4. Taru Meets an Adventurer

         Taru moved silently through the woods.  She was hunting the arctic fox, or maybe ermine, if she could find them.  She had found a tradesman in the village who had a throwing axe for sale, and Taru wanted it.  But the thrice-cursed devil of a man wanted to get one of the village maidens to marry him, and he knew Taru was a skilled huntress.  So here she was, wasting her time tracking little animals whose meat was bad to eat, but the silly village maidens seemed to love the furs. 

         It wouldn't be a waste of time if she could just get that axe.  It was a beauty of a thing, with mystic runes carved on the handle.  The balance was perfect, as was the wicked sharp edge.  Taru couldn't say why she wanted a throwing axe - her lack of depth perception made archery difficult and even javelins required a lot of practice to hit what she aimed at.  Taru guessed maybe she was a girl after all, and just liked the shiny thing.  She was sure the axe would speak to her once she owned it, the runes on the haft were familiar.  Taru fingered the carvings on her spear as she walked her trapline.  Her stepfather had carved those runes when they had made the spear together. 

         Jussa had been a hunter and a wise man.  He had taken in the young girl Taru when her parents were slain in an Outlander raid.  Her father had been a foreign trader, but she didn't know where he was from.  Her mother had been a celt, and Taru's unusual flaming hair and green eyes caught the stares of the villagers whenever she went to trade.  In the chill autumn wilderness she covered her hair with a woolen cowl the color of bark to blend in when she was hunting. 

         Taru was happiest out in the wilderness.  Her stepfather had taught her the ways of the hunter from the first day he had taken her in, showing her how to make sacrifice to the spirits when she killed an animal and the hunting incantation that she spoke as the first rays of early morning sun speared the ground at her feet.  Beaver and fox were known to her.  Stag and reindeer were her favorite animals to hunt.  Once she had taken a full-grown bull moose all by herself, and together with Jussa had hunted and killed a bear that had been causing problems near the village.  Jussa had been killed by a pack of wolves while he was skinning a stag a year ago, but he had taught Taru well before he died.

         She was no fighter, but didn't see the need to be, as she spent most of her time alone in the wilderness.  She could move silent as the wind and was smart enough to hide whenever her senses detected Outlander raiders nearby.  She could carry heavy loads of meat and furs, and she was fast enough to chase down a fleeing stag and slit it's throat. Though she prefered to hunt larger animals with plenty of meat and hides she could make larger clothing from she also maintained a trapline or two at all times to collect the furs of smaller animals, like hare, mink and ermine.


         Today the forest was quiet, almost sleepy.  Taru had gotten used to the mad twittering and honking of mating birds on the lake around her home.  It seemed the whole of creation was posessed with either making babies or giving birth to them.  As a result of this spring fever Taru was beginning to feel decidedly restless herself.  Too bad she lived alone.  As she glided silently through the forest she absently wondered if she could find a group of foreign traders nearby - they were always good for a romp.

         This day seemed content to be a quiet day, as if nature had worn itself out procreating and was now content to sleep in the sun, listening to the drowsy hum of bees.  The somnolence of the day affected the young huntress, and she was not as aware of her surroundings as usual.

         It appeared the rabbits had survived the mild winter well, Taru thought to herself.  She was out walking her trapline and already had three of the long-eared furballs in her sack, along with a mink, two wood grouse and a young fox she had caught in the act of trying to make off with her prize.  If the rest of her traps were as fruitful she would have enough food to last through tanning the furs, preparing her garden for planting and maybe even a day of tying lures for fishing and repairing her nets now that the lake was thawed enough to paddle on.

         Moving noiselessly through the forest Taru was lost in thoughts of hearty rabbit stew and vigorous traders and was almost upon the small camp before she realized that the smell of cooked rabbit wasn't her imagination, but real.  Peering through a screen of brush that sheltered her loop snare Taru could see a scruffy-looking man-buck happily munching on the roasted remains of rabbit stolen from her snare.  She studied the dirty thief for a moment, taking note of the ragged mismatched clothing, the wild mane of shaggy brown hair, the gaunt face and odd collection of weapons.  Probably an adventurer, she decided.  From the looks of him he hadn't fared the winter quite as well as the rabbits had.  Taru decided he might be good for an adventure but he couldn't be much of a hunter if the half-starved scoundrel had to loot her snare for a meal.  She let out a small sigh of pity as she decided the poor man needed the meat more than she did.

         Immediately his head snapped up from his meal and turned in her direction.  The two stared at each other for a surprised moment.  With a flick of his gray-blue eyes the stranger took in her home-made leather clothes, hunting weapons, sure stance and the feathers in her hair while she watched him for signs of what he might do.  The silent tension was broken when the unknown thief belched.

         He grinned sheepishly up at her and waved a rabbit leg in her direction.  "I guess this belonged to you" he made the statement a question.

         He looked fairly harmless and cute sitting there so Taru edged closer to the fire and helped herself to a bite.  "I won't begrudge a starving man a meal" she mumbled around a mouthful of savory meat "but I hope you didn't ruin the skin or you're going to owe me one" she informed him.

         He ducked his head in embarrassment.  "I'm afraid there isn't much left of it.  I was in a hurry to get something to eat and the skin got too close to the fire.  It kind of burned up before I noticed it.  I'm really sorry.  Is there some way I can make it up to you?"  The stranger smiled at her and she caught a sparkle in his eye that tickled things deep inside her body.

         It might have been a mild winter, she thought, but in many ways it had been a long one.  Her own eyes twinkled as she mock-scolded him "I could have gotten a good price for that skin.  You don't look like much of a hunter so you're going to have to work very hard to satisfy me for my loss."

         The rugged stranger bowed low before her.  "Saku at your service, pretty lady" he winked at her "Shall I begin immediately?"

         Her stomach growled loudly in answer and she sat down abruptly.  Thinking ahead she pulled a rabbit out of her pack and began deftly skinning it "Let's get this on the fire first so I don't bite you on accident" she replied in amusement.

         "Of course" he nodded seriously.  "If you bite me I'd like it to be on purpose."



         Saku truly enjoyed a good adventure.  Unexplored country held an endless fascination; there were new hills and valleys to wander, plains and curves to explore, secret crevices to investigate.  You never knew what you were going to find next and Saku loved taking his time on these adventures and being very thorough.

         The secret crevice he was currently investigating moved suddenly and a breathy gasp from somewhere higher up let him know he was very near the treasure he sought.  After a few more moments of diligent work he was rewarded when the trembling terrain below him suddenly spasmed violently and the deepening twilight was rent with rapturous cries that sent all of the nearby wildlife scurrying for safety.  Frantic hands siezed him by the hair and he was dragged roughly upcountry and savagely attacked.  Two supple bands of iron wrapped tightly about his waist as he sank gratefully into the promised land.

         "Well, if you insist...." he murmured.'