Sixteen spears sailed through the air with a unified sharp whistle; only three of them narrowly missed their corresponding marks drawn onto the grassy hillside. Mae’s face flushed red and her eyes flickered over to where Jigi was sitting on the riverbank. “Maybe he can’t see how badly I missed from that angle.” The audience clapped with polite timidity. Jigi meanwhile, grinned at Mae and let out a loud whoop, much to the dismay of the surrounding villagers who had long grown comfortable in the niceties of tradition. A few people whispered words about technique to one another and debated which of the girls had the greatest potential to do well in this season’s hunt. Small children ran to gather the spears from the hillside, most of them comically too small to yank them out on the first try. With the last spear returned to the crate in the hunters’ hut, The Monthly Demonstration was at an end. Villagers ambled over the hills to their respective homes hidden throughout the lush forest. Jigi ran up to Mae, lightly grabbing her hand. “I hope you’re chosen as the hunter for our Cluster this season. I could stand to eat more leafy greens.” Jigi laughed as Mae pulled her hand away and blushed furiously. “Very funny. Don’t worry. When I land the biggest beast this side of the island, I’ll make sure your neighbors have plenty to share. And I’ll save you the horn, so you can blow a tune into it and celebrate how funny you are.” She turned away from him and started heading for the beach, yearning to wash the dirt, sweat and maybe some of the embarrassment from her skin. He followed alongside her like a lapdog. “It’s your wrist. It’s too stiff. You just need to loosen up a little,” he explained seriously. “Oh please. What do you know about throwing a spear? Men have never been allowed to hunt. And I’m sure it’s with good reason.” Mae retorted, keeping her pace steady. “Yeah, right. Like that would hold me back. I’ll have you know, that wooden lock on the spear crate is only so strong. Only the elders are foolish enough to think their outdated traditions can keep us inexperienced. Or to think us so complacent that we wouldn’t chisel our own spears from sticks to mess around with in our downtime.” Jigi winked at her and smiled. They had been friends since they were little, and Jigi had always admired Mae’s perseverance in matters large and small. When they were just 8 years old, Mae’s grandmother had fallen gravely ill. Jigi could recall tears streaming down Mae’s chubby cheeks, her tiny fingers determinedly gathering herbs and plucking the bones from fish she had caught herself to make healing broth. Watching her work with a spear over recent months in preparation for the hunt was actually what inspired him to start sneaking into the spear crate for practice in the first place, though he’d never admit it to her. They reached the sandy shore of the beach and Jigi plopped down to sit while Mae hurled herself into the water, smiling from ear to ear. She wove in and out of the waves as though knitting threads throughout the water. “If she could loosen up this much during the hunt, she’d be the strongest and quickest of all the girls,” Jigi thought. “She looks so happy.” A moment later, and Mae disappeared again under water. Another moment, and she still had yet to come back up for air. Jigi waited to see her break the surface, beaming at him. But still, Mae was nowhere in sight. Jigi’s heart began jumping into his throat as he shot up onto his feet, scanning the waves. A bloodcurdling howl shook the air as Mae’s head popped out from the water several yards out. “Jigi!!!” she screamed. A massive tentacle was wrapped around her neck, and a great scaly beast’s body emerged from behind it. Feeling like he was in a nightmare, Jigi ran back towards the path they had walked from, calling for help. It was hopeless. He knew no one could come in time. Even if anyone did hear him, it would be too late. He looked back to the water and saw the beast thrashing with Mae in its grasp, saw her fighting to stay above water. His eyes rapidly searched the beach, hoping for a miracle. Suddenly he found one. A large, thin stick lay half covered by sand. One of the guys must have left his makeshift spear hidden on the beach for a secret practice. Jigi pulled it from the ground and charged towards the water. The beast’s forehead was exposed, though Mae was once again hidden from view. With a swift, graceful movement, Jigi sent the spear whirling directly through the beast’s skin. A large rumble was heard and the beast disappeared into the water. “Mae!!! Please be alive…” Jigi cried, rushing into the sea. As if she heard his call, Mae tore through the surface of the next wave, gasping for air. He helped pull her to the shore, and the two of them collapsed on the sand, breathing heavily. “Don’t ever do that again,” Jigi scolded her breathlessly. “If you wanted to prove you’re better than me with a spear, do it by catching us a dinner next time. Not by feeding yourself to the sea monsters.” Mae laughed through the shock and nuzzled against Jigi’s shoulder. “Deal.”