Heir of Aurelian

Chapter 159 A Boy's First Kill

Marcellus stood within the brush of Gaul. By his side was his young nephew, Theodosius. The two of them had bows in hand and quivers on their waists. An armed escort of Palatini Cataphracts kept a nearby presence as the Imperator and his ward searched for a buck to hunt.

There was a wide grin on Marcellus' face as he crouched down and observed the footprints left behind by a stag. He placed his finger into the prints, and determined by the composition of the soil, that they were indeed fresh tracks..

"You see this, Theodosius, these footprints are new, at most a few minutes old. We're getting close to our prey. Now come with me. Tread lightly, and don't make too much noise. You don't want to scare the buck."

Theodosius nodded his head as he gripped his recurve bow with an intense anxiety in his heart. He followed his uncle through the bushes and out to a clearing where three red deer were grazing on the grass.

With the raise of Marcellus' hand, Theodosius stopped in his tracks. He remained completely silent as he knocked an arrow and drew his bowstring. Aiming it towards the stag, which held a mighty rack on its head.

However, right before he loosed his arrow, the boy stepped forward and onto a dry stick, which cracked beneath his weight. Instantly alerting the small herd, which caused the beasts to run away. Theodosius' arrow narrowly missed the buck as it scampered off in fear of the predators which were tracking it.

Marcellus could only curse as he witnessed his prey escape, before stomping his foot on the ground in rage.

"Fuck!"

Upon hearing this, Theodosius lowered his head in shame, too afraid to look up at his enraged uncle. As for Marcellus, he took a deep breath and calmed his nerves before looking at the boy with a stern gaze. Though the moment he saw how terrified his nephew was, his expression lightened, and he sighed heavily before placing his hand on the boy's shoulder.

"It's alright, they won't run far. We just have to stalk them carefully from here on out. You will get the beast with your next shot."

After hearing these words of comfort, Theodosius' frown turned into a bitter smile, while Marcellus rustled his hair. After a few seconds, he picked up his bow, and marched forward through the thicket, with his nephew in tow.

The duo continued to move forward slowly and silently through the woods, while keeping their heads down low. The last thing they needed to do was spook the beast again. After following the tracks a distance of roughly half a kilometer, they came across the small herd once more. Where Marcellus pointed towards the stag with a fierce glint in his eyes, and a whisper under his breath.

"There he is. Take aim, hold your breath, and release the arrow once your eyes are on target. You know how to do this. I trust you won't miss this time."

Theodosius did as instructed. He pulled another arrow out of his quiver and carefully knocked it on his bowstring. Where he then drew the string back to his cheek and took a deep breath. His eyes gazed upon the beast with confliction.

He had never taken a living being's life before. However, according to his uncle, a man must kill if he wishes to survive, and thus, despite being young, Marcellus had taken the boy into the woods to draw his first blood.

After several seconds of holding back the bowstring, Theodosius lost the strength in his arms, and the arrow flew through the air and towards its target, where it struck the creature right in the heart. The barbed steel arrow head pierced through the buck's flesh, and punched through its heart, before embedding itself in the stag's body.

With one last resistance, the stag bucked wildly, before ramming its head into a nearby tree. However, its life was over the moment the arrow pierced its heart, and within seconds it fell to the ground, flailing about before its eyes finally shut for the last time.

The stag's death had alerted the rest of the herd, who ran off into the forest. As for Theodosius, a single tear streamed down his eyes, as his uncle patted him on the back with pride.

"That's my little killer! Hey, kid, you did good. We are going to feast tonight to celebrate your first kill. Now come, help me remove the arrow."

Theodosius wiped the tears from his eyes, but still had a downcast expression as he followed Marcellus forward to collect the beast. Immediately upon reaching the beast, Marcellus pushed the arrow through the heart and out the other side before handing it back to Theodosius. The boy gazed upon the beast he had killed with his own hands, and the bloody arrow which had taken its life. A look of horror appeared across his face before his uncle's previous words resounded in his words.

"A man must kill to survive in this cruel world. Should you ever find yourself in a situation where you are alone, and starving in the woods, you better pray you heart the means to slay a beast. For if you can not find the resolve to kill, you will surely die."

With these words, Theodosius calmed his heart, and a bitter smile formed on his face. Though he had just killed another living being, he had done it to provide for his family, and in a way that made it less painful.

Once the arrow was removed, Marcellus whistled in the air, signalling the nearby palatini to come find him. Before long, a full century of horseman arrived along with a wagon in tow. Marcellus picked up the corpse of the stag and tossed it into the wagon, where Theodosius climbed inside next to it.

The two of them would travel back to the nearest city, where they would cook the beast and dine upon its flesh. As for Theodosius he gazed upon the deceased creature the entire journey back to civilization. Only he knew what thoughts had entered his young mind during this time.