Chapter
35
The
Prey and Her Hunter
Our consciousness, a startling outgrowth of the
universe, is possibly its most important part, the fraction of existence that
can think, feel, marvel at itself – Alan Moore
We may also conceive of the evolution of
humanity as a vast army, toiling slowly along its line of march in a great
column; and, scouting far ahead of the main body, solitary outriders,
swift-mounted, light-armed and without baggage, exploring the way for the rest;
spiritual guerrillas, whom Paul referred to as those born out of due season.
From time to time we shall see some swift-footed soul draw ahead of the great
army of mankind and push on alone into the wilderness. For a period his path is
solitary, but presently he catches up with the far-flung line of the scouts,
and if able to give the password that proves him to be of their body, is given
his place in the ranks of that adventurous company, a boundary-rider of
evolution, alone on patrol, yet not out of touch with his comrades, for there
are signaling-points along the line, and at certain seasons all gather in to
the council. – Dion Fortune
Regenulfa, despite her relative comfort and
her abundant friends among the animals of the forest, could hardly wait for her
visits from Ugar. His warm smile that
spread across his face when he laid his eyes upon her made her heart glow from
within. There was just something about
him that changed the very way she looked at the world. It was always worse of course on the days he
was to come “hunting.” She found herself
inexplicably anxious on those days, until she heard his feet intentionally
dragging dried leaves so she would know it was him. And there it was that familiar rustle in the
undergrowth. No experienced hunter would
do such a thing, no beast of the woods would gave their location away so
easily. No, it was him, her Ugar.
She settled her nervousness down a bit and
seated herself upon the fallen tree she had selected for their rendezvous. A titmouse alighted upon her shoulder and
chirped the rumor of her hunter’s approach.
She thanked the small bird, gently stroked his feathers, and he took off
with joy. The rustle of leaves was quite
loud now, she was wondering if her friend wasn’t overdoing things just a tad.
Then her eyes fell on him, and his upon her. The both smiled in unison at the
recognition. Her hunter had come for his
prize. Of course, he never actually
snagged any game anymore … the beasts of the woods had become his friends
too. Occasionally, he had told her, he
would shoot a rabbit in one of the local gardens or fields, or some deer
nipping at his uncle’s lettuce, just so his hunter incompetence would not
arouse suspicions in his family. All of
Regenulfa’s woodland friends knew better than to feast on the easy takings of
human cultivation, so there was no conflict.
She continually warned them of the danger, for if it were not Ugar, some
other less friendly human would not think twice if her friends were found in
the vicinity of their farms. People had
to eat too, she advised them. And if the
animals were going to eat people food, it left people no choice but to eat
animals. Few humans had the skill to
survive in the wild woods like the princess of the forest did, and her friends
understood this and obeyed.
Somehow Ugar’s smile just got wider and
wider as he approached. Regenulfa patted
the spot on the fallen tree next to her.
Her hunter dropped his bow and quiver, sat down, leaned over, and the
two kissed long and deeply. Birds sang
over head. Regenufla knew they were
gossiping at the lovers’ expense, but she did not care. The prey had snagged her hunter.
copyright 2017 Diana Hignutt
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