Belgarion,
You asked for those of us who consider ourselves hunters to justify
ourselves. I could speak to you of how the threat to the wilderness was
a real one, how it was a threat to the Rhythm itself. But I wont,
because that it not what you really want to hear, it is not the question
you truely want me to answer.

Yes, I see (at least in part - every day I struggle to see more) Haern's
vision for the world, a vision where everything is wilderness, where all
life forms conform to the beat of the Rhythm. Yes, I know and understand
that cities, with their crowded, sprawling streets, their refuse, stink
and noise cannot have a place in a world that beats solely to the Rhythm
of Nature.

No, I dont care that for this vision to come true, for the world to be
wilderness all over, cities will have to crumble, and a way of life
forced upon many that don't wish it. If you're strong enough, you'll
keep your way of life. If you're not strong enough, we'll see the world
become more like our vision. That too is part of the Rhythm - the strong
will get their way.

I long for the endless hunt, the thrill of the hunt, the success, the
taste of blood. I long, too, for the thrill of being prey, for the
thrill of using my wits to escape. I long for the fierce comradiery -
always mixed with rivalry - of my fellow hunters. Beyond the hunt, I
care little. Justify that people have lost their freedom? They lost
their freedom because they were not strong enough to keep it. I offer no
apology for that, such is the way of nature, the beat of the Rhythm.

Irruel du Vallianse

Penned by my hand on the 2nd of Arios, in the year 72 MA.