[Flashback] The Hunter's Eye (Zenai)

[Zenai]

Season of Winter, Day 48, 504 AV

“Arrows at the ready!” Zenai nocked his arrow.
“Aim!” Zenai breathed in as he pushed his bow arm out, pulled his drawing arm, with the nocked arrow, with his back muscles. He then half-breathes out and finally, took aim. He held the rest of his breath in as he waited for the order to fire.
“Fire!” The instructor commanded. A hail of arrows fired down the range including Zenai’s as he released his breath and arrow at the same time. He missed.
“That was pathetic. Again!” Tysala Bursar ordered.
“Arrows at the ready!” Zenai sighed and once again, nocked his arrow.
“Aim!” Zenai repeated the process of drawing both his breath and bow then aiming.
“Fire!” Another rain of arrows fell upon the range. He hit the target!
“Better but not good enough. Most of you did well enough but the rest of you would need my attention. Practice on your own and keep in mind of the rules while I make my rounds for those who needed my attention.”

It was winter and there was little else to do than to stay indoors and maybe practice your skills. Alongside his time practicing his talon swords with Shubre Dyson and spending time in the Enclave, Zenai had to attend regular archery lessons and practice to sharpen his skills with his composite short bow. He was still a novice but he, in his own opinion, did quite well. Still, there was plenty of room for improvements and he had the chance to enhance his skills with the composite short bow. Like the other Yasis, Zenai was under the tutelage of Tysala Bursar, a former Endal who had taken to teaching the Yasis and Chiets the way of the archer.

He was glad for the practice and having a familiar atmosphere in which to train in. Tysala is tough and no-nonsense instructor much like the instructors in Syliras. Though it was more than two seasons since he left the knightly order, Zenai still had the martial discipline drilled deep into his psyche. Some of the Yasis would call him uptight but he’s just bringing over the discipline he was taught in Syliras. Was there something wrong with that? While the some of the other Yasis and Chiets are a bit frustrated with fulfilling the perfectionist’s needs of Tysala, Zenai had no problems with it. It was either you quit her lessons or just learn to deal with it and do better so she wouldn’t berate you. It was as simple as that and though she doesn’t seem to favor Zenai, she at least doesn’t berate him as much as the others.

Zenai kept on practicing his archery; not wanting to look like a slacker thus avoiding the stern gaze of the former Endal. Zenai swears that she has the eye of a dire eagle. Zenai would rather do things right rather than face Tysala’s wrath. He repeated the process of shooting a bow; mixing what he learned from his time in Syliras and what he is currently learning from Tysala. Zenai was still getting the kinks out of his mixed archer technique but eventually, he would fine the equilibrium. He breathes in; pushing his bow arm out and pulling his drawing arm with his back muscles. Breathes out halfway while aiming. When he fired, he breathes out completely and relaxes his muscle so it can recover for the next shot.

[Zenai]

Vicky chirped as the magpie sat on Zenai’s head. “Yes, I know my aim is too low. I’m bringing it up a hair or two.” Vickey chirped again. “Yeah, yeah, I know I’m not I’m a bit off with my draw. By Eywatt’s ears, are all you birds critics or something? I guess it’s like the saying that everybody is a critic, even birds.” Vicky chirped insistently. “Piped down, bird. I’m doing it!” Zenai insisted as he readjusted his aim to compensate for the range. His previous shot flew too low and hit the ground before the target. Vicky let out a long chirp. “You know I’ve done this before, right? I know how to shoot a bow for quite a while, you know.” Vicky let out a sharp chirp. Zenai released his arrow at Vicky’s signal. The arrow flew and Zenai watched the arrow hit its target. Vicky chirped cheeringly while hopping up and down excitedly. “Haha. I know right? That was one fine shot.” Zenai didn’t really understand the magpie who was his companion when it was gifted to Zenai by his mother. Somehow, the Half-Inarta could understand the magpie but he concluded it was mostly wild guesses and that he had some kind of mental illness.

Zenai continued to fire off an arrow with Vicky as his spotter. The others seemed to be curious or bothered by the pair. Having bird companions was a common thing in Wind Reach and Zenai had heard that one can actually communicate with birds. He doesn’t know whether they’re pulling his leg or they’re actually serious and it was a fact that one could learn bird-speak. Maybe he will ask for lessons so he could fully understand what Vicky was chirping about. Zenai didn’t mind about the magpie sitting on his head so long as it does its business elsewhere.

There was a certain advantage of having a magpie as your spotter. First off, it could be used to scout ahead for targets and dangers. None would suspect a lone, harmless magpie would be designating a target for a hunter. Secondly, when needed, magpies can be asked to send messages but Zenai would highly doubt they could pay attention for that long. They had the potential but had to be trained. Third, magpies are more compact and efficient for a lone hunt. They would just sit on their partner’s shoulder, or head in Zenai’s case, and wouldn’t be a strain on low ration supplies. They were quite intelligent but they were still prone to their natural animal instincts. Zenai was confident he would train Vicky to be a good spotter.

Vicky pecked at Zenai’s head. “Ow! What you do that for?” Vicky chirped. “Oh right, continue on with practice. Do you have to peck at my head? You can chirp for a reason.” Zenai pushed out his bow while pulling the string with the nocked arrow back. Vicky gave her “suggestion” which Zenai assumed it to aim a little to the left. “Better?” Vicky chirped for Zenai to bring it a little bit lower. “Better?” Vicky chirped her approval. Zenai released the arrow and let his muscles relaxed from the prolong strain. The arrow flew across the range. Zenai bit his lips and wished for it to hit the target. Closer and closer it got to the target, Zenai was about to scream for the arrow to get it over with. The arrow missed. Zenai sighed. Vicky chirped her disapproval and demanded the Zenai tried again. Zenai sighed again and nocked another arrow. He drew his bow and took aim again. It’s going to be a long day…

[Zenai]

“Hey, Zenai. Am I doing this right?” The Yasi next to Zenai asked. “Uhm…looks like it. Straightened your bow arm a bit more… Yeah, that’s it.” The Yasi adjusted her posture and released her arrow. She didn’t hit the bull’s eye but managed to hit the target. She jumped and cheered for herself, obviously marveling at her own achievement. Zenai then turned his attention to his own target. He took his time adjusting and readjusting his aim before releasing his own arrow. He hits the target in the bull’s eye. “Woo! You did it! That was really good! You’re a real expert!” The Yasi cheered for Zenai excitedly. Zenai blushed. “Nah, I’m still quite an amateur with the bow. That’s why I’m here practicing with the rest of you.” Zenai referred to the other Yasis beside himself and the Yasi talking to him. “How do you know my name? Zenai enquired. “Oh, uhm… People talk, you know? You’re a knight, right?” The Yasi said in smattering Common which Zenai concluded isn’t her first language. “I’m Shuena. Please to meet you.” The Yasi introduced herself and it was Zenai’s turn to respond, “You already know I’m Zenai but just to clarify, I’m not a knight. I just came back to Wind Reach from Syliras. My knighthood didn’t go too well so that’s why I’m here.” Shuena pouted as if disappointed with Zenai.

“But you’re so good at the bow. Better than me.” Sheuna commented on Zenai’s archery skill. Zenai wasn’t really that good, he knew and practiced enough to actually shoot the arrow but getting it to hit the target was another phase of his training. “No, no. I’m still a novice. I’ve practiced before in Syliras but they mostly wanted me to concentrate on more knightly skills.” Zenai explained. Though learning an additional combat skill was part of Zenai’s training as a knight, most if not all prefer to wield a lance rather than a bow saved for the mage-knights who wield a whole other set of combat skills. Zenai thought practicing with the composite short bow was a good skill to have especially when you’re mounted. Luckily he did for it proved useful when he came back to Wind Reach and his goal was to be an Endal or one of the hunters that go out hunting food for the people. He also practiced with the talon sword just in case his prey wanted to go melee.

“Show me how you do it.” Sheuna asked Zenai. He assumed she wanted to know how he uses his own bow and arrow. “Alright, just follow my lead.” Sheuna mimicked Zenai’s every move. She followed his stance and the nocking of the arrow. “Breathed in while you push your bow arm out while drawing arm, holding the arrow, is pulled with your back muscle. Make sure you put your bow arm out straight and the arrow is about chin level. Half breathe out while taking aim. Imagine the line of your arrow’s flight. Remember arrows don’t shoot completely straight and would eventually tilt forward then fall and hit the ground. In here, you wouldn’t need to worry about the wind but just keep that in mind when you’re shooting your bows outdoors. Got your target? Breathe out completely and released your arrow.” Under Zenai’s instruction, Sheuna did as she was told and fired her arrow. Zenai and Sheuna observed the arrow as went for the target. It hits and another cheer came from Shuena. “By Eywatt’s sight, I did it. I did it thanks to you! You are so smart and skill.” Zenai assumed she meant “skilled”.

Zenai fired his own arrow in the same manner he explained to Sheuna. He missed. “Awww, I think it was just a bad shot. Come, come, let’s practice together.” She has enthusiastic and Zenai was happy to comply. They talked about many things while they practice shooting their bow. Zenai spoke of his time in Syliras while Sheuna just talked how much she wanted to be an Endal but has yet to gain the skills for it. It has been awhile since he had someone to train with. Most would have avoided him. He was glad for the companionship for it made the harshest of hardship much more bearable. They both hit their targets and cheered loudly for each other.

[Zenai]

“So, you’re the knight?” The former Endal asked. **No. She is solely, ONLY for teaching archery and archery related topics. Also, she's not so free with compliments, especially to someone claiming the greatness of another city. Tysala herself would be the object of envy, not her student. None of these statement reflect proper usage of an NPC**
“Former squire. Not a knight.” Zenai kept his eye on the target.
“Ah right. Interesting.” That’s what they all say. Zenai sighed and disguising it as an exhalation of his breath when he fired his arrow and was able to hit his target.
“You’re quite good at this, aren’t you?” She commented. “I thought knights were all about charging in with their lances and heavy armor.”
“They are but I’ve chosen something different. Add some variety, you know.”
“Very good of you. You remember your heritage even in the midst of another one.”
“That’s what I thought.” Zenai chest puffed out in pride but was also disguised in as breathing in while he draws his bow, ready for another shot.

Tysala continued to have a discussion with the Yasi while he was still practicing his archery. Zenai took great care in his shots, not willing to give the Master any reason to rebuke him as well as answering all her queries to the best of his abilities. ** No. She would not interrogate a mere student about the value of another city. She is a teaching NPC only.** She questions revolves around Syliras and the knights that rule and guard it. Topics such as fighting techniques and philosophy, organization of companies and squads, and other things Zenai was able to shed light on. The only thing he omitted was Windoak and though Zenai is longer of the knighthood, he was honor-bound to not speak of Windoak to another outside the order. Being a close-knit and relatively isolated society, most Inarta would have little idea of the outside world and most would stay as a matter of duty. The area surrounding Wind Reach was a harsh place where a steady supply of food was a luxury even for the Endals so most Inarta would stay to support their friends and family. In addition; due to the constant demand of sending every available hunting party to hunt for game as well as cultivate what little farmland they had, they had little time for anything else but survival. The Enclave, supposed library of Wind Reach, was important but not vital enough to be expanded and have a sizeable staff of librarians and researchers.
**Absolutely not. The NPC I made would not be impressed or jealous of your young Syliran boy of lesser rank-she would be rather condescending if he attempted to speak out of turn, nor would she care in the slightest about a foreign city. She is of higher rank and his conversation wouldn't consist of more than yes Avora or no Avora. This is not acceptable use of an NPC. Please edit these statements and I'll remove my notes. Thank you.**
Tysala seemed to be both impressed and jealous of the Syliran Knight’s achievements. He could understand that since Syliras is where there was a very strong stability in terms of food and job; the two vital things for a successful civilization. Tysala also noted there were some similarities between the two cities. One of those similarities would be its hierarchy; one is elevated by merit of skill and talent, and everyone else who didn’t contribute will be forced to contribute in some way or given the alternative of death. Zenai sighed in relief as he at least was skilled in some way thus important enough to be recognized and have access to some of the finer things in life like more and better food.

“Your arc is a little low. Bring it up a notch. That’s right.” Zenai adjusted according to Tysala’s recommendation. He released his arrow and let it glide through the air. He missed the target and got ready for the punishment to be had. “Oh dear, you missed. Ah well, try again. Practice makes perfect, don’t you agree?” Zenai merely nodded and was happy enough not to get a scolding. “Thank you for enlightening me on Syliras. We will speak more of it later but for now, I need to get back to the other Yasis. Again, thank you for letting me pick at your mind.” She strode off to another Yasi where she corrected him for his poor posture. Zenai went back to practicing and mused a bit; he didn’t mind being interrogated but he wished sometimes that people should go to the Enclave rather than him if they wanted to know about the outside world. If this keeps up, he may as well be a walking book.

[Zenai]

Zenai noticed some of the others are using long bows rather than short bows Zenai expected them to use. Then again, not everyone is cut out to be Endal thus they were limited to footslogging it and hunting game on the ground. Long bows are the best for their range and penetration power while short bows were more for those mounted on either horses or dire eagles. Long bows would need time for their draw as their bow strings were slightly more difficult to pull. This would give long bows a slower rate of fire but greater range and power. Short bows were for those who can scarcely afford a bow and mostly obtained by poor bandits. However, it will come to its own when it is wielded by a mounted rider. Its compact nature and relative ease of drawing making it suitable for mounted archery. The question of range is nullified by the speed of the beast that the rider is mounted on. Using long bows while mounted would have been clumsier to fire so that’s why Zenai had chosen a composite short bow since he was trained to lean towards mounted combat.

Since Zenai was on the topic of bow’s rate of fire, Zenai thought of trying it out. He got three arrows out and ready for him to fire continuously. Zenai took a few moments to breathe some air and stretched a bit. Zenai should have known how far he can shoot by now and trusted his instincts to guide his arrows. He quickly grabbed one of the arrows, nocked it, pulled the bow string and released it. He didn’t wait for the arrow fly even midway through its flight and nocked another arrow. Time was of the essence and he fired the third arrow before he knew it. All of his arrows still flew when he fired all three. Of the three, the second arrow hit the target while the others were just too high. One out of three; not a bad success rate.

Now to do a control experiment, this time he will take at least a second to aim his arrows rather a split second. That should give him enough to aim properly and it’s not like your foe would allow you time to aim at them in a real life-or-death scenario. He got three arrows ready like before and started to shoot all of them in relatively quick successions. This time he took time to properly aim at his target. He lets off three arrows in succession and though a little bit slower, Zenai was a confident that they will hit. However, that confidence was betrayed when all three of his arrows missed. Zenai was disappointed and came to the conclusion that he was still a novice archer who had leagues more to go before he becomes a competent archer and hunter.

[Zenai]

Now done with archery lesson, Tysala saw fit to give them a lesson in bow maintenance. Zenai saw the practicality; you would know your weapon much better if you knew how it was maintained and repaired. Zenai already know how to maintain his composite short bow but it’s always good to have a refresher course. Also, he was in a different place and maybe they do things here differently. Zenai had repeated a mantra taught to him by his former patrons in Syliras This is my bow! There are many like it, but this is one is mine! He didn’t exactly remembered the rest of it but it was enough to emphasize its importance to Zenai.

One of the most important things is not to get his bow wet at all if possible. The bow itself would have its sensitive parts that would be damaged by water and making it more difficult to bend when you draw it. The bowstring also had to be taken well care for; it should not get wet and it if does, you may as well replace it. Of course, the first thing that the former Endal taught was how to replace a bowstring. It was easy enough; Zenai just had to unhook the bow string from the bow itself then replacing it with a new bowstring. Another time you need to replace your bow string is when you see some fuzziness on the bowstring itself. This would mean the bowstring is breaking apart thread by thread. It was safer to just replace it rather than wait for it to break and snap in your face thus causing injury.

Another maintenance step was to wax the bowstring to keep it strong. Tysala each gave them a far of wax to apply it to the bowstring. Zenai dabbed some wax on his bow’s bowstring and then spread it across the bowstring evenly. Using his fingers, Zenai used a small piece of leather cloth to work the wax into the bowstring and to remove any excess wax. He does this until he was confident the bowstring was all nice and waxed up. He then took a piece of cloth just to wipe the dust and sweat, from his hands, off the bow. Zenai took pride at his clean composite short bow.

“Good work. Some of you need some improvement and more time on the ranges but most of you did well enough. Still, don’t get cocky, you’ll need more practice to kill a bear from a distance. Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow. Dismissed!” Tysala made another round around the ranges checking to see those tasked with cleaning the ranges did their work or not. Zenai packed his composite short bow and its arrows into its pack. Sheuna came to join him as he walked back towards the commonrooms to rest for another day of archery lessons. They talked about the day’s archery lesson and how many hits they got. It was a good feeling, training once more with comrades to compete and discuss with. It wasn’t exactly knightly training and Zenai somehow missed the martial disciplines within the order but this was Wind Reach, they do their training their own way. It what’s makes them Inarta.

[Halcyon]

Zenai



Your weapon points are in Talon Sword and Dual Wielding. If you have any points in Archery, or any kind of bow, I don't see any listed in your CS. I cannot award you any Skill Points because you are playing outside of your capabilities. You explain in your solo that Zenai has background with the Sylrian Knights and Archery, but your Skills don't reflect this. Would someone with no points in Archery be able to teach another person? Would someone with no points in Archery be able to even hit the target, much less even get the arrow to leave the bow? Think about these things. (: make some corrections and then PM me, and I will give you some points and lores.

[Gossamer]

Moderator Note: Hello. This PC has been uninvited from Wind Reach due to gross misunderstandings in the character concept and the fact that the character never checked in got a caste assignment or followed any of Wind Reachs' rules. This thread is Null and Void and will not be counted as having existed.