Daphne - Beginning

It was rare that an unexpected movement would catch Gareth unaware. He’d been a forester for 30 years when he began his first tracking after 10 summers. There was no creature he could not trail, no beast he could not hunt and no human he could not track. He knew everything that lived in the forest and could read the sings of anyone or anything that entered these woods. His life depended on it, in more ways than one. So, when a movement caught his eye that should not have been there he was startled. Gareth had not been wool gathering. He was fully cognizant of all the sounds and movements around him. Or so he thought up until that very moment. Whatever it was, it was no local denizen. Not small but not big. Very likely human, and that made him feel very exposed. Only a barest flash of movement did he detect, just off his left side. No sound. Whatever, whoever it was, was good. Even now Gareth could detect no disturbances to the sounds of the forest creatures. Could he have imagined it? No. Every sense Gareth had, every sense he had relied on for 30 years told him that there was someone near.

He did not panic. He never panicked. Well, not since ’34 when he nearly failed to outlive that mistake. Gareth continued his trek, wary and concerned. He was exposed as the density of the tree growth was limited and he was not well covered. And it concerned him as well that a potential foe could remain hidden from him in such limited cover. He was sure that this person, whoever he was, was aware of him. There could be no other explanation for his continued hiding. Gareth was reasonably sure that if he chose to strike at him that he would have but the barest chance to react, but that had often been enough to save his hide many times before. He was ready, and he had prepared in his mind his three best options for cover depending oh how the person might choose to strike.

Time inched along, and no other movement, sound or action had occurred. Gareth had begun to doubt his initial assessment, but not quite. He remained wary. Options warred within his mind. Either this was a very patient hunter who knew when to wait for his guard to drop, or this was no hunter but rather one who feared being hunted and chose to remain hidden in hopes Gareth would move on. It was the second choice that Gareth began to settle upon. It made the most sense. If a hunter were to strike it would have done so by now. To wait would risk detection. If the hunter knew of Gareth’s skill, he would know that detection would be eventual, and if he did not, he would have struck very early, confident in his own skills. Gareth reasoned that he must have caught someone else unprepared for his arrival and that they were simply hoping to wait him out.