Citizen 805 Brienne

Tracking down deer was harder than Brienne had imagined it would be from all the stories she had heard about hunting. Things were not always as simple as in the tales told by the hunters, as she had learned so far.

She was from less of a big city here in the Dome, more of a cozy village. That being the case, everyone knew everyone else and news was heard by all. When the other rexes around her age, those just barely adults, had heard she wanted to do something to really prove herself, they had suggested she try hunting an offering.

They had made the idea sound so exciting, and she had felt very capable when they had called her such. Now, a week in, she was feeling a lot less capable as well as a lot more weary.

Her family had packed her enough supplies to last for a bit over a week despite her protests at the time. She had grown grateful for their preparations since, because she was only now starting to run out.

But running out she was.

To tell the truth, Brienne had found deer at least three times already. All had been failures, though. All three times, she had managed to startle the herd in varying ways which sent the deer all running. The last time had been the closest, but still not good enough.

Fourth time's the charm, though, right? She was pretty sure she had learned from her first couple of mistakes, and she could not afford to hesitate like the very last time, lest she fail completely and return with empty hands.

Still, the visual she had seen stuck in her head even as she tracked down the wild herd. The adult stag had been near enough that she could have gotten a perfect shot with an arrow.

However, he had been patiently enduring the curiosity of a fawn, and all Brienne could think about was that this adult stag was likely the father of the fawn, and by killing him she would leave that fawn and others fatherless.

Brienne wished desperately she could go back in time and choose a wild boar to track down instead. Deer were the true herd animals, and so she had thought it would be easier to find many deer instead of a boar, and so it was.

Just because they were easier to find, however, did not make them easier to hunt, she had learned. Not simply because of technical reasons, but because of her kind heart.

She would have to harden her heart, Brienne decided, as she once again approached the herd. The large stag was watching over the rest, not directly interacting with the others this time. It helped her find the courage to pull back the bowstring and let an arrow fly.

But her basic practice with archery could not have prepared her for the way a living target moved. She hit, but not in an immediately fatal way.

The stag fell, but gave a strangled bellow that announced his fate to his herd. They ran. He struggled to try and stand, but his injury made it impossible for him to follow.

He watched the herd leave him behind, and Brienne tried not to think about how he seemed to care more for his herd than himself.

Brienne had not brought a knife, she realized. And while she could fire another arrow, it might not kill.

She owed this stag a cleaner death than her poor archery could give him. Brienne approached, feeling sick with success.

As her teeth punctured the stag’s throat, she realized why her agemates had suggested she hunt. It never had anything to do with her skills in truth, only her elongated fangs that gave her a more fearsome look.

Brienne pulled back as the stag ceased struggling. There was a strong taste of blood in her mouth, and she turned away from the stag and puked out the rations she had consumed today.

She had learned many things in this hunt for her offering. Some about hunting, she supposed, but far more Brienne had learned about herself.

To avoid congratulations and praise, she returned under the cover of night.

As she brought the stag to Elders to deliver, she did offer a prayer, to learn from this lesson not to forsake her heart.

~ nonbinarypixel