[Training] A better shot (Nehsmay)

[Alistair Trevon]

54th day of Winter, 511

On the outskirts of Endrykas, Alistair dismounted Bay and turned to the targets he had cut into a pair of trees with his dagger. They were quite large, to compensate for his inability with the weapon he now held in his hands. He swallowed as he took an arrow from the quiver. After several minutes, he finally was able to set the arrow on the string and pull it back.

Alistair aimed the shot carefully. He took several deep breaths before letting the releasing the arrow. The arrow soared toward the tree. Alistair watched with awe as the arrow went closer to the tree. He actually thought he might hit the target.

But his enthusiasm failed when the arrow missed the tree entirely by several inches. He groaned and pulled another arrow from the quiver, trying again to hit the tree. This arrow came closer, but still soared past the tree and into the grass behind it. He swore under his breath before taking out an arrow to try once again, determined to hit the target before dusk.

[Nehsmay]

Nehsmay stood with her legs crossed near her tent eyeing her bow and quiver as if the two would spring on her and attack her. So long had passed since she had felt the bow in her arms, pulled on its strings and released her arrows with the bad accuracy she was already used to. It had seemed, at times, that she had started getting better and better, but she was sure that after so long a pause she would be unable to wield her weapon with the ease that she had wielded it in the past. Finally making up her mind, she rose to her feet and picked up her weapons. It would do no good if she stood moping around. She still had 10 arrows and she would buy more as soon as possible. With those 10 arrows she could practice her aim and make sure she was ready for the road. This time she was alone... there was no dire leopard Kelvic to keep her safe, no Dhani to jump to her aid. It was just her and Shade in the vast wilderness. Unless she managed to find a companion she had to make sure she was able to make the journey alone. She knew a pair of trees that she could use as targets... she had spotted them in her numerous walks around the camp. Being on her own had its ups and downs. The Vantha woman kept a steady pace until she neared the trees. The shapes appeared in her line of sight, but so did someone else. A man was already there, with his bow in his hand, targeting the shape of the trees where targets had been carved with something sharp. She wondered whether it would be better to leave and come at another time.

[Alistair Trevon]

Alistair was about to fire when he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. Instantly, he turned his head to the source. It was a woman. She was fairly small, the look on her face suggested that she was young. As he looked at her, he noted she did not seem to be of Drykas descent, but he could be wrong.

"Hello!" He called to her, mainly out of curiosity. He wondered what she was doing here. If he was correct and she wasn't a Drykas, what was she doing so near their city? How had she found her way? Had someone led her to the city?

He noted the bow in her hand and figured out why she had come to this spot. She was here to train as he was. He beckoned her over in a friendly gesture. A smirk was on his face as he turned back to the trees and took aim again. He let the arrow soar, hoping this time the arrow would at least find a part of the tree. But this time it fell short by a couple of feet. Again, he swore under his breath.

[Nehsmay]

Nehsmay remained in silence for a few moments until the man noticed her. Turning around and facing her, he muttered a "Hello". "Hello," she muttered unsure, not knowing what more to say to the stranger. She watched as he turned his attention back to his target and the tree. Nehsmay noticed he looked similar to the other men that lived in the camp, the one who were the inhabitants of Endrykas not strangers like her. Probably he was a Drykas... She smiled back when he beckoned her over, motioning that she could train as well. From the looks of it he wasn't great with a bow, but then again neither was she. Moving closer to him, she stooped at a reasonable distance from the tree and checked the target over. It was pretty large and she was fairly sure she would at least be able to hit it. Then again, considering how out of shape she was even that was debatable. Pulling an arrow from her quiver she placed it on her bow and pulled the string. Feeling it tense under her touch, she waited a few moments, eyeing her target and released the arrow. The arrow flew straight and hit the tree above the carved target. Pulling another arrow she released it and noticed in satisfaction that this one hit the margin of the target.

[Alistair Trevon]

Alistair took a few steps to the side to allow her to shoot. He leaned against Bay's side as he watched her fire at the target. His eyes widened as she at least hit the tree on her first shot. Then her second shot hit the target. His eyebrows raised and he nodded.

"Nice shot." He told her with a grin. He took a few steps toward her, then extended his hand. "Alistair Trevon of the Emerald Clan."

If she knew anything about the Drykas, then she would probably know the members of the Emerald Clan were normally the hunters and were familiar with a bow. He was a good hunter, but he preferred his dagger (which was currently in its sheath on his belt) rather than taking down a creature from a distance.

He took out another arrow to try one more time for he took a brief break from the make-shift archery range. This time he took note of the wind. He aimed high and compensated a bit to the right. With that, he let the arrow soar. To his surprise, the arrow hit the tree, far above the target, but he had hit the tree nonetheless. He shrugged, trying not to show how excited he was in front of the girl.

[Nehsmay]

Nehsmay grinned back at him amazed herself that she had managed to hit the target on her second try. The bow started feeling familiar in her hands once more and she longed to use it on living game rather than a motionless tree. Still, she had no reason to complain at the moment. "Thank you," she replied with a grin and accepted the outstretched hand. "Nehsmay Frostfawn from Avanthal. Nice to meet you Alistair." Emerald clan... something rang a bell somewhere in her mind. She recalled learning something about clans during her first days in Endrykas, but right now the memory was vague. Ruffling her short hair with her hand in order to clear it from her face, the Vantha girl admitted with a guilty voice. "I'm afraid that even though I've been in Endrykas for more than a season and a half I am unaccustomed to its inner workings. I remained mostly on the outskirts." There was no need to tell him that she had no recollection of most of her time spent in Endrykas. Instead she moved to the side and allowed him to take his turn with the bow. Far from being a master of the weapon herself, she watched the way she aimed in order to see whether she could get some tips. "Your aim was a little to high," she could not help but notice. "I take it the bow is not your preferred weapon?" Nehsmay asked with curiosity tinging her voice.

[Alistair Trevon]

He grinned wider at her smile. He had to admit, it was nice to be able to talk to someone around here. "A pleasure to meet you Nehsmay." He told her. He offered her another smile as he turned back to the target. "Avanthal, eh? Hear its beautiful up there."

He grinned. He had never been farther north than Kenath. He wanted to go farther but if the Drykas needed him, he would have to regroup as quickly as possible. It was for this reason he stayed in Cyphrus.

"That explains why I haven't seen you around the city these past few days, I've only been in town for a couple of days, myself." Alistair explained. He looked at his arrow he had lodged into a tree. "You must not be staying long if you haven't learned our ways yet. When you planning on leaving?"

He knew from a certain point of view, that could have been heard as rude. He didn't know what else to say to her. He was never one for making small talk.

"No, this is not my personal weapon of choice. I prefer this." He patted the hilt of his father's dagger. "I was never much of an archer. The hunt is much more exciting if you have to chase your prey." He said with a bit of a smirk. "But you seem to handle a bow alright." He observed.

[Nehsmay]

The Vantha smiled at the indirect praise towards her city. She nodded and started to recall exuberantly the glittering gates that bordered the city, the fires cracking merely at the entrance of the Holds, the stories, the music, the laughter. Memories of her home came back to her and her ruby eyes got a somewhat pink tinge in her excitement. "It's beautiful there," she nodded and continued "though very different from here. Everything is made of ice and snow, glittering in the morning. Music and stories ring everywhere. Vantha people are the best storytellers. You won't find a better storyteller than a Vantha." Blushing at her excitement, Nehsmay stopped her small tirade and grinned back at Alistair. It felt good to have someone to talk to after her self-imposed silence almost two seasons ago. "To be truthful I had been planning to be in Taloba by now," she nodded to his statement than frowned. "Things just got in the way. I was hoping to be able to leave to Riverfall by the end of winter or beginning of spring if I find a guide." She fell silent once more, not really knowing what to say. She glanced at her bow and wondered whether she should try her luck a third time in order to see if she was able to hit the target closer to its center. When she saw him point to his dagger she almost snickered. What a difference between them... he had a bow, but was barely able to use it and preferred the dagger. She was able to use a bow and the only thing she had been able to do with her dagger was cut her hair. "I'm still a novice when it comes to handling the bow. I had no one to teach me and what I picked up, I picked up by myself. If I'm lucky I hit my target. As far as daggers go, the only thing I am able to use them for is cut up meat... and hair," she added as a personal joke. "I had a friend who would have agreed with you about the hunt and the prey."

[Alistair Trevon]

He nodded as he listened to Nehsmay describe her city with pride. He could imagine it, the white snow, the glistening ice...he almost wished he could see it for himself. He took a deep breath as he realized that would never happen. He was bound to Cyphrus for his life. He knew if he were to leave the sea of grass and something were to happen while he was away, he would be shunned for not coming to aid. "It sounds nice." He stated, trying to hide the regret from his voice.

"Well, I dunno about Tabola, but if you are willing to wait a week or two I can guide you up to Riverfall and help you find a guide to Tabola. I was planning on heading up that way anyway." Alistair said. To be honest, he was glad of this coincidence. When he could find it, he like to travel with company.

He laughed at her joke. His dagger had seen many things, through many generations. He himself had used it not only to kill, but to skin his prey to cook. He to had used his dagger to give himself a crude haircut whenever it got too long. He preferred to keep his hair at shoulder length. "As you can see, I cannot hit the broad side of a barn with this bow. My dagger its all about luck and timing. I'm a decent rider though. You can't even imagine a couple of the messes Bay and I have gotten out of."

He gestured to his horse when he said her name. During one of his travels he had managed to evade a glassbeak, granted he still had scars all over his body from that incident, but he had made it until he had found help from a passing group of hunters. He glanced down at his hand where the edge of one of the scars peeked out from his sleeve.

[Nehsmay]

"It is nice, though it can be suffocating at time, especially for those living in it. It's different... here you can almost taste freedom, there you can always see someone frowning at you," she recalled. She missed her home tremendously, but feared she would not be able to settle down after seeing all that she had seen. "I guess I'll have to return there soon and remain there at some point." Nehsmay stopped talking and readied her bow once again. Glaring at the target she released her arrow and allowed it to fly straight, once again hitting the target near its margin. "That would be great," she said in response to his over. "I'm not really in a hurry so I can wait. I was afraid that I would have to try and find Riverfall by myself. The idea was daunting." She remembered the way to Endrykas, the dark tunnels where they had been led by Tain, the suffocating air... she still shuddered remembering them. When he started talking about his horse, the Vantha smiled. Her own horse was near her tent grazing on grass and feeling very proud of himself not that he was cleaner and fatter than he had been in days. "I'm a pretty decent rider too," she smiled. "My mother gave me a Frostmarch an year before I left home. Shade and I have always been together since then and we too got in some really big messes."