There are Endings of Little Good

As they approached the clearing where the dog was buried the day before, Hantar raised his hand and the great bird which sat upon his shoulder perch took flight.  As in every such hunt and so taught, this silent flyer will circle the group, each time expanding its radius from them to a point where more than a carucate* is covered by its keen site and hearing.  In the meantime, the little men waited in the brush just beyond the forest opening. Atnas sniffed and caught the scent of the animal, which had left the musky odor near the spot of the kill. 

“It was surely a pequam, for it left its mark upon this place,” he whispered to the others. 

The quick return of the owl surprised them, as this meant the pequam was not nearby as they thought it would be.  “We must move closer to their dwellings,” said Atnas, “for it likely found the prey easily taken there. Yet it must be seen if it makes a return to this place.  Thus, three of you shall remain here until our return.”  

With that, Atnas, Hantar and the others headed south and made their way toward the first of several nearby homes occupied by the tall ones.  The owl flew ahead, and before long its hooting indicated it had found the animal.  The men quickly ran to the place, using the hoots as guidance, and soon came out onto a hardened path used by the giants, above which the owl sat upon a tall pole, one of several along the path that carried the long lines that linked their dwellings. This linkage always puzzled our Nubbin friends; but it was not thought about this time, for there was the pequam now dead, trampled by one of their iron wagons. Atnas went over to the body, and he could tell the animal was hit just a short time before. He instructed the trophers to place the carcass into the carrying bag, telling them that the fur of the pequam was of value and could be used by the matrons.  All of this was done quickly and soon they headed back into the woods.  

When safely out of view, Hantar stopped to thank the silent flyer and sent it on its way.  Atnas looked at him as he took the perch off his shoulder.  He could sense his fellow’s disappointment.  "You were right in our need to act my friend, but it does not appear that we were meant to find him, nor was he to have a place here. Yet, I know such an end to his life is hard to find good in.”   

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*Of interest, the Nubbins use a system of land measurement derived from ancient farming practices dating back to the ninth century.  A carucate was the amount of land that could be plowed by a team of eight oxen in one growing season, or about 120 acres.