Excerpt, "Quest"

One of those branches ran only Linvin's height from the ground yet was of sufficient strength to easily hold the hunter.  The overhanging web of foliage dipped down just enough to make him hard to see in the shadows; they did not obscure his view of the field.  There he perched himself, waiting for something to come into his field of view.

Linvin sat for a long time.  Through gaps in the branches, he could still see the stars as they kept watch over him.  His weary mind drifted back to sipping fine ale on his deck not so long ago.  There was not a care in the world then; his biggest concern had been the sales number for the previous day at the store.  Now he found himself in the middle of a disputed land with danger all around.  He fled from a nameless enemy that had apparently killed his parents, and he was starving.  Trying to recall the specifics of everything was simply too taxing on his brain.  Putting it out of his mind, Linvin drifted off to sleep.

He didn’t know how long he slept but a grunting sound awakened him.  His sleepy eyes opened to see two wild boars below him, digging in the ground for food.  There was what he presumed ro be a male and a female.  Using their sharp tusks they foraged, unaware of Linvin’s presence.

What luck! Linvin thought with excitement.  One of the thick beasts could feed his party for some time.  Linvin then realized there was bad news as well.  While he had been asleep, he had dropped his bow and arrow.  They lay not far below him on the ground.  He did not dare get down to retrieve them.  Once the element of surprise was lost, his chances of slaying one of the beasts were next to none.

Linvin lay forward on the branch and grabbed for his bow.  It was still out of reach.  Linvin did not want the opportunity to pass, so he took a risk.  The bow was not that far out of his grip.  He decided the best thing to do would be to lock his legs around the tree limb and hang down in order to retrieve his weapon.

Crossing one foot firmly over the other, he straddled the branch and turned upside down.  There was one simple flaw in Linvin’s hastily conceived plan.  When his head went down, all the arrows in the quiver on his shoulder fell out onto the ground.  They made a loud noise as they crashed down.

The boars’ heads popped up from their digging and saw Linvin hanging upside down from the tree.  The female turned and bolted for cover.  The male reacted in a very territorial manner.  He may have been protecting her or his area, but either way, he was enraged.  Snorting violently, he charged the intruder.

Linvin was caught off guard.  He had to act quickly.  Grabbing the bow and an arrow from the ground, he tried to get a bead on the rushing boar.  Linvin had never tried to shoot from such a position before but had no choice.  Taking quick aim, he drew and loosed the arrow.

Due to the odd angle, the arrow took an arc toward the ground.  Luckily, the boar was close enough that the arrow hit him in the shoulder on its downward curve.  For a moment, the beast staggered.  Then fury took hold of him once more.  Screeching wildly, he moved in on Linvin.  With a swipe of his head, he knocked Linvin to the ground.  Not wasting any time, he tore his tusks into Linvin’s chest.

Linvin was being shoved around like a ball.  His great mass was easily thrown by the stout foe.  Every time Linvin tried to move out of the way, the boar seized hold of him again.

After literally being thrown several paces, Linvin’s hand came to rest on a loose rock slightly larger thana grapefruit.  When the boar came at him, Linvin smashed the rock down on its head.  Again, the beast staggered.

Taking the initiative, Linvin used both hands and cracked it on the skull again and again.  Blood poured from the wound as Linvin continued to pound with all his might.  At last, the pig moved no more.  Its skull was crushed.

Linvin pulled the dagger out of his boot and slit its throat to let the blood drain and prevent the meat from bruising.  Then he fell back onto the ground and assessed the injuries he had taken.  Aside from a deep laceration on his chest, his wounds were mostly cuts and bruises.