Flashback Getting away for awhile

[Finn Lempo]

Wildlands

Spring 498AV


The ground was still damp with dew, he crouched low as he stalked through the brush. He focused on not stepping on twigs or any other dead foilage. The air smelled of spring, yet it still held a hint of winter. The cool air made his exposed flesh prickle. The grass which lacked dew, were the animal had been. As he climbed to the top of the hill his prey came into view. A young stag stood eating some of the long grass. He crouched down, and readied his heavy crossbow, his knee crushing a fallen twig. The stag looked up, and at him. He sucked in a deep breath and squeezing the firing mechanism. With a tang, and a swoosh the bolt flew, less than a moment later it was embedded in the flesh above the stag’s shoulder, the beast gave a small buck and flew into the thicket. A sharp sigh escaped his lips as he ran after the buck, his crossbow under his arm. He stopped where the stag had been. He spotted what he was looking for nice blob, of bright red blood and began to follow the trail. With the missing dew and the blood trail it was relatively easy to follow. He ducked under branches and thrashed through underbrush.

He spotted the wounded beast ahead, several meters from where he’d shot it. It lay in an awkward position. His hind quarters still standing while his front crumpled. It frothed at the lips, white mixed with red. It made a terrible gurgling wheezing sound. He approached cautiously, knowing that it could still kick. He set down his crossbow, and pulled out his kurki from the hem of his pants. He grabbed hold of its pitiful rack to stop it from jabbing him. He drew the blade across its throat, the blood spilled across the long grass. He let it bleed out for a moment, or two while whipping his blade across his trousers. He slid his knife back and drew his skinning knife. He grabbed the stag by its genitals made an incision and drew the blade down its stomach. Pulling the bolt from the beast, he went back to its stomach. Cutting back the flesh, he pulled the organs out with another few quick cuts they fell free. He’d leave most of them for the other predators of the forest. An offering to those who guard the wilderness. He cut around the front legs, and began to vigorously cut the leg from the body. A few hacks and the leg was separated. He set it to the side, and then went to the other leg, and did the same. He moved to the rear quarters and removed them quickly. He went back to the throat cut, severed muscles and tendons, and a few cuts, a sharp pull the head came free. Setting it to the side, he went back to the organs removed the heart and liver, and left the rest, though most could be eaten. He set them back in the empty cavity, and deboned the legs, removing the meat, then set it in the cavity. He did each one of these for leg. The meat and organs sat peacefully in body, he pulled out his rope, made two holes through where the shoulders and the body met. He made a mock harness and began to pull the body back towards his camp. It weighed a lot, the harness always dug into his shoulders he pulled the carcass for almost a league.

[Finn Lempo]

There his tent was pitched, a small circle of rocks for his fire, and a tree perfect for raising his carcass. He had been lucky to even find this stag, the past four days he’d been struggling to find anything to shoot, missed a few hares. He dropped the harness. Removed the organs and meat and set them in the grass and untied the few knots he tied. Using the same holes to cut into the body, he raised it up so that the open cavity was at his head. He began to skin the body removing all the hide from the flesh. The Hide was holy at the end, he hadn’t yet been able to successfully remove it without destroying it. Setting the hide off to the side, he began to make his cuts, removing the ribs, he cut off the front shoulders, and removed the flesh from the rest of the body including the back straps. It took him almost three hours, until he was done. He sat down, the sun had passed its crest and was on its way home. He set out the kindling and started his fire, it took several strikes and a few nests to build his fire. He set a large flat stone on the center of the fire, supported by smaller stones. He fed twigs and small bits of wood under the flat plate. He set down his first set of meat and began to cook his supper for the night. He cut the rest of his meat in smaller chunks and deboned the ribs, when he had nothing but bones with meat scraps he tossed them off to the side. He dropped the carcass, and moved it away from camp while his meat cooked. He drug it a ways, and hung it again. When he arrived he found his meat was slightly burnt on the one side, he flipped it and sighed.

[Finn Lempo]

He’d been told sometime ago how to dry meat, though most of the details failed to come to him, he knew it had to be thin, but couldn’t remember how thin. With that, he filled his rucksack with the meat he had collected and climb the nearby tree. He laid out the cuts, some thinner than others all of them in various thickness. He began his way down, slipped and fell. The air pressed out of his lungs, he layed for a moment dazed. He rolled over pushed himself up still trying to regain composure he moved to his food and checked his meat, it was overcooked but good enough to eat. He pulled off the hot meat and let it cool before enjoying a slightly crispy venison steak. Afterwards to kill sometime before night he went through the woods and collected kindling. Eventually he found himself loading his crossbow and practicing shooting a few of the bones from a ways off.

[Finn Lempo]

He set them up on a fallen tree in varying distances. He shot his first bolt and struck the closest bone, it cracked and fell off to the side. The next target he nicked its side and sent it flying off to the side. His third bolt missed entirely. He set up this small course and ran through it several times, eventually his bolt struck the furthest target and the shaft shattered. He ran to the target dropping his crossbow to find splintered wood and the iron tip embedded in a rib. He pressed his hand to his forehead and sighed, he pried the bolt head and walked back to camp, grabbing his crossbow from the ground. He went back to his tent, loaded his crossbow, and layed down on his bed roll. He retired for the night.

In the morning, he relieved himself and crawled up the tree to check on the meats, they seemed alright, the more plump ones didn’t seem to want to dry, instead they took on a different color than the other ones. As he looked he noticed one had began to turn rancid, he threw the slice away and continued to maintain his meats. He scaled down the tree almost losing his footing once more. Later he went through the forest searching for edibles, he was scared to pick a mushroom they all looked similar and he couldn’t tell the good ones from the bad ones. He finally found something he recognized blackberries, he ate a few and collected the rest in his rucksack, he moved back towards camp when he heard a noise he looked in its direction and another man, they both had discovered each other at about the same time. He went to draw his sword no words said by either, but before he could Finn let loose his bolt which had been aimed for his mid section and it embedded in his chest, the man fell over with a groan. He stood for a moment, his heart thumping in his ears. The bolt stuck in his chest, he didn’t move he didn’t wheeze the man was most likely dead. He didn’t move for what seemed like days “What just happened? I killed a man… maybe I should go back to Nyka and tell someone, the constable.. no.. no one can know what happened here.” He moved over to the man, and pulled the bolt from his chest, he checked the tip, to make sure it was intact, and slid it back into the quiver after a quick cleaning. He picked through the mans pockets and found a few bronze mizas. He put his arms under his shoulders and pulled the man, towards a rotting tree where he managed to push part of the fallen wood onto his body, he plucked foilage and tossed it onto his body, concealing most of him. He was a ways from camp and he took off at a quick pace, it grew quicker as it turned into a run. He arrived at his camp his body sweating, a sheen of sweat on his brow, he wiped it away with his sleeve and sat down. He reloaded his crossbow, and checked the bronze he’d collected. He felt a rush, when he looked down they were a reminder of what happened. Yet instead of regret he felt… excitement.

[Finn Lempo]

Later that day after some target practice a snap of a twig caused him to look up from him enjoying a snack of blackberries. Two people stood, each one carrying a weapon. One an axe the other a bow. “Hello there, you seen a man in this general area? We’re looking for a friend who we’re supposed to meet out near here.” He looked from one to the other before deciding his move, his crossbow was loaded but a stretch away. “Well, I might know, but maybe a silver miza or two might help me remember..” There was a hesitation before the larger one with an axe answered. “Are you kidding me boy? I’ll cut you down where you sit, you tell me now or I’ll thrash you. When he mentioned the thrashing he remembered back to his dad, a small laugh escaped his lips. It wasn’t funny, just his nerves. “I’ve been thrashed by women who are scarier than you, you old fart” The man stepped forward, but not before lept from his spot, and grabbed his trusted weapon, he whipped it up and aimed it for the mans chest. “Take another step and end up like your friend out there.” He stopped and in almost a growl said “You killed him you little curr?” With a quick thought he saved himself No, but he got it bad about three leagues of here and to the west. A pack of wolves, maybe a bear” The man, lowered his axe, he spoke “Take us there and I’ll pay you well.” Finn took them in the opposite direction of their friend, or who he supposed their friend. As they walked he kept his crossbow down, though the bowman had an arrow notched. They later stopped so he could take a “leak” they allowed him his crossbow due to the “wolves” When he stepped behind the tree, he waited a moment before he came back around, they were sitting the Axeman was sharpening his weapon, the bowman had unknocked his bow. He fired a bolt into the head of the axe man, a very lucky shot, before pulling out his kirki and set upon the bowman. The two tussled and rolled about for a while. For being 16 he was large and the bowman was small and frail feeling, they couldn’t be much older if not the same age as him. The two wrestled until, he managed to come out on top. His legs splayed on either side of the one belwo him. He went to plunge the knife down and the other boy managed to stop finn. There was a struggle as he tried to push the point down and into the other’s throat. He freed a hand and used it like a hammer to push it further down and ended his life.

[Finn Lempo]

He rolled off and panted. Three deaths, one day. He hopped that the reward was on their person. After a while Finn recovered he searched their bodies and found, that the boy was actual a girl. On their combined person they had no miza, but did have a bit of cheese and bread. He packed both of these up and left leaving them in the open. He collapsed back at his camp and fell asleep, when he woke the sun had almost set, crushed berries were littered around from the initial contact. He climbed his tree to find most of the meat was bad, only a few very thin scraps were okay. Though still squishy. Instead of dinner he went to bed.

When he woke he broke his fast with the cheese, slicing of chunks with his knife and enjoyed them slowly eating each piece. The cheese made him want to return to the city, if not only for a few days. He climbed the tree, and found only four strips of the meat had turned out right. The he left the bad chunks and crawled down. He packed them up, with the rest of the cheese and the bread. Took down his tent and picked up his bedroll. He tied it to his backpack and headed back to town, a three day journey.