Gone a'hunt'n[Kovac]

[Kitchi]

Kitchi glanced back towards Kovac as her fingers rested ready to fire. Slow and subtly movements from him brought his palm down in a waiting position and she hesitated. Kitchi threw another nervous glance at the beast, its amber eyes still fixed on Kovac. It was good in a sence, she was out of danger but she still hoped her companion could be spared from harm. The large cat was circling slowly, its head low and fangs bared. They looked razor sharp and likely to make a good weapon, if anyone dared take on such a menacing creature. She shifted slightly, raising the bow higher before lowering it again. Her thoughts conflicted between not wanting to anger the creature and wanting the first strike.
Their was a moment of silence as Kovac started to creep backwards, away from the carcass .Had it bled out? Kitchi wasn't sure it mattered anymore as it was becoming more and more unlikely they would obtain it. The cat leapt onto the deer gracefully, head raising to roar protectively. The roar was deep, it seemed to vibrate the ground almost and Kitchi felt a stab of fear rush through her. She attempted to push the feeling down, it would only hinder them at the moment. She felt eyes turned towards her and glanced back towards Kovac, he had crouched slightly with his sword raised and pleading eyes. He was in a terrible position, the feline was so close to him and she feared any movement would force an attack. Kovac was vulnerable.
Another moment passed with a stillness returning to the air. Suddenly the creature leapt forwards. Its long legs expended in the leap towards Kovac. It hit the ground heavily but was still moving forwards, long strides quickly covering the distance between it and Kovac. The impressively large teeth were bared Kitchi's bow raised but her fingers seemed frozen on the arrow, unable to allow it to fly.
"Now, now, NOW!" Kovac yelled to Kitchi. The desperation in his voice dripping and somehow Kitchi found her fingers unstuck. An arrow started to travel through the air, it spun as it headed towards the creature, mere inches from Kovac's blade. the shot was lower then Kitchi had intended but the arrow lodged itself into one of the creatures paws. It seemed to stop, shrieking from the pain as its amber eyes glanced down at the embedded arrow and its jaws snapped towards the object, breaking it in half. Its eyes turned towards Kitchi and she gulped, the fear was starting to rise again. The cat swayed towards her slightly before throwing its eyes back towards Kovac. It seemed uncertain, hesitant as to who posed the biggest threat to it. In moments Kitchi had prepared another arrow but her hands were shaking slightly as the predators eyes fell back onto her. Mentally she measured the distance, assessing how close before she would drop her bow and grab her dagger, a better close hand weapon. The second arrow flew towards the wild animal....

[Kovac]

To Kovac, everything seemed to unfold in slow motion, the large rashkari barreling towards him, long fangs bared, the arrow leaving Kit's bow, sailing towards the beast. Suddenly, the predator skidded to a halt, snarling and shaking the arrow-pierced paw. Kovac's blade hovered, and he took a step back as the large feline snapped the arrow shaft in its jaws. The predator hesitated only a moment, angry eyes darting from the Inartan woman to the half-blood man. Silence hung for a timeless tick, crystals of snow falling from the limbs overhead around the three of them, the sound of man, woman and beast breathing the cold forest air. Kovac's eye flew between the predator and his companion, every nerve scintillating, adrenaline coursing through his body, paralyzed in the frozen moment. Then the rashkari burst into motion. Kovac was the chosen prey, being closer, and with a powerful lunge, razor-tipped paws outstretched, the creature attacked the Avora.

Kovac readied himself, knees bent to allow him to move and react as quickly as possible in hopes of avoiding the charge, the talon sword raised and ready to strike. Kitchi let loose her missile, her second arrow flying more true than her first, plunging into the rashkari's muscular shoulder, the force of the blow causing the beast to waver just a bit. It was all Kovac needed. Pivoting on one leg, he swept the other back, his body rotating like a door on a hinge, out of the way of the massive striped cat. One paw did glance across the hunter's chest, large claws tearing through his coat and clothing and raking through his skin. Kovac recoiled, feeling the searing pain of the lacerations, but managed to bring the sword down, the blade biting into the creature's other shoulder.

The mongrel staggered backwards and onto his backside as the rashkari roared, the animal careening awkwardly before righting itself. It gnashed its teeth, trying vainly to reach the arrow in its shoulder. Flashing a glowering glare at both Kovac and Kitchi, it shook its great head and bound off again into the woods, trailing blood.

"Petch." Kovac swore as he opened the front of his tattered katinu and torn shirt to see the bleeding gashed in his chest. Thankfully, they were not deep. "That hurt like Hai." He said, looking up at Kit with a gaze of mixed awe and pain. "Nice shooting Kit, thanks." He added, wincing in pain. "Looks like we get to keep our prize!"

[Kitchi]

The Creature gnashed wildly at the arrow stuck in its back, angry eyes flickering once more between Kovac and Kitchi before it turns on its heels and bolted for the comfort of the trees. Kitchi imagined it was heading for its home, to sleep and lick the wounds from the fight. There was an unnatural silence as the nerves and adrenaline started to slow and the reality of the situation hit Kitchi. She was staggered, mentally at least. The fact they had escaped unscathed was.... she cast her eyes towards Kovac. Not so unscathed it seemed. At least they were alive she reasoned as she observed the red blood starting to ooze onto Kovac’s shirt through the ripped fabric.
"Petch." Kovac swore as he opened the front of his tattered katinu and torn shirt to see the bleeding gashed in his chest. Kitchi was to far away to assess the depth as she observed the bleeding wounds with worry. Kitchi stepped forwards slightly, the shock of everything was still curling over her, weighing her down like a sack of flour. "That hurt like Hai." He continued, turning his attention towards her with a mixture of awe and pain flickering through his face. "Nice shooting Kit, thanks." He added, wincing in pain. Any other time and she would have felt pride seeping into her body at the compliment but now was not the time and she barely registered the words tumbling around her. "Looks like we get to keep our prize!" Her eyes flickered towards the carcass lying still against the ground, the life having escaped from it during the struggle.
“Are you okay? That looks very painful” Kitchi stepped once more towards him with a worried expression as she glanced back towards the wounds. Her mind was starting to tick again, the adrenaline seeping away. "Will you be okay to carry the carcass?" It sounded unsympathetic to ask but then she had to think practically, she would not be able to carry it far herself and she preyed that Kovac would, she did not want to risk lingering to cut up smaller chunks in case the creature came back, or worse brought friends.

[Kovac]

Kovac lay upon the cold ground, raised up on his elbows as he pressed his hand against the bleeding wounds. It was unnerving seeing one's skin torn open and one's own blood oozing out. But the beast's strike had, fortunately, only grazed him. Still, the winter chill did not seem to slow the bleeding. His eyes lifted to Kitchi, and he saw the unsteady shock in the young redhead's gaze. Looking down again at his chest, he nodded in response to the huntress' questions.

"Yeah, it hurts, but the freakin' cold is kind of numbing it. I will be alright, but I need you Kit. You will have to help wrap something around it." When Kitchi brought up the matter of carrying the carcass, he blurted out a short, derisive laugh. Her concern for her partner was less than heartwarming, but they were both hunters, and Kovac understood Kit's concern about returning with their prize. "Well, yeah, but you are going to help, aren't you?"

Sitting up, the mongrel hunter shook off his katinu and carefully stripped off the ripped shirt. He winced again at the pain as the wounds were stretched in the process. He shivered a bit from the exposure to the cold air, the olive skin of his muscled torso taking a lighter cast in the chill. He ripped two thin strips from the hem of his shirt, where it was still intact, and wadded up the rest of the shredded garment into a makeshift bandage.

Holding the strips of cloth up to the Inartan, he nodded. "Now, I just need you to tie these around me to keep the bandage in place, then we can get that deer into the open and signal for the riders."

[Kitchi]

Kitchi stood still as Kovac stripped the shredded remains of his shirt from his body ad started to craft it into a bandage. When he shivered against the sudden expose to the cold she felt herself move forwards slightly, uneasy. What was she suppose to do? It wasn’t every day that you are faced with a bleeding, half naked male lying on the floor in the frozen over forest. Her ocean blue eyes studied Kovac’s movements as he continued to work on the makeshift bandage, the blood stained shirt seemed to ply to his will and Kitchi watched with surprise. it’s a good thing he knows what to do at leastshe mused to herself, she had no knowledge of medicine or treatment and the situation rendered her rather useless, a feeling she hated.
"Now, I just need you to tie these around me to keep the bandage in place, then we can get that deer into the open and signal for the riders." She eyed the strips that had been torn from the edges of his shirt for a moment before stepping forwards and taking them from his hands. The strips had started to unthread slightly, tiny strand of the fabric falling loose. They felt rough against her skin. Kitchi moved forwards, glancing down at the bandage pressed against his chest. There was a hesitation to her before she knelt besides him, working the tattered threads around the bandage carefully, she didn’t want to knock the wound and cause any more injury. The heat he radiated made her aware of just how cold she was in the white blanket of snow that covered everything.

[Kovac]

Kovac could see the hesitation in his companion, the sight of his wounds, or the fact that she had to dress them, seeming to make her a bit squeemish. He needed her help, and now was not the time to go squirrely. The half-breed put on a smile, hoping to ease her discomfort. "Come on Kit, now is not the time to get shy on me." She had certainly seen Kovac without a shirt before. Within the warm warren's of Mount Skyinarta, the men of Wind Reach rarely wore shirts. As for dealing with the bloody wounds, well, a hunter had to know how to handle situations like this. Time for the young woman to learn...trial by fire.

Screwing up her courage, Kitchi took up the strips of cloth and settled next to Kovac in the snow. He winced a bit as she wrapped the strips around his torso, but made a snarky comment to try to hide the fact, knowing she was afraid to hurt him. "Nice trick, luring that rashkari here to attack me just so you have an excuse to put your arms around me." The smile he gave the huntress, however, was not a flirtatious one, rather, one that was encouraging and grateful.

Kitchi snugged the ties around the bandage, and Kovac leaned on her a bit as he stood up, picking up his katinu and donning it again. He looked at the deer carcass, then back at his companion. "We are NOT leaving this!" Digging into the deep pockets of his katinu, Kovac produced a bundle of cord. Tugging at the mess, he separated out to distinct lengths, handing one to Kit and keeping one for himself. Gingerly, the mongrel knelt down by the deer, bound its front legs together with one end of the cord, leaving the rest free to pull with. "Get that end tied up, then we can drag it out of here and get picked up."

[Kitchi]

Kitchi watched as the now standing Kovac produced the bundle of cord and started to drag lengths of it from the coiled mess it had been wrapped into. One of the measured lengths was thrust into her hands and she swiftly moved towards the carcass they had worked for, nobody could argue that they did not deserve it after all their hard work fighting off the large fanged cat. Despite her earlier trepidation about having a hunting partner she was glad to have him now, there would have been no way she could have gotten the large mass of meat back to the Endals, nor gotten it from the creature.
"Get that end tied up, then we can drag it out of here and get picked up." Kitchi glanced towards her companion, the front legs of the deer had already been tied together and Kitchi was almost surprised by the speed at which he worked. Perhaps i'm still in shock She mused as she began to tie the cord around the hind legs, her limbs started to loosen and work much more fluidly then before, the recent attack had started to wear off properly. Once done her own knots Kitchi pulled at at them slightly, checking its stability before glancing back towards Kovac.
“Ready for this? Are you sure you'll be okay?” She glanced hesitantly at her companion, searching for any twinge or flinch of pain that signalled he was not. Mentally she tracked the way back through the forest towards the clearing searching for anything that signalled difficulty. Nothing immediately sprang to mind, the way had been fairly clear of fallen trees or difficult jumps. “That way” She pointed towards a nearby clump of trees through which they had originally came, trusting in her sense of direction.

[Kovac]

The hunter's secured the lines to the deer carcass, its legs bond rear and front. Kovac looked up again at his redhead companion. She was slight of build, but fit, one who ventured into the Unforgiving for a living had to be. But when Kitchi asked if he was ready to haul the kill out of the woods, the mongrel groaned inside. His wounds stung, and the blood was already seeping through the makeshift bandage.

"Petch yes I am!" He lied unconvincingly. Kovac looked off in the direction the girl indicated, and looking again to her with a less than convincing smile, he leaned to and tried to give the load a tug. His end shifted a bit, and Kit caught up. They dragged the deer several feet, Holding the lines over their shoulders and tugging. The effort stretched Kovac's lacerations, causing exquisite pain. "That is not going to work." He quipped in frustration, his face wincing at the pain as he looked down again at the spreading crimson stain.

Looking around, the half-vanthan spotted a long limb laying on the forest floor. It appeared to be fairly fresh, rot not yet setting in. Pointing he directed Kitchi. "That, grab that, give me the end." Once the huntress complied, Kovac ran the thick branch between the front legs, and then the back legs of the deer. Looking up again to Kitchi, he grabbed the end by him at the head. "You get that end, and we can carry it on our shoulders, do you think you can do that?"

[Kitchi]

Kitchi noticed the seeping wound before Kovac seemed and she wondered if she should mention it. Pain would occasionally flicker across his face but he seemed to be coping. Was it worth loosing the time to stop and re-evaluate his wounds? Uncertainty swirled around her mind as they continued to move, slowing through the trees. Eventually Kovac lay the deer down and seemed to acknologe the seepign wound. Part of Kitchi was annoyed that they had to stop but another part was relieved that her companion would not have to suffer still. His eyes scanned around before landing on a large limb, it was fairly straight and long without too much rot. "That is not going to work." Kitchi was confused by the command but moved forwards towards it in silence. She grabed hold of it, weighing it in her hands. It was not terribly heavy but seemed sturdy. Kitchi started moving back towards Kovac, handing over the long limb. She was surprised when she watched him hooking it through the legs to form a sort of bar. Kitchi almost slapped herself for being so stupid and thinking about it.
"You get that end, and we can carry it on our shoulders, do you think you can do that?"
“Of course. Perhaps I should have the front though?” She queried. The front of the deer was heavier with the larger shoulders and antlers weighing them down. “We don't want to strain your wound” Part of her was worried that his ego would be offended but it was the most sane thing and she was sure she could carry it with the added support. She moved her body towards the front of the deer, starting to shift the bar onto her shoulder.

[Kovac]

Kovac started to protest as Kit moved to the head of the deer, insisting she carry that end. She was right, it was the heavier end, and the huntress was a rather petite woman. He wondered if the head would drag as they carried it. But a sudden hitch in his side convinced Kovac to try Kitchi's way, and he stepped back to take up the other end of the limb.

"On the count of three..." Kovac instructed. "One, two ...three!" The hunters hoisted the kill up, resting the pole in their shoulders. It was easier on Kovac, not straining and stretching his wounds as much. Kitchi was impressive, the small woman proving to be more fit than he gave her credit for, as they began to move again through the forest. Small steps, careful to step over fallen limbs and roots. The going was slow, and Kovac kept an eye on his companion to ensure she was doing alright as well. They halted a couple times, letting the deer down to give their shoulders a rest and to check on Kovac's bleeding.

After what seemed a bell, the hunters emerged from the woods, into the open meadow where the Endal had dropped them. Once far enough in the open to be seen. Kovac let his end of the deer drop, and he fell to his knees. He was pale, less like his olive-skinned self and more like the Inartans. Pressing his hand to his side, he felt the blood soaked bandage, a few crimson drops staining the snow beneath him.

Looking up at the huntress with a shallow grin, he tried to joke. "Red really is my color, isnt it?" Kovac hoped the Riders would return soon.

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