outside, and grabbed an armful of the logs he’d cut the day before. He paused as he was about to enter the house. He felt something odd in the air, and turned to the left to see the bushes move. He stared for nearly two minutes, but soon boredom, and the weight of the logs pulled him into the house.
He stacked the logs neatly on the rest of the pile and went to the ladder that led into the loft to get his weapons. When his right foot touched the ladder, the same odd vibe in the air caught him, but this time he spun around fast enough to see a blur as it moved towards the house.
He leapt up the ladder and hardly felt the steps until he was in the loft. He had just grabbed his weapons when the back door crashed open, and he could hear Laurilli scream in fear, as he jumped through the hole for the ladder. He landed in Butterfly Kisses the Leaf to find that one of the most dangerous Afflicted creatures, a saber rabbit, had entered the house.
It was clearly half starved as its’ ribs were visible through its fur, saliva dripped down its two elongated fangs. All eight feet of it coiled back on its two enormous hind legs, as it prepared to spring at the two unarmed women. Uktesh did not have time to string his bow, so he threw it at the beast. It turned and roared at him.
Uktesh smiled, because now it was distracted. He fought the saber rabbit just like the hunters back home would’ve fought, only his problem was there was no other hunter to kill the distracted beast, and no spear to keep the injured beast at arm’s length.
It pivoted and with barely a moments warning launched itself at him. Uktesh dropped and rolled to his right, away from Heathyr and Laurilli. Uktesh could feel the wind from the rabbit’s front claws as it swung at him. The beast crashed into the ladder and snapped it as Uktesh rolled to his feet, turned and threw one of his two knives at it.
The blade lodged itself in the saber rabbit’s left hind leg. Uktesh quickly threw his skinning knife, but the beast spun, faster than Uktesh would’ve believed any injured animal could, and the knife bounced off its hide and spun towards the women, who, Uktesh noticed, had armed themselves with knives.
The rabbit gathered itself again as Uktesh slid his sword out of his sheath and wished that he wasn’t such a coward. A true man would’ve died to kill the beast instead he had chosen to roll under it. He glanced at the door and thought about if it was possible to lead it outside, but he didn’t know if he would be able to be better bait than the two women.
Heathyr threw a frying pan full of cooking food at the saber rabbit. It splashed onto the rabbits head and the beast roared in pain and pivoted towards the women. The smell of burnt fur filled the room, but Heathyr had done what was needed. She distracted it which opened its flank to the hunter.
Uktesh didn’t think, didn’t fear. He acted. With a quick scan of the layout of the room, the height of the ceiling, the remains of the door, ladder, and his distance from the saber rabbit, he seemed to glide in one long lunge, that ended with Sword Raises the Sky. Sword Raises the Sky was an imperfect attack. Ordinarily Uktesh would’ve had to have moved from balanced to imperfect, but there wasn’t enough time, space, or chance for failure.
If he had been better at perfect stance he would’ve tried Farmer Scythes the Wheat, even though he knew it would’ve killed him. This’ll probably kill me as it is. He thought resigned , but I will die a man, not a coward! Tears blurred his vision as he felt a muscle in his shoulder tear. His sword point slid across the floor, before it suddenly flashed up. It met resistance; skin, muscle, then bone, all parted before his attack’s strength. The rabbit’s two front paws left its body. Before his sword’s upward arc could hit the beast’s neck, the rabbit reared up faster than his
He stacked the logs neatly on the rest of the pile and went to the ladder that led into the loft to get his weapons. When his right foot touched the ladder, the same odd vibe in the air caught him, but this time he spun around fast enough to see a blur as it moved towards the house.
He leapt up the ladder and hardly felt the steps until he was in the loft. He had just grabbed his weapons when the back door crashed open, and he could hear Laurilli scream in fear, as he jumped through the hole for the ladder. He landed in Butterfly Kisses the Leaf to find that one of the most dangerous Afflicted creatures, a saber rabbit, had entered the house.
It was clearly half starved as its’ ribs were visible through its fur, saliva dripped down its two elongated fangs. All eight feet of it coiled back on its two enormous hind legs, as it prepared to spring at the two unarmed women. Uktesh did not have time to string his bow, so he threw it at the beast. It turned and roared at him.
Uktesh smiled, because now it was distracted. He fought the saber rabbit just like the hunters back home would’ve fought, only his problem was there was no other hunter to kill the distracted beast, and no spear to keep the injured beast at arm’s length.
It pivoted and with barely a moments warning launched itself at him. Uktesh dropped and rolled to his right, away from Heathyr and Laurilli. Uktesh could feel the wind from the rabbit’s front claws as it swung at him. The beast crashed into the ladder and snapped it as Uktesh rolled to his feet, turned and threw one of his two knives at it.
The blade lodged itself in the saber rabbit’s left hind leg. Uktesh quickly threw his skinning knife, but the beast spun, faster than Uktesh would’ve believed any injured animal could, and the knife bounced off its hide and spun towards the women, who, Uktesh noticed, had armed themselves with knives.
The rabbit gathered itself again as Uktesh slid his sword out of his sheath and wished that he wasn’t such a coward. A true man would’ve died to kill the beast instead he had chosen to roll under it. He glanced at the door and thought about if it was possible to lead it outside, but he didn’t know if he would be able to be better bait than the two women.
Heathyr threw a frying pan full of cooking food at the saber rabbit. It splashed onto the rabbits head and the beast roared in pain and pivoted towards the women. The smell of burnt fur filled the room, but Heathyr had done what was needed. She distracted it which opened its flank to the hunter.
Uktesh didn’t think, didn’t fear. He acted. With a quick scan of the layout of the room, the height of the ceiling, the remains of the door, ladder, and his distance from the saber rabbit, he seemed to glide in one long lunge, that ended with Sword Raises the Sky. Sword Raises the Sky was an imperfect attack. Ordinarily Uktesh would’ve had to have moved from balanced to imperfect, but there wasn’t enough time, space, or chance for failure.
If he had been better at perfect stance he would’ve tried Farmer Scythes the Wheat, even though he knew it would’ve killed him. This’ll probably kill me as it is. He thought resigned , but I will die a man, not a coward! Tears blurred his vision as he felt a muscle in his shoulder tear. His sword point slid across the floor, before it suddenly flashed up. It met resistance; skin, muscle, then bone, all parted before his attack’s strength. The rabbit’s two front paws left its body. Before his sword’s upward arc could hit the beast’s neck, the rabbit reared up faster than his
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