Chương 36: Chapter 35 Tracks Beyond the Gate

It had been a long time. That was Karath's first thought after leaving the settlement. Nearly four and a half years had passed since his final meeting with Roberto, and he had not gone beyond the village walls once during that time. Of course, orcs were not supposed to leave the settlement at all before turning fifteen, but Karath decided that detail was not worth considering.

Perhaps because he had crossed the stone wall every day for three months to visit Roberto, he felt little fear despite finally entering the forest again. Now he needed to find something to hunt. The absence of fear did not make hunting familiar. It was an unknown field that Karath had never experienced in either of his lives. Fortunately, he was fully aware of his ignorance. The first step toward learning was recognizing what one did not know.

Karath willingly accepted that he knew almost nothing about hunting and had spent considerable time questioning the adult orcs in preparation for his coming-of-age ceremony. His uncles had shared many stories and lessons from their own experiences. The first was simple. Move farther away from the settlement before hunting. The patrols constantly searched the land around the village. They did not examine every bush for small creatures, but any animal of reasonable size discovered nearby would be killed immediately.

Finding large prey close to the settlement would therefore be difficult. Look for traces. As Karath traveled farther from the village, his gaze moved continuously across the forest. He was not looking around thoughtlessly or because he feared encountering a monster. He was searching for signs of prey. Footprints pressed into the soil. Claw marks left upon trees and bushes by passing animals or monsters. Scars where horned creatures had struck their antlers against trunks.

Karath had gathered all kinds of advice for this day. As he walked, he inspected the surroundings for any trace matching the descriptions he had heard.

"Hmm." After putting some distance between himself and the settlement, Karath discovered what appeared to be an animal's footprint. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Until now, he had only heard such tracks described in words. This was the first time he had seen one, so he could not be certain that it truly belonged to an animal. Karath casually glanced behind him. Uncle Galon was following at a distance.

The adult accompanying someone during a coming-of-age ceremony existed only to guide the new hunter back to the settlement. He was not permitted to help with the hunt or offer advice. That was why Karath had asked his questions in advance. However, there was no rule against simply looking at Galon's expression. To Karath, who had once survived the merciless world of business, the primitive orcs were terrible liars. They had almost no ability to conceal their emotions.

After living among such straightforward creatures for fifteen years, Karath could usually understand what they were thinking from their faces alone. Galon's expression confirmed Karath's suspicion. Using the direction of the tracks, Karath predicted the animal's movement and continued forward. He repeatedly located new traces, checked Galon's reaction, and adjusted his path. After following the trail for some time, Karath finally spotted its owner beyond the undergrowth.

Brown fur covered its body, and its alert eyes shone brightly. The tracks belonged to a deer. Karath studied the wind and approached through the bushes as quietly as possible. Once he reached the proper distance, he launched himself forward. He did not release a battle cry. Reducing the prey's response time by even a fraction of a second increased his chance of success. He could celebrate after killing it. The deer noticed him too late and jerked violently in alarm.

If anyone needed an image representing absolute shock, its current expression would have been perfect. Its reaction, however, came a moment too slowly. Whoosh! Karath charged like a tiger, swinging the stone axe toward the deer. The animal twisted sharply and attempted to flee.

"Hup!" Karath adjusted the force moving through his body and changed the axe's direction to follow it. Altering a full-powered swing in the middle of the motion placed tremendous strain on his muscles. Crack! The effort paid off. The stone axe slammed into the deer's side. The strength produced by Karath's massive body, combined with the axe's destructive power, crushed the animal's ribs and tore through its flesh as though striking a sponge.

"Haa." Karath released a quiet breath after bringing down the deer. So this was hunting. The actual fight had ended in an instant. Moving without revealing his presence and maintaining constant tension in case the deer noticed him and fled had been far more difficult. Without the stealth he had practiced through years of hide-and-seek and the advice of the adult hunters, the attempt might have failed. The same was true if he had never met Roberto.

Reading an opponent's next movement from the smallest change in its body was a skill Karath had learned through their month of sparring. Drawing upon everything he had learned, Karath approached the deer and finished it. Then he carried the corpse to Galon and held it out. Galon stared between Karath and the deer with obvious confusion.

"Please carry this for me, Uncle. Karath intends to search for larger prey."

"Karath, the companion is not allowed to assist with the hunt."

"Yes. Karath will complete the next hunt alone as well. You only need to carry the prey already killed. There might be too much for Karath to carry later." Confusion spread across Galon's face. He seemed to be considering whether carrying the corpse violated tradition or remained acceptable because the hunt itself was already complete.

"Give it to me." After some thought, Galon extended his hands and accepted the deer.

"Thank you, Uncle." Karath grinned and resumed walking through the forest. He had secured insurance. At the very least, he would not return empty-handed and humiliate himself during the ceremony. A deer was respectable enough to preserve his dignity. Now he could search for something larger. Karath continued deeper into the forest. He discovered several more traces and followed them from place to place. Then he stopped. Blood covered the ground ahead. Something had been hunted nearby.

That meant a predator was close. Two possibilities passed through Karath's mind. He might have found the large prey he wanted. Or he might be approaching a monster far beyond his ability to handle. Karath released a slow breath. He concealed his presence as much as possible and advanced carefully. Crack! The sound of breaking wood came from somewhere ahead. A battle was taking place nearby. Karath moved cautiously toward the noise. When he reached the source, he saw two enormous creatures fighting.

One was a massive wolf. The other was a towering monster Karath recognized immediately. A troll.