Completed Turning Failures Into Wisdom II

[Caesi Starguide]

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12th Spring 516AV,Afternoon

Turning Failures Into Wisdom II

By the time Caesi returned to her Pavilion it was late afternoon. There was just enough sun left of the day to accomplish her next task. Earlier that day she had caught a couple of fish and took down a deer. Though it was a trial and error, she over came, and had the marks to prove it. The fish had cut her up on her face and arms, the deer had proven to be a difficult take down so she had to use more arrows then she would have liked.

Now it was time to get the meat and fish ready to cook, as it was almost time for dinner at her Pavilion. She entered the camp leading Pyxis. She did not want to ride the Strider since she had to put the deer on the horse's back to carry it. If she would have ridden the Strider it would have taken less time to make it to the Pavilion. However, the safety of her Strider trumped the convenience of riding her back home.

Caesi's father was sitting around the camp fire when she arrived. He looked up and gave her a tired smile. “I see you have done well.” Her Pa said, signing Proud, Good Hunt, Did Well. Caesi gave him a bright smile, soaking up his praise. She gave a excited nod, “Thank you. Just gotta figure out how to skin the deer and de-scale the fish.” She told her father, gesturing with her hands, Unsure, Help, Suggestions. Her father paused for a few ticks, thinking about it, “I am not that skilled at skinning a deer. But, you need to use a dull knife to rid the fish of scales. A sharp knife would butcher the meat. I suggest a eating knife, as it isn't that sharp.” Her father handed her his eating knife from his pocket, she accepted it with a smile, “I will return it when I am done. Who should I ask about skinning the deer?” Caesi inquired of her Pa. Her father spoke up, “That Walahk friend of yours might know.” He suggested and Caesi gave a nod, she signed, Many Thanks to the man and went to look for Luraine.

Luraine was close to the Pavilion, the girl was sitting off to herself as usual. “Luraine.” Caesi called out to the girl in Pavi. She gestured with her hands once the girl looked up, Skinning a Deer, Help. She inquired of the girl. Luraine perked up, smiling she nodded in agreement to help Caesi with skinning the deer. Caesi smiled back as Luraine came forth to help her unload the deer. Although, it was not a very large doe, it was still quite heavy. Caesi was not able to lift it herself, but with Luraine's help they were able to lift the deer off of Pyxis, who snorted happily at the carcass being removed. Taking the deer, they untied the rope from it's legs, then tied it in a noose around the doe's head. From there they found a nearby tree, threw one end of the rope over a branch and hoisted the deer up from the limb. Tying the loose end off around the small trunk of the tree, they secured the deer.

| Thoughts |

[Caesi Starguide]

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Luraine put her hands on her hips, inspecting the deer making sure it was secure enough. With a nod, she was satisfied with their work and turned to Caesi, signing, Dagger . Caesi went back to Pyxis and withdrew her dagger from the Yvass bags. She went back to Luraine and handed her the dagger, hilt first. Luraine smiled, then gestured at the deer's legs, “Cut at elbow.” She told Caesi in Pavi. Caesi looked at the legs and was not sure where the elbow was, she looked back at Luraine, “Where is the elbow exactly on a deer?” She asked with a chuckle. Luraine pointed at the elbows of the deer and Caesi nodded. She brought the dagger to the elbow of the deer, on it's right front leg. She then looked over her shoulder at Luraine.

“Find joint then make incision. Use flat of blade to go around joint. Cut the muscles that attach it, going in deeply. Then twist it and snap it right off, hoof and all.” Luraine explained to Caesi the best she could, following up the verbal instructions with pavi-sign, Easy, slow, cut deep. Caesi nodded smiling at Luraine. Her Pavi and Grassland Sign were immensely better then what they were when she first came to them. Though it had been years, she was still not exactly perfect at it, preferring the sign over the verbal any day.

Caesi brought the dagger up and back down to the elbow. She tilted the blade until the point of the dagger was at the joint. She made a small incision, then began to move her dagger clockwise, going around the joint. Tilting her blade ever so slightly, she made sure that it was the flat of the dagger at the point. Once the incision was made, she found the ligaments of the deer, she worked slowly and carefully as she cut the ligaments and went around the first elbow joint. Applying slight pressure she went in deeper, as she heard the crunching and wet smacking of the deer's leg, as she wound the dagger around it. Once she was done, she twisted it left, then twisted it right, then back left, then twisted it all the way around until she heard a loud CRACK. The leg finally snapped off of the deer and she whistled to Nu, who came over wagging his tail so hard his whole body shook.

“Sit.” Caesi told the dog, holding her palm out flat and going down with it, gesturing with the verbal command for him to sit. Nu paused for a couple of ticks, then sat down, his body twitching slightly from his tail wagging fiercly. Caesi chuckled and gave him a pat on the head, “Good boy, here ya go.” She threw the dog the deer leg, who grabbed it up eagerly and went off to her tent to lay out front, snacking on his treat. Caesi looked over at Luraine who laughed with her, as they shook their heads at the dog.

Caesi went back to work on the legs of the deer. There was one leg down but three more to go still. She inhaled sharply and went to the left front leg, she inserted her dagger but Luraine shot out her hand and stilled Caesi's.

“Remember the tip. Keep it flat.” Luraine instructed her, pulling her hand away and nodded for her to continue.

Removing the blade she bit down on her lower lip, concentrating as she inserted the point at an angle again. She made the first incision and looked over at Luraine for confirmation that she was doing it correctly. The red-head nodded and she continued with her task. She moved the dagger with the flat of the blade, going around the joint, making sure she severed the ligaments that attached it. She kept the pace slow and easy, being careful as she cut as deeply as she could with the dagger. Once she made it all the way around the joint of the elbow. She removed the dagger, handing the bloody blade to Luraine she used both her hands to twist the joint. She twisted left, then right, then all the way around, until she heard the snap once more. The leg snapped right off and she tossed it to the ground at her feet. She would give it to the Pavilions hunting animals as a treat later, since her Nu had already gotten a leg to himself.

She continued to the hind legs, Luraine reminding her how to position the blade and to work slow and careful. Once the hind legs were removed she shook out her arms. It had taken a bit of muscle to get the legs off, more so then she first realized. Her upper arms were taut and screaming from the exercise of removing the legs. She let out a breath and wiped her blade off on some nearby grass. She signed to Luraine, Break, Tired, Pause . Luraine nodded with a smile, as Caesi took a moment to usher up more strength to finish the task.

| Thoughts |

[Caesi Starguide]

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After a few chimes, Caesi's muscles relaxed and she nodded to Luraine that she was now ready to begin the next step. The girl gave her a grin and she pointed to the base of the doe's skull.

“Cut around the bottom of the skull. Cut only skin. If you cut muscles or tissue hair will contaminate the meat. After that work towards the breast bone and stomach, then the pelvis. Cut easy, insert the tip of the blade but not too deeply, so you only cut skin. Once you make these incisions, you can pull off the pelt.” Luraine told Caesi in a firm voice, letting Caesi know she had to work even more carefully then what she did at the legs.

She placed the blade at the base of the skull then peered over at Luraine. The red-head nodded and she inserted the tip barely into the skin, keeping it flat. She looked over at Luraine for reassurance once more and she moved her hands at Caesi, telling her to go on with it.

Caesi found it more difficult to not cut deeply then it was to cut deeply at the legs. It took a precision she was not really use to just yet. She kept the blade at an angle, using only the sharpened tip of the dagger as she went around the neck. She worked slowly, keeping the dagger away from the muscles and tissues, only cutting the skin. This took her several chimes to accomplish, as she would remove the dagger, then place it back and continue cutting around the neck. Caesi kept her movements slow and careful, until she was done with the neck.

Biting her lip she moved towards the breastbone area of the deer. Caesi looked over to Luraine for assistance, as she was not sure what she was supposed to do now. Luraine took her finger and went from the throat area down to the belly, indicating to Caesi she needed to make a cut from throat to belly.

Biting her lip once again, she placed the point of the dagger at the base of the neck, she applied little pressure to the blade, as the tip of the dagger sunk in to the pelt. She made careful work as she worked the dagger down the center of the deer. A part of her wanted to saw at it but once she tried Luraine stopped her.

“That would damage the pelt, possibly the meat too, do not go back and forth. Make tapping movements, brisk and small.” Luraine told Caesi and moved her hand in a quick downward motion, then brought her hand up and paused then down again, in a quick, brisk, but careful movement.

Understanding better, Caesi went back to the task at hand. She bobbed her hand downwards, in short fast movements. Using only the tip of her dagger, she mimicked Luraine's instructions. She kept the movements brisk, but she still took her time, being careful as she made her way down the deer. Once the deer was cut to the Pelvic region she looked over to Luraine, for further instructions on what to do next. Her arms were tired and the energy was seeping from her quickly. Skinning the deer was more consuming then she realized as she shook out her tired arm muscles.

| Thoughts |

[Caesi Starguide]

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Luraine grabbed the skin, taking the dagger from Caesi she showed her how to remove the pelt. “You want to pull the skin tight, then take your dagger and cut the lining and any tough tissue with your dagger that is keeping the skin attached.” She showed her visually, pulling back the skin tightly and cutting the ligaments and membranes from the muscles and meat. Then she handed the dagger back to Caesi.

Caesi grabbed the hilt of the dagger in her right hand and with her left she took a hold of the skin. Pulling the skin back as tight as her arm would let her, she took her dagger and cut along the lining and tissue. Her left arm was screaming as she continued to pull back the skin, cutting as she went along, keeping the dagger flat and using the sharp point to clear away any obstacles. This took her twenty chimes before she was finished, since she took her time to not damage the skin. Once she was completed her left arm fell limply to her side, and she exhaled a tired breath. Her hands and arms were covered in blood from the doe's carcass, as she looked over at Luraine giving her a weak smile. Caesi was thankful that she had a more experienced hunter to show her how to do this task. It was something she would of never been able to do herself.

Handing the pelt over to Luraine she signed Tired, hard-work to the girl. Luraine nodded in agreement, taking the skin from Caesi. Luraine would take the pelt to be tanned for the pavilion to use for what ever they needed it for. Luraine hurried off to the tanner, leaving Caesi to butcher the meat all by her lonesome. It was a task she was not exactly familiar with and sure she could take it to be done, but she wanted to figure it out for herself. In case there came a time when she was not around the tent city to have it done for her.

At the moment how ever, she laid the dagger done, sitting on the ground to risk for a few chimes. Her arms felt like they were shaking. Her muscles hated her, she was sure, for the strenuous activity she just put them through. She let out a large breath, wanting nothing more then to lay down and go to sleep. Energy was running low but there was still much to be done with the deer before she could step away from it. She went to her Pavilion and brought back a large pot of water. She poured it over the carcass rinsing away any debris from the meat. Looking over the deer Caesi realized she did not have the tools to butcher the deer. Heaving a great sigh her shoulders slung forward.

“What is the matter?” A burly and deep voice said from behind her, making Caesi jump slightly. She turned and saw her Pa and gave him a tender smile. “I was going to cut it but I don't have anything but a dagger.” Her Pa nodded and looked up at the deer, “I will take it to the butcher in about a bell and pick the meat up on the marrow.” He told her making Caesi smile, “I just wanted to learn..” She said trailing off on that thought. Her Pa grasped her shoulder, squeezing it softly, “You always do. Let the expert handle it though.” He told her, patting her shoulder slightly, then walking away.

The left corner of her mouth rose in a half-frown half-smile. It was bittersweet. She wanted to do it herself, but knew she lacked the skill or tools to do so. With a shrug and a sigh, she picked up the deer legs, walking the short distance to the other dogs the Pavilion had she threw them their treats, then headed back to her fish. At the very least she could clean those and gut them for someone to cook.

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[Caesi Starguide]

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Making her way back to the fire, she placed the smaller fish on a flat rock. Taking the eating knife her Pa lent her, she took the flat of the dull blade against the scales. She did not go with the scales, as that would not be in the least effective. Instead she went against the scales, so they would come off. She started at the tail fin and gave an upward stroke to the head. Clear, iridescent scales flew forward into the fire pit. She kept the line straight from tail end to head, stroking forward in a fast movement, clearing the right side of scales.

Flipping the fish over she did the same to the left side, using the flat part of the dull blade, going from tail to gill in an upward motion. Once all scales were removed from the fish, she grabbed her dagger. Wiping the dagger on her pants leg, she took the very tip of it, sticking it in the hole at the end of the fish. Slicing upwards towards the head in the center, the fish split open.

She retrieved the eating knife once more, sticking it up inside of the fish she scraped the innards out onto the flat rock. Once the fish was clean, she brought her dagger back up and placed it at an angle on the gill, slicing downward she removed the fish's head from it's body. Placing the head with the innards, she gathered them up and took them to the large cat the Ankal owned, feeding it the head and innards of the fish.

Returning to the fire pit, she brought up the other fish. Treating it much like the smaller fish, she brought the eating knife to the tail and descaled it on one side then the other. Then she brought her dagger and cut it from the hole at the end to the head, gutting it with the eating knife and beheading it with the dagger, taking the parts to the hunting cat the Ankal of her Pavilion owned. Coming back to the fire pit she picked up a water skin, pouring it over both fish to rinse away any spare scales or debris from the skin.

The fish were now ready for someone with more experience then she to cook them. Caesi was tired, her energy was sapped from her, her arms felt numb from skinning the deer. Besides all that she could not cook to save her life, though she was thinking knowing some basics may just be beneficial. If she was out in the plains hunting and could not make it home before dark, knowing how to cook something quickly so she would not go hungry, might just save her life. Caesi made a mental note to seek out help with cooking another day. However, today was not that day, she just wanted to crash inside her tent and sleep since the sun was just beginning to set. With a deep yawn, Caesi stumbled into her tent. Nu was already laying down napping. The huntress did not scold her dog, he did well today. Instead she laid down beside him and cuddled up to the smelly thing, falling right to sleep.

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[Jasmine Stormblood]

Let me know if i missed anything

 

Caesi Starguide

XP

• Skinning: 3 XP
• Animal Husbandry: 1 XP
• Socialization: 3 XP
• Planning: 1 XP
• Butchering: 1 XP

Lores

• Hand daggers hilt first
• Skinning: remove legs first
• Skinning: cut only skin under head
• Butchering: gutting fish
• Caesi: wants to learn butchering