Chapter Eight, Reading 6

She nudged him forward with a conventional cue and began to scan the countryside for any sign of game. There probably weren't many animals around this time of year. She suspected that most would migrate to a more benign climate to pass the winter, but there would be a few remaining in this hostile spot.
There was no need to retrace her steps on her return to Kewero. She knew where she was and decided to take a different way back. That would increase her odds of finding game. She rode Deru out of the small valley and felt the full blast of the north wind when she made the rim.
Deru was not pleased to be walking into the wind and protested by turning his head around and nibbling at her boot toe.
"I know," she said with a laugh. "I don't like it either." She gave him a bit more leg to force him on.
After riding for half a mile, they intersected another valley, which headed in the general direction she needed to take to return to Kewero. Both were relieved to descend into the valley and to escape the fiercest bite of the wind.
This valley was deeper than it initially looked from the rim. A small brook flowed along the valley floor. At least it flowed in the summer. Now, it was only a ribbon of ice. The banks of the brook were choked with a heavy growth of willow scrub, which would provide good cover for any wildlife taking shelter there.
Drawing from her experience hunting at the higher elevations of the Greyfell Mountains, Flindra knew that the presence of the willow scrub meant that this was good habitat for ptarmigan. She pulled an arrow from her quiver and nocked it so she would be ready to fire off a quick shot. If there were any ptarmigans here they would have been alerted to her presence and were now in hiding. The birds would have their winter plumage and would be difficult to see against the background of the snow.
She turned upstream for this was the way to Kewero. Her chances of finding game would be just as good this way and there was little point in riding away. That would only make for a longer trip home, which was not a comforting prospect in this cold.
Deru was the first to discover the presence of potential game. He had a good nose and was used to hunting with his mistress. He stopped with his ears facing toward a dense clump of willow growth some twenty feet ahead.
Without a noise, Flindra raised her bow and scanned the area for any sign of life. The wind was toying with the naked branches and scattered leaves on the ground. There were several white feathers caught along a branch close to the ground. The wind moved these feathers like a flag announcing the presence of the ptarmigan. It was as if the wind was purposefully betraying the position of the hidden bird.