To Carry the Horn

Chapter 17-3

“Thank you, huntsman. I’m very honored.” He was pleased to see that she hadn’t expected this.

He then walked over to Angharad. “I wouldn’t presume to guess how many years you’ve hunted but today you are first in the field, for my first deer hunt, and I wish to honor you for it.” He bowed and gave her the trophy.

She said, amused, “First in the field, and the entire field indeed.” George could see that she appreciated the gesture nonetheless as she reached down and accepted it.

George mounted up and turned back to the west to hit the road and the river, calling “Pack up” to the hounds. They fell into place in front of him, and the whippers-in spread out to either side. Angharad turned to follow as they passed.

As they pulled out, George thought, this wasn’t so different from foxhunting. The strangest part was the enhanced senses with both hounds and quarry. He was sorry he hadn’t thought to see how the sheep felt about the whole affair, and chuckled privately.

The paths leading to the road were clear enough, and they reached the river soon. The hounds splashed in and drank their fill, and the riders let the horses drink. George and Rhys dismounted to do some cleaning up. Rhys scooped some water onto his horse’s hindquarters to wash off the blood slowly draining from the carcass, and wiped the dampened area down with some pulled grasses.

Eventually they reached Two Pines from the north, on the road. George called up to Owen, where he sat dismounted with his men, killing time with some dice.

As they passed by, Owen and his men mounted and swung into place, wedging themselves between George and Angharad, so that she had to rein in to let them by. George could see the deliberate rudeness behind him but let it pass for now. He was working on the rest of his plan to evict them altogether in two days.

Humiliation, he thought, that was the key. Public laughter would be best.