Hillside hunt (Open/ flashback)

[Zhou]

Hillside Hunt~ Open --- Zhou had spend some time moving away from the safety net that was the immediate presence of the Mithryn outpost. Stepping one foot after the other Zhou jogged between the trees wearing his forest green mantle and hooded cloak hung low over his head, his brown pants camouflaging against the dirt and dry leaves at his feet more than most attires. Zhou was travelling with his bow as well as his backpack, which was filled with his basic travelling gear, with the addition of his basic traps, length of rope and travelling equipment which he might need for the short hunting trip. This had been the first time as a young man Zhou had moved out of the confines of the village alone, even though he had not strayed too far. Zhou very much understood the dangers of everything outside of the sacred walls of the Outpost, this world was filled with vicious predators, and even though many of the more dangerous ones were rare and seldom seen, it was likely he would run into wolves at the very least... On his back was sheathed his sword, his bow was drawn with a single arrow knocked against the bow string, ready and able to fire at a moments notice as his current goal was to expand his search as far and wide as he could in search for tracks that he should be able to find. Remembering the hunting lessons he had been given as a child by his father. Tracking to Zhou, was more than simply finding the right set of tracks, it was about studying the environment. Something which he had never truly understood until he was out here alone. Zhou, simply observing nature in its prime state, he realised that animals needed to live off the land as it was, they could not often alter it to suit themselves. They did not grow produce for large communities willingly and knowingly, they had to flow with what the land provided them, or move. And as a hunter, it was thinking like this, and taking advantage of this, which would make him a successful hunter in the future. As he made his way through the brush of the wilderness, it had been a few hours before Zhou came across the rather common tracks of native stags. Looking at the tracks and feeling the dirt around them, the dirt had not settled back into solidity yet, meaning that there was a very real chance that there was prey out and about today. Taking into account the facing of their cloven hoof, and the light direction the dirt had been flicked back as it had moved, he managed to ascertain the direction in which it was travelling. And thus, began to follow at speed... Zhou ran, wanting to weave through the trees like a wind, making as little noise as possible as he free ran between the trees, ducking the brunches which swung at him like a fighter throwing punches. A deep water trench cut through the foothills as Zhou used a pronounced tree root as a bridge to run at half speed across the five foot drop, as his balance failed him half way over, he jumped the remainder of the distance, landing on his feet and rolling over dramatically with the momentum which he had bought up. Noticing the tracks following the grove downhill, Zhou concluded that there had to be some form of lake in its direction. Which was hardly surprising. But while lakes were excellent hiding spots... they were also dangerous, as many creatures used them as watering holes... It took annother half an hour to approach the lake, peering through a bush, Zhou could spy a stag, large antlers grew from its head, as he attempted to see if any other creatures had come here for a drink. Across the lake there seemed to be smaller animals gathering around the source of hydration, but none that seemed to be the kind to pose much danger... So, now was his time to take the shot, Zhou needed to remain as still as possible, as he had come from behind the beast. The birds in the trees and the other smaller animals created enough white noise to mask Zhou's approach, raising his bow to his shoulder height, he drew back the arrow, leveling it with his mark, the bow aligned across his chest, in the much more Syliran archery style. Tracking his beast with one eye, Zhou waited for his opportune moment. Aiming for the body of the Buck. The moment came when it turned away from the water, looking side on to Zhou for but a moment as he let his arrow fly. The short bow flight bolt cascaded like a ray of light across the air, penetrating deeply into the bucks upper toreso, definitely landing a kill-shot, and toppling the buck over for but a moment... But, bow hunting was not a pleasant sport, and it was definately violent. Zhou sure as hell knew that one bolt on an average to medium large sized buck was not going to keep it down, and Zhou did not have all day to track a dying animal. Raising from his shelter into an open firing stance, another bolt found its way to Zhou's bow string as the Deer rose to its feet again, panicking with the pain of the first bolt as a second was fired, sinking its steel tip into the back of the deer moments before it began to take off. Smiling as he had landed the second shot, Zhou knocked a third, taking aim, and letting his third arrow loose at the running deer. Unfortunately missing and planting itself firmly into a tree as the buck escaped into the wilderness. Zhou knew that having to chase it would be an eventuality, but the more arrows he sunk into it, the less distance the beast would be able to flee before it fell under the weight of its wounds. So, it was all about the tracking now... but it was a good thing he had managed to lodge the first bolt where he did... he would be surprised if it managed to cover a couple of miles before succumbing to the lack of blood and exhaustion. So, Zhou took it slowly, being sure to keep as close to the trees as possible, slinking through the area, collecting his missed arrow, and trailing the Deer.

[Zhou]

--- Zhou didn't place back his short bow, but rather redied another shot and began to stalk after the wounded and dying beast. One foot after the other he began to track his way through the bush, ensuring he kept beneath the canopies of the trees which towered above him in this area. The only saving grace was that according to the tracks he was following, with the occasional splatter of blood, the animal seemed to be running back in the direction of the Outpost, which would greatly reduce his travel time back... Zhou kept low to the ground, moving bit by bit toward one of the marks of blood, looking at it, and then looking around for the location of the next one. Spying it on a nearby tree, he proceeded to it like checkpoints. Reaching down and uncovering the tracks of the animal, Zhou noticed that they were getting closer together. Closing his eyes, he could remember some of the training his father had given him when he had learned the art of hunting from him as but a boy. He could hear the words running through his mind as his father had informed him that the tacks becoming less spaced apart meant that the animal was slowing down. It was a sure sign that the creature was weakening, mostly due to the lack of blood that was in its body as well as a punctured organ. Zhou smiled cockily, unable to contain himself, he moved out into the next clearing, to see a large buck with two arrows pronounced from one side of its body. Each of them were dripping with the creature's blood, and neither of them were brocken, which was always a bonus. Drawing his bow and pulling it tight, Zhou remained at the ready, in case adrenaline at the sight of him gave the beast a single second wind which it would be able to use to defend itself. Something which Zhou was all too familiar with. So, proceeding closer until he could see his own reflection in the eye of the horned buck, Zhou could see his own sweet smile of success. And estimated that this creature was probably in the vicinity of 160 pounds. Well enough for what he wanted to do with it. Strafing, always remaining beyond fifteen feet of the deer, Zhou made his way to the front of it, to inspect the horns, they were not the largest or the broadest he had ever seen, but the deer had some ivory plumage which would sell for a sum, though not a large one. Looking to the Deer's exposed chest, he levelled his bow to his eye height, and took another, timed and aimed shot for his mark. The target being stationary, took it head on, the arrow bored its way into the flesh of the beast and deep into its organs, likely its lungs and perhaps its heart if the beast was lucky. And as it began to choke and thrash, the life of the animal after a few fleeting moments came to an end. Zhou was pleased with himself, moving over to the dead animal, he pried each of his three arrows from its body cleanly, attempting to deal as little damage to he hide as possible, though, he knew the shot to the hind leg would lower the price of the animal slightly, as it created a slit in the hide. He grimaced, like he had made a failure, and like a toxin it had poisoned his achievement of the evening. Lowering his pack he removed his rope, binding the four legs of the deer so that they would not move as he carried it, which was, as always going to be the hardest part of this hunt. Reaching down, slinging his bow and his pack beforehand, he grabbed a front and a hind leg of the beast, ducking his head underneath it and placed the beast which weighted not much under his own weight onto his shoulders. Gasping, he began to soldier on backwards, step by slow step, one after the other as he made his way back to the outpost. Stepping over branches and using this as a chance to navigate the trails which he had missed on his way into the bush. This meat on his shoulders, he knew, once preserved would be a fine meal to other wild animals which would be hunting this area, wolves and other carnivores, as well as eagles and falcons would more than happily swoop for some nice red meat, regardless of the trap which surrounded them. It was just a matter of cutting the portions and setting the traps well enough. The march took hours, and it was sunset before Zhou made it back to the walls of the Mithryn Outpost, His shoulders, and every muscle in his body aching from the long trip, marching uphill and down, ducking through trees and low canopies as well as having to take the long way around the ravine he had jumped to reach his hunting spot. Simple things which he had taken for granted on getting to his destination, turned out to be much larger obstacles on his return, but, through grit and determination, and what tracking he had learned, he managed through finding the old tracks of other hunters, and deducing their facing, managed to track his way back to the walled off village. As he entered the walls, some of the people who knew his face congratulated him on his catch, though at this point Zhou was far too tired to answer them with anything other than a forced smile, the fire of his legs, back, and core burned like the surface of the great sun which looked down on all of them. But once he managed to reach the district, he took the beast to a butcher for carving and skinning, He'd promise the butcher not wage, but the rights to some of the beasts meat, which was usually kindly accepted, as without hunters, the butchers would make no wage at all. The butcher would more than likely take one of the hind legs and use it to sell. "Zhou!" The Butcher spoke. "No dad this time huh!? first hunt!?" " Haha, yeah, I got this one on my own, It's not the biggest i've seen, but he's a damn heavy one. Could i trade ya some carving for some meat for your shop, I'm a little low on coin at the moment, I'm still kinda waiting on word from the office." The Butcher laughed with an unmatched flamboyance. "Haha!!! Of course Zhou! Anything specific you're after!?" "Oh, yeah, with some of those portions, I'd like the scrap meat as well if you could for trapping. I've run out and i need some more, So, No sausages please, sorry. " The Butcher chuckled, leaving the encounter with a hearty "Leave the beast there and I will have it done for you by tomorrow, go and get some rest! And next time you see your father, send him my greetings." Zhou smiles and waved goodbye as he left the carcass there for the mean time. Using this chance to move back to his own house, in some ways knowing full well he probably needed to develop his carving skills. Which he would need to get around to at some point if he wanted to be the sole seller of his own products. Tanning as well would be something which he needed to get better at. There was so much of a beast that you could sell, and he needed to be a good enough hunter to know each and every one of them... Though, once Zhou reached his home, and slunk into his bed, he felt the weight of the world slip away from himself, looking at the window at the setting sun, he spoke soft words of reverence for having shed light and clarity on his hunt, but as he spoke, he faded swiftly into a deep and near instantaneous sleep...

[Zhou]

--- Dawn rose, and with it, Zhou found himself squirming into a state of conscious alertness. The state of sleep faded rapidly from him after the first beam of sunlight made contact with his skin, sending a warm rush of power and energy through Zhou's body, one which created a force antithesis to the dormant and peaceful state of sleep. Raising from his bed like the revival of the phoenix, Zhou spread his arms to the sky as a yawn escaped his mouth, his hair was askew from the nights rest but apart from that singularity, his body felt like it was in order. The scarred boy rotated to a side to collect his attire, his pants, boots, and gloves and brace, as well as his cloak and Mantle. Finger-brushing his hair into as nice a position as he could seem to get it, Zhou ate some of his rations and began to pack his equipment which he would need for the day... In his pack was his usual gear, consisting of his rations, soap, comb, brush, razor, flint and tinder as well as other useful utensils, he added to it the trap he was to set for the day, as well as the bird calls he intended to employ, the cage for the bird equipped with its perch and Jesses. He'd also need to receive the meat from the butcher to bait the trap, which was the most immediate act on his list. Taking his sword, Bow, Quiver, and Pack, Zhou was once again ready for another day of running, hunting and tracking. Exiting his home he looked up to the morning sun, moving to his knees, Zhou clasped both of his hands in silent prayer to Syna, thanking her for the radiant morning, and hoping that she would guide his way today. Opening his eyes, standing, and dusting himself off, Zhou picked up into a run, weaving in and out of the crowds as he made his way down the street toward the butcher's house, taking a running step and leaping over several obstacles in his way narrowly, almost tripping over as one of his feet nicked the edge of a wooden crate in his path, yet he made it, and didn't make a fool of himself in the process... The day already seemed to be turning out pretty good for the Inartan. A thankful thing indeed... But how long would it last? It took about fifteen minutes of running with full pack to reach the butcher's home, open early for business he greated Zhou with a smile and warm open arms. To which Zhou could not help but smile back in return. "Zhou!" The butcher cried with all the heart and soul of the kindest and most honest of men, "I finished carving the beast you gave me, It is in sacks out the back, I took a little extra than what you offered, but I thought I would preserve the food for you, as you probably don't have the means to yourself! Here! Take the beast, I've kept the skull and the horns intact for you, but I have skinned the leather, It is tanning, so, you will have it in a couple of days. It's a bit of work you know, don't expect this from me all the time. It's your first hunt, so, just this once okay?" Zhou smiled, opening his hand to shake. "Thanks Sir, you have no idea how much this means to me. I'll take this home immediately and sort it all out!" Zhou spoke with great thanks as he bid the man farewell until he would go back in some days time for the treated skin, as much as the rawhide was useful for some things, Zhou probably wanted to make something specific out of the Buck leather, use it for clothing, sell it, or even use it for a floor mat in his home. Regardless of the use for the material, it would be put to a good one. Taking each of the burlap sacks which were stained but dry with the formerly wet blood of the Deer, Zhou quickly made his way back home, dropped the meat off into the cool corner of the room, took the scraps for use in his trap and placed them in his backpack. Finally, after the set up, Zhou was ready for his day. He needed to head toward the hilltops again, and see if he can find any valley clearings, the kinds which Falcons and Eagles would scout for prey... So, once again, and for the last time today, Zhou exited his home, his pack marginally heavier with 4Ibs of meat for the road, two for himself, and one for each trap. Breaking out into a controlled jog, Zhou paced himself until he found his way out of the Mithryn Outpost, and heading through the farmer's fields on the way to the hills in the distance. Hours passed, but, eventually, Zhou found himself far enough away that he would be able to load his trap without worrying about someone stumbling along it or the area being too busy, forcing the birds to be frightened away. Though, once he reached the foothills, Zhou found himself muttering about how much he would have liked to own a horse like his parents, riding out to here would be nowhere near as time consuming, nor as tiring. He had attempted to keep up a level run the entire journey to this point, ducking and avoiding growth like punches being thrown at him as he had almost tripped several times. It took Zhou another hour to find an area which had a significant clearing to it. Walking toward the center, Zhou checked for tracks on the ground, though he could not see any, this is the kind of area and eagle would likely watch for the sight of its prey. An open grassy clearing with some forms of cover. A passing predatory bird would be struck dead before it gave up the chance at devouring a pound of fresh carrion. Laying out the pound of the scrap, fatty meat. Zhou poured water over it to remove the salt as he set to baiting the spring-loaded trap. Once loaded and anchored to the ground, taking a couple of leaves from around the area, Zhou did his best to cover that little of the trap was not already covered from the meat. And so, retreating to the not too far away canopy of trees, Zhou lay low and reached into his bag for the Eagle call whistle. Harping on the whistle, a cry emanated from it, loud enough to pierce the heavens and echo across the open area. Zhou waited in his semi camoflauged position before blowing on the whistle again. The mimicking cry resonated with the nearby area and the nearby skies, as Zhou continued to wait. It was not long before the sun reached the heat of the day, bearing down on Zhou whose muscles were already begin to stiffen due to the discomfort of the prone position Zhou was lying in. It would no doubt take some taming to get any wild bird he caught under control with his basic level of falconry, or he would be able to take it to someone who would be able to tame it for him. Either way, some eagles were worth being sought after... It was quite some time until Zhou could spy a circling shadow being silhouetted by the sun. The bird looked down at the carrion on the ground of the foothills, beginning to circle as it descended lower and lower. Zhou could feel his heart leap in his chest as it finally rested on the ground near it, leaning forward to nip the meat, the Venison was too tough for it to rip out a chunk, and so, the trap sprung snagging the bird in the middle of its hunt as Zhou moved to collect the spoils of war. Unknowing that because the Eagle had been tamed, that he was safe... He was not.