The Hunt

The Hunt



By Pavel Popov



The Hunt always played a vital role in Kelk society even before they tore the secrets of space faring from the dead hands of Humans. The Hunt is not only a way to obtain food for the tribe, but also a proving ground, that shows which of the young Kelk is entitled to be considered an adult and advance in the clan’s hierarchy.



For Kelk, battle is also a form of the Hunt, and a Clansman will earn proper respect for both dragging a nice juicy Mawga to his settlement for a feast and putting a bullet hole through the head of a Human Lancer. Prey is considered to be “worthy” if it has killed a healthy adult Kelk in a one-on-one confrontation. However, in many clans it is not enough for Clansmen to kill a single Vorka or other lowly predators that from time to time have the luck to down an adult Kelk, and more dangerous beasts need to be felled by young hunters to “qualify” for adulthood.



Kelk society is not known for being kind and forgiving. Young males that are eaten alive by whatever monstrosity they were hunting are considered not worthy of respect, since a hunter should always be resourceful enough to handle any enemy single-handedly. Kelk mothers do not mourn their dead sons, and violent death is considered part of normal life cycle.



<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ansi-language: EN-US">In the same time, respect is still given to young Kelk that died in battle, both when the Kelk is on the offensive and while protecting their Clan territories in case of enemy invasions, particularly if they perish while protecting the high-tier Kelk leaders or women and children.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:6.0pt;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:6.0pt; margin-left:0cm;text-align:justify;line-height:normal">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:6.0pt;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:6.0pt; margin-left:0cm;text-align:justify;line-height:normal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ansi-language: EN-US">Kelk children are trained for the exam that is the Hunt from the age of 6, and by reaching the age of 14 they are usually ready to kill a dangerous predator in many ingenious ways, most of which involves using the environment and construction of traps and weapons out of common available materials.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:6.0pt;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:6.0pt; margin-left:0cm;text-align:justify;line-height:normal">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:6.0pt;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:6.0pt; margin-left:0cm;text-align:justify;line-height:normal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ansi-language: EN-US">For the Hunt, Clansmen usually join into small bands and roam the wilderness in search of particularly strong, and preferably deadly, beasts. In battle, Clansmen prefer to engage the enemy in the same way.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:6.0pt;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:6.0pt; margin-left:0cm;text-align:justify;line-height:normal">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:6.0pt;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:6.0pt; margin-left:0cm;text-align:justify;line-height:normal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ansi-language: EN-US">For a society based on bloodshed and violence, the Hunt is more than a concept or a trial. It is a religion. And every Kelk male, without regard to his age or specialization, is a true and a fervent believer.