As the clear night sky envelops the immense trackless wilderness; the eerily tranquil glow of fresh moonlit snow illuminates the vast mountains of Freljord. With unnaturally harsh conditions and a year-round snow the merciless terrain offers a quick wintry death to those unwary, and often no better for those well prepared. Towering pines and the occasional winter shrub cover the terrain; casting elongated shadows down sheer snow covered slopes. Twisting shadows as black as night in contrast to the pure white of their snowy surroundings. The ill-defined fringe between reality and the shadowy abyss distorted past recognition.
Near a clearing amidst pine and brush on the edge of the desolate mountain range, outlining the Freljordian border, a timid Snowshoe Hare warily checks for danger. Concealed by the shelter of a small snow covered Winter Cheery Bush its grey nose quivers as it hurriedly sniffed the chill night air. Still fearful of unseen predators the hare left the shelter of the bush with caution and approached the edge of the clearing. Covered with a fresh blanket snow, the clearing showed as little signs of life as the rest of the snow covered wilderness except for one small oddity.
In the center of the clearing a small red apple, carefully balanced atop a rock protruding from the snow; the source of curiosity for the slowly approaching hare. The red apple, flamboyantly sitting atop its rocky platform in defiant contrast with its dreary surroundings, teetered slightly as the occasional light breeze swept into the clearing from the direction of the hare. Reaching the edge of the clearing the hare halted and once again checked for danger. After a short pause the hare, seemingly satisfied with its safety, slowly entered the clearing and began its approach towards the red apple. The hare paused after each hop, accompanied by the crunch of snow, and incessantly sniffed the air sill fervently checking for unseen predators. At last the hare reached the center of the clearing and began inspecting its strange discovery.
Long gray whiskers timidly brushed the surface of the apple as the hare inspected the curious foreign fruit. Deciding it was indeed editable, the Snowshoe Hare began to close the remaining distance when the breeze abruptly altered directions. With the sudden change in the direction of the wind the hare took in the scent of much more than the apple, and within a split second reacted. Suddenly twisting to look in the direction of the scent the hare froze carelessly knocking against the apple in the process.
As the apple slowly tottered back and forth the Snowshoe Hare heard a faint "t'chi" from beyond the edge of the clearing somewhere amidst the pine and brush. In the next instance a pale blue object emerged from the trees emitting a faint blue glow as it sped past pines into the clearing. As the blue light sped through the clearing it appeared to resemble an arrow; if not in design then at the very least in purpose. The strange looking arrow, perhaps just short of three feet in length, appeared to be made of one piece out of a thick blue opaque ice. Instead of a feather fletching there was splintered ice attached to the shaft for accuracy, and where a deadly arrow head attached would be a seamless ice point took its place.
Already turned to begin its flight away from the quickly approaching arrow the hare prepared to make its first leap when the glowing arrow reached the center of the clearing. The apple, finally losing its balance atop the rock, rolled off the edge and slowly made its decent to the snow covered ground below when the arrow struck. With a soft "thunk" the arrow punch through the apple, hit the snow, and stuck into the ground; impaling the apple a fingers width above the frosty snow. The instant the first arrow hit the apple a second faint "t'chi" was heard followed by another arrow.
The second arrow, on the other hand, did not emit a faint light as it entered the clearing and sped violently towards the escaping hare. Made of a wooden shaft, goose feather fetching, and obsidian broadhead point the arrow flew through the clearing with deadly intent. The hare franticly sped through the snow in great bounds driven by its powerful hind legs; already a good distance towards the opposite side of the clearing. Just as the hare finally managed to reach the edge the second arrow closed the remaining distance and struck its mark.
The arrow hit the hare hard in the back. Parting flesh and muscle as it pierced through fur and penetrated into the body. Meeting feeble resistance from fragile bone the shaft drove deep into the upper back of the hare. Shattering Scapula and Cervical Vertebrae before severing a major artery and punching through the front of the neck. The momentum of the blood stained arrow drove the hare to the ground as it slid the last few feet towards the edge of the clearing. Violent trimmers shook the hare as it quickly bled out; beady black eyes darting as it franticly kicked its hind legs in the snow. As it still tried to escape the hare's panicked kicks finally began to slow and eventually cease. Blood soaked into white snow surrounding the hare's body as two shrouded figures emerged from the trees, and slowly made their way across the clearing.
The slightly taller of the two figures wore dark leather boots, woolen coat, and trousers; covered by a white wolf pelt cloak that bulged slightly from a backpack underneath. The figure's left hand held a long hunting bow lowered at the ready with an arrow knocked beside an ivory quiver strapped to the hip and leg. The other figure, following closely behind the taller, wore similar attire, but lacked a backpack and instead carried a lather pouch strapped to the hip. The smaller figure also carried a bow. Significantly smaller than the other this bow was made of a blue opaque ice, and shimmered slightly as it caught and reflected the moon light. Vapor trailed behind the figures' raised hoods with each breath as they finally reached the center of clearing. The taller figure continued on; walking around the apple and glowing blue arrow while the other figure stopped to retrieve the items.
The figure Squatted down to grab the things and moonlit snow illuminated the face of a girl. Just beginning to enter womanhood , but still much a girl, she had a round face with high cheek bones and a pointed chin. Beautifully complimented by stunning gray eyes, porcelain skin, full lips, and a straight nose she showed all the signs of growing up to be a beautiful woman. As she leaned over, reaching for the apple and arrow, long flows of golden brown hair escaped the hood of her robe. The young girl rapped her small slender fingers around the apple, and when she pulled to free the arrow from the snow it turned into blue mist and faded away leaving behind the apple in her hand with a clean hole through the center.
After standing back up the girl quickly ran to catch up with the other; the bow in her left hand swinging back and forth and strands of her hair blowing in the breeze. The girl quickly caught up with the other figure, falling back in place just behind, and together they covered the remaining distance. The other taller figure grabbed the knocked arrow with the other hand and turned to face the girl.
"Hold this child," the figure said in a soft feminine voice as she gestured with the wooden bow, "The string'll ruin if it's not kept dry".
The young girl replied with high pitched, "Yes mamma, one second", as she looped her own bow over her shoulders to rest across the nape of her back. The girl grabbed the bow from the woman's outstretched hand taking care not to allow it to touch the snow. She carefully balanced the much longer bow in her left hand as the other woman turned back around.
"Child why do you hesitate?", The woman asked as she stuck the arrow in the snow, took off her pack, and sat it in the snow beside the hare. Without pausing for a reply she continued, "You'll never hone your skill with the bow if you don't shoot your arrow true. Why, by the time I was your age I was already hunting game by myself; helping my father put food on the table for my mother and younger sisters".
Silence filled the clearing as the woman bent down to open the flap of her pack. Moonlit snow illuminated her face as she reached in and rummaged through her things. No longer young, but not quite old, she had the face of a woman in her middle years. She had dark eyes, a long pointed nose, and thin lips. Across her face three long scars ran parallel from her left eye brow to her right check. With a face more handsome than beautiful the scars, long since healed, did not take away from her looks, but merely added an edge danger to them.
Having found what she was looking for she unfolded a large sheet of leather and spread it over the snow on the other side of the hare. Carefully, to avoid any blood, the woman picked up the hare by its hind legs and placed it atop the leather sheet; folding the edges together she tied them tightly together with a leather cord. She placed the hare into her pack, retied the leather cord on the flap, and swung the pack back over her shoulders. As she slowly stood back up, using a low laying branch of a nearby tree, she grabbed the arrow shaft stuck in the snow.