Flashback Going the Distance (Kaie)

[Tinnok]

Going the Distance
31st of Summer, 504 A.V.

Probably the shining golden rule of the wilds was that you didn't go anywhere alone, even going in twos was a dangerous prospect, but nevertheless, Tinnok constantly broke this rule to escape the lodges of the Tempered Steel clan and go to the place which she knew she belonged: The forest.

Today hadn't been caused by a pissing contest with Reina, nor anything wrong that caused her to flee from Krisha's wrath. No, today was a day fraught with boredom. Her mother and sister's had gone into Taloba for shopping, and checking in on the forge. Tinnok was generally excluded from such trips because her presence was far more of a burden than a boon, and the less people that knew of a half breed with her blood taking the name of a Myrian clan and living as a Myrian...the better.

So she stayed home, rolling bandages with Kohl to bring to the Tskanna Training Yard, fetching water from the nearby stream for cooking, washing, and drink, sweeping the lodges, dusting up in the beams, bringing new reeds for the roofs, trimming the foliage encroaching upon the edges of the encampment, and any other odd jobs her clan mates could find for her.

But like always, especially when Krisha was not around, the odd jobs ran out, and having nothing better to do, someone would suggest trying to hunt. Tinnok was not very good, but she knew her way around her longbow better than any of her sister's, something practically everyone was loathe to admit, and even though it was folly sending a young inexperienced warrior into the wilderness alone, her blood saved her from the care that went with the idea of the worst happening to her. The clan said she was blessed by Caiyha for not dying already, and Tinnok sincerely hoped so.

So with longbow and quiver slung over her back, daggers at her sides, Tinnok made her way into the forest. Most of the land directly bordering Tempered Steel territory she knew quite well. She had spent her whole life finding the best hiding places in the trees whose lower branches she could reach, and if none were available finding divets and corners in giant tree roots, covering herself with leaves. Her siblings never allowed her to play hide and seek with them, she was that good.

But today she wanted unfamiliar territory, even if that also meant risking life and limb, and so bloody bored with all of the banal chores she had been forced to do all morning, Tinnok was ready for some excitement, good or bad.

She started off a bit before midday, striking out at a light jog until she had reached the end of the land she was familiar with, marked by a particularly moss covered jungle tree with two limbs bound like lovers (or so her clan called them).

After this she proceeded at a much slower pace, eyes keen on her surroundings. If she could bring back even a single piece of game perhaps Krisha would not act so cross with her as she always did, perhaps Reina would not pester her so badly. They were infantile wishes, she knew, but one's she clung to as she walked. One had to have some hope after all, if she didn't what did she have?

The half breed strode cautiously through the woods, keeping her motions as quiet as possible to muffle the inevitable sounds her feet made upon the floor of the forest. She watched canopy for signs of life, but the birds that flew by were too small, and the three toed sloth she found hanging from a higher branch seemed like the cheapest of shots. She had never been partial to sloth meat anyway, so she continued on, bow out, but arrows sheathed upon her back.

So when she heard the rustling of foliage nearby, an arrow popped out of the aforementioned quiver and whirled to face the sound, the string on her bow drawing back taut to face whatever came through the brush.

[Kaie]

"Goddess, you are so damn stubborn!"

The seven year old Myrian girl spun around in a vengeance, young eyes wild with childish anger. Her cousin, Keikyo, duplicated her fiery expression. Both children glared at one another, tanned hands balled into tight fists. Their stances were tense, each itching to take a swing at the other. Kaie being a female, Keikyo would never dare throw the first punch. He was clever enough to be wary of the consequences far more disastrous back in the longhouse. No physical beating Kaie might achieve would ever rival his punishment for such a sin. Naturally that wasn't to say the prospect was still enticing considering her behavior that day.

"Just let me tie it!" Kaie growled, hands dramatically gesturing to the unfinished end of the snare. Their argument was trivial by all definitions, and their task infantile. Her uncle had charged them with setting up a snare just outside the reach of the longhouses. Honestly, Kaie was no prodigy with the contraptions but neither was Keikyo. They had been learning by trial and error. Thus far their efforts had proved erroneous and tempers were flaring.

"No! Stop! You're going to mess with the trigger!" Keikyo barked, instinctively leaping down beside the snare protectively. Kaie's blood was boiling then, and it took all of what little self restraint she possessed to keep from kicking him in the teeth. Or ruining the snare.

"How is anything supposed to hit the trigger without this being bound up in the tree?" She snapped in return, crouching onto the other side of the trap and beginning to tie one end of the string to the branch. Just when she had the proper tension (she thought) and was moving to tie the other end higher, all the resistance disappeared. Dumbfounded, Kaie looked down to see half the string in her hand and the other in the dirt. In Keikyo's hand he held his bone knife. Never had she been so angry with him.

She leaped at him, barely clearing the unfinished trap to smash into him. Kaie caught his wrist holding the knife, pinning it to the earth as they toppled over. They were wrestling for the weapon until Kaie finally forced him to release it. Then she raised her free fist and tried to hit him right in mouth. Her knuckles grazed his jaw when he averted her swing, but quickly he kicked her off him smoothly. Dirt was displaced as she tumbled away from his grasp. Kaie managed to turn the unplanned dismount into a roll back to her feet. What she found when she turned to face him again was all she had the patience for. Both were breathing heavily, facing one another in a silent stand off. In her cousin's hand, Kaie found her had retrieved the knife. And just like that, the physical part of her temper tantrum was finished.

"Kaie! Kaie, wait! Hold on!"

The seven year old girl said nothing. Instead she had walked back over to collect her spear, eyes incinerating him in their furious stare. That's when she took off into the jungle. Her feet were moving quickly, running at a steady pace through the thick foliage that sometimes impaired her vision. Kaie could hear Keikyo's foot falls behind her. The very sound was enough to boil her blood and send her into a dead sprint through the treacherous jungle. She did not care where she was going. All she wanted was to get away from him. Eventually after some time, she no longer heard his feet behind her.

Kaie's pace slowed at the realization she was completely and utterly alone. Her feet slowed, head craning back to look behind her uncertainly. Yet there was nothing. Not even a sound. All she heard was the flitting of colorful birds above her head and the distant howl of a territorial primate.

"Keikyo?" She asked lowly, staring through the thick brush behind her. Her amber eyes studied the area suspiciously, expecting her cousin to pop out and scare her at any moment. But no voice answered. There was not a sound, and somehow that angered her more.

Grumbling, she began her own journey toward home. Well, really she was searching for it. Kaie hadn't a clue where she had run off to. Looking up, she could hardly tell where Syna actually sat in the sky. The vibrant displays of light passing through the leaves of the thick canopy above gave her little clues. Sunlight seemed to be reflecting from everywhere and nowhere all at once. Apparently, she would just have to wing it.

Her own fury clouded her judgement. As she stomped through the jungle, hardly reminding herself stealth was important when alone, she began her trek. Her path was certainly one less traveled. It seemed all she did was wildly swing the shaft of her spear to part the branches and plants hanging in front of her. The way she swung the thing made it seem like she was punishing the flora for daring to inconvenience her. In the end, Caiyha seemed to have had enough of her antics, because the next thing she knew she was tumbling face first over a root, face first into the opening of a glade.

Kaie hit the earth with a dull thud. There was no graceful way to come out of her mishap, and there was no rush in getting up again. At least there wasn't until she finally picked her head back up and saw an arrow aimed at her face. The seven year old hurried to her hands and knees, staring at the armed figure all the while. First she was afraid to look them in the eye, for fear she was trespassing and about to be punished for her idiocy. When she did work up the courage though, she saw something strange. Something familiar. And then it clicked. Kaie would remember those strange eyes anywhere.

"Tinnok?"



OOC:Sorry for the delay!

[Tinnok]

oocNo worries!

Yellow eyes took a step back as a form, small and child lie crashed out of the foliage, falling flat on her face. Tinnok identified gender because of the hair, a brief glimpse of finely crafted features which were bestowed upon the superior of genders, and perhaps because of the way the child seemed to think she could fight Caiyha's realm and win.

The half breed was about ask the child why the petch she was out in the wilds all alone without others when her name was spoken from the ground and she took a double take over the form.

"Kaie, fancy meeting you again." There was a flush to the child's cheeks that suggested a wild sprint. It would certainly explain why she had tumbled head first out of the wilderness, and was stomping around like a bull Tskanna in heat. She decided to let Kaie get up by herself, giving the girl ample room.

It seemed she had a few options left to her. In a reflection of their first meeting Tinnok could grill the young child about why she arrived here. She could also, and should also guide her back to her clan's lodges, regardless of whether she was lost or not. Myrian children knew how to fight from a young age, as their previous encounter proved, but it did not mean they should be subjected to the whims of the jungle wilds for any lengthy period of time.

But Tinnok didn't like any of those option, so instead she twirled her arrow in between two fingers before dipping it back into her quiver, lower her bow so it hung by her side and turning towards the wilderness. "I was going on a little hunt if you wanted to join me." She mentioned this off hand before continuing into the forest, purposefully taking it slow and quiet with her steps to punctuate how loud Kaie had been before. If she wanted a successful hunt the girl was going to half to be a modicum quieter, but Tinnok didn't mind the company, especially after their first meeting, so instead she began her trek through the wilderness, keeping careful track of her trail as she walked.

Yellow eyes scanned the ground in search of tracks, but flitted up to the tree branches of the canopy from time to time as well. In her short lifetime she had learned that some oft he best prey never came close to risking themselves upon the ground. She glanced once over her shoulder to check if Kaie was following her before continuing on.

[Kaie]

Kaie couldn't help but flash a sheepish grin at Tinnok's reply. Besides the fact she liked to think she was far more graceful in their prior meeting, this encounter was not so unique from the first. Just like before, Kaie had been tromping carelessly through the jungle. At least this time she could blame it on her unbridled anger this time around.

Kotakbil.

She internally scolded herself, trying to play off the embarrassment of her entrance. Hands and feet worked nervously together to bring her back to her feet. Once she was up, back straight with that childish grin still a ghost on her features, Kaie immediately brushed herself off. Her movements were casual. Nonchalant. Yet all was a bit rushed and perhaps betrayed her suppressed shame. The only thing that she could've done worse was impale herself on her own weapon. At least Tinnok eased off the bow.

Her offer was completely unexpected, causing the young Myrian to pause mid-sweep in thought. She couldn't imagine after that adorable little display any hunter would consider taking her along. Twice she had proved not so nimble in the wild when it probably counted. All she had going for her was a surprisingly decent performance during their little game of blood. Though she had won, the idea Tinnok might've gone a bit easier than she might've with another her age entered her thoughts. Only her pride would ever let her shoot that plausible (and likely) theory down. Before the Myrian girl could give an answer, Tinnok was already on her way. Her steps were slow, practiced, and deliberately quiet. Was she mocking her?

Kaie rolled her eyes in good nature. It's not like she could protest the truth. Everyone knew a good hunter was quiet, observant, and methodical in their pursuit. Thus far, she had failed in all three categories. With the chance of redemption looming before her like a fruit ripe for the picking, Kaie couldn't refuse. She retrieved her spear and began to follow Tinnok like mimicry. Where her steps were quiet, Kaie also stepped as if she were following in her footprints. Once or twice there came a small shudder of dirt beneath her feet but nothing was unnaturally loud. And the child couldn't help but notice Tinnok's always shifting gaze.

"Eyes on the forest, not on the trees," Her father had always reminded her. Honestly she never really knew what that meant. Weren't the trees a part of the forest? How could she watch the entire jungle without keeping an eye up in the canopy? Yet in that simple, short moment it clicked. She understood. There was a bigger picture to be seen if she only looked. Looked at what was around her in relation to one another, the voice of the jungle as a whole, rather than in pieces. In her moment of comprehension, Kaie's own confidence was restoring itself.

"Let me guess...Spider Monkeys?" She whispered teasingly from behind the half breed, eyebrows raised in jest. If Tinnok had thought the child had forgotten her odd claim, she was surely wrong.

[Tinnok]

She was pleased with Kaie's considerably quieter follow up as the two began their hunt, she could hear the girl's foot steps behind her, but in all honesty, she could hear her own foot falls as well, no matter how hard she tried erasing the sound of the vibrations, her weight created on the dirt and damp leaves. The half breed crouched somewhat, creating a smaller target of herself, trying to remember other tricks to stealth as a branch whipped her in the face. Slowly move brush aside, idjit. She held the branch for Kaie behind her, the child clearly having already recovered from her lapse in Myrian poise with a jab from their previous encounter.

"Yes, I've opted to simply shoot them down now, not as much of a challenge, but so much more satisfying." She joke, twisting her bow so that it was held tight up against her body, creating the least amount of an obstacle for her to deal with as she pushed through the foliage. It was doubtful any monkeys were nearby, the creatures clever enough to steer clear of Myrian encampments around Taloba, but it didn't hurt to look or listen, as the abomination had learned in her short life, so she still glanced upward every now and then to check for signs of primates.

Her main focus, however, was the ground. Here there could be tracks, feces, and disturbed plant life that could point her and the little warrioress by her side toward a kill that could bring them both home with accolades instead of blank stares, or whatever Kaie would receive when she returned to her clan. She cursed how close she still was to the Tempered Steel longhouses, for the tracks she caught sight of were old or barely existent. A true hunting trip required more distance between them and civilization, a large water source like the Kandukta basin anything-

Tinnok held up her hand for Kaie to stop, and changed her stance, already half crouched even lower, one knee digging into the dirt as she leaned over a minute set of tracks upon the ground. A small set of paws and a pair of thin lines in the soft earth. "Could be an Agouti." Tinnok muttered thoughtfully. The squirrel-like mammals were mostly ground bound, and a quick easy meal. She glanced off in the directions the track led and her eyes suggested silence was key. They were quick animals, and she didn't want it skittering off in a huff when it heard two massive Myrians approaching...but that was if the tracks were indeed fresh as they seemed to appear, and if it hadn't already been spooked by something else. The half breed grumbled and led Kaie at a crawl through the wilderness, listening for the sound of shuffling leaves that could guide them to some prey.

[Kaie]

The Myrian girl pushed her own hand out to hold the branch back Tinnok held for her, a nod signalling her silent appreciation. The reply the half breed had for her was almost exactly what Kaie had expected. The mere fact her companion played along made her eyes sparkle in her entertainment.

"Right. I'm sure it is," She said lowly, rolling her eyes with a grin. Like any child following an older, more experienced jungle dweller, Kaie was watching her every move. Studying her, learning from her, and then implementing the unofficial lesson. As soon as she observed Tinnok's simple action of pulling the bow closer to her body to ease navigation, connections sparked in the synapses of her mind. Almost as if on cue she did something similar with her spear. Rather than letting one hand hold it loosely at her side, allowing it to slap against leaves and the plants' natural fingers, her free hand slid up to grasp the other end. Kaie then pulled the weapon closer to her chest so that only the very end hung outside her body. Even then it was considerably less likely to make noise.

And then came the hand, the universal signal in the jungle to quit moving. Like an obedient warrior following a fang leader, the little girl paused. Her eyes were wide and staring at the half breed for explanation. Why would she stop so suddenly? Had she heard something? Danger? Prey?

Agouti?

The adrenaline trickle in her veins turned dismal at the sound. The thrill of adversary, of danger and risk, dissipated like a cloud emptied of rain. She really shouldn't have been so disappointed. Kaie could sit there and ramble about how she'd face a pack of Akila Hounds or hassle an Ethereal Jaguar. At the end of the day, however, she was well aware she'd be plenty petched if faced with either situation in reality. They'd tear her bit by bit in a heartbeat. A rustle in the bushes caused by something as harmless and edible as an Agouti rather than a predator would be a blessing. A blessing from Caiyha she should accept happily.

Sensing the closeness of their potential quarry, Kaie had the intelligence to keep quiet. No foolish, infantile quip slipped from her lips when Tinnok stalked sluggishly in the direction of the tracks. All of her focus was directed at her own feet. Where to step and how quickly was key, and though her heart raced with the excitement of the hunt, her desire to impress the older girl suppressed her wishes to burst forward recklessly.

At one point Kaie stopped her predatory stalk behind Tinnok and instead crouched with her eyes at the dirt. Small, sun kissed fingers extended into the earth curiously. The pads of her digits explored the indentation, poking and prodding like an octopus exploring a sailor's arm. The soil was cold between her fingers but it gave easily.

Fresh.

When she looked back up, Tinnok had disappeared into the dense foliage of the pathless jungle. Judging by the pace they had been keeping up prior, Kaie knew catching up would be no problem. She did need to do so just as slowly and quietly though. The last thing she needed was to face Tinnok's potential wrath if she rushed after her and scared off the prey. She'd seen Keikyo do that to his father once. Long story short, it didn't end nicely for her beloved cousin.

Common sense told her she'd find Tinnok where the tracks led. With that in mind, Kaie began her slow stalk in the same direction. If all went as planned, she'd come up right behind her leader once again in no time at all. Hopefully.

[Tinnok]

The foliage was thick, the heat stifling, but the trail was fresh, and Tinnok preemptively slid an arrow into the grooved slot of her bow, still keeping the weapon close to her body.

sstle

Freezing in place, Tinnok did as she was trained. Look with your eyes, not your body. Hunter advice rang in her head, but Tinnok knew the noise was out of range and so she slowly turned, moving forward at a snail's pace, temporarily forgetting her smaller companion whom she had taken as a sort of apprentice for her mission. She sucked in a breath and exhaled it slowly through her mouth, body bent, form crawling at a snail's pace in attempt to lessen any sounds she might produce.

She stepped forward, catching a glimpse of brown fur and delicate fore paws. Prize in line Tinnok drew her bowstring back, rotating her hips so they lined up with her shot, one leg sliding behind the other, one foot stepping forward jsut another foot or so so that she cou-

CRACK

Multi-tasking was not yet one of the young hunter's strong suits. Stealth by itself, archery at a range, both of these things the abomination was fairly good at. Both at the same time in the hot jungle with a seven year old watching her for guidance? Perhaps not as much.

The Agouti's ears pricked and the beast was off dashing through the foliage as fast as those slender legs could carry it.

"Petch petch petching petcher petch shyking petch petch!"

Was the cacophony that summoned Kaie to Tinnok's side, whose bow was lowered and whose face was reddening. Seeming to take back in the young one's presence, Tinnok let out an exasperated breath. "That was my failure. I got so excited about spotting the damned thing I stepped on this lovely branch." She gestured to the dry twig her foot was still on. She shifted and adjusted her posture, rubbing her back.

"Why don't you take the lead and look for some tracks? I'll follow behind. Maybe you'll have better luck than I." Perhaps it was a foolish question, Tinnok was far closer to being a woman grown than Kaie, certainly, but the half breed hadn't expected great success when embarking upon their hunting mission, and it certainly couldn't hurt...right?

[Kaie]

It seemed like an eternity that she tread slowly after Tinnok. Each foot step, she worked it to become delicate, willed it to be so. She played with the technique to minimize sound. First stepping forward on her heels rather than her toes, progressing to try stepping with her heel and rolling forward to the balls of her feet with a lean. All for the sake of quiet. Working for some sort of amateur prowess.

Kaie exhaled in a frustrated sigh, her impatient nature catching up with her long before she caught up with Tinnok. The half breed had pressed far on without her. She might've veered from the tracks or given up on them all together in favor of something else. Yet from Kaie herself could gather, the tracks were fresh. There would be little reason to give up so quickly. That alone encouraged her to keep after the trail and hope she wasn't alone in the jungle again.

A fit of cursing caused the young Myrian to perk up in her crouch, grin returning at the realization she was close. Feet rebounded quicker along the forest floor, navigating carefully around treacherous undergrowth toward the sound. It didn't take Kaie long to flash to the older girl's side like a loyal sidekick.

"Lost it, huh?" She asked, more of a teasing observation than accusation. The pure blood flashed her teeth mischievously at the flustered half breed, spear's end propped into the earth with a resonant thunk. Kaie leaned on it a bit, sinister playfulness manifesting in the face of the hunting challenge. "I mean if you insist," She replied with a bit of childish bravado, twisting at the spear and leaving a circular pattern in the dirt when it lifted. "Let's see what we can find!"

And just like that she was off. Mimicking the careful nature of Tinnok's stalk when she was leader, and adding her own twist upon it. Her imagination was running wild. Her trek was steady and eyes observant, searching for that fateful twig or leaf that would alert the wildlife of her presence. Kaie imagined herself a substituting fang leader on the expedition, feet trotting across exposed roots and fallen wood rather than the earth if she could help it. One might've suspected she was being pursued and trying to keep from leaving a trace. All the while her eyes were active. Searching for something, anything to give tell of quarry.

After some time, the Myrian girl halted rather suddenly. Her eyes went wide and a grin plastered her face. Kaie spun back toward Tinnok with a finger to her lips. Rather excitedly she pointed a finger over her right shoulder, then waved Tinnok to follow slowly. She turned then and began to inch as quietly as she could toward a break in the thick brush ahead of them. It appeared as if something had slipped its way through the plant, shoving aside whatever leaves hung in its path.

Extending her spear head forward when she got close enough, she parted a section of the brush and nodded at Tinnok to take a look. There was the sound of something adjusting its feet upon the ground. And just beyond the barrier of greenery stood a male Cassowary, its blue neck extended down where it plucked at a fallen fruit in its path.

[Tinnok]

Relinquishing control of hunt leader, Tinnok didn't mind following slowly behind Kaie as they walked. To the young girl's credit she was as cautious as one of those Agouti she had just scared away as they trekked through the forest. Her eyes were keen and always moving, reminiscent of a sort of bird, and though her technique left something to be desired, her desire to imitate the true nature of the hunt showed through. The half breed's mind drifted absently to the future that Kaie would hold in the Taloban military, a bronzed well honed warrior in the future, sure to go far...but was shaken out of this thought when the female in question dashed toward her, finger over her lips.

Tinnok wasn't quite sure what Kaie had found, but if silence was needed now they probably weren't approaching dung or a set of tracks, so she set an arrow into her bow and crept quietly forward, looking down more frequently to prevent the kind of accident that occurred before.

A dash of Syna's light flashed down through the canopy directly into Tinnok's eyes, blocking her view from the bird at first until she had shifted just a pace forward and saw the violet blue shining feathers of the large ground bound avian foraging, digging through the leaf litter with clawed feet.

Tinnok's eyes widened at their luck stumbling across such a large find, but that could change in an instant if the male ran off. She glanced at Kaie's spear, her bow. She had enough skill to get off two shots, with the slim shot of a third before the big bird got far enough to be lost, and Kaie had her spear, though Tinnok wasn't sure if the girl could throw it, or preferred to be holding the weapon when she was hunting.

The abomination slid two fingers around her bowstring, holding her arrow shaft between them as she drew her bowstring slowly, slowly, taut, elbow high, one foot set back. She glanced at Kaie. She had found the bird so she could give Tinnok the signal when she should fire. Optimally the half breed could fell the large bird with a single shot, but she didn't have confidence in her bow skills at present for that to be a realistic goal. One eye squinted as she lined up the head of her arrow just below the bird's neck, waiting...waiting. As soon as Kaie gave the signal her arrow would loose from her bow and sink into the Cassowary's chest, but it would not fell the male, simply send him careening off into the forest as Tinno snatched a second arrow from her quiver and threw it into her bow as well.

[Kaie]

The moment she young Myrian noticed Tinnok's gaze flash from the spear to her own bow, Kaie felt a slow churn of wretched anticipation filling her. It didn't take much intelligence or skill to understand the older girl was assessing their tools to take down the overgrown bird. Though Kaie was proud in her find, reality quickly hung over her head like a guillotine. She could bull shyke her way into letting the children around her believe she was somewhat good with a pointy stick. Actually putting herself to the test, however, was something else entirely.

Well. Maybe Tinnok's a great archer and I won't have to do much anyways.

Regardless of the undesirable truth, the child would maintain her facade. The half breed seemed to know what she was doing, much to Kaie's relief. The moment the bowstring was pulled taught and there was proper tension in her arm, Kaie gave Tinnok a firm nod. Waiting for the proper aim was torturous for the young girl. A bit of her urged her to move from Tinnok to find a new angle, one in which she could intercept the bird if it didn't go down easily. The reasonable other half reminded her that even the tiniest folly of her feet could send the Cassowary careening into the depths of the forest. Who knew if they'd ever find a worthy hunt again.

Yes!

The whoosh of the loosed arrow brought a broad grin onto the young Myrian, whose eyes widened in awe. She followed the projectile in its path into the dark chest of the quarry. It let out an odd squawk, flitted its flightless wings, and hustled its way into the foliage. Despite its escaping, Kaie eased up from her position and let out a satisfied war whoop. As if attached to the bird by a rope, Kaie seemed to lurch right after the animal without forethought.

"Nice shot!" The little Myrian shouted behind her, feet skittering along the forest floor and stomping through the fallen fruit that was once a Cassowary's feast.

Big, soft green leaves slid across her intruding skin like gentle silk. Smooth bark of exposed roots provided perfect platforms for the child to run along without spoiling the injured animal's sloppy tracks. At least she had the wits about her to keep off center. If Tinnok was a straight shot, she wouldn't worry so much about being struck.

Soon enough the disproportional bird was struggling just ahead of her. The gleam of defiance returned to the young hunter's eyes, her arm raising up to wield her spear. And with a final whoop to signal her approaching victory, she hurled the weapon with all her might. Only to watch the spear rotate unnaturally to bother the animal only with the harmless wooden shaft.