Flashback [Flashback] A Friendly Hunting Trip (Lian)

[Derailey]

Derailey tried to keep her steps from making as little noise as possible, while edging ever slowly toward the high rising grass that separated her, and her party, from whatever was lurking on the other side. Her eyes shot again to the tracks, making one last attempt to try and decipher the markings. It looks like smaller paw prints so it probably wasn't very big...big creatures in Cyphrus came in many shapes and sizes, and the smaller creatures, when underestimated, turn out to be deadlier than any anticipated creature of a great size. Alas, her attempt turned to failure as her brief moments began approaching the appearance that she so dreading, yet anticipated with an uncontrollable shiver of excitement. Her father moved too quickly for her to react properly. One moment he had his hand lifted to move the grass aside, making a subtle and quiet sound as the grass blades brushed against one another. Derailey had just enough time to see a small sized doe, grazing peacefully within a small group of deer. It's ears quirked at the sound of movement, and it had just enough time to raise it's head. Derailey met eyes with the small creature. The next moment, Derailey's father had his arrow drawn back, and with a rush of air, a loud thump, and agonizing cries from the deer, what Derailey had been so afraid of was over, gone, like the other deer who made their leaping escapes. The deer had fallen to the ground, it's pained cries cut short because of the arrow that had punctured it's lungs. Her father was on it in an instant, holding it down, he called out to his friend for a moment for his aid. By then, the blood from the wound had begun to stain the creatures light brown fur, with a deep crimson, which held no gleam from the sun, just darkened as it increased with the doe's struggle. Derailey's father was quick to pull out his knife, closing his eyes for a brief moment, which Derailey had learned long ago was a thanks to the gods for allowing this life to become sustenance for another life to continue on. He did not look away as he used his blade to sever the creature's spinal cord, cutting off the life string connecting this doe to life. It let out one final, hopeless whine, one final attempt to struggle, and then it became eerily still. Derailey knew it was dead, and for a few moments, was too stunned to move. She had never seen anything killed in front of her before...only the aftermath, when her father and brother would bring home their hunt. Watching them in action, brought sadness to her heart, but she knew that she would have to overcome this feeling, as her father probably had to with his first kill as well, so that one day she would be able to survive on her own; to fend for herself and her family. After the initial shock, she managed to take a shaky intake of breath. It honestly wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. The suspense was what had torn at her. She moved her fingers then, finding them restless. Then it dawned on her, she had went in entirely unprepared. Her knife was still sheathed at her hip, if that doe had been something dangerous, she would have been a sitting duck, easy for the picking. How would she ever become a great hunter if she couldn't even remember the simplest things that would become the most vital for her to know? Everyone came forward then, as her father worked on the doe, removing the arrow without doing any more damage to the animal's body, from years and years of practice. Derailey watch him, observing everything he was doing, but she couldn't help but notice how young the doe looked...it couldn't have been over a year old. "Do not lot death trouble you, child." Jace spoke, not looking up from his work, "With time, comes the numb. You will learn." He lifted the doe, throwing it over his shoulder. "We may not accomplish much today with hunting other than this doe, but we will train on our return to camp. Come." He began his trek back toward the direction of their camp. Derailey didn't want to leave yet, but she wasn't really sure how well she could handle much more of watching more animals die today. There would always be time for murder in the 'marrow. She did not question him, and followed a bit slower than before. Her thoughts going over what she had seen again and again. His words echoed in her mind. "With time, comes the numb." She hoped so.

[Lian Windrunner]

Lian was both very relieved that the thing they were following wasn't dangerous, and excited to see that it was a doe. If it were him, and he were the skilled hunter, he would try to bring down a stag, instead. Even as inexperienced as he was, he knew that antlers could be sold for extra money, just as the hide could. Extra money would mean new and better weapons, or repair on the ones they already owned. Or any number of things they could use. And they would still be able to keep and eat the meat. Lian wasn't very interested in hunting, but he did love deer meat. When Derailey's father brought down the doe, it didn't bother him at all. Instead, he felt a mixture of eager anticipation at the thought of a good meal, relief that they had food to eat at all, and admiration for the man who brought down the doe. But when he looked over at Derailey, he could see that she was bothered by it. He quickly changed his grin into a more neutral expression. "Try to think of it like this. We need to eat if we want to live, so we eat the deer. When we die, our bodies turn into food for the grass as they decay. Then the deer eat that grass. So in a way, we give back to the animals that we eat." he said quietly, in the hope of reassuring the younger girl. Lian felt a little silly for saying such things, but he was rewarded with a smile and a nod from both his father, and Lukar. Their approval gave him a sense of pride, and made him feel good. The promise of more training when they got back to their camp made him happy, too. Lian practiced his stealth skills as he followed the others, trying to walk as quietly as he could without moving slowly enough to delay anyone.

[Derailey]

Derailey knew that Lian was only attempting to comfort her, but at the moment, it didn't seem to have the effect she would have liked. She nodded and offered a half-hearted smile, avoiding looking at the boy directly. She kept her eyes glued to the ground the whole way back to their camp. She did her best to lift her own spirits by thinking of how fun training could be on their return. That was always something she enjoyed. Getting lost in the heat of her training was sort of a hobby for her. Their arrival grew nearer and nearer until the she could see their belongings over the grass as it became shorter, and before she knew it they had returned. The moment Derailey laid her eyes upon the camp her heart felt a little lighter. They would begin their training soon, and maybe then she could get herself pumped up for some hunting. Her father seemed to have other plans though. It seemed that their expedition with the doe had not quite yet ended. He worked quickly, setting the deer on the ground near their tents, which had yet to be set up, and went to his pack and pulled out some rope. Returning to where he left the group he gave the boys a mission; to go out and find three of the sturdiest sticks they could and bring them back to camp. Derailey watched them disappear off into the field as they began their search, waiting for them to disappear from sight before turning back to watch her father. He had already cut the rope in his hand until he was satisfied with the lengths of each. He had then began sharpening his hunting knife with a whet stone he had brought with him, Derailey assumed it was for the occasions like this. He seemed very intent gazing over the doe, as if pondering what he would do with it next. The suspense while she waited for the return of the boys gnawed at her. She didn't know why she felt so strange when watching the death and dismemberment played out before her. Dread coiled in her stomach when she caught sight of the boys approaching with large branches in hand. Jace came forward, but did not take the branches from them. Instead, he instructed them on how to set up. They dug a hole; wide and deep. Derailey helped with this task, meeting eyes with Lian for a moment, and in that moment her dread steadily started to become bursts of excitement. They set up the branches, and Derailey's father hung the deer up, it's head hung up, instead of facing down, which Derailey had heard was more common. Derailey's father looked at everyone with a mock serious look. "I know you have probably seen a deer gutted with it's head toward the ground, but I have found over the years that when hung with it's head up it makes removing the stomach, intestines, and bladder a bit easier." He turned his attention the deer's stomach; Derailey couldn't take her eyes off the scene. He continued his esson, "This way the meat will less likely be contaminated." Starting from the deer's pelvic area he carefully cut cut the deer open with master precision. I spread apart the stomach and began cutting away the organs, dropping them down in the hole where the blood dripped and gathered. He then asked each child to remove an organ. They were easy to cut off after her was done with the more complicated parts. Derailey's hand shook as she used the knife her father handed her. She reached forward, feeling the slick surface of the unidentified organ. The blade was sharp, and cut through the skin with easy. She stood there for a moment, holding the blood soaked flesh in her hand, before letting it roll off of her palm and into the pit. She exhaled and smiled, looking over at Lian with an accomplished look on her face.

[Lian Windrunner]

Lian was quite happy to see their camp when it came into view. Trying to walk silently was very difficult when he wasn't used to doing it, and Lian was weary from the effort. But there was still lots to do when they reached the camp. Almost as soon as they had arrived, Lian and Lukar had to go back out again. This time, it was in search of sturdy sticks. And just where, exactly are we supposed to find those out here? Lian grumbled to himself as he turned and walked out of the camp once more. Trees were a rarity out in the Sea of Grass. Lian could count the number of times he had seen a tree during his life on one hand. Two times. No, three. Three times. And each one of those times had been on trips that had taken Lian several days' ride out of Endrykas. Lian didn't have much hope of finding any this close to the city. His older brother didn't seem worried about the order, though. This made Lian frown thoughtfully. What was he missing? Surely there weren't any trees near by...were there? He must be testing us. Lian decided, his eyes widening with realization. It's a test, all right. Dad's friend wants to know if we're stupid enough to stay out here looking for branches that don't exist until he has to come get us, or if we know what we're really supposed to be looking for instead. "What are we really supposed to look for, Lukar? Do you know?" Lukar grinned mischeviously. "I do know...and you will too...eventually. Just follow me, and you'll find out!" Lian scowled at his older brother, but he obeyed the "order." As they walked, Lian paid close attention to his surroundings. He could hear birds chirping all around them, and that was a good sign. If a dangerous predator was nearby, the birds would all be silent. A light breeze blew, ruffling Lian's hair. It felt good, but Lian remembered learning that a breeze would blow his scent around, making it easier for animals to detect his presence. They weren't hunting, though. So it didn't matter if any nearby animals knew they were there or not. And even he knew that humans didn't smell like food. They smelled like predators. Most animals would try to avoid them if they could. As if in proof of that, Lian heard a sharp drumming a little ways away. He turned in time to see a group of rabbits dissapearing into the tall grass. The breeze was blowing in their direction, so Lian realized that it must have carried his scent to them. The rabbits were another good sign that they were relatively safe. Rabbits were quick to flee at the slightest sign of danger. They wouldn't have been anywhere in the area had a predator been nearby. When Lian was satisfied that they were as safe as they could be while out in the Sea of Grass, he decided to practice his stealth skills some more. Or attempt to acquire some, at least. Lian was painfully aware that he didn't really have any yet. He knew that dead grass would make a crunching sound under his feet no matter how lightly he tried to walk, so he kept a close eye out for any dead grass, and did his best to avoid stepping on it. He also tried to focus on what little he could remember from his fragmented half remembered memories of Lukar and his father trying to teach him how to walk silently. With each step, he was careful to put the heel of his foot down first. And he slowly rolled his foot towards his toes onto the ground. It was a lot harder to walk this way, and it made Lian's feet hurt, but he knew that it would get easier with practice. Rotation his hips slightly as he walked helped a bit, too. After a while, they came to a good sized stream. A wild strider had stopped for a drink. Both boys froze when they saw the magnificant creature, not wanting to startle it. They hardly dared to breathe as they watched. After a few moments, the breeze shifted. The wild strider's head jerked up abruptly, and it turned to stare at the two boys. It ears perked in their direction as it tried to decide if they were a threat. Finally, the strider turned away, and walked off into the tall grass. "You see those reeds?" Lukar asked his brother when the strider was gone. Lian looked at the reeds. They were even taller than he was by a good amount. He nodded. "If we gather a bunch of those, and tie them together at both ends with twine, or wire, they'll be as strong as sturdy branches. I think there's enough for three or four bundles, and that's all we'll need." Lian looked at his brother skeptically. Would the reeds really work? They were hollow, weren't they? Lian thought he remembered one of his friends making a reed flute once. Or trying to, anyway. "Remember when I showed you how to braid grass together?" Lian nodded. "It's like that. A single blade of grass is weak. Easily broken. So is a reed...sort of. They're tougher than you'd think, though. But bundled together like we're going to do, they're even stronger." Lukar sounded so certain that Lian couldn't help but believe him. He was right about the grass, after all. Once Lukar had braided it together, Lian hadn't been able to break it. Lian quickly ran over and helped his older brother gather the reeds. It was harder than it looked because they weren't easy to uproot. Especially when they were taller than he was. But the two boys worked hard, and got the job done. When they'd uprooted the reeds, Lukar pulled some wire out of his pouch, and used it to bind five reeds together into a bundle. He tied them near the top, near the bottom, and in the middle so there would be less of a chance of the bundles breaking apart. Lian watched the process intently, trying to commit it to memory. In the end, they had three bundles of reeds. Lukar picked two up, and directed Lian to do the same with the third. It was awkward to carry since the reeds were taller than he was. But Lian could manage since the reeds were light. When they returned to camp with the reed bundles, Derailey's father didn't take them from the boys. Instead, he showed them how to set the bundles up, forming a tripod. The top of the tripod was too tall for either boy to reach, so their father came over, and tied it for them. Then they all dug a hole beneath the tripod. Lian grinned when Derailey met his eyes. Her excitement was plain to see, and his own excitement was growing as well. Lian watched intently as Derailey's father cut the deer open. Learning that making sure that the deer's head was facing up rather than down while doing so made it less likely that the meat would be contaminated was fascinating to the young boy. Lian made certain to memorize that fact. Learning how to cut a deer open was useful as well. But when it came time for Lian to take his turn at removing one of the deer's organs...he nearly balked. Lian wasn't a squeemish person. The sight of blood didn't bother him at all. It was simply a fact of life. Animals bled when you killed them. People bled when they got injured on a hunt, or through carelessness. It happened all the time. But actually reaching in, and touching the organs...Lian had to repress a shiver of disgust. It was a very reluctant Lian that approached the dead doe to take his turn at cutting out an organ. He couldn't hide his grimace as he reached in and cut one of the organs out with his knife. It was hot, and sticky, and disgusting. An unidentifiable mass of quivering flesh. Lian stared at it in disgust. But before he could drop it into the hole as Derailey had before him, his brother called out to him, stopping him. "Hey Lian! I know that this doesn't count as your first kill. You didn't kill it, after all. But it is the first kill that you've helped to disembowl. They say that if you eat the still warm flesh of your kill, you will learn how to think like your prey, and you will gain its strength. Doing so will make you a better hunter. So go on...eat it!" Lian stared at the hot, sticky mass in his hand in horrified shock. He was supposed to eat...this?! No. No way. Not a chance. He couldn't. There was just no way. His stomach roiled sickenly at just the thought of taking a bite of the steaming raw organ. Then Lukar's laughter filled the air, and Lian realized that it was a joke. A very bad joke. Angry, and humiliated that he had fallen for it, Lian glared daggers at his older brother. This only made him laugh even harder. Lian was tempted to throw the organ at Lukar's head. Instead, he tossed into the hole, and stomped away several feet. "Lukar, stop teasing your brother." The resignation in his father's voice was a tone that Lian knew well. It was often directed at him when he showed his resentment at being dragged off on yet another hunting lesson rather than being allowed to practice his Webbing. "And Lian, don't disrespect prime quality meat like that. Those organs will make a good stew...at least they will if you stop abusing them. Right Jace?" Lian stared at his father. He didn't know if the man was joking or not. He sounded serious, but... "Ewwwww!" he grumbled, wincing at the idea of eating organ stew.

[Khida]

Derailey

Should you return, PM me and I'll grade your posts.

Lian Windrunner

Skill	Points
Botany	+1
Butchery	+1
Construction	+1
Hunting	+3
Observation	+2
Planning	+1
Socialization	+2
Stealth	+2
Tracking	+1
Trapping	+1
Wilderness Survival	+1

• Butchery: field dressing a deer
• Construction: bundling reeds into stout poles
• Derailey: a squeamish hunter
• Stealth: avoiding the crunch of dead grass
• Stealth: rolling foot to quiet steps
• Tracking: mud makes for clearer prints

Although you have him practicing Stealth again in your last post, I'm not awarding XP for it because the wording was basically identical to the first instance. The detail in the first paragraph did net you two points, but recycling does not. I gave Planning for the realization that he can tie traps into the Web. I think the rest should be transparent.

Notes

This was a neat little joint outing. I particularly like the study of contrasts in the PCs -- Derailey being excited about the hunt but not the kill, Lian unenthused by the hunt and undisturbed by the death.

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns regarding your grade. Also, Lian, please edit your request to show this thread has been graded.