Marcellus stood within the brush of Gaul. By his side was his young nephew, Theodosius. The two of them had bows in hand and quivers on their waists. An armed escort of Palatini Cataphracts kept a nearby presence as the Imperator and his ward searched for a buck to hunt.
There was a wide grin on Marcellus' face as he crouched down and observed the footprints left behind by a stag. He placed his finger into the prints, and determined by the composition of the soil, that they were indeed fresh tracks..
"You see this, Theodosius, these footprints are new, at most a few minutes old. We're getting close to our prey. Now come with me. Tread lightly, and don't make too much noise. You don't want to scare the buck."
Theodosius nodded his head as he gripped his recurve bow with an intense anxiety in his heart. He followed his uncle through the bushes and out to a clearing where three red deer were grazing on the grass.
