Trades for Bait

The great beast was in its den where feathers and bones were strewn about. It watching over its cubs as it nursed the headache it received from banging its head on the rocks. It then got the scent of another wolf closing in. The beast raised its self up from the ground and headed out of the den to confront this interloper.

The beast looked at the morning sun and tried to ready its self . The beast tried to look as intimidating as it could as the interloper came in to view. The beast growled until it saw what was on its back. The beast knew the deity that commanded its domain and relaxed.

The interloper stopped a good distance away and the deity got off its back and walked towards the beast. When the deity got close enough it touched the beasts snout. Moving up from there until the beast wined as it touched the swollen flesh that hit the rocks. The deity started to heal the wound and started to communicate to the beast.

The deity communicated that its lost cub was chosen by them and will go on to do great things. The beast wined for the wounds the deity could not heal but understood. The beast just wanted to have a little more time in the deities embrace. But the beast knew all things must come to an end.

- - -

Pasht made it back to the clearing she left Victoria and was baffled by the activity going on. About fifty men and women darted around setting up camp. As soon as one saw her they stopped and bowed in respect of a deity in their presence. "Get up and back to work. And where is Victoria?"

Victoria came out of a large tent as the group went back to work. "Please come in."

Pasht dismounted the large wolf and patted it before it walked off and laid down on the edge of the camp. "Where did all this come from?"

Victoria greeted Pasht at the entrance of the tent. "I organized this before we left."

The inside of the tent was lavishly furnished with a table at the center with a map of the region marked out for geographical features. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"You didn't give me the time."

"Where did they come from?"

"A local town. Most thought they were going on drills until they saw me."

"So who knows the truth about this task?"

Victoria pointed a man studding the map on the table and four others sitting in makeshift chairs against the back of the tent. "Only us and these five. Everyone else thinks we are just observing them and their motives."

"That's not wrong."

"The best lies are half truths."

"So, who's in charge of this group?"

"We are, Lord Victor Everett has given his men to us."

"Victor?"

"His parents named him after me. A lot of military families name their kids after me."

"Not a lot of hunters name their kids after me."

Victoria had to bight back a reply. "Victor where are your men looking for the metal ones?"

Victor pointed to the map. "The scouts are starting here and will work their way over here. They should find them with in an hour and send word."

"No need, they were here about half an hour ago."

Victor and Victoria looked at Pasht worryingly. "What?"

"I saw them from a distance on my way back. They didn't see me. They are fallowing an animal trail quite well."

Pasht pointed to a point on the map. "Should be about here by night."

"We should still keep track of them encase they don't fallow the trail that well."

Pasht took a seat and leaned back. "Yeah, sure. So what's with the other four?"

Victoria took a seat next to Pasht "They are bait for the traps."

Pasht eyed them coldly. "And the test subjects." The four winced at the term.

Victor studied the map. "We are all test subjects. We are less far away than an Arrow Hawk flies in the sky."

Victoria nodded "That's why we are only observing their location today and tonight."

Pasht rubbed her hands together. "And tomorrow we set a trap?"

"That's the plan."

"So, why are they the bait? And what do they expect in return?"

"Two men and two women, elf, half-elf, human and beast-man. I would like to try with more types, but this is what we have to work with."

"And what's their price?"

"I said they would get small blessings from both of us."

"Fine, you will all be slightly luckier hunters from now on."

"I told them you would listen to their requests."

Pasht glared at Victoria "Fine, elf boy, what do you want from me?"

The elf was a little offended by being called boy but spoke up. "I want to be able to speak to animals."

"That's a vary big blessing, not a small one. Not even one I can grant. I can only communicate to the ones in my domain. And to let you communicate with one species is a proper blessing. At most I can let you talk to a small group as a small blessing."

"What if it's only for animals in your domain that consider me an ally?"

"Looking at you, that would be a small group, so yeah."

The elf looked truly emotionally beaten by her words.

"Next is the half-elf with no tits, what do you want from me?"

"I would like proper elven night eye."

"I can't do that because I don't have domain over elves. There are animals in my domain that have better night eye's than the elves. Would you like on of those?"

"What animals are they?"

"Smart question. The best in my opinion is the wolfs night eye. You will be able to see anybody trying to sneak up behind you at night. And normal during the day. Would you like that?"

"Yes pleas."

"Next is massive jugs, what do you want from me?"

"I would like a pet, a companion."

"My small blessing to you is to forget what you just said. There are no pets in my domain. All the animals in my domain are my subjects. To give you a pet would be equivalent to your god selling you in to slavery."

"I'm sorry I.."

"Don't be sorry, it's forgotten. And that's your blessing. Just ask Victoria."

Victoria shook her head "It wasn't the blessing you wanted but the one you needed. There's nothing worse than being on her bad side. Especially before this mission."

"Next is fox boy, what do you want from me?"

"The sight of an Arrow Hawk. As long as I can use it with my night eye."

"They can over lap, so yeah. Everyone ready for their blessing?"

The elf stood up. "I would like to transfer my blessing over to the human."

Getting a chuckle from Victoria and a sigh from Pasht "O, you deluded sex starved fool. That's not how my blessings work."

"But she has a good reason to ask for.."

"Don't finish that thought!" Pasht warned the elf

The elf sat back down "Yes your holiness."

Victoria coughed in to her hand and looked at Pasht.

"Al right, elf boy and big jugs you are both getting luck in hunting which is better than what you both asked for. Trust me, I'm the god of hunting."

Victoria got up and went over to a table with food and drinks laid out. "Let's take a break. we have a long day of planning ahead of us."

"I'm getting a headache just thinking about it."