Chapter 258: The Hunt

"And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war."

-        Book of Relevation, 19:11 – 21 King James Version

But Alexios has not done yet, he looked at the sun in the distance guessing the time and turned back with the last bit of hope that the rider is coming back with the news. He tried to further persuade Antonius. "My lord, why don't we wait for a little longer? From my understanding on biology, that the larger preys love to prowl around the world in dusk…"

"Is it?" Antonius remains doubtful. "I can stay for a little longer, but since when did you ever study biology?"

Alexios smirked. "While that is a long long time ago my lord, and besides, don't you think going out for hunts like this proves to be a superb chance for the riders to coordinate themselves and also train for mounted archery?"

"I see." Antonius showed no suspicion and nodded in agreement. "You are right."

…

After resting for half an hour Antonius and his crew set off again in to the woods, while the rider Alexios sent just now also came back signalling that every thing is set, the prey has been released in to the wild, now awaiting its final fate.

With the last shines of sun rays from the sun kissing the vast land of Thessalia, when the colours of greenish grass and woods fades away under the moon light. The smaller creatures like rabbits and lynx hides away their bodies evading from their more dangerous natural predators such as owls and snakes. While in the darkness of the night two dozen horses moved across the woods neighing scaring these creatures away even further. Their armours glistered under the moon light giving the surrounding an eery feeling, but of course for Antonius he feels nothing.

Naturally speaking nobles of this age will not continue venturing in to the woods to hunt when it is this late, but of course Antonius don't know about this hidden rule. The night is still full of mysteries to human beings in this era, only God knows what is hiding among those woods eyeing the people with its eyes. It would take a long time before men can say that they have conquered the darkness of night, and an even longer time before men can say they have conquered the forest.

The hunting dog leashed by a cavalry seems to have sniffed some thing and began barking violently. Its master immediately realised that there might be some thing big over in that direction as he cried out to Antonius. "My lord! There is a big catch over there! In that direction!"

Antonius rose his hand and acknowledged. "Lit all torches, full speed in to three teams, one team with me, and the other two teams try to flank that beast!"

"Aye! Admiral!"

The group of cavalries quickly dispersed automatically in to the segments as instructed and galloped in the direction the dog is barking. After a while of searching the group of hunters soon found the prey they are longing for the entire dusk: A stallion wild horse. Strangely enough, instead of running away instantly when coming in contact with humans, this wild horse just stood there and continued grazing the grass beneath it and observed these group of incoming men curiously tilting its head. If any one who knows about horses he or she would have wandered if this is really a supposed 'wild horse'. But Alexios will not give them the time to think.

"Look! Admiral! There it is!" Cried out Alexios behind excitedly. "A red horse! Go! My lord! Its head shall be your most prestigious trophy for the night!"

The group of twenty plus riders moved and surrounded the wild horse in a circle, cheered and motivated the admiral to kill the horse concluding today's hunt. Motivated by all these people around him Antonius is left with no more time and effort to think with a surge of boiling blood ascended to his head terminating all logical thinking. With no further hesitation he rose up the hunting bow, pulled one arrow from the quiver placing it on to the bow string, took aim, and shot towards the horse.

The arrow hit right on to the wild horse's back piercing through its skin in to the muscles. Feeling a gross pain, the horse let off a long neigh raising its two hooves at the back towards Antonius, and then attempted to gallop away making an escape, now it finally understood that these group of human is vastly different from the human it met every day last time, these human are here to kill it.

But Antonius and his men will not let this wild horse away to easily, for hey are determined that this horse shall become their biggest prize and trophy for the night. They accelerated their horses chasing right after, and while chasing Antonius pulled another arrow from the quiver, took aim and released it, this time it hit the backside of this wild horse, making it sound off another painful neigh and decelerated by a little bit.

Antonius lowered his breathe and stabalised his aim. In a better state he released his third arrow for the night. This time the arrow hit right in to the jack spot sinking the iron arrow head in to the neck of the horse, tearing through the creature's back bones tearing apart its spinal cord. The poor horse lost its consciousness of its limbs and hooves, falling heavily on to the dirty ground with its last long neigh. The twigs and roots on the soil scratched through its skins and bodies, but now the creature is unable to even feel it now, even pain has became a luxury for this creature.

Antonius and his men approached this beast with caution, one always said that in a hunt you cannot let your guard off a beast such size even after it has collapsed as you never knows whether it still holds the capabilities to fight back on a near death status.

Though it seems that it should not be a concern for Antonius tonight.

Blood is oozing out from the three deadly arrow spots on the wild horse sipping in to the ground painting the grass a dark colour under the moon light. It just lays there, panting for air, quickly turning lifeless as it still persists to keep its eye lids open clinging its sight to the light of the moon and stars that looks as beautiful as an aurora, reluctant to give up its life as a line of tear began flowing out of the corner of its eyes dripping down on to the soil called by the gravity pull of its mother Earth.

From where it came from initially, it will return to that place in the end.

"What a big catch today! Congratulations! My lord!" Alexios hurriedly caught up with Antonius having some difficulties riding on horse back. "Congratulations! MY lord! What a superb archery skill you have demonstrated just now, congratulations!" The men in the surrounding too hoorayed and cheered for the remarkable marksmanship of their lord. Antonius gladly accepted their congratulations with a wide grin, gulping down the fresh mead from his water flask, while a cavalry leapt down his horse and cut through the wild horse's neck again to make sure that it is dead, then prepared to cut it in to pieces bringing home its meat as food, its fur as cushions and rugs, and its head as a trophy to be hang in the hall of the government house. 

However just as the men hurried to jump down their horses and down their work, a clopping sound of hooves knocking against the ground can be heard through the woods fast approaching, together with it a torch light in the distance bobbing up and down in the shallow mist. This immediately spurred the attention and alert of Antonius and his men, as they have heard tales of many people getting assassinated in the woods during the dark night by the Hashashins. They stood on guard clustering around the admiral for protection. 

The light stopped around ten meters away, and the rider got off, or to be precise, fell down the horse upon seeing the things here revealing himself. The intruder of the night has the look of a Saracen donned in a rather.. simple, or shabby and worn out linen robes with a cloth tied on the head acting as turbans, with a lot of holes and stitches on the cloth showing its history. The man ran to the dead horse, gaped at the corpse with unable to believe that all of this is happening, then kneeled down hugging the corpse right on to the pond of blood weeping and crying out loud in an unfamiliar tongue.

"No! Admiral! Do not shoot! It is no wild horse! It is an imported horse from Egyptus for the cavalries! Do not kill it! Why would you want to kill your own weapon admiral!"