Journal One
The sun broke through the horizon and quickly landed on Betoto's face, causing her eyes to flutter awake. She looked around realizing today was a very important day. She waited patiently for her brother to allow her to go hunting with him. It would not only be her first time going but her first kill for her family. Her feet paced outside of the storage hut, it holding all of the family's weapons.
Her bother Namagg lazily joined her, his friends tailing behind. He wasn't that much older than the young leaf girl but she gave him the proper respect any of her elders got from her. Waving at the two tall Leaf friends, her smile beamed from them to Namagg. "Are you ready brother?" She asked, ready to start her adventure as a swordsman. He turned and laughed. "So eager are we?" He stated jokingly.
Betoto was always picked on by her older brother, yet he meant no ill-will. She knew that if she was ever in trouble, he would be the first one to stand up for her. Her green eyes met his and they both laughed, getting an inside joke from their expressions.
Namagg opened the storage and handed the Leaf girl her training sword. It was the only one weighed for her. A couple of twirls in her hand caused Betoto to giggle as she placed it in her hilt, waiting patiently as the boys followed suit.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Hours passed and the group had done nothing but travel and laugh together. They had to get far enough from the village, to where the Aldabuk roamed. They already talked about splitting the meat they got and giving the pelt to the elder women to make clothes and things needed. As they walked under a large tree's root, they heard a noise coming from the West of them. Namagg's hands quickly pushed Betoto down into a crouch, her hands instantly on her sword. Her brother placed his hand on the taller friend, and he began setting up his bow for shot. He only wanted to injure it, so Betoto could use the sword for a clean cut. The pelt couldn't get stained.
His finger moved quick and soon an arrow shot out and whirred through foliage, hitting the creature in the back leg. It bucked and screeched before taking off, yet the Leaf Earthlings quickly followed. They spaced out to get as much range on the animal, in case of any direction it decided to go. It ran for a while, Betoto was almost losing sight of it. As she jumped over a low root, she saw the horned beast finally fall, flailing it's legs as it huffed in defeat.
Betoto made a quick call, one that her family used for locations. Soon the men joined and they all nodded, approving of the kill. The leaf girl's hands grabbed the blade and brought it up above her head. Her aim was right under the horn, as to save that as well for some traded goods, and it came down swiftly. Her eyes absorbed the sight and her body took in the feeling. She can't say she enjoyed it but she can't lie and say she didn't. It was instinct, survival.
The head rolled and dead eyes faced the sky. Her brother gave her a huge rewarding smile and embrace, remembering the emotions he had when he killed for the first time. A stray tear rolled down Betoto's face, and she gave a smile. 'Thank you beast. You're death will have meaning.' She thought to herself as she cleaned her blade. The only thing that upset her the most was when people killed for sport, leaving the carcass behind. Every part of this animal would be used in a beneficial way, she would make sure of it.
Once her weapon was back secured on her side, the boys tied the animal up with branches and heaved it over their shoulder. It would be a tiresome journey to carry that thing back, and they all knew it. Betoto stood tall and spoke very clearly. "I killed this, I will help carry it." She didn't want any special treatment, so the other Leaf people nodded. "We'll carry it first. Then switch halfway." One of the friends said. She smiled, grateful that they still cared for her like the younger sibling, but with the respect that now comes with her age.
~*~*~*~*~*~
The group got back to village, the men true to their words, with Betoto holding the front of the carcass over her shoulder. Many people they knew smiled and nodded in aprroval, giving their compliments with it. They hurlled the dead animal ontop of a table near the shed of tools, where they would sharpen their swords when there was no kill. With skilled fingers, Namagg taught the leaf teen how to properly take care of things so that nothing was damaged more than needed.
After some hours of carving and trimming meat, it was finally over. More than 50 pounds of meat laid on the table, the pelt was cleaned and hanging to dry, and the horns polished. Wiping the sweat off her brows, Betoto smiled. "There. Finished!" She said, excited the tough journey was over. They all started carrying different piles, to sell to merchants and other families, and was finished by the time the sun was setting. Her body ached all over but she was glad that she was finally treated like a true swordsman.
Word Count || 915
