My hair lies heavy across my shoulders. I have been here since daybreak, waiting. The sun is already scorching, even though it is barely light. I sit hunkered down on my heels, my bow resting across my knees. In the distance the herd is grazing nearer the water as the sun crosses the sky.
T ime passes.
I t is a small herd, only a few does and their young. The buck ranges far afield, keeping watch as the herd grazes. It is early in the year, there has been enough scant rain to bring the tender shoots of the young grass. They forget about human predators, scenting the wind for Ru'Shirra. It is the wrong time of year for Ru'Shirra to come down from the high country.