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Royal
Sorry it took so long
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Caius Thomas had been on this island for as long as he could remember. He had been born here and felt no need to leave the haven. Although he had inhabited the island for more than 17 years, and knew it inside and out, he still never got used to all the tourists that came and went. They were always so loud and rather annoying; mainly becuase they scared off all the game he hunted and depended on for a hunger-free life.
The male's soft steps reached a clearing between the giant trees and his brown gaze shifted smoothly to the creek bubbling noisily nearby. A wry grin tilted the corner of Caius's mouth, an unusual showing, as he spotted a small buck drinking, unaware of the skilled hundred, from the crystal clear water. Drawing a slender arrow from the quiver resting on his sweating back, Caius notched it to his large recurve bow. It was a simple thing, dark brown, very slender, and slightly worn down, but it worked just fine, nevertheless.
Caius pulled the worn string silently back and, a moment later, let it fly. Before the buck knew what had happened, it had collapsed with a snort of pain, the arrow striking it right in the heart. To his benefit, Caius had much practice hunting before this day, as he did it as often as need be. Hunting and surviving had now become second nature.
He jogged quickly over to the creature and knelt down beside. His arrow had done the job. The buck was dead, and had suffered little pain before passing. He rested his hand on the still warm flank and his gaze rested on the antlers. By the size of them, the thing must have been rather young.
Caius slid out the arrow and, after cleaning it in the water of the creek, returned it to his quiver. He then studied the buck, realized it was small enough to carry, and picked it up, carrying it sheep-style toward the edge of the river. He sat down beneath a willow tree and deposited the animal beside him. He would clean it in a moment, first, he wanted to see if anyone was around. Technically, the animals here's were off limits for killing for the tourists, but he didn't follow the rule becuase, after all, -he- wasn't a tourist. But, Caius was pretty sure the tour guide and tourists wouldn't be too happy if they discovered him with fresh game.
The Experiment {All Welcome}
