Solo [Job Thread] Hunting for More Money

[Besnik]

Besnik 57th of Winter ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ The following day Besnik had already decided he’d be going out to find Charm Wright’s house and enquire about the mission to Darva. He’d yet to inform Valo of his decision, but he’d do that once he’d confirmed what the expedition was and figured out how to bring the topic up to the artist. Before that, however, he wanted to earn a bit more money. He wasn’t sure when he’d leave, if he was going to, and thought it best to earn something now while he still had the chance. He didn’t know whether he’d need any money or not, but it was always better to be safe than sorry. He was once again trekking through the forest skirting Zeltiva’s borders, heading outside the city. He knew from a little experience that there was better prey further out, less disturbed by those living in the city and given the chance to grow properly. The day was fairly cold, a near constant wind coming in from the ocean, so he’d worn his shirt, trousers and cloak. They’d been deposited now, along with his game knife, left by the roots of a tree before he changed forms. He’d covered ground relatively fast, heading in the same direction as last time in search of a rabbit warren. The man he’d previously sold his kills to had paid a fair price for them, informing him that he’d happily buy again should Besnik ever have more. The Kelvic intended to take him up on that offer. He panted lightly as he trotted through the forest as a steady pace, taking joy in the feeling of being back amongst the wilderness. He’d always found himself more at home away from civilisation, but necessity and curiosity meant that he’d had to venture into various cities, Zeltiva being his latest refuge. His tail swayed back and forth behind him, body relaxed; he wasn’t hunting yet. Nature was subtle, slight signs showing what humans often felt the need to say out loud. The occasional deer stood comfortably as the predator passed, watching with mild interest, and a couple of hares stood up to keep an eye on his movements. None of this usual prey ran, aware that he had no interest in them. The canine continued through the trees, an orange blur amongst greens and browns. He headed further out into the forest than he’d done before, the scents of the city only barely there by the time he began to slow down. As he stopped, his proportionately large ears twisted in an attempt to pick up any nearby sounds. His nose dropped to the ground and he lifted a couple of leaves with it, searching for any smells or evidence of a warren. He lifted his weight higher on his toes and crept slowly, sniffing around. Keen eyes looked over the ground and ears perked as he spotted droppings a couple of metres away. He bounded over, spotting a few footprints recently left in the mud. With a sly look he caught the scent and followed, looking out for tufts of fur and the odd footprint. Besnik froze suddenly as a rustling bush to his right turned his ear. His head jolted up and he caught the movement with his eyes this time around. Licking his lips, he lifted one slender paw carefully. This was the part of the hunt that required skill. It was exciting and he could feel adrenaline rushing through his muscles as they tensed. He picked his way slowly, silently; toward the bush he was sure the entrance to a warren must be located behind, focus solely on stealth. His heart leapt in his chest as he gently pushed past the leaves and a rush of the scent of prey filled the air around him. A drop of saliva left the corner of his mouth as the smell brought forward memories of food, leaving him with an almost there taste of rabbit in his mouth. He was partially hidden behind the bush still, but from his position he could see a number of lazy rabbits eating and lying around, with the entrance to their warren between himself and them. It was a perfect set up; the wind blew towards him, carrying his scent away from the unsuspecting prey, and he could jump over the warren entrance, blocking their path and chasing them away. His back arched and his weight shifted to his back legs, eyes alight with joy as he pushed off. He sprang through the bush, gleefully watching the rabbits turn with wide eyes and frozen in place. He landed with good balance and bounded forward just as they realised what was happening and scattered. He barked out, sounding like a yapping dog combined with a cawing crow, and struck out with his paws and teeth in a flurry to try and injure some. One of the rabbits darted away and he followed in a straight path, not put off as it zig-zagged away. His eyes narrowed in concentration as he gained, time seeming suspended as it always did in a hunt, as he took a last spring forward. To an onlooker the entire thing took a messy couple of seconds of kicked up dust, resulting in the canine holding a cleanly killed rabbit by its snapped neck in his mouth. As he had to carry it back in canine form, he’d planned on only taking one down to carry back. However, he saw a second limping towards the hole in the ground, its back leg affected by a harsh swipe the dhole had given earlier. He bounced over and landed on it with ease. The cold weather and frost was when he hunted in his element, other animals’ senses dulled and muscles weakened in the cold. In the summer his kill ratio was much lower, the heat on his fur hard to hunt with even when it shed. He’d probably attempt to learn to hunt in his human form this year. His teeth clamped down on the rabbit in a quick snap, ending its life. He lifted it in his maw and trotted back to the first kill, opening his mouth fully to take the scruff of the other into it as well. The Kelvic headed back to the outskirts of Zeltiva, time passing easily as he ran in his canine form. He dropped his kills and quickly changed forms, the transition simple. He dressed, the cold chill in the air still present. Picking up the game knife, he sat back on the ground and laid the pair of rabbits on their sides next to each other. Skinning them was easier than the first time round, the knife working better in his hand as he remembered where to cut to get the fur off cleanly and peel it away from the muscle. The matter of slicing said muscle so that it was in neat squares was harder, the pieces irregular in size and cut in jagged lines. Around half a rabbits worth was lost, parts he deemed too cut up to be sold as he tried to figure out the best application of pressure. As a canine he could simply eat all of it without bother, making the job of deciding which parts to keep difficult. Eventually, he managed to get a decent amount of meat that should earn him some money. Aware and able to smell the slightly faster than usual rotting of the meat, Besnik chose immediately to head to the docks where he’d found a man to sell his kill to last time. Luckily he found the right place, memory serving him correctly, and he approached the familiar man with the offer of the meat. “I’m not sure this time, son,” he was reply, “not got much money.” The Kelvic frowned a little at this, but tried to convince him, “The quality is as good as before; freshly caught, skinned and cut this morning.” The man considered this for a moment, before giving in. They discussed money, haggling with prices, before settling on a cost. Money and meat were exchanged, the two parting ways. Besnik grinned, pocketing the coins and heading back to where he was staying. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ||Besnik|| ||3 years|| ||Kelvic|| ||Bondmate - Valo||