. She said it over a few more times before she was happy with how to recognise the written word correctly.
“How did you learn to read and write?” Tabs asked.
“Ever since I was a young boy, Nanna taught me to read and write. It just came easily to me. I used to write for Nanna because she had bad hands and could not hold a pencil for long.” He replied.
“My mum never had any books in the house when I was a child. Crystal and I were always busy foraging and helping Mum prep everything when we were at home.”
Tabs took some time to look at her retina display; she was confused now, considering how when she looked at the text that appeared to be telling her about skills, she had always understood what it said, although she could not read normal writing.
“Kyto, why can I read my display but not books.” She said.
Kyto looked up from the book he had picked up and had been reading. He had a confused look on his face. “I have no idea. I wonder how that works then?” he said. He thought, ‘Yet something else to discover about the display’.
She read the descriptions of the two new skills she had unlocked.
Hunting – the art of pursuit, capture and killing of prey
Tracking – being able to follow a trail or movements of game through differing terrains
More time passed in front of the fire, and as the last log burned down and the chill of the night started to replace its warmth, they made sure everything was secured and then headed up to the bedroom.
Neither of them ever got fully undressed when getting into bed, especially after the visit they had. Kyto lay with his arms folded behind his head, looking up at the ceiling. He was thinking about what he could do to preserve the meat; he had seen several smokers over his time in townships and thought he might be able to design something similar, maybe using the stove in the kitchen.
Tabs lay down next to him and turned to face him. She leaned over and kissed him softly on the cheek.
Kyto felt Tab's soft, warm lips touch his cheek; he turned his head sideways and looked at her, their eyes meeting. His heart fluttered, and his stomach somersaulted. Gazing into her deep brown eyes, he could see the emotion that shone vibrantly in the light of the lamp on the bedside table.
Tabs lent over, and their lips met for the first time. Their breath seemed to stop, and their lips caressed each other, tilting their heads. Then, Tab's tongue slowly enquired, pushing against Kyto’s lips, and he parted them slowly. Her tongue met his, and his head spun, making him feel giddy. His breath suddenly came in a short gasp, and he shuddered. Kyto had never kissed a woman before, and the sensation through his body and the warmth that flooded him left him wanting and seeking more. They lay kissing for what seemed like minutes before separating. Both then took in a deep breath of air. Tab's cheeks were coloured and had a soft glow, and Kyto could feel the heat in his cheeks. Tabs moved her head, resting it on his shoulder, and pulled the blanket around her chin. Kyto’s arm had dropped around her while they kissed, and he pulled her close to him, resting his cheek on the top of her head. It was not long before they both fell asleep.