The people of my tribe gathered in a circle around Chief Kosumi as he dealt out hunting parties. He called all of the group hunters: Shiera, Monsoon, and a few of the younger kids. My name wasn’t called. He called all of the pair hunters: Reesha, Mari, more of the younger kids. My name wasn’t called. He called the solo hunters.

    I turned to walk away as the names were called. I had never been called for a solo hunt before, and I’d always figured I was too young at the age of 16.

    I heard him call some of the names, but I couldn’t distinguish who he called. But then, one name surprised me; “Phelix. Hunt in the lower glades!” the chief called.

    I whirled around. Inside I was bursting with excitement, but on the outside, I was my normal, calm, cool self. I nodded professionally. “Yes, sir, Chief.”

Chief Kosumi  waved his hand. “Off with you, then.”

I nodded, clutching my spear tightly. The lower glades took not ten minutes to walk to. The air was fresh after last night’s rain, but the birds were quiet, as if knowing I was there to hunt them.  I jumped down a low cliff, and I was there; the lower glades. I’d never hunted there before; the lower glades were only for solo hunters. I peered around a grouping of sweet-smelling pine trees, finding nothing. I looked near a glassy, calm pond, and in tall, fresh grass. Still nothing. When I was about to give up and move towards the prairie where I’d be sure to catch something, I spotted it.

It was an old, rotting log with bushes surrounding it tightly. I moved closer, making sure my feet didn’t rustle and scare any prey that was sure to be in the rotting log From a large hole in the log, I spotted a muddy wild pig with seven little muddy piglets beside her. I lifted the spear above my head, poised to kill.

But then, some feeling struck my heart; a feeling of guilt. Why must I kill these wild pigs, the babies only just beginning their life, and the mother so full of life, ready to teach her piglets how to survive? They had done nothing to me. Why must I take their life to live my own? What made me so much more important that these pigs?

I lowered my spear and turned away, a furious blush creeping up my neck. I had felt like this on so many hunts before. The only difference was, others would kill the animals for me. Did my empathy for our so-called prey make me strong, and the others weak? Or did it make me weak, and the others strong for being able to take the life away from another?

I didn’t have the answer to any of these questions swirling in my mind. I suppose I never would.

I sat down on a nearby stump. I’d never taken the life of anything, and I didn’t think I ever would. My mind was in chaos with guilty thoughts, and, before I knew it, the sun was setting on the horizon and the moon was starting to show.

I made my way back to our tribe’s camp, cursing myself with each step. What would Chief say when I came back empty-handed? My fears played out as I came towards the pile of prey, my entire tribe sitting by it.

“Where is your catch?” Chief asked.

“I-I don’t have one, sir.” I replied.

Chief Kosumi frowned. “There is a punishment involved with such, you know, Bardillon.”

I winced at my last name. “I would think so, sir.”

“To bed with you. We will discuss your punishment in the morning.”

I felt embarrassment wash my cheeks with red. It was humiliating to be sent to bed without food, like an insolent child. I entered the house I shared with my parents and climbed the ladder to my attic bed. My shoes were taken off and put on the little ledge by my bed. I flopped back in bed and quickly went to sleep, despite my growling stomach.