Long Way Home

At the end of the day, I’m a long way from home and I still have to pass through what the Stopes consider to be their domain. I have probably been spotted, earlier, by the Stopes. However, it’s getting dark and, even if alerted earlier, the Stopes may not spot me, as I return home. I move quickly, but carefully, along the main mountain track. I use the skills that I have learned, since I was a small boy. I watch the ground ahead of me and even my back trail. I sometimes leave the trail, where the trail crosses open land, and I then move through the brush that will hide me. Despite my little detours, I do cover some ground.
I find myself in what the Stopes consider to be their domain. If I was careful before, I’m now doubly careful. Then, I hear a hunting horn. It seems unlikely, but the Stopes boys may have decided to make a major effort, to catch just one lone man. Unfortunately, I’m apparently that man.
Well, they still have to catch me. I move further up, into the foothills, and slow my pace, to carefully watch for hunting Stopes.
Up the hill comes one of the Stopes boys. He’s climbing at a pace that sacrifices everything for speed. As he reaches the faint trail that I’m using, he almost passes by the bush that hides me.
I use my knife and the world is better off by the death of one Stopes’ boy. I then jam the Stopes’ boy’s knife, where my knife earlier ended his life. The corpse is that of a young boy, maybe just barely an adult, which speaks of an all out effort by the Stopes. I rob the corpse of its crossbow and a quiver of quarrels, then I continue West, along a faint, higher mountain trail. I move a bit slower than I normally would, to remain quiet, and I keep very alert for more Stopes’ boys.
I see a Stopes’ boy cross the trail, just ahead of me. He dashes across the trail and then rolls under a bush. He’ll wait there hidden, with a crossbow and kill whoever passes by. His presence means that the Stopes’ boys are aware that I’m not using the main mountain trail. The danger factor for me just increased.
I creep up on hidden boy, then I put a crossbow quarrel into hidden boy and he dies, while I live. I rob the corpse of enough crossbow quarrels to fill my crossbow quiver. The corpse also has what appears to be a gold ring. If it’s indeed a gold ring, it’ll one day bring quite a bit of trade goods at Market Town. I take the ring and slip it into my pocket. If I have to risk my life, I need to at least get paid for the trouble.
I abandon the corpse and move slowly and quietly to the West. I then come to a wide gully, where lots of rocks litter the ground and the little moonlight paints the ground with shadows. I carefully scan the area, but I see no sign of Stopes’ boys. However, to just boldly cross the open ground would be suicidal. Thus, I go to ground and crawl from shadow to shadow, avoiding the patches of moonlight.
Well below me, in the open area, suddenly one of the Stopes’ boys raises up and calls, “I see ya, Archer! Ya gonna die.”
A cloud shadow passes over the noisy Stopes’ boy and my crossbow quarrel puts a permanent end to his threat. The other Stopes’ boy raises up to tell him, “I aint Archer.”
Another of my crossbow quarrels puts an end to, ‘I aint Archer.’ I crawl to the shadow of a large rock. I then wait and listen for any sound of movement. I hear nothing, except the soft sound of the night wind. I carefully look around the open area, but I see nothing that looks like more Stopes’ boys. I then, slowly and carefully crawl to the far side of the gully. I have left even the faint trail and I continue to crawl silently, through low bushes. I pause, from time to time, as the clouds let moonlight through.
(I have killed four of the hunting Stopes’ boys. The loss of four of the Stopes’ boys is a major loss for the Stopes tribe. It might be that whoever leads the hunt will call the boys off and go back to the Stopes compound. I still have to be very careful.)