Fall 41st, 513 AV
Outskirts of the city
Outskirts of the city
The hunt had begun, and Oryani and Yetrian had plans. Though she was… ok… at a shortbow, her hunting skills were non-existent. Instead, they’d decided to take the more passive route, and forage for food. It wasn’t technically ‘hunting’, but they were doing their part. With her brother’s adequate foraging skills, and her… less than adequate foraging skills, they’d at least be able to find some things. She knew what to look for… but wasn’t very good at finding them. In fact, Yetrian was basically going to teach her his trade along the way. The deal was, next season, she’d have to teach him something in return… probably how to use her shortbow. Now that they were officially allowed to start the ‘competition’, her sibling had awoken the Chatakwe bright and early at dawn… though she was already up by then. The two had set out into the Sea, trying to avoid anyone else out for an early start.
She’d emptied out her Yvas packs and backpack, to better hold as much as possible… from what Yetrian had instructed. Their two striders frolicked in the space behind the pair, but stayed close enough to keep an eye on their riders. ”Look! Berries!” the boy called, pointing excitedly to something Oryani couldn’t see. Moving up beside her brother, she spotted the short shrub, its leaves dotted with blackberries… or what looked like them. You could never be sure with berries… and she wasn’t confident enough to tell. However, Yetrian simply knelt beside the plant and sniffed one of the things. ”Yup. Smells like a blackberry too…” He immediately began picking the ripe ones of their stems, plopping them into a small basket he’d brought for squishable things such as these. The Chatakwe joined in, kneeling, and tried to find anything that looked full and black… like it was supposed to. She didn’t know what the tiny reddish ones would do, but avoided them anyways… to be simple, she attempted to duplicate the ones Yetrian dumped into the container.
Soon enough, with both their efforts (though mostly her brother’s), they picked all that seemed possible… and had about 20 of the blackberries. Not much, but it would do. Luckily enough, they seemed to have stumbled across a patch of the stuff, and the younger Drykas quickly spotted another bush. ”Here!” he called, before repeating the task. Oryani took the other side, becoming a little more comfortable with spotting and picking the berries. While she was sure Yetrian wasn’t looking, she popped one of them into her mouth, before adding another small handful to the basket. It was slightly sour, but tasted like a blackberry should. It was tempting to take another, but she resisted that emotion, knowing it wouldn’t help in the long run if she just ate all their produce. Anyways… she’d eaten breakfast. She didn’t need any more food… just wanted it.
They made their way through another three bushes in the same manner, picking the ripe berries and leaving the unripe ones to keep growing. The basket was half full, much to Yetrian’s delight. Once they seemed to have exhausted the patch’s supplies, the pair moved on at her brother’s insistence. The pair of horses, which had been nibbling at a patch of dense grass, followed the two Drykas at a closer pace than usual. Oryani found this strange, but only found the reason for it when Khal’s long neck reached around her shoulder. He tried for a bite at the basket she was carrying, but the Chatakwe managed to move it away in time. She shoved the curious stallion’s head away, to show him that this wasn’t his food. The Strider simply snorted and slowed his pace, turning to follow some other interesting scent.
The archer attempted to keep her eyes peeled, watching the ground before them for any sign of… anything other than grass. She spotted a leafy bush once, but it didn’t seem to have any fruit or berries, and Yetrian told her it was relatively useless. She straightened, a little depressed, but another plant quickly gained her attention. It had long, tall stalks, and odd flat leaves. Though there were no flowers, her brother quickly brightened when she pointed it out. He seemed excited by their discovery… but since it didn’t seem to have anything edible, Oryani could only guess why. ”Rosemary!” he exclaimed, naming something the Chatakwe had only vaguely heard of. Taking a deep whiff of the plant, he nodded, grinning. ”Yup… rosemary has a certain smell to it. Smell. It’s not edible, but it’s got medical properties, and is used as a spice… they’ll like this. To pick it, take stalks, but not from the ground… so it can grow again.” She smelled the leaves as instructed, and was startled by its strength. Her nose was stuffed full of the scent, and it was overwhelmed by it… though it was vaguely familiar. She aided her brother in picking stems, cutting them off ¾ of the way down with her nail, as he did.
Yetrian stuffed their collected herbs into one of his Strider’s Yvas bags before glancing around the area in hope of another plant. Sadly, no others could be seen, and they left the spot to continue walking. Oryani was beginning to find this a little dreary… her life in the Watch was full of excitement, but this… little was happening. Basically nothing was happening, actually… and it was quite… boring. Find a plant, gather it, find another plant… and so on. It was tedious, and really… she wondered how her brother could stand it. However, he was the kind of person that enjoyed solitude and the like so… it made a little sense. However, this foraging business wasn’t for her… but she’d signed up for it. Another 40-something days till the hunt was over, and she would finally be able to take a break from this. Great. Just… great. She was going to get so bored she wouldn’t know what to do with herself. Sighing, she rubbed her scalp, and returned her attention to the scene around them.
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