Ace had to refrain from rolling his eyes at Crusty, annoyed at the other's words. Yes, fresh blood would indeed make everything more difficult, but never before that had been a problem to him. This time he had company, though, so maybe things could be a little different from what he was used to. For a moment, he thought about searching for a deer just to annoy the other. With a sigh, he shrugged.<br/><br/>"Sure, if that makes you feel safer." he said, as the other stopped his horse to join them.<br/><br/>Ace just let the other two talk, and couldn't help but smirk at Caine's remark about their skills - or luck, whatever he wanted to call it. Yes, he had enough experience under his belt, and just the right amount of carefulness to keep himself alive. And he had no doubt that both Caine and Crusty were also very skilled. Although more and more Ace had to wonder how much experience in hunting actual beasts - the truly dangerous ones. After all, most people that worked in the big cities had never even seen a dragon, or a chimera, or even a hound. The few that did have an encounter with any of them were usually part of a guard patrol, and had numbers in their favour. Ace could never fight in a war, but he would bet his hand that most of the so powerful knights would die immediately if they were alone and face to face with a pack of hounds. Well, guess he would've to wait and see.<br/><br/>When Caine talked to him, Ace raised his eyebrows, smiling.<br/><br/>"Really? I wonder why." it was more curious than mocking, actually. Sure, a hunt of simple game couldn't even hope to compare with a true hunt, and Ace would take the later any time. But it would be a lie if he said he didn't enjoy a simple hunt once in a while. And the reward was worth it. He was actually surprised that Crusty offered to help, but he supposed it was just like the other man.<br/><br/>"Well, isn't it nice? We all working together and all. I expected at least a few days before that happened." he joked, not really offended by Caine's words. Were the other way around, he also wouldn't offer any help at all. "Well, try not to kill each other while I'm gone. And keep yourselves on the path so I can find your later." he probably could find them anyway, but he would rather save himself the trouble.<br/><br/>Without waiting for an answer, Ace pulled Girl's reins, making the horse turn and pass through two trees on the side of the path. If the other two stopped to eat, it would give him a little more time, and he would probably be able to reach them again before it was too dark. Girl walked slowly, her speed careful controlled, mostly because Ace was paying attention to every sound around him. A sound could mean a potential game, but could also mean some beast that had decided not to wait until night time to attack.<br/><br/>After he was deep enough in the woods, he dismounted Girl, tying her up in a lower branch of some tree. If something came for her, he would be near enough to hear it, and if she ended up being killed, well, at least his hunt would still be successful. Quick hunts like these could provide with some food, but weren't ideal. So he hoped he could at least find a bird nest around.<br/><br/>He moved around, slowly, always listening, circling a big enough area around the spot he had tied Girl in before going for her, moving a little further, tying her up again and repeating. The Deep wasn't as full as life as other parts of the same forest, presumably because the animals that survived were those that knew very well how to hide. It was rare to hear a bird singing, but there were some tracks of some animals here and there. But Crusty didn't want any big game.<br/><br/>It took three hours before he even found a narrow line on the forest floor, slithering away from under a fallen branch. It took another hour to finally find the snake - brownish and short, but also fat. Killing it was relatively easy with an arrow straight to the head, as he was used to much faster prey. Ace cut its head off, burying it before backtracking to Girl. She was relaxed, eating grass from the ground almost lazily.<br/><br/>"Wish I could live as easy as you." Ace huffed, patting her mane before untying her and mounting again. He could almost swear the look she sent him was one of mockery, but he would rather not make the horse have any more intelligence than he already gave her credit for. With a quick movement of his feet, he made her trot towards the general direction of the path once again. Just some minutes later, he heard a faint chirping sound above him. "Hey! Finally some luck!" thankfully, Girl kept quiet as he stopped her and dismounted once again.<br/><br/>He could see, in a branch near the top of the tree, a small nest, with a colourful bird perched on it, chirping happily. Not a bird he recognized. Ace carefully climbed up, the branches of the tree so far from each other that he could barely reach the next one, as he forced his weight up and up, until he finally reached the nest. The bird was a strange one, bright red and orange, with feathers that stood up on its head and a tail that was easily the same size of the rest of the bird itself. It looked back, black eyes almost strangely human, and Ace faltered for a moment. The bird didn't fly away.<br/><br/>Slowly, and frowning, he reached out, poking the bird. It remained still, looking at him with curious eyes. Ace frowned even more, before moving his hand under the bird and grabbing one egg. The bird remained still. It didn't move, nor to fly away nor to attack, even as Ace kept taking all the four eggs from under the bird. However, each time he took one, the bird seemed to look even more sad. Ace had killed his fair share of birds, had taken eggs from many others, and sometimes had done both. Not once had he felt so bad about doing it, like the bird was allowing him to do it, sacrificing its eggs to feed him.<br/><br/>"Are you some kind of creature? Or are you just really stupid?" he growled to the bird. The bird actually chirped back, the sound so sad and so different than before that Ace had to just look at the bird for a moment. It didn't seem different than common birds in any way, because despite its bright colours, there were plenty of other birds just as colourful. But then, there was no way he would feel sympathy for a bird if there wasn't something more to it, right? If he was starving, he would surely grab the eggs and go, just like he would've killed the kitten back in the stable if that was the case. But he was not, and he hadn't killed the kitten, had he?<br/><br/>With an annoyed growl, he placed the eggs back in the nest, ignoring the way the bird seemed to perk up. He rolled the last one on his hands for a moment, before putting it on the nest. "Well, fuck you." he said, before he climbed down the tree, ignoring the way the bird chirped non-stop.<br/><br/>"And if you tell this to someone, I swear you will turn into roasted meat." he said to Girl, mounting and making her go as fast as he dared to, annoyed. He still felt pity for some animals. He couldn't easily kill a dog, a cat or a horse - although he could let them die if they became a burden. At least there was no mercy in him for monsters and beasts. Partially because they deserved it, partially because the feeling of the hunt was too good to pass. Or that was what he told himself anyway.<br/><br/>The invading thoughts only made his annoyance grow. The bird certainly hadn't been just a normal bird, and for a moment, Ace considered turning Girl around and going back to kill it. But if it was a beast, Ace knew nothing about it. He knew - the hard way - that many seemingly inoffensive creatures could kill without mercy. And he wasn't about to risk it just to prove a point to himself. There was nothing to prove, after all.<br/><br/>As he rode Girl between the trees, the awkward feelings began to fade, and he wondered if it was because he was putting some distance between him and the bird. Well, it didn't matter anymore. He had a snake, and that would have to do for now.<br/><br/>He finally reached the path, the light already disappearing. It wasn't completely dark yet, and he could see the horses' footprints on the floor.<br/><br/>"Well, Girl, time to run." he mumbled, making her move at a faster pace than before. He would worry about her leg later. Right then, he just wanted to find the others, eat the snake and sleep. And hopefully get the damn bird out of his mind.