Erling let out a shuddering breath of relief the instant he saw Lord Owain plunge his sword into the chest of the majestic, imperial elk. After a day of hunting and chasing, being driven through the forest that should have been a peaceful home for the remainder of the winter, the torment had finally ended, and the elk was down.
In the end, his bow hadn't been needed to keep the beast from fleeing. Just like last time, when the old Marquis had asked a much younger Erling to be ready to stop a boar from fleeing, the precaution had been completely unnecessary. But Erling had learned long ago that the preparations you didn't need were the ones that kept you alive, and the ones you skipped were the ones that caused the most trouble.
