"I want your meat!" Akaman shouted while pointing at the forest.
Atlas sighed while the others with him tiredly shook their heads in exasperation.
A total of fifteen people had been set aside for hunting, but they could not hunt with bare hands so like cavemen they were busy sharpening sturdy sticks to make wooden spears.
While they did this, Akaman was repeating his speech on why meat was the only viable food option... for the fifth time.
He was not entirely wrong, when it came to animals, the chances of their meat being poisonous were considerably lower when compared to plants.
But this was not Earth and there was no way of telling if the patterns here aligned with what they had on Earth.
They would still have to be cautious, both with meat as well as with fruits.
"Are you all ready?"
Atlas lifted his wooden spear and inspected the tip. A stone spear would have been better but considering how much time they had left, this was more practical.
The hunting party nodded as they rose to their feet, while Akaman smiled.
"I can almost taste it already!"
Atlas and his group moved deeper into the forest, far from the clearing they had all arrived in.
The deeper they went, the more Atlas noticed how similar it was to what they had on Earth.
Although he had never seen some of these plants, the forest layout and foilage were vaguely familiar— while some were exact replicas of what they had on Earth.
There was no bizarre change in the ecosystem, or at least he could not see any at the moment.
After what felt like hours in the forest, they finally came across their first prey, and for a group of beginners, it was a rather troublesome one.
It was an elk, a very large elk.
Although it was considerably bigger than any elk he had seen, everything about it looked just as Atlas remembered, save for one glaring distinction.
The elk had beautiful white patterns strewn across its body, an unusual pattern that was foreign to Atlas.
It gave the beast a sort of mystic outlook, and the majestic way it carried itself only added to the allure.
But Atlas was looking past its beauty.
'That alone can feed more than a hundred people!'
He could feel his stomach already tumbling as he imagined the array of dishes they could prepare.
Smoked ribs, roasted meat, dried meat…
Actually, maybe there weren't that many options. Atlas has almost forgotten that they were without any form of cooking gear.
They didn't even have salt!
Akaman on the other hand, thought differently. While others looked rather wary of the large beat and its sharp antlers, Akaman looked enthralled by it.
He licked his lips and tapped Atlas on his shoulder.
"Let's get it before it escapes!" He whispered sharply.
Atlas nodded, sharing the same sentiment.
"We have to be smart about it."
Although he never got to rule anything, Atlas had been trained on a variety of topics, one of them being hunting, a leisure sport conducted by nobles at the time.
Because of this, he knew a few things about hunting deer…
Elks were tricky creatures with a tremendous amount of stamina. If they struck right, it would either die on the spot or run a short distance before collapsing.
But if they missed, then the Elk could very well run for hours unend, meaning they would lose their prey.
"There are three ways to kill an elk." Atlas began. "The head, the heart and the lungs…"
The head was not viable since they were using wooden spears, leaving only two options open.
Having been tossed into the wild and reduced to using prehistoric tools, they had to use the one thing they still had, a weapon more powerful than anything they could conjure—
That weapon was their brains.
The elk was strong and their weapons largely insufficient but all they had to do was outsmart the beast, something humans had been doing for centuries.
"Here is the plan…"
*
Atlas strolled out of the bushes, taking leisurely steps towards the strange elk. Immediately he stepped out of the foliage, the elk's head shot up, its eyes locking on him.
At first, Atlas thought I would run, a scenario which he had accounted for but instead, the beast eyed him for a few tense moments before taking a step forward.
It was going to confront him.
Atlas smiled. For the beast to act this way, it meant there were very few hunters in this part of the forest which meant civilization was far away, or there were no people on this planet to begin with…
He held his spear tightly and sucked in a breath as he continued his walk.
The elk let out an angry snort, warning its invader before proceeding to smack its foot repeatedly on the floor.
Atlas kept walking until he was within range of the beast, he was about to launch his spear when the beast charged, its horns pointed forward as it barrelled towards Atlas.
The elk was far faster than he had expected, but Atlas managed to jump away just before its horns whistled past him.
'That would have cut right through me!' He thought as he repositioned himself.
The elk turned, ready to initiate another charge while Atlas kept his eyes locked on its massive body.
His spear was raised above his shoulder, pointing at the beast.
'Almost there… just a little more…'
"Now!"
The spear flew from his hands like a javelin and penetrated right at the spot behind the right shoulder— the spot where its heart was!
The beast let out a loud pained screech. Knowing that it had been dealt a fatal wound, it gave up on all hopes of a confrontation and sprinted into the forest.
But just as it was about to break free of the small clearing, it suddenly stumbled, its legs caught on a wooden staff that was being held by two hidden people.
The beast crashed into the floor, scattering the dead forest leaves and stopping right where Akaman stood.
"Sorry bud, I can't live on berries."
His spear came charging through the injured spot, further damaging its heart and ending the life of the beast.
All according to plan…
Atlas walked over to where the beast lay and observed its large body.
'It looks normal enough, but I wonder if it's edible…'
Suddenly, Atlas heard a soft female voice in his head, almost making him jump.
[This is a 'Grand Elk,' a species of Elk very common to this area. Although violently inclined, it is perfectly safe for consumption]
Atlas looked around to ensure the voice was indeed coming from his head and that it was not just someone whispering in his ears before saying:
'Who is this?!'
[•••]
[I am Evangeline, an Intelligent Automated Personal Adjutor system]
'What??'
[Basically, I am your personal assistant!]