Closed The Return and The Hunt

JOB THREAD 2

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The westernmost tip of Kalea, Wind Reach is home to an amazing group of people and their giant eagle mounts. [Lore]

The Return and The Hunt

Postby Shadyn on December 1st, 2015, 3:01 am

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73rd - 76th of Fall, 515 AV

Today he was going to begin his crossing of Thunder Bay. The weather was favorable, at least, though a bit cold, even for an Inarta. Fortunately, this time of year very rarely had anything more than the occasional snow storms on this side of the bay. Still, after being absent for so long, Shadyn knew that he needed to continue to fill his role as Endal…which would be most easily done by bringing home some good game. He decided to try something different this time, for hunting. It was a technique used by the most experienced Endals, and while he doubted that he would meet with any success using it, it would make for good practice.

Thus, he strapped up his gear and mounted Xarrt, ordering him to fly. They were in the same location where he had made his makeshift camp inside of the morass at the beginning of the season, and Shadyn remembered that there were mountain goats that fed in this area…at least sometimes. Though he had never spent much time hunting, he always made a point of listening whenever someone who was good at the art spoke about it in one of the taverns. Now, he was dredging his memory for any tidbits of information that he had heard regarding the habits of animals in the winter. Even though it was technically still Fall, in Wind Reach…nature dictated that it was winter, even if the calendars didn’t.

From what he remembered, the mountain goats descended into sheltered valleys to eat tender willow branches. From high in the air, he studied the landscape, decided to head east to a promising opening in the mountains. Sure enough, after only a few minutes of flight, he could see small white dots moving among the brush near the base of the mountain. They were browsing just beyond a stretch of conifers, but were still close enough to shelter that he knew he had little lee-way for error. Cautiously, he tightened his knees and let go of the saddle. As he sat up, the wind pushed him back and threatened to rip him off of Xarrt and hurl him down through the air. Ducking his head, he slowly forced himself back up straight, and after a few minutes of circling had worked out a sitting position that leaned forward just enough to duck the wind but was still erect enough to allow him use of his arms.




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Narration and Shadyn (normal text) -- Lanira (bold text) -- Thoughts and Xarrt's telepathic speech (italics)

NOTE: No matter what the language of conversation, Shadyn will almost always speak to Lanira in Nari, and she will use Nari with him, unless otherwise stated.
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The Return and The Hunt

Postby Shadyn on December 2nd, 2015, 1:00 am

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Unslinging his bow from his back, Shadyn brought Xarrt down slightly. He did not want to go too low, for fear of spooking his quarry. He strung his bow with flight arrows to extend his firing distance, since he was quite a ways up still, and did not want to have to deal with too much shift in his arrows’ trajectory.

He took his aim, and fired. And Fired. And fired. Arrow after arrow zipped into the snow around the goats. It was a miracle that they had not started yet…but perhaps that was because he was not hitting close enough. Xarrt was circling smoothly, but shooting while in motion from such a height was difficult no matter what. After and end of ten arrows, however, he had begun to notice a pattern in his misses, and decided to adjust for it. Rather than trying to shoot AT the target, merely compensating for drop, he decided to try to anticipate Xarrt’s motion, and how it would shift his aim and the arrow’s flight. His next shot landed close enough to startle one of the goats, and the one after that hit its target.

It was far from a clean hit, striking it in the haunches rather than the ribcage, but it was a hit nonetheless. The goat lept in pain and the herd began to run frenetically. Shadyn rushed Xarrt into action, hastily re-slinging his bow and grabbing onto the saddle as Xarrt dove to catch the wounded animal before it entered the forest. The fell from the sky like a stone, the herds splintering as the massive shadow covered them. Most of the goats were already in the treeline by now, but Shadyn’s prey was thankfully moving more slowly due to the arrow. At the last moment, they slammed into the ground, Xarrt having to pull back his head to one side to avoid stabbing himself with the evergreen boughs.

“Did we get it?!”

Yes…it’s under my left talon. I killed it upon impact.

Shadyn lept down from the saddle, then ducked under Xarrt’s right wing to pluck his arrow from the unfortunate goat. He then jogged out into the field, casting about for his other arrows. Fortunately, he had chosen ones with bright feathers, and the logic was clear -- their bright colors now stood out boldly against the white of the snow.

Returning to Xarrt, he slipped the arrows into the saddle quiver and mounted the saddle. “This one goat isn’t going to be enough to make a decent offering to the community when I get back. We need another kill…preferably something larger like an…” a bugling sound echoed in the distance “…elk. That will do well. Come Xarrt, head towards the source of that bugle!”



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Narration and Shadyn (normal text) -- Lanira (bold text) -- Thoughts and Xarrt's telepathic speech (italics)

NOTE: No matter what the language of conversation, Shadyn will almost always speak to Lanira in Nari, and she will use Nari with him, unless otherwise stated.
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Shadyn
Master of Dictomancy
 
Posts: 175
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Joined roleplay: August 29th, 2015, 8:34 pm
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The Return and The Hunt

Postby Shadyn on December 3rd, 2015, 4:37 am

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OOC :
At this point, the narration is synonymous with Shadyn’s own thoughts. Shadyn himself may be thought to be reflecting on himself disconnectedly during this portion of the story, and XP and Lores be thusly effected, if any are to be found. I will supply another note when I return to being primarily narratorial.


There was no elk. Not one that he could find for miles around. Three petching bells passed looking for that elk. He knew that he should have stopped long ago, but there was something in him that refused to let it go. Something deep within him was unsettled. It was odd…unlike anything he had ever felt before. It felt as if his whole life was shifting…that the plans he had been working out in his mind over the whole trip were useless. And in the midst of the search, he somewhere transposed his feelings about his purpose onto the elk.

If it was an elk. That question had popped into his mind, too. It could have been something else…but what else bugles in the middle of The Unforgiving? He was far out of the range of the Isur, and the Inarta never made much use of horns. So what the heck would do such a thing if it wasn’t an elk?

Of course, there was always the option that he was just that poor of a hunter. Some Endal he was. Forget Endal… some INARTA he was. He couldn’t even shoot an arrow worth smut…had to rely on his eagle to make the kill for him. His best use of a Talon sword so far in his life had been to use it as a brush axe…and using two at once was far out of the question. He didn’t even look like an Inarta. For all he knew, he could be a half-breed. His blood father could be any soul on the planet…or, by this point, off of the planet…and he would never know. Him. The outcast, clumsy, bastard child of the Endal ranks. What could he do? He could toss his axe and talk a good talk. Trader…who was he kidding? As soon as his Endal rivals heard what he was trying to do, they would pass around their whispers as they always had and get him assigned to hunting or some other such task. Funny that…they never cared about him…except to cause him trouble. If only Xarrt would be able to live away from Wind Reach, he would have never bothered to return from this trip.

Of course…another pass over another valley…and there weren’t even elk droppings. Elk prints in the pristine snow. The petching ghost of an elk some Endal’s grandmother killed. Nothing.

Shadyn…do you wish to continue the search…I don’t think we will be able to find it…it shall be best to return to Wind Reach with what we have and go hunting for more another day. We cannot leave much later than this, and if I am to fly over the Bay I will need a full rest…which this most certainly is not.

Shadyn bit back at Xarrt, who had interrupted his own turbulent thoughts. “Do you honestly think I don’t know this? But you know what? There is not one petching soul in Wind Reach who will lose one WINK of sleep over us staying gone another day! So I want to stay out flying in circles in search of an elk…WHO…CARES?!?!”

Xarrt remained silent…but it was not a welcome silence. Shadyn regretted having been so gruff with Xarrt…but sometimes he wondered if Xarrt really knew him…which was a foolish thought. Of course he did. After all, he would not put up with such idiocy from anyone except Shadyn, so that must stand for something.

“We’ll make a pass over the valley ahead of us. The sound could have come from there, and in the dense foliage, who knows what we could have missed. I didn’t see tracks, but perhaps it has remained in the trees since the snowfall. After that, we’ll stay the night then move on.”



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Last edited by Shadyn on December 5th, 2015, 8:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Narration and Shadyn (normal text) -- Lanira (bold text) -- Thoughts and Xarrt's telepathic speech (italics)

NOTE: No matter what the language of conversation, Shadyn will almost always speak to Lanira in Nari, and she will use Nari with him, unless otherwise stated.
User avatar
Shadyn
Master of Dictomancy
 
Posts: 175
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Joined roleplay: August 29th, 2015, 8:34 pm
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The Return and The Hunt

Postby Shadyn on December 5th, 2015, 3:28 am

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OOC :
Returning to normal narration.


As they approached the valley, Shadyn finally saw tracks. But they were not elk tracks. They were human tracks, leading away from the coast.

“A human?! What the heck…? Who would be out HERE at a time like THIS? Alone?! Come on Xarrt, let’s go check it out.”

The tracks were quite easy to follow…the snow was deep enough in this valley to force the person to drag their feet, leaving long marks on top of the snow between each footprint. He swung Xarrt around and headed at an angle, following the tracks inland. He focusses harder on them. Barefoot? You have to be kidding me…this can’t be good.

He was not surprised when he saw traces of crimson in the tracks as he continued. The poor soul must be nearly frostbit by now, and getting worse. They tracks were also becoming closer together and less orderly…as if the person was stumbling with each motion.

A few second later, he saw the unfortunate lying in the snow, huddled under the sparse shelter of a copse of leafless paper birch. He brought Xarrt down quickly nearby and bounded through the snow, calling out in Nari.

“Friend! Are you alright? I’m here to help you!”

The figure stirred, and a woman’s voice responded weakly, distantly as he neared. “Soo…cold. I’m…so cold…”

When he reached her, he realized why she was barefoot…she was a Dek. The fact that she was alive still in just her lontav was a miracle in and of itself. He scooped her up in his arms and high-stepped back to Xarrt. Placing her on the upper position in the saddle, he slid his feet into the lower slots and stretch his hands to the fore-grips, using his own body and katinu to cover, hold, and warm her.

“Come on, Xarrt…let’s get going. I’m asking a lot of you, but I need you to take us straight back to Wind Reach fast.”

Xarrt shook his head, the feathers fluffing momentarily before he re-settled his grasp on the mountain goat and flapped his way back into the air and on his way.

Challenge accepted, my friend! But…once we get back, I don’t want to fly one inch for the next twenty days…deal?

Shadyn chuckled. Even in times of somber trouble, Xarrt never failed to make him laugh. “Alright, you old bird! That’s a deal!”




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Narration and Shadyn (normal text) -- Lanira (bold text) -- Thoughts and Xarrt's telepathic speech (italics)

NOTE: No matter what the language of conversation, Shadyn will almost always speak to Lanira in Nari, and she will use Nari with him, unless otherwise stated.
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Shadyn
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The Return and The Hunt

Postby Shadyn on December 5th, 2015, 8:26 pm

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The trip over Thunder Bay was long and cold, as was to be expected. Shadyn stayed busy most of the time, however, keeping watch over his new ward. Her lontav was frozen stiff, melting only slowly as they flew. The addition of frigid water against her skin was not the least bit welcome, and in consideration of the situation, Shadyn made a bold decision.

Taking off his own katinu, he carefully used his tomahawk to cut off the ruined lontav from her and wrap her in the thick, warm ram skin that he wore. His shirt was little protection against the weather, and having failed to receive any actual medical treatment for his wounds, pain from the cold twinged through his scars. The illness he had feared had not come...or either his body had fought it off...and his wounds had healed more or less on their own. He suspected that they would cause him trouble for the rest of his life. Still, he was healthy enough, and was as hardy as any Inarta. One day spent without his katinu would not kill him.

Instead of landing on the other side, they flew directly to Wind Reach. Settling down into his courtyard, he called for his Deks, who came running.

"Torlak, you take the goat down to the kitchens and tell them that I just brought I in. Caysir, I want you to strip Xarrt down, clean and stow my gear, and get him fed and bedded. Halue, run and fetch me a physician."

With that, he hurried into one of the spare bedrooms and placed the poor girl in the bed, being careful to tuck her in under ample blankets. Warmth from the heart of Mt. Skyinarta had already begun to chase the chill from her body, so he took his katinu was no longer needed. Stripping off all but his bryda, he brought his spare clothes to Caysir to be cleaned.

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Last edited by Shadyn on December 5th, 2015, 8:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Narration and Shadyn (normal text) -- Lanira (bold text) -- Thoughts and Xarrt's telepathic speech (italics)

NOTE: No matter what the language of conversation, Shadyn will almost always speak to Lanira in Nari, and she will use Nari with him, unless otherwise stated.
User avatar
Shadyn
Master of Dictomancy
 
Posts: 175
Words: 124526
Joined roleplay: August 29th, 2015, 8:34 pm
Race: Human, Inarta
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The Return and The Hunt

Postby Shadyn on December 5th, 2015, 8:53 pm

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The physician arrived, and Shadyn directed him to the girl. Surprised, the man shot a puzzled look to Shadyn.

"What happened? Didn't you just get back from a long time away from Wind Reach?"

Shadyn nodded. "I did indeed. On my way back I decided to do some hunting, and while attempting to track down an elk, I came across her tracks. I followed them until I spotted her. Obviously I transported her here. Judging from her lontav -- I disposed of it while travelling, since it was frozen against her skin, and wrapped her in my own katinu -- I think that she must have belonged to one of the fishing vessels. I saw evidence of a recent gale along the coastline as I flew in, so there must have been a shipwreck. Or at least that's my theory."

As he went to work checking her pulse and mixing herbs, the physician grunted. "Indeed there was a shipwreck. Lost one the day before we closed the Bay...that was only two days ago. Good thing you happened to be by...she'll be fine yet. I presume that there was not evidence of any others?"

Shadyn shook his head solemnly. "I'm afraid not. Once she is a bit more lucid, I plan on getting her account of what happened. It is possible that others did survive, and if they knew enough survival skills they could possibly stay alive for at least a few days out there...it isn't too bitter yet. Hopefully she will come to soon...I don't think that an unequipped soul would fare well in The Unforgiving for long, especially right now."

The physician left Shadyn with a few herbal mixtures and instructions on how to administer them, then departed quickly. Shadyn chuckled to himself. Had this girl not been under the care of an Endal, such service would not have been nearly as rapid, thorough, or complimentary. Sometimes things work out well for the unfortunate. Settling down into a chair beside the bed, he called for Torlak.

"Wake me in eight bells. Otherwise, I do not want to be disturbed for any reason."

The Dek looked down and glanced upwards sheepishly. "Very well sir...I have some...news...I you would like to hear it."

"Only if it is quite important, and quite short."

"Arrmal died while you were away. Climbing the ropes...the physicians said his heart gave out. I'm terribly sorry..."

Shadyn remained expressionless as that sank in. Arrmal and he had never been deeply bonded, but Arrmal was still his surrogate father, and the only family he had ever known. They had always been close, and so much of his learning about life had been gained from this man...who was now dead. He sighed deeply, deciding that the emotion was best kept subdued for now. Death, after all, was a fact of life, especially at Arrmal's age. Still, that did not lighten his load.

"What about the shop?"

"That was taken care of already. Most of it was liquefied for the communal good...the only thing that we found specifically for you was a box...I brought it with me, assuming that you would like to see. No one has opened it."

Shadyn waved him in. "Bring it to me."

The box was a simple affair, a rough-cut wood box. Quite sturdy, but not special in any way. When he opened it, however, he saw something different. The inside had been filled with light Eagle down, and nestled in that cushion was a set of three tomahawk blades, identical to the one he now had, and a roll of birch-bark. Shadyn picked it up and carefully uncurled it. Arrmal had written on it:

"My dear son,

I have always thought of you as a son, perhaps because I never had any of my own. Watching you grow in wisdom and prowess all these years has been a joy to my heart. You have always been there for me when I have needed it, and in truth I think that you will make one of the finest Endals I have ever seen. When you read this you will be back from the journey you are making...I am so proud of your courage and sense of adventure. In anticipation of the many troubles and dangers of life, I have made you a few replacement blades for your tomahawk...they are worth very little monetarily, but as with all things in Wind Reach, we know that true value is often not determined by pinions or gold. May Semele always watch over you, and may your heart remain as big as it has always been as you go into your future.

With love,
Arrmal"


The page grew blurry for a moment, and he blinked several times to clear his vision. He stroked the blades slowly, returning the little birch note to the case with them, and closed the lid. Tying the leather latch-knots on it, he handed it back to the Dek. His voice was strong and unwavering, but still think with emotion. "I want you to place this beside my bed, along with my other personal weapons. Go ahead and shut the door to this room...I wish to be alone. Do not forget to wake me at the appointed time."


{2.5k word minimum met/exceeded with this post}
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Narration and Shadyn (normal text) -- Lanira (bold text) -- Thoughts and Xarrt's telepathic speech (italics)

NOTE: No matter what the language of conversation, Shadyn will almost always speak to Lanira in Nari, and she will use Nari with him, unless otherwise stated.
User avatar
Shadyn
Master of Dictomancy
 
Posts: 175
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Joined roleplay: August 29th, 2015, 8:34 pm
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The Return and The Hunt

Postby Shadyn on December 5th, 2015, 9:48 pm

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"Where am I?! And who are you?!"

The sudden questions made Shadyn jump. It took his bleary mind a moment to fully awaken. When he realized that it was the girl he had just rescued, he turned and smiled.

"Good. You're awake. I'm Shadyn (Xarrt), the Endal who rescued you from freezing to death in The Unforgiving, and you are in the spare bedroom in my home."

"Endal..." This gave her pause for a moment, and she reconsidered her belligerent tone. "May I ask, kind sir, why I do not have any clothes on?"

"Oh, of course. While transporting you here -- you were over a thirty hours of flying away when I found you -- I decided that to keep you from dying on the way here I needed to get your lontav off...it was frozen stiff, and even as it melted the water was merely sapping more of what little body heat you had. So, I cut it off and wrapped you in my katinu instead...which explains why I am so stiff right now..." He followed his comment up with stretching his body carefully. "May I ask your name?"

"Lanira...I am Lanira." She smoothed back an errant strand of auburn hair from her aquiline face and studied him with dark green eyes. As he stretched, his bare muscular upper body was not an unattractive sight, but what held her attention most were the raw-looking scars covering the front, back, and top of his right shoulder, and the three broad scars that rippled across his entire torso. This was apparently no ordinary Endal...such scars did not come from love of luxury. "If I may ask...why did you rescue me? Surely you could tell that I am a Dek."

Shadyn stopped stretching, and eyed her, his eyes flashing with emotion. "Unlike some of my peers, I believe that the role of an Endal is to protect ALL Inarta...not merely those society deems fit to live. Call me a renegade if you like, but I am certain that there is more than one god who would commend me for a mindset like this." Calming slightly, he noticed how tightly she was holding the blankets. "You have nothing to fear from me, dear girl. There is another young female Dek...Halue...who has been assigned to my household. She will take care of bathing you and the like...aspects where I'm sure you would feel more comfortable with her service over mine. As for clothing...I will see to providing more of that when the time comes. For now, the bath's in this house are stocked with robes that should suffice."

He stood and took up the medicine. "Since you are awake, and the graduated candles over there tell me it has been nearly eight bells since the physician left, I need to administer some medications that he left."

Taking up a small cup of the herb past the man had left, he passed it to Lanira, who gulped it down with a grimace. "There now...you lay back down and rest...I have a few things that I need to take care of."

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Narration and Shadyn (normal text) -- Lanira (bold text) -- Thoughts and Xarrt's telepathic speech (italics)

NOTE: No matter what the language of conversation, Shadyn will almost always speak to Lanira in Nari, and she will use Nari with him, unless otherwise stated.
User avatar
Shadyn
Master of Dictomancy
 
Posts: 175
Words: 124526
Joined roleplay: August 29th, 2015, 8:34 pm
Race: Human, Inarta
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The Return and The Hunt

Postby Shadyn on December 5th, 2015, 9:57 pm

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He wended his way through the various tunnels until he reached the The Glass Reverie. He waved down one of the craftsmen leaving with his wares.

"Would you mind letting me see a few of the items you made...I would like to purchase some decorative statuaries."

The Avora bowed and did as he requested, setting down the stack of bundles and carefully unwrapping them. Shadyn examined them. Having lived in Wind Reach all his life, he had long since learned to appreciate good glasswork. This Avora was certainly no novice. Most of the items were of a moderate size...he decided that he would buy four of them.

"I want this one...this one....that one...and the one of there. And here..." he scrounged in his pocket for 44 pinions, then handed them to the Avora "...is your payment. Please wrap them back up and have one of the Deks take them to the Aeries for Shadyn (Xarrt). Thank you."

This would be sufficient to test the market of Alvadas, and make good on his word. On his way back to his home, he passed by the old shop of Arrmal. Another lapidary was already working in the space. The man looked up. "Can I help you, sir?"

Shadyn smiled weakly and waved him off. "No, thank you...just looking." He hurried to return to his home.

As he entered his room, he pulled back the covers slowly and settled down to rest. He would have to take Lookout duty on the next Market period, and wanted to be rested. After that, he had a great deal more hunting to do...


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Narration and Shadyn (normal text) -- Lanira (bold text) -- Thoughts and Xarrt's telepathic speech (italics)

NOTE: No matter what the language of conversation, Shadyn will almost always speak to Lanira in Nari, and she will use Nari with him, unless otherwise stated.
User avatar
Shadyn
Master of Dictomancy
 
Posts: 175
Words: 124526
Joined roleplay: August 29th, 2015, 8:34 pm
Race: Human, Inarta
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The Return and The Hunt

Postby Emergence on August 17th, 2016, 1:42 pm

Due to your PCs inactivity I cannot award grades for this thread. If you become active again please PM me or another WR ST, or repost this thread in the current Grade Request Thread, and we will grade it for you.
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