339 The Concern of Being too Smooth
It's the first prey I hunted. AKA a 'rabbit', though only I use that name in my mind.
It looks kinda like a rabbit yet kinda don't. That kind of vague animal.
This one seems to have lived quite a long life in this forest considering its build.
We got close to it, around ten meters. This is actually a bit too close for comfort.
There's no wind, luck is on our side. It won't smell us. There's no shrubs that could make a noise when someone shoot an arrow around either.
The coast is clear from here to the target, no trees blocking our view. The rabbit itself is looking in the opposite direction.
A picture perfect opportunity. Were I to miss this, it'd mean my hunting skill had truly deteriorated to the lowest point.
I'm not trying to set up an excuse here. It's been quite some time since my last hunting. Okay maybe not that long, but it's true that I haven't been hunting at all as of late.
I've completely forgotten the experience, I'm unsure I could hit this. As such.
"That's our prey, and you '1' will shoot it. Aim from here. Don't worry if you miss. I'll follow you up and kill it myself."
So I piled pressure on these kids to put what they learned into practice right away while simultaneously reassuring them.
By doing this, even if the second shot also missed, the responsibility would be shared between two people.
(...So petty. Even I acknowledge how petty I am being here...)
<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >
Thus, '1' obediently stepped forward and began to take an aim without any objection.
I contented myself by the fact that none of the kids asked me about me giving a demonstration first.
I had changed my mind after watching their hit rate during their practice earlier.
They're so good at this I suspect they would likely shoot better than me.
And sure enough, I was proven right. '1' exquisitely shot the arrow in one smooth motion.
It all happened so fast. Even I was dumbfounded at how smooth he shot.
And the result was utterly beyond expectations. The arrow flew and pierced deep right in the center of the rabbit's body.
In this situation where it's perfectly fine for him to fail. And yet he produced the best possible outcome, maybe he's really got the talent for this?
I could almost make out his confidence overflowing from his back.
None of the kids cheered at this incredible outcome. They're all quietly waiting for my orders.
I can't help but feel that they're too good to be true even. I mean where in the world can you find a band of kids this capable?
"A-alright! Let's drain the blood right away. Go retrieve it."
I pulled myself together and approached the rabbit to show the procedure.
And thus ended our first very smooth hunt.
I gave them an explanation on how to drain blood, from prep stage to the correct orders of actions.
"The first thing you need to do is digging a hole for the blood to pour in. Use a knife to carve out a path for the blood from the neck to flow there, and hang the body upside down."
I obfuscated terms such as carotid artery as I wasn't sure they'd understand.
I don't know how knowledgeable the kids are. Hence, I had to improvise on the explanations.
"Once the blood has completely drained out, bury the hole. This is done to block the smell of blood which could lure nearby beasts here. Though well, just think of it as better than nothing. Don't ever skip this step however."
Once the rabbit was done drained off, I stored it in a shoulder bag.
"Alright, let's go look for our next game. Just this much is nowhere enough to feed you all."
We've got six starving kids. This hunt is far from over. We went deeper inside the forest.
But of course, I'd get dragged in trouble after this. It's like an aftershock from all the calms.
It's not a bad one though. More a fortuitous one that also affords us more food.