Hunter's War (Legend of the Wild Hunter Book 4) (4 page)

“You made it quite clear, I am not a soldier, sir,” she replied.

“Do not toy we me, Hunter. I have to tolerate you… for the time being,” he said as he turned his horse away and rode off.

“You shouldn’t get on his bad side like that,” Tullner said as he rode up on a dun-colored mare. Even dressed in his field armor, with his helmet, he still didn’t look the part of a soldier.

“Does he have any other side?” She asked, watching the Sergeant ride to the head of the line which was slowly forming behind him. Kile decided to stay at the line’s end. Tullner seemed torn between his place at the front of the column or at the rear. He opted to let Duffy have the coveted position of column head, so he could keep an eye on Kile, as he was ordered to do.

When Perha Squad finally left camp, the soldiers who stayed behind stood silently watching. It felt more like a funeral procession than a recon expedition. Kile was starting to wonder if they knew more than she did.

The squad traveled in silence for most of the day and well past the fall of night. Wargner eventually found a suitable place to stop while the men quickly dismounted and went about, what appeared to be, a well-coordinated dance. Each soldier had a task to do-- from clearing the grounds, to putting up the tents, to starting the fire for their evening meal. It was a far cry from their performance this afternoon, and it was the first time Kile was actually impressed with their training, even if it was just setting up a campsite. She led Grim off to one side, not too close to the other horse, and returned to where the activity was the greatest.

“What can I do to help?” she asked.

Most of the men went about their tasks without even giving her a second glance.

“Look Hunter, we don’t need you here,” one man said, dropping a pile of firewood at her feet.

“Yeah, this camp belongs to Perha Squad. Go find your own camp,” another young soldier added.

“I see,” she said, walking away. She could still hear them laughing when she led Grim deeper into the woods and only stopped when the silence of the forest surrounded her. Kile closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Being alone, among the trees, in the wild, this was where she belonged.

“This was a mistake,” she said, sitting down on a large boulder. “Why did I ever agree to come back to the Guild?”

-I’ve been asking the same question every day-

Grim replied.

“I know. It’s just… maybe I thought I could do some good. You know, for Rick’s sake.”

-You don’t owe any vir anything.-

“You’re right,” she said, getting back to her feet. She untied her pack from Grim’s harness and set it on the ground before opening it. A yarrow jumped out and climbed up her arm, cursing loudly.

“Sorry about the accommodation, Vesper,” She said, stroking his head. “I wasn’t sure how well you’d go over with the squad.”

-Pouch cramped, no fun.-

The yarrow pouted.

“I said I was sorry. I don’t think it matters anymore anyway. They don’t want me around, and I can’t leave. They’re just going to have to put up with me.”

-Hungry-

Vesper said, and the word carried with it such a strong feeling, Kile’s stomach grumbled. They didn’t stop for lunch and she didn’t have a very appetizing breakfast.

“When are you not?” She laughed, “But you’re right, we should find something to eat. I’ll see what the locals have to say about the dining opportunities around her.”

Sitting on her blanket, she closed her eyes and fell into her Edge. She stretched her consciousness across the wild, connecting with the natural world. The animals were always eager to help and showed her sights throughout the forest which offered up food and water. She still needed to sort through what was edible and what wasn’t. She knew they were all trying help and although the berries, herbs and wild tubers were palatable, she wasn’t desperate enough to eat the grubs, termites or ants.

Water was easy to come by. A helpful family of rabbits showed her where a small spring could be found among the rocks. Add to that a few wild tubers, a couple of sprigs of rosemary and a few blackberries, cooked over an open fire, and she had herself a decent hot meal. Normally, she would have settled for a few wild nuts and berries, but finding the tubers changed her mind. She often found stews and soups were the easiest things to cook out in the wild, and she was getting pretty good at it, which is why a pot, was an essential piece of survival equipment.

While the stew was cooking, she sat back, closed her eyes and once again fell into her Edge. Stretching her consciousness back out into the wild, she just listened to everything the natural world had to say. Their voices were numerous and they all spoke at once, but it wasn’t like being in a crowded room full of vir gabbing away at one another. The voices of the natural world spoke in harmony. She could hear multiple conversations and she understood them all. They spoke of the wind and the rain, the trees and the water, but mostly of the vir who came into their world. She was able to see the camp through many eyes, and watched the soldiers go about their appointed duties, and it was through these eyes she saw Tullner looking for her. She saw him before she smelled the parchment, vanilla and the hint of steel. Pulling herself back to reality, she opened her eyes. It always surprised her on how alert and awake, she felt, as if she slept a full eight hours in such a short period of time.

“You out here?” Tullner called out.

That was another thing which always surprised her. After listing to the natural world, how grating the voices of the vir could be.

She said nothing, letting him stumble blindly through the woods. He would have passed by her, if he hadn’t spotted Grim first. Tullner gave the pony a wide berth when he stepped into the clearing.

“I’ve was calling for you. Didn’t you hear me?” he asked.

She was sure everyone and everything within a good ten miles could hear him. Fortunately, they weren’t near the front line. Otherwise, his first view of a valrik would be up close and personal.

“No, sorry, I must have dozed off,” she replied, stirring her stew.

“Well, this looks cozy,” he said nervously. She slowly looked up at him.

“Can I help you with something?” she asked.

“I wanted to apologize for… you know.”

“No, I can’t say that I do.”

“The way the squad treated you back there. That wasn’t called for.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m used to it,” she said, sampling her stew. It could do with a few more spices, but it wasn’t half bad, even with the blackberries. Salt, she thought, that’s what she meant to grab from the supply tent before she left.

“I came to offer you some hard tack, but, it seems you have everything under control.”

Hard tack, the wondrous food substitute which tasted like spiced potting soil.

“No thanks, I’m good,” she said.

“You know, you probably shouldn’t be this far away from camp.”

“Really? Why not?” she asked.

“Well… it’s dangerous out here alone. You could be attacked by a wild animal or something and we wouldn’t be able to rescue you in time.”

“I assure you, I am quite safe out here. Probably safer than I would be back in your camp.”

“What about bears?” Tullner asked.

“Bears?”

“Yeah, I saw one just the other day, outside of section F.”

“That was probably Gara, and truthfully, I would actually welcome him.”

“Are you… serious?”

“Look, I am perfectly safe out here. This is what I do for a living. I’ve spent more time in the wild than you probably have in the military. The largest animals out tonight are a pair of raccoons down by the brook. So, if you don’t mind, I’d like to have my supper now.”

“Oh… okay. But if you need anything.”

“If I do, I’ll let you know,” she assured him, although she was more likely to ask the raccoons first.

“Well, if you’re sure, I’ll be heading back to camp now. Oh yeah, Sergeant Wargner wants an early start tomorrow, he’s hoping to reach the Denal province by nightfall. I’ll come and wake you.”

“You do that,” she said, and watched him stomp his way back through the forest.

- If the rest of the vir make as much noise as that one, every valrik in the area will know we’re coming. -

Grim huffed.

“Tell me about it,” she replied. “You would think, if they were going to send someone out into the wild, they would at least have a bit of experience.”

***~~~***

4

Kile was awake long before the break of day. She finished the last of her cold stew, washed out her pot with moss and water and took a long walk around the parameter of the camp. She always thought, once she became a Hunter, she would be able to sleep in, at least once in a while, but the old habits of the farm die hard. There was also something about sleeping out under the sky which made her feel more rested. She collected a few more wild tubers and filled a large pouch with black berries before returning to her camp where she disassembled her fire pit, rolled up her blanket and tied it to Grim’s harness. By the time she was finished, the first rays of the morning sun were just starting to peek over the horizon. She rode the mountain pony back to Perha Squad’s camp, only to find the place still asleep. There were, however, two guards standing outside the largest of the tents, and they watched her when she approached.

She didn’t bother to enter the camp. Instead, she waited on the outer rim. This must have unnerved the guards, because one of them disappeared under the tent flap.

“So much for an early start,” she said.

-Perhaps we should wake them.-

“I’ve seen the way you wake the vir, they still have to be in one piece when they reach Denal.”

Sergeant Wargner eventually staggered out of his tent. He was definitely not a morning person and looked grumpier than usual, or could it be because Kile was wide awake and ready to go while his men lay sleeping.

The guard, who fetched the Sergeant, reemerged from the tent holding a long brass horn. He blew three quick, sharp notes which carried on the wind and scared the birds out of the trees.

“Nothing like telling the valrik we’re on our way,” Kile said in disbelief.

-These vir are just begging to be slaughtered.-

Grim replied.

As the last note died, the tents came alive with men dragging themselves out. They stretched, yawned and stumbled about, some were half dressed, and others weren’t dressed at all. Kile shook her head while she watched.

“We’re not coming back from this alive are we?” she asked.

- What do you mean “we”? First chance I get I’m out of here.-

Grim replied.

“Not without Vesper and me, you’re not.”

- Maybe we should leave now and avoid the rush.-

“Don’t joke. You don’t think I thought about that?”

It was easily another two hours before the soldiers were ready to ride. Eating a breakfast of hard tack and water, they broke down their camp and prepared to depart. Sergeant Wargner said nothing and watched his two corporals shout out orders which appeared to go unheard. When they did finally leave the camp site the sun was already over the tree tops and the shadows were getting shorter.

Kile stayed in the back of the line, following up the rear. The soldiers cared little for what she had to say, so there was no purpose in saying anything, at least not to them. The birds were another story. They perched upon Grim’s head and spoke to her in their high pitched melodic voices. She always enjoyed talking with them because it gave her the sensation of flying. Through their words, she was able to see everything from the cloud covered peak of the northern mountains down through the southern plain, but her eyes were always drawn to the west. She couldn’t see it, but she knew it was there, those lush green lands on the other side. She promised herself, someday, when this was all over, she would find a way across the wastelands. She would take Grim and Vesper and they would see what wonders were hidden in those green lands.

“You all right?”

The sound of Tullner’s voice brought her crashing back to reality, and that's exactly what it felt like: crashing. To be so high in the air one moment and back on the ground the next disoriented her. Shaking her head to dislodge the last of the visions, she looked over at him.

“I asked if you were all right,” he repeated

“I’m fine,” she replied.

“Well, it’s just… you looked a little spaced out there,” he said.

“I was… just thinking.”

“Sarge says we’re making pretty good time and we should reach the outer edge of the Denal province by nightfall. He wants to keep moving so we’ll be eating on the go. I have some extra hard-tack in my pack, if you want some.”

“No thank you, I’m fine in that department,” she replied. “Tell me, is this the way you guys usually travel?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, for starters, with all this gear. If you traveled lighter, you could make better time.”

“This is light,” Tullner replied.

Kile looked at the large pack he wore on his back, as well as the supplies strapped to his mount. “You call that light?” she asked.

“We’re only carrying what we need. Normally, if we were going into battle, we would have a couple of supply wagons,” Tullner said with a grin. He looked at the rider in front of him, then at Kile. “Well, I guess it’s not as light as you travel,” he added.

“I suppose not,” she replied.

“May I ask you a question? Why is that rat sitting on your horse’s head?”

-Not rat.-

Vesper shouted, turning to stare at the young soldier. Kile laugh.

“It’s not a rat,” she said. “It’s a yarrow. His name is Vesper and he’s been with me for nearly six years now.”

“Why do you keep a pet… yarrow?”

“Well, he’s not actually a pet. He’s more like a friend. We kind of adopted each other.”

-Kile family.-

Vesper added, before turning around.

There was a moment of silence before Tullner spoke again.

“Are all Hunters… like you?” he asked.

“What do you mean?”