First Hunt
I had been up for hours when Gale came in to wake me up. How could I sleep? I was so excited. Today was the day Gale was finally going to take me hunting.
"Jenna are you up?" Gale said as he came in. I shot up from my bed.
"Up and ready," I replied. He just smiled and laughed since I was already dressed. I was ready for today. Downstairs we grabbed a quick breakfast then ran outside. We got outside just as the sun was coming out. Gale looked up as if he was judging the sky.
"Gonna be a nice morning for hunting." He looked back at me and I just smiled. I had been waiting for this day since I was five.
Gale always told me no when I asked to go with him. He said I was too young and I would go with him when I was old enough. But he never told me when that would be. Until yesterday, the day before my tenth birthday, after dinner he came over to me and smiled. My brother always smiled when he knew something that I didn't, just because it bugged me so much. Then he said, "How about tomorrow we go hunting in the morning?"I looked back at him with a questioning look and he nodded. Finally!
We walked silently to the fence. It was supposed to be electric but they never had the power on way out here, in the Seam. Gale helped me through quickly by showing the easiest space to get through, and we made a dash for the tree line. When we had finally reached the trees I took a deep breath and the fresh forest air made me feel so alive.
He signaled me to keep quite. Earlier today he had told me not to talk when we got outside the fence until he had told me it was alright. We continued to walk for a while and the forest was amazing, everything so much more interesting close up.
After a while, Gale stopped and looked around for something. He finally spotted whatever it was and headed that way, me following in suit. He stopped at a log and pulled out his bow, but also something covered in bark. "Happy birthday" he said as he handed it to me. I took off the bark and there it was. A bow, just for me.
It was a little big for me now but it was supposed to last me a while, and I was growing quick. "Thank you so much!" I exclaimed and ran to hug him, almost tripping over a root.
He chuckled as he said, "Be careful now, you haven't gotten your forest feet yet. At home you might be fine but it is a lot different out here," with that in mind we sat down on the log and his face grew worrisome.
With a more serious tone he told me, "You need to keep your eyes wide open out here, it's very dangerous, we're not even supposed to be here." " I know..." he interrupted me before I could finish. "No you don't know but you will soon enough. You really have to understand how dangerous it is out here. There is so much you don't know about. I have to warn you about very important things others you'll learn on your own, so listen carefully. Now some strange things have been happening out here so if you see anything out of the normal or anything even remotely suspicious you need to hide okay?"
This made me think, strange things? Like what? The curiosity got the best of me. "What do you mean strange things, aren't there a lot of strange things that happen within the forest?"
"You know what I mean, unusual things." I gave him a questioning glance and with it he answered my question.
"You're not gonna leave it alone are you?" He knew me too well. "I might as well tell you now instead of later." He paused for a few minutes, and then with a sigh continued, "I've seen a few Capital hovercrafts out here before and it is very important that you don't let them seem you understand? As soon as you see them you hide and don't leave you're spot until you're positive they are gone." I nod my head. "And I have to be able to see you at all times, the outside is huge and you don't know your way around and would get lost."
"Alright" I replied. "But will I ever be able to hunt alone?"
Gale thought for a moment before replying with a sly smile. "In time." In time, the phrase he used all the time for telling me maybe someday, but not for quite a long time. With that out of the way he stood back up. "Now are you ready for your first bow lesson?" He mood lightened and a real smile wiped across his face with these words. I look at him with eager eyes. "Couldn't be more ready."