Rise Together (Part 1)

Hunt

Alrienne Unfyr pulled her hood further over wavy golden locks, attempting to hide her face. She not only had to hide her identity as Alrienne, but as a woman. She couldn’t let people notice her feminine features.

Alrienne reached down, gently patting her mount, the family’s bay chestnut, Umber. He snorted in response and she tried to calm him with a few quiet, soothing words. She was as worried about him being spotted as herself, though she didn’t think anyone would recognize him. Umber was rarely ridden, his main purpose a cart or plow horse, and he was usually covered in a layer of dust from the fields. Today, his coat absolutely shone, she’d cleaned him well that morning and braided his mane and tail before leaving. She’d had to get up earlier than the sun to finish her chores, get Umber ready, and get to the starting area before her family woke.

Her sister knew she intended to be at the hunt, if Evina had told anyone else, they would be keeping an eye out for her. She just had to avoid attention until the horn blew, signifying the start. Once it started, no one left the audience tents.

It wasn’t right that her family hadn’t been able to participate in the hunt since her father had been injured a decade ago. It not only brought prestige to their name, but meat to their table. It was a burden shared by the village, to stock up for winter. The meat that wasn’t served in the following feast, was turned into jerky and salted for the lengthy frozen months. She was tired of them being beggars just because her family only had two girls. The brisk autumn air carried her breath away in a curling fog.

Her father was no doubt ashamed of being unable to attend the hunt due to his injured arm, but would never allow her to attend as a participant. No one in the village would. Alrienne stole a glance around the few gathered tents, set up to see the hunters off and watch the winners return with their kills. There weren’t any rules set in stone about the hunt, but it was tradition to only have male participants. Somehow, though, her being female didn’t disqualify her from plowing the fields, bringing in the harvest, or butchering the family hogs. Perhaps her presence would help turn the tide of popular opinion. If ever just the slightest.

The village chief took his place in front of the line of horses and Alrienne ducked her head slightly. She probably stood out, with all the boys in the haphazard line sitting straight with chests stuck out in pride, the autumn sun bouncing off their varied hair colors. The hunt was a family honor, but it was more than that to Alrienne, she was tired of her family having to beg for scraps during lean months, as if having girls was something to be sneered at.

The chief gave his usual speech, talking about the glory of the hunt, the need of the village, and the pride of the hunters’ families. The men beside Alrienne were roused with bravery and she adjusted the archery glove on her hand. Just let me get a deer, she thought. Enough of an animal to not be looked down on. If she came back with naught but a couple squirrels, she was certain to be mocked and scorned.

As everyone got ready for the tribe’s druid to blow the horn, Alrienne again thought about her younger sister; Evina was so sweet she didn’t complain, but the hard labor was taking a toll on her. She’d never had an issue with the dresses and the expectations of womanhood, at least not yet. Evina was only thirteen though, things could change.

The sound of the hunting horn interrupted Alrienne’s thoughts and she spurred Umber forward. Wind caught her as the horse bolted ahead, pushing her hood backwards.

“Alrienne!” it was her father’s voice, but she left the sound behind as she urged Umber into the forest. There were sure to be whispers about her back at the tents, but she could leave them all as she breathed in the crisp air. She knew and loved these woods and autumn brought multicolored beauty to them. Alrienne made sure to put some distance between her and the other competitors before dismounting. Tying the reins together, she left Umber, knowing he wouldn’t wander far and would come at her call.

Alrienne skipped across the creek, knowing not many others would join her down here. Big game typically stayed higher up the ridge, but deer came down to the creek during the day to drink. Alrienne followed the stream on light feet. The path she knew she’d find was overrun with leaves, where the deer had trampled the grass and climbed into the trees higher on the ridge.

A good hour passed before a deer came into Alrienne’s sights. Inhaling a sharp breath, she pulled her bow back. She’d recently increased the tautness; the farm work had noticeably increased her strength. It made her shots stronger and more accurate so she wasn’t about to complain.

Alrienne took her time aiming and as she was about to release, heard a rustling in the nearby bushes. Hesitating, she saw a flash of dark brown fur before a large bear bolted toward the deer.  Alrienne’s fingers trembled slightly as the bear attacked the deer and she shifted her aim toward the bear’s neck. The moments ticked by, each second suspended like a minute before she got a clean shot, releasing with an exhale of breath.

The arrow didn’t save the deer. It was too wounded and lay bleating in pain, but the projectile did finish off the bear. Notching another arrow, Alrienne put the deer out of its misery. She waited, ensuring there was no movement from either creature before climbing down and calling for Umber. She held her whistle to her lips and blew, calling for a trailer to haul off her kill.

While she waited, Alrienne tied a ribbon to each arrow, noting the kills were hers. The kill carts were too high up and she had to blow two more times before one heard her and came to collect. They had some difficulty getting through the small forest path, but between the three of them, and with a bit of help from Umber and some ropes, they got the kills loaded up.

The man leading the cart stared at Alrienne for a while, quietly contemplating. She’d seen both of these men in the village, though they were neither friends nor enemies with her family.

The man’s partner spit in the dirt before saying, “I was thinking the same thing, Erik. Remove the ribbon, no one needs to know.”

It felt like someone had punched Alrienne in the gut. They were right, they had all the control. If they removed her tags, she wouldn’t be able to prove they were hers if they simply denied it.

“Why?” the older man, Erik, gruffed out.

The younger man looked at him with a scowl, “What do you mean why? Can you not see plain as day it’s a woman? Not even, a girl.”

“She killed it, didn’t she?” Erik said. “If she’s no big deal because she’s a girl, is she worth impugning your honor for? My word means more than that. I’m surprised at you.” He rubbed a hand across the scruff of his beard, “I didn’t think women would intimidate you.”

The younger man’s scowl deepened as a reddish hue emerged on his cheeks. Uttering profanities under his breath, he helped steer the cart back toward the line.

Alrienne pondered walking behind them to ensure they didn’t remove the ribbons from her arrows, but decided to trust the man named Erik. Hopefully, he meant what he’d said. She didn’t want to offend him and cause the very thing she feared. Instead, she turned Umber a little to the side and headed toward camp in a roundabout way. There were still hours left of the hunt but the mental image of the bear kept running through Alrienne’s mind. The creature was huge, surely enough to bring pride to her family. If she did much more than that and the doe, she was likely to cause undue commotion and draw unnecessary attention.

Alrienne wanted to make a statement, but didn’t need to rub it in the men’s faces. That’d only create hostility, which certainly wasn’t her goal.

What Alrienne didn’t calculate for, was the scene that awaited when she meandered back into camp.

~ G.G. Marshall

Enjoying the story? Read more!

Part 2 (Available: Thurs 4/17/25): https://www.ggmarshall.com/post/rise-together-part-2

Part 3 (Available: Thurs 5/15/25):  https://www.ggmarshall.com/post/rise-together-part-3

Part 4 (Available: Thurs 6/19/25):  https://www.ggmarshall.com/post/rise-together-part-4

Want to learn more about the creatures in the story?

Valkyrie:  https://www.ggmarshall.com/post/valkyrie-profile

Spirit Animals:  https://www.ggmarshall.com/post/spirit-animal-profile