Once the fire seemed to have truly started, a glance was thrown in Khara's direction to see where the scout had gotten to when she needed her. She still seemed occupied with the task that Azira had given her although she'd taken the time to drop off some new wood so that the huntress could keep the fire going. She still needed the fan though but for the moment she could improvise. The teen started to fan the smoke by hand and blow it to help direct it down into the tunnels beneath the ground. She didn't think that it was working too well, her simple means doing little to change the smoke's path. More of it ended up in her face than where she wanted it to go. The huntress was left with watering and stinging eyes and was set coughing every so often although she tried to control her breathing so as not to inhale too much of the smoke.
It was a relief when the Chiet appeared with a bundle of twigs and leaves that seemed to be the fan that she had come up with. She added some more wood to the fire, snapping bits that were a little too big over her knee. Once the new fuel was added, she took the makeshift fan from her companion and set to work. It moved the air better than her mouth and hands had, the movement of the smoke far more noticeable. It was used to beat the smoke back down into the hole, to stop it from rising out and to try to force it towards the inner chambers of the burrow below. The heat increased as air was fed to the fire and after a few chimes she had to add a little more fuel. It was burning fiercely now, spewing noxious clouds that would have set the Avora coughing again if she'd been forced to breathe them in instead of the rabbits. As it was it seemed to be doing its job.
Whether it was heard or felt, there was something going on below ground, a mass movement of the wildlife below. It became more noticeable as more smoke wafted down the hole and she could almost feel the ground shaking as her prey started to move. They'd bolt out of their home at any moment now but if all went well they'd end up in her traps instead of running to their freedom. She allowed the fanning to continue on automatic while she looked around, searching for signs that her traps might have been filled as the sounds continued below. From here the huntress could make out where her nets were placed although she couldn't see into them, only the edge of them. She searched with twitches of movement that would suggest that she'd captured one of the bunnies.
She gave the fire another few fans for good measure before putting her makeshift fan down and getting to her feet. "Now we see what we've got. Snare first 'cos that can only hold one at a time and if there's anything in it I can kill it and reset the trap," she told the scout. Even though the rabbits beneath her had already been disturbed and spooked she kept her steps as light as she could to sneak over to the snare. If she wanted to catch a rabbit in it she didn't want to go tramping around above it and make the rabbits keep away. The teen walked as briskly as she dared and kept her tread soft, dropping into a crouch as she reached the hole with the snare in it. Peering in she spotted a brown furry lump within.
"Gotcha," she exclaimed triumphantly, reaching in to take the small cage from the hole. The trap was opened and the animal withdrawn squirming into the open air. It was pinned firmly with one hand while the other targeted its neck, the edge of her hand slamming hard into the side of its neck with an audible crack. It went limp. The dead rabbit was dropped off to one side as she set the trap up again and replaced it carefully in the burrow entrance. "Have a rabbit." The dead animal was picked up and thrust it at the other girl. It was held out until the other took it, her eyes moving to the nets as she waited for Khara to react. They were still empty. Azira frowned.
They definitely should have bolted already, the sounds below were quieter now and yet the only had one rabbit. They couldn't resist that smoke any more than she could in their situation. It'd be terrible if they died below ground instead of making their way up to the surface. She opened her mouth to tell the Chiet to go back to the fire to waft smoke when a rabbit came flying out into the nearest net, the creature striking it with enough force that the stakes holding it in place seemed to be in threat of being pulled loose. She hurried over as her prey started to wiggle out of a hole that it had somehow managed to find. A growl escaped her as she lunged for it, scrabbling for it as it came free and tried to pull out of her hands.
Wrestling a petching rabbit, she thought wildly as she struggled to hold it. Better to finish it quickly. She drew her hunting knife quickly and stabbed it in front of her and aiming for the rabbit's head. It caught its ear instead, a mewling sound escaping it and a hiss coming from the huntress as the blade nicked one of the fingers on her right hand. She drew it back to suck at the injury, the animal temporarily pinned but it was quickly ripping itself away, hurting itself and suffering in silence in its desperation to escape. It was held down, the knife drawn from its ear before it could rip free or the point come free from the ground and sawed the edge across its throat savagely, catching a blood vessel and spraying blood everywhere.
Once it had stopped twitching she picked it up, shook it as if to get rid of the blood and offered the messy creature sheepishly. "That could have gone better but it's dead now."
It was a relief when the Chiet appeared with a bundle of twigs and leaves that seemed to be the fan that she had come up with. She added some more wood to the fire, snapping bits that were a little too big over her knee. Once the new fuel was added, she took the makeshift fan from her companion and set to work. It moved the air better than her mouth and hands had, the movement of the smoke far more noticeable. It was used to beat the smoke back down into the hole, to stop it from rising out and to try to force it towards the inner chambers of the burrow below. The heat increased as air was fed to the fire and after a few chimes she had to add a little more fuel. It was burning fiercely now, spewing noxious clouds that would have set the Avora coughing again if she'd been forced to breathe them in instead of the rabbits. As it was it seemed to be doing its job.
Whether it was heard or felt, there was something going on below ground, a mass movement of the wildlife below. It became more noticeable as more smoke wafted down the hole and she could almost feel the ground shaking as her prey started to move. They'd bolt out of their home at any moment now but if all went well they'd end up in her traps instead of running to their freedom. She allowed the fanning to continue on automatic while she looked around, searching for signs that her traps might have been filled as the sounds continued below. From here the huntress could make out where her nets were placed although she couldn't see into them, only the edge of them. She searched with twitches of movement that would suggest that she'd captured one of the bunnies.
She gave the fire another few fans for good measure before putting her makeshift fan down and getting to her feet. "Now we see what we've got. Snare first 'cos that can only hold one at a time and if there's anything in it I can kill it and reset the trap," she told the scout. Even though the rabbits beneath her had already been disturbed and spooked she kept her steps as light as she could to sneak over to the snare. If she wanted to catch a rabbit in it she didn't want to go tramping around above it and make the rabbits keep away. The teen walked as briskly as she dared and kept her tread soft, dropping into a crouch as she reached the hole with the snare in it. Peering in she spotted a brown furry lump within.
"Gotcha," she exclaimed triumphantly, reaching in to take the small cage from the hole. The trap was opened and the animal withdrawn squirming into the open air. It was pinned firmly with one hand while the other targeted its neck, the edge of her hand slamming hard into the side of its neck with an audible crack. It went limp. The dead rabbit was dropped off to one side as she set the trap up again and replaced it carefully in the burrow entrance. "Have a rabbit." The dead animal was picked up and thrust it at the other girl. It was held out until the other took it, her eyes moving to the nets as she waited for Khara to react. They were still empty. Azira frowned.
They definitely should have bolted already, the sounds below were quieter now and yet the only had one rabbit. They couldn't resist that smoke any more than she could in their situation. It'd be terrible if they died below ground instead of making their way up to the surface. She opened her mouth to tell the Chiet to go back to the fire to waft smoke when a rabbit came flying out into the nearest net, the creature striking it with enough force that the stakes holding it in place seemed to be in threat of being pulled loose. She hurried over as her prey started to wiggle out of a hole that it had somehow managed to find. A growl escaped her as she lunged for it, scrabbling for it as it came free and tried to pull out of her hands.
Wrestling a petching rabbit, she thought wildly as she struggled to hold it. Better to finish it quickly. She drew her hunting knife quickly and stabbed it in front of her and aiming for the rabbit's head. It caught its ear instead, a mewling sound escaping it and a hiss coming from the huntress as the blade nicked one of the fingers on her right hand. She drew it back to suck at the injury, the animal temporarily pinned but it was quickly ripping itself away, hurting itself and suffering in silence in its desperation to escape. It was held down, the knife drawn from its ear before it could rip free or the point come free from the ground and sawed the edge across its throat savagely, catching a blood vessel and spraying blood everywhere.
Once it had stopped twitching she picked it up, shook it as if to get rid of the blood and offered the messy creature sheepishly. "That could have gone better but it's dead now."
Nari | Common
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