"WHAT IS MORE FREE THAN THE FREEDOM
TO TAKE THE CONSEQUENCES?"
When they run, my Lord chases, and I will blow the horn.
✳ The Quest || Before the hunt begins, an expert huntsman seeks the quarry, assisted by a lymer- a scent-hound, for those in the back. Using evidence of broken branches or droppings, he would attempt to spy out the Hart, best with his own eye.
✳ Assembly || A morning affair, wherein the party converses over hunting plans and dinner plans, all accompanied by a fine breakfast. A debriefing, if you will.
✳ Moving || The Hart is tracked with a lymer- a scent hound. Lorraine was not one for relays, but if he was, those would be set before this stage.
✳ Chase || Nothing more free- the moments that Haunt still dreams of, the thunder of hooves and the spaces between heartbeats. Fluttering cloaks in the dark ahead.
✳ Baying || The Hart turns and becomes violent. Haunt holds the lead of the largest dog, heels dug into the soft ground as it fights to surge forward. When Lorraine takes up his spear, Haunt looks to the beast and can only see himself reflected in its eyes.
✳ Unmaking || Lorraine is up to his elbows in blood, selecting knives with a lover's care. We learn that the greatest devotion is shown in how you take a thing apart.
✳ Curée || Haunt feeds the hounds beautiful slivers of meat. The midsummer air is cool and clean deep in the forest.