>>5785269The pained smile of his shaman comrade made him realize that maybe it was not only beasts, the elements, or illnesses that killed many goblins early, suicide from despair at their compatriots stupidity could be an important mortality cause.
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MEANWHILE IN LOCAL :
After your feast where you boasted about your will to best a boar and you decided that you would be ready to hunt it in three days. Effectively you were a solid man of stout build and of good frankish race, you would not be killed by a mere drop in some cold water. Hot wine, some days in your bed with reading lessons and the sweet attentions of Stacy would probably be not so boring when thinking about your next hunt.
Of course you should catch the boar "par force" by exhausting him with your hounds, all fifteen of them unfortunately since your keep was quite small and you were not a king who could afford several hundred hounds. With a bit of hope you thought that you could corner the beast and then finish it by dismounting your horse and fighting it. It would be beautiful, a true ritual.
This was the true difference between peasants who used traps and bows in their hunts (of small game and if they paid taxes for it of course) and noblemen, who knew that it was more interesting to leave a chance to the beast and take pleasure in the process itself. You still wanted to feel the wind in your hair, hear the hounds, push your horse to it's limits and blow your horn when you see the beast. But still, you had three days to prepare.
Of course you still had to plan your boar hunt, if Ancel could be relied upon to track the beast you would still need beaters to bring the game towards you and canalise the hounds on the good boar (it was not good sport to change the beast that you tracked), and some "piqueurs" with boarspears in case of disorder. Fortunately you had no noble ladies around so your hunt could remain a true hunt between men without the ladies asking for something softer like falconry simply to be included, women were of course the marvel of creation and proof of the existence of God but they were often asking for too much attention.
You could of course take some peasants and guards with you to serve as beaters and piqueurs effectively, even if they were probably not so good, while the servants in charge of your kennels will run with the dogs. Who could ride with you ? Of course Bohémond and Godefroi, Brother Louis has sworn to hunt only lions, as a brother of the Templar order and was delivering a message for you, but maybe some of your councillors would want to do it ? Captain Crumbling was not very good on a horse, Father François was too fat and probably would break the back of his trotter, while you feared for the health of your dear Oldfossil.
