Closed Forced Cooperation (Khara)

[Azira]

x

Azira didn't feel any safer now that she held the bow in her hand, ready to fire but she did feel superior. She was capable of protecting herself (or so she hoped) whereas the scout was vulnerable and reliant on the protection of the huntress. How valuable that protection was however was the question. Azira could shoot but not necessarily very well. She still made mistakes when using her shortbow and her aim was still off. She hadn't succeeded in hitting a bull's eye in quite some time, even though she'd been using the bow properly rather than trying to shoot in a way that was likely to cripple her.

The Avora wasn't good at moving targets either. She'd need to do something about that. Not every animal would just sit patiently while she took a shot at it after all. If they were attacked by the zynx then she didn't know how well it would go. If it attacked her, well then she wasn't going to get a shot off in time but she might be able to use her knife but if it attacked Khara, there was a good chance she'd shoot the prey instead of the predator; it wouldn't be the first time.

Still she tried to remain confident in herself as she followed in the scout's footsteps, treading softly and allowing some distance to open between them. There were a number of practical reasons for her slowed pace. It prevented her from dislodging the arrow, which she held ready in the event of an attack, it made Khara a far more likely target of a zynx attack and if the girl was attacked then there was enough distance between them that the huntress would be able to see what she was doing. Shooting a bow in close quarters was not something that could be done, or at least the Avora thought so. Despite her caution, no zynx made an appearance though.

As she followed the Chiet, the teen couldn't give a prospective animal attack her full attention. She was too interested in what the girl was looking out, what signs she was using for her tracking. There were light depressions that Azira could see, appearing to show the paw pads of what she assumed were a zynx's although she wouldn't have been able to tell if they were from a canine or feline herself. It was still a sign that was clear enough for her to see thanks to the soft ground. There was little else that she could decipher until she reached the side of her guide who had stopped, awaiting the chance to give her the verdict.

Her eyes followed the direction of her arm, searching for whatever had informed the girl of the predator's direction. There was nothing obvious that the Avora could see so she turned back to Khara. "You're sure? It definitely went away from the moose?" the huntress murmured, removing the arrow from the bow and returning it to her quiver. If it had run away then it was unlikely that they were going to be attacked. "We'll head back then and you can follow the moose's trail. Just make sure that you keep an eye out for any signs that the two crossed paths again."

The girl checked back the way that they'd come, working out the path that they'd taken. She began to follow it back slowly, staring down at the ground so she could see the signs of their passage, two sets of footprints easier to follow than the light prints of the zynx. She paused after a half chime of movement, remembering that the scout was supposed to be in the lead. "Scouts first," she murmured, gesturing for her to resume her guiding of the Avora.

x

[Khara]

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With the immediate concern of the zynx once more behind her, Khara returned her attention to retracing her steps and finding the moose's trail. Again it was the larger, non-animal tracks that were left by her boots that allowed her to properly find her way. The thought of how she would repeat this performance if the weather hadn't cooperated came again. Snow actually made tracks easier to see so long as another storm didn't cover them, but it was Falls' upcoming rainstorms that had her utterly perplexed. No doubt if this trip ended well she would be expected to do more solo scouting. What about if I used something else to help mark the way I came? Something I could use on the return trip and then easily follow the day after?

Khara let the thought mull around in the back of her mind while her eyes continued to scan forward, following the moose's path and looking for any deviations she may not have spotted the day before. How about small strips of fabric tied to branches? If someone else found them and followed them then it still would be good for Wind Reach, right? If you used multiple colors you could come up with some sort of system. Red for a left turn, orange for potential predators in the area. Something like that. Then only you'd know how they worked and you could gather them up as you came back, use them multiple times. It sounds way too simple, though. There has to be something wrong with this plan, but what?

Her thoughts were cut off as a familiar stretch of thorned bushes appeared in front of the two Inarta. The scout absentmindedly brought a hand to her arm and brushed her fingertips against the remaining scratches the thorns had left behind from her previous encounter. Rather than plunging through them again she chose to walk alongside the wall of brambles, keep an eye out for where they thinned and she could see the clearing beyond. It still wasn't an ideal way to pass through them, but she didn't want to risk losing sight of the clearing entirely. The thorny barrier seemed to go on for longer than she had initially thought as if wove itself around rocks and between trees in either direction.

Better just get this over with. The Chiet looked to the huntress and nodded with her head towards the bushes, indicating their need to pass through them. There was no sense of apology to it, after all, this wasn't some stroll through the woods.

The area she had chosen to move through made her think of a game trail, the branches and twigs easier to push aside than the spot she had chosen to traverse the day before. Still, the going was slower than she would have liked, especially with trying to make sure the branches she moved aside didn't snap back at the huntress following her. All in all, the scout earned herself only a handful more scrapes from the thorns, hardly worth noting given the amount she had earned the day before.

The sight of the clearing beyond and her remembering the moose she had first seen within made it worth it. At least, to Khara. She had no doubts that the huntress wouldn't be appeased until she saw the animal with her own eyes. Already she could hear the far off sound of the river where she had left off yesterday.

Khara waited until the Avora emerged from the bushes before beginning the steady walk to where the moose had stood the day before. Evidence of where it had been eating could clearly be seen from the stripped branches of the trees. Thankfully her having followed the animal physically now made its tracks all the easier to pick out and follow. True, they could have probably cut straight through to the river and followed it downstream, but following the path exactly as she had the day before had proven its merit so far, there was no want to deviate now that they were so close.
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[Azira]

x

Azira didn't know exactly where they were going. She didn't like the idea of having to follow someone else, relying on someone else for the direction that she herself lacked. Yes, other hunters used game scouts but this huntress wasn't used to them. She didn't like it at all, not being in control of this situation despite the fact that she was supposed to be made her extremely uncomfortable. Which of course meant that she was irritable, a state of being that unsurprisingly was her normal one.

Although she had some idea which way they'd come to follow the zynx, where Khara led her afterwards seemed different and it confused her. This wall of brambles had not been here before, she was sure. Somewhat sure. The game scout set off along it, apparently confident in where she was going even if the Avora wasn't. Azira could only follow in her wake, clueless as to how the girl was able to track anything around the natural barrier. Presumably there was a way around it,not that the girl could even be certain that they were supposed to go around it, but it seemed to go on forever, an impenetrable barrier to their progress. Except that the Chiet chose at last to go through it.

The Avora grimaced briefly as she regarded the spikes that threatened to tear flesh apart before following the other. It was no easy task. She had to watch out for branches at all levels, careful not to snag bryda or catch skin on one of the many points. She also had to keep an eye on Khara, aware that some of the branches that the scout pushed out of the way were in danger of whipping back on her. It was slow going and despite the caution of the huntress, she earned herself a number of small stinging wounds from where flesh on her arms and neck had been caught. She was glad to see the back of the infernal bushes, her mood growing fouler by the tick.

They'd entered a clearing that seemed no different than any other to the Avora huntress. There were no immediately clear signs that she could see but yet the scout seemed to follow some path with apparent ease, not needing to pause and familiarise herself with her surroundings. It irked the girl who spent her time trying to follow the scout as quietly as possible, making an effort to keep her steps light as she had no idea how close this moose could be. Her gaze drifted between the scout ahead of her and the ground where she searched for any noisy detritus that she might step upon. With time she was able to see what the scout was following.

Her eyes turned up slight depressions on the forest floor, sometimes only giving the impression that something had passed this way while at others two large marks of the moose's foot could be seen. The huntress was even able to spot some human tracks, presumably Khara's from the day before although it was entirely possible that someone had picked up the trail ahead of them but she doubted it. Having solved some of the tracking mystery, the teen felt better, more confident now that she seemed to have some better understanding of the situation. It encouraged her to reaffirm her authority, choosing to stretch her stride to catch up with Khara and hiss questions at her.

"So how much further is it from here that you saw the moose? You said that it was by a river and I can hear rushing water, is that the same one?" The girl wouldn't admit it but she needed to see prey soon or she was going to go mad. More importantly she wanted to sink an arrow into something. "I have every intention of shooting something today so you'd better find me something soon, Chiet, or I'm not going to have a lot of options." A meaningful look, a flash of teeth that was more feral than friendly. She'd been warned. The teen would be glad of the sight of a rabbit right about now, offering her a chance to show off before the big kill. She was going to bring that moose down after all, gods be damned if she was going to allow it to escape her grasp. If it did then Khara would suffer.

x

[Khara]

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The confidence Khara had fallen into with the familiarity of tracking suddenly stumbled at the not-so-subtle threat. Normally she would have thought the Avora was only speaking with an expected flair of scorn, but something in the huntress' eyes unsettled the scout. She'll do it. And no one will come looking for you. One thing had at least fully planted itself within the girl's mind: Whatever hunters she had been told of that worked with the scouts, the ones that showed a begrudging amount of respect towards their lessers' skills and actively sought out their usefulness... This particular Avora was definitely not one of them.

What had originally been a task that she had only thought to prove herself with suddenly seemed to be far more about succeeding in the name of self preservation than anything else. A successful hunt of such a large animal would be good for all of Wind Reach, but the Chiet suddenly felt that she was somehow in far more danger than the moose was.

Although she managed to keep her stride steady, her gaze darted quickly away from the huntress', her head bowing just in the slightest as Khara returned her attention to the trail. "Yes, it's the same river. It shouldn't take us long at all to get there."

Khara spoke the truth as best she knew it. While following the moose the day before she had been at the mercy of it's slow pace while it grazed and had found herself remaining still far more than covering any actual notable distance. Underneath the myriad of self doubt she found creeping in and nudging her thoughts, Khara couldn't help but know somewhere her prayers were once more going to Caiyha that she wasn't wrong and that the moose was still perusing it's leisurely path alongside the river. Not that Khara truly believed the goddess would help her, the scout wasn't exactly worth that sort of blessing and good favour. Still, it doesn't hurt to ask. The somewhat optimistic thought came to her unexpectedly and the girl let it lift her spirits again but if only for the alternative seeming rather moot. There could be no failure, not on her part, not anymore.

The scout continued to follow the tracks on the ground as well as the occasional patch of missing vegetation the moose had chosen to snack on, the roar of the river increasingly drawing louder as they neared. No matter how she knew her wish for the moose to have just remained still would go unheeded, the sight of the empty riverbank drew a pit in her stomach just the same. No doubt there would be new tracks to follow, fresher signs of the moose's passing, but the huntress' patience was wearing thin and Khara wasn't sure how long her luck would hold.

There was no point in announcing the obvious arrival, and the absent prey, but rather the scout quickly threw herself into examining the newer signs the moose had left. The consequences of it's eating spree were easily seen as she neared, but inexperience left her with only guesses as to how old the droppings were. Likewise the softer moist ground near the river gave rise to clearer prints, but their sharpness didn't tell her much as to their age. Orthin would know this. She scolded herself before adding the obvious afterthought. Yeah? And he isn't here. Deal with it.

Thankfully as she had predicted, it seemed the moose had chosen to follow close to the river, perhaps using it as a source of relief from the Summer heat. Only a steady nod was offered to the huntress before the scout began following the trail left anew. Unsure of how much longer they would now have until they spotted the creature, the scout's movements became far more careful, silence taking precedence over haste. It was an unhappy compromise with the Avora's threat still lingering clearly in her mind.

As she followed Khara noted that the tracks would occasionally veer off into the shallow waters of the river's edge before returning to the same bank rather than fully crossing over. Each time they vanished into the constantly moving riverbed she tensed, eyes scanning in desperate hopes of their return and finding she could once again breathe when they did. Of all the day's events and hazards so far, the possibility of crossing a river, even a small one, was not something the Chiet looked forward to. There certainly was an undeniable sense of solace to be found as the tracks finally moved away from the water and headed back into the woods. The trail would be harder to see once more, but there was far more vegetation to provide both Inarta with at least some sort of cover if they came across the moose unexpectedly. It also meant that the moose had no doubt resumed its eating, which would slow the creature down.

The silence between the teenagers continued until Khara spotted an area where the forest bedding and various plants had been flatted down more than the rest of the surrounding area. She crouched near the space and looked up towards the huntress, her voice once more low and just above a whisper once the Avora was in range. "This sort of patch is typical of the type left when animals like deer or moose sleep. Given the size, I'd say it was left by your prey. We shouldn't be far behind it now."

Despite the certainty she tried to force into her words, Khara knew she was only quoting from teachings she had been given. Other scouts had pointed out areas where deer had slept to her before when she had only begun learning how to track an animal, but this was her first time in seeing one so large. While complete sureness was lacking, she still felt the assumption was safe enough to voice.

Not wanting to test the Avora's patience, however, Khara quickly began searching for the signs that would show which direction the moose had left once it had awoken. At first there seemed to be nothing and she began to feel panic creeping its way into her. What was probably only a handful of ticks seemed to take ages until the scout finally spotted another rough patch of the forest floor. A quick sweep of the loose material aside with her hand revealed the much-needed print. From there her eyes began to pick up once more on the moose's trail. "If it's still eating like it was yesterday, we should catch up to it soon." Khara paused, hoping her next words wouldn't prove her undoing. "Very soon."

With that she set off once again, letting the moose's tracks guide her.
.

[Azira]

x

The girl was frightened. There had been a brief moment of confusion and uncertainty once the Avora had made her threat, her eyes wide as she scanned Azira's face. For a few ticks, she didn't believe her but then it obviously clicked in Khara's mind that she was very serious as her gaze flitted away, head bowing ever so slightly either in an action of submission or fear as the huntress interpreted it anyway. She got her answer to her question all the same, the scout keeping her speech to a minimum. She was only given the bare details rather than being subjected to the irrelevant chatter that the other had indulged in at the start of the hunt. That suited her just fine.

The girl spoke the truth at least, the river growing closer by the tick until they reached its bank and the scout set about picking up the trail again. She seemed to scrutinise everything, her eyes darting here and there as she moved along the riverside. Even Azira could see the trail this time, the soft mud of the bank the perfect medium for hooves to dig into and leave clear markings. Although she didn't know they were thinking along similar lines like Khara she wondered over how old the prints were. She could assume that they were about a day old as the scout had followed the moose to this place at that time. She wondered if it was possible to age them.

Stopping briefly beside one of the prints as she allowed the Chiet to press on, she compared one of her own prints with that of the animal. They weren't the same weight of course but they both left imprints. The huntress rammed her foot into the bank, forcing her weight upon it until it sank further into the earth making it closer in depth to the moose's print. She crouched comparing them briefly, eyes darting from one to the other. Around the edge of her print was a small bit of water and the rest of the print glistened with moisture, except for the very centre where the earth that had been on the surface had been pushed down. By comparison the moose's print was drier. She poked the edge of the moose track and found that while it yielded under pressure it was firmer before her finger broke through into softer wetter earth. She did the same experiment with her own track, her finger going through the earth far easier than in the moose's track. Her eyes flicked upwards, spotting how far ahead the scout had gotten and hurried to catch up with her, considering her findings.

Both tracks had been made in the same terrain but hers had still been wet, the earth not having a chance to dry out. The moose's track on the other hand had been there longer, the earth exposed by its print having dried out. It made sense that the moisture would be sucked out in the heat but she wondered how long such a process would take. It was something that she'd have to investigate at another time although she now had some idea of how to pick out a recent track from an older one in such terrain.

The huntress managed to catch up with the scout as she veered into the forest again. Wiping her muddy finger on her bryda, she followed the scout in thoughtful silence, wondering what indications the teen was following now. She almost wished for the Chiet to talk now and describe the signs she was using for tracking. At the same time if the girl was saying them out loud, the Avora would feel as if she was being treated as completely ignorant. Just because she was didn't mean that she wanted someone to point it out. Th girl obviously must realise that the huntress couldn't track or the teen wouldn't have needed her services but that didn't mean that Azira wanted it said aloud.

The scout did provide her with some information, something that the Avora absorbed eagerly. Flattened areas was where animals slept. It made sense. Areas that animals frequented were usually permanently flattened down, showing regular trails so the same thing but in a wider area would show where an animal had been. The girl was right though, it was big. Bigger than the Avora had imagined and that had her worried. If it was so big how on earth were they going to carry it? Herself and Erade had just about managed a stag between them once and not for very long at that but this thing? It was much bigger and she suddenly wondered if there was any way that they could bring it back. She could always dress the kill where it was but she wasn't used to dealing with something so big. She had no idea what was what. The biggest thing that she'd seen dressed was a wolf so presumably they had similar anatomy...

The huntress was left worrying at her bottom lip, teeth tearing at the flesh until she could taste blood. She was petched. There was no way that she could do this. She was going to end up embarrassing herself in front of the Chiet, that was if she could even bring down the thing. It had taken four arrows and a blade across the throat to dispatch that stag and she'd only fired two of them. She couldn't kill it herself unless she managed to hit something vital and she had no idea where the vitals were on a moose. Loathe as she was to admit it to herself, Azira might well require Khara's help.

Her mind in overdrive about what she was going to do, the teen followed the game scout worrying about what she was going to do when they encountered this moose and realising that she had very little time in which to come up with a plan. If as Khara said they'd catch up to it very soon, she'd have to know exactly how she was going to have to deal with the creature.

No pressure then, she thought wryly.

x

[Khara]

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The constant mantra of You just have to find it. That's all you have to do. She'll handle the rest. kept time with each softened footfall Khara made. Repeating the words wasn't doing much to solidify her belief in them, but it felt meditative in a way and anything that the Chiet managed to do to help keep her focused was a welcome addition at that point. The tracks continued onward, easy enough to spot. It gave the scout a chance to try and learn more from the moose's tracking as she followed.

The moose continually left a scattering of broken branches, most produced by its bulk as it must have gotten closer to eat the more tender of the various foliage. It seemed to be focusing on the newer growth, leaving behind the darker greens of aged leaves, pine needles, and branches of whatever became its meal. Khara paused once she was far enough ahead of the huntress to feel as if she could avoid reprimand. As she had done the day before she examined the broken pieces and the sap that capped their snapped ends. She had a feeling each particular tree would have it's own rate at which the sap hardened, but that would have to be an experiment carried out on another day.

For the moment the scout settled for one of the pines that seemed to have been persistent since they reached the tree line. Or, at least they looked close enough that she couldn't tell if they were all different species. Khara picked out a particularly damaged section, once more testing the tackiness of the sap with her fingers. It wasn't entirely fluid, but it only took a bit of pressure before the outer edge gave way to the oozing inside of where it had balled itself at the end of the break. A noncommittal huff was given before she reached up to a twig of similar size just above and as quietly and slowly as she could, snapped it. The sap that came forth moved much slower than she anticipated. She expected it to pour out, not be the slow viscous roll that it moved in. Aside from the thin crust the other pieces seemed to have she couldn't exactly tell the difference. The heat of the day wasn't helping matters either, did it dry out the sap faster or keep it fresh longer? Maybe I can find something in the enclave. Just another thing to add to her to-do list. A glance over to her side and the nearness of the huntress told her it was time to move again. Best to stick with what you know for now, maybe. A small sigh left as she returned to the tracks.

As best as she could guess, only a handful of chimes passed before she suddenly stopped again, the rough sound of movement just beyond another set of bushes she couldn't entirely see past caused the scout to practically freeze in place. Instinct more than actual thought kicked in as she crouched low to the ground and quickly looked back to the huntress. She signaled, or at least motioned, towards the sound. There must have been a proper set of gestures that hunters used, but they remained a mystery to her. The one she used had been picked up from other scouts and while she wasn't certain if they were the same, or the Avora would know exactly her intentions, the general idea was gotten across easily enough: Something was directly ahead of them. Something big.

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[Azira]

x

The scout made a habit of keeping her distance. She wasn't sure whether it was because she was very fast at following the trail or whether she didn't want to be too close to the huntress. Well you did imply that you'd shoot her, an internal voice offered helpfully. She ignored it. The girl was supposed to be leading the way and so it made sense for her to be ahead, even if it was a greater distance ahead than she would have liked.

She stopped ahead of her to examine something but when Azira seemed to be catching up with her at last, Khara set off once more widening the gap between them again. It exasperated the teen and she was getting ready to berate the girl for maintaining such a distance when the Chiet froze. Within ticks the girl was in a crouch, staying low to the ground and the huntress was quick to follow. Her stomach churned uneasily as she crept closer to Khara who was gesturing ahead. There were bushes so it was difficult to see anything ahead but as she drew closer, she heard something. Was it the moose? She hoped not. She wasn't ready to face it just yet, no plan yet sprung in her mind on how to deal with the creature.

The rustling sound was unmistakable, the bush shaking slightly as parts of it were pulled away. There was a more rustling and then a snapping sound. There was definitely something big behind that foliage, a herbivore as it seemed to be eating. Probably the moose. From the angle that she was at she couldn't see anything over the bushes, which were quite high in any case. She'd have to find her way around them so that she could get a better view. The huntress crept off to the left gesturing for the scout to follow, moving further away from where the bushes were before moving to circle around. She'd like to give the moose as wide a berth as possible if she was going to be able to assess the situation while keeping some distance between them.

It took a few chimes to circle around although the Avora wasn't entirely certain that she hadn't gotten herself turned around. She headed inwards again, moving in what she hoped was the direction that led to the moose. It didn't take long to find a position where she could actually see the thing and when she did she stood aghast, staring at the sheer size of the thing. Moose weren't that big, they couldn't be. Then again she'd only seen a moose once but it had been young and it hadn't been her kill. This thing though was a monstrosity compared to it.

It was taller than she was, considerably taller in fact. The height up to its shoulder was higher than any person she'd ever seen, Inarta or otherwise. It could easily be over six foot. Its antlers were huge, spreading out on either side of its head. She'd seen a moose trophy head once and the antlers of that one and this live one were about the same size. She swayed on her foot as she looked at the animal, trying to figure out how she'd considered herself capable of bringing down such an animal. And carrying it! It would be impossible for the two young women to carry that thing any distance at all, yet alone all the way back to the city. If she somehow brought that moose down she'd have to dress it and not only did she have no idea how but she was also fairly sure that they'd never manage to carry the weight of the meat back with them either.

Her gaze flitted behind her, searching for Khara. The girl had a bow so together they might just be able to down it. She looked at the moose again and felt less confident. Even between them they couldn't bring that down. Unless there was some way of setting a trap for it. Azira would have to think about it. Moving away from the moose again and heading further into the cover of the forest, once again signalling for the game scout to follow her. When she reached a distance that she deemed far enough away from her prey, she turned to Khara and spoke in a whisper.

"That isn't coming down by arrows alone, at least not with one or two. You'd have to plug it full of them. It'll have to be tricked somehow, tripped preferably. If it can be gotten on the ground then killing it will be a bit easier if it can't run," she explained quickly, running a hand through her hair as she considered ideas rapidly. "I have about 40 foot of rope and if it could be stretched across its path and then the moose tricked into it... I don't know." The teen shook her head despairingly, wondering how such a plan could be put into action.

Her eyes flitted back and forth, not settling on anything in particular as she thought about it. "It's male, they're aggressive, right? Could it be made to charge? You could make it charge into a rope and then what? Shoot it full of arrows. Maybe. Wouldn't be keeping the hide so the damage wouldn't matter but how to make it charge? How would you even put a rope across somewhere?" Khara was likely to realise that the teen was talking aloud to herself rather than to the scout. She didn't look at her but rather seemed to look through her, focusing in her head rather than on her surroundings. The huntress didn't even really notice that she was speaking aloud.

x

[Khara]

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Despite the fact the huntress was thinking aloud, Khara couldn't help but feel like maybe they were in over their head. She instantly felt guilty for her lack of confidence in the huntress, but she hadn't actually seen the extent of what the other teen knew. She was an Avora though, and while they were far from perfect, they at least knew their jobs and were skilled at them. That's what made them what they were. Wasn't it?

Maybe it was the fact the scout had just assumed that once they reached the moose everything would suddenly be easy. Khara figured that the huntress had to have taken down one before, she had sounded so confident and sure of their success when they had first started. It couldn't be the first time. It just couldn't.

What could have turned to panic instead became a sudden stillness within her, the usual flighty nature of her thoughts calmed. A glance was given to the moose before she turned back to the huntress. "The rope will work," Khara said, surprised by the conviction in her words.

What did she really have to lose, after all? If they brought down the moose, she would be right. If not... well, it wasn't like the huntress wasn't probably going to be cross with her regardless.

The Chiet tried to keep her tone respectful, quiet, and confident all in one go as she continued. It wasn't easy, but she hoped maybe it would instill some certainty back into the Avora. "We can tie it off easily enough. Loop it around a few trees so it's not just in one place. If the knots fail, the extra passes around limbs and trunks should keep it from just dropping before it does any good. I'd say we could purposely tie them loose and maybe the slackened rope would tangle up the moose more, but I think your idea of tripping it up will work better."

She pointed towards the trees just in front of the moose. "We'll want to give it some room to run so that it doesn't notice the rope, but not too much that it just goes around where we set it up. As for making it charge, it would run after it was shot, right?"

It sounded reasonable enough. Her own words seemed to even convince the scout that this plan might actually work. She knew a little about trapping, after all. Just enough to get herself in trouble and come up with what was possibly a completely harebrained idea that would go completely sour. Still, at least it's something?

Only a tick passed from when she finished speaking until she lowered her eyes once more in clear submission to the huntress' judgement. There had to be flaws in the plan that the Avora would see. "That's only a suggestion, however. This is your hunt. We'll precede as you see fit."
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[Azira]

x

Not having noticed her monologue had been spoken aloud, the huntress was confused and slightly shaken when Khara said something that seemed in agreement with one of her internal suggestions. Focus came back to her gaze as she stared at the woman in surprise, eyes narrowing as she scrutinised her more than she had before. Wait she'd told her about the rope, hadn't she? The huntress reviewed the conversation from a chime or two before, remembering when her lips had moved. She'd said everything out loud, hadn't she? It was a habit that the Avora had thought she'd knocked out of herself, at least while in the presence of another. In privacy she was free to voice her thoughts but the Yasi had tormented her mercilessly for "talking" to an imaginary friend because she didn't have any real ones. The memories rose unbidden and colour flushed to her face.

Her head dropped slightly though she doubted that it hid anything; she no longer had enough hair to hide her face. She tried to cling desperately to the conversation that the scout was continuing without her, her mind struggling to stay in the here and now rather than drifting into the past. Moose. They were hunting a moose. She focused on that thought and considered what the Chiet was telling her. She was suggesting that they cover as many bases as possible, spread the rope out between many trees rather than between a pair of them. She had a good point actually, especially concerning tying it in a few places in case the rope gave out. That was especially important as she wasn't very good at knotting. She'd lose about a foot of rope for every knot but it should work out better all the same.

Excitement and confidence rippled through her as the plan seemed like it just might work. If they could get the ropes set up then it was just a matter of making it charge. It'd have to be made aware of her presence so she'd have to get close but not too close. Then she could shoot it if it didn't charge her. "If it doesn't feel threatened when I get close to it then I'll shoot it in the chest, at the front, make it feel like I'm a threat that needs to be seen off despite my size." The last part earned a small wince. Way to point out your shortness, she thought, unable to believe that she'd said it like that. The scout would be laughing at her now but behind that respectful demeanour. The Chiet was short but she was still taller than Azira, which did nothing to help her sense of being in charge.

She moved on quickly, taking the pack from her back to withdraw the coiled rope. "We can tie this off in a spot that's convenient for us so somewhere that isn't too densely packed or too narrow or the moose won't want to go through. Then I'll move close to it--say 12, 13 feet--and shoot it in the chest if I have to then run like hai. You can make yourself useful somehow. If you can use that bow of yours then you can take a shot or two at it while I'm running, not to mention jumping so that I don't end up tripping like the moose is supposed to. Can you manage that much or would you be more likely to shoot me by accident?"

The teen handed the rope to Khara while she set her pack off to one side. That left her with a shortbow, a hunting knife and a quiver full of arrows but also considerably less burdened. She gestured for Khara to follow her as she set off in search of an appropriate spot for them to set up their trap.

x

[Khara]

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The length of rope in hand and the Avora's renewed confidence were all that Khara needed to feel that the plan was far more secure than she originally thought. True, she still had questions that plagued her mind, like the wisdom of standing in front of the moose when shooting at it. Still, she kept silent on that accord, deferring to the huntress' knowledge. She did manage a quick nod of her head in response to the Avora's question, however. "I can do that."

This wasn't the time to voice self doubts. While Khara wasn't entirely sure she would hit the moose, it did pose for a much larger target than the huntress. She was at least moderately confident in her skill to the point where if she missed one, she was bound to miss the other as well, especially if she managed to position herself directly behind the moose.

These thoughts continued to lurk in her mind as she followed the huntress, casting the occasional glance back to the moose to make sure it wasn't of mind to wander off while they were setting up the trap. It seemed perfectly content to continue its eating, blissfully unaware of the two Inarta circling around it. For a split second Khara almost felt bad for the thing. A quick clean kill was one thing but this sounded like it was going to shape out to be anything but. And that, once again, is why you will never be a hunter. Khara cringed at the thought. The only thing she could do now was to follow every command the Avora gave her, watch everything the huntress did in some vain effort at attempting to learn from the other teen, and keep her silent prayers for success to herself.

As they finished their maneuver and finished ahead of the moose, Khara finally let her continual glancing from the Avora back to their quarry end and instead began scanning the trees in the area, looking for any cluster that would potentially work. They couldn't be too close together, nor too far apart as the huntress had pointed out. Khara was also keenly aware of the distance between where the moose was, where the Avora might potentially position herself, and the room beyond that they would have to work with. It sounded like the huntress wanted to be closer to the moose than the trap, which would mean there would have to be at least some room for them both to move, maybe even enough obstacles between that the Avora could easily avoid but the moose might be slowed by but not enough to really reduce the effectiveness of the trap.

So many things to keep in mind, so many things to plot, and so many things that Khara had no idea how to actually find that would fill in all those ideal marks. She thought she could see some areas that looked like they would work, but would they really? Only one way to find out.

Her arm raised and she motioned slightly to an area that seemed about right. It wasn't exactly in front of the moose, but if the animal was following the huntress she should have no problems guiding it to the right place.

"How about through there?" Khara offered, not wanting to make arguments for the spot in particular in hopes that the huntress would immediately see and point out any problems with it.
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