"Nothing like it," Artemis agreed. There was a special satisfaction that came from a meal you'd tracked, slain, butchered and cooked with your own hands. The resulting taste was always more vibrant to Artemis, more vital than any meat you could buy in a shop.
And there was satisfaction in sharing the spoils, too, she thought, glancing at Marian as she straightened. She hadn't realised how much she'd missed this part. Not just the feeling of running with a skilled hunting companion, her footfalls mirroring yours as she fell in behind you. Not just the company of a beautiful girl, although she was still hopeful Marian might be interested in getting better acquainted. Just— this. Working side-by-side in comfortable silence, scarcely having to give direction, anticipating easily what the other needed.
Artemis shouldered her pack again – her gear now cleaned and packed away, the meat bagged and divided between the two of them – and gestured with a jerk of her head. She led the way back to the creek and along its bank, following it upstream. "So hey," she said curiously, now that silence was no longer an imperative, "I'm a little rusty on the stories, but don't you usually travel with a crew?"