I Will Be the Greatest Knight

After witnessing a corpse falling out of a tree, Irene was more careful in her movements through the bit of the forest she stepped inside. 

Certain there was nothing in front of her, she looked behind her, taking a moment to appreciate the life she was leading. Months before, her mother would have not allowed her to step foot outside of their home in such a way. Yet there she was enjoying herself in the wild and feeling like she was living a life that was meant for her.

Focus, she reminded herself. They hadn't stated that it was a competition, but seeing the others' determination sure made it feel that way. 

Without a second thought, she stepped into the tree line and noticed birds grow quiet as the brown boots broke dried stems and fallen twigs. It was a relief that there were birds at all. That was her chosen prey and the deciding factor for the tree she was searching for.

There were a lot of pine trees around but what the girl wanted was something with a larger trunk so she could hide amongst the higher branches. 

At the same time, she didn't want to go too deep into the forest because a good shot would be more available to her if she wasn't surrounded by trees. 

Moving slowly between tree trunks, she set her eyes upon an aspen tree with a light-colored trunk that would have to work for her. It had a branch shaped like an arm that extended outwards but was decently hidden with leaves. Since the clothing she wore was mostly cream-colored and brown, she would at least blend in if she held still enough. 

The girl used one of the lower knots as a step and she hoisted herself up enough that she could reach the branch she wanted to sit on. For one of the larger boys with the traveling party, they would likely reach the branch without issue but she imagined she would always have to be conscious of her height considering she would always be surrounded by men. 

Once adjusted and balanced on the branch that was barely wide enough to sit sideways on top of, she pulled her legs closer to her chest and brought her bow to her knee so it was easily accessible. After hiding her red locks with her hood, she felt she was disguised enough to wait for prey. 

Never had she hunted something as large as a deer which was why she went for birds or rabbits if they presented themselves. She was more confident in her abilities to take them down.

The beauty of the forest was found as Irene fell silent and stopped moving. Her eyes felt like they could reach for miles and miles into the distance and towards the southern mountains which were far smaller than the ones in the north. Even her ears adjusted and she could hear every time a faint breeze passed through or a leaf was disturbed by an animal. 

Her eyes went to a squirrel climbing up one of the other trees and a faint smile appeared on her face. 

Too small to eat. She couldn't even fathom taking its life for no reason. 

The others seemed just as silent as she was and insistent on stalking their own prey because she didn't hear a single noise from the camp or the other apprentices who entered the forest or went to the opposite side of the hill to find something bigger on the plains. 

Time stood still but she knew it couldn't be that long because the sun had hardly moved from where it dipped towards the horizon though still fully in the sky. 

Shortly the apprentice heard a quick three-note whistle and she knew immediately it was a quail. For once something of her mother was useful to her. She loved watching the birds and their babies during late spring as they ran through the gardens. 

Her eyes finally found the bird just at the forest's edge and pecking at the ground.

It felt like a shame to have to hunt something so beautiful but, as her grandmother taught her, that was life and living beings were placed on the Earth to support one another. Their sacrifices wouldn't be in vain. 

Irene paid attention to her breathing and, as silently as possible, she pulled an arrow out of the sheath and looked at its tail to make sure it was straight. The bow on her knee did come in handy as she expected and she loaded the weapon with the arrow. 

Her heart was racing and she had to occasionally glance at the quail to be sure it hadn't heard her and was scared away. Even though they only flew in short bursts, she couldn't catch it if she didn't shoot it accurately. 

As she raised her weapon, she slowed her breathing and her eyes narrowed as they focused on her prey.

She had to get it. She HAD to.

Proving herself to the others was her highest priority.

Silently, she pulled back the string and lined up her shot, remembering that specific order so she wouldn't be inaccurate. 

Before she could release the arrow, she was horrified to see a throwing net cover the bird. 

A flash of dirty blonde hair appeared and the head turned to reveal a large grin. 

"Felix!" she shouted as she jumped out of the tree.

"You really thought this was your prey?" he asked. "I have been following it around for practically an hour." 

Without further hesitation, Felix grabbed his hunting knife from his belt and he cut off the bird's head through the net. It was squawking and flapping its wings so he wanted to quickly and efficiently put it out of its misery. 

Irene let out a groan of defeat and she crouched next to the older apprentice. 

"I must find something—" else, she wanted to say. 

However, Sir Gunnar's voice rang through the forest and more birds and possible prey escaped their vicinity. 

"Apprentices!" he shouted. "We have a young boar. No need to waste more time!" 

Not every day could be a successful hunt, it turned out.