Chapter 41: Hunting
Arora strolled into the treehouse, a bit flustered from almost getting caught red-handed — quite literally.
She was getting tired of the constant excuses she had to give Arbus. Everything about her was a huge question mark, and maintaining her cover was exhausting. She hadn't expected reincarnating into another world to be this complicated. It had always seemed so fun in the novels she'd read.
Arbus had apologized about not being able to get her the help she needed, since he had no way of contacting the white mornans, or anyone for that matter. She'd been relieved to finally learn what species he'd mistaken her for.
Honestly, she was surprised by how oblivious she could be sometimes, forgetting something as crucial as that.
Arbus stepped out of his room with a bow in hand and a quiver strapped to his back. "If we head out now, I should be able to catch a Shaka before noon."
Arora winced.
"Do I really have to go with you today too? What's the point? I never do anything anyway," she said, her shoulders slumping..
Arbus exhaled slowly.
"Yes you do. How many times do I have to tell you that? This is for your own good."
"Right now you're like a defenseless youngling, prancing around, oblivious to everything. I want to change that. For now you'll watch me. Eventually, you'll hunt for yourself."
Arora puffed her cheeks in frustration. She knew Arbus was right, as always. She was basically a sheltered city girl who'd been thrown into the wild to survive. The wild of an entirely different world, no less. Without Arbus, she'd probably be dead by now.
"Alright, fine. But at least teach me how to hunt already. It's been days."
Arora had been impressed by how good Arbus was at hunting creatures he called Tabbits. It was easy to believe that he'd been living in the wild for his entire life, based on his skills alone. She wanted to learn how to hunt too, in case she needed the skill in the future.
Arbus simply shook his head as he headed for the door.
"You're not ready yet. There are a few steps you have to cover first."
She sighed in resignation as she followed him outside.
He handed her his bow before wrapping an arm around her waist, picking her up as he held the rope with his other hand. Arora had gotten used to this routine by now, but she still couldn't help feeling a bit embarrassed each time.
They descended and then headed toward the eastern part of the forest with unhurried steps.
Several minutes later, they arrived at Arbus's favorite hunting spot. A small stream where various animals would stop for a drink. The area was peaceful, almost serene, the perfect place for a hunter to wait in ambush, according to Arbus.
He turned to her as he checked his bow.
"Alright, you know the drill."
Arora sighed as Arbus lifted her in a princess carry, leaping into a nearby tree. She was impressed with herself for no longer shutting her eyes whenever he did this. He calmly placed her on a sturdy branch before hopping back down, positioning himself so she could watch him hunt from a safe distance.
At first she hadn't been able to focus, due to her fear of heights. Thankfully, she had gradually overcome that particular issue. That was mostly due to her instinctual feeling that Arbus would catch her if she ever fell. She was really impressed by how strong Tarokians were.
"Remember, stay still and remain silent" Arbus murmured as he hid behind a patch of bushes.
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Hours passed as Arora began feeling numb all over. She had been sitting in this tree longer than she could count, wondering if the creatures in this forest had suddenly stopped requiring water to live. She glanced at Arbus's hiding spot, impressed by his remarkable patience. He'd been crouching behind those same bushes for the past three hours without moving. If this was what being a hunter was like, she doubted she could ever do something like this.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a sudden rustling from a row of bushes nearby. That was when she finally laid eyes on the creature they were hunting for the very first time.
A Shaka.
It resembled the deers she had learnt about at the orphanage, but this creature was far more magnificent. It was tall and majestic, with long, shining violet horns that illuminated its features.
Arora was mesmerized by its appearance. She wouldn't have believed it if someone had told her that the first deer she'd ever see would be something as mystical as this.
The Shaka glanced around cautiously before slowly striding toward the stream, lowering its elegant head to drink.
Crack!!
Arora was still watching the Shaka, mesmerised by its beauty, when she noticed an arrow had suddenly pierced its neck.
The creature let out a sharp cry as it recoiled from the stream, turning to flee back into the forest's embrace. Arbus released a second arrow that slammed into the creature's side, sending it tumbling to the ground.
Arora flinched in shock, startled by the suddenness of the attacks.
She watched as Arbus ran over to the Shaka, ensuring it was too injured to escape. Then he returned to her, leaping up to her branch with ease.
Arora looked up at him with a puzzled expression.
"What are you doing?, you haven't killed the Shaka yet."
"I know. Today's going to be different from usual." he said as he picked her up and headed down. He carried her over to where the creature lay weakly and set her down.
Arbus then retrieved a small, peculiarly shaped knife he usually used for skinning his game, and handed it to Arora.
"This is the first thing you need to learn, before you learn how to shoot a bow, or anything else. You must learn how to kill"
Arora gazed at him with wide eyes before glancing back at the creature's weak form. Her hands trembled as she slowly accepted the blade.
"Alright then, I-I'll do it." she said, kneeling next to the creature's head and staring straight into its eyes. Her hesitant hands slowly brought the blade to the creature's neck, stopping just short of its skin.
Arora couldn't help but feel guilty as she looked into its pleading gaze. She thought about the countless ants and bugs she'd killed as a child, and wondered why this felt so different, and far more difficult.
Several seconds passed as Arbus simply watched her. Eventually, she slowly lowered the knife, unable to go through with it.
"I... I can't do it."
Suddenly, the Shaka sprang up, its horns shooting toward Arora in a last-ditch effort to escape. She jumped back as Arbus moved with blinding speed, catching the creature by its horns and slamming his foot onto its neck, breaking it.
She fell backward, panting as she stared at the now deceased creature, realizing how close she had come to dying.
"This is why you're not ready to be a hunter. You're still too weak-willed. This world isn't a place that accepts the weak. Especially this planet. You have to be ruthless to survive."
He picked up the Shaka, hoisting it onto his shoulders in a single motion.
"Always remember... it's you, or your enemy. Only one of you can come out the victor." He paused, his emerald eyes meeting hers. "Don't let yourself become the victim."
Arbus walked away slowly, leaving Arora alone with her thoughts.