---

A dramatic tumble, and hooves pounding the earth with fierce rhythm as they fled -- such was the lasting impression left by the failed hunt of the young man with the black-tipped ears.

He had been so clumsy, the poor soul -- a mere boy, inexperienced and green, yet so swollen with pride that he had believed himself capable of bringing down a great antlered male alone.

AAARRGH! Just my luck! he had muttered, his voice still edged with the sharpness of youth, echoing faintly among the unnaturally crumbling and half-buried remnants of a civilization -- perhaps more advanced, or simply more deft of hand.

Tsshh. With a heavy sigh, he dropped his weight to the ground, shifting to one side to scratch the base of his ear while casting a watchful eye around. After the thunder of the elk and his harem had faded, only a deathly silence lingered beneath the canopy.

Scents still drifted in and out on the air, yet none stirred the young man’s interest -- not yet.

Only he remained now, alone with the sting of his failure, which he had no choice but to swallow. The will to hunt had left him for the day, even as his stomach growled and buzzed with insistent hunger.