A Midsummer Walk (Open to ANYONE)

The rabbit had been an easy kill. It was fat and plump, fully fed from the abundance of greens that grew throughout the District's forests in the summer. It probably wasn't paying too much attention to its immediate surroundings as it gnawed on the seeds that had fallen to the ground off the trees that towered above it. A fortunate thing for me, though I can't say the same about the rabbit.

It had heard me a moment too late, but I do admit it had almost escaped my arrow. Those things are quick. Some look so plump, but manage to move with surprising agility and speed. If I had shot my arrow a second later, I doubt I would have hit my target.

That, however, did not happen. My arrow had pierced the rabbit's body just as it bounded into the dense undergrowth that lay beside it. This obviously had pleased me. I hate losing prey, no matter what species of creature it may be. But I wish it would have darted in a different direction. The shrubs it had run into looked thick. It'd be nearly impossible for me to travel through the bushes without making noise, but I didn't have much of a choice. I needed this rabbit. Every piece of prey counts.

I try to move through the trees as quietly as possible as I scan my surroundings for the rabbit. Blood is splattered on some of the bushes, so I assume that it's body is likely nearby. Thank goodness for that, my face is getting battered with so many low lying branches it's ridiculous. Soon I see it. I allow a small grin of triumph to spread over my face as I bend down to pick it up. I wince as I hear myself rustle more branches nearby. The rabbit is plump, but not as big as it looked back in the clearing. Oh well, it's pelt is pretty fine so I suppose I could get quite a bit of money for that.

It looks as though there's another clearing just ahead of me and I figure it's likely easier to travel in that direction rather than return in the direction that I had come from, so I continue forward. I probably scared off all the prey nearby, anyways. And what's one or two more scratches on my face?

My leg gets snagged somewhat on a fallen log and I half stumble out of the bushes. Finally. Fetching that rabbit was probably the stupidest decision I had ever made. I push the last few branches out of the way and -

My hand reaches instinctively for my bow as my eyes land on a girl directly in front of me with her arrow drawn and positioned to shoot. I observe her briefly, a smile tugging at my lips as I notice the odd hunting gear she's wearing, if she's even hunting at all. A dress isn't normally something to wear if you seriously wanted to catch something on a hunt, even for girls.

I allow my grip on my bow to loosen, but I still hold firmly to the rabbit in my hand as I begin to pull the arrow out of its body. "I don't think my meat would sell for too much," I say with a grin, my eyes glancing up from my work and onto her bow. "Much too stringy, I would suspect. Possibly a bit tough as well. Though I suppose it's your call."

Wonderful. Another hunter. Perhaps I should have returned the way that I had came after all. Now it seemed as though I had two people ready to shoot me dead if I made the wrong move.

I quickly sum up the boy who had emerged from the bushes just beyond the girl. He didn't seem very old, probably quite a few years younger than myself. Physically, however, he did look quite strong. I'd have to watch him. He could prove to be a threat. I let my hand gently stroke the bow at my side, tracing out the small designs which were carved into it. I wish I'd have chosen to bring my spear instead. I'm much more skilled at using that.

I turned my head to look in the girl's direction again. What an odd temperament, that one seemed to have. Made assumptions far too fast. Thieves? I had emerged from the bushes with a rabbit I had clearly hunted and shot myself. I don't think that's exactly thief-like behaviour. As my mother had always said, don't assume. It'll make a donkey out of you and me.

What a temper she seemed to have. But I don't want to get into a fight. I'm not too fond of them. So I try and keep my tone light as I reply to her charges after the other boy had responded, despite the fact that he himself had replied in a not-so-happy tone.

"A thief? I'm must say, I am quite offended by your accusations." I try to frown, but I can't seem to wipe the amused grin off of my face. Hope I'm not shot for that. "I work for the things I own, thanks." I glance between the two and feel my eyes narrow slightly. Both from wealthy families? I suppose if I ever did choose to steal anything, I now had two people on my list of possibilities. I look towards the boy then back towards the girl. "And for the record, I do believe it's possible for people to be hunting in the same area at the same time. May not be common, though it's completely possible. Happened now. Might happen again." I glance towards the boy again, nodding at him slightly. "And I don't doubt you were here first. Don't need to get too angry, though. It's not like it's the end of the world."

That Mario boy was quick, I give him that. Very quick. I glance my eyes over to the forested area in which he had disappeared, tilting my head slightly. Odd boy, but he seemed decent enough. Though I wasn’t sure if he’d completely left the area. Nevertheless, it now seemed it was only me and the girl left standing in the small clearing. Thankfully she seemed to be a bit calmer than she had been when I had first emerged from the bushes. Didn’t seem like she wanted to shoot me anymore, at least.

I figure she’s probably not going to hurt me. One can never be too sure, but she seemed to be giving off a much more pleasant air now then when she had first set her eyes on me, which I’ll take over a temper any day. I happly accept her handshake. “Malachi Fischer, at your service.” I allow my grin to grow wider as I pull my hand back. Jessamine Hawthorne? Pretty name. “I think I’ve heard your name mentioned around the District a few times before. Pleasure to meet you, though I suppose our initial impressions of each other could have been better.”

I had barely finished my greeting when a loud thud came echoing out of the forest nearby. Instinctively I grab hold of my bow, but I don’t draw it up. The noise didn’t sound too much like an animal. No, it was more like something had fallen. I scan the shrubs ahead of me – the sound didn’t seem like it came from too far away – before I turn my attention back towards Jessamine. “You’ve any idea what that was?” Personally, I already had my suspicions.

A fat squirrel falling out of the tree? Just the sheer thought of it could have sent me into hysterics if my situation had been different at the time. But I wasn't going to risk sending Mario into a temper, so for now I figured I just had to roll with the suggestion, something I thought I was pretty darn good at doing.

Jessamine thankfully made her mouthing of the word "Mario" very clear to me, though I did get a bit stumped on her second gesture. Took me a few moments to figure out she was mimicking the shooting of an arrow, probably signaling for me not to mention I too knew the boy was present and was probably watching us as well. Don't know why he would try to shoot us, though. We weren't exactly trying to murder him.

"Oh yes, it was definitely a squirrel." I reply casually in agreement, "In fact, I came across a few squirrels earlier today and they did look quite plump. Would've made for a good squirrel stew if I hadn't been too busy tracking this here rabbit to notice their full potential." I hold up the hare that I had caught earlier to admire it, but as I take a glance over the coat I give Jessamine a rather subtle wink. Hopefully by this she will understand that I do know it wasn't actually a fat squirrel that had made the thudding noise earlier. After a few more moments of admiring the rabbit I lower it and shrug, allowing a friendly grin to spread over my face. "I think it was worth ignoring them at the time being, but I must say that this talk of squirrels is making me crave them pretty badly. What do you say, do you think we should trek around for some? If there was one, there could be more."

I'm not normally a group hunter, but I'm kind of curious to see why Mario was spying on us. Hopefully, my proposition doesn't cause him to shoot at us instead.