behind her swings. The snarling beast spun about, not yet slowed by its injuries. It didn’t even seem to notice them.
She dropped from the branch to face it. Instead of charging at her again, it circled her and the tree, keeping its body low as it sought the right moment.
“Go ahead,” Temi whispered. “I’m staying put this time.”
The animal lunged toward her, and she shifted her weight, ready to throw everything into a swing at it, but the lunge was only a feint. Her furry opponent was testing her. She took a couple of steps toward it, waving the sword, thinking she might get a chance to charge. Or at least hoping the weapon’s silvery glow might unsettle the animal. Faster than she ever could be, the creature didn’t let her get close. Not on her terms anyway.
Temi stepped on a branch and the wood snapped. A small animal sprang out of a nearby bush, startling her. For an instant, her attention was drawn away from the creature. It chose that moment to charge again, leaping toward her head—toward her neck .
Temi wanted to spring away from those raking claws, but she made herself sink low and stand her ground. She ducked under the outstretched paws, then came up from beneath them, pushing off the ground and throwing her blade at the creature’s neck. The sword sliced through flesh, muscle, and bone, like a knife cutting warm butter, but she was buried beneath hundreds of pounds of animal before she could tell if she’d struck a killing blow.
No claws or fangs cut into her, but fear boiled into her throat as she was borne to the ground. The creature thrashed, and she didn’t know if it was dying or attacking her. She squirmed, trying to scramble out, to escape, but the damned thing had to weigh a half ton. Her knee screamed as she twisted it, and it wasn’t even the one that usually bothered her. Gasping, she finally clawed her way to freedom. She crawled, trying to put distance between herself and the animal and finally found her feet. Somehow, she had maintained a grip on the sword. Her hands were covered in blood, and she gulped, but the animal wasn’t moving. It was a good thing. If it had been alive, it could have smothered her to death by simply not letting her escape. Forget the claws and teeth.
“Next time, get in, make the killing blow, and then get out before it falls on you,” came Jakatra’s comment from a few feet away. He was leaning against the tree on the other side of the dead animal.
Temi bit back a comment that would have been along the lines of, screw you. She brushed dirt off her clothes, to give herself a moment to calm down—though the action was pointless when those clothes were already stained with blood—then managed a civil, “Yes, I figured out that my strategy was flawed as I was being smashed into the ground.”
Jakatra gazed blandly at her. “What will you do differently next time?”
No congratulations on killing it, however messily. No good job for not losing her sword under a half-ton dead monster. No promise that she had passed her first test. Temi sighed.
“I’m not sure,” she said. “I thought I had to get in close to really land a good whack, but that probably wasn’t the smartest thing, after all. If I hadn’t killed it, I would have been dead.”
“Yes.”
Such charming bluntness.
“I wasn’t doing much damage by jumping in and out, trying to hurt it without getting inside its range,” Temi said. “I was afraid if I kept messing around like that, I’d get unlucky and it would catch me. And the wounds I’d inflicted weren’t doing much to slow it down. Losing its ear didn’t faze it at all.”
“Eventually, you would have worn it down with that strategy.”
“So that’s what I should have done?” Temi imagined tripping over a root during a prolonged battle.
“With practice, you will find a style that suits you for hunting big game. That is why we are here.”
Standing behind a ridge and shooting big game with a grenade launcher
She dropped from the branch to face it. Instead of charging at her again, it circled her and the tree, keeping its body low as it sought the right moment.
“Go ahead,” Temi whispered. “I’m staying put this time.”
The animal lunged toward her, and she shifted her weight, ready to throw everything into a swing at it, but the lunge was only a feint. Her furry opponent was testing her. She took a couple of steps toward it, waving the sword, thinking she might get a chance to charge. Or at least hoping the weapon’s silvery glow might unsettle the animal. Faster than she ever could be, the creature didn’t let her get close. Not on her terms anyway.
Temi stepped on a branch and the wood snapped. A small animal sprang out of a nearby bush, startling her. For an instant, her attention was drawn away from the creature. It chose that moment to charge again, leaping toward her head—toward her neck .
Temi wanted to spring away from those raking claws, but she made herself sink low and stand her ground. She ducked under the outstretched paws, then came up from beneath them, pushing off the ground and throwing her blade at the creature’s neck. The sword sliced through flesh, muscle, and bone, like a knife cutting warm butter, but she was buried beneath hundreds of pounds of animal before she could tell if she’d struck a killing blow.
No claws or fangs cut into her, but fear boiled into her throat as she was borne to the ground. The creature thrashed, and she didn’t know if it was dying or attacking her. She squirmed, trying to scramble out, to escape, but the damned thing had to weigh a half ton. Her knee screamed as she twisted it, and it wasn’t even the one that usually bothered her. Gasping, she finally clawed her way to freedom. She crawled, trying to put distance between herself and the animal and finally found her feet. Somehow, she had maintained a grip on the sword. Her hands were covered in blood, and she gulped, but the animal wasn’t moving. It was a good thing. If it had been alive, it could have smothered her to death by simply not letting her escape. Forget the claws and teeth.
“Next time, get in, make the killing blow, and then get out before it falls on you,” came Jakatra’s comment from a few feet away. He was leaning against the tree on the other side of the dead animal.
Temi bit back a comment that would have been along the lines of, screw you. She brushed dirt off her clothes, to give herself a moment to calm down—though the action was pointless when those clothes were already stained with blood—then managed a civil, “Yes, I figured out that my strategy was flawed as I was being smashed into the ground.”
Jakatra gazed blandly at her. “What will you do differently next time?”
No congratulations on killing it, however messily. No good job for not losing her sword under a half-ton dead monster. No promise that she had passed her first test. Temi sighed.
“I’m not sure,” she said. “I thought I had to get in close to really land a good whack, but that probably wasn’t the smartest thing, after all. If I hadn’t killed it, I would have been dead.”
“Yes.”
Such charming bluntness.
“I wasn’t doing much damage by jumping in and out, trying to hurt it without getting inside its range,” Temi said. “I was afraid if I kept messing around like that, I’d get unlucky and it would catch me. And the wounds I’d inflicted weren’t doing much to slow it down. Losing its ear didn’t faze it at all.”
“Eventually, you would have worn it down with that strategy.”
“So that’s what I should have done?” Temi imagined tripping over a root during a prolonged battle.
“With practice, you will find a style that suits you for hunting big game. That is why we are here.”
Standing behind a ridge and shooting big game with a grenade launcher
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