First Snow of Winter

Part 1: Under a Full Moon
His breath formed little clouds as it left his warm body. Biroy looked up at the full moon and then let his eyes scan the surroundings. Though he didn't look at his own small figure in the whole of the forest he knew exactly where he was in the big picture. More, when he closed his eyes he could see him and his two hunting partners squatted down in the bushes.
He was in the middle-front of a triangle formed by three humans. Like the other two he was dressed in a set of brownish furs and skins that blended into the environment. His figure was smaller than the two others in height as well as in width, but the size of his mouth made up for that. 
Biroy moved his concentration back to the elk they had been following. The tracks had promised a large buck and Biroy saw they had been right. The elk was large, one of the older males that would provide their little circle food for a few days and maybe. His large antlers and fur would keep them occupied during the approaching winter. Biroy knew they were expected back in the Summer Villages in the next days. If they didn't move this night they would go back empty-handed. Biroy had only once before returned without and that wouldn't happen again any time soon.
Dey tensed when his brother gave the signal to move. He was three years younger than his brother and one of only two who had volunteered to go with him. Last year his brother had returned the sole survivor of a bad hunting trip, his fellows killed as they had been led through a narrow mountain pass, chased by a pack of ferocious snow cats. Biroy hadn't mentioned a single word of what had happened and Dey didn't feel like guessing. Dey, like most IceLanders was rather superstitious, weird things happened every day and being able to read the omens could change that. But lately, Dey's world vision had been trembling on it's foundations. There was no way Biroy was jinxed.
But this was no time to start thinking about curses and bad luck, not when they were going against a stag bigger than any he had ever chased before. Of course that didn't say much since this was the first trip Dey had chased anything bigger than a rabbit.
Layra, at the other side of the circle, was having no such superstitions. Her mind and thoughts were with the upcoming charge. It occurred to her that hunting was far more fulfilling than carrying messages around. That job had just been slowly driving her mad. Sometimes she had just wanted to start running without looking back, to run to the end of the world. Suicidal was what they called it. Extreme escapism.
The thrill of the upcoming chase started to have it's effect on her body, her muscles tensed and she felt a pleasant adrenaline rush. Hunting was far better than being a postal worker, she decided and then left the whole thing for another day.
"Go!" Biroy yelled and from three sides they jumped up. 
The elk staggered back, unable to look backwards he thought he was surrounded, the goal was to keep that thought in him. Layra hesitated a bit as one big brown eye turned in her direction. The stare it gave her was one that showed white, blazing anger. There was no fear in that eye, only rage and the determination to get away.
The young woman blushed when she saw Biroy hit the elk to get the gaze away from her. Quickly she gathered herself and started to act as she had been trained to act. She breathed in as much of the cold air she could manage and started looking for an opening.
It was Dey who plunged the first spear in the side of the elk. High on adrenaline the stag didn't even seem to notice. Soon both spears of Biroy and Layra followed, the latter outing a cry of victory when she saw it stick out of the elk's side. Not much later the elk hat been torn and hit again by the spears of Dey and Biroy.
The animal threw it's legs in the air and finally saw the clear spot the humans had left him as Layra ducked to avoid the legs. It darted past, leaving a trail of blood on the ground.
"Oh no!" Layra gasped as she realised the escape was her fault.
Biroy just shrugged and started following the tracks of the elk. It was Dey who finally approached the woman and helped her up from her crouching position.
"Come, sometime soon it will have to rest and then we will catch it for sure."

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Lantessama Isle - Ryslen