Closed (The Bronze Woods) Hunting a hunter (Telrin)

[Robert]

31th of fall, 513AV The sun was slowly moving down. It was evening, yet it wasn't that cold yet. Who knew, though. Maybe it was because of the man walking alongside the forest was wearing armor. Quite heavy armor for him, too. Padded and all, he was taking a routine walk which for some reason took longer than expecting at first. He was on his way back to the city, and he decided to take a shortcut through the woods. He knew these parts. Maybe he didn't travel a lot, but he knew these parts. He wasn't going to get lost, he thought. He seen the maps, he walked around here before. A sigh escaped his lips as he walked over a fallen tree, his legs not quite obeying him. He was tired. That's how he usually was. Armed, armored and not quite light to travel, he was making his way back. Again, without any hunting trophy. Which was slightly disheartening. Maybe he could fetch a nice price for a pelt or some meat at the market back in the city. At least enough so he wouldn't be hungry. He shrugged. His dyed white and neck-length hair waving with every step he did. That's when he heard something moving to his right. Wildlife? Maybe. It wasn't massive, else he'd be able to see it. Thought it wasn't that close so maybe it was bigger than he thought. Quickly, he crouched down, trying to calm down his breathing. His hand reaching to the sheeted sword on his hip, wrapping his fingers around the handle. He tried to focus on the feint noise around him, and decypher what it was.

[Telrin]

Calm. Breathe. Slowly.

Telrin bent over the stream carefully, one leg on either side. There was a small dip in the bed, where the water ran fast and clear enough for him to see distorted shapes at the bottom. A perfect place for crawfish, if ever there was one.

A flat stone lay upon the sand beneath the water, and Telrin was almost certain he could see the reddish-black shadow of the crustacean he was hunting for. With infinite patience, the boy carefully slid his hands over the stone and pulled it away at a snail’s pace. He allowed himself a small smirk at the form beneath it. The crawfish had frozen at being uncovered, making itself easy prey for the twelve-year-old.

Telrin unsheathed his knife and slowly slipped it behind the crawfish. He then snatched the stick he had been using and stuck it into the water in front of the creature, crowding and prodding it until is backed onto the flat of his blade. He then lay the stick across its back, pinning it to his weapon and brought it out of the water.

It was a large one, as far as crawfish went. Almost the length of his hand, he surmised, though he wasn’t particularly interested in putting his hand next to it to measure. Pleased with himself, the boy tossed the crawfish into the cast-iron pot that stood on the bank, already crawling with the other crawfish he had spent the last hour catching. Another few minutes should top it off nicely, and he could bring his dinner back to camp.

He straightened for a moment, cracked his spine to rid himself of the ache of hunching over for so long, then returned his attention to the stream, completely unaware of the man watching him.

[Robert]

Watched close enough to notice who made the sound. Slightly muffed by the running water. It was someone hunting. Maybe fishes or something similiar, he thought. He knew how frustrating it would be missing a catch like that due to interuptions, so he went silent until he deemed it he was done with the fishing attempts. He looked around at first, as if trying to see if there was anyone around. He wasn't exactly sneaky in his movement, the armor did make it obvious with the metal clangs. But he wasn't going to sneak out to someone. He cleared his throat, before speaking out. Not yelling, but loud enough for him to hear. "Good evening." He spoke out, standing back up straight. His spiked armor might look intimidating, but his voice sure did not sound like it. "How's the catch?" He added, simply trying to sound as un-threatening as possible. He aleady had someone thinking he was a bandit.

[Telrin]

Telrin didn’t quite smirk when he lifted the next crawfish out of the water, but his eyes sparkled with satisfaction. This one was even bigger than the last, almost by a whole inch. It struggled against the stick that held it, but was unable to free itself.

At least, until someone cleared their throat.

Telrin jumped violently, losing his grip on the crawfish. It quickly scuttled up the blade and away from the stick, but when the boy’s knife jerked in surprise the crawfish found it prudent to clasp onto something so that it would not fall. Namely, Telrin’s hand.

The boy dropped his knife completely and stumbled back, boots soaking through in seconds as he accidentally stepped in the stream. He snapped his hand, throwing the crawfish off along with a nice portion of flesh. The creature landed back into the water, and had fled beyond sight before Telrin had any hope of catching it.

Blood welled up on the boy’s hand, and he immediately brought it to his mouth to lick it clean before turning warily towards the person that had cleared their throat. A young man had materialized from the bushes, adorned in armor that looked far too spiky for practicality.

“How’s the catch?”

Telrin gave the stranger a flat stare. “Jumping,” he said drily.

He looked back to his pot of crawfish. He couldn’t get any more, not with a bloody hand, though he had hoped to find at least another five before starting on dinner. It seemed he’d have to find something else to make up.

Telrin stepped out of the stream and grimaced at the cold water nipping at his toes; it was a pain to work with soggy shoes, and he would have to spend a good deal of time massaging them if he wanted them to remain functional in the morning.

Still licking his hand, the boy put the lid on his pot of crawfish and looked at the stranger.

“Can I help you?” he asked.

[Robert]

It wasn't that he was a complete saint, but the armored man did find himself slightly disapointed by it. Precisely that happened which he tried to avoid. Such a great start, letting a hunter lose his catch without a valid reason. The man shrugged lightly, with the spikes on his armor shifting up and down with the fluid movement. He knew well this little conversation just turned one-sided. "Sorry about that." He commented on his violent shaking and the tossing of a crawfish. He did hear the little animal colide with the water. Crossing his hands over his chest he tilted his head to the side lightly. "Maybe you can. But at first let me ask you if you need a piece of cloth for your hand." His left hand gently motioning to the bloodied wound the viscious crawfish made.

[Telrin]

The man seemed at least a bit remorseful for his surprise, though that did little to disperse Telrin’s irritation.

He shook his head at the man’s offer. “I think it looks worse than it is. More skin was taken than flesh.”

The boy looked down at his pot of crawfish, then back to the stranger, remembering that he’d said he wanted something. “Will this take long?” Telrin asked. “I would like to get these to my camp sometime this year, and it’ll take a bit longer because of this.” He waved the injured hand. “Or perhaps we could talk on the way...?”

[Robert]

He'd nod at the question, gazing over the pot of crawfishes on the side. It didn't look full. From what peak he could take before he put the lid back on. "Well, with your hand you're more likely to attract something more dangerous than a fish." He simply added, gazing at the blood. Last thing he needed was a wolf or two stalking near-by. "You need help catching the rest of it, before you leave?" A question followed. The armored man didn't speak like a kight at all, save for the spiked armor. His hands were folded over his chest as he began to walk slightly closer, careful not to trip on any wine or root in the path. He looked around them, not really hearing anything more than the streaming water next to them. "Besides. If you're interested, I propose we go hunt something bigger. Split up the game? I'm sure it would catch a nice price back in the city." He mused a smirk, thinking about the possibilities. A bear would be ideal, but he doubted his abilities to fight a bear. He did like living, after all.

[Telrin]

The man offered a warning about dangerous beasts that might be drawn to the scent of blood. “Wouldn’t be the first,” Telrin said with a shrug. “And I’ve managed thus far. I’ve got enough for now, and the sun won’t be up for much longer. If you really think it best to hunt after dark, you are perfectly welcome, but I’d rather spend the time in the light of a fire.” Telrin returned his attention to the pot, lifting it with his strong hand and gingerly clasping the other into a fist to steady it. He couldn’t feel the scuttling of his catch through the iron, but he could imagine it if he let himself; it was enough to make his stomach growl, at least, and send him starting back towards his camp.

[Robert]

The kid had a point. And he called him a kid simply because he looked like one. He didn't know how much years he could put on him, but it was obviously less tham him. So he went with that, not that it was that important anyways. The sun was going down, and the least he'd want is to get lost somewhere without a fire or shelter. He'd nod. He watched the boy move, noting he's heading the same way he is. "Nevermind, then." He said, shrugging as he did so. Game can wait a day or two anyways. He'd turn to follow him, if just for a little while until his path would split up. "Sorry again for that, though." Motioning to the hand.

[Telrin]

The man shrugged, then… followed? Telrin shot the armor-clad stranger a confused and somewhat wary glance, and though he said nothing on it he did shift his step just a bit so as to have a better view of him. It never hurt to make sure. “Think nothing of it,” the boy said. “I’ve had worse. It shouldn’t take long to heal.” He then fell into silence, still cautious. As more moments passed, his steps became slower and slower, until at last he stopped completely and turned around to face the stranger fully. “Is there something you want?” he asked, voice flat.