Kael Westryn
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The morning light broke through the clouds in soft gold and pink, spilling across the dewy fields. Horns sounded in the distance as the noble hunt began, banners snapping in the wind, hounds barking, riders shouting with laughter.
Kael turned in her saddle, a grin tugging at her lips. "Thank you for joining me on short notice sister. I couldn't think of anyone more suited to help me uphold our family's tradition, bringing back the largest prey" Her gaze snapped to the tree line where nobles were already riding ahead. "Any idea what we are going to find out here?"
It was a long held tradition to mark the beginning of spring for the noble houses to host a hunt, though the location changed each year. This time, it was held on the fringes of their land, an area known for its beauty, dangerous beasts, and less fondly, the restless northern tribes. It had been years since the nobility had dared hold a hunt here. Kael had insisted, determined to show all the assembled that the border was secure and their realm unshaken.
As she watched the nobles vanish into the forest, Kael noticed one stretch of woods few seemed willing to enter. She tiled her head towards it, sunlight glinting from the gold trim of her armor as she spurred her horse forward. "I think we should go the path less traveled," she said over her shoulder with a teasing tone. "And don't worry, I'll try not to scare off the quarry this time." Her knowing smile was the same one she'd flashed since childhood, equal parts charm and challenge.
Before long, the laughter of the others faded behind them, replaced by the thud of the hooves and the hum of early spring insects. Kael's gaze sharpened as she caught sight of impressions in the dirt, many prints long and narrow, too symmetrical for many of the prey she thought lived there.
She dismounted, kneeling beside the tracks to inspect them. "Evangeline, I am no hunter of your renown," she said, brushing her fingers along the soil, "but these aren't natural... Are these what I think they are?"
She frowned at the tracks in front of her, expression darkening as realization set in. Seriak. She saw several sets of overlapping tracks with varying degrees of freshness, some fresh, some days old. "Damn it," she muttered, rising to her feet. "There's a village a few miles from here. If these things have been raiding, I can't ignore it. The hunt will have to wait." These creatures usually didn't amass in large numbers, unless many had scouted and began picking through this village's entire food supply.
A flicker of worry and frustration crossed her face before she masked it behind a familiar confident smile. "But knowing you, sister, perhaps we'll return with a Seriak as our prize instead. Imagine the looks on the other's faces!" Her laugh carried through the still morning air, bright and fearless despite the looming shadows gathering at the edge of these woods.
Evangeline Westryn
Kael turned in her saddle, a grin tugging at her lips. "Thank you for joining me on short notice sister. I couldn't think of anyone more suited to help me uphold our family's tradition, bringing back the largest prey" Her gaze snapped to the tree line where nobles were already riding ahead. "Any idea what we are going to find out here?"
It was a long held tradition to mark the beginning of spring for the noble houses to host a hunt, though the location changed each year. This time, it was held on the fringes of their land, an area known for its beauty, dangerous beasts, and less fondly, the restless northern tribes. It had been years since the nobility had dared hold a hunt here. Kael had insisted, determined to show all the assembled that the border was secure and their realm unshaken.
As she watched the nobles vanish into the forest, Kael noticed one stretch of woods few seemed willing to enter. She tiled her head towards it, sunlight glinting from the gold trim of her armor as she spurred her horse forward. "I think we should go the path less traveled," she said over her shoulder with a teasing tone. "And don't worry, I'll try not to scare off the quarry this time." Her knowing smile was the same one she'd flashed since childhood, equal parts charm and challenge.
Before long, the laughter of the others faded behind them, replaced by the thud of the hooves and the hum of early spring insects. Kael's gaze sharpened as she caught sight of impressions in the dirt, many prints long and narrow, too symmetrical for many of the prey she thought lived there.
She dismounted, kneeling beside the tracks to inspect them. "Evangeline, I am no hunter of your renown," she said, brushing her fingers along the soil, "but these aren't natural... Are these what I think they are?"
She frowned at the tracks in front of her, expression darkening as realization set in. Seriak. She saw several sets of overlapping tracks with varying degrees of freshness, some fresh, some days old. "Damn it," she muttered, rising to her feet. "There's a village a few miles from here. If these things have been raiding, I can't ignore it. The hunt will have to wait." These creatures usually didn't amass in large numbers, unless many had scouted and began picking through this village's entire food supply.
A flicker of worry and frustration crossed her face before she masked it behind a familiar confident smile. "But knowing you, sister, perhaps we'll return with a Seriak as our prize instead. Imagine the looks on the other's faces!" Her laugh carried through the still morning air, bright and fearless despite the looming shadows gathering at the edge of these woods.
Evangeline Westryn