The Shining Wyrm

2.1

Jewel decided that she rather liked hunting after all.

It had sounded like it might be a very frustrating affair if you went by the way that Adventuring Knights or footmen complained about the dirt and the aches from horseback. Or how they all complained about the way the brush of the woodland tangled in cloaks.

However so far none of these problems were ones that dragons seemed to be concerned with.

She mused on these many qualities that did not matter for her while lightly skipping in slow undulating waves, her body trailing in sweeping arcs. Her head first, followed by her shoulders, and then the rest, each rising along in great rhythmic swells as they strolled through the woods.

Jewel kept herself aloft with little flexes of her mostly-furled wings and the occasional dainty kick off of the ground.

Following along atop trotting horses were Muriel, Alexander and four of the footmen supposedly most skilled in woodscraft and hunting.

While Jewel had stayed away from hunts (as it was mostly not considered proper for a lady like mother), Alex had been taken on a few hunts before.

Though it had not really been her brother doing the hunting; he’d not been allowed to actually shoot his bow.

But today that was changing.

Jewel was determined to be there for him on his special day. But it was honestly turning out far less of a chore then she had expected!

The churn of the many chewing things that lived all through the woods mingled with the scent of pained cry, panic and warning suffusing the woods and groves.

Filling her nostrils with the anguished cries of fresh spilled blood belonging to clover, beech, betula and hornbeam.

Her brother was riding Fetherfew, the calmest old mare in the family’s stable that had not gone to nag, while Muriel was comfortably seated on Halberdine, one of the youngest of the stallions that her family was training as chargers. In a few years if the training went well he might very well be her brother’s steed, at least according to the manuals she had read while waiting for him to catch up with his histories.

Although given his role as Father’s heir they might need to acquire a place at one of the rare Gryphon hatchings so he could fulfill his duties as a Gryphon lord and obtain a steed that way.

Jewel guessed those manuals and treatises had been written for the training of children for nobility who favored grounded cavalry.

But they had agreed that it was good and proper for the male offspring of nobility to train in the acts of hunting. Those same manuals are why Jewel had spent so long trying to learn embroidery, which was by far one of the most fiddly of activities she had ever attempted.

That is until she started doing it with her hind claws while lounging on her back so she could comfortably look at what she was doing without having to stare down at her own collarbone.

The horses the footmen rode were not from the manor’s stables and probably came from one of the pastures that kept a small herd for Father to select the best colts and fillies as a tithe to maintain the horsepower of the house. One of the better Stallions had even gone to the Countess for her stables as part of their Tithe.

Jewel was uncertain precisely how much of their demesne’s value could be measured in horse or what the cost was.

The Accounts and Ledgers of the barony were always locked up when Jewel and Alexander were using Father's study, so she had to assume from what books on stewardship and the care of beasts and fields said that this was less expensive than paying another lord to supply their stables with adequate steed.

The sun shone warm and strong down in great streaming light through the scattered pockets of open sky and for once, the smell of impending rain was not because Jewel was overly stressed.

The intermittent golden light and silver clouds set her Wyrmfire coursing with a delighted burbling brook kind of feeling that rushed in echoes through her muscles and bones, bouncing around against her scales like rambunctious pups kept too confined for too long.

The leaves over her sang with her in sleepy wet breaths and sighs as they drunk the light as surely as she did.

It was hard not to simply rush forward and upward into open flight over the woods but it would have not been proper.

They were to go hunting and a hunt meant to ride through the woods after the signs of game.

The hunter Kraok Axeson stalled to bring his horse apace with Muriel to speak.

“The Rabbits have been bountiful this last spring, Miss Governess. Should not be a trial at all to set up a still shot for the lad, if we dismount and step lightly before the meadow. If we miss the shot a few snares will ensure we don’t return empty handed regardless.”

Alexander huffed and waved to the kit he was burdened with in exasperation.

“If all we’re here for is rabbits why do we always bring everything else?!”

Jewel’s eye following the gesture to his Short Bow (he was neither big nor strong enough for a proper ridingbow), Spear and of course a knife and a short hafted wood ax.

All of it was perhaps a bit over sized for his still growing stature. But was everything Jewel had heard you wanted on a hunt.

If you weren’t a dragon.

Kraok shook his head and answered patiently.

“Only a fool only takes what he thinks he needs, young sir.”

Alexander looked around with a pout.

“Well why are we hunting something so common as rabbit, Miss Muriel! Why can’t we go after something proper and honorable! Like a good stag or a proper Wild Boar?!”

One of the footmen, Jewel thought maybe his name was Gimletson or something spoke with just enough jovial laughter to avoid being offensive to a lord’s son.

“Oh! It’s not the best season for stag, good Sir. And while we are carrying spears, that is more preparation just in case we come across any bear or perhaps something monstrous wandered far from a lair.”

Muriel spoke up over the building groan from her charge.

“Young Sir.”

Which quieted Alexander promptly, Jewel did not giggle at her older brother’s comeuppance; such would have been improper as a dutiful and supportive sister. But one was not supposed to present so improper a mein as he had been giving on this hunt.

“It is best to listen to those more experienced, and take their consul with consideration. As Lord you will need to weigh what your subjects bring to you and come to decisions even when you yourself are not as experienced as they. When you are older you will set the quarry of the hunt. But for today leave it to those yet wiser and more learned in the way of beasts.”

Mollified, Alexander nodded to the footman turned huntsman for the day and gave a still somewhat petulant tone to his ‘order’.

“Rabbits it is then.”

Jewel presumed they had been riding towards the aforementioned meadow and rabbits this whole time. Not even pausing for the ‘discussion’ and planning period.

It was quite a pleasant time all around in the woods. The horses were as quiet as can be managed, their saddles less intensive affairs than full war kit to avoid the louder tack.

Likewise was everyone armored lighter, the greater stealth appropriate for a hunt.

Muriel was armored the most in heavy leather over a gambeson. While Alexander and the footmen were in lighter leathers with less chance to creak when they moved. But the Governess was not kitted to partake in the hunt herself, only wearing a short sword as arms.

It required further smothering of giggles at the thought of their Governess taking down rabbits or even deer with a sword. She was pretty certain that Muriel could manage it, and even make it look skilled and graceful. But it was such a ludicrous image.

As for herself Jewel was confident in not needing to make much effort to be quiet, she left hardly a trace and her body barely disturbed the air or underbrush with its languid bobbing in smooth undulations. For fun, she made a game of only pressing off against the occasional moss covered stone or root so that not even the slightest tap of her claws would be heard.

All of it fairly superfluous given how such light a noise was drowned out by all the little creaks and squeaks which even the softest leather suitable for armor and riding gear produced.

Nothing egregious enough to disturb the birds in the branches amidst the trees that just barely failed to reach over their trail but still a disturbance other game were acting on.

Jewel could scent that hardly any beast which might possibly be the target of a hunt was coming within range of her nose, unless it was cowering in the muffling dirt of an earth dug burrow or the focused quality that came from a tree hollow.

She neither heard nor smelt recent deer save for spoor left good hours before their arrival.

But even if their quarry was simply rabbits it was all around quite a pleasant diversion.

This was shaping up to be a wonderful cool summer day.

Perhaps there would be a bit of rain later in the evening, but if everything was finished by noon they could be home well before then.

And what's more, for all the lackluster and ad hoc nature of the feast set for the Wizard’s arrival three days ago, today’s homecoming was planned well in advance to have some pageantry to celebrate the success of the Lord’s heir on his first personal hunt.

Not as much as when they would join with a few neighbors for a grand hunt alongside Father come mid summer.

But a local affair for the family and subjects all the same.

Jewel looked forward to seeing her brother triumph and the party afterwards to commemorate Alexander’s first hunt where he was expected to actually contribute something to the effort.

He was quite good with that bow so mere rabbits should serve no trouble for him.