Closed Trading Burdens Pt. 2

[Colt]

32nd of fall
midday

The autumn wind carded gentle fingers through the grass of the plains, not quite as heated as summer nor as vicious as the coming winter. It was a very neutral wind––or, at least, as neutral a wind as could be hoped for on the Sea of Grass––but its light caress did not quite reach the small hunting party, wrapped by the riverbank they were following and all the trees and foliage that such a thing entailed.

Shahar and Akaidras took the lead, and the hunter held his eye resolutely to the ground as he scoured the earth for signs of their quarry. Snow padded curiously off to the right, investigating various scents and sights that she found interesting. The hunter felt no need to call her back; she would be needed when they grew closer to their prey, and not before.

Tuka slinked close to the left flank, somewhat put off by the recent trip across the river and not very interested in exploring. She could sense that they were nearing whatever it was they were hunting, but that they were not quite near enough to begin exercising stealth.

As for their prey, Shahar’s examinations revealed that they were following a herd of large deer, heavy and long-legged. That meant that they could probably outrun their foes, but would almost certainly have to deal with a set of antlers if something chose to stand its ground.

Glancing back over his shoulder, Shahar signaled for Jasmine’s attention. Intention, he said. Need you, task for you. We are getting close, “I need you to follow us when we find them.” He had an inkling that she would not be able to help on the actual killing of the animal itself, but that was something with which he was familiar enough to trust his own skills. He pointed at the big Seme she was attending. “He will not like the noise.” Keep him steady, calm him, don’t let him run. “When we find them, I will begin a chase.” Then, you must follow, keep up. “When it is done, you must help bring it back.” Do you understand?

[Jasmine Stormblood]

Jasmine walked over to Shahar holding on to Chaser's yvas so he would follow her. Listening and paying attention to the man's pavi signs Jasmine smiles and nods looking at him.

“As you wish,” Jasmine said with a smile knowing it would be a scary for Chaser.

Chaser snorted some watching the creatures talk and do strange things with their hands. Jasmine smiles and pats his neck gently. She wanted to make sure that he was okay after having to cross the river. Jasmine followed the man as the paired rode towards where their prey was. Looking around the plains the woman was amazed seeing the Sea of Grass so far from her home.

The Clan is Strength.
The Clan is Life.

[Colt]

With the plan spoken and understood, Shahar turned his attention back to the hunt. He signaled for Snow to return, and the dog obeyed after a reluctant glance at the rabbit warren she had found. Tuka picked up on the sudden increase in tension and began to flick her tail in anticipation, dropping her head to prepare for what was before them.

Hang back, Shahar told Jasmine. He didn’t want her or Drelah startling the herd into a premature escape.

The trail led west, along the banks of the river where the plant life was thickest. They weren’t close enough to be detected––yet––but would still have to be careful moving forward. Shahar closed his eyes briefly, attempting to visualize what the herd was doing and, from there, what it would do when startled.

If the herd was saying close to the river, then they would almost certainly flee into the open plains. If he came at them from the outside, then he would have an advantage in pursuit; even though he didn’t expect to kill more than one, one was all he needed.

Shahar angled away from the riverbank, through the thin line of trees until they emerged onto the flat plains. He didn’t go much farther than that, though, and kept his eyes pointed inward. He knew he wouldn’t be able to spot them through the treeline, but large herds of animals made noise.

And it was the noise that told him where they were.

There, Shahar gestured, readying himself. I go first, you follow, hang back, be careful. There will be confusion, danger, chaos.

He signaled for Snow and Tuka to follow, and then he began to move inward.

[Jasmine Stormblood]

Jasmine nodded watching the man before her. Slowly the woman slid down from on top of Chaser, knowing that he was going to try and run. The blond grabbed the rope and tied it around the yvas on Chaser before tying it to Shahar's other mount. Once sure the rope would hold Jasmine smiled and mounted up once again.

Right behind you Jasmine signed looking at the man and clicking her tongue. Chaser walked forward watching the man and stallion ahead of him. Jasmine was nervous, but refused to let it show on her face. Looking ahead she saw the herd slowly coming into view.

Nervous Jasmine signed looking to Shahar wanting to know what he would need her to do next.

Jasmine pulled the yvas back some to bring Chaser to a halt. The drykas was unsure of how much closer the hunter would want the woman to get. From here on out the hunt was about stealth not speed. Slow and steady won the race far more times that speedy and sloppy did.

The Clan is Strength.
The Clan is Life.

[Colt]

Jasmine was nervous, something that Shahar wasn’t entirely surprised by. With her apparent lack of skill, he assumed that she had never before been so close to the event of a hunt. Still, she was determined to stick close, and to perform her job well; even if she was inexperienced, her work ethic made up for it.

Both Snow and Tuka could sense the closeness of their prey, and both took up positions at each flank. They lowered themselves to the ground, coiled and ready to spring into action when the herd caught wind of them.

Shahar drew a javelin and coaxed Akaidras forward.

The herd was lingering at the edge of the river, having stopped for a drink and still waiting for the last members of the herd to finish up so they could get moving again. When he came into sight of the creatures, Shahar was able to identify them: it was a mixed group, mostly made of oryx but also hosting a few kudu individuals. The females and young were closer to the heart of the group, as were the dominant males. The younger, less experienced bucks formed a line on the outskirts, and they were the first to spot the approach of the hunting party.

At first, the bucks weren’t sure what to do. The river was too deep for a swift crossing, but they still attempted to press towards it and put distance between themselves and the Drykas group––and act that alerted the rest of the herd to what was happening. In mere moments, alarm calls were circulating throughout the herd, and all were pressing backwards and into the shallows of the river. When the depth proved too much for them, and Shahar continued to press, they moved north.

In a single, unified mass, the herd swelled and burst away from the riverbank at an angle, clearly moving for the open grasslands. Without needing a signal, Tuka and Snow exploded into open sprints after them.

The young bucks were, of course, the closest and easiest to latch onto. One unlucky creature broke away from the herd to gain himself leg room, only for a moment, and Tuka immediately made to pursue. In one moment she was catching up to him, in two moments she was leaping with claws outstretched, and in three moments she had dragged the buck off his hooves. The cat and oryx tumbled wildly, throwing a thick cloud of dust into the air as they skidded through the dirt.

“That one!” Shahar called to Jasmine, signalling for her to stay close, need you, go that way! “Help surround him!”

He urged Akaidras into as swift a gallop as the stallion could muster, aiming to reach the scene of the takedown before the buck managed to get back up; Tuka was already separating herself from him and leaping away to begin circling threateningly. Her purpose had been to stall the animal, not to kill him, and she had done so with great success; the rest of the herd was already moving beyond sight, and certainly beyond all hope of the buck joining them again. Whether the buck chose to flee or stand his ground, his fate was all but sealed.

[Jasmine Stormblood]

Jasmine watched Shahar as he rode up towards the herd. Pulling back on the yvas the woman had a small fight to keep Chaser where he was. More times than not the stallion wanted to run up with any other horses. The blonde watched the hunter as he masterfully pressed forward pushing the herd back into the water. Adrenaline was starting to push the woman's nerves down as Chaser stepped forward a few strides, but still hung back away from the action. Suddenly the group of animals raced off to the north in a large group. A soft gasp left the woman's mouth before she knew what had happened. Watching Tuka and Shahar, Jasmine saw the animal bring down one of the large creatures. Shahar's call to her pulled the woman's mind back to what was happening. Nodding quickly when he said to surround it the woman steered Chaser in the right direction and quickly got him galloping towards the two animals on the ground. Pulling to a stop on the other side of the oryx. Without much practice the woman pulled her bow and one of the arrows from the quiver. Fighting to knotch it the blonde pulled her arm back drawing the arrow back tightly.

[Colt]

Jasmine moved quickly and effectively, wheeling her horse around to face the oryx from the opposite side.

The buck was lowing loudly in distress as it scrambled to get its feet back. Tuka hadn’t managed to deal anything more than a few superficial scratches during the takedown, but both she and Snow were fully aware that the hunt was not over; cat and dog both paced in anticipation, closing the circle around the buck and making it abundantly clear that running would not be possible.

Realizing that his speed would earn him nothing, the buck instead dug his hooves into the dirt and stood his ground. He lowered his head, flicking his horns threateningly at anything that came too close.

Shahar frowned in brisk thoughtfulness, but he was determined to make this hunt a successful one. He looked up to see what his more human partner was doing.

Jasmine was readying her bow, although her movements were jagged and unpracticed. Her strider stood stock-still, moving neither closer nor further or really doing anything except closing a point in the circle.

Shahar spun Akaidras west and began to circle, preparing a javelin and doing his best to find an opening.

The buck whuffed and followed him, rotating smoothly to face the clanless hunter at all times. Shahar couldn’t get close, not without risking those horns.

“You,” he called out to Jasmine. “Aim for the ribs, right behind the front elbow. He is paying attention to me, not you.” Vague frustration, kill it.

With the oryx following him, he might be able to turn it in such a way that Jasmine would be exposed to the perfect shot. He would have preferred to use his own javelin, but it couldn’t be helped; Akaidras was moving and was therefore louder and more obvious than Jasmine’s strider, making him the focus of the buck’s fear.

If there was a killing shot to be made, it would be Jasmine’s.

[Jasmine Stormblood]

Jasmine nodded and aimed right behind the elbow of the animal. She was thankful that Chaser had decided to cooperate with everyone this time. Raising her bow the blonde took a deep breath settling her nerves before opening her eyes and aiming. Just as soon as the spot opened the blonde let her arrow fly. At least if the shot did not kill the oryx his attention would no longer be on Shahar. That would open him up to take the killing blow while Chaser and Jasmine distracted the bull. Time seem to slow down as the arrow flew through the arrow. The bull let out a pained cry when the arrow hit. Dread filled the woman's stomach when it snorted and turned on the rider and horse. She had missed the kill spot though the injury would make it nearly impossible for the bull to go very far if he managed to break through the circle of hunters and animals. Missed! Aim now! Jasmine signed to the man and made Chaser make as much noise as he could to keep the bulls attention. The woman tried her hardest to keep the hard headed strider from running towards the animal. Horns through soft horse tissue would not do at all.

[Colt]

Jasmine’s bow was already taut when Shahar signalled for her to shoot, and so the shot should have been swift. Should have been. There was a single moment that Jasmine hesitated, and that single moment corrupted her shot. She hit the buck, but it was nowhere near any vital spots; the oryx bellowed and wheeled, both trying to face Jasmine and trying to understand the arrow that was now embedded in its flesh.

Shahar urged Akaidras forward, who whinnied and dove in headfirst. The stallion could see the animal’s horns, but pride kept him moving forward; with the buck distracted by its own pain, Shahar and Akaidras moved straight into its personal space.

The buck tossed its head and tried to defend, but Akaidras was too close and too large; throwing his shoulder against the oryx’s flank, the horse shoved and crowded their prey to prevent it from gaining enough room to use its horns.

Horns that, in the meantime, were slicing the air dangerously close to Shahar himself. The hunter had intended to rise up and bury a javelin in between the buck’s shoulder blades, but his new priority was to avoid being stabbed––a task that became progressively harder as his strider became more aggressive with the shoving.

Eventually, Shahar had to abandon his plan entirely; their prey’s horns got so close that the Dawnwhisper had to drop his javelin outright. In the next instant, he was grabbing the buck’s horns with his bare hands and forcefully redirecting them.

With its head movements suddenly restricted, the buck bellowed again and yanked itself away. While it was simply trying to free itself, Shahar’s grip was strong––so strong, in fact, that instead of getting free, it pulled Shahar straight off Akaidras’ back.

Shahar yelped in surprise and held on, doing his best to recover and, secondarily, keep their prey from escaping. He was a very solid man, and his full weight was too much for the oryx to pick up with nothing but its neck and head; lowing in frustration and pain, the oryx began yanking and writhing to dislodge the unwanted passenger. It couldn’t directly see him, since he had hold of its horns, but it still tried to land a kick or two.

It very nearly succeeded.

“Again!” Shahar shouted at Jasmine. From where she stood, he was on the opposite side and was therefore unlikely to hit him with a missed arrow, what with an entire antelope in between them.

To give her an advantage, Shahar began to fight back in his own way, digging his heels into the ground and jerking backwards. He yanked the buck’s head after him, startling and confusing the beast enough to slide his hands down and grip the horns right at their base. He gave another hard yank, throwing the whole of his body weight behind it. The oryx had no choice but to kneel, making it a low-ground, non-moving target for Jasmine to take another shot at.

[Jasmine Stormblood]

Jasmine pulled Chaser to a dead stop and took aim. Not allowing herself any time to hesitate this round the woman raised her bow and pulled the string till it was taught. As soon as the blond had the shot she released her arrow. This time the arrow had staid true to its target and hit the lungs. Smiling brightly Jasmine was excited to see the animal bellow and drop down to the ground trying to fight the arrow in its side. Quickly Jasmine pulled another arrow out and notched it, but waited for Shahar's word to fire once more. The first arrow had already done enough damage to the hide and meat. She did not want to risk it being damaged any more. The oryx kept trying to fight, but Shahar's weight and the blood surely pooling in the buck's lungs had doomed him. Finally the buck laid down on its side just fighting to breath. Jasmine watched the creature fight for life when there was none to be had. Looking over the blond watched the other hunter's movements in order to learn from him.