Chương 78: Chapter 77: Shadow Pumas
In the endless green fields, a young boy clad in animal hide and carrying a bow with arrows on his back lay low in the grass, cautiously parting the foliage before him.
The boy's skin was slightly dark, and he appeared to be about thirteen or fourteen years old. His body was exceptionally agile, with a seven-pointed star emblem etched on his muscular arm.
At that moment, the young boy was eyeing an adult male deer grazing on the grass not far away, separated from its herd. His breathing quickened with excitement.
If he could successfully hunt and skin the deer, he could sell the hide to a passing merchant caravan and earn enough money to feed his family for a month.
However, just as the boy's breathing grew labored and his thoughts raced, the deer seemed to sense something and cautiously raised its head.
"Damn."
The boy's heart tightened at the sight, and he immediately held his breath. He knew that these creatures were highly alert, and the slightest disturbance could scare them away.
"Hey, Bessie."
"What are you doing?"
Suddenly, a face appeared in front of the boy, startling him so much that his heart nearly stopped.
With a rustling sound, the grass trembled, and the grazing deer, without a moment's hesitation, bolted away.
The boy named Bessie, frustrated by the missed opportunity and angered by his friend's sudden appearance, grabbed his friend by the collar and yelled into his ear.
"Mil, you bastard!"
The boy named Mil, who had just played the prank, quickly covered his ears and begged for forgiveness, fearing that his companion's shouting would deafen him.
"Bessie, I'm sorry, I really didn't see..."
As the two boys continued to scuffle, an earth-shattering roar erupted from the nearby forest.
A ferocious beast with black-striped fur suddenly burst out from the trees, swiftly pouncing on the fleeing deer.
"What is that..."
The two boys, who had been arguing moments before, were stunned by the sight. Their hands froze in place, not daring to move.
It turned out that when Bessie had set his sights on the lone deer, another terrifying predator had been watching as well.
Bessie and Mil's scuffle had startled the deer, causing it to run and prompting the beast to believe it had been discovered, and so it gave chase.
"It's... a Shadow Puma!"
Although the beast was incredibly fast, Bessie, with the seven-pointed star emblem on his arm, immediately recognized the true identity of the creature.
It was the rare and elusive Shadow Puma, typically found in mountainous terrain. The valuable hide of this magnificent beast was worth a fortune.
Meanwhile, Mil, the boy who had played the prank earlier, looked terrified, gripping his companion's arm.
"Hey, Bessie, I just saved you!"
Shadow Pumas were not to be trifled with. Although they wouldn't usually attack humans unless they were extremely hungry.
However, the opponent was still one of the rulers of the forest, strong, ferocious, and extremely fast, with exceptionally sharp claws and the ability to climb trees.
There was almost no chance of survival once targeted by it in the wooded terrain.
Just now, this shadowcat had also set its sights on a stag. If his companion Bessie tried to hunt the deer without knowing the danger, and those gloomy eyes still hid in the shadows, observing quietly, then Bessie's fate would be extremely grim.
Young Myles didn't have the courage to face the shadowcat; his legs felt weak when he saw it pounce from the darkness.
However, Bessie didn't say a word, watching the chase and escape, then clenched his teeth.
He knew that shadowcat fur was incredibly valuable; if they could successfully hunt it...
Bessie's family was in a dire situation, living in the nearby Andal settlement.
Not long ago, his father had been killed by members of the Brotherhood while returning from selling goods in a nearby town. His body was found days later and brought back to the village for burial.
With the family's main support gone, Bessie's household was in desperate need of money...
"Chase it!"
Young Bessie clenched his teeth, and then finally made up his mind, running after the shadowcat and stag.
"Hey, Bessie! What are you doing?"
His companion Myles, seeing this, could only stomp his foot in frustration and follow. He couldn't let his friend chase the ferocious shadowcat alone.
The stag ran ahead, darting into the woods, with the shadowcat in pursuit. This forest was the beast's home turf, and the two teenagers followed closely.
After an unknown amount of time, the shadowcat had disappeared from view.
The two boys continued to follow the tracks left behind, unwilling to give up.
"I can't give up; I need this money."
The young boy clenched his teeth, working hard to follow the trail left by the shadowcat.
They were about to emerge from the woods once more.
But at that moment, Bessie seemed to faintly hear voices coming from outside the forest...
"Prince Oberyn's spear skills are truly incredible."
"He killed a shadowcat without a scratch on him."
Several armored knights tied their horses to tree trunks, hands resting on their sword hilts, discussing the recent events. They gazed at the recently killed shadowcat on the ground, blood still flowing from its wounds, its body not yet stiff.
Not far away, scattered groups of over a hundred Targaryen soldiers sat on the ground or stood nearby, watching the scene.
Just a moment ago, a shadowcat had charged out, seemingly intent on attacking Prince Oberyn while he ate. The Prince of Dorne had quickly grabbed his spear and killed the beast.
The spear had pierced the creature's throat from behind, pinning the male shadowcat to the ground.
Oberyn himself appeared calm, seemingly unaffected by the praise from others. He wiped the blood from his spear with his boot, then removed a knife wrapped in animal hide from his waist.
He skillfully plunged the knife into the shadowcat's belly and then slashed downward, gutting the prey.
In an instant, blood gushed out like it was free.
Having spent time among mercenaries, Oberyn was well-versed in skinning and gutting.
At that moment, nobody noticed that not far away in the woods, two pairs of frightened eyes were watching them.
They quickly vanished from the scene.
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