Completed [Cobalt Mountains]Archery Challenge(Roderick)

[Sei Tendo]

TP: 11th of Fall, 513AV 5th of Bell
Bronze Woods

Sei pressed deeper into the woods, quiver on his back and longbow in hand. He had left all his other equipment at his apartment, and was headed to the starting point. He pushed a low branch out of his path, and listened to the crunch of leaves under his boots. He had worn his leather armor, and was ready to get this show on the road. He had told Roderick that they were only allowed to bring their quivers and bows, and would be disqualifed if they brought their bags, and since they both had daggers, they could bring those as well. He marched through the woods happily, like victory was in his hands, and his features oozed confidence. He had even bought special arrows, in the hopes of aiding his aim. He continued his hike, and remembered the details of their talk at the rearing stallion the day before.

They had drunkenly made up a challenge, and came up with codename "Archery Challenge" with it's own personal slur. They had agreed to meet up in the woods, and would commence the challenge. All he had to do to win was catch two wild game his size or larger and yell "challenge" loud enough for the other to here. You could go anywhere within the mountains, and the catch could be anything. They had laughed, argued, and made up in one night of drunkness. He had agreed not to transform, but had said he wouldn't have to. He still had a hella-hangover-which was probably the same for Roderick-from at least sixteen ales. He'd been emptying his guts the whole night, but had managed to live through it. He was now deep inside the woods, and decided that they would start here.

He leaned agaist a tree, and held his longbow loosely in his hands. His head was beating like a drum, and he wanted to go home and sleep, but his competitive nature wouldn't allow it. He was drunk, but he never revoked his word, and he would wait until Roderick arrived.

[Roderick]

Now that fall had started to close in, the weather outside the city had changed as well; light rains had started, soaking into the leaves about the wood and leaving everything damp and clammy. With each step his boots were released with a wet sucking sound, footprints left behind him, mud caking the bottom of his boots. When he finally reached the drier regions of the wood he was grateful. Taking the time to scrape off the bottoms of his boots against a nearby rock, he resumed his stroll, taking in all the sights and sounds about him. The rains hadn't reached this place so much, on account of the heavy curtain of leaves that stood guard overhead. With the squelching of his boots gone, Roderick's mind was greatly at ease. The tracks he came upon were not those of an animal - he knew that because they had the shape of boots. Stepping to the side so he didn't disturb them, he started walking alongside them; with nothing covering them, he looked a few paces ahead, so he could reach their owner sooner. Taking the time to study each track would slow him down and he doubted he could learn anything from the tracks. As he was going Roderick realized he had the sun to his back, so that his shadow was being cast over the tracks as he drew near them. He stepped over them so the sun could hit them without being blocked, forming shadows that outlined each track in detail. They all looked quite deep - and far apart too. Someone with a long stride? Either they were a heavy walker, or they had been running; those were the only reasons he could think of for the tracks to be imprinted so deeply. Hardly the work of a master tracker - just common sense mixed with observation. As he went Roderick tried to piece together what he could figure out about the person, coming up with very little. If their prints were deep and far apart, they had probably been moving quickly - trying to get somewhere as soon as they could. So he had a long-legged human that had a long, heavy stride. The average merchant wouldn't walk around on his own - he would have a bodyguard or some other kind of hired muscle. Hunters were the main visitors of the wood, so he decided it must have been one of them. Roderick noticed that the tracks were leading him towards where he had agreed to meet Sei. The hunter had lost count of how many beers the Kelvic had swallowed down - and Sei had become convinced that Roderick was drunk too. That wasn't the truth of it, though. Since what had happened with Wade, Roderick had lost his taste for booze - not that he'd had one to begin with. The night before he'd sipped away at the same ale for a bell or two, topping it up from his waterskin every time the Kelvic turned away, giving the illusion he was drinking a lot; after he'd run out of his own water he asked the bartender to keep filling his mug with water when Sei wasn't looking. That had worked for about three bells, until Sei pressed a mug into Roderick's hands and drunkenly commanded him to drink it. Instead the hunter sipped at it, then poured most of it out into another patron's tankard when Sei tilted his head back to drain his own cup. By the end of the night Roderick had drunk enough water to make the Suvan Sea overflow. Sei was full to the brim too - though he was full of piss and vinegar; he'd nudged one patron into another, then sat giggling to himself as the two started punching lumps from one another. When he finally reached the agreed area, he knew the prints belonged to Sei - though he had guessed at the earlier. Garbed in his leathers, with his bow, quiver and knives secured about him, the hunter stepped forward through the undergrowth and, upon emerging, sighted his friend a short distance away, leaning against a tree with his bow in hands. Seems all we ever do is lean against trees. Rolling his shoulders absently as he went, Roderick stepped forward to greet Sei, a smile playing about his lips. Their challenge was both simple and complex; he was to catch two pieces of game larger than himself, then yell "challenge!" at the top of his lungs in the hope the Kelvic would hear him. It was more likely he would scream himself hoarse with the effort and have to trek all throughout the wood to find him.

[Sei Tendo]

Sei grinned as Roderick stepped out into the clearing. He had done well enough to remember not to bring anything but his bow and quiver. He lifted himself from the tree and began to speak. "Sleeping beauty arrives." He teased. He gave Roderick a once over, and relaxed his features into an easygoing look, despite the throbbing of his head. "Well, let's go over the terms. First thing, there are no rules. Second, if you lose, you owe the other person ale. Third, you have to catch two things your size or larger. There's no limitation on how deep into the forest you go. Even when one person has caught two game, the challenge isn't over until we both have two." He said. He held his head and swore. "Isn't that hangover bothering you?" He asked. He rubbed his head and dropped his arm to his side. He took a step back and glared at Roderick.

"You know I'm going to win right?" It was more of a statement, and he hadn't given Roderick the time to answer the previous question. He backed slightly and graoned, his head hurt, but he pushed through it and ran up the path. "BEGIN!" He called back to Roderick.

He took and arrow from his quiver, and placed it loosely against his longbow, which was held firmly toward the ground. He made a few twists and turns, making sure Roderick wouldn't be able to catch up, and slowed to walk. They were deep enough into the woods that the ground was hard and dry, but the leaves were damp enough to dull the crunching sound from before. He stepped carefully and quietly, making sure to keep noise to a minimum. He didn't want to scare any nearby game, and he was careful to avoid twigs as well. He scanned around constantly with his eyes, surveying his surroundings every few yards, and decided to stay out of the trees.

The game is on.

[Roderick]

Unleashing a flurry of words at Roderick, the hunter let them wash over him, finally listening in properly when the kelvic seemed to almost be finished, "You know I'm going to win right?" without bothering to wait and see if he'd get an answer, the other hunter back away and groaned, "BEGIN!" with that Sei took off, rushing away without a backward glance. "Well that went well." Roderick said to the trees. He set off on his own path, slipping away into the bushes. Walking right and heading down a slight incline, he turned right again further down and stepped over a fallen log, then skirted some thorn bushes and found himself at the top of a larger incline. Sliding down to the bottom didn't appeal, so Roderick turned left and wove his way through the trees, all the while searching for any tracks. Finding them was proving impossible, much to Roderick's annoyance. The fact the ground was drier here meant fewer tracks had been made - there would be no breadcrumb trail for the hunter to follow this time. Eventually Roderick came upon a few tracks set down in the dirt; he stepped over them carefully and studied them. He recognized them - but from where? After some thought he recalled them; his hunt with Wade, in the middle of the summer. The hunter walked onward, following them further into the wood. They vanished all of a sudden, leaving him lost and all the more irritated. Roderick turned his eyes toward the area about him; the grass opposite looked like it had been crushed. The way the bushes had been parted hinted that something had forced its way through; the boar? Rising the hunter carefully stepped through the bushes and further into the undergrowth. The canopy overhead became thinner here, allowing rays of sunlight to shine down onto his skin and warm his face. It had also allowed rainwater through, wetting the dirt - now churned up by the boar's stamping hooves. Walking to the right, the hunter looked slightly ahead so he could quicken his pace. As the leafy carpet grew thicker on the ground, the prints became harder to spot, so he had to check carefully for each individual hoof mark. Eventually they vanished altogether, lost among the leaves. Shyke.

[Sei Tendo]

Sei walked slowly through the woods, scanning every which way for any nearby game. To him, hunting was natural, and the number rule was to stay as quiet as possible. He walked silently, sniffing the air occasionally for new scents. His head felt as if it was going to explode, but he pressed on until he found something very suspicious. There, one a thick tree, were slashes, and they were deep into the wood. Their were for incisions, each at four inches apart. He rubbed the bark, and sniffed the air. There was a weird smell, and it was so different from usual scents, he couldn't tell what it was. He inspected the tree, and that's when he saw it. There, beneath him, he stood in a massive paw print, abd there was only one thing he could think of. Bear. There was a Bear in the woods. His mind reeled, and he was stuck between excitement and worry. Worry bevause even though he could take a bear, Roderick was only human. Excitement because this was a rare find. There was only one thing to do.

Kill it.

He broke out into a run, and tried his best to follow the thin moldings in the mud. He began held his bow firmly now, and drew an arrow loosely on the bowstring. He kept it aimed at the ground, and stayed as silent as one could be while running through mud. Unlike Roderick, Sei didn't need the sun to see the thin prints, for his eyes were his better than most. He alerted his senses, and opened his ears to all noise. The tracks were getting deeper, and he realized that they were fresh. If that's the case, I know where to find the bear. He thought smugly. His smile turned to a wicked grin, and he could smell the scent getting stronger. He trudged through the mud, and tried to contain his excitement. Bears were rare, and he could just here the sound of mizas droping into his hands.

He knelt beside the tracks, and tried his best to determine were the bear was headed. After looking in the direction of the tracks, he heard it. First the growl, and just as he jumped back, the claws lashed out, scraping through the mud with ease. He had been so wrapped in his thoughts, he hadn't payed attention to the bears' scent, and when he was safely out of reach, his shirt near the shoulder ripped about an inch. "Shyke!" He swore. He would've been dead now if not for his hearing. Of course, Roderick had probably heard it roar, but hopefully he didn't come. He lifted his bow in a flash, and launched an arrow in the blink of an eye. He turned to run, but his hand jerked, and the arrow dug itself into the bears right leg. The bear let out a mighty yelp and charged him. Needless to say, without his Kelvic form-unless he got a miracle-he was dead. Of course, by him being Sei, that didn't stop him from trying.

He ran until the bear was directly behind him, drew an arrow, sidestepped, and launched it at his moving target. The only reason he hit the bear is because it moved. He aimed for the neck, and the arrow pierced the abdomen. The boar growled, and continued to run. He was the chaser now and running behide the bear He aimed for it's left hind leg. He launched the arrow at the bear, and it wizzed directly past the bear, causing it to stop. It turned it's head, and Sei lifted the bow as it charged him. If he missed he would die. He drew back the bowstring, and when the bear was a yard away, he launched the arrow at the neck.

The bear was still moving however, and he could feel it's weight press agaist him, as the both went down. He closed his eyes and waited for the pain, and when it never came, he inhaled deeply. Something was poking his stomach, and for some reason his shirt was warm. He struggled to get out from under the bear, and had even more trouble turning it over. When he had successfuly fliped the bear, he saw what was poking him. An arrow had went through the bears' heart, and when the bear fell on top of him, he had accidentally pushed it far enough to finally pierce through it. The warm was the bears' blood poling onto him. He inspected the bear, and picked up his longbow. His lowsy aim had saved his life, and now he had to haul it around. He trief to remove the arrow, and when he had removed it, it had cracked. He would have to leave the bear here, and hope that it wasn't stolen.

NoteI just went with it, but this is just mine. From here on out, our posts are basically solos with minor adjustments.

[Roderick]

Picking his way through that gritty carpet of dead leaves soon began to wear on Roderick's nerves. The hunter straightened and stretched to ease the pain in his back. Whenever it was damp and cold the pains in his back started up; a childhood accident while climbing had done that. After a few minutes of pain the slight ache in his spine had died down. During that time Roderick stepped about the area, searching for any sign of the tracks - but there were none. It was as though the boar had vanished into the ground. Annoyed, the hunter tried to find some sign of where the beast had gone, but it was proving fruitless. At long last he found something; near the edge of where he'd lost the tracks he found a half-covered print of a hoof. Elated he started searching about for more. Slowly - oh so very slowly - he uncovered a weak trail of them, leading away from the blanket of leaves further into the wood. Following it as carefully as he could, Roderick soon began to pick his pace up, covering a good stretch of ground in pursuit of his quarry. The tracks thinned again as he neared the edge of an incline - seemingly the same one he'd reached before. It wasn't the same area, so he hadn't gone in a circle, at least. A few moments of brushing through the dirt and leaves revealed the tracks had gone further along the incline; after a few more chimes of walking along beside them they veered downhill, lost among the leaves. Roderick found the descent to be far just as difficult as he had imagined. His boots slid on the scatterings of leaves - made worse by the sharp angle of the hill. He slowed himself several times by grabbing hold of different trees as he skidded past them - at one point falling flat on his rear. Getting back up had been just as painful as the fall. Somehow Roderick reached the bottom of the hill without breaking anything, setting to work on tracking the boar again. A quick search along the bottom revealed grass, dirt, roots and leaves - same as the rest of the wood. Fearing that he had lost the trail yet again, he searched for any signs of bushes being disturbed - grass crushed beneath heavy hooves. When he found nothing he sighed to himself. This was getting him no where. There were other ways of catching prey, though. Roderick reached into the rucksack about his waist and drew out a simple wooden box. Opening it his nose was assaulted by the stench of rot. Wrinkling his nose, he scattered the decaying contents onto the ground near the base of the tree, then returned the box to where it had been before. He opened the little satchel on his hip and drew out a small vial filled with clear liquid. Uncorking it the hunter let some spill free about the spoiled pile lying on the ground, then pushed the cork back into place and returned the vial to the satchel. With that done the hunter backed away to survey his handiwork. He'd had the corn soaking in water for several days and the stench it gave of would be more than enough to attract any boars in the area to it. The vial had been filled with water mixed with boar's sweat; anything that came by would smell the scent of a boar. As for himself, the hunter hadn't washed properly for two days, so that the smell of the wood clung to him more than it usually did. His snare set, he turned and walked some distance off up the hill. When he reached the top he continued on his journey; he counted fifty paces and then stopped, kneeling down and pulling another item from the satchel. Laying it down among the leaves, he pulled a little pouch from his rucksack and tipped it so some of the contents sprinkled out onto the ground. Lacing it back up and returning it to the rucksack, Roderick covered his latest handiwork with leaves, so only his offering could be seen. Uncorking the second vial in his pouch, he dribbled some about the place and then put it away again. Pleased with both works, he turned and walked to a midway point between the two, reaching up to begin climbing a tree. Digging his boot into a lump of bark near the middle of the trunk, he pulled himself up onto the nearest branch, wrapping his legs about to steady himself as he did so. With that done he looked down towards where his first offering was, pleased he could still see it. His second was out of his sigh however, so he began climbing again. Standing up on the branch proved a trial; he wobbled back and forth slightly, as the branch struggled with his weight. Grabbing hold of the nearest limb as he heard a groan from the one beneath him, his boot slipped and for a moment he hung out in the air, legs dangling uselessly. Wrapping both arms about the branch he held, he pulled himself up with a great heave, grunting and panting as he clung dearly to life. When he was safe on the newest branch he took the time to regain his breath and calm the beating of his heart.

[Sei Tendo]

Sei was about two miles away from the bear. He had put an arrow in it to alert Roderick he had killed it, and was looking for a second kill. He pushed deeper into the mountains, and soon enough he found himself anxiously expectant. His head wasn't as bad, but he could still feel a throb every now and again. He assumed the bear of life and death had awakened him, and he was still replaying the situation in his mind. Thank the gods he was alive. His lousy aim had prevented his death, and he was no doubt going to start training even harder to improve. To his surprise, he realized two miracles had occurred. One; If he hadn't had his ears, he would have been dead from the start. Two; His lousy aim. He was still alert, but he couldn't stop thinking about it. Maybe he was improving. He placed his thoughts in the back of his mind, and his bow to stretch. He stiffened his back until he heard a pop, and windmilled his arms to release the built up tension.

When he was done, he drew back an arrow loosely and held the bow to the ground once more. He stepped carefully, making the least amount of noise possible, and continued to roam the mountains. He would love to transform, but he had promised that he wouldn't, and would hold fast to his word. He scanned the area around him, and made sure there was no game around before moving on. He placed his feet on in front of the other, and managed complete silence. As he went deeper into the mountains, the area was dry, and the leaves began to crunch underneath his boots. He decided that climbing trees would be safe now, and found a tree with a thick trunk with plump branches. He could see a big branch, but to reach it he'd have to jump. He bent his knees, and sprang up, reaching for the branch, but lost his grip and came back down. He tried again, and gripped the branch with one hand, and lifting the other, he hoisted himself onto the branch shakily.

When he leaned on the trunk, he was pleased with his perch, and would stay in the trees for the rest of his hunt. Holding on to the tree trunk, he stood shakily, and looked for another branch. He tried his best to leap on the next, and almost lost his footing. He was anxious to get this over with, and he just wanted to go home. When he was at least thirty trees down, he hopped out the tree and onto the ground. He was going to slow in the trees, so his best option was on land, by foot. He continued to scour the area, letting nothing escape his view, and scowled when he found nothing of interest.

[Roderick]

With his breath returned to normal Roderick set about observing where his prey might be. Several chimes passed without incident, while his balance on the tree became more difficult to maintain. Drawing his bow from his back served as a difficult trial, setting his balance off even more. When he finally had the weapon in hand he notched an arrow quickly, having wasted enough time. The ground below was beginning to wobble slightly too. Fear of heights had never been something he'd suffered from, but his body couldn't be lying. He wrapped his legs even tighter around his chosen branch and waited for an even longer time. When the boar finally appeared from the undergrowth, it appeared with company. Roderick watched the boar - a fairly large male - lead a smaller male towards the offering of spoiled corn. The two began greedily devouring it, snorting and grunting. When another boar - far larger than either of the other two - appeared from between the trees and stopped near its two kindred, Roderick couldn't believe his luck. The first boar brought its face up to glare towards the other boar, slowly advancing on it. The two males began facing off, slamming into one another. The younger male joined the other - the father, most likely - in attacking the larger boar. Despite its size the larger beast began to waver in strength, losing ground - and blood - in equal measure. It scored a vicious strike against the younger boar, though, tearing its throat open with its tusks. With its child dead the smaller of the two remaining boars began backing away, giving Roderick all the opening he needed. Drawing his bow was difficult, but worthwhile; the arrow speared the larger of the two through the side, sending it squealing to the floor. By the time he had notched for another shot the smaller one had fled into the bushes, abandoning the corn. Roderick returned his things to their former resting places and began climbing down the tree. Hanging from the branch he had been on before, he lowered himself down carefully to the one below, hugging the tree to regain his balance before lowering into a crouch and dropping down the rest of the distance. Moving quickly the hunter reached where the large boar had fallen, bleeding from its wounds. It wasn't half as dead as he'd thought it. Somehow it struggled to its hooves and turned towards him, eyes full of rage. With no time to ready his bow Roderick pulled it from his back and threw it aside so it wouldn't be in his way. As it charged he drew his knife free and jumped out of its way, slashing at its side. Missing, he cursed inside and paced around to face it again, gripping his weapon tightly; the flametongue would rip its flesh open and bleed it dry - if he could hit it. The boar made for him again; this time Roderick waited a few moments more before he moved aside, scoring a light hit to its side. It whirled about, nearly striking him with its tusks. A hurried jump backwards set him off his feet and rolling over the ground. Pushing himself back to his feet he grabbed hold of his knife - dropped when he fell - and, point facing down, moved towards the boar and stabbed down towards its head. Shifting just before the blow landed, the boar received a nasty slash to the side of the head, blinding it. Moving quickly, the hunter pulled a different knife free and stabbed it into the beast's neck, stumbling away as its tusks slammed against his leg and drove him away. Bleeding all over, the boar finally collapsed to the ground and writhed in agony. He'd lost his grip on his first knife; collecting it from where it lay on the ground Roderick started moving in for the killing blow. Flailing itself around the task proved harder than it should have; after two failed tries, both nearly ending in a bloody wound to his arms, Roderick abandoned the effort and wiped his knife off on a vambrace, sliding it back into its sheath and then collecting his bow from the ground. Setting an arrow in place, the hunter drew it back and aimed for the boar's head; this time, his blow landed, hammering into the beast's head and killing it. The deed done, Roderick rescued those pieces of equipment he could, storing them away for use later. His hunt in this area of the wood finished, he turned and made his way up the hill, nerves on edge from the fight with the boar. Boots sliding on the leaves, he took to maintaining his balance by using his hands to hold onto the roots of trunks of trees - even the very ground at points. Finally cresting the top, he headed towards his other trap.

[Sei Tendo]

Sei trudged through the mountains and wiped his forehead. He resumed his march, and soon enough found a slight trace of a deer. His inhaled deeply, and sure enough the scent piled into his nose. He sprang into action, and used his nose to follow the scent trail. He started to cruch, and his mind raced. He was goi g to win. He sprinted through the woods, and sure enough, a few yards away, a deer had decided to graze. He crouched low, and kept a firm grip on the bow as he advanced toward the deer. When he was close enough, he lifted his bow, and drew back the bowstring. He launched the arrow, and it wedged into the the ground a foot away from the deer. It lifted it's head, and instinctively ran for it's life. He had to chase it down, and no matter what, he couldn't lose sight of it. He began to run, holding his bow toward the ground, and launched an arrow shakily. It veered of, hitting a tree, and avoided the deer completely. He pressed closer, the deer was gaining ground, and each second brought it farther distance until he could no longer see it. He groaned and stopped running, and wanted the throw the bow as far as he could. He instead swallowed and checked the area. The deer had lead him back toward Rodericks' direction, and he could still smell his bear. But something smelled like boar. The sweat was overwhelming, and he knew it had to be nearby.

[Roderick]

Hearing an arrow whiz through the air, Roderick stopped and listened; there was movement nearby - the sound of a second arrow hitting a tree. Moving forwards quietly while taking his bow in hand, he leaned his side against a tree and glanced about it, trying to catch a glimpse of whatever was happening on the other side. When he saw nothing he slowly abandoned the cover of the tree and made his way over to a different one. Stepping carefully onto the dirt and patches of grass and avoiding the leaves, he was fairly sure he wasn't making any noise. After a few minutes of this, he caught the slightest glimpse of something running frantically away into the undergrowth; prey. The poor shooting of the other archer led him to assume it was Sei. It seemed the Kelvic had come across something and tried to take it down with his bow - only to miss and send it rushing off into the trees. He half considered going after it, but decided against it; the Kelvic would be insulted if Roderick were to steal his kill. All the same, it had looked like a deer, from what the hunter had seen, and considering his trap was nearby... With that in mind, the Zeltivan broke into a slight run and made his way through the trees, following the deer. Maintaining his pace, he covered a fair amount of ground, slowing every now and then to check for any sign of where it had went. The feeling of the air streaming over his face and through his hair was exilerating; this was one of the reasons he loved hunting. Chasing down his prey gave him a rush - one which he had grown to love. Arms pumping, chest moving up and down while his boots drummed the dirt, the hunter picked up speed gradually, without thinking, only realizing he was running at full pelt when his lungs began burning. He slowed to avoid tiring himself. No longer rushing, he realized the deer was running off to the left - looping itself back around to where he had killed the boar. Slowing down as he began to falter, he tiptoed through the trees, hugging to the bark and doing his best to regain his breath. His flight had only lasted a few minutes, but the speed he'd been running at had left him breathless and ruffled. Making sure his bow was readied, he narrowly avoided standing on a twig, then stepped around a scattering of leaves and walked over an outcrop of grass. Finally, he found himself hugged up against a tree, looking down towards an area where the deer had come to a stop. From here it was impossible to be sure, but they seemed to be very close to where his previous catch was laid out; if the deer caught the boar's scent, it would run off into the woods and he would have to track it down again.