Chapter Sixteen

  Graduating

  “Here, get her up,” the muscles in Duncan’s arm strained as he and Cailean lifted the once-deadly predator onto the cleaning table at the back of the hovel. Duncan went to a rack of Steel weapons and took a dagger from it and brought it to the creature. “Hold its shoulders,” he said as Cailean listed. He jammed the dagger into the beast’s neck and got a long stretch of skin down to its waist.

  Cailean pulled back the skin, as Duncan reached his hand in and began to gut the monster, grabbing its innards and shifting them into a blood lacquered bucket he had by the table. He took his bile-stained dagger and ripped at the other flap of skin as Cailean followed suit, pulling the skin off the beast.

  “Does the little sun-kissed girl know how to work leather?” Duncan asked as he tugged the Ursling’s skin off and with all the muscle and might he could still carry in his one arm, pushed the best on its side ripping the last of the sinews from it.

  “I would imagine, she said she learned every lesson that her sisters were taught,” Cailean said as he helped Duncan clean the great beast. In his youth Cailean had cleaned deer with his brother more than a few times growing up, so he knew the basics, where to make the cuts, when to pull off the skin, though he never worked on a creature this large.

  Duncan put the steel dagger back and reached for a butcher’s knife. He pushed the beast's arm out of the way and got it on its side. With a great hack, he sliced the muscle and took a reckless chunk from just over its backbone. He picked up the slab of muscle and held it up, “Fine meal today, ever eat Ursaling?” he smiled, looking to his protege.

  “No, can’t say I have,” Cailean said, ripping the last bit of skin from the beast.

  “It’s good eating,” Duncan smiled, “I think you’ll find that meat tastes best when you kill it yourself,” He brought the butchers knife back up and cut another slap from its haunches, “Bad as winter is, the cold keeps your meat good for days,’ he sighed, then looked to Cailean, “I’d say that you’ve kept an old man eating for at least three, four weeks’ worth,” he took the first slap he cut, the tender region from just over the backbone, “Take this, get the stove going, fry it up for us,” Cailean took the slab of dark red meat, “The man who did the duty, should be the one to cook his kill,” Duncan said, “And while you’re in there, send me that little Sun-kissed girl. You get the meat cooking and bring her out to me, I need her aid, I need a woman’s hand” Duncan grabbed at the Ursaling’s skin and ripped it out from under the muscle of the great beast, heaving the great leather over his shoulder and bringing it to the tanning rack.

  Cailean went back inside, carrying the meat, “Dinner’s here,” he held up the cut and smiled as Gwen, who was scrubbing the hovel’s window with a damp cloth. “Duncan’s asking after you,” Cailean said.

  “You’re back,” Gwen smiled, “So I take it the hunt went well?” she asked, tilting her head to the side.

  “Well enough as it could, he wants you to help him clean an Ursaling, do you know leather work?” he asked, “Duncan was asking if you did,” he said, looking at her he couldn’t help but smile.

  “I know a bit, yes,” she straightened her shoulders and stood with confidence, “I suppose that menial work of trying to clean up this hovel isn’t enough to earn my keep, so I guess I could help,” she walked past Cailean to the door, “I’m glad you're safe,” she looked down, smiling, her hand about to push the door open.

  “I’m a Winter Hunter, no beast of the season can challenge me,” Cailean smiled as well, for the first time since he spoke the oath, he truly felt the words he said so many times since then were true. He looked to Gwen, to her flowing auburn hair, catching a glimpse of those unique blue eyes, “I’ll find the spring,” he brought the meat to the stove and reached for the flint and steel by it, “We’ll be eating good tonight,” he said as he struck the tools together and lit an ember on the kindling Gwen had prepared for their next meal.

  Gwen left Cailean alone, and as the stove grew hot he took an iron skillet and began to cook the bountiful meal that he had provided them.

  Later that night, Cailean cut some slabs from the meat, pacing out portions to Gwen and Duncan, and then his own plate. Gwen cut into the slab of dark red meat, “Never eaten Ursaling meat before,” she twirled the fork in her hands, “I’m sure it can at least taste better than that spider folk you’ve been feeding us,” she said, putting in her mouth and starting to chew. “It’s a bit gamey, but it’s got a solid flavor,”

  Duncan struggled to cut a slice from his portion, then put his knife down to take a fork and get his own piece, he chewed it and let out a sigh as the delicious flavor of red meat was welcomed by his taste buds, “Better then dear,” he looked to Gwen, “Thank the Winter Hunter for this feast, he got a good clean kill on it, I’ll be eating well for weeks,” he said.

  “You know,” Gwen swallowed her bite, “It is a bit gamey,” she turned to Cailean, “But after what we’ve been eating these past weeks, it’s a delicacy when compared,” she said.

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  “So,” Duncan said, struggling to cut his meat with one hand while neither Cailean nor Gwen would dare to offer the proud legend help, “What’s your plan, where are you heading next?” he asked.

  “Heading next?” Cailean asked, “I thought that-”

  “Your training’s done, young Winter Hunter, you’ve got a pressing quest before you,” he took another hard-earned bite of meat, “So where are the Winter Hunter and the little Sun Kissed girl heading?” he asked.

  “We were going to stop in Altinbren, rest up, and make our way to Tycolm, get with the Winter Hunter Guild, with a suitable party, my plan was to get her to the Druids in the Severed Mountains. So they can tell her how to bring the Spring back,” Cailean said.

  “Oh, I’ve full faith you’ll find the spring,” Duncan smiled, “Wait till you tell the Winter Hunters you got a training from the mighty Duncan Hightower,” he raised his fork, and for the first time in their stay at the small hovel, Gwen and Cailean saw him laugh.

  “Are you sure you’re going to be okay? I mean no disrespect,” Gwen quickly corrected herself, “Obviously you’ve been fine this long without us, but are you-”

  “The kill your Winter Hunter got for me will see enough food for the coming weeks,” Duncan smiled again, “Past that I can fend for myself, been doing good enough until you pair showed up,” he took a deep breath, stabbed his fork into the meat before him and brought it to his mouth to take a rip out of it. “You’ve more important things to attend to than some rancorous old man living in the woods,” he put his fork and meat down, “I’ll butcher what meat I have, forage for what I can find, sleep in my own bed again,” he looked up, his old and tired eyes with a gleam of hope in them, “I think I’ll just wait for the spring, as I’ve waited for the spring for the past however many years,” he said.

  “Can the Druids really help us, will I- we, be safe with them?” Gwen asked.

  “No men wiser than the Druids, if anyone knows what to do, if anyone knows how to stop the Winter, it’d be them,” Duncan said, “You’re a lucky young girl,” Duncan reached over and grabbed Cailean’s shoulder, “What with being protected by a seasoned Winter Hunter such as this,” he laughed, reaching for another bottle of whiskey, popping its cork. He poured three glasses and put the bottle down to take one of them and hand it to Cailean, “Drink up, Winter Hunter,” he smiled.

  Cailean couldn’t help but smile back as he took the drink, and mirroring the ways of his teacher, took the shot in one gulp, “Got to keep the demons at bay,” he said shaking his head and planting his glass back down.

  The next morning, Cailean woke up and looked over to Gwen’s bed, it was empty. For a change, it was she who had gotten up before him. He stretched his arms and cracked his joints as Duncan entered, “Come young Winter Hunter, the little Sun-Kissed girl and I have prepared a gift for you,” he said.

  “Sir, you’ve already given me so much,” Cailean said.

  “Say nothing, Winter Hunter,” Duncan went behind the hovel, Cailean turned to Gwen and she gave him a smile.

  “I hope you like it,” she said, “I think it’s really going to fit you,” she held her shoulders high.

  “What is it?” Cailean turned and saw Duncan coming back to them with a great black cloak hanging off his shoulder, he reached for it and handed the mess of fur to him.

  “The fruits of your hunt, fitting wear for any Winter Hunter,” he said.

  Cailean took the cloak, ran his thumbs over the rough hair of the Ursaling he had killed days ago, he threw it over his shoulders and got comfortable in it. It fit him so well, Duncan’s expert tanning skill and Gwen’s fine hand with a needle had crafted him the wear of the Ursaling cloak that was already warming him in the cold of the winter air.

  “It’s amazing,” he smiled, sliding his hand up the warm fur, he brought it to his neck and felt the hood of the Ursaling’s face as he put it over his head, “Thank you,” He turned to Duncan.

  “Thank the little Sun kissed girl,” he said, “She did the stitching,” he gave Cailean, his student, the last once over he would ever need to give him, “You’re a hunter fitting the return of the Spring,” he said, resting his hand on Cailean’s shoulder, “I trust you won’t disappoint me,”

  “No, never,” Cailean said, taking a deep breath and exhaling a bellow of steam that seemed to float between the two hunters.

  “I’ve something else for you boy, something that can help you find the spring,” Duncan smiled, but it was a solemn smile, a smile that knew times needed to change and torches needed to be passed. He reached for his belt, unbuckled his sheath, and pulled his sword from his waist, offering the blade to Cailean.

  “No, no I can’t take that,” Cailean said.

  “This sword was beaten into shape by the Druids themselves, scripted with their ancient language, a weapon fitting for any hunter who sees his duty to find the spring, just as it was my duty so many years ago,” he held it to Cailean, “Take it, you’ll need it,” Duncan said.

  “What about you, you need a weapon,” Cailean said.

  “Springs coming soon” he looked to Gwen, “Could be the most amazing and longest spring we’ve seen for years,” he looked back to Cailean, “I’m an old man, the time for this sword to be of any use in my hands is long past, has been for a while,” Duncan nodded his head, “I’m just an old man who hopes he can see one more spring, and here the Goddesses have put the man who could bring it under my care, you’ll see more use for this blade then I would, Winter Hunter,”

  You don’t deserve it. Cailean hadn’t heard the voice in the back of his head for a while, he was too busy training, too busy protecting Gwendolyn. He shook the voice away, and with a trembling hand reached up to take it, he slipped its strap over his back. It was markedly longer than the standard hunter sword that hung on his belt. “You’re going to wake up one day, and it’s going to be warm again,” Cailean said, “You’re going to wake up and walk out to a light dew on the grass under your feet. You’re going to wake up, and have no concern that the monsters are coming, this I promise you, master,” Cailean held his hand out.

  “See to it, young Winter Hunter,” Duncan said, “Now you best be on your way, get the little Sun Kissed girl to the Druids, bring the spring back, for all of us, for everyone,” he said.

  Cailean reached to his neck and threw the face of the Ursaling coat back over his head, he turned to Gwen, “We have to go,” he said.

  “I know,” Gwen nodded, then turned to Duncan, “Thank you, for everything,” she said.

  “Thank me by bringing the spring back,” Duncan reached his hand up and brushed Gwen’s cheek, gently pushing her hair aside, “You know, I always thought you were his cutest daughter,” he smiled, “Go, go and fulfill your destiny,” he turned to Cailean, “Both of you,” he nodded, his eyes down, knowing that the young student he put so much work into training had a destiny with the Red Lady, a destiny to fulfill before he faced his inevitable death.