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Katarina's long legs and feet made no audible sound as they carried her swiftly through the inky night. She darted from shadow to shadow, between the tall oaks. Her long locks flowed behind her in a silvery cascade as the wind rushed past her face and her eyes, which matched her hair and glowed like two moonlit orbs, stalked her prey. She soon came upon her prize. The buck had stopped for a drink at the stream and was now within range, so she quickly drew an arrow, notching it into the oak longbow she was already holding, and took aim. There was a gentle rustle of leaves up the stream and as the buck looked up, Kat let fly her arrow. He made a cry of pain, took but a single step, and fell over. She rushed to her kill and though he made no attempt to attack her, she found him yet alive. Knowing that the arrow must have missed his heart, she dropped to her knees and, pulling out a long hunting knife, quickly ran it through, ending the poor beasts suffering. Kat dipped the tips of her fingers into the blood and then brushed it over her chest in two lines, though it was hardly noticable on her dark skin.

She set about removing her arrow, laying out a long leather roll and getting out a leather bag, which she set aside. She unrolled the leather and easily lifted the creature and placed it upon it. Using her knife, she bagan to gut the deer, placing the heart and liver in the bag and making sure it was tied securely. Her hands moved on their own, already knowing what to do, and she was done within a few minutes. She cleaned her tools and hands in the stream, making sure to dry them well and placed the well sealed bag of organs back into her pack. Then she tied the deer up in the leather mat and once it was secure, hoisted it up with ease, onto her shoulders. Turning east, she began the trek home.

Though the buck was young, he was hearty and weighed a fair amount. To most, it would have been a difficult chore to carry such a load for the few miles Katarina had to go to return home. However, to an elf such as herself, it was done with relative ease. Among the elves, she was considered tall, standing at nearly six feet, and this, coupled with her strength and speed, only aided in her task. While her talent was speed and not strength, this particular burden required little effort, even for her. Her keen eyes moved constantly and her long, pointed ears were alrt for any signs of danger. While her people did not have true night-vision, they were far more keen than that of the humans, and they could see nearly everything, so long as there was some source of light. There was an abundance of moonlight this night, thoug she hardly needed it. Her body knew exactly where it was going without having to see the path ahead.

Katarina had hunted in these woods hundreds of times before and she knew it as well as the inside of her own home. She was easily the best hunter among her people and usually lead the other in the Hunt, a celebration where they would chase down the largest boars after the breeding season. It wasn't just as celebration, but a necessity. If the older pigs weren't killed every year, their population would get out of control and they could do serious damage to balance in the forest. No matter how many kills they made though, they always used every bit that they could. Tusks and antlers were usually used to make jewelery, while hides were used for more practicle things such as clothing. In fact, her current attire was made mostly of deer hide. Her tunic, which reached the tops of her knees and was belted at her waist, was a soft and supple tan colored pelt. Her britches were of the same material, only slightly darker and tucked into her knee high leather boots, which were made from the rare black elk that only visited these woods once every few years. Her pack was made of a thick, heavy boar hide. It wasn't fancy, it was practicle, just the way she liked it.

She could soon see the twinkling lights of her village and redoubled her efforts. She passed the first building, coming into what they considered to be the town center. In the middle of the open space was a large well, which she passed as she made for her own house. It was yet early enough in the evening that her family would be awake and she could see the strong light of a fire blazing from within the house, smoking rolling from the chimmney. She adjusted the weight on her shoulders slightly and placed her hand on the door, pushing it open.

It was a modest sized cabin, made from the strong oak that was abundant in this area, with a stone fireplace across the room. A large pot was in the burning fire and the heavenly smell of stew wafted from its direction, while Elanor, Katarina's mother, tended to it. She was a small, petite woman and it was amazing that she could have ever birthed her and the two boys sitting at the table before her. Her two brothers, Aranel and Rowan seemed to be enjoying themselves immensly, laughing at some joke that their father, Celedorn, must have just finished telling. They all stopped what they were doing, looking in her direction, as she entered.

Aranel, the oldest of the three siblings, jumped up immeadeatly, taking her pack and kill from her. His large muscles rippled beneath his shirt as he easily held it over the one shoulder. He stood a good deal taller than her, but had hair and eyes to match her own. He hugged her with his free arm, "Tis good to see you home and safe sister! Your family was very worried that we might lose you to the night!" He let her go and moved to the back of the room, where there was a second door that lead to another room, one which they used mainly for tending to their kills.

Rowan, the youngest of the family, simply smiled and laughed. Though he could laugh well enough, he had lost the ability to speak when he had somehow gotten a strange infectino on his tongue. They had been forced to cut most of it off when he nearly suffocated from the swelling and fear that it would spread. He was the same height as Katarina, though there was still time for him to grow, as he had not hit his full maturity yet. His hair was silver, as was their entire families, but his eyes were the same violet as their mothers. Though he could not speak, he was her closest friend and they spent most of their time together. Now, he stood and made his way around the table to embrace his sister and flashed her his amazing smile. That very smile had gotten him into quitea bit of trouble with the local girls, or rather, their fathers.

Katarina returned the hug and smile and followed him to the table, taking a seat next to her father, who congratulated her on her hunt. He was a large man, like Aranel and it was from him that Katarina and her eldest brother got their eyes. He was extremely tall and it was most amusing to see the husband and wife stand next to one another. He was the butcher of the village and it was from him that Kat had learned her hunting skills. Elenor placed a bowl of hot vegetable soup in front of the three of them as well as one for Aranel, along with a fresh loaf of honeyed bread and butter. She also filled their mugs with a hot mulled cider. She kissed her daughter on the forehead, welcoming her home and helped herself to bowl, joinging them.

At that moment, Aranel entered the room and quickly washed his bloody hands in the water basin. Rejoining them, he happily tore off a piece of bread for himself and passed it along. "I've got the buck bleeding out, you can cut it tomorrow father. It's a very nice hide. I'm sure the tanner could get a good price for it." He dipped his bread into his helping of stew and began eating.

Celedorn shook his head, heartily eating his own food "I'm going to have it made into a blanket for Seraa's new baby if it's good enough."

They all nodded in understanding. The villagers usually worked together in helping to provide for everyone. They made no profit off of the meat they shared, and it was likewise with the tanner, weavers and farmers. They cared for their own, that was simply the way it was. Whatever extra meat they might have was sold at market, but not until everyone in the village was given an equal share. While none of them were rich, they were healthy and happy. The family ate their meal, mostly in silence, eaching leaving the table and saying their goodnights as they finished and going to their respective rooms.

Aranel and Rowan shared a room, but Katarina was lucky enough to have her own and she was glad to change into her cotton night clothes after her day long hunt. It had taken her a longer than she would have liked but she was happy she had not had to spend the night in the forest. Her bed, stuffed with fresh straw, crackled softly beneath her but she was soon fast asleep, her exhaustion finally taking over.