Ce`Aesta lastiva: Chapter Three.

The melancholy leaves swept down like flights of birds, swooping and rushing, diving and swirling. The last mediocre rays of autumn light blazed through the falling colors and bare wooden bones. The wind sprinted through, rending warmth and stealing breath. The normal grey colors of the forest floor were losing their battle against the explosive sunset shades of the leaves that were accumulating. The fresh, invigorating scent of fall filled the air. Fresh after an autumn rain, the decay of leaves, the wisps of smoke that drifted from a fire miles away, it all blended together amidst the trees and leaves, filling minds with visions of beautiful death. 1

Aiden didn’t merely walk through the forest. He couldn’t have brought himself to simply pass through such a spectacle. He lingered, awed by the impossible, marvelous, indescribable wonder of it all. He drifted from spot to spot, closed his eyes to savor the sound of colliding leaves, the feel of them brushing against his face. He stood stock still and watched, entranced by the dancing, pirouetting, flitting flashes of bright color amidst the grey-brown deadness of trunk and limb.2

The Nexus had four seasons:3

The Risa, or Birth season. Spring.4

The Sullen, or Growing season. Summer.5

The Faiden, or Dying season. Fall.6

The Suyo, or Sleeping season. Winter.7

Each season lasted around 7 years. 8

It was Aiden’s First Faiden. And he was wholly and totally enthralled by the beauty of it. For seven years, this period of fading would sweep across the lands of Nexus, changing the bright, boisterous shades of Sullen to the somber, suppressed, and coolly beautiful shades of death. 9

And so it was that Aiden found himself in the forest, stalking amidst the tapestry of autumnal elegance with a hunting bow and a quiver of his finest hunting arrows, seeking the necessities of any Season’s Feast: food. He was in search of rabbit and squirrel, stag and bear, boar and bird alike.10

The excitement coursed through his veins, sending thrills of nervous energy about his body. His hands quivered with contained anticipation. It was his first time as a Gatherer, the first time such responsibility had tried him. At 19 years of age, the last Season’s feast had found him too young for any such task. But this time he was considered to be worthy. And so he attended the lottery with all the other men of the village, drawing for select portions of hunting area. Much to everyone’s surprise, he had drawn the prime selection, a heavily wooded portion that was subdivided by a series of streams and creeks. It was known locally as the Deaos Terras. The god’s land. 11

And so Aiden stalked, creeping through the falling leaves and loam, a carefully sharpened broadhead arrow nocked and ready to go. he crept through the forest like a thief in the night, silent and swift, a glimpse of movement, the faintest rustle, and then nothing. His feet, wrapped in soft leathers and fur, made nary a sound amidst the forest. He was constantly mindful of the bow, keeping the limbs as vertical as possible, aware of every branch that might strike the lacquered wood, conscious of the calamity that such noise would invite. Thus he moved, a shadow amidst the trees, a promise of swift and noble death for the game he sought.12

He crept in from the south, weaving through the trees, until he reached the Deaos Terras. Tradition dictated that he stay in the forest until he claimed a kill a hunter could be proud of. For most, this meant a Stag. For some, A mighty Boar. For even Fewer, the fearsome brindle bear. 13

Not for Aiden. Not for the son of the Huntmaster. Only one quarry, he decided, was worthy to hunt. And so he sought that day the most difficult quarry in the forest.
He sought the Oaken Fox. Renowned for its’ remarkable mottled, wood toned coat, and its’ vast intelligence, it was game fit for a king. Or a huntmaster. So Aiden determined that it was an Oaken Fox he would claim.14

A magnificent stag paused to watch him pass, posed broadside, tempting fate and begging death. 15

But still Aiden stalked.16

A colossal boar tramped by, unaware of the potential death that threatened it from mere feet away.17

But still Aiden stalked.18

Even a Brindle Bear slept peacefully, unaware of the passage the wary hunter some mere yards away.19

But still he stalked. 20

No mere common game would fit his purpose, no simple shoot and kill hunt would meet his requirements. Instead, he and the fox danced the magnificent dance. Parrying and moving, dashing and hiding, fleeing and chasing. For every move, a counter. For every plan, an opposing one.21

They bent their intellects against one another, to see who was the better. Who was wiser? Who was faster? Who was wiliest? 22

And so they danced.23