72nd of Fall, 509AV The Bronze Woods, Just outside Stormhold, Syliras Region 10:14AM SNAP! Erick let out a sharp cry, dropping the bow as he shook his hand out. ”Petching hai, that hurt!” Nearby, Sera Eliza Goldmane let out a sardonic chuckle, casually resting against a tree with her arms folded in front of her. The young squire shot her an injured look. ”What’re you laughing at?” ”You, boy. I’m laughing at you.” She pushed herself up off the tree and bounded across the short clearing to Erick, standing next to him as she examined his handiwork. When they had first arrived to the clearing that morning, Eliza had used a knife to carve a simple target into the side of the broadest tree. Not a single arrow had found the mark yet, arranged in a wide circle that impressively enough seemed to include not only the ground in front of the target tree, but every tree next to it. Eliza whistled, narrowly resisting the urge to burst out laughing again. ”Quite the eye you’ve got, Erick. I certainly feel sympathy for anyone that happens to be standing next to your target.” His cheeks burning slightly, Erick quickly stooped and snatched the longbow off the ground, letting out a sigh. ”I don’t get what I’m doing wrong.” His patron took a step back, her arms folding in front of her again as she nodded curtly to him. ”Alright. Go on, show me your draw.” He brought the bow up, hesitantly pulling another arrow from the quiver and nocking it, hearing the audible click as it locked into the bowstring. He began to slowly pull back, holding the shot a moment. ”No, no, no.” She waved her hand, and on command, Erick relaxed the bow as she stepped around, picking her own bow up and quickly nocking an arrow. ”Look at my bowhand.” The boy peered as instructed as Eliza continued. ”You don’t need to hold on to the thing for dear life. Let it rest just so, on the webbing here between your thumb and index finger. The rest of your hand should be relaxed.” With a quick head motion, she indicated to Erick to step back, and he promptly did so. The hollow twang of the bowstring as it snapped backwards reverberated through the air, followed by the oaken thud of the arrowhead as it slammed into the target. It wasn’t dead in the center, but it was at least inside the lines - more than Erick had managed to do yet. Eliza motioned to Erick, and he nodded, stepping up to the line Eliza had drawn in the dirt and preparing another shot. As he did, the Sergeant-Knight stepped behind him, using her hands to gently adjust the position of his arms. ”Remember, don’t hold the bow drawn more than an instant. The longer you hold the shot, the less accurate you will be. Draw, mark, and release. One motion.” |