Annual Hunt

The Annual Hunt is a hunting tradition operated by the arborians. This bloody event involves the mass hunting of animals, bringing them back to their village and storing them over the winter, in icy underground containers.

History

The Annual Hunts have been observed for thousands of years. I cannot confirm an official beginning of this tradition, as it has sort of always taken place, ever since the arborians first arrived on Permari. The annual hunts begin in the Arborian Village, where several members of the tribe will gather on the ground floor, with a whole barrage of weapons.

As time progressed, the advancement of arborian technology meant for more powerful weapons that could easier kill animals and dinosaurs. This meant that more animals were hunted, and being dragged back to the village to be stored over the winter months. This then led to the progression of the arorian race, and their population grew as food was plentiful.

Components and tools

There are many tools required for the annual hunt, aside from the weapons of course. Underground pits layered with ice served as prehistoric freezers, where excess food is stored. As well, those participating in the hunt will wear unique clothing to make them stand out and simultaneously camouflage.

Weapons

Unsurprisingly, weapons are a required tool for the annual hunts. Weapons may vary between short-range and long-range, and usually both are carried. Traditional bows and arrows are often used, as they can take out smaller dinosaurs with ease, as well as take down larger dinosaurs that are killed after.

Prehistoric swords, simply long blades of metal or bone attached to a handle, are used to slice at large dinosaurs legs to bring them down to the ground. These swords are used if bows and arrows cannot take down a dinosaur, such as a Tyrannosaurus Superior. While arborians seldom hunt this specific dinosaur, it is a good example of the size of dinosaur that they may use swords on.

Freezers

Under the ground beneath the arborian village are large freezers. These giant pits are about 10 metres by 10 metres, and at least 6 metres deep. Along the sides of the pits are ice, as well as a thick slab of ice at the very bottom. Alongside a large hatch that covers the pit and allows for access, the freezers stay rather cold, which keeps all the arborian's food from spoiling for longer.

Hunting Apparel

Those who go out on the annual hunt wear hunting clothing, made of a blend of feathers, scales and moss. This clothing is worn as a large dress, designed to stand out amongst other arborians, but blends in to the environment. Typically, the materials used are of a green or brown colour, to blend in with the foliage of the forest.

The dresses are made at a length that completely covers the arborian if they were to squat. When hunting, arborians like to squat on branches, against the trunks of trees so that they are perfectly hidden, and they can shoot down dinosaurs from above.

Participants

Twenty arborians are selected for the Annual Hunt each year. These arborians are determined by strength and mental willingness, as the hunt requires great mental and physical strength. Those who are uncomfortable with killing animals for three weeks straight are not forced to participate, although some arborians may judge them for it, while others sympathise.

After the participants officially return, they are rewarded with a feast in their honour. As well, the participants will be rewarded with gifts and celebrations wherever they go for the entire winter, as people show appreciation to them for supplying food for the entire village for this season.

Observance

The Annual Hunt takes place once a year during the end of autumn, just before winter. The Annual Hunt typically lasts three weeks, where a select group of the fittest arborians will leave their village and only return to fill their freezers with food.
Dinosaurs hibernate during winter, and arborians prefer to hunt them just before hibernating, as they believe that hunting animals during hibernation, when they cannot fend for themselves, is criminal.

Primary Related Location

Permari

Important Locations

• Arborian Village
• Permari

Related Ethnicities

• Arborian

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I've been observing the Annual Hunt for many years now, and I am confident that most arborians that participate in the Annual Hunt do not actually want to participate, and are only fuelled by the gifts and appreciation that they will be rewarded with. This is interesting because humans are very similar, and they are so incredibly distantly related that I wouldn't even consider them two related species at all, especially since they lived 140 million years apart.