Page 2 of Awoken
The Hunting Trip
Kilbride Abbey
MacKinnon Territory
Isle of Skye, Scotland
A day later …
THE DOE HADN’T seen her. Oblivious to the hunter that stood on the hill above it, the red deer nipped at grass. The morning sun glistened on the ruddy hues of its coat, and for a moment Sister Leanna hesitated.
It seemed a pity to strike such a beautiful beast down. The doe was a leggy, graceful creature, with a dished nose and large dark eyes. It grazed in the center of the valley, next to where a burn trickled by.
Inhaling slowly, Leanna drew back the bow-string, sighting her target. She stood side-on, leaning her back against the rough bark of a birch. A light breeze feathered against her face, reminding Leanna that she stood downwind of the deer. The doe had not yet scented her.
However, the deer would not remain so perfectly placed for long. If she didn’t shoot soon, she would lose her chance.
Her right arm trembled from strain as she drew the bow-string back farther. Leanna gritted her teeth, strengthening her arm. She’d trained two years for this moment. This was a test, and she wouldn’t fail it.
The fletched arrow flew from her bow with a hiss.
A heartbeat later it thudded into the deer’s chest. The animal leaped into the air and then crumpled.
In an instant Leanna gave a squeal of glee. She then cast aside her bow and bounded down the hillside—difficult to do when hampered by the heavy skirts of her habit.
At the bottom of the vale, the doe was thrashing upon the mossy ground now—it was time to end its suffering. Reaching the deer’s side, Leanna drew the knife at her waist. She then knelt behind the doe’s neck, bent its head back, and deftly slit its throat.
The struggling immediately ceased.
At the sound of approaching footfalls, Leanna glanced up. Sister Coira hurried toward her, holding up with one hand the long skirts of her habit to quicken her pace. In the other hand she carried an ash quarter-staff. Tall and lean with unusual violet eyes framed by shapely, dark eyebrows, Coira was garbed head to toe in black—a white wimple framing her face.
“That was deftly done,” Coira gasped, recovering her breath as she stopped before the deer. “Where did ye learn to kill like that?”
“My father taught me,” Leanna replied with an impish grin, pride filtering over her. “He never had any sons, and since I showed an interest in hunting from an early age, he used to take me with him … Ma didn’t like it though.”
Leanna’s grin faded. Thinking upon her parents made her chest ache. She missed them terribly, her father especially.
“I should think not,” Coira replied with a rueful smile. “Being able to cut an animal’s throat like a butcher’s daughter is hardly ladylike.”
Leanna gave a snort and sat back on her heels. “As soon as I entered womanhood, Ma put a stop to my hunting trips … but there are some things ye don’t forget.” She glanced down at the dead deer before her. “What a beautiful doe.”
“Aye, it will give us much needed venison, skin, and tallow. Mother Shona will be well pleased with ye.”
Leanna inclined her head. “She meant this hunting trip as a test, ye know?”
Coira nodded. “Ye have practiced with the longbow long enough … she wanted to see if ye can hunt … and ye can. I’ve never seen such a clean shot.”
Leanna grinned once more at this. Her friend’s praise meant a lot to her. It had been hard adjusting to life as a nun, and she wasn’t sure she would ever really get used to it. But Coira, who had been at Kilbride for over a decade, had been at her side through it all. Sister Ella had been supportive of her too—only, Ella had now left the order. The abbey walls still echoed with the whispers of last year’s scandal.
Sister Annella was now Lady MacNichol of Scorrybreac. Leanna often thought about her friend and wondered how she was faring. Sometimes she even felt envious of her.
A life completely among women, without the low timbre of male voices, without the roughness and energy of men’s company, made her feel flat at times. Many of the sisters at Kilbride appeared to flourish in such an environment, but often Leanna felt stifled by it.
She quashed that sensation now. She loved being out in the forest, stalking deer with Coira. Very soon they would return to the confines of the abbey and the strict routines that dictated life in the Cluniac order. But out here, with the whispering wind, the smell of pine, and the spring sun warm on her face, she was free.
Leanna met Coira’s eye then. “I still miss Ella … don’t ye?”
“Every day,” the nun replied with a wistful smile.
