[Thunder Bay] Commiserating Hunters (Azira)

[Kovac]

Kovac went about making the best of their temporary shelter, the storm picking up ferocity outside. The sturdy little shack held up surprisingly well against the driving wind and pelting icy rain, constructed to withstand the harsh Kalean winters. He glanced a time or two at the moping young huntress. Once she stopped her barking, sat down and relaxed, Kovac could see something else nagging at Azira in her beautiful golden eyes. It was said that Inartan's with gold eyes once lived as a Wind Eagle. Azira certainly had the temperament of the legendary proud eagles.

Something was bothering her, aside from being stuck in a little shack with a stranger during an ice storm. Maybe, Kovac thought, the teen wasn't always such so mean-spirited. Perhaps, there was a reason she was snippy. The tempered tone of her voice suggested her ire at him had waned, and that she was willing to converse or, at least, listen to him talk.

Kovac sighed, finding a rag and drying off his bow. "You don't have worry about niceties with me. I am not much for formality, or for small talk either, really. But, its going to be awkward for us to sit in silence and try not to look at each other. That is going to suck. So..." He sat in the chair across from her, bow on his lap as he dried it with the cloth, "...we might as well talk. That way I can look at you and it not be creepy." He teased, giving her a small smile. "I know I don't always bring out the best in people, but I believe you are not always this angry. From one hunter to another, whats eating at you Azira?" It was a risk of sorts, his question rather personal for someone who barely tolerated being in the same room with him. But, they had both confessed they weren't into idle chatter, so they might as well get things out in the open.

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[Azira]

   

He was looking at her, really looking at her as if he was analysing her. She fidgeted uncomfortably feeling all the world like an insect being watched through a glass, complete with discomfort. Azira seriously wished he wouldn't do that. She was angry anymore, more melancholy, and so she couldn't bring herself to snap at him. It seemed as if it would take too much effort and she just couldn't be bothered, being perfectly honest. 

Her thoughts were in danger of slipping back to her humiliation when he spoke, making her start a little in surprise. She nodded to show that she understood what he was saying but she didn't laugh at his attempt at teasing, just stared blankly at him. The huntress didn't see how it was funny, it just sound creepy. He was far too much like every man she'd known well, something she wasn't at all comforted by. Perhaps she'd been wrong, maybe he had been just looking at her like every other man, always superficial.

When he asked her what was wrong, her gaze snapped to his, surprised by how perceptive he was. Apparently he had been paying attention then. She shook her head in answer. "I don't want to talk about it. It's too...embarrassing," she mumbled. The teen realised though that everyone would know soon enough anyway, at least part of the story-the fact she couldn't shoot-when she was reassigned. The Avora hunters in particular would hear all about it so there was no harm in her telling Kovac, not really.

"I...I can't shoot anymore," she whispered, her voice so soft that she wasn't even sure if he'd heard her. Her cheeks warmed and she dropped her gaze to the fire.

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[Kovac]

As Kovac looked at Azira, he saw her discomfort, the bristling defensiveness and virulent glowering had faded. That is when the older hunter could see the true hurt in her furtive, golden gaze. He knew he was right, something was eating at Azira, deeper inside, that had manifest in her lashing rebukes and ill-tempered demeanor. Now, quieted, the attractive Inartan seemed to be weighing him, kind of like Kovac was of her, as if determining whether her companion could be trusted, or was serious in his concern.

Kovac could almost see the resignation in the teenager's features, a slight slouch to her lean shoulders, when Azira decided to speak, though her confession was reluctant, barely audible over the frigid storm raging outside.

"I...I can't shoot anymore..." The huntress' gaze dropped in humility to stare into the small fire.

He knew a little of Azira, passing comments from other hunters. The young Avora was reputed to be a skilled hunter, though her aim with the bow was still rather novice. She was the opposite of Kovac, it seemed, who was not the best tracker or hunter, his forte was making the kill. Still, Azira was a hunter, she knew how to shoot, and that just didn't go away one day.

"I find that hard to believe. You can't unlearn to shoot. You obvious are strong and healthy, so you are physically able to use a bow. What makes you say that you all of the sudden can't shoot?" Kovac's tone had softened, lacking any sarcasm. It was a serious self-accusation for Azira to make. A hunter that could not shoot was not going to remain a hunter for long. That left the chance that one could be tossed to a lower caste.

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[Azira]

   

The huntress didn't answer him immediately, still reluctant to talk about it, especially the cause behind it. He wouldn't understand how she could end up in such a state, how her ability could be lost to her. She didn't fully understand how it had happened herself but it was true. 

"I still know how to shoot, I just can't. I shake too much," she said, finally breaking the silence between them. She gazed at her hands as if seeing them for the first time. They had begun to tremble slightly at the mere mention of archery. What was wrong with her? What was she going to do? She looked up at Kovac then, her gaze begging him to understand.

"I had a hunting competition with a...a Yasi and I l-lost. I lost. I couldn't stay so I came here. Now I can't shoot," she mumbled, wringing her hands before her. She was expecting the hunter to laugh at her. Imagine a hunter losing to a Yasi! They rarely had the skill necessary to take on a hunter but yet Erade had not only posed a challenge, she'd beaten her. It didn't matter how narrow a defeat it had been, it had still been one.

She peeked at the hunter around her hair cautiously before dropping her gaze to the fire once more.

x

[Kovac]

As the hunters huddled over the warming brazier, the howl of the frigid storm bellowing outside of the little shack, Azira finally revealed the source of her dismay. Defeat. Inartans were a proud people, fiery and not given to taking losing lightly. Azira came across as especially proud, making her defeat at the hands of a Yasi a particularly devastating blow. But Wind Reach had no place for insecure hunters, and the Unforgiving was just that to those who were not confident in surviving.

Kovac looked at Azira's small hands as she opened them. They bore the callouses along the base of the fingers indicative of one who regularly gripped a bow. And they trembled. The subtle shaking was not the shiver of cold either. He looked up to catch the golden gaze of the saddened girl from behind the veil of long crimson hair before her eyes dropped to the fire.

The half-vanthan cast his own gaze elsewhere, and nowhere in particular. He had heard of hunters losing their nerve, some traumatic event shaking their resolve. Stress, injury, loss, could all wreak havoc on a hunter's confidence. Often, they were sent to the Dreaming Lady, or to the baths to snap out of it. But Kovac and Azira had neither hallucinogenic volcanic gases nor a hot bath in which to relax, not even a bottle of wine.

Azira was a good hunter, that he had heard. Her skill with a bow was still growing, and Kovac knew that some of the Yasi in training had a talent for archery and advanced quickly, so he was not surprised that one of them bested Azira. But then again, it was not an indicative test, in Kovac's eyes.

"Some of the Yasi are very good, they have a knack for archery." He started, poking at the fire with a stick. The smoke lingered near the ceiling, escaping through a hole on the corner just below the roof. "But they are not hunters, Azira. Take that same Yasi that beat you and take them out into the wild and tell them to find game and kill it, well, he or she would likely end up empty-handed and probably dead." He looked up again at the attractive young huntress. "Your value is in what you bring to Wind Reach. Shooting at a target brings no value to the city. It is a training exercise. But you are a skilled hunter, from what I hear. Don't let a contest, a game, rob you of your worth, and steal from the rest of us the food you bring to our table. You are a hunter of Wind Reach, and you can shoot. Not only shoot, but find prey, track it, bring it down and dress it. I would go hunting with you anytime, I have that much confidence in you."

Kovac ended his pep talk, meaning every word. There was no place for self-pity when winter was coming and food stores were in need. Azira would hunt again, or be demoted. As abrasive as she was, Kovac did not want to see that happen.

[Azira]

   

The man was trying to comfort her. She was surprised but also grateful towards him for his attempt. It made her feel a little bit better. She found herself nodding reluctantly in a agreement as he talked about how the girl would be unable to manage out in the field as she herself did and she hoped that that wasn't entirely true seeing as she was supposed to bring Erade hunting. Azira laughed bitterly then. Here she was worrying about how the Yasi would fare at hunting when she herself might soon find herself out of her position. 

"I suppose you have a point," she admitted grudgingly but she still felt uncertain. Her cheeks flushed when he showed his willingness to go hunting with her. She smiled faintly at him then, wishing that she had the same confidence in herself as he seemed to have.

"So what do I do? To get my nerve back I mean," the teen asked him quietly.

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[Kovac]

Kovac saw Azira's countenance soften a bit, though her laugh was anything but joyful. A small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth when her cheeks, already ruddy from the cold, flushed a deeper crimson. The sharp-tongued woman just needed some encouragement.

He stood, going to the corner and rummaging through his pack. The half-breed produced two biscuits, and walked back to the center of the room, sitting again before the brazier and offering one of the bread rolls to Azira. "What do you do? You...do. You get up off your pretty little bottom and you shoot. Its in you, Azira..." the hand holding his biscuit pointing an index finger at her heart, "you just need to bring it out and shake the lie you are telling yourself. When we get out of here, that is the first thing we are going to do, shoot. And crappy shots or not, you are going to shoot until you get your confidence back."

He laughed. "You are a hot head, and full of piss and vinegar. But that is good, turn that fire on your problem, refuse to let some petchin' Yasi steal your glory. Then you can go back and beat the bryda off of that little brat." Kovac winked and took a big bite of the crusty bread.

[Azira]

   

The huntress watched his movements, impatiently waiting for an answer to her dilemma. The man was obviously giving it some thought but Azira found it hard to wait for the solution. She was just so anxious that there would be no way to fix it but Kovac seemed to have all the answers, he seemed to have confidence in her abilities even though she didn't.

He returned to her side, holding out a bread roll to her. She took it, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. Of course he'd consider food first, he was a man after all. She was too worried to eat herself so she started ripping chunks off it instead. She listened to Kovac's solution, biting back the retort that she'd already tried that. He wouldn't want to hear that so there was no point in saying it. The Avora found herself idly wondering why people kept saying she was pretty. She shook her head at the thought.

"I see. So does that mean that you'll...shoot with me?" she asked hesitantly, not taking her eyes off her fingers as they pulverised the bread. She took one of the smaller chunks and placed it in her mouth, chewing mechanically. The taste of it didn't make her feel any better, only a little ill. She realised with a start that she hadn't eaten anything today. Maybe that was part of the reason why her stomach had been twisting in her, she'd thought it was because of the realisation that she couldn't shoot.

"Would it be a problem for you? If it is..."

x

[Kovac]

As Kovac gnawed at the bread, he watched Azira toy with hers. She seemed to be conversing with herself, head shaking, eyes not seeming to focus on anything in particular. The words she shared with the half-breed were sparse, seemingly measured out to limit his access to what was really going on in the head she seemed so ready to deny as attractive. Kovac was not so deceived as to believe Azira trusted or even liked him. But she was a captive companion, unless she wanted to brave the stinging ice and rain in hopes of finding shelter elsewhere. So, she was stuck with the only source of consolation available, Kovac.

The teen questioned the older hunter's sincerity about shooting with her, hesitating. The defeat really had damaged the huntresses confidence. "Yes, of course I would shoot with you." He replied as if there was no reason in the world he wouldn't. "What are you talking about? Why would it be a problem for me? You are Avora, I am Avora, you are a hunter, I am a hunter. The only thing keeping you from shooting now is you. I know you can still shoot."

Kovac stood and stepped over to the window, looking out at the blinding storm. The wind and ice still beat upon the shack, never quieting as the Avora hunters conversed. "Do you like being a hunter, Azira?" He asked, looking back to the redhead.

[Azira]

   

Relief flooded through her as soon as he agreed to shoot with her. The huntress couldn't explain it but it just put her mind at ease that he would do it. Maybe it was because somebody else had faith in her or perhaps it was because it was something that she was frightened of facing alone. It was probably a bit of both but it was probably more the latter. She was so used to facing things on her own and having to struggle through them herself and she was sick and tired of doing everything alone.

"Well...thank you. I appreciate your willingness to do that for me, Kovac," she replied, her voice slow and soft as she spoke. "I suppose it isn't a problem but it could have been. You might have had something better to do or you might not have actually wanted to carry through on what you said."

The bread was by now pretty much pulverised by her anxious fingers. It looked even less appetising now than it had before but she managed to shove the bits into her mouth to chew without feeling too sick. As she ate, she shot furtive glances in Kovac's direction to see what he was doing and to see if he was going to say anything. When he asked her about hunting, her face lit up, her countenance becoming more animated than before.

"Oh yes there's nothing like it. Nothing compares to that feeling you get when you corner an animal. The anticipation, the tension when you lift a bow. The whistle of the arrow and then just like that," she clicked her fingers, "it's all over. Nothing like it." Sighing wistfully, Azira seemed to at last snap out of whatever reverie she was having to look at Kovac again. 

"Do you like hunting?"

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