Solo A Hunting We Will Go

[Lian Windrunner]

Timestamp: 3rd Day of Summer, 514 AV Lian stretched his muscles carefully. He didn't want them to get too stiff while he sat perfectly still for at least a bell or so. When he was done, he made himself as comfortable as he could. Only then did he allow his mind to dive into the Web. Immediately upon entering the Web, two loud, jarring dissonances in the Web's song alerted him to trouble. One of the trouble spots felt bigger than the other to him, so Lian followed the feeling of wrongness, in search of it. As he soared through the Web, the glowing blue strands grew darker the closer he got to the sense of wrongness. A feeling of unease, and dread filled the air, pulsing with a life of its own. The sickly sweet smell of overripe fruit became noticible as he grew closer still to the disturbance, and the heavy scent continued to grow stronger the closer he came until it was nearly overpowering. Lian approached the biggest disturbance warily. A strider sized hole was at the center of the disturbance. The edges of the hole looked charred. As he watched, bits of the damaged strands nearest the edge crumbled away and fell into dust that disappeared moments later. The strands that were a little further back from the hole looked black, and withered. Like a potted herb that had been left to die of neglect, or a plant that was suffering from some sort of blight. Looking at it gave Lian such a feeling of revulsion and dread that he felt sick. And it was growing. Slowly, yes, but as he watched, Lian could see the hole getting bigger. The withered area surrounding the hole got bigger as well. What could have caused that? Lian thought in alarm. This couldn't be simple wear and tear...could it? Was it an attack? This close to the city? If so...why? It only took Lian a few chimes to realize that he couldn't fix the damaged area. It was far beyond his skill level to handle. So much so that were he to try, he would only make things even worse. So he took careful note of its exact location, and the surrounding area so that he could find it again quickly. Then he raced off in search of other Webbers. As he searched, he called out for aid. Within moments, three Webbers had responded to his call for aid. One was a member of the Watch, a Shalu Yakhtai who had been watching the Web while on duty. The second was a friend Lian had met while in the Web, but had never met in real life. And the third was an acquaintance he had met a couple of times both within the Web, and in real life. All three were considerably stronger Webbers than he himself was. Lian quickly explained why he had called for aid, his anxious tone conveying the urgency of the situation. Then he showed the three Webbers the exact location of the hole. They thanked him, then quickly got to work.

[Lian Windrunner]

Lian longed to stay and watch the others work. The thought of how much he could learn if he did so was nearly irresistible. But he also knew that if he did so, he would be a distraction to the others. It was even possible that he might place himself, or the others in danger if he lingered to watch without their permission. Permission he had not been given. So he did not. Reluctantly, Lian left the more powerful Webbers to their work. His regret was short lived, though. There was the smaller disturbance to investigate as well, after all. It felt the same as the hole in the Web had, but it also felt smaller. Perhaps it was something he himself could attempt to fix. If not, he would have to retrace his path, and alert the others to this disturbance as well...once they had finished dealing with the hole they were working on. As before, the glowing blue strands were dark, a deep bluish black, as he drew closer to the disturbance. And they continued to darken the closer he got. They also took on a dull, lifeless appearance that disturbed Lian greatly. The harsh, jarring dissonance caused by the disturbance grew sharper, and more jarring as well. It got louder, too. Lian found himself wanting to cover his ears with his hands, but he knew that it wouldn't do any good. Finally, Lian arrived at the disturbance. The sickly sweet scent that permeated the air surrounding the larger disturbance was here as well, but it wasn't as intense. When Lian approached the disturbance, he saw a hole, but this one was much smaller than the first had been. This hole was only slightly larger than his two fists pressed together with the curled fingers touching. There was a larger area surrounding the hole that looked as though it had been weakened. Much the same way that cloth looked when it had been worn so thin that you could almost see through it. The jangling melody that grated on his nerves so much was louder here than it had been at the other disturbance, but Lian was coming to recognize the melody as the very first symptom of a disturbance in the Web. As worse symptoms cropped up, it faded somewhat into the maelstrom of wrongness. I think...I think that I might be able to heal this one on my own. It's worth a try, at least. Lian thought after studying the disturbance carefully for several chimes. Lian closed his eyes, and turned his attention inwards. Everything else faded away as he focused solely on his breathing. In...and out. In...and out. In...and out. Over and over again. He didn't count his breaths, nor did he count the seconds each breath took. He simply focused on them in an attempt to tune everything else out. Even thought faded into the background. When he was ready, Lian reached deep within himself. It took several chimes of intense searching, but he finally found what he was looking for - the djed that flowed deep within him. Ever so carefully, Lian grasped his djed. Then he hesitated. He knew what he was supposed to do...in theory. In order to patch the hole in the Web, he needed to spin his own djed into strands, and use it to weave a web of his own creation. That web would be anchored into the Web near the edges of the hole, and used to cover it; like a patch sewn onto the knee of a pair of pants to cover up a hole. But unlike a hole in an item of clothing, his patch on the Web would hopefully, in time, integrate itself into the Web, healing it like a wound heals over time. Lian knew how to do what he was about to attempt...but he had little practice in actually doing it. And he knew the dangers involved. If he were to overestimate how much djed he needed, and take too much, the djed would be taken from his body and soul rather than just the reserve of expendable djed he maintained for just such an occasion. That, in turn, would cause overextension. It was entirely possible that he could become so addicted to being within the Web, that he lost all desire to leave...ever. He could even lose touch with his physical self, and find himself unable to return even if he wanted to. Admittedly, the danger of overextension was quite small in this case. The web he was going to weave was very small, after all. Lian took a moment to locate the silvery grey glowing strand that connected him to his physical body. Then he renewed his grasp on his djed, and "pulled" it into the surface of his hand. As he did so, he began the task of spinning it into silken strands. This took far more effort and concentration than it might have cost another Webber of equal skill simply due to his lack of practice. But he stuck with it, and his effort paid off. Lian weaved his djed strands into his origin. When he had done so, he anchored his origin into the Web, at the edge of the hole he was trying to patch. From there, he moved outwards, weaving a bit more of his djed into the web he was creating to use as a patch. Since it was a small hole, it didn't take long. After a few chimes, he was finished. The hole was patched, and Lian felt quite satisfied with his work.

[Lian Windrunner]

His work wasn't finished, however. Although the hole itself was patched, the weakened area surrounding the hole remained. If left as it was, eventually it would fray, tearing another, larger hole in the Web. Lian studied the weakened area carefully. Some sections were weaker than others. In these sections, the strands of the Web were worn so thin that they were nearly nonexistent. These were the areas that were the greatest threat. They were in danger of tearing at any moment. Other parts were only slightly weakened. They might even heal on their own, if given time to do so; time in which they were protected from further damage. Lian began weaving his djed into strands once more. But instead of weaving the strands into a web of his own making, he wove them into the Web directly. Strengthening the existing Web rather than creating a patch as he had done before. Starting at the newly patched hole, Lian weaved his djed into the Web, giving of himself so that the Web could thrive. As he worked, he could see the weakened area growing stronger. Finally, he was done. The weakened area was strong once more. Lian released the grip he had on his djed, allowing it to stop flowing out of him. Lian felt weary, but he also felt a great sense of accomplishment. Do I still have time to investigate that link I saw between Seirei and I a couple of days ago? It was a good question. Lian had lost all sense of time while he had been repairing the damage to the Web. I'd better not. I still need to go hunting today. It's best to go in the morning...especially in this heat. I'm not even sure if it's still morning or not. If I don't go now, I could lose the whole day to the Web. And while that wasn't such a bad thought, Lian did have things to do. I can always check into it the next time I enter the Web. With that decided, Lian followed the glowing silvery strand that tied him to his physical body. When he was close enough, he dropped out of the Web, and sank back into his body. As was becoming normal for him, he felt heavy, and uncoordinated for a few chimes as he got used to his physical body once more. He was also left with a lingering regret at having left the wonders of the Web. The regret told him that he had indeed pressed his limits while working with the Web. It would be awfully easy for him to give in to the urge to dive back into the Web for "just a little while longer." But he knew that if he did, it would be even harder for him to leave. Maybe even impossible. So he resisted the urge. After a while, it faded, along with the lingering regret, and the feeling of not being quite connected to his physical body. Lian had spent longer in the Web than he had meant to. It was late morning already, and he had hoped to be out hunting by mid morning at the latest. So Lian stood, and stretched quickly. Then he bustled about his tent, gathering his gear. He'd need the usual things; yvas, yvas bags, short bow, quiver with arrows, and the like. But he also wanted to try using his traps and snares again. He had no idea why they had failed the first time he'd used them, but it was worth another shot. He also wanted to try using his oil scents again. When he was ready, he left the pavilion. Talise was waiting for him near the tent flap. Normally, he'd take the time to curry comb her before they went out. Lian didn't know which of them enjoyed it more, and it was a good way for them to bond further. But it was already late morning, and Lian feared that if he didn't get out soon, all of the animals would seek shelter against the worst of the day's heat, and he wouldn't find anything. So instead, he promised his strider a good grooming later as he put the blanket and yvas on her. Talise snorted, and stomped her foot, as if threatening to hold him to his promise. Lian gave her a quick pat on the neck, then mounted. He used his legs to signal a walk, and Talise obeyed. Strider and rider kept to a slow pace until they reached the edge of the tent city. Neither wanted to accidently run into anyone. But when they were free of the bustle of the city, Lian asked for a brisk trot, and Talise seemed happy to comply. They rode in silence for half a bell or so, each enjoying the other's company. After a while, Lian looked around, alert to his surroundings. He saw grass, grass, and more grass as far as the eye could see. Interspersed among the grass were brightly colored flowers. Red, pink, blue, yellow, and purple splashes of color growing amidst the shades of green. The rains still had not come, but the plants had not yet begun to wither from lack of water. It was quite pretty, really. And it was home. Lian couldn't imagine ever wanting to live anywhere else. The heat was stifling, but Lian could still hear birds chirping, calling out to one another as they went about their lives. He could see them, hidden in the tall grass as they were, but their melodic chirping was a pleasant sound to listen to. And every once in a while, he caught a flash of feathers as a bird flew by. A shadow ran across the ground suddenly. Startled, Lian looked up to see a bird of prey soaring overhead, circling the sky as it searched for prey. It was too high up, and the sun was too bright for him to be able to tell what type of bird of prey it was, but Lian thought that it looked smaller than an eagle would. So you're hunting too, huh. I hope that we're both successful in our efforts. Lian told the bird silently. There didn't seem to be anything potentially dangerous nearby, so Lian allowed his mind to slip into the Web. A quick check told him that he was right. The nearest predator was a lone wild dog, and it was several bells' hard ride to the north of where he was. There was a wild boar considerably closer, but it too was far enough away for it not to be a threat. It was also moving away from him, not towards. Satisfied that they were as safe as it was possible to be out in the Sea of Grass, Lian allowed his mind to return to his body once more. Again, he felt that hint of reluctance to do so, but he ignored it as best he could. Why didn't I offer Waisana my Webbing skills as payment? he wondered, startled. I'm better at Webbing than I am at hunting...which is rather ironic given that I am a hunter. I guess it's because I enjoy Webbing so much. Healers... Lian shuddered a bit. Healers intimidate me. I don't associate anything even remotely pleasureable with being in their presence, so it just didn't occur to me to make that offer. Besides, it worked out better this way, anyway. Seirei seems to like the healer, so she should enjoy working with her. Giving her something that she enjoys might make the rest of her life here a little more bearable.

[Lian Windrunner]

A sharp snort shattered Lian's train of thought. He immediately turned his attention to Talise, trying to determine what had startled her. Her ears were flat against her head, and she began to dance in place anxiously. Lian stroked her neck soothingly, trying to calm her down as he searched for the source of her obvious fear. Finally, he found it. He saw a snake coiled on the ground several feet in front of them. The snake was a good size for one of its kind. It was a pale brown with darker bands along its body. Worse was the rattle on its tail. As Lian watched warily, it shook its tail, making a loud rattling sound. To Lian's inexperienced eye, it looked as though the snake was coiled, and ready to strike at a moment's notice. Lian eyed the snake warily. It was coiled on the ground - a stationary target. At close range, even. Did he dare try to kill the snake? It was nearby...but it was also a small target. It would be easy for him to miss even at close range. And if he did miss...the snake would strike. Deciding against taking the risk, Lian signaled ever so slightly for Talise to start walking slowly in the opposite direction. She obeyed gladly. Strider and rider edged away from the snake cautiously. When they were a safe distance away, Talise broke into a brisk trot, and they fled the area. Why didn't I sense the snake while I was in the Web? he wondered. This thought disturbed Lian greatly, but he gradually pushed it aside for the moment as they continued to ride. After a while, they came to a stream that Lian used frequently. He dismounted, and took a long drink, allowing Talise to do the same. Then he refilled his waterskin so he would have water for later. While on the ground, Lian looked around for a good place to set up one of his snares. He figured that since all animals needed water, setting a snare near the stream might better his odds of catching something with it. After a few chimes of searching, Lian found a place he thought might be suitable. He saw what looked like it might be a den for a ground squirrel. There were a lot of tracks leading to and away from it, indicating that it was currently in use. Lian took a few moments to study the tracks. They were a lot smaller than a rabbits. Some of the prints were smaller than others. Lian guessed that the smaller ones belonged to the creature's fore paws. These ones resembled a tiny human slightly. But they had four clawed toes rather than four fingers and a thumb. The larger ones were a slightly elongated version of the smaller ones, and the four toes were closer together. Lian took careful note of this as he set his snare. He embedded a stake in the ground so that if an animal stepped into it, they would be trapped when the loop of wire tightened around their leg. Then he concealed it as best he could, brushing a light layer of dirt over it so that it wouldn't be visible to the ground squirrel he hoped to catch. Lian set two more snares at the edge of the stream, and concealed those as well. One looked okay to him, but on the other, the knot looked...off to him. Lian couldn't quite be sure what was wrong with it, but he wasn't sure it would hold if an animal triggered the snare. When he was done setting his snares, Lian put what was left of his wire back in one of his yvas bags. Then he double checked to make sure that the snares were still tied to the Web; the last thing he needed was to lose them. Lian squatted next to the stream to take one more drink before he left. As he did so, he noticed some hoof prints. They were too small to belong to a horse, so he knew that they had to belong to a deer. Lian took a close look at these tracks as well. The first thing he noticed was that there were two indentations in the dirt rather than just one as there would be with a horse hoof. Another difference was that front tips of the hooves are located towards the inside of the track. Lian tried to commit these details to memory so that he'd recognize them if he saw them again. As he stared at the deer tracks, Lian realized that he could see a faint. but distinct trail leading off into the distance. One that was not so muddied by the sheer number of prints that it was impossible for him to read. He couldn't tell how many deer had made the trail, but there were enough hoof prints that there had to be more than one. A small herd, maybe? A large herd's trail would be so muddied by the sheer number of prints that he'd never be able to read the trail. Lian didn't know how long ago the tracks had been made, but he decided he wanted to try and follow them. So he mounted Talise quickly, and they were on their way.

[Lian Windrunner]

Lian followed the trail, making slight corrections to their path as the trail wove through the tall grass. Every so often, Lian noticed a tuft of fur caught on the grass, or broken grass that must have been damaged as the deer passed through. It wasn't in and of itself enough for him to read, but it added to the still faint but readable tracks on the ground. Lian took careful note of them, trying to learn everything he could as he followed the trail. He knew that he could use the Web to see if he was going in the right direction, but he chose not to. As a hunter, he really needed to know how to track his prey. Unfortunately, he hadn't paid as close attention to his lessons as he should have as a child. He hadn't thought he would need to know how to track an animal since he was so sure he was going to be a Webber when he grew up. As a result, there were young children that knew more about following a trail than he did. So he was now having to teach himself he should have learned from his father and older brother years ago. Even so, Lian managed to follow the trail for several miles until he came to a good sized stream. There, they seemed to meet up with another herd of deer. That, or it was part of the same herd. Either way, the increased number of animals turned the trail into an unreadable mess to Lian's inexperienced eyes. Lian dismounted so he could get a better look at the myriad of deer prints. It didn't help. Lian was hopelessly lost. Giving it up as useless, Lian walked over to the stream's edge. Then he squatted down, and took a long drink to refresh himself. When he was finished, he started to stand. But he froze in place when he saw a pair of rabbits approaching the stream. They were somewhat smaller than other rabbits Lian had seen. But they were too big to be babies. He had seen baby rabbits before, following their mother as she fed on the grass near their den. So they were either young rabbits, likely born in early spring, or just small rabbits. Their ears twitched back and forth as they listened for danger. But they ignored his presence completely. That made Lian lean towards the thought that they were young. Young, and foolish. Or maybe just inexperienced. Either way, Lian wasn't about to miss this opportunity. His bow was slung over his shoulder, and within easy reach. But to use it, he would have to stand, and the movement was likely to frighten the rabbits into flight before he was able to take aim. So he reached for the hunting knife in the pouch tied around his waist instead. He moved very slowly, trying not to make a big move that would startle the rabbits. And when he had the knife in hand, he froze once more, waiting. As Lian watched, the pair of rabbits edged closer and closer to the stream's edge. Finally, one began to drink while the other kept watch for predators. Still they ignored them. Lian barely dared to breathe for fear that his luck would run out, and the rabbits would flee. After a while, the second rabbit dropped its guard and began to drink as well. Lian took full advantage of its inexperience. Lian lunged for the rabbits as quickly as he could. He grabbed the nearest one with his left hand, and held onto it for dear life. It twisted, and jerked in his grip, desperately trying to escape, but Lian was prepared for that, and did his best to bring the rabbit closer to him. Sheer luck rather than any planning on his part caused him to grab hold of the rabbit in a way that it was unable to twist its head around to bite him. The rabbit flailed wildly in the air, its struggles growing more desperate. Lian slammed its body into the ground once while still keeping his grip firm. The blow seemed to stun the creature because it stopped moving, and hung limply. Lian quickly laid the rabbit on the ground. He held the still limp creature down with his left hand in case it recovered and tried to flee. While he was doing that, he drew his hunting knife across its neck quickly. He had no real idea of what he was doing, so it wasn't the smooth, easy kill it could have been. Lian felt the knife slide in to the rabbit's flesh, but he missed the vein that would cause it to bleed out within moments. The rabbit made a gurgling sound, and thrashed weakly. Lian redoubled his efforts to hold the creature down, and managed to keep his hold on it. He tried again, sawing his knife against the creature's neck. Finally, he must have hit the right spot. Blood spurted out of the rabbit's mangled throat, and it died within moments. Most of the blood spurted away from him, but he still got a few spatters on his clothes and hands. When it was dead, Lian tied it to his yvas. Once it was secure, he rinsed his knife off in the stream, dried it, and put it back in his pouch. He washed his hands as well, scrubbing off the spatters of blood on his hands. He splashed some water on the splatters on his clothes as well in the hopes of cleaning them. Some of the blood spatters came off, but not all. Then it was time to leave. Inexperienced as a hunter or not, even Lian knew that the smell of blood would draw predators. Talise snorted uneasily at the smell of blood, but Lian stroked her neck until she clamed down. Then he mounted her. With a gesture from his legs, he coaxed her into a brisk trot. As he rode, he sighed ruefully. Lian wanted to continue hunting, but his kill had been made too messily. Although he had gotten the blood off of his hands, he realized that the scent of it would linger. Animals would smell him coming long before he had any chance of getting within range. And any animal he had a chance of bringing down would flee. A wild dog, or worse, a pack would likely be attracted to the scent of blood, but Lian knew that he'd never be able to handle a fellow predator in his current skill level. So it was time to call it a day. Lian rode back towards his snares. It hadn't been long since he'd set them, but with his lack of knowledge about what he was doing with them, he really didn't want to leave them out overnight the way real trappers did. With his luck, they would be gone, or destroyed if he did. As he rode, he found a cluster of bushes that he had not seen while he was trying to track the deer earlier. Each bush had several berries that looked like ones Lian had eaten many times over the years. He gestured Talise to a stop, and dismounted. Lian knew that some berries were poisonous, but these ones looked exactly like ones he ate frequently. The ones he normally ate were black. Each tiny round segment of the whole was juicy and sweet. These berries had the same shape, but some were green rather than black. Others were red, or partially red, and just starting to turn black. Lian guessed that that meant that they weren't ripe yet. So he avoided those ones as he picked the black ones. Brambles scratched his hands each time he reached for a berry, but by now, he was quite hungry. And the berries were sweet, and delicious. It was slow going, but he managed to eat his fill, and gather a pouch full to take home. As he gathered the berries, Lian studied the leaves, wanting to be able to recognize them in the future. The leaves were a bright green. They were roughly oval in shape, and had a pointy tip at the top of the oval. The edges of the leaves were jagged. Lian tried to memorize what they looked like. He knew than many of the women foraged during the summer and fall. And while he didn't plan to go out foraging the way did, he would keep an eye out for edible berries each time he went hunting. After he was finished picking all of the ripe berries he could find, Lian tied the pouch to his yvas. Then he mounted his strider, and they were off once more. By the time he reached his snares, the sun was just starting to set. One snare was empty. The knot that had looked off to him had come undone. Animal prints were all around the snare. Lian guessed that something must have gotten caught in it, but managed to escape. The second trap was of far more interest to him. Something was caught in it, struggling desperately to escape. As Lian dismounted, he recognized the animal as a ground squirrel. Like the rabbits, this ground squirrel was smaller than usual. Likely it too, had been born in late spring. Lian picked it up, grabbing it by the back of its neck. Remembering that he had once seen his older brother snap the neck of a fully grown rabbit, Lian tried to do the same thing now. He tightened his grip on its neck, and wrenched it to one side as hard as he could. He felt the bones snap with a feeling of satisfaction. A small rabbit, and an even smaller ground squirrel wasn't much in the way of prey, but considering his lack of real skill, and how late it had been when he'd gotten started, Lian felt it was a decent enough catch. Lian quickly gathered up his snares, and put them in one of his yvas bags. The ground squirrel was put in a different yvas bag. Then Lian mounted Talise once more, and strider and human turned towards home.

[Khida]

Lian Windrunner

Skill	Points
Acrobatics	+1
Botany	+1
Butchery	+2
Foraging	+1
Hunting	+2
Investigation	+2
Meditation	+1
Observation	+4
Stealth	+1
Tracking	+3
Trapping	+2
Webbing	+3
Wilderness Survival	+2

• Black raspberries: leaf, fruit, and flavor
• Botany: fruit color indicates ripeness
• Butchery: a bungled kill
• Butchery: snapping the neck of small game
• Stealth: remaining motionless to remain unseen
• Tracking: deer hoofprints
• Tracking: squirrel footprints
• Trapping: concealing a snare with dirt
• Trapping: placing snares near burrows
• Webbing: crafting an origin
• Webbing: a patch for a small hole
• Webbing: recognizing a hole in the Web

Notes

Wow. This is one of the busiest threads I've graded in a while, if not ever! You stuffed pretty much everything feasible into these five posts. Well done.

I believe the awards should be transparent, but 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.