The Great Hunter

The great hunter, Orion rose in the Southern sky as night fell; Winter was coming. The mountain peaks tipped with snow earlier than usual; wind-chilled nights chased away the warmth of the day in camp. Falling amber leaves drifted to the ground and the berry crop had ended.   It was time to move to the Great Plains in the warmer South away from the winter shadows cast by the mountains.

As night fell the tribe gathered around the roaring fire to prepare for the migration ahead. The last of the food had been dried and packed away. Smells of roasted trout told everyone dinner was ready. This would be their last dinner together for a few nights as Hoa and the other five hunters would stay behind to find deer for the trip ahead. 

Elder Tia would lead the tribe out at dawn heading up the mountain trail for their new home. They would stop to gather food and resources along the way.  It was unknown when they would meet up with the hunters again. With everything ready to go the tribe nestled down under the furs by the flickering coals for the night.

The first light had the camp moving. Hoa reached out wrapping his arms around his wife Lai with a warm hug, touching foreheads as they muttered their safe travel blesses to each other. His heart was heavy as she joined the tribe. Her long brown hair tied back with plats and wood beads hung down over her fur shawl. He tossed his pouch of arrows over his shoulder as he watched the tribe slowly disappear into the trees. Lingering on, he hated seeing her leave, he stood there staring into the forest. His thoughts were broken when his brother called out. Spinning around the hunters had already left. Grabbing his deer skin kit bag he jogged over to join them on the side trail. 

While they were all heading for the same destination, the six hunters had to deviate to the grasslands to find deer. They silently dashed along the forest trail their eye was drawn to any that looked like food or wildlife wanting them for food. They stuck to the familiar tracks as the dense woodland was dark and damp.

It took a few hours to reach the bluff where they would spend their first night; dropping off most of their supplies made running on the hunt easier. Hoa sat on a rocky outcrop overlooking the plain, scanning the horizon trying to work out their next move. “They have left early.” The midday sun lit up the dry grasslands randomly dotted with wildlife but the big herds of deer had moved on. “Should we keep moving?”

“It will be getting dark soon,” replied his brother Lu.

Hoa nodded, “We still need something for dinner.”

“Well, sitting there won’t catch us anything.”

“If we don’t get anything today, we will move on toward the Pass tomorrow and catch the deer migration there,” Hoa said as he straightened his knife belt and grabbed his longbow.

Quietly, they made their way down the slope, sticking to the shades while ensuring they stayed downwind of the grassland. Hoa stopped to tighten his leather ankle straps as the loose rocks slid out from under his feet.  Grabbing nearby saplings gave him the confidence to move quickly on the uneven slope. He was the eldest of the hunters; his legs ached trying to keep up with his younger brothers.

Down on the edge of the grassland, hiding out in the shadows next to an old tree, they panned the area for prey.  A rabbit would bob up and down occasionally in the long grass. Lu fired off an arrow at a moving bundle of leaves and heard nothing. He waded out to see what he had achieved, “Bugger,” he replied as he held up a clean arrow.

Hoa got to his feet, “Stuff this, let’s move closer to the river.”

The sound of the water running over the rocks drowned out a lot of animal calls. As they crept along the tree line Lu said, “Hey, over there.” 

A small half-grown deer had been left behind. Hoa stopped as he turned to the two hunters on his right, silently he waved his hand giving them directions.

Success; Hoa looked down as they showed thanks and prepared the animal. “That won’t feed many.”

“It will do us for the trip,” Lu said.

The shadows were getting long as the sun sunk behind the hill, the heat of the day was dwindling. “Better get back to camp before dark,” Hoa said as he tied the deer legs to a long stick for carrying.

Climbing up a slippery slope carrying even a small animal was difficult. They arrived back at the bluff as the last of the light waned. It didn’t take long to get the fire lit and dinner cooking. A temporary shelter of branches and hides would keep them dry for the night. Hoa made his way out onto the outcrop as he scanned the mountains to the south in the wild hope of seeing any sign of a campfire from the tribe. He whispered the safe travel blessing again. The hills sat heavy in the darkness; distant howls of wolves would break up the silence now and then. He pulled his fur over his head as the icy wind rolled down the valley.  Every year the tribe did the same venture but watching his family walk away never got any easier. The sky was crystal clear, the Milky Way drifted overhead surrounded by millions of stars each one guiding them on their quest.

***

The birds started chirping a first light. Hoa gave his sleeping brother a shove, “Come on we have a big day ahead of us.”

Looking up the rocky slope, the peak was so far away. I doubt we will make it before dark.   Hour after hour of trudging uphill over slippery loose rocks. Each step required his body to power down through each leg. Now and then, he would have to stop to catch his breath and look out over the valley to see how far they had travelled. Leaning on his spear he breathed heavily, he looked back along the ridge; dark clouds rolled over the crest followed by distant sounds of thunder. As he stood there the clouds grew closer, “We won’t get to the ridge before that storm hits.”

Lu who was further up the slope said, “There is a cave up a bit to our left.”

Adrenaline pushed the fatigue aside as everyone rushed to get away from the approaching storm. Looking further up the slope the craggy overhang was in sight. Large drops of cold rain started to fall as the thunder shook the hills around them.  Hoa’s heart was already racing and the claps of nearby thunder made it skip a beat. With one last scramble, they burst into the cave, dropping everything on the floor. Collapsing back against the rock wall, they gasped for air. The darkness slowly crept across the entrance as the storm came over the hill. 

Rain pelted down outside the cave as lightning flashes lit up the entrance. The wind howled past the opening. While the rock cave offered some insulation from the cold, it was dark. Hoa glanced down at the stick he was holding, “We don’t have a lot of firewood.”

They sorted through their small carry bag of kindling and the branches they were using to climb the slope. It was enough for a small fire suitable for light and some cooking. The storm lasted for a few hours. Sometime during the night, the last of the wood was burnt out. Lying in the darkness, Hoa couldn’t sleep, they had such a long way to travel and they hadn’t caught any food for the tribe. He made his way outside; the storm clouds had given way to a starry sky. Orion the great hunter stared down at him, calling him back to the hunt. Dawn was hours away but Hoa had a new energy, an urge to get underway.

It didn’t take much to motivate the other hunters as they couldn’t sleep either. Heading off into the darkness Lu asked, “Which way?”

“Up, the Pass is under the Great Hunter,” Hoa replied as he pointed towards the constellation Orion.

They reached the ridge in time to see the golden rays of the sun break over the crest. The Pass sprawled out below them, rocky slopes gave way to forests, a river and grasslands nestled between two mountain ranges. Finally reaching the flat ground, relieved that the trip down the mountain was easier than the climb up they decided to set up camp near the river not far from a large herd of deer.

After a quick refreshing jump into the icy river, Hoa filled up his water carrier ready for a day of hunting. Scanning the hills he looked for any sign the tribe had made it to the pass. At least the next ridge is not as high as the last.

As the late afternoon shadows crept in, Hoa blessed their catch of the afternoon. Two good-sized deer were being cleaned up and prepared for transport by the other hunters. “This should last until we are set up on the Great Plains.”

He stood there thinking about the tribe on the plains for Summer. When smells of smoke and roasting meat drifted past him. He took another sniff and it was gone. Must be my stomach imagining dinner.

“What is cooking?” Lu asked.

“Nothing, we haven’t lit the fire yet,” Hoa replied. I didn’t imagine it. His face lit up as he ran out into the clearing. Smoke wafted up through the trees further up the river. “They're here!” He yelled out across the plain.

Finding his reserve energy, he sprinted up the river with two brothers not far behind. As he made his way through the trees his smile was beaming. The tribe was busy setting up shelters and preparing dinner. He quickly scanned the camp, “Lai,” he called out. She looked up; the arm full of firewood she had gathered hit the ground as she ran towards him.

With the tribe back together after four days, they decided to grab a couple more deer. It would be easier to carry them with more bodies doing the lifting. The tribe spent the following night at the pass before heading off the following morning. After several hours of climbing, they reached the crest. Hoa sighed with relief as mountain shadows opened up to the golden grasslands of the Great Plain. A large wandering river flanked by woodland and savanna filled with wildlife. Orion had safely led the tribe to their homeland for the Winter. And when Orion sinks below the horizon again, they will follow the deer back to the north as their ancestors had done for generations.

The End