[Cobalt Mountains] Frostbound [Klyph, Hrafn]

[Jonathon DuFraine]

Jonathon glared at Hrafn this time. "The both of you must remember; we are on a hunting trip. What we are doing here is looking for things to kill. The creatures we are hunting are masters of not getting shot and devoured. If we are going to catch anything, we need to stay quite. At all times. If you see anything to hunt, gesture silently or whisper." Jonathon had stopped to say this, then continued on their trek.

~~~~~~~several hours later~~~~~~~

Jonathon sighed and stopped. Over the course of the last few hours, they had taken two breaks and seen nothing. It was tiring and frustrating, and the other party members' would be feeling the strain too. On top of that, they were all hungry. Jonathon turned to the rest of the group.

"All right... Let's take a break and figure out what to do next." Jonathon sat down on a nearby rock, gazing at the both of them. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm hungry. Did everyone bring food?" Jonathon had remembered to pack a days' food, but it wouldn't be enough to feed everyone.

[Hrafn Alaric]

-"Do not talk to us like mere fools Jonathon. These woods are infested with dangerous creatures. We might have to save your life by the end of this evening." Hrafn barked back at Jonathon. He shook his head as he continued walking, the annoyance gripping into him.

After hours of silence, Jonathon announced they were stopping. Hrafn, having regained a better condition sat himself down on a rock and grazed his chin slightly. He stared up at the sky. It must be mid-day... Or even the afternoon! And all we have is one... One... Rabbit. Klyphaestus and Jonathon seemed to be discussing food. A subject Hrafn was not interested in. He had brought no food - or well. A loaf of bread somewhere in his pack. He stood up, -"I say we should search for a grove or a spring. Water or a clearing should house some creatures. This aimless wandering is pointless. Soon night will arrive and I can put my eyes to good use. We Isur see in the dark - you see." Hrafn grinned as he dropped his pack down by a rock and lay down beside it, resting his head on the comfortable bedroll within. His knives were in there aswell, well kept. Two were at his belt and his hammer resting there aswell. If they were to encounter any dangerous creatures, Hrafn would be prepared.

Oh yes he would.

[Klyphaestus]

Klyphaestus stopped and carefully hang the rabbit on the branch of a near by tree. Carrying it for hours had caused his left arm to be sore and numb. The sun was strating to fall and all they had gotten was this rabbit which, by now, after the golden halo of glory, seemed small in a pathetic way. Johnathon's scolding brought shame to Klyphaestus but, at the same time, irritated Klyphaestus a little by his tone. Klyphaestus restrained himself from lashing out a retort when Hrafn told Johnathon not to take them as fools.

Now that they came to a stop, Klyphaestus stretched his arm and examined their surroundings. There was nothing special, though. Old trees stood quietly around them as if listening to their every word, rocks jutted out from the uneven earth, and the occational weak wind made the trees and grass shift on their spots. Klyphaestus put his backpack on the cleanest rock he could find while he remained standing, then smiled. 'I've brought some supply that could last for about seven days. I must have packed my whole lot in it.' He gestured at his heavy backpack. 'And considering Hrafn's advice, I would also suggest that we should start to find some place fit for camping. I have heard that the night falls quickly in the mountains. Since I don't have the outrageous eyesight like that of Hrafn's...Should I warn you beforhand that I'm scared of the dark?' Klyphaestus laughed softly. 'Oh, and is there anything we should do about the rabbit? Such as...gu-gutting it?'

[Leviathan]

Although the mighty adventurers were bickering and feeling quite negative towards each other, or more specifically, Hrafn and Klyph against Jonathon. However, Jonathon called for a break, a time to make and plan their next decision. Jonathon had, thus far, assumed the role as party leader, but it wasn't difficult to find that Hrafn has a plan himself. Although darkness had not yet set, it was inevitable. In an hour, eyesight would be hindered for the humans, in two, they would be next to useless. Hrafn, though was blessed with exceptional eyesight for just such an occasion (no doubt a trait given to Isur to see in the darkness of Sultros), his archery was less than extraordinary, and he was only one, where during the day they were three. Decisions, decisions. There was a silence after Klyphaestus finished questioning about the rabbit, a silence for just a moment before anyone spoke, yet that silence wasn't absolute. There was a rustling, somewhere behind them, nearest to Klyphaestus. In the bushes behind them was a creature stirring, following them, or more likely, the scent of blood of the slain rabbit. A quick glance would reveal that it was a wild dog. The beast itself was not large, in fact, it was quite thin. Obviously the canine had not experienced the best of its survival instincts. The dog almost had a domestic appearance to it, and although that hint was faded heavily, suggesting either being lost or abandoned, it had already had the fierceness of any wildland beast, albeit smaller, weaker, and malnutritioned. It stared at the rabbit in Klyph's hands as if the thing was still alive and ready to run. Perhaps the dog was thinking about taking the rabbit and fleeing with it. Fear of repercussion probably didn't compare to his hunger at that moment. A wild dog wasn't much of a catch for a hunter, especially one as weak as this, mangy, unkempt, but killing the beast would probably be easy enough.

[Klyphaestus]

Klyphaestus turned around when he heard the rustle behind. From the bushes came a dog which appeared to have been wandering in the wild for some time. Its fur had lost the healthy smoothness and its ribs were visible under the skin. Its breath was short and heavy, causing its belly to rise and fall in an incredible rhythm. Klyphaestus jumped back at once, alarmed. The rabbit he had taken from the tree when asking about gutting swung with him and, despite its already drained veins, spilt out some more small drops of blood.

The dog's nose twiched and its eyes fixed now more attentively upon Klyphaestus. From its appearance, Klyphaestus could make out a vague shadow of its possible domstic quality, but that shadow was weak now comparing with the strong eager in the wild dog's eyes. The size of the dog was not a threat to Klyphaestus. What made his hands icey was the hunger it showed.

Klyphaestus kept his gaze locked with that of the dog's. When he was little, his parents used to remind him all the time that when facing an animal that was somewhat threatening, always keep the eyes on it and be as aggressive as you can be. Following this advice seemed to be the best option right now.

'Calm down,' Klyphaestus said slowly, trying not to disturb the dog with his voice. He wished no fight with a dog. It probably carried some unpleasant disease.'We can figure this out, can't we? You want this rabbit?' Slowly, Klyphaestus drew out a dagger at his side. What now?

[Hrafn Alaric]

Hrafn chuckled as Klyphaestus stuttered slightly as he mentioned gutting the rabbit. He himself had some experience with the subject. As a boy, he was tasked with skinning and extracting the meat from animals as he traveled to Zeltiva. Hrafn nodded as he stood up, but jumped back at the sight of that miserable wretch. A dog... Wolf... Coyote... Whatever it was - it had been ravaged. Hrafn gritted his teeth at the sight of it and nodded at Jonathon. -"Get yer bow up..." he whispered. He turned back to Klyphaestus and gripped his hammer. -"Klyphaestus... Just back away from it. It's feral. It's probably so hungry it just sees you and the rabbit as stake and potatoes!" he whispered, albeit more loudly than he did at Jonathon. He crouched and moved slowly to Klyphaestus.


CRACK!

Hrafn froze. He had stepped on a dried branch and it seemed to alert the dog. Hrafn readied the hammer to strike a mighty blow. He waited now for Klyphaestus to make his move. -"Be careful..." he mumbled.

[Klyphaestus]

'Klyphaestus... Just back away from it. It's feral. It's probably so hungry it just sees you and the rabbit as stake and potatoes!'

From the sound of movements, Klyphaestus knew that Hrafn was getting closer to him. Then a sharp snap came from the Isur's foot. Both Klyphaestus and the dog jolted at the sound. The funniness of the scene almost made Klyphaestus laugh in a lunatic way. Klyphaestus slightly slipped his right foot back an inch, intending to back away.

'Perhaps we should just give it some food?' asked Klyphaestus without looking back. 'Maybe it'll then go.'


To LeviathanSorry. It's fixed now.

[Jonathon DuFraine]

Jonathon sat on the rock, upright and alert. The rest of the party was ready for a good rest, relaxing a bit. Jonathon felt his tension and low spirits alleviate somewhat, but he wouldn't feel better until they actually got out there and hunted some real food. He wanted to keep searching... Jonathon's mood brightened when Klyph said he brought a week's worth of food. Certainly enough for their entire party for one day. That was the second time Klyph had been proven useful.

Isur can see in the dark? Interesting... And possibly quite helpful, but he couldn't go hunting in the dark by himself; it would be dangerous, and Hrafn's modest skills probably couldn't catch that much. "See in the dark, huh..." Jonathon thought this over a second, then Klyph spoke up. Jonathon was about to answer when he heard a rustling.

Immediately, he was up and facing the bush, one hand gripping his bow, the other stretched out to indicate the others to stay a bit back. They either didn't see it or didn't heed it, because when the dog waltzed in, the seemed a tad too close for comfort. Looks pretty damn hungry... and it's sniffing out what little we've caught. Bad move.

As the others distracted the dog and drew their weapons, Jonathon swiftly (but as silently as he could) put an arrow to his bow, aimed, and- THWOK -right towards the dog's neck. Since it was such a close shot, he could hardly miss.

[Leviathan]

Note to KlyphaestusJust so you know, 'one liners' or single sentence posts are forbidden in Mizahar, just like the completely OOC posts. It's not a big deal to me or anything, but just as a warning. Try to write a little bit more if you intend to post.

The dog, although weak and famished, did not lose its abilities to track, sniff, or otherwise keep tabs on the three of them. Although it was entirely entranced by the dead fresh kill, the Isur and Inarta did not escape its conscious thought. Klyph, either by fear, caution, or pity, offered to the other to give the mangy beast some food, rather than killing it, but before he either finished his sentence or anybody had time to respond, the bow was ready, the arrow guided, and the dog brought down. It had moved slightly as Jonathon stole its attention very briefly, but the arrow was swift and deadly. The dog whimpered as it collapsed. The arrow, missing the intended target by mere inches, embedded itself through the dog's collarbone, and it dug itself deep. The three hunters would find themselves staring at the unfortunate beast, that weak whimpering, its hind legs scraping the ground in a futile attempt to stand and run. It was severely wounded now. Still, the dog looked up at Klyph, as if it was shocked that such a thing could happen. Nothing, nobody, expects death to grasp them, no matter how close or likely it is. If the hunters were merciful, they would end the beast, for it could live hours in that state, if nothing came to finish it off. Jonathon got his kill, yet the situation of said kill hardly made it feel like an achievement. The dog was worthless for trade or sell, it would fetch no miza. In the distance, though the direction could not be identified, there was a howling from a wolf. It seemed to be quite a ways away, yet there was, without a doubt now, a faint presence of a wolf, if only one, somewhere near. Not to mention, night was still approaching.

[Klyphaestus]

'No!' The single word eluded Klyphaestus' lips before he knew, when he heard the twang of the bow string and the sound of the air torn by the arrow. Why did he say 'no'?

The dog was pushed, by the force of the strong shot, several inches back before it collapsed with the arrow burrying itself in the collarbone. 'What is this?' Klyphaestus asked through his teeth, his voice shaking due to the suppressed emotions. 'A threat would've been enough. Planting the arrow in front of it would have been enough!'

He did not bother to turn and look Johnathon into the eyes when he hurled out the words, but kept his gaze upon the dog. Its dark eyes held the wordless pain that made Klyphaestus' chest ache with guilt. It seemed to be shocked by the sudden change of things and still could not believe that it was already on the ground. The dog's gaze was heavy upon Klyphaestus, making him felt somehow like a traitor.

'It was just starving.' Klyphaestus spoke softly into the late afternoon air. Perhaps Jonathon and Hrafn were trying to protect Klyphaestus from the seemingly dire situation, which was fairly reasonable and should be kindly thanked. But what unsettled Klyphaestus, even as slightly as it was, was the eagerness of killing which came from the two.

In the distance, a wolf howled.