| Quiet Hunter | |
 Made by viergacht on DeviantArt | |
| Description | |
| Species: | Dinaelurus illumina sapiens (song-hearer) |
| Gender: | Male |
| Pelt Color: | light dun |
| Affiliation | |
| Current: | Named Clan |
| Past: | Hunter Tribe, New Singer's group |
| Ranks | |
| Current: | Ambassador for the Hunter Tribe |
| Past: | Hunter |
| Family | |
| Mate: | Thistle-chaser |
| Appearances | |
| Book Appearances: | Ratha's Challenge, Ratha's Courage |
| Status | |
| Status: | Alive |
Quiet Hunter is a major character in the series. There are few chapters with his point of view as co-protagonist in Ratha's Challenge. He is a part of the Face-tail Hunter Tribe discovered by Thakur in Ratha's Challenge, later moving into the Named Clan.
Appearance[]
Quiet Hunter has light dun pelt with no special markings except muzzle-patches and brown tear-lines on his face, sharp fangs and honey-gold eyes.
History[]
Ratha's Challenge[]
He was wounded during an hunt of Face-Tail, and temporarily cared by Thistle-chaser. He eventually becomes attracted to her as well as to her self-awareness (something his people has no need for, since they live their self-awareness as part of the song of the leader True-of-voice). During the period when True-of-voice was hanging by a thread and the song dying through him, he was on the verge of death as the other members of the Tribe, but the closeness with Thistle made him able to partially adapt to the lack of the song and being more resistant to its absence. The comprehension and the growing feeling of Quiet Hunter and Thistle was the bridge-head to the Ratha's following decisions to help True-of-voice and his tribe.
Bonechewer's Legacy[]
Quiet Hunter is said to have been of help to Thistle-chaser, with her exercises to heal and improve her leg.
Ratha's Courage[]
He has becomes Thistle's mate and the two act as translators and mediators between the Named Clan and the Hunter Tribe bringing peace to the communities. Because he has been denied individual thought and any trace of self-identity, he attempts to modify his choppy speech to reflect his changes: however he keeps to retains some linguistic tracts and often refers to himself as "This one". Despite being officially a member of the Named Clan, he have to visits periodically the Tribe because the prolonged lack of exposure to the song could harm him. Quiet Voice show of having a kind and gentle spirit, curious of differences and interested to learn new things and his behavior is very calm (thus his name). Ratha waits with interest for the first mating season of her daughter Thistle and had planned to keep an eye on her daughter to assure that it was Quiet Hunter to be the chosen male to mate with her (often the mating doesn't include previous choices, whereby the Ratha's interest). Such plans are spoiled by the following events and the rising of a new splinter faction from the Tribe: the song of New Singer lure away Quiet Hunter despite his resistance and this leave Thistle in distress and confusion. Quiet Hunter took part in the following battle against the Clan and it was only on the verge of the action, when he was going to kill a Named club, that the presence of Thistle made him return to himself and take side with Named. Quiet Hunter proves to be both loyal and useful to the Clan, being the first to gather some dapplebacks and all the treelings (despite his poor knowledge in handling both the species), and later taking part in the counter-offensive of the Clan. It's relevant to underline the kind nature of Quiet Hunter when (after the victory) he doesn't demand or attempt to mate with Thistle-chaser despite her heat, because he perceive that the young female was still distressed after the past last event. This is a remarkable action from Quiet Hunter, because the female's heat has been described as powerfully attractive for any normal male.
Quotes[]
"Clan leader, this one...is sorry that the herd animal needlessly killed. There is another feeling..more than sadness. The other feeling makes this one wish he was not from those led by True-of-voice. This one....I...I do not know what to call this feeling. It makes me choke, though I have eaten nothing. It makes me hang my head and drag my tail, though I am not weary."
~Quiet Hunter apologizing to Ratha for his tribe's behavior in Ratha's Courage, page 103
Ratha realized that he was appealing to her as one who was more experienced with the Named ways of thinking and feeling. She remembered what a vast gulf he had crossed, not so very long ago. That he had managed to adapt to the Named and adopt the ways that at first were impossibly alien to him spoke of his determination.
~Narration of Quiet Hunter's growth in Ratha's Courage, page 104
Ratha: "Quiet Hunter, we do have a word for the feeling, but you should not have to use it. Nothing you have done has harmed or angered us. It doesn't matter that you came from the other tribe. You are as truly Named as if you had been born among us. And you have given Thistle-chaser great happiness."
Quiet Hunter: "The feeling eases, but a little still remains."
Ratha: "The word you seek is 'shame'. You are ashamed of what True-of-voice and the black one did."
Quiet Hunter: "Yes. The word has the right sound. Of rain falling, heavy on fur, pulling down so that that head falls and the feet slow. Yes, I am ashamed...of them."
~Quiet Hunter apologizing to Ratha for his tribe's behavior in Ratha's Courage, page 104