Completed Archery Training I

[Roderick]

50th of Summer, 513 AV Roderick pulled back the string of his bow and stared down the shaft, eyeing up the tree opposite him. When he released his grip the arrow hissed at him and shot off through the air, biting into the bark and vibrating for a moment before going still. He'd met a Myrian girl the day before and they had started talking about combat; the chance to ask about her people had been too good an opportunity to miss, he'd felt. So now here he was, waiting for her to arrive - hopefully fully clothed. The last time he'd seen her, she'd had a vest and loincloth on; no matter where he looked, whether it was her sleek muscled legs, the curves under her vest or the shifting colors of her eyes, he found it impossible to curb the attraction that bubbled up inside him. Their meeting led to him offering to train her at archery - for a price, though; he needed all the money he could get. He set his bow against a tree and started jogging around the clearing, willing the blood to flow into his limbs. He counted up to four as he went, falling into a rhythm; One, two, three, four - One, two, three, four. He'd found that doing it made his mind go blank, letting him focus on the movement of his legs, the breath flowing in and out of him. His lungs started to hurt after a time, so he slowed himself down, coming to a stop in front of his things. He dropped low and did a few push ups, half a dozen in total, bringing warmth and heat into his shoulders. Lowering himself down to the earth and then pushing himself back up sent small wafts of earthy air into his face; it was cool and refreshing on his face. He rose and stretched himself, relieving his strain; it was becoming a routine he did everytime he trained. Leaning against the rough bark of a tree, he waited for Kaie to arrive.

[Kaie]

It was pathetic really, how her skills with a weapon so often used in Falyndar were practically nonexistent. Kaie remembered she once was a decent shot. She could usually fire the arrow on frame as a child. Hell, she'd even killed a few creatures in the jungle on a hunt. Since then much had changed. The Myrian woman had left the bow behind, opting for weapons that require close quarter combat. It was simply the idea she could see the light go out of an enemy's eye that made the gladius and daggers more appealing. It caused her to work with them more. Even the spear took precedence. Of course none of that was to say she didn't appreciate the weapon. Kaie knew the advantages of long range. Off on her own in foreign lands, battling new enemies, Kaie had decided she needed a long bow again. It was well overdue.

The Myrian woman was still living in the Cobalt Mountains when she made that purchase. Perched in a tree or taking cover in the brush, Kaie did her best to practice the art again. More often than not, she was well off target. She had thought the form was all correct. Feet spread, tall posture, and bowstring pulled back to her chin. Still for one reason or another, her arrow veered from its path. Rarely did she really get it just right. It was her frustration that lead her to finally agree to let a barbarian, Roderick he was called, reteach her. She never searched for him of course. He had simply just gotten her on the subject and well...She took the bait.

Kaie was dawning her usual attire on her way to meet her teacher. Loincloth, vest, and cloak all present. Oh, and barefoot of course. Long brown hair fell over her dropped hood in variations of loose curls and waves. Chocolate brown eyes scanned the forest harshly, wary of anyone who might be lurking in the trees. She was always aware of her surroundings. It kept her on her toes, adrenaline fresh in her veins. It was a way of life she enjoyed. Always waiting for the next rush.

She stepped through the foliage, doing her best to keep quiet. It certainly wasn't the jungle, but everything in these woods were dry. Leaves crackles and parched twigs snapped with every step. The Myrian was working on limiting her sound pollution. After all what sort of hunter would she make if she scared everything off? Kaie trudged on quietly until she reached the area Roderick had specified. Upon entering she found him.

The guy was finishing push ups when she first spied him through the thick branches. By the time she officially entered he was leaned upon a tree waiting for her. The Myrian paced forth several steps until there was a comfortable distance between the two. Then she dropped her cloak to reveal her longbow in hand and a quiver on her back. She eyed the man expectantly, soft features paired with a natural intensity. Finally, she spoke.

"Well here I am, Roderick. What do you plan to do with me?" Kaie asked casually with a crooked smile, withdrawing an arrow from her quiver and placing it on the bowstring. She pointed it down toward the ground, awaiting his lesson to begin.

[Roderick]

The Myrian walked towards him and then stopped a few feet away. She dropped her cloak to reveal her longbow in hand and a quiver on her back. Her look was expectant, her soft features somehow still intense. After a few moments of them watching one another she spoke. "Well here I am, Roderick. What do you plan to do with me?" she gave him a crooked smile, withdrawing an arrow from her quiver and placing it on the bowstring. She pointed it down toward the ground, awaiting his lesson to begin. Roderick straightened himself up and walked over towards Kaie; he'd heard Myrian women were very taller - more so than their men - but this one was shorter than him. He supposed that was because of his own height, though. It didn't stop her from looking fierce at points; if it came down to close quarters she'd knock him to the dirt before long. He thought of what he was going to show her first, then settled on eye dominance."Do this," he held out his hands in front of him, so the thumb and forefinger formed a triangle in the air, the Myrian's gaze locked on him through the shape, "And look at that tree through it," he jerked his head to a tree over to the left, "Then move your hands further back until they're touching your face. Trust me on this - this is probably the most important thing."

OOCThis test will establish which eye is most dominant; as the hands get further back they'll start to gravitate towards whichever eye is best, 'til they're right over it. If she's right-eye dominant she'll hold the bow in their left hand and pull the bowstring with their right. If she's left-eye dominant she'll do the opposite.

[Kaie]

Kaie stared at him for a moment. She was waiting there like she expected him to break out into a laugh and shout "just kidding!" Unfortunately for her, it didn't appear like this was a joke. Roderick was dead serious. He actually wanted her to make some ridiculous shape with her hands? The Myrian watched him through his demonstration with disbelief. How was making a shape going to help her practice archery better? She should've known better than to agree to take lessons from a petching barbarian for Myri sake...

Nonetheless she did as he asked. Forming a triangle with her hands, she started at arm's length. Chocolate brown eyes peered through the space she made to focus on the area across from her. A specific branch actually. Then she slowly began to draw her hands closer to her face. Finally, her hands gravitated a bit more to her right eye though she hardly noticed. When she hit her face she stopped. Dropping her hands then, she looked expectantly at the boy for further instructions. Maybe even some sort of explanation. She was eager to get to the bow.

"Now that you know I'm coordinated enough to make a triangle and touch my face, what's next?"

[Roderick]

The look the Myrian made the corners of his mouth twitch up in a smile. She watched through his demonstration in dumbfounded silence, staring at him as if he'd sprouted a second head and started doing cartwheels around the clearing. Even though she seemed put off she still mimicked what he'd done; forming a triangle with her hands, she held them out at arm's length, peering through the space into the distance, then moving them gradually back towards her face - her hands edged themselves to her right eye. When they bumped against her face she lowered them and turned and looked expectantly at him - the intensity in her eyes still shook him. "Now that you know I'm coordinated enough to make a triangle and touch my face, what's next?" He felt himself smile, "It tells us your right eye is dominant, so you'll hold the bow with your left hand and draw the string with your right." Roderick retrieved his own bow from the tree nearby and returned to her side, "we'll focus on the stance next," he told her, planting his feet on the ground, "Left foot front, right foot behind. Arm up and facing the target," he kept in the stance so she could see it, "You need to stand so you're anchored to the ground, but not so its uncomfortable."

[Kaie]

So her right eye was dominent. Yeah, she could've definitely told him that herself. For a few moments she was questioning how above her the kid really was. Nonetheless she let him continue if only to humor herself. She held the bow in her left hand and mirrowed his movement. Left foot in front, right foot behind. It was sort of like her sparring position yet more side on. She waited then, watching the man's body position one more time before adjusting herself accordingly.

The Myrian felt comfortable. She bent her knees a bit, bouncing almost before returning upright as he was. Next she shrugged her shoulders some to rid her body of the tension. When she was prepared, she watched him. Waiting for him to give further instructions.

[Roderick]

Roderick watched the Myrian girl take her bow in her left hand and mirrored his stance; left foot front, right foot in back. She turned to watch his stance again and then returned to adjusting her own. Kaie seemed to become comfortable after a little more shuffling, bending her knees slightly and then straightening and moving her shoulders about to release the tension there. When she was done she turned and looked at Roderick, waiting for him to continue the lesson. The hunter obliged by drawing an arrow from his quiver, "I'm guessing you already know how to do this part?" he nocked the arrow on smoothly, though not too quickly in case the Myrian didn't know, "Try loosing a few arrows to practice your stance," he told her, "It doesn't matter if they land - getting your stance right is more important right now," he paused to think, "You don't want to hook the string with your fingers - it'll make the arrow move about - and you want to have your knuckles at the corner of your mouth when you're at full draw-" he stopped himself from continuing; the last thing the Myrian needed was for him to spurt out a long explanation of how to use the bow and expect her to somehow absorb all the information. "Stance," he told her, "Loose a few arrows, then start worrying about where your fingers are."

[Kaie]

The savage woman considered what was said for a few moments. Watching the man and how he moved with the arrow. Eyed the way his fingers grasped it and then loaded it onto the string. So knuckles were the key? How could she have forgotten? Still in silence and thinking about his instructions, Kaie shuffled her feet some until she was satisfied with her footwork. She inhaled deeply, then placed the arrow onto the bowstring when she exhaled. The Myrian paused for a bit before finally raising it. Pulling back so her knuckles reached the corners of her lips, as told, she aimed. As a moment of thinking about her stance she was prepared to fire. Upon releasing her hold, she watched the arrow whiz through the air exuberantly. She lowered her hands, following it all the way...Until it hit the ground a few yards out.

She tried again, adjusted her stance several times, and then repeated the process. Pulled the arrow back with her knuckles to her lips. Fired. Same outcome. Frustration crossed her features and she turned to her instructor as if to say "what am I doing wrong?" though not a word was spoken. She had let a few arrows fly, but they had largely gone no where. All she could hope was that Roderick did know how to fix her problem.

[Roderick]

The Myrian watched silently as Roderick showed her what to do; when he was done she shuffled her feet about, stopping when she was comfortable. She sucked air down into her lungs and nocked her arrow, breathing out as she did. She paused before finally drawing back the string to her cheek, stopping to aim; after a few moments of silence she released her grip on the string and he joined her in watching the arrow shoot off through the air; it stuck itself into the ground. Kaie tried again, adjusting her stance several times and nocking another arrow. She pulled the string back to her lips and loosed. The arrow joined the first in the dirt. She turned to him in frustration, expectantly waiting for him to help her. "Don't grip the bow too tightly; it makes the arrow lean off to the right or left," he told her, "And keep your arm up until the arrow's landed - dropping your arm too soon can make the arrow curve down," he nocked an arrow and assumed his stance, "Breath like this," he laid his first finger above the arrow and the next two below it on the string, exhaling slowly. He drew in a breath as he brought the bow up to full draw, so the string brushed both the corner of his mouth and tickled against his nose as he took aim. He tightened his back muscles, kept a firm grip on the bow and relaxed the hand holding the string, then moved his fingers away and watched the arrow shoot through the air, and stick itself viciously into the target. "Don't hold too long," he said, "You'll put your aim off," exactly how he could improve the range of her shot alluded him right now; most likely she just didn't have the proper strength for it. "Getting the range will take awhile," he told her, then carefully said, "I think it's more to do with technique than strength right now - you're not lacking in arm muscles." he scratched his neck absently, "Lift your arm up a little higher and try again - that ought to help keep it in the air - and put your back into it."

ThoughtIt's just occurred to me that the difference in height between these two might prove a problem; Roderick is holding his bow higher so it's starting at a higher point and so it has to fall further before it hits the ground; Kaie on the other hand is shorter and not as high up, so it doesn't have to fall as far to hit the ground. Just a random thought - it's probably completely wrong.

[Kaie]

Watching his arrow sail straight into his target, it was all she could do not to throw up her hands in exasperation. He was such a decent bowman. Roderick couldn't have been too much older than her either. Yet how could a barbarian prove so successful in an area she struggled? Sure she was alright with the weapon once, but she'd certainly lost her touch. Well actually it ran. Screaming. Regardless she should've recovered far quicker. Quick enough to rival him at least.

Kaie quirked a brow at him before turning back to her task. She stared down at her target, a large tree, and focused. Inhale, exhale. Breathe in, breathe out. And then she was ready.

Alright. So don't hold the bow too tight. Don't drop your arm. Breathe like she showed you and don't aim too long. Oh, and stop making yourself look like a petching idiot. Great pep talk. Now go.

The Myrian rearranged her stance once again with new found concentration. When it seemed correct she loosened her grip on the bow so it was moderate rather than tight. Then she removed an arrow from the quiver and notched it upon the bowstring. Inhaling, she lifted her bow and drew the string back. With her knuckles around the arrow pulled to her lips, Kaie aimed. Within a moment of finding her target she was ready. Exhaling, she released the arrow to watch it soar through the air. She held the bow where it was until she watched her latest attempt crash hopelessly. Dropping her hands to her sides seemed like the more mature thing to do. Really she just wanted to chuck it on the ground and pound it into the dirt with her heels. The arrow had just veered right of its target. Not to mention the fact she completely over shot it into the thickets.

"How the petch do you get that thing to fly straight?"