While not canon to my By My Soul trilogy, this takes place during Hunter.
The air on Earth was a profane thing. Its purity was overshadowed by a sickly scent that permeated every inch of this reality. Yet, somehow, there was still a wildness in the rare bits of forests that one could find. Such as in a lush wilderness outside of New York City.
A wilderness that was currently draped in snow. Due to the cold there was hardly a dryskin in sight which meant I could track the deer in relative peace.
I stopped suddenly when the deer's scent invaded my nose and I had to resist salivating. I conjured a bow and full quiver in anticipation. This hunt was not about me or my desires. This hunt, instead, was about giving Alex Casey a very special Christmas. He deserved a fresh killed deer to feast on.
Especially as he had been busy all this week when he should haven been celebrating. Something I had learned with all the advertisements and talks from people who frequented my hot dog stand.
If only both of us were back in Skyrim. We could have hunted together and he could experience Saturalia. These bouts of missing my uxith came and went like a powerful storm. At least I only had a few more years of this pain.
I saw a very familiar blur out of the corner of my eye. It was the movement of a deer.
Nothing else mattered now except the hunt. I was only an instrument of death in this moment.
It took hardly any thought to notch an arrow and take aim. My bow had become a part of me and it was as if destiny had taken control of my body. The arrow took flight and pierced the deer in the perfect place. It yelled once and then fell down never to get up again.
Before I could relish in my kill, I heard the clumsy footsteps of two dryskins. I quickly dispelled my Conjured Bow and cast Invisibility on myself. These people had no knowledge of magic and so wouldn't be on the lookout for any signs.
The man and woman were almost religious in their inspection of the deer. Or did they expect the deer to just come back to life? If I had been feeling cruel and didn't plan to prepare it for Alex, I could have temporarily resurrected the deer.
Things on Earth forced me to reconsider my old ideals. A good hunter needed to make sure there was always enough prey and so it was a good practice to only hunt when hungry. But the lengths these dryskins took to protect wildlife were more extreme than I was used to.
In Skyrim poaching was an illegal practice which forced hunters to practice their art in secret. But most of the time the various Jarls didn't care enough to enforce any laws meant to punish those who poached.
I continued to watch as the two dryskins examined the deer's corpse. They found where my arrow had pierced flesh but couldn't find any evidence due to it having disappeared. I grinned and had to force myself to hold back a chuckle.
"Where's the arrow?" One dryskin asked and scanned the forest as if he had any hope of seeing me.
"No clue." The woman said with a loud sigh. "Should we report this? I know there's no evidence of poaching but...this is suspicious. And what if this is just the start? What if someone hunts so much that there aren't anymore deer here?"
"And miss another Christmas because of paperwork? My wife will kill me if I ruin her favorite time of the year again. There is no one around and no sign of an arrow. There wouldn't be anything we could do anyways."
The dryskins left soon after. I waited a few minutes to make sure that they wouldn't suddenly decide to turn around. Sometimes people did unexpected things and I had to prepare for all the illogical paths they could take. The woman truly cared and might turn around against her partner's wishes.
But they both continued to walk away until they were out of my sight.
As I made my way to the deer, I scoffed at the worries of the dryskins. No true hunter would ever hunt prey to extinction. I only ate when needed and used every piece of my kills.
The only thing on my mind was the need to carefully prepare my kill for travel. But since two dryskins had come this way, more might come which would hasten my preparations. I would not risk a poor meal for my husband.
I bent down and placed the deer over my shoulders. Once I was assured it wasn't about to fall off, I began to walk somewhere that I wouldn't be bothered.
***
The deer had a lot of good meat and I planned to use any I couldn't for this feast in the coming weeks. For now the chunk I was placing in the oven would be enough. Soon the delightful smells would begin to make this...apartment feel like home.
I grinned as I heard the sounds of Alex Casey turning his key to unlock the door. By the time he entered the apartment the smell of venison would be visible even to him. As he walked into the kitchen I could tell that work had taken its took its toll. Even on a good day a man like him seeing such evil would feel his soul being torn apart.
"Work that bad today?" I asked.
"Yes." Alex grunted. "You wouldn't believe wh-"
My grin widened as he finally noticed the smell from the oven.
"It's venison." I said proudly.
"Where did you buy it?" Alex asked confused. "It couldn't have been cheap."
"Why would I have bought it when there are perfectly good deer in the wild?"
Alex had been annoyed when he had entered the apartment and that emotion had been gone from his face when the scent of venison had entered his nose. But now he looked more annoyed than before. The most hurtful part was that his anger was directed at me.
"My love," I said as if talking with an annoyed dragon. "I merely wished to make this holiday special. Aren't the dryskins here supposed to make Christmas a special time of year for their loved ones? It is ours to consider a fresh kill to be the most precious thing I can give to you."
I waved a claw to indicate all the decorations I had put up. There was even a tree with handmade ornaments on it in a corner with a few presents underneath.
"Jash," Alex said and most of his anger was gone from his voice. "You are supposed to be keeping a low profile so that the FBC doesn't take you away from me. And poaching will get you noticed. I'll be unable to keep you safe."
"No one saw me. I made sure. And what other food would have sufficed for your Christmas?"
"If you had just gone down to the local grocery store and bought a turkey like a normal person I wouldn't be angry."
"My love, you deserve more than just good enough."
Alex let out a sigh and leaned on the counter. Was he struggling, again, with feeling as though everyone would eventually leave him? If he was feeling so depressed, as they say, it must be my goal to make this time of the year special for him.
"You can't just hunt deer but I know you think you need to make a big meal for me." Alex began. "As a compromise you need to look into offering to hunt pests. You won't be able to hunt deer but you'll be able to make something fresh for me each year."
I didn't like the thought of something other than fresh venison gracing our table. But at least Alex would remain happy and I wouldn't be in danger of attracting the attention of the FBC. The other part that helped me accept this new facet of life was that it would only be a few short years until we were back in Skyrim.
"As long as I live on Earth I won't hunt deer outside of the season set for doing so." I agreed. "Next year the kill I make will be something even a beggar would scoff at. But I will prepare it with the dedication I am giving the deer this year."
Alex kissed my head and I returned my focus back to cooking Christmas dinner. Everything had to be perfect for him especially as this would be the last freshly cooked venison I could make for this time of year.
Once the feast was cooked, I put everything on special plates. This so we could make a show out of picking our food and not just eating from our plates. Feasts were about more than eating, after all. They also had an element that bards lived for.
So with a grin on my face, my deadly teeth on full display, I put the plates down on the table in front of Alex. My love, my husband, had changed from his work clothes into something much more comfortable. It was still formal but less so than his usual outfit.
After I put the meal onto the table, I put food on two plates: one for me and one for him.
"I'm afraid about what you'll do for my first Saturalia." Alex said with a rare smile as I sat down beside him.
"I'll keep that as a surprise." I replied with a grin.
"I'm sure. But until then, happy First Christmas."
Alex leaned up and we shared a passionate kiss before eating.
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