Closed [Jobthread] A Doe, A Deer

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Not found on any map, Endrykas is a large migrating tent city wherein the horseclans of Cyphrus gather to trade and exchange information. [Lore]

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[Jobthread] A Doe, A Deer

Postby Graham Whipmane on November 13th, 2015, 1:43 pm

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58th of Fall, 515 AV


It was a cold, frosty morning, and Graham wanted nothing more than to pull Cato around and head back towards Endrykas and his warm tent. Instead, he soldiered on, well aware of the importance of what game he may take today, both for his pavilion and for himself. His winter stores were fairly well stocked so far, but he was determined to see them even better equipped, and he had a fair portion left of the season to do so.

A light frost covered the ground around Graham, though he suspected that it would melt fairly quickly as the sun rose higher into the sky above. The frost was light enough to be of no bother to his Strider, Cato, and she moved along at a steady canter, Graham sitting tall on her back. The pace was steady, but quick enough to cause Grahams body to rock back and forth slightly. To counter the rocking, he gripped Cato with his thighs, though was careful not to squeeze too hard, lest the mare mistake his grip and think instead that Graham was attempting to urge her in a different direction. He rocked with the movement instead of attempting to fight it or sit still, and he found the slow roll the Striders movements caused to be quite relaxing, stretching out tense and tired muscles.

He had left Fader at home for this trip, for once wanting instead to hunt without the dog to use as an aid. He was beginning to suspect that he relied too heavily on the hunting dog, for tracking, retrieving and much more, so for this hunt at least, he was determined to do it all on his own. Fader was growing old in any case, and he could do with a day to do nothing more than snooze in the sun. Sighing, Graham craned his neck around, searching for a suitable spot to dismount and leave Cato. For the most part the plain was bare, but the further he moved in from the coast, the more he noticed the scrub and undergrowth growing thicker. A small smattering of trees to his left caught his eye, and with a stronger squeeze of his thighs and a gentle pull on the Yvas, Graham urged Cato in their direction.

Reaching the spot, Graham dismounted, letting Cato wonder off to graze after he retrieved his bow and arrows from the Yvas. The few tree’s spread over the area would provide some shade for her should the sun become too hot will he hunted, and the thought comforted Graham slightly, though he still disliked leaving his Strider unattended in the wilderness.

With a sigh, Graham moved off in the opposite direction, eye’s scanning the ground carefully for any tracks or signs of wildlife. He wasn’t a particularly skilled tracker yet, but it was a skill he needed to develop, and one that would help him in many aspects of his life, not just hunting. Picking his way quietly through the undergrowth, Graham eyed the shrubs and bushes, searching for any he knew of, and particularly any that he knew was a preferred food of the ground animals. His aim for the afternoon was to bag a few rabbits, maybe a prairie dog or two, though he wasn’t picky. He’d be more than happy with any animal he wondered across, assuming that he was able to kill it and it was edible, or at least worth something.

A small bush speckled with little red berries caught Graham’s eye, and he drew closer to it. It was a plant he knew was favoured by rabbit’s and other small rodents, and as Graham crouched down beside the bush he could see that some such animal had been grazing here, and recently too, if the fresh droppings were anything to go by. From the droppings Graham could guess that it was probably a rabbit, though the ground was too hard and dry for Graham to make out any prints it may have left. It seemed the rabbit was out looking for a meal just as he was, and it was fairly easy for him to follow the trail of nibbled leaves and droppings further into the undergrowth.

Last edited by Graham Whipmane on December 4th, 2015, 10:34 am, edited 1 time in total.


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Graham Whipmane
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[Jobthread] A Doe, A Deer

Postby Graham Whipmane on December 1st, 2015, 2:34 pm

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The tracking was slow going, and more than once Graham had lost the trail and had to double back to pick it back up. He was just beginning to give up hope when the scrub and under growth began to clear back onto a space of open grass. To Grahams surprise and delight he spotted a fat grey rabbit across the small clearing. The rabbit was grazing, and so far hadn’t seemed to notice Graham’s presence.

Dropping down into a crouch, Graham watched the rabbit carefully as he prepared his bow, fitting an arrow to the string but not yet drawing it. Slowly, and with as much care as he could manage, Graham crept forward, staying low in the undergrowth and placing each step carefully. Each time the rabbit so much as twitched Graham would pause and wait until the little animal went back to grazing, its velvet ears flicking back and forth to pick up any sounds.

Finally close enough, Graham set his feet securely in the dirt, still crouching, and levelled his bow. He drew back on the arrow carefully, being mindful of his elbows to avoid bumping anything and frightening the rabbit. With the arrow at full draw and his hand brushing against the side of his mouth, Graham perfected his aim, lining the head of the arrow up with the plump body of the rabbit. Exhaling slowly, Graham finally released the arrow, watching with bated breath in the single moment it took for the arrow to fly across the small clearing and pierce the oblivious rabbit.

The rabbit went down with a squeal, and with a victorious grin, Graham moved forward quickly, putting the little animal out of its misery before it alerted the rest of the animals in the area. With a relieved sigh, Graham sat back on his haunches, looking the rabbit over. It was fairly plump, as he would expect coming close to winter. And its pelt looked quite nice, at least to his own untrained eyes. Graham would have liked to practice skinning the animal, but decided against it as he knew he would ruin any value the pelt may have had.

Retrieving the arrow, Graham paused, taking a moment to thank Caiyha for her sacrifice, before pushing the rabbit’s limp corpse into his bag. Standing, Graham glanced around the clearing, deciding to continue on in the direction the rabbit had been going, in case it was heading towards a burrow. He moved with more confidence and optimism now, though he kept his steps light and careful, and his gaze sharp.

Like before, the first thing he noticed was the disruption of the foliage around him. Even to him it was clear that an animal of some sort had been grazing close to the ground. Once he had noticed that detail, he paid even closer attention to the ground and the undergrowth around him, searching for signs of droppings or even tracks to follow. It was a few more meters before he found evidence of another rabbit nearby, and once again Graham began to move with even more care, eye’s constantly scanning the undergrowth for any sign of life.

Finally, his sign came in the form of a furry grey tail pocking out of a lush green bush ahead of him, the tail twitching as its owner foraged enthusiastically for the little red berries. The rabbit was closer than the last, a few more steps and Graham would have been in touching distance of the little animal, though it hadn’t seemed to notice him yet, as enthralled as it was by the plentiful food.

Graham nocked his arrow without taking his eye’s from the rabbit, fumbling slightly with the arrow as he placed it to the bow string. The soft noise of the wood of the arrow and the bow knocking together was enough to alert the rabbit, and Graham cursed softly as it began to struggle free of the bush, its cotton like tail and large back feet flailing rapidly.

He drew the arrow hurriedly, not sparing any time to check his aim, and release it in the rabbit’s direction. With a solid thud, the arrow buried itself into the dirt, and the little rabbit fled, quick as a flash, and disappeared into the undergrowth.


Last edited by Graham Whipmane on December 4th, 2015, 10:33 am, edited 1 time in total.


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Graham Whipmane
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[Jobthread] A Doe, A Deer

Postby Graham Whipmane on December 3rd, 2015, 7:56 am

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With a frustrated growl, Graham stalked forward and stooped to pull the arrow from the ground. The head was damaged, bent at an angle, and the shaft had splintered slightly. Grumbling, Graham stuffed the arrow into his bag, resolving to repair it when he returned to his tent later that afternoon. He needed to practice fletching his own arrow’s anyway, instead of simply buying new ones when the need arose. Being able to repair and make his own would be much more cost efficient and convenient.

It was almost an entire bell later before Graham was able to pick up anymore tracks, these new tracks being difficult if not impossible to miss. A dry, spiny bush had been half crushed by the weight of an animal far larger than a rabbit. From what Graham could tell of the scuffs in the dirt and the snapped branches of the bush, the animal had fallen against it, thrashing around in the thorny leaves until it was able to regain its footing. Kneeling next to the bush, Graham studied the tracks, looking for clues to the type of animal.

As best as Graham could tell, it was hoofed, though not as big as most of the hoofed animals found on the plain. A deer was his best guess, or perhaps a wild goat of some kind. Judging from the tracks, the animal was likely injured, which would explain why it had fallen and partially flattened the bush. Moving forward a few paces, Graham scanned the dirt, taking a moment to pick out the tracks to follow.

When he could make the tracks out he finally started forward again, moving from patches of staggering hoof marks and broken branches. The tracks were leading back towards the patch of tree’s Graham had passed earlier, though on the opposite side to the area that he had left Cato to graze. Further ahead he could hear a faint rustling and the sounds of twigs and branches breaking, so Graham dropped into a crouch, nocking another arrow to his bow. He moved with more care than he had the last time, determined to make this kill before he returned home. A single rabbit was nowhere near enough game to show for an entire day’s work.

As he picked his wat through the tree’s and undergrowth, a doe came into view, all on her own, and slowly staggering along through the trees, her rear leg held delicately off the ground. From where he was crouched, Graham couldn’t see any blood or any open wounds, but with each movement the bottom half of the doe’s leg would swing slightly, clearly broken. It was obvious that the doe had been too slow for the rest of the herd, and she had likely been abandoned by them, left alone to die.

Graham felt a pang of sympathy as he silently drew close enough to the doe to start setting up his shot. He knew personally, he’d rather someone put him out of his misery if he were too injured or weak to continue, or if he was a burden on his pavilion. Being left on his own to struggle and suffer until a predator happened upon him seemed particularly horrific as well, and wasn’t a fate he would wish upon anyone. He considered it a blessing to be able to return to the web instead, and for his body to go on to sustain another being’s life.

With a silent prayer to Caiyha, Graham raised his bow slowly, the arrow already fit to the string. He drew back, levelling his aim with the chest area of the doe, and waited until she settled on a long patch of grass to graze. With the doe standing still he released his shot. The arrow hits the doe’s shoulder, the broad, heavy head of the arrow biting deep into the flesh. With an eerie shriek of pain the doe took off into the trees. Graham leapt up and followed, knowing full well that the doe wouldn’t make it far with her injuries.

Leaping over a log, Graham had to stumble to an abrupt stop, almost stepping on the doe. She had clearly been unable to jump over the log as he had, and had tripped and fallen to the ground, tumbling a few feet away to lay on her side, panting heavily and eye’s shooting around in fear, the whites clearly visible.

Kneeling by the deer, Graham slipped his bow back over his shoulder and drew his hunting knife. Bringing the blade to the deer’s throat, Graham pressed the blade into the flesh, splitting the skin. He pushed deeper, only withdrawing the knife when a thick, dark stream of blood gushed out over the blade to splatter against the dirt. The doe gave a low whine and struggled feebly, falling still after a short moment, her big, frightened eye’s going glassy and still. Sitting back, Graham wiped off the blade and put it away, cleaning his hands while he waited for the bleeding to slow to a stop. Satisfied, Graham straightened, bending to heft the deer up, thanking Caiyha that she’s small enough for him to throw over his shoulder without too much trouble.

He set off again, walking through the trees back towards where he had left Cato, enjoying the golden light and the warmth cast by the afternoon sun. Just as he had thought earlier that morning, the frost had melted completely, leaving nothing but green grass and leaves to sway with the gentle breeze. It didn’t take long for Graham to reach where he had left Cato. Placing his free fingers to his lips he let out a sharp, loud whistle. The mare hadn’t wondered far, and came galloping back to his side after a few chimes, tossing her head with a whiney in greeting.

Grunting, Graham wrapped his arms around the middle of the deer, lifting the dead weight to Cato’s Yvas. He pushed the deer over the Striders back, ignoring the irritated flick of her ears, and pulled a length of rope from the Yvas bags. He tied one end of the rope to a loop in the Yvas and threw the rest of the length over Cato’s back. Moving to the striders other side, he threaded it through a loop. Tossing the rope back over, Graham finally tied it securely to a third loop. He tugged on the rope experimentally, making sure the deer wouldn’t slip out on their way home.

Satisfied, Graham scratched Cato’s flank reassuringly, and started forward, gently tugging the Strider Yvas until she fell into step beside him.


OOCThis thread felt like a chore to write, so I’m really sorry if it reads that way too. Thank you though!


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Graham Whipmane
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[Jobthread] A Doe, A Deer

Postby Tribal on December 8th, 2015, 12:54 am

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G R A D I N G

Graham Whipmane

Experience

  • Riding, Horse: 1
  • Observation: 3
  • Tracking: 3
  • Hunting: 3
  • Weapon, Shortbow: 2
  • Stealth: 2
  • Bodybuilding: 1

Lore

  • Riding: Moving with the horse
  • Riding: Gripping with your legs
  • Tracking: Starting where animals eat
  • Tracking: Rabbits
  • Caiyha: Goddess of Flora and Fauna
  • Tracking: Hoofed animals
  • Tracking: Deer prints
  • How to kill and carry a doe

Notes

Fantastic job thread (even if it only just made the word count), you stayed on task and did the character’s job. Awesome! Enjoy the rewards and the wages (forthcoming).
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Tribal
Lost in the Tall Grass
 
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