HUNTING IN THE FOREST

The day that Annabelle had been waiting for had finally arrived. She and Albert were ready in their hunting suits. Seen arrows were ready at their backs. There were several servants who would later come with them. The servants would bring all the hunting gear Albert and Annabelle needed, and take care of the horses to use as substitute horses, when their first horse was tired.

Some of the hunting tools they carried included bows, arrows, spears, knives and swords. There is also a small wand that Annabelle can use later because it is specifically designed for women.

"Do we need all this?" asked Annabelle when she saw all the equipment that Albert had brought.

"Of course, how are we going to catch game if we don't have adequate hunting gear."

"Is all this allowed by the kingdom?"

"Of course. I've registered it and it's legalized. Otherwise, we will be disqualified from the race."

"Well then, I feel calm now, because I don't want to be disqualified," said Annabelle, who was greeted with a smile by her husband.

Apart from hunting tools, they also brought some dogs to help them track down the game. A dog's sense of smell is very good, very useful for finding game. This makes the dog one of the important animals and must be taken when hunting, besides horses. In addition, dogs are also useful to help direct the game and distract the prey, when Albert or Annabelle move to catch it. At times, dogs also serve as a means of attack.

There were also other hunters who brought eagles to help them find game, but Albert chose not to use them.

"What's our target?" Annabelle asked.

"The target for this season's game is the deer, to be more precise, the hart, the stag of the red deer," answered Albert.

"Is only hart included in the assessment?"

"No, apart from hart, all animals that have at least ten teeth are considered worthy to be hunted and will get a value. The hunter who gets the treasure the fastest will be crowned the winner."

"I'm so excited now, can we go now, My Lord?"

"Of course, My Lady."

Albert then helped Annabelle to ride her horse, after which she rode Thunder. Albert also stomped his foot against Thunder's body, the horse immediately shot towards the forest. Annabelle who did not want to hinder Albert's hunt, immediately spurred Diamond and matched the speed of her horse with the speed of her husband's horse. While behind them, several maids started to follow him.

Albert, who knew that Annabelle was an expert in horse riding, didn't slow down. They started to move away from the castle and into the forest. Several sounds of dogs and eagles flying above them, began to sound crowded in the forest. The other hunters had also started to enter the forest.

At first, they were in groups when they came out of the castle gates of Louis, after entering the forest, they began to separate from one another. The sound of a barking dog filled the forest. The galloping of the horse's steps became a new rhythm.

Albert began to squint his eyes, looking for tracks and paths traversed by the deer. He began to watch for broken branches, deer droppings or, if he was lucky, Albert would find the nest of the game he wanted. Annabelle also put her eyes and ears, she hoped they could soon find what they were looking for.

Albert spurred his horse deeper into the forest. The trees became denser, the ground they passed was moist and muddy. Annabelle began to use her equestrian skills properly. Just a bit of the horse stuck in the mud, they will be harmed together.

As time went on, the barking of other dogs began to go unheard. It seems that every hunter has found his own territory. Albert walked east and brushed the river that flowed from the falls, where he and Annabelle had spent time. He didn't want to be far from the water source, because that would make them a lot safer.

The day went by very quickly, they only found animals for their food, unfortunately the animals did not meet the competition criteria. It was already getting dark. Albert decided to build his tent over the river. Ensure that their place is safe from overflowing river water in the event of a flood.

"Are you tired?" Albert asked Annabelle.

"Yes, this hunt is quite tiring. As it turns out, all is not like if we hunt alone. Many rules and restrictions that I do not know. Even killing protected animals can be a problem in itself, and you have to pay a fine," answered Annabelle.

"Later, you will get used to all the rules that have been passed down from generation to generation."

"That means next year I can still hunt with you again."

"Yes, if you haven't conceived my offspring," said Albert which made Annabelle's womb suddenly warm.

She couldn't imagine what her happiness would be like if she could bear the child of the man she admired so much. Her face immediately reddened, thinking about it.

Annabelle's eyes began to sweep the surrounding area, to avoid Albert's gaze. His eyes lit up at the sight of such a beautiful place. "Can I bathe in that water? My body is hot and feels dirty," Annabelle asked, pointing to the clear river water.

"Take a shower! I'll tell the servants to stay away and pitch the tent outside our tent area," Albert said giving permission. With pleasure Annabelle took off her hunting clothes, leaving behind the layered clothes that of course she was still very polite, she was wearing. After that, he went straight into the water. Not long after, Albert followed his wife into the water.

"The water is so fresh," Annabelle said.

"Yes, this water is straight from the mountains, it's a branch of the stream up there," said Albert.

"It seems that you know this forest very well."

"Not as much as you know. I only knew him from reading his maps a lot. I'm not like you who know the hidden places in this forest."

"That's because I never read the map. I just love to play in it and breathe in the fresh air this forest provides."

Albert pulled Annabelle's body into his arms and began to lick his wife's lips. Moments later, Annabelle pushed Albert's chest open.

"Not here, I don't want other hunters to see my body," Annabelle said.

"Of course, you just want to taste the sweetness of your lips. I also don't want someone to see your beautiful body, only I can see and touch it," Albert said possessively.

Annabelle smiled and was relieved, finally for the first time they could think together when talking about a union. Albert kissed Annabelle's lips again and teased her in the water.

Even though Albert didn't take Annabelle's clothes off, Albert still touched certain places on Annabelle's sensitive body, from outside the clothes his wife was wearing.

After they were satisfied bathing and touching, they came out of the river water and returned to the tent that had been built by their servant. Skillfully, Albert also made a bonfire that could warm himself and his wife.

Annabelle's eyes were in awe when she saw Albert lighting the fire. He only uses two dry tree trunks that are twisted to cause sparks. Albert also started grilling their game for their dinner menu.

"Do you think we can find the stag tomorrow?"

"I hope that tomorrow we can find him, at least we can find his tracks and follow where they went."

***