Her Majesty’s Royal Hunt
Nina is on the hunt! Flash Fiction
Ashra plodded back toward the cabin, the heavy weight of the dry split wood pulling at the muscles of her shoulders. The fur of her thick winter coat warmed her ears.
She grabbed the edge of the door with one shoulder, her foot pulling it the rest of the way open and bracing it with her back. She sidled into the cabin, rosy cheeks poking out beneath her heavy hood. Her nose had gone numb, and she noticed it quickly grow hot, from the warmth of the cabin.
She placed her armful of wood next to the stove and a cacophony of meows erupted behind her. One paw lightly scratched at her pant leg as she stood. Whoop late for lunch. She thought. She stopped by and pet each cat talking to them sweetly. Siobhan had a long black and grey mane; Reynold (the rotund), a lounging orange tabby; and Nina, the smallest of the bunch. Pure white with red and black patches on her face. Ashra stoked the fire, adding a piece of wood and readied their meal in a small metal camping pot on the stove. Half a tin of pate from the fridge, some dried rabbit from last spring, a bit of olive oil, some crushed eggshells from a ceramic container on the counter that said “sugar” and topped off with water. As she prepared the stinky concoction the cats circled like sharks. Tails tall in the air.
Da-dum-da-dum
Reynold let out a mournful wail, as if to express that he was obviously being starved to death. Didn’t mother know we are starving? He thought.
Nina waited patiently by the door.
“You not going to eat, little one?” Ashra asked.
“Meow,” Nina replied rubbing her side against the wooden door-frame.
“Well… I guess we could try to find us a bit of meat huh?… there’s still plenty of daylight left. It would save us from another meal of canned stew. What do you think, Nina?”
The cat purred loudly and rubbed Ashra’s leg.
“Alright then, get your coat.”
Nina swayed delicately to the toy basket near the rocker and came back dragging a small pink sweater. Ashra carefully squeezed it over Nina’s head and Nina began squirming and chirping making the job of putting on the sweater harder than folding a fitted sheet.
Ashra grabbed a small rifle from behind the door and snuggled her chin deeper into her fur coat, Nina trotting dutifully behind.
“Okay Nina what’s it gonna be today? I’m gonna try to see if any of those elk are still hanging around. Think you can get us a nice fat dove or maybe even a rabbit? “
‘Mmmrrreeeow’ replied Nina.
She opened the door and Nina sprinted out in front of her disappearing into the woods next to the cabin. Ashra shook her head chuckling then headed off in the opposite direction. Nina knew to stay near the house. There was a small cat door cut into the roof of the cabin that she could escape through if she ran into any trouble.
The snow crunched beneath her boots as she moved into the wooded area near the creek. The snow wasn’t yet deep enough for snow shoes but it would be soon. Her feet sank deep in some areas. Deep black branches hung low glistening in the noon sun, ice coating them, hanging into icicles that bowed toward the earth like glittery stalactites.
As she traveled deeper into the pines, the snow became more sparse, thick duff coated the forest floor creating a plush give beneath her boots. If she closed her eyes it almost felt like she was walking on marshmallows or clouds. It dampened the sound of her foot-falls. On the edge of the creek she noticed a brown and black chipmunk scurrying back and forth between tree trunks.
As she walked her mind wandered, to the beauty of the pine boughs hanging heavy with thick plush snow. Also it meandered to the real world. To curiosities, waiting till the spring for news was hard. She felt herself often making up stories about what could be happening out there. She reminded herself she needed to be on the lookout for elk or deer trace and forced herself to concentrate.
Before long she identified some elk sign and began following the trail, she readied her weapon keeping her finger straight out, perpendicular to the trigger. Ready.
There, she saw it. He was beautiful, he stood in the center of a pool of light where the trees had opened up. The snow glittered beneath the brown of his hooves. He stood facing away from her, bending to get water from the creek his large antlers wide to each side. She crouched down getting in position that would allow her a clean shot.
She watched his rolling muscles down his neck as he drank.
CRAACCCK
The sound slammed into her, freezing her in place. At that same moment the elk’s head snapped up. He looked directly at Ashra, and Ashra looked at him. In that moment she had a clean shot but in noticing him, the moment passed and in three big leaps he was gone. She shivered, realizing that the temperature had suddenly dropped. That crack sounded like one of those large branches finally giving way under the heavy ice. Well, it’s probably time to get back, if there’s another storm coming in I’d rather eat canned stew and sit in the warm cabin with the cats.
She turned and started making her way back from the house, only a little disappointed at the lost meal. If she was honest with herself she didn’t think she would have brought him down anyway. He was too perfect. She wouldn’t have been able to forgive herself. She allowed herself to get lost in thought this time as she made her way back home. Remembering the glitter of the elk’s eyes as he stared at her in fear. She remembered how that fear felt. The snap sent her back for a moment, to the bombs. To the gunfire. She was glad that she had found a little home away from it all up here. Everyone she knew was gone anyhow and she was too old for choosing sides. She wanted to live out the rest of her days here in the cabin with her cats. She traded some of her food every spring and fall and in exchange, they left her alone here.
She shook her head, frozen crystal tears falling like snowflakes. She sniffed, where did that cat get off to now? “Nina! Nina, let’s get on home now” , no sign of her. Ashra made a loop around the cabin hollering Nina’s name. As she was just about to go inside to get some fresh food to entice her, she heard a strange sound. It was a deep and guttural meow. Like, meowing … with a mouthful. She turned and saw Nina dragging a large brown rabbit before her. Her sweater askew over her shoulder. The rabbit was huge! Nina’s front legs bowed awkwardly around it as she dragged it forward and laid it at Ashra’s feet.
”Mrreeeow” Nina exclaimed.
“You really weren’t going to go without your stew tonight, were you, Nina.”
Nina turned in a small circle and bounded up the tree next to the cabin and up into her attic access. She had given her royal subject her duties and her majesty would be awaiting her supper.
© Andrea Curran All Rights Reserved
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I’ll leave the light on for you! Much Love — Andy
Hey I really enjoyed Reading
Especially Kitten part.
Thanks for sharing and keep writing 💫
You had me at kitty!