I am the Hunter, I am the Arrow

 

I am the hunter. My stride is true and swift. The forest my home. I know every fallen log, every broken branch. I know where the river begins, and I know where it ends. I step carefully through the silent forest, fingering the arrow ready on my bow. I know this forest. I have hunted these woods many times, caught many prey. I see my prey. I stand, silently gauging the distance.

As quiet as the forest surrounding me, I draw the arrow to my cheek. I am in the moment. Nothing before me, nor behind me, matters. My arrow is straight, my aim true. The kill zone is in my sight. I release my arrow, send it speeding with deadly accuracy towards its final resting place. The arrow speeds forth, straight, narrow, death on its tip. Suddenly the wind picks up, causes my arrow to waiver. Slightly at first, but then more forceful. It misses the target. I missed. I never miss.

I was the hunter, I am now the arrow. I knew my path, and I knew my world. However, the world I knew was straight, narrow. There was nothing around my pretty little world. It was me and those immediately around me. There was little wrong in my world. I knew where I stood, and I knew where others stood. I knew of the evils, but I knew they were getting better, changing. Things were nowhere near as bad as they were. Peace was close at hand. People everywhere were happy. I was the arrow. I knew of nothing but what lay ahead, of where I was aimed. Then the winds of change approached, caused my path to waiver. Suddenly my path was gone, unclear. My world had changed. I was lost in the brush, my target disappeared.

I search through the brush for my lost arrow. Where could it have gone? It went deep into the tall grass, into the part of the forest I have seen but never explored. I am searching for my arrow, searching for myself, in areas I have never tread before. I find my arrow, after much deep searching. It has changed. It is more colorful, more vibrant. It is stronger. I am stronger. I am changed. I like the feeling of this change.

As I turn back to re-enter the forest, I notice more changes surrounding me. The forest has changed. It seems louder. I could hear something now, the silence was dissipating. I could hear birds and the squirrels. I could hear the trees whispering to each other in the wind. I could smell new things too. I could smell the stream, flowing nearby. The tree’s perfume filled the air with a cluster of scents. Suddenly I didn’t know where I was, even though I was in a spot I have been numerous times before.

My father used to take me hiking with him. We would camp, we would walk through the woods, and we would follow streams for hours. They were great walks. I always loved being out in nature, seeing the sights, watching the water flow. It was always peaceful to me. After a few minutes of sitting silently, the forest around me seemed to come alive. I could hear things I hadn’t noticed before. There were smells I have never noticed before. The forest was the same, but different at the same time. I was able to see and experience more than I have before.

This was a new experience, and after a few more minutes of enjoying the immediate sounds, I reached out to the further surrounding area. The peaceful serenity the forest offered was soon tainted. I could hear cars zooming, people yelling, guns shooting… I could hear people. That was something I never thought of before. I am a person. I live with people. People were my life, they were life. That was no longer completely accurate. Here in the trees, I found new life. People were simply a part of life (and sadly in my area, they were removing the other varying lives of the forest). I could hear the construction of yet another house in the area. At this time I projected back, trying to see what this area was like before. This was a new, and difficult experience, but it brought peace, and turmoil.

In reaching back, I saw the woods expand, and life of the forest flourished. The roads disappeared, the sounds of people were gone. The forest was truly alive! I could tell people lived in the area (and by people I mean indigenous cultures). The people who lived here, before the colonization, lived WITH the forest, WITH the land. They lived in peace with everything, and that kept peace and balance with the Earth, and beauty was bountiful!

I wanted to experience this myself. The sound of the forest was beautiful, alive. I could see, hear, and smell life everywhere! The forest was completely changed and yet it was the same forest I had entered. Everything was alive. I stepped carefully now. Avoiding the flowers as I searched for the prey that got away. I now gently moved a tree branch, instead of just smacking it out of the way. I felt as if the trees were watching me. Not in a menacing way, but simply curious. I can almost hear them ask, “Who is this person, walking through our home?” The trees are nice to me. The sun was hot, and the trees were kind enough to provide me shade. I found myself thanking them for the break in the heat. The river and the animals provided music while I walked. It was a new sensation, a brilliant sensation.

After walking for what felt like hours, listening to the music of the forest, I find my prey. The deer is drinking from the stream, unable to hear me above the sound of trickling water. Its side was open to me, perfect for the killing shot. I draw my arrow to my cheek, line up my shot. At this distance, there is no way I can miss. The deer does not move, offering me a still, perfect target. I would get my kill. My prey’s life was about to end. I feel the moment, that one split second where everything comes to focus. I know this feeling through instinct. It is the feeling I get when I know I have already made my shot. I already know exactly where the arrow will go. I could close my eyes, and when I open them, I already know the arrow will be where I send it. There is no chance now I can miss. This is a guaranteed kill!

Seconds go by, then minutes. I am still holding the arrow to my cheek, the deer is still drinking from the stream. I have yet to shoot, to end the deer’s life. This is different to me. Every time I have had that feeling, I simply released my arrow. Never have I frozen, nor missed. Yet now I could not bring myself to shoot. I slowly lowered my bow, withdrew the arrow. Why was I here? To kill the deer? What would that do for me? I know I wouldn’t eat all of its meat, and I know nothing about the uses of its other body parts. Why was I about to take this animal’s life, in a most useless and greedy way?

I put my arrow away, and instead find a fallen tree to watch the deer. It was beautiful. After a few more minutes, the deer finished drinking and loped off into the forest. I found myself happier because I was able to experience this moment, to share it with the deer, with the forest. It was something I have never done before. I have changed.

I am the hunter, and I am the arrow. I am myself. I am a changed man. I am learning about the world around me, learning that it is different than I have believed. I am also learning that I myself, am different than I previously thought. There is much in this world left to learn, much to experience. I am excited to learn more about myself, and to learn more about others. My world has changed, and it is beautiful.

by Randy Sanda at revisionpublishing.org/34-2 on April 15, 2016