Citizen 433 Ronan

Crisp air surrounded Ronan as he walked through the forest, sides brushing against dew-kissed leaves when he stepped through the undergrowth. The ground was damp and the first hints of daylight were slowly beginning to peek over the horizon. As night lingered for as long as it could, the world spoke in hushed tones among itself.

As the sun’s first rays pierced through the dense canopy they casted light down below against the forest’s floor, dappling it and Ronan’s back as he traversed the thick woods. Paws crunching the carpet of fallen leaves underneath them, the rexal wasn’t about to stop any time soon, no matter how pretty the world around him was beginning to look.

Offerings weren’t something to take lightly, no matter what. Even Ronan knew it, and the lack of a crowd around him certainly helped keeping quiet. Had there been eyes on the male he likely would’ve been louder, larger, bolder. Instead he found himself alone, silent, and careful.

He had been on the road for a little more than a day, counting the night he spent sleeping near a campfire. Birds were beginning to stir around him, and as the first floor came alive with the sound of soft rustling Ronan finally came to a halt.

The spell was broken—it was time to hunt.

— “We’ll see how you’ll do,” he remembered well the hesitation of the elders, “be careful.”

They were all big words, lessons about wisdom and everything that came with it—responsibilities, they always had that word in their mouth. It wasn’t like Ronan didn’t believe them, nor did he underestimate the task at hand but… he knew he could take whatever he was going to find. And even more than that, he knew he would’ve had to.

A small sound was enough to force Ronan’s body to turn, ears twitching at the rustling of leaves. He began walking again, and each passing moment turned his steps more calculated than before. It wasn’t hard to tune out the world around, from the birds to the running stream not too far. Before he knew what he was chasing, a figure appeared not far from him.

An old stag, weathered graying fur that once had likely been a russet color instead. Massive antlers weighed its head down as it grazed on some grass, missing patches of fur allowed Ronan to notice the crazy number of scars littering its body. He wouldn’t have been the first to try to hunt that creature, but hopefully, he was going to be the last.

It moved gracefully, unaware of the rexal’s presence so close by. Some might’ve been intimidated by the beast’s size, but not Ronan. Of course not. He had been called a fool before, a hot-headed, confidence-driven, fool- Acting before he could think was an everyday occurrence, but not that time. Failure wasn’t something he could afford.

There was silence, and then, Ronan lunged forward. No warnings were given, and no warnings were needed. The hunt began and soon the forest was filled with the elk’s pained grunts and panting. While old, the beast could fight. Running wasn’t an option, and the fight nearly made the ground beneath them tremble.

Avoiding the beast’s antlers was just the beginning, Ronan soon realized the elk was faster than it had seemed. He had fought younger animals with slower reflexes, even though their strength was nearly a match. But as the battle continued it became clear what would eventually bring the beast’s demise.

Fatigue didn’t take long before settling in, not for Ronan and for the elk. Soon the rexal realized he had made a mistake by charging in, his ambush hadn't been nearly as thought out as it should have been. Fortunately for him, one last blow was enough to knock the stag to the forest floor.

Ronan didn’t waste time as the beast struggled to rise, a quick final strike—fatal. With one last cry the animal stopped resisting, pushing out one last breath before silence was restored in the forest. Only Ronan’s panting could be heard, and he didn’t care.

His offering would be worth the elders’ time, and the fight had made quite the story. Not only did Ronan walk back home with a smile on his face, he would’ve had something impressive to talk about for weeks to come when asked to tell a story.

written by: FeralYEEHAW