Closed Short Flight Hunting

[Lavira]

Timestam: Fall 59, 513

There was a small lake about a bell's flight to the north of Wind Reach. It was just off one of the many glaciers in the area and maintained a chilly temperature of forty two degrees one third of the year; the rest of the year, the area was well below freezing and did not make comfortable hunting. However, the glacier-lake was a hotspot of activity usually for small deer and goats. IT was also a flat enough spot for Takan to be caught drinking after migrating down from one of the neighboring steppes.

It was here that Lavira had brought Azira to hunt, the location so far having proven successful in providing good kills. Besides, today was the last chance she would have to hunt before the Endal was assigned to the Lookout.

Vira had obtained grudging acceptance by Azira to come hunt with her, the teen trying to show the other that she wasn't all that mad about what had happened in the Enclave and actually wanted to make up for the incident the following day with Insurq. When they'd made something akin to amends at the Inclement on the fifty-fifth, Vira had planned with Kovac the trip, using his experience as a hunter to determine which would be the best for Vira's experience and could mete both hunters haul-requirements. The teen's cartographic experience didn't help much in that sense since most of her life had been spent in the Aeries and not in the field following her graduation out of Yasihood.

The flight had been windy and cold but otherwise uneventful and the skies were, for once, clear and non-threatening. Vira had let Azira know what gear she'd be bringing and what Azira would need to bring for the trip. It mostly had to do with warmth and survival, basic amenities like a bedroll, katinu, hunting supplies, and camping supplies. Nothing too extensive since it wasn't to be an overnight trip. They'd then left half a bell before sunrise of the day and arrived an hour after, affording enough time to setup camp and relieve Mohya to hunt the northern shores. Any catches she made would be brought to the camp they'd made (not one of Forward Camp) where Azira and she would prep it up. It was a normal routine for Endal.

But now, it was 8th bell, the morning light cold and the wind gusty but not intense. They had camped directly on the lake for safety and Vira was now ready to go. With the shortbow strung, the one-eyed falconer moved to Mohya to give her chin a tickle. "Let me know when you see Tulaj. He should reach here by ninth bell." The albino harrier had been let to fly on his own to the location, the bird far smarter than she sometimes gave him credit for. "Good hunting, my friend."

The giant bird chirped and nuzzled back at her before taking off and leaving the girls to their mission. Vira turned to Azira now and smiled. "Well, you ready?" Her bow was slung over one shoulder and the quiver on the other, her hunting knife resting on her hip. The woman looked like a victim of a mauling but be damned if she didn't persevere like the best of them.

[Azira]

   

The idea of going hunting with the Endal made her nervous. She couldn't understand why the woman wanted her to come with her considering that the huntress had grievously insulted her, humiliated her. Azira supposed that the woman was willing to forgive and forget but she was still paranoid that the teen would throw her off the eagle as they were flying. Her death could have been passed off quite easily as an accident and although she told herself that that wouldn't happen, she wasn't certain that she was safe until after they'd landed. She'd had to admit then that she'd been silly and that she could have enjoyed the ride otherwise.

Once there they'd set about organising their camp. Well it was more a base of operations really, it wasn't like they were going to stay overnight, something the Avora wasn't sure she could have handled. While she was now technically on good terms with Lavira she was still anxious that she'd say something stupid again. As a result she intended to be as quiet as possible during the trip which wouldn't be all that strange considering that they had to stay quiet when they were out hunting.

Once they were set up, each organised their gear, sorting out bows and packs and such. Azira strung her bow, put on her pack and slung her quiver over her shoulder. Her knife was at its customary place at her hip within easy reach. Glancing up she found that her companion was equipped the same though her bow was across her back whereas the huntress preferred to keep her bow in hand, a reassuring weight. 

She nodded in reply to the woman's question, not even trusting herself to speak such simple words. She had no idea which way the teen was thinking of heading in so she waited patiently for further instructions. The huntress hoped that the day's hunting would go well and that the woman's presence wouldn't make her nervous and thus mess up her aim.

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[Lavira]

Vira could tell enough that Azira was uncertain about coming on the trip with her, but she was determined to make Azaira see that she wasn't upset anymore. It had been a mistake (an ingratiating and angering mistake) and mistakes were forgivable. "Alright, well, let's get going then. I didn've have time to mark any game trails so we'll be going freeform today. The last hunter I spoke with said there were some swine in the area, though none living had yet been seen. They may have moved on with the temperature dropping." Waving a hand for the other to follow, she headed off down the shoreline.

Once they were about half way around the small lake (and now opposite of their camp), Vira slowed down and unslung her bow, her single eye trained on the ground for the most part in such intense focus one would think she had already spotted something. She was looking for misplaced stones in the rocks of the shore and foot prints if she could spot them. A natural urge to explain to her fellow huntress rose and she gestured with the tip of her bow.

"I'm looking for tracks in the stone. The animals have to drink and this is a good source for them." Pausing she pointed to their tracks. "See how our feet don't leave much of an indentation? They just displace the stones; that's what I'm looking for. It's gonna be subtle, really, so keep an eye out for that; the tops are gonna be dry but the bottoms won't be so if an animal has come this way, you'll see the wet bottom instead." The teen moved on then only to stop again and crouch down, her fingers gently goinv over an indentation in the rocks as she murmured under her breath.

Lifting her eyes, she turned to peer towards the brush and then gestured to Azira. "Moose. Dunno if it's a bull or cow so we'll hafta be careful."

[Azira]

   

The teen nodded to show that she understood what her companion was saying and then set off after her along the shoreline. The ground was a little uneven but it wasn't anything that she wasn't used to so long as she concentrated on her footing and her balance.

She was extremely glad that for once she had a companion that didn't feel the need to talk to her all the time. Erade didn't shut up, Turrin had been very talkative, even Kovac,who in his own words wasn't one for small talk, had talked to her. Lavira stayed quiet, not one for idle conversation obviously, and it was nice to have a bit of peace for once. The lack of conversation also meant that the huntress couldn't say anything stupid so the silence suited her just fine.

When the woman did finally speak, Azira jumped slightly in surprise, the sound loud to her ears. The woman was examining the ground closely and the Avora was impressed that she could manage such a task considering her eye; it looked completely blind. She was telling her what signs she should be looking for and although Azira felt as if she had at least some idea of what she was doing, she held her tongue and paid attention.

The Endal seemed to find the signs she was looking forward before the girl had even properly begun to look. She sighed and examined the ground where her companion was and crouched so as to get a good look. 

So that's a moose print, she mused, touching her fingers to the animal sign before straightening up. She looked into the brush and then at Lavira.

"We'll be careful. How do you want to go about this?" she murmured, her face alert, her eyes focused and determined.

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[Lavira]

Keeping her voice low, Vira began the walk towards the brush first, her gaze still down though it flicked to the treeline from time to time, just in case. "We need to figure out if it's a bull or cow first. It's fall so bull's are going to be more aggressive right now. If it's a cow without a calf, she's going to use the lake to her advantage, which we might be able to use against her. I know moose can swim really well so if we can get her into the water, I might be able to get Mohya to give her the drop."

"The only problem is, she's hunting the steppes right now and isn't in range for me to call."

They reached the first tough old bushes lining the rocky shore and crouched, breaking a few twigs with scrubby leaves off and rubbing them haphazardly between her fingers. "Once we're in, keep low and quiet. Don't want them hearing us if we can help it." With the winds quiet today, getting downwind of the animal was going to be harder.

Vira led the way in now, pointing out the more obvious tracks as she went: large cloven hooves that dented the mud easily; some brush stripped of their leaves; a pile of scat in the leaf litter and the strong smell of amonia where it must have urinated. All signs were clear and easy to read today. But there were no rubs on any of the trees so Vira hazarded a guess and said, "Looks like a cow. Don't see any smaller marks among these larger ones so probably an unmated one. Keep your ears sharp for a bull, she could be ready to mate."

Vira brought her shortbow to the front now and reached over her shoulder with her other hand to touch the fetchings of the arrows. One was selected, the wooden shaft around the feathers held lightly as the groove was lined up with the string of the bow and carefully nocked in the center of the string. Her forefinger rested in a light curve on top while her middle and ring remained beneath it, balancing the arrow and holding it in place at the same time. Her pinky and thumb were left relaxed and pointed inwards at her palm. Her bowhand held the bow firmly, fingers grasped just beneath the little ledge of wood that had been carved for the arrow to rest against before firing. It helped protect the archers fingers most of the time from getting caught by the projectile when it was launched.

She was ready and all they had to do now was find the animal.

[Azira]

   

The Avora followed her companion cautiously into the brush, her hand clenched tightly around her short bow. She hadn't placed an arrow in it yet but she knew that soon she'd be on the alert especially as more and more signs were visible now. The footprints were probably the most noticeable sign but Azira couldn't pick up on anything very specific to the animal, never having hunted moose before. She had no idea how Lavira knew that it was a cow for example but she could understand that it didn't have a calf. The gaps in her knowledge reminded her that she needed to do some reading in the Enclave on tracking some day soon.

When the woman reached for an arrow, the huntress did the same, not wanting to seem unprepared in comparison to the Endal. She hoped when they found the creature that she wouldn't have any trouble shooting it. She wasn't used to bringing down big game after all and while they were a bigger target they were also a lot tougher to kill. Herself and Erade had managed to bring down a stag earlier in the season but they'd shot a few arrows between them and had had to follow it into the woods to kill it.

The teen glanced around her, trying to pick up on the more subtle signs of the animal's passage. She had an idea which way it had gone but she didn't want to voice her thoughts in case she was wrong. Lavira was making her very self-conscious, something she wouldn't have thought possible on a hunting trip but it was true. When she'd hunted with Erade it hadn't bothered her but then she hadn't been worried about impressing the Yasi.

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[Lavira]

Vira stalked through the low brush of the tough pine forest, single eye scanning for further signs of where the moose might be. The tracks had clearly led into the wood but when mud and grass gave way to springy moss, discovering where the animal could be waned quickly and left the falconer wondering. Looking back to Azira, Vira said, "Keep an eye out for anything out of place. It'll be subtle, most likely: bent branches, a few stripped leaves from some mid-growth greens, that kind of thing. We may even hear her before we see her so keep your ears sharp." She paused, considering her hunting colleague and then continued, "They make a kind of hauurr sound."

The young Endal bent lower, her side blaring in protest now as she searched the ground again for tracks, lowering almost onto her belly in search. She was looking straight along their current path for anything that jumped out on this level. But nothing was, no bent blade of grass, no eaten leaves, not even the discernable patch of excrement from the animals droppings. Not seeing anything further from this level, Vira got back to her feet and gestured that they should fan out and search. "I'll give a low whistle like this." She then let out a low call that ascended a note, the sound rough but very like a finches call. "So keep an ear out, okay?"

The teen then headed to the left of the path, keeping low and stopping frequently to examine the ground. There was a meticulousness about the way the girl worked that sung strong how hard she worked in life. Vira had never had much time for frivolous activities, and given her appearance it was understandable. She had to fight hard for her position as a Chiet before, so sure was she that she'd be dropped to Dek if she slacked even a little bit. But her perseverance had won her respect from the mother birds she'd worked with and even from a few of the Endal she knew that hung around the area.

No, there was no denying the teens work ethics and drive. And that season, she'd even begun to be pulled into teaching up and comings as well as some of the other already established falconry Avora. Syveris and Michaela and Aose were but three of those that she had worked with this season and each had shone in their own respect. Aose had been her least favorite, though it was mostly to do with the Yasi's attitude. Though Vira was, herself, still in training with her Swift Falcon flight, the girl had really fallen into her own when it came to working with the birds and bonding with Mohya. And sometimes, when at home with just Kovac, Vira would wonder if maybe she shouldn't look into becoming a teacher. It made her think of other things, though and before long, if Kovac were with her at the time, well...the thoughts became actions and were lost in the union of bodies.

But that was not here and it was not now. Vira was looking for a moose! But where was the blasted thing? As she searched the ground, she noticed a misplaced stone, where something had caught against it and pulled it out of the ground. Her fingers touched the cool rock and examined the earth that had been exposed from its shifting. Curious about it, the girl reached out with her bow hand (using her draw hand to steady the weapon against her side) and pressed her hand into the moss beside the rock. She held it for a moment, then lifted her hand away, watching as the moss almost instantly sprung back into its natural position.

So what passed through...?

She wondered, looking up along the spot she'd been following with a deep frown upon her face. And as her eyes raised, they came face to face with something she would very much rather have not encountered. Its teeth were bared, the long canines exposed and the bright golden brown eyes wide as it glared at her. The ears of the creature were raised, the tips slightly rounded upon a sleek and powerful face. A wild growl rose from its throat and Vira was certain she could hear Seme rumbling deep within that growl. "Shyke..." She whispered, moving as slow as possible to bring her bow hand back to the bow and set it into the grip. Her knuckles pressed into the ground for balance and she made to slowly move backward, away from the Evanstra Wolf that stood before her.

How had it got the jump on her?! If she alerted Azira, the other might come trumping through the brush and drive the wolf to attack. Why didn't she tell her to use a call for danger too? "Okay, wolfy...easy now..." The Endal whispered, backing a little more only for the canine to step forwards menacingly. She didn't want to die and getting the bow up in time to defend against the canid would take too long. Her only option was to call Azira. Maybe the huntress could get a shot off where Vira could not right now. And so, she whistled, the pitch low and the volume loud, that sounded so much like a finch.

Petch, please come Azira!

[Azira]

Azira felt like an idiot. No, idiot was the entirely the wrong word; she felt like a chick! Here was Lavira, a woman who not so long ago had been a Chiet, who was better than her at tracking. She felt terribly inexperienced around the woman. Either she was a very very fast learner or she'd done some hunting prior to becoming an Endal. She didn't know which it would be but the Avora felt sure that the woman thought she was a total newbie. Sure, they were after big game but she should still know the signs. She was a huntress!

The teen managed a glum expression when her companion explained signs that she'd need to look for. Worse still, she was telling her how the petching moose would sound. It was as if she was talking to a Yasi! Azira couldn't even manage to crack a smile at the hilarity of Lavira doing animal impressions, too busy caught up in her own feeling of uselessness.

Silently, she watched as the woman lowered herself to the ground to try to pick up the trail. She couldn't even understand how the woman had managed to put u with her this long already. Here she was just standing and watching instead of actually doing anything. What a useless body she was. She was more of an observer than any real help. What could she possibly do to help the Endal in anyway?

Absolutely petching nothing.

Relief and annoyance warred through her when Lavira decided that they should split up. She was relieved because she could go about things her own way without feeling as if she were under scrutiny all the time but at the same time the huntress was annoyed that the woman seemed to be separating them. It made her feel as if she was being put out of the way so that the young Endal could get on with it. No matter how she was feeling, she didn't voice her thoughts, instead heading off in silence in a different direction from the one her companion had taken.

The huntress felt considerably better and more confident once she was alone. She knew that she was looking for signs that anything had passed through her so Azira checked the ground for footprints and overturned stones, remembering what Lavira had said. She also searched for signs that anything had passed by the trees, finding a bent branch as she did so. Feeling pleased with herself, the Avora walked in a slow circle around the area until she found a place on the ground, thick with leaves that had been knocked off prematurely.

Excited, the young woman looked eagerly around for the Endal, forgetting that she was no longer in sight then frowned when she remembered that she hadn't been given a signal. That thought hurt for a moment. It was as if the teen hadn't expected Azira to find anything. Pondering it for a moment, the huntress realised that she could try to copy Lavira's signal though she was sure it would sound more like a bird being strangled than the Endal woman's call.

However, just as she was working up the nerve to make the sound, she heard the whistle coming from somewhere nearby. Frowning, she realised that it was coming from a different way than the trail that she'd found. Had she picked up on the wrong trail or had the moose looped around later? She didn't know but she advanced cautiously in that direction anyway, her bow ready.

She didn't move too quickly, careful to take long slow steps. There was absolutely no point in crashing through the forest. She had no idea where the moose could be or how close and she didn't want to frighten it away. When she finally spotted Lavira however, there was no sign of the moose. She frowned at the woman before noticing the direction of her gaze. There was a wolf there.

The huntress stopped moving, her fingers moving silently to make sure the arrow was still in the right place. The creature's head had turned, ears pricked up as she'd moved into the space and she knew there'd be no time for anymore hesitation.

Please don't get us killed, please don't get us killed, she told herself as she raised the bow, trying not to panic as she focused on aiming at its neck. Hoping that the wolf wouldn't move at the last second, the teen let the arrow fly through the air.

x

[Lavira]

Vira felt something rocket past her ear, slicing the delicate cartilage on the right side and making her flinch away to the left, her body thrown of her own will to the ground. At less than a tick later, the wolf had yelped, an arrow sticking out of its shoulder from having flinched at the sound of the twang in the bowstring. The next instant, the wolf had swung back around and snarled, acting as though it wanted to charge, but afraid to be struck again. A low whuuffoo kind of noise was passed from its lips before in the wood around them, the ghostly calls of other wolves rose in unison.

Shyke, are you kidding me? The sound of a pack and just the two of them being there to defend against one was horrifying. They could get back to the shore, but unlike a Moose, the two women were not made for swimming in cold water! Vira pushed herself up onto her feet and turned to flee, leaving the arrow behind but clutching her bow tightly in hand. Her feet slipped on the slick moss and she almost fell to her face again before reaching Azira. "Back to the lake, Azira, come on! I'm not interested in taking on a wolf pack." She plucked at the other girls sleeve once near, seeking to pull her along as quickly as she could.

Whether the Avora followed or not, Vira was on the run, using her bow and free hand to keep the limbs and leaves out of her face as much as possible. The sound of the pack had begun to fill the wood until it was a cacophony of growls, barks, and woofs, bodies clearly heard pushing through debris and shoving past trees in pursuit of the women. Thankfully, they were only a few chimes into the woods and not bells and bells. Vira slapped aside a fern and stepped over a log only to yelp in surprise too as she slid down an unexpected drop. The gallop out of the forest had led her astray the path she originally had followed; thankfully, the drop was only a few feet tall and the shore of the lake was visible through the trees. "Oof!" She cried out, tumbling and sliding until her back and left side was covered in mud, leaving the young Endal looking quite horrendous.

She landed on her back at the bottom of the drop, staring up at the log she'd previously stepped over, almost expecting one of the damn dogs to make an appearance. Was it there? Was she soon to die?!

[Azira]

   

The twang of the bowstring obviously caught the wolf's attention as it moved as the arrow flew, the point driven into its shoulder instead of its neck. It wasn't dead, turning its attention to her instead of Lavira.

Oh shyke, she thought as she scrabbled for another arrow, the canid not running at her quite yet but it was surely only a matter of time. Instead to her surprise it howled as she nocked another arrow. Answering sounds rose up around them, the sound chilling her blood. They couldn't deal with these creatures but they couldn't run either when the creatures could so easily follow. The huntress began to back away as Lavira darted past her. The wolf in front of her began to advance.

Raising her bow, she shot off another arrow which thumped into its muzzle. Blood began to drip everywhere as the wolf flopped to the ground, pawing at it as it made a pitiful sound. Turning before it could recover, she ran after the Endal who was crashing through the forest somewhere ahead of her.

Branches flew past her, her hands held out to beat them back as they tried to whip into her. She had no idea where her companion was. She was far enough of ahead of her to be completely out of sight. The sound of the other woman's passage was her only indication of where she was and it was hard to even tell that much as her own path was loud too, louder in her own ears than Lavira's.

Azira stopped but their was no sound but her own quick breathing and the howl of wolves. She had no idea where the other woman was. Perhaps she'd already reached the lake. The huntress resumed running, heading in the direction she thought the Endal had headed in, gasping in shock when the trees suddenly disappeared and the ground vanished beneath her. 

Shrieking as she fell, she landed on something alive. Disentangling herself, she discovered it was Lavira. She sighed in relief then looked sheepish.

"Sorry. I didn't know you'd be there. Are you hurt? If not, we'd better keep running," she panted, staggering to her feet and holding her hand out to help the woman out.

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