Chapter 48

It was not long before the scouts reported back with news of horses and deer in the north, and with a firm target set Khelt wasted no time in announcing his choice of hunt leader.

It was to be a man named Hawk, a grizzled veteran with years of experience and a dozen scars that spoke testament to it. He was an unexciting choice, but a solid one. There would be no radical changes to the structure and status of the hunting packs with Hawk in charge this year, but everyone was confident that he would lead a tight and successful inaugural hunt.

Netya trained with her new spear every day, practicing the poise and posture Caspian had shown her in the mornings, before heading out to run in the afternoons. She carried her weapon with her always, allowing her body to become accustomed to its weight as her muscles grew gradually stronger.

The others told her that her spear was crude and improperly balanced, with the awkward binding between the two segments of the shaft making