[Quetsul] Return
Heat shimmered on red Durotar rocks, turning valleys into lakes and rivers. Past the mirage, the watershed glittered in the late afternoon light, and the river beyond shone almost too bright to look at.
Quet stood, wiping sweat from her brow, and looked around.
This snare had been empty, as had the one before, and she was beginning to worry. With much of the raptors’ breeding grounds flooded, there had been fewer eggs to find this year, and she’d been forced to set traps instead of hunting for nests. This late in the summer, most of the young raptors were old enough to fend for themselves, and the tight-knit packs the hatchlings formed were beginning to roam further afield in search of larger prey. If she waited much longer, there would be little chance of her catching anything trainable until next spring at the earliest.
She sighed, shrugging to herself. What else could she do but try? There were still eight more traps to check before nightfall, and Ayo was eager to be off. He snapped at the reins, snorting and butting her with his nose as she swung herself up into the saddle. No reason to waste more time here. They moved off across the sand and stone, blue fur and grey scales a cool shadow against the fiery, sunlit desert.
The third and fifth traps were empty. The fourth held the remains of a raptor corpse- it looked as if a crocolisk had gotten there first. She sighed and made a mental note to set the traps further away from the river next time. The sixth and seventh traps had been neatly disabled and the bait was nowhere to be seen.
The eight trap was up on a rocky hillside, hidden from sight by a pile of tumbled boulders, and she heard the sounds long before she saw what she had caught. Ayo jerked his head up, then took off, long legs stretching out across scattered stone, thick talons digging into gravel and earth. Quet just held on. They were partners, she and Ayo- she’d raised the Drakkari raptor from the egg- and she knew when to sit back and let him take the lead.
There was a flash of red behind the boulder, but it vanished back into the growing shadows just as another long, ululating cry echoed down from the rocks. Ayo didn’t stop; Quet checked the ropes and spare harness hung from the saddle. She couldn’t hide a small smile, the corners of her mouth turning up around her tusks. She knew that sound, and though by the look of things she’d captured something larger than intended, it was a raptor for certain. Finally some luck!
It was fortunate that she’d thought to tie the trap to one of the boulders rather than a stake in the ground. The raptor was indeed larger than she’d been trying for, and he hissed at her and Ayo as they halted halfway up the hill. He appeared nearly full grown, with a few feathers and bones already adorning his wrists and ankles, and she guessed that this was his second summer. He hissed again as she approached, almost drowning out the quiet crunch of bare feet on dry dirt and rubble, then puffed out his chest and lifted his head, mouth wide and teeth glinting as he let out a deep, rumbling bellow.
“Ah, stoppit, you.”
To her surprise, he did, narrowing his eyes and turning his head to look at her. There was a softer hiss, and the raptor’s tongue flickered out briefly to catch her scent. He seemed confused, she thought, as much as a raptor ever could be, and to be perfectly honest, that same confusion was tugging at her chest, curling its fingers round her heart. There was…
She shook her head, clearing her thoughts. No time for thinking now- action was required. Reaching into the pouch at her side she drew out two thick strips of jerky and tossed them on the ground in front of the raptor. He snuffled at the meat, eyes still fixed on her, then snapped up both pieces. He was asleep within seconds, flopping over onto his side like a hatchling.
The drugged meat wouldn’t last long. Beckoning Ayo closer, she took down the extra harness and set to work.
Quet stood, wiping sweat from her brow, and looked around.
This snare had been empty, as had the one before, and she was beginning to worry. With much of the raptors’ breeding grounds flooded, there had been fewer eggs to find this year, and she’d been forced to set traps instead of hunting for nests. This late in the summer, most of the young raptors were old enough to fend for themselves, and the tight-knit packs the hatchlings formed were beginning to roam further afield in search of larger prey. If she waited much longer, there would be little chance of her catching anything trainable until next spring at the earliest.
She sighed, shrugging to herself. What else could she do but try? There were still eight more traps to check before nightfall, and Ayo was eager to be off. He snapped at the reins, snorting and butting her with his nose as she swung herself up into the saddle. No reason to waste more time here. They moved off across the sand and stone, blue fur and grey scales a cool shadow against the fiery, sunlit desert.
The third and fifth traps were empty. The fourth held the remains of a raptor corpse- it looked as if a crocolisk had gotten there first. She sighed and made a mental note to set the traps further away from the river next time. The sixth and seventh traps had been neatly disabled and the bait was nowhere to be seen.
The eight trap was up on a rocky hillside, hidden from sight by a pile of tumbled boulders, and she heard the sounds long before she saw what she had caught. Ayo jerked his head up, then took off, long legs stretching out across scattered stone, thick talons digging into gravel and earth. Quet just held on. They were partners, she and Ayo- she’d raised the Drakkari raptor from the egg- and she knew when to sit back and let him take the lead.
There was a flash of red behind the boulder, but it vanished back into the growing shadows just as another long, ululating cry echoed down from the rocks. Ayo didn’t stop; Quet checked the ropes and spare harness hung from the saddle. She couldn’t hide a small smile, the corners of her mouth turning up around her tusks. She knew that sound, and though by the look of things she’d captured something larger than intended, it was a raptor for certain. Finally some luck!
It was fortunate that she’d thought to tie the trap to one of the boulders rather than a stake in the ground. The raptor was indeed larger than she’d been trying for, and he hissed at her and Ayo as they halted halfway up the hill. He appeared nearly full grown, with a few feathers and bones already adorning his wrists and ankles, and she guessed that this was his second summer. He hissed again as she approached, almost drowning out the quiet crunch of bare feet on dry dirt and rubble, then puffed out his chest and lifted his head, mouth wide and teeth glinting as he let out a deep, rumbling bellow.
“Ah, stoppit, you.”
To her surprise, he did, narrowing his eyes and turning his head to look at her. There was a softer hiss, and the raptor’s tongue flickered out briefly to catch her scent. He seemed confused, she thought, as much as a raptor ever could be, and to be perfectly honest, that same confusion was tugging at her chest, curling its fingers round her heart. There was…
She shook her head, clearing her thoughts. No time for thinking now- action was required. Reaching into the pouch at her side she drew out two thick strips of jerky and tossed them on the ground in front of the raptor. He snuffled at the meat, eyes still fixed on her, then snapped up both pieces. He was asleep within seconds, flopping over onto his side like a hatchling.
The drugged meat wouldn’t last long. Beckoning Ayo closer, she took down the extra harness and set to work.