Solo Last Minute Hunt

[Lian Windrunner]

Timestamp: 90th day of Spring, 514 We're finally moving on tomorrow. It's been an eventful season. Lian mused. The glassbeaks on the outskirts of the city early in the season, and then the nightlions that stalked the bison calves later on had been serious problems for his people. Ones that Lian had felt guilty for not helping out with. Hunters had been needed to deal with both issues. And as a hunter, Lian had felt the desire to do something to help. But with the skills he had as a hunter...rabbits and game birds were more his level of prey. The occasional deer when he got the opportunity. But dangerous predators? Lian was painfully aware of the fact that he only would have gotten in the way had he tried to help. Against such a dangerous creature as a glassbeak or a nightlion, he would have been in considerable danger himself. And he would have been more of a threat to himself than he would have been to either animal. So he had wisely refrained from offering his services as a hunter. But there were good things as well. The early foals that the striders gave us, for one. And the bison calves as well. Both will be a big help to us in the future. Trade with Riverfall went well, too, from what I've heard. Then there are things of a more personal nature... Lian glanced over at his captive. Even after an entire season, she continued to resist his attempts to breed her. Lian frowned in annoyance at the thought. The girl currently sported a hand shaped bruise on her upper right arm from when he had gripped her too hard as he tried to put a stop to her struggles one night. There were several other bruises as well. Some were visible, others hidden by her clothing. Why did the girl continue to resist him? He had saved her life when he'd found her abandoned out in the Sea of Grass. It was only right that she repay her life debt to him by spending the remainder of the life he had saved bearing children for his people. It wasn't as though he kept her tied up all the time, either. He was giving her the chance to make the most of her captivity, and begin a new life. There were a lot of other captives who were considerably worse off than she was. He could have enslaved her, but he had chosen not to. He didn't even hurt her unduly. The only time Lian ever hurt the girl was when she forced him to by resisting when it was time for her to submit to him. You would think the girl would have learned better than to fight back by now...surely she must realize that resisting me isn't going to help her. It only makes things worse for her than they have to be. I wouldn't need to be rough with her if she didn't try to fight me, and I wouldn't need to punish her for defying me if she didn't give me cause to either. Lian shook his head. The girl would either learn that fighting her fate was futile...or she wouldn't. It didn't really matter to him whether she did or not. The end result would be the same either way. It's been nearly an entire season so far...I wonder how long it will take me to get the girl pregnant? Lian thought as he continued to study his captive. Lian could picture the small girl's belly swollen with his child very clearly in his mind. Would it be a son? If so, he wanted to name the boy Lukar after his older brother. Lukar would have loved having a nephew named after him... he thought fondly. Lian knew that a son wouldn't be the same as getting his beloved older brother back. Lukar was gone...and he wasn't ever coming back. But it would give him a new family member to love. And a family in general. He didn't have any family still among the living. And who knows? If Lukar's spirit hasn't been reborn yet, who's to say that he won't come back as my son? I'd never know even if he did...but I like to think that it might be possible. Lian allowed himself to indulge in visions of having a son. Things he could teach the boy as he grew. Stories they could share. Important lessons he could pass on that he himself had learned from his own father. It might be a girl, too. And I'd be perfectly okay with that if it is. Lian thought with a smile. A daughter that he could pamper the way his younger sister had been pampered when they were young children. Either would be equally welcome. Eventually, he hoped to have both. But there were things to do, and Lian had spent enough time day dreaming of the family that he wanted so desperately. I don't even have time to explore the Web now. Not if I want to get out hunting today. he grumbled to himself as he got up.

[Lian Windrunner]

Spending at least a little time each day in the Web had become a habit for Lian. It was a daily ritual that he had become accustomed to. It was also one that he enjoyed greatly. Even though it was a relatively new habit of his, Lian had already become so accustomed to starting his day with a trip to the Web that having to go without left him feeling disgruntled, and out of sorts. He couldn't help but think of all the things he could do within the Web. Speak with close friends that he rarely ever got to see since they almost never came in to Endrykas. Perform any number of useful tasks such as linking people or objects into the Web. Or relaying messages. Or looking out into the Sea of Grass for potential threats to his people. Or repairing minor damage to the Web itself. Although he wasn't yet skilled enough to handle any major repairs, Lian was able to make small ones on his own. And if he found anything bigger than he could deal with, he could report it to other Webbers. Ones who were more powerful than he was, and who would be able to fix the damage. He could even just explore the vast Web for the sheer joy of it. Every time he entered the Web, it was like coming home after a long journey. The glowing blue strands that made up the Web welcomed him like a close friend, or a long lost family member. Lian loved the sensation of flying over the Web, much the same was a falcon soared through the sky. Lian sighed ruefully as he pushed thoughts of the Web out of his mind. He wanted to get one last hunt in before they moved on to their summer grounds tomorrow. And before he could do that, he needed to make some arrows to replace the ones he'd lost or damaged beyond his ability to fix them over the course of the season. Several days before, Lian had set a number of lengths of wood aside as potential shafts. He examined them carefully now. One by one, Lian picked each length of wood up. He looked down the length of each one, and rotated it. In doing so, he was able to see just how straight it was. Some of the lengths of wood were straighter than others. Some had a little bendiness in the ends while others were visibly curved. Although Lian knew that there was a way to straighten wood to make a suitable shaft if it was too bendy, he didn't know how to actually do it. So he only picked the straightest lengths of wood. That left him with ten to work with; less than half of the ones he'd selected originally. Lian picked up one of the lengths of wood. He lay it on the ground, and lay one of his arrows beside it. Using the arrow as a guide, Lian cut the shafts to the proper draw length. The first few shafts were ruined when Lian forgot to take into account the fact that the fletching added length that needed to be accounted for. But once he remembered that, he managed to do okay with the remaining shafts. After cutting them down to the right size, they were ready for the next step. Lian took one of the shafts, and gripped it firmly in his left hand. Then with his right hand, he used his knife to cut the nock. The first time he did it, he didn't position his knife correctly. It slipped, and it was a minor miracle that he didn't end up slicing his own hand to shreds. He did, unfortunately, cut the shaft in half, rendering it completely unusable. The next few attempts ended up with him splitting the shaft when he tried to cut the nock too quickly, or when he cut against the grain of the shaft the wrong way. By the time he was finished, Lian only had three usable shafts for his efforts. Well, that went well...he thought sarcastically. To make matters worse, he realized that he didn't have any sinew prepared to attach the fletching. With the way things are going now, if I try to sharpen the points, I'll lose a finger. Or worse. he grumbled to himself. Lian decided it would be best to give up on making arrows for the moment, before he ruined the few shafts he had left, or injured himself in some way.

[Lian Windrunner]

Lian grabbed himself a roll, and few handfuls of nuts and berries. Once he had finished eating, he gathered his hunting kit, his bow and quiver, and his riding gear. Then he headed out. He walked briskly to the edge of the tent city, dodging laughing children, and groups of gossiping women who were returning from gathering trips as he went. As usual, Endrykas was bustling with activity. Men and women went about their business while children shouted and played admist it all. Before long, Lian reached the edge of the city. He whistled sharply, calling for his strider. Talise arrived a few moments later. It was as though she'd been waiting for him. The mare trotted up to Lian, tossing her head. When she got close enough, she butted his chest with her muzzle playfully. Lian stroked her muzzle gently. When she pulled away a little, Lian opened one of his yvas bags, and pulled out a curry comb he had borrowed from a friend. I have to buy one of these for myself one of these days. he thought as he set the bag aside. Starting with her mane, Lian gently ran the curry comb through the long strands of Talise's mane. The mare leaned in to the touch, clearly enjoying the attention. When he finished with her mane, Lian moved down to her neck. If Talise was a cat, she'd be purring right now. Lian thought in amusement at his strider's obvious pleasure in being groomed. We should do this a lot more often. I definitely need to buy one of these. After a while, Lian moved on to Talise's shoulders. From there, he continued down to her side. He ran the curry comb along her side gently, using just enough pressure to get the job done without hurting her in any way. Once he'd finished with her side, Lian moved on to Talise's withers. Then he repeated the process with her other side. Lian took his time grooming his strider. He enjoyed spending the time with her as much as she enjoyed the attention. When he was done with her withers, Lian started back. Talise sighed in contentment, making Lian grin at her response. After he finished her back, he moved on to Talise's croup. While brushing her croup, Lian moved slowly in the hopes that he wouldn't startle his strider. But there was little danger of that. Talise was enjoying herself too much. When he was finished, Lian rubbed his hand along Talise's body, wiping away the dirt and hair that been dislodged as he brushed her with the curry comb. After he finished curry combing Talise, it was time to put the yvas on her. Lian started with the riding pad. Talise knew the routine well, and held still for him as he put it on. Pulling the strap tight enough that it wouldn't fall off while making sure it wasn't too tight, and then buckling it was a simple task. The yvas was another matter, though. Lian was distracted by thoughts of what had happened the day before. Putting the yvas on was a simple task...or at least it was supposed to be. Even a young child could do it. That didn't stop Lian from nearly tangling the breast collar, though. Luckily, he caught himself before he managed to do so. Forcing himself to concentrate on his task, Lian placed the yvas on his strider's back, on top on the riding pad. Talise inhaled deeply as he tried to tighten the straps around her barrel. Lian frowned at her, and tapped her barrel hard enough to startle her into exhaling. Then he tightened the yvas straps once more.

[Lian Windrunner]

When he was ready, Lian mounted Talise, and gestured her into a brisk walk. As always, riding was a pleasure for both human, and strider. It allowed the two private time during which their bond could grow. Despite his minimal skill at riding, or perhaps because of it, Lian appreciated every moment he spent on Talise's back. Bonding time with his beloved strider, or practice to improve a skill he should have mastered by the time he was seven. It was all one and the same. She seems to be fine now. he mused as they rode. Lian tried to take a good look at his strider while they walked, but he didn't see anything that looked wrong, or out of place. Not that I know what I'm looking for, really. Other than the way Talise was acting, nothing looked out of the ordianary yesterday, either. Given what I saw, she must have been in heat. That's the only explaination. But...is she okay now? Being in heat isn't a disease...it's a normal condition in every mare. But is it truly over now? Are there side effects, or lingering symptoms I should be watching for? And if so, what are they? Lian frowned at his lack of knowledge. But there was nothing that he could do about it at the moment, so he decided to focus on the hunt. Strider and rider continued riding out a good distance into the Sea of Grass. Every so often, Lian would allow his mind to slip briefly into the Web to see if there were any dangerous predators in the area. At the same time, he'd keep a look out for locations of promising prey. If I couldn't use the Web to keep us relatively safe out here, and find prey to hunt, I'd have a lot less success than I do now, given my current abilities. he thought ruefully. I'd have to spend a lot more time hunting that I already do, and I'd still be lucky if I managed to catch a rabbit or two each season. Once again, Lian found himself thanking the gods for giving him a talent for Webbing. He wasn't normally especially religious. He respected and honored the gods, and hoped that they left him alone to live his life in peace. But he truly felt that his talent was a gift from one god or another, and as such, he was very grateful. Lian also kept an eye out for suitable places to set up traps as he rode. Now that he had a hunter's toolkit, he wanted to try his luck with some of the simple traps contained within the kit. Maybe I can trap something while I hunt, and end up with even more of a haul than I would otherwise. he thought with a grin. Finally, he found what he was looking for near a small stream. Near the stream, there were several places where the grass grew taller than normal. In his mind, the tall grass would make good cover for small animals, such as rabbits, who wanted to drink at the stream, but needed to make sure it was safe to do so first. So Lian dismounted, and rummaged through his yvas bags until he found the roll of thin rope that he was looking for. Using his knife, he cut off a small length, and made a loop at one end. With a great deal of effort, he struggled until he managed to create a noose, with a knot that would hopefully tighten if a rabbit was caught. He tied this to the grass so that the loop would dangle at the right height for a rabbit to stick its neck through it. Then he did what he could to hide the entire thing in the grass so it wouldn't be noticed. Lian stood back to examine his work. It was painfully obvious that he didn't know what he was doing, but he hoped that it wouldn't matter in the end. He was smarter than a rabbit, after all. After some thought, he found the vial of rabbit scent that came in his hunter's toolkit, and sprinkled a few drops around the area he'd hidden his trap in. With luck, any rabbits that approached the area would smell the scent, and decide it was safe. Now I just have to remember where I put the trap so that I can check it when I come back in. he thought with satisfaction. Finding the trap again wasn't as much of an issue as remembering to check it was though. He had tied the roll of rope into the Web himself, so finding a piece of it would be easy enough. But he wasn't used to dealing with traps, so remembering that he had set one up would be harder. Lian mounted Talise once more, and they were off again. He continued to look for good places to place traps and snares. Not that I really know what a good place to put a snare is. he thought ruefully. I guess the real question is...where would I be if I was a rabbit? Lian's eyes widened as he thought of a good idea. Just like when he used the Web to help him find prey since he'd never be able to find it if he had to rely on his all but non-existant tracking skills, Lian used the Web now. Allowing his mind to slip into the Web, he immediately noticed all of the glowing dots that represented "life" in the Web. Each had its own place. The first thing that Lian saw was that nothing was out of place anywhere near him. There were no intruders within his immediate area. After seeing that, he narrowed his focus, dismissing everything that he recognized as plant life. That took him several minutes since there was so very much plant life in the Sea of Grass. While trees were a rare sight, there were any number of different types of grasses. The occasional cluster of bushes could be found as well. And during the spring, flowers were starting to appear. Lian set all of this aside to focus on the animal life that he could see. Then he narrowed his focus down even further. After making sure that there were no dangerous predators approaching the area, Lian tuned out all animal life that "felt" like a predator to him. Within the Web, every living had a presence. Lian had learned to identify what a living thing was by the way it felt in the Web. Some differences, like the way a plant's presence "feels" in comparision to an animal, are very obvious. Others, like the difference between a rabbit, and a ground squirrel, are quite subtle. But since Lian had begun to use his Webbing abilities to help him hunt, he'd found that he was able to feel the differences between presences within the Web more easily. Once Lian had succeeded in eliminating the predators from his awareness for the moment, he narrowed his focus down even further. Birds had a "flighty" feel to them. Possibly because of their ability to fly. Lian used this characteristic to tune them out of his awareness. Likewise, reptiles felt "cold" to him when he was in the Web. Lian thought that was because they were cold blood creatures. Insects were simply the smallest presences, little more than tiny flickering lights within the Web. Using these characteristics, Lian soon had only the non predatory mammals to deal with. It took some effort, but after a while, Lian was able to isolate and eliminate from his awareness animals such as mice, that didn't really live in groups. That left the "herd" animals. Creatures that lived and moved in groups. With some more effort, deer and wild horses were eliminated because their physical size in the real world made the glowing dot that represented their presence in the Web bigger than those of the animals that his snares might trap. Finally, Lian found a cluster of creatures that might work. He wasn't entirely certain whether they were rabbits, or ground squirrels, but his snares would work on either, in theory. Whether he would actually catch anything with them remained to be seen. Lian gestured Talise into a brisk walk in the direction of the animals he had found. He shifted his weight in response to her movements, trying to make it as easy for her to bear him as he could. When he arrived, there was no sign of the animals he'd found in the Web. But a quick check in the Web told him that the animals were still there. So he realized that they must be underground. This must be where they live. he thought as he dismounted.

[Lian Windrunner]

Knowing that the creatures would never surface while he was around, Lian quickly rummaged through his yvas bags until he found the snares he was looking for. After nearly an hour of searching, Lian found a hole in the ground that he hoped to be one of the entrances into the creatures' den. That's where he positioned the first snare. Making sure that the wire wasn't visible to something coming out of the hole, he positioned the loop around the entrance. Then he pressed a wooden stake into the ground nearby, securing the other end on the snare. Finally, he covered the snare with some dirt so it hopefully wouldn't be noticed by anything trying to enter the den. After he was done with the first snare, he hid the second one in some tall grass not too far from the first. His hope was that anything living in the den would see the tall grass as good cover as they tried to approach or leave the den. Since he didn't know if these creatures were ground squirrels, or rabbits, he decided against using the rabbit scent oil on the snares. Lian had no real idea of what he was doing, and no confidence that he would succeed with the snares. Half remembered childhood lessons on how to use snares were no substitute for true knowledge and experience. But it was the best he could do with his attempts at thinking like the animals he was trying to trap. So he made note of where he'd left the snares, and mounted Talise once more. Talise snorted, as if laughing at her rider. Lian scowled, but he patted her neck affectionately all the same. "So you think you could do better, do you? I'd like to see you try. Good luck getting a snare positioned properly with those hooves of yours." he chuckled as they rode off. Once more, Lian entered the Web, both to check for possible danger, and to look for deer. Or rabbits. Or anything, really. There was nothing nearby except for the animals he'd just set the snares for, but he did locate a herd of deer an hour or so to the east. Lian squeezed Talise's sides gently, asking her to turn in the direction he wanted to go, and they set off. After riding for a while, Lian saw a trampled path in the grass. He dismounted to get a closer look, and saw the small hoofprints he had come to know came from a deer. The trail was so obvious, even he could see where it was going, so Lian remounted, and followed it. But the trail quickly tapered away, as if the herd that had made it had split up, or something. And before long, what was left of the trail was too faint for Lian to have any hope of reading it. He was still moving in the direction of the herd he'd found by checking the Web earlier, though, so he continued riding in the direction he was already moving in. As they rode, Lian became more and more excited. He was anticipating the thrill of the hunt. The rush of adrenaline as he took his shot. The pride and satisfaction of a successful hunt. And the taste of fresh venison. He could almost taste it now. There was very little that Lian didn't enjoy eating, but there was little that he liked eating more than truly fresh venison. Lian was so caught up in his fantasy that he didn't see the herd of deer he'd been looking for until he was nearly upon them. Cursing softly, he gestured for Talise to stop. But he was too close, and the wind was not in his favor. First one deer looked up to stare at him, then another, and another. As one, the herd fled. Lian scrambled for his bow, but by the time he'd gotten it off his back, and had an arrow ready to shoot, the herd was too far away. There weren't any stragglers he could aim for, and the main body of the herd was too close together for him to pick a target with any hope for accuracy. And distance wise, they were just too far away, and getting farther by the second. With the skills he had, Lian knew there was no way that he could hit anything. Trying to make the shot anyway, would likely cost him an arrow, so he decided against it. Instead, he just watched the herd until it vanished into the distance, and was gone. Grumbling to himself, Lian allowed his mind to slip into the Web to see if there were any more deer nearby. Unfortunately, the nearest he could find was a large herd that was at least a five hour ride to the north...at a full gallop. Which Lian couldn't manage with his riding ability. If he tried, he'd likely be nursing a sore behind after falling off his strider. Knowing that it would be dark long before he reached the herd, Lian decided to give up on deer for the day. After his stupid, rookie mistake, he wasn't at all certain that he wanted to try for deer again today anyway. While still in the Web, Lian checked for dangerous predators. There weren't any near enough to be a threat, but he did sense the presence of a large boar not too far away. Lian had no desire to risk angering it, so he gestured Talise into a trot, and headed away from the boar as quickly as he could. When he felt that it was safe for him to do so, he gestured Talise to a stop, and entered the Web once more. He found a couple of pheasant that weren't far from where he was, so he changed direction so that he could find them in the physical world. Unfortunately, they took flight just as he managed to find them. Lian's bad luck continued as the day progressed. He would find something in the Web that looked promising, only to have it be gone before he could reach it, or in some cases, just as he got into range. A few times, he found dangerous predators in the area, and had to leave quickly. By the time the afternoon light was begining to fade, he still had no reward for his efforts. Grumbling to himself, Lian decided to give it up as a lost cause. He didn't want to be caught out in the Sea of Grass after dark, and he wanted to check on the trap and snares he'd set up before he headed back to Endrykas. Though with my luck, I won't have caught anything with those, either. he thought sourly. Lian put pressure aganist Talise's right side, asking her to turn right. She complied, and they started heading back the way they had come. Lian kept her to a slow walk, wanting to enjoy her company for a while. It would also give him a chance to calm down before they reached the tent city. As they rode, Lian kept one "eye" on the Web to make sure they were as safe as they could be out in the Sea of Grass. At the same time, he searched for the snares he was on his way to check. Before long, they'd reached the den where Lian had set his two snares. The one hidden by the tall grass was completely untouched. But the one Lian had placed around the entrance to the den seemed to show signs of having caught something. Unfortunately, something had gotten to the animal before he had. Blood and tufts of brown fur littered the area, but there was nothing else left of whatever Lian had managed to catch. Lian sighed in annoyed resignation as he gathered up the two snares. At least I know that I must have done something right in setting the snares up. he thought to himself. I did catch something, after all, even if something else got to it first. Once Lian had gathered up his two snares, and cleaned them off as best he could without the aid of water, he remounted his strider, and they continued riding back towards the stream where he'd left his trap. When he arrived, and located the trap, it became obvious that he had some success there as well. The tufts of fur tangled around and near the trap told Lian that it had been sprung...but his lack of skill in knot tying, and traps in general had betrayed him. The rabbit was long since gone, having managed to pull itself free of his trap. Lian did, however get a good look at what rabbit prints look like since the ground around the trap was littered with them. The longer ones made from the rabbit's hind paw were much easier for Lian to recognize. The smaller ones were much less distinct, and Lian wasn't sure he'd recognize them again if he saw them...or even if they had been made by the same animal. Lian picked up the piece of thin rope that had once been a trap, and stowed it in one of his yvas bags after brushing the fur off of it. Then he mounted Talise once more, and turned them back towards home.

[Khida]

Lian Windrunner

Skill	Points
Fletching	+1
Horsemanship	+1
Observation	+2
Tracking	+1
Trapping	+2
Webbing	+1

• Fletching: mind the grain of the wood
• Seirei: persistently stubborn
• Trapping: concealing a snare with dirt
• Trapping: snares are vulnerable to thieves
• Webbing: filtering awareness by general characteristics

Notes

Lian just couldn't win today, could he? A nice solo, with plenty of trials and tribulations. The awards should be pretty self-evident. As we've discussed previously, you need to account for Lian's lunch here.

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