Hunting the hunters
There were a few hours of sunlight left when the hunting party finally managed to follow the spoor of their prey and get the beast within sight. The numerous rooted branches from the undergrowth and pincer like tracks left no mystery as to their target, they were tracking a boar, a large one at that. They were downwind and the forest was starting to thin out, perfect conditions for the kill. A few hand gestures were given and the five men set to their tasks, spreading out like the prongs of a rake to their individual destinations. Near silence followed with each being almost invisible to the next, and completely invisible to the prey. All of sudden a noise underfoot was heard, the boar looked up as did each of the hunters as they realised the direction from the which the noise originated, the middle of the five seemed to be the culprit but he was not visible. Concentration was once again obtained, the mishap had only caught the boars attention, not yet startled it.
They soon started moving again, flanking the beast when another noise was heard, this time something had dropped to the ground and this time the boar was taking no chances. The beast bolted, quicker than it looked as though it could achieve and bounding through branches and bushes sure footed, as if it had practiced it’s escape route many times. The hunters quickly abandoned their failed attempt at stealth and followed as quick as they could, as sure footed as the animal they pursued, not ready to give up on success just yet. One of the hunters had built up a clear lead on the others and he knew it as he glanced over his shoulder, this was to be his kill and nothing was going to prevent that.
He saw the animal a few meters in front of him slide almost to a stop as it tried to avoid a root that it realised was too low to go under and too high to jump. As it regained its footing and was about to leap back into its escape, it let out a squeal as a spear with a trident head pierced its rump just above the left leg, it tried to stand and flee but an obvious pain prevented it from rearing back into its full escape pace. As it started to limp into an arduous trot another squeal pierced the woods as the lead hunter slid into the beast and wrapped his arms around its neck to ensure a sure grip and no chance of it writhing itself free. No sooner had the embrace tightened when a blade glimmered in the few rays of sun that penetrated the canopy, the blade disappeared and when it re-merged into the glimmer of sun, the blade was crimson.
The hunter made sure of the kill with a few more swift plunges, he then stood, triumphantly, ready to bask in the glory and praise offered by his fellow hunters. As he stood, he braced himself as his expectation was to be bombarded with arms and bodies to congratulate him but none came. He gathered his senses as the adrenaline started to subside only to realise that there was nobody to offer his praise. He wiped some of the sweat and blood from his face and eyes, and his eyes focused, penetrating the forest but nothing, no movement, no noise, nothing. The hunter turned his head to look round the large tree that he stood at the base of when suddenly the forest started to turn dark very quickly, it was as if the sun was going down at a great pace and a piercing pain in his neck, then the light faded completely.
The hunters village was built into a small clearing in the forest. The lack of canopy let light into the area, more so in the centre than the perimeter which was made up of a crude palisade and almost immediately plunged into the darkness of the forest. The inside of the perimeter was then the housing, twenty or so huts housing around sixty people. The huts were efficient enough, wood made, they kept the rain and the insects out thanks to tar sealing on the roof and a thin silk like cover for the windows. Leather was being tanned outside all of the structures and many meats and herbs were also hanging, shrouded by the same silky web like material. The centre of the village was almost entirely taken up by a fire with various metal framed stands arching over it. It wasn’t a roaring fire, heating was not the fires function. The forest was warm enough all year round but the humidity at this time of year made the fire almost unwanted. It was required however, it had been boiling vegetables for many hours already and as its embers burned away, bright orange, like the breast of the fire bird rarely seen in these woods for many years, it awaited its real purpose, the flesh it was going to blister and blacken to make the evening meal complete.
The hunters should have been back by now, no concern was yet raised as it was not the first time they had been late or even the first time they had returned empty handed. It was rare but on occasion the fire had not been supplied with what it needed to fulfil its destiny, failure to supply the flesh left a bitter taste with the villagers and a fire that died without the taste of the fat dripping into it flames.
The villagers bustled away, some still preparing various leaves and fruits, some arranging tables and chairs and others either tending children or dogs or watching by idly. On the perimeter the few men that watched into the forest kept their eyes keen, they weren’t looking for a threat, they never were, they were watching for their kinsman to return so they could get the message to the cooks as soon as possible as to what they would be cooking and ultimately get fed that few minutes sooner. As keen as their eyes were and as trained as many years of practice had made them, they did not see anything yet. They did not see any movement, nor hear any unusual sound nor sense the dozen men lying in wait for the right time to strike.
The last few minutes of the sunset were underway, it had only been partially visible through the trees for a while, casting blurry shadows that looked like they were creeping around the exposed parts of the camp. These were made more eerie by the similar shadows cast by the flames, instead of creeping though, these were dancing on the walls of the huts and palisades. The evening was a clear one, very little cloud, the few wisps were silver and moved with the gentle wind. The moon was already above the tree line on the other side of the trees but it was still too early for it to be making an impact with illumination. The time was upon them, conditions ideal. It wasn’t their first raid in these conditions but the adrenaline started to course through their veins regardless, a bird call sounded out, inconspicuous, common, a brown thrush, that was the sign.
The assassins started to move in, low, silent, staying in the shadows. They made it to the outside of the palisade with ease. Four of the hunters were still stationed outside the walls, watching for their kinsmen. These were to be the first targets and the choreography was perfect. The assassins were so adept at what they did, they did not require more than one man per kill. The assassins were within feet of their targets before they had an idea of their presence. Small wooden darts with dark red feathers left the elaborately crafted tubes that were held at their mouths. The timing was precise, as if a conductor was prompting them. The darts seemed to have an instant paralysing effect. No screams or alarm was raised, the assassins moved to the falling bodies swiftly to ensure that they did not even hit the ground.
While these takedowns were occurring, the remaining assailants were already making their way into the village. More darts were fired and more limp bodies were caught with no sound loud enough that anybody could possibly have heard over the bustle of the remaining villagers and the crackling of the fire. All of the assassins were now within the border, any villagers busy with tasks that took them towards the outside of the village had been neutralised. They were now moving into the huts and continuing with their engagements. All of a sudden an alarm was raised, one of the villagers had spotted one of the bodies. The village started to panic, it wasn’t the whole village all at once however, it was as if it was happening in slow motion and spreading from the source of the alarm. The assassins on the other hand did not panic, they knew this was inevitable and up to now they had neutralised as many as possible to minimise the loss on both sides. Some of the villagers still had not taken up the alarm and were just watching, like rodents that sensed danger but did not yet know its origin.
The assassins now left their shadowy veils, they were no longer of use. They moved with purpose and clarity. They were dressed all in black, their armour was reptilian like, scaly. Hoods covered most of their faces and scarfs the rest, their eyes the only visible part of their face and even the skin around their eyes was blackened with paint or some other mask. Different weapons appeared in their hands, each seemed to have their own favourites or variations but it seemed as though a common rule was that in one hand, death was the purpose and in the other, neutralisation. The assassins moved through the village towards the fire, like a web coming from outside in. As they moved they barely broke their stride as the slashed or bludgeoned. Occasionally kneeling to avoid strikes or spinning to hit out in both directions. Most of the remaining men and some of the women villagers had now taken to arms and were attempting to fight back, to no avail it seemed. The best hunters and strongest warriors were only managing a few cumbersome, failing strikes before succumbing. It was not a long battle.
It seemed only to be a few minutes before all that remained were many sprawled out bodies, some women and children remained conscious but huddled behind tables or inside huts hoping the terror would go away. The assassins re-grouped. One of them had fallen in the melee, another had taken a blow to the head but he was conscious tending to the wound. A discussion amongst themselves lasting but a few seconds took place, orders it seemed as its conclusion saw them all set to new orders. One of the men removed his hood and spoke to the conscious around him, they were men, until now it was unsure. “Do as I say and do not resist and I promise you will live. There has been blood shed today, this I did not wish. Most of you are still alive, this was my design. You are now prisoners, soon you will be collected by your prefect. You will be bound, one child, one woman and one man will be bound together. When this is done you will have food and water, we will then wait for your collection. Do you understand?” A few nods and forced groans confirmed their compliance.
The bodies of the dead were being thrown onto the fire and those still not conscious were being dragged, one to each hut it seemed. As described the men were tied to a woman and a child each, some of the groups differed slightly due to numbers but in general this worked out. The men who had come around were given further instructions. They were to be responsible for their other captives. If the men tried to escape or fight back then the whole of their entourage was to pay the price. The dead assassin had been wrapped in linen and set onto the fire with his weapons and atop his body. Within an hour or so everything had been organised, food and water was supplied as promised. Most were asleep when the second group of the still unidentified soldiers appeared a few hours later, it was not long till dawn and they had some ground to cover to get back to their destination.
That is all you get for now
There were a few hours of sunlight left when the hunting party finally managed to follow the spoor of their prey and get the beast within sight. The numerous rooted branches from the undergrowth and pincer like tracks left no mystery as to their target, they were tracking a boar, a large one at that. They were downwind and the forest was starting to thin out, perfect conditions for the kill. A few hand gestures were given and the five men set to their tasks, spreading out like the prongs of a rake to their individual destinations. Near silence followed with each being almost invisible to the next, and completely invisible to the prey. All of sudden a noise underfoot was heard, the boar looked up as did each of the hunters as they realised the direction from the which the noise originated, the middle of the five seemed to be the culprit but he was not visible. Concentration was once again obtained, the mishap had only caught the boars attention, not yet startled it.
They soon started moving again, flanking the beast when another noise was heard, this time something had dropped to the ground and this time the boar was taking no chances. The beast bolted, quicker than it looked as though it could achieve and bounding through branches and bushes sure footed, as if it had practiced it’s escape route many times. The hunters quickly abandoned their failed attempt at stealth and followed as quick as they could, as sure footed as the animal they pursued, not ready to give up on success just yet. One of the hunters had built up a clear lead on the others and he knew it as he glanced over his shoulder, this was to be his kill and nothing was going to prevent that.
He saw the animal a few meters in front of him slide almost to a stop as it tried to avoid a root that it realised was too low to go under and too high to jump. As it regained its footing and was about to leap back into its escape, it let out a squeal as a spear with a trident head pierced its rump just above the left leg, it tried to stand and flee but an obvious pain prevented it from rearing back into its full escape pace. As it started to limp into an arduous trot another squeal pierced the woods as the lead hunter slid into the beast and wrapped his arms around its neck to ensure a sure grip and no chance of it writhing itself free. No sooner had the embrace tightened when a blade glimmered in the few rays of sun that penetrated the canopy, the blade disappeared and when it re-merged into the glimmer of sun, the blade was crimson.
The hunter made sure of the kill with a few more swift plunges, he then stood, triumphantly, ready to bask in the glory and praise offered by his fellow hunters. As he stood, he braced himself as his expectation was to be bombarded with arms and bodies to congratulate him but none came. He gathered his senses as the adrenaline started to subside only to realise that there was nobody to offer his praise. He wiped some of the sweat and blood from his face and eyes, and his eyes focused, penetrating the forest but nothing, no movement, no noise, nothing. The hunter turned his head to look round the large tree that he stood at the base of when suddenly the forest started to turn dark very quickly, it was as if the sun was going down at a great pace and a piercing pain in his neck, then the light faded completely.
The hunters village was built into a small clearing in the forest. The lack of canopy let light into the area, more so in the centre than the perimeter which was made up of a crude palisade and almost immediately plunged into the darkness of the forest. The inside of the perimeter was then the housing, twenty or so huts housing around sixty people. The huts were efficient enough, wood made, they kept the rain and the insects out thanks to tar sealing on the roof and a thin silk like cover for the windows. Leather was being tanned outside all of the structures and many meats and herbs were also hanging, shrouded by the same silky web like material. The centre of the village was almost entirely taken up by a fire with various metal framed stands arching over it. It wasn’t a roaring fire, heating was not the fires function. The forest was warm enough all year round but the humidity at this time of year made the fire almost unwanted. It was required however, it had been boiling vegetables for many hours already and as its embers burned away, bright orange, like the breast of the fire bird rarely seen in these woods for many years, it awaited its real purpose, the flesh it was going to blister and blacken to make the evening meal complete.
The hunters should have been back by now, no concern was yet raised as it was not the first time they had been late or even the first time they had returned empty handed. It was rare but on occasion the fire had not been supplied with what it needed to fulfil its destiny, failure to supply the flesh left a bitter taste with the villagers and a fire that died without the taste of the fat dripping into it flames.
The villagers bustled away, some still preparing various leaves and fruits, some arranging tables and chairs and others either tending children or dogs or watching by idly. On the perimeter the few men that watched into the forest kept their eyes keen, they weren’t looking for a threat, they never were, they were watching for their kinsman to return so they could get the message to the cooks as soon as possible as to what they would be cooking and ultimately get fed that few minutes sooner. As keen as their eyes were and as trained as many years of practice had made them, they did not see anything yet. They did not see any movement, nor hear any unusual sound nor sense the dozen men lying in wait for the right time to strike.
The last few minutes of the sunset were underway, it had only been partially visible through the trees for a while, casting blurry shadows that looked like they were creeping around the exposed parts of the camp. These were made more eerie by the similar shadows cast by the flames, instead of creeping though, these were dancing on the walls of the huts and palisades. The evening was a clear one, very little cloud, the few wisps were silver and moved with the gentle wind. The moon was already above the tree line on the other side of the trees but it was still too early for it to be making an impact with illumination. The time was upon them, conditions ideal. It wasn’t their first raid in these conditions but the adrenaline started to course through their veins regardless, a bird call sounded out, inconspicuous, common, a brown thrush, that was the sign.
The assassins started to move in, low, silent, staying in the shadows. They made it to the outside of the palisade with ease. Four of the hunters were still stationed outside the walls, watching for their kinsmen. These were to be the first targets and the choreography was perfect. The assassins were so adept at what they did, they did not require more than one man per kill. The assassins were within feet of their targets before they had an idea of their presence. Small wooden darts with dark red feathers left the elaborately crafted tubes that were held at their mouths. The timing was precise, as if a conductor was prompting them. The darts seemed to have an instant paralysing effect. No screams or alarm was raised, the assassins moved to the falling bodies swiftly to ensure that they did not even hit the ground.
While these takedowns were occurring, the remaining assailants were already making their way into the village. More darts were fired and more limp bodies were caught with no sound loud enough that anybody could possibly have heard over the bustle of the remaining villagers and the crackling of the fire. All of the assassins were now within the border, any villagers busy with tasks that took them towards the outside of the village had been neutralised. They were now moving into the huts and continuing with their engagements. All of a sudden an alarm was raised, one of the villagers had spotted one of the bodies. The village started to panic, it wasn’t the whole village all at once however, it was as if it was happening in slow motion and spreading from the source of the alarm. The assassins on the other hand did not panic, they knew this was inevitable and up to now they had neutralised as many as possible to minimise the loss on both sides. Some of the villagers still had not taken up the alarm and were just watching, like rodents that sensed danger but did not yet know its origin.
The assassins now left their shadowy veils, they were no longer of use. They moved with purpose and clarity. They were dressed all in black, their armour was reptilian like, scaly. Hoods covered most of their faces and scarfs the rest, their eyes the only visible part of their face and even the skin around their eyes was blackened with paint or some other mask. Different weapons appeared in their hands, each seemed to have their own favourites or variations but it seemed as though a common rule was that in one hand, death was the purpose and in the other, neutralisation. The assassins moved through the village towards the fire, like a web coming from outside in. As they moved they barely broke their stride as the slashed or bludgeoned. Occasionally kneeling to avoid strikes or spinning to hit out in both directions. Most of the remaining men and some of the women villagers had now taken to arms and were attempting to fight back, to no avail it seemed. The best hunters and strongest warriors were only managing a few cumbersome, failing strikes before succumbing. It was not a long battle.
It seemed only to be a few minutes before all that remained were many sprawled out bodies, some women and children remained conscious but huddled behind tables or inside huts hoping the terror would go away. The assassins re-grouped. One of them had fallen in the melee, another had taken a blow to the head but he was conscious tending to the wound. A discussion amongst themselves lasting but a few seconds took place, orders it seemed as its conclusion saw them all set to new orders. One of the men removed his hood and spoke to the conscious around him, they were men, until now it was unsure. “Do as I say and do not resist and I promise you will live. There has been blood shed today, this I did not wish. Most of you are still alive, this was my design. You are now prisoners, soon you will be collected by your prefect. You will be bound, one child, one woman and one man will be bound together. When this is done you will have food and water, we will then wait for your collection. Do you understand?” A few nods and forced groans confirmed their compliance.
The bodies of the dead were being thrown onto the fire and those still not conscious were being dragged, one to each hut it seemed. As described the men were tied to a woman and a child each, some of the groups differed slightly due to numbers but in general this worked out. The men who had come around were given further instructions. They were to be responsible for their other captives. If the men tried to escape or fight back then the whole of their entourage was to pay the price. The dead assassin had been wrapped in linen and set onto the fire with his weapons and atop his body. Within an hour or so everything had been organised, food and water was supplied as promised. Most were asleep when the second group of the still unidentified soldiers appeared a few hours later, it was not long till dawn and they had some ground to cover to get back to their destination.
That is all you get for now