Over three hundred snared so far. Three years tormenting the Matavai region, and still he has not had his fill. What kind of perverse creature have these dark forests spawned?
A flock of twittering keruru passed overhead and up into the skies above. Howaru rested at the top of the valley steep catching his breath. There was a cliff edge free of scrub and he walked to it, keen to get a view of the landscape The cliff was open to the sky, pale blue, and he could see the valley below all the way facing west and when he turned he could see up towards Takali Foto to the north. Three calls rang out in the distance, muted by the canopy above the caller. And what of the three Autara hunters sent before me to track Baby Eater? Can a trio of Autara region’s most celebrated hunters snare the monster, or will they become prey like all the rest. Skinned and primed for the evening meal.
Totokono pressed against his back, reminding him that it was yet to drink enemy blood. He unstrapped his weapon and removed his provisions bag and found a boulder to sit on. I’m too late, he thought, the hunt has begun. After taking a sip of water he thought, in pursuit, a true hunter’s mind is one of practised silence. Still like the sky reflected in a lake, while the body of water shifts about restlessly. When the true hunter moves it is only for the kill.
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Three giant birds, Pokai eagles launched from the direction of the whistles took to the the skies, about one thousand paces up the valley.
And when the birds have scattered into the skies, all the animals of the forest floor are left wondering, ‘Will I be next to go?’
He marvelled at the giant eagles, capable of stealing a moa from off the ground, capable of killing men. They soared in formation searching for prey and after rising and circling above him they dropped into an attack dive.
Be careful eagles, hunters from the skies. For there is another in these forests, who has no appetite for game meat. He has a hunger far worse than Matavai tribe itself; not for revenge or mana but for the taste of the children of slaves. How he baits his prey is unknown to the Matavai chiefs. For the children are vanished away without a trace.
Below him, the silence of the valley was broken by the squawking of the birds, a screaming in terror, and finally the sound a single pair of flapping wings as one of the eagles burst into the skies. And how does he react when attacked? He can hear laughter now. There is someone shrieking in laughter, a giggle like a child would. Is this the voice of the feared Baby Eater? Is this my greatest challenge?
Howaru, finished resting, stood and packed his things again. If I go now I may be able to get there at the end of the fight. Perhaps these Autara hunters can deal a blow or two and weaken the monster. Perhaps I can enter the fray at the right moment and take advantage? He hurried back down the valley now, heading north, hoping to catch the Baby Eater with his guard down.
