Solo [Antinous Training Grounds] Hold Your Breath

[Katelyn Marks]

5th, Summer, 515 AV

"Show me your stance," the Knight ordered, and Katelyn drew an arrow, nocking it to her bowstring. She braced her feet shoulder width apart, twisted to face the target down range and lifted her bow, pulling its string back until it was anchored at her chin. The Knight tsk'ed loudly, and the squire felt the line of her jaw twitch. Her own patron was standing just a few feet away, watching patiently. As a Mage-knight he had never taken the time to learn how to use any long ranged weapons, but when his squire expressed a direct interest, he'd set up a training session with one of his comrades.

Zulkar was Inartan born, and his competence with a bow was almost a given. He seemed quick to judge Katelyn's comparably poor performance with a critical eye, and stepped closer to examine what needed improved. His pokes and prods were sharp, deliberate, and held an air of impatience. This was all so simple to him, and impossible to think of as otherwise, so his automatic frustration was obvious.

The fiery haired man lifted her elbow with a light swat, pushed her belly in, and jabbed her boots with his toes, making her move feet a little closer together. Apparently her definition of shoulder width was different than his. "Nock at the corner of your mouth. Your bow's strength in comparison to the length of your arms means you should draw back farther and anchor toward the mouth, not the chin. Now release the arrow."

Kate's fingers let go without hesitation, and the limbs snapped back with powerful force, sending her arrow flying toward the round rings 50 yards away. The field tip moved with incredible speed and slammed into the outermost ring on the left edge of the target. The squire didn't need to look at the Knight's expression to feel disappointed. She was having consistent issues with her aim. The redhead's form wasn't horrible, but there was simply something lacking. Ser Zulkar seemed to see it immediately.

[Katelyn Marks]

"I see your main issue right here. You're holding the bow far too tightly. Loosen your grip. You need to let the riser just rest in the curve of your palm. The tension when the limbs bend will hold it in your hand without any need for your to squeeze it. Understand? Try." Katelyn was surprised by the simple explanation, and she would never have figured that out on her own. He smiled at the look on her face and motioned silently for her to test his suggestion. When she moved to draw another arrow he snapped a finger. "No need for that yet. Just draw back the string."

The squire complied, and as she drew back the tightly braided sinew, made an obvious effort to adjust the way she held the weapon. "Like this?" The Inartan walked around Kate in a short, quick circle, looking for any obvious flaws. "You're using your arms too much. When you draw back, don't just pull the string and hope the bow bends. Push with your other arm as well, and try to incorporate the muscles in your shoulders and back as much as possible. When an archer just uses their arms, it burns and tires them out far faster. Your biceps aren't made the draw that sort of weight in such a way over and over like that."

Katelyn slowly released the tension in the bow's limbs, not wanting to dry fire and by chance shatter the wood. "Do you want me to draw an arrow?" Ser Zulkar shrugged, motioning for her to continue with an indifferent gesture. The squire wanted to grimace but she could feel her patron's eyes burning into the back of her head, so with quite an effort to do little else than smile, she drew another arrow and placed it on her bowstring.

This time the redhead tried to apply the changes that the Knight suggested, and as she drew back the string with three fingers, pushed on the handle with her other hand and pulled with her shoulders. It felt awkward and unfamiliar. New muscles flexed and protested, but the squire did notice that she could manage to bring the fletching on the butt of her arrow back a little farther. It tickled her cheek a moment before she relaxed microscopically, putting the anchor point just at the corner of her mouth. She focused on the light tickle in the hope of distracting herself from the burn at the base of her neck.

[Katelyn Marks]

"That's good. Now look at your target. Keep your eyes on where you want the arrow to hit, and release." Katelyn's fingers loosed the arrow and it sped down range, slamming loudly into the target. It was closer to the center this time, but only by one more ring. Out of the four, it was buried in the first inner circle next to the outside. It was almost directly beside the arrow otherwise, showing at least some consistent grouping. She let the bow hang at her side, relaxing her muscles and giving them a moment of rest. "That was a good one," her patron complimented and Kate smiled, but the other Knight simply shrugged.

"Better. Not good. Your shots are still veering to the left. Next time do what you just did, but when your ready to fire adjust a little to the right before you release the arrow. Now try again." Katelyn was starting to feel glad that this man wasn't her patron. Ser Moore was a very reassuring teacher during training. Of course magic was a lot different than firing a bow. Still, she seemed to be making obvious progress already, so perhaps she wasn't giving the Knight enough credit.

With that thought in mind, Kate drew yet another arrow. Her target was going to start looking like a porcupine soon. Again the squire nocked, drew, and aimed. Her shoulders protested just a little more this time, but she was able to easily anchor the fletching near her lips again. The bow's limbs bent silently, taught and ready to shoot. "Now a little to the right," the Inartan urged, and Katelyn adjusted the tip of her arrow very slightly. "Release that breath you're holding. It's making you wobble." A loud gust escaped her and her patron grinned. Ser Zulkar motioned for her continue, and the squire loosed the arrow.

Unlike some bows her string made no heavy hum as it fired. The Inartan who'd crafted this longbow had threaded small leather tabs onto her string to absorb the vibrations its powerful limbs created, therefor creating a relatively silent discharge. Her third arrow buried itself about four inches below the bullseye, standing out among the other two like an accurate, sore thumb. A wide smile split across her face and she turned to the two Knights standing behind her. Ser Zulkar had his arms folded, a smug smile on his face. "Much better," the Inartan complimented.

[Katelyn Marks]

"Now keep shooting until you can't shoot any longer," her ordered finally and stepped away, drawing her patron with him. The two fell into a quiet discussion just out of earshot, and the squire grimaced. This was the unpleasant part, but she knew it was coming. Marrick had told her the exact same thing. Thinking about him made her stomach hurt, but it was bound to happen when she picked up a bow. He'd taught her how to shoot. Katelyn sighed quietly--a delicate flare of the nostrils and gust of melancholy air. There was no real use dwelling on it though. She hadn't seen the other squire in over a season now. Thinking about him only made her sad.

To distract herself she simply did as she was told and placed another arrow on the string. Her back flexed as the longbow's limbs bent, protesting against her pull. Katelyn released the air from her lungs as she drew the string back and pushed on the weapon's riser. She could feel the difference, the stillness of her arms without any breath in her chest. With the arrow anchored against her lips she tilted the shot more toward the right just like before, and very deliberately released the string. It snapped and launched the field tip across the gap, which a few beats later buried into the target with a harsh thump.

This one, it was too far to the right. On the general level of the last one, but almost five inches too far over. Katelyn almost stopped to look at Ser Zulkar and her patron but she could feel their eyes on the back of her head. Silently, very deliberately, the redhead drew another arrow and slipped its nock on the string. "Too far to the right," the Inartan chastised, and she felt herself bristle. "Yes," she said simply, trying not to sound sharp. Kate had a funny feeling they were smiling.

[Katelyn Marks]

It was her fifth arrow, and by now she was feeling some noticeable discomfort in her shoulders. The substantial strength of this bow was like nothing she'd shot before, and even if she had, her muscles were not nearly practiced enough to handle the strain. The draw had to be at least 50 pounds. Katelyn pushed out her breath as the feathers came to brush her lips and tried to place her arrow on the path it had before she'd overshot, but this time up a little more. It would be hard to just look and shoot. That took repetitive practice--years of it. There would be no hope of true accuracy for a long time, but everyone had to start somewhere.

So Katelyn loosed the arrow with no real expectations. It slammed into the target just above the shot before last--the one she'd been hoping to mimic and improve. The squire had managed to at least partially recreate that effort, and hit about an inch above. It was the closest to the bullseye she'd ever come. Kate turned to the Knights with a smile on her face, but paused when she saw Ser Zulkar reading over a note. A young Page stood nearby, presumably the messenger. The Inartan looked at her when he finished and frowned apologetically. "I'm afraid out session will have to be cut short. I'm being called away on patrol."

He offered a hand to her and she shook it, nodding her understanding. "Of course. Duty calls." The Knight smiled. "You've improved already, so just keep practicing. You'll get it soon enough." Kate returned the smile, pleased by his compliment. He wasn't altogether the most pleasant person she'd ever met, but for some reason his words held a significant weight. He exchanged goodbyes then with her patron, and just as quickly as they'd met, he was on his way. It was a rather strange affair--short and direct--but she was left with a greater understanding of her bow than before, so it was clearly a successful encounter.

"Lunch?" her patron finally asked, and she shrugged. "Sure."

[Sayana]

Don't forget to edit/delete your grade request. If there's anything I may have missed, please PM me and I'll be happy to look into it.

 

Katelyn

Skills

• Weapon: Composite Longbow: 5
• Endurance: 4
• Observation: 1

Lores

• Longbow: Proper stance
• Zulkar: Inartan knight skilled in archery
• Longbow: Relaxed grip
• Longbow: Incorporate back and shoulder muscles in the draw
• Longbow: Release your breath before you fire
• Location: Antinous Training Grounds

Shield Points

• Training: 4

Comments: Great thread. I loved the detail you put into it and all the helpful tips that Zulkar gave her. Since Katelyn's Patron didn't have much of a role in the thread, I didn't did award shield points for his presence, but there were still points to be had from the training. Also, since you're expert/master in observation, I'm getting more picky. Great work.

Your Grader,

Sayana

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