[Flashback] Where Eagles Dare (Sairque)

[Dayed]

23rd of Summer, 508 AV

Dayed fumbled with the ties for his katinu, he was so unused to this type of clothing. The sheepskin coat did little to help him here inside the Mountain, but he was to be going outside today with Vayeki and another Rider to hunt. To hunt! Dayed could scarcely believe it. Just weeks ago he’d been nothing more than a drudge, working all day every day, retiring to his bed in exhaustion, and waking up just as exhausted only a few hours later to do it all again. That was before Vayeki. Almost like a sign from the Lady Priskil Herself the Eagle had descended, nearly scaring Dayed out of his mind. He’d seen the great Wind Eagles of course, but always from a distance, and always with a sense of longing and hope. And, as if in answer to his prayers, Vayeki had bonded to the young drudge, elevating him to the ranks of the Endal, the Riders. The highest an Inarta could hope to ascend…the thought was nearly overwhelming, almost as much as the change in wardrobe.

He felt something of a fool as he finally finished ensuring that his clothing was on straight, the simple robes of the Dek were so much easier to wear, Dayed stepped out of his chamber in the aerie he shared with Vayeki. It was so strange, to think of having a sense of privacy. ”Do not be nervous, Dayed,” the deep, gentle voice of Vayeki reassured him. Supposedly, because of his golden eyes, Dayed was more closely bonded to his Eagle, though it still felt strange to communicate without sound. ”I’m not afraid,” he sent, ”just nervous is all.” The Eagle seemed to be entertained by that, chuckling in a deep, gentle laugh that was still rolling as Dayed stepped into the open chamber of Vayeki’s nesting area, the balcony dropping away suddenly into the center of Mount Skyinarta.

As always, Dayed was struck by the Eagle’s majestic appearance. His feathers ruffled, a dark color that was no longer truly brown, but neither the light cream of older Eagles, Vayeki’s primaries were beginning to show a deep shade of blue on the tips. Dayed was still baffled by the sheer size of his companion, who stood at least as tall as Dayed, with large talons that could shear a man’s arm from his body, and a large, hooked beak that looked as if it could take his head, if the Eagle had a mind to. It was in this beak that Vayeki held a single feather, which Dayed recognized matched his coloration, one of his secondaries, easily the size of a normal eagle’s primary. ”For you, the Eagle said, offering the feather to Dayed as the boy drew closer. ”You are Endal, now. You should start dressing and acting the part.” Curt and to the point as always, Dayed simply smiled, at a loss for words at the Eagle’s gift, which he promptly braided into his hair. Not fancy, but it would do until he could find a proper wrap for it. ”Come, Dayed,” Vayeki sent, those sharp, golden eyes so similar to Dayed’s own turning to see the Rider, ”the others are waiting. It would not be good if you were late to your first hunt, yes?” Dayed detected a hint of mirth in that voice-that-was-not-a-voice and agreed, clambering up the Eagle’s proffered shoulder and gripping a set of feathers in one hand, the other unstrapping his spear from his back.

Almost before Dayed was even secure, Vayeki was off, flapping his large wings as he ran ungainly towards the edge of the balcony. There was a sudden drop, a sense of falling forever, before the air caught beneath the massive wingspan, the warm air from the mountain’s molten center providing a natural column of lift that Vayeki rode in a circular pattern. They rose in a gentle spiral until they were well above the lip of the mountain. Dayed, unsure of what he was doing so far, was content to let Vayeki do the flying. With a burst of his powerful wings, the Eagle dropped from the thermal, flapping a few times to maintain altitude, before gliding towards several shapes in the distance, more Riders, waiting for Dayed (Vayeki) so that their hunt may begin….

[Sairque]

The Eagles circled lazily over the Sanikas Road, having exercised all their pent up winter energy by this time. The three majestic creatures dipped and rose sharply in the winds, dropping off one thermal and catching another back up. The sun beat down on all, and their shadows skittered over the land far beneath, warping between ravine and tree top. It was, quite thoroughly, a beautiful summer morning, far removed from the starving death of winter.

Sai was lounging on Catabasis’ back, a light leather saddle keeping his feathers safe from her occasional energetic squirming. The white bryda and matching vinati top shined brilliantly against his muted black feathers, but were far less attractive to the eye than the lava-red coloring streaking down his wings like he was on fire.

I don’t know about you, Catabasis, but this is the life, she exclaimed, throwing her arms out wide and lifting her chin to catch a face full of sun beams. Yellow eyes flashed in the sunlight, like a cat’s catching a stray beam in the midnight hours, and settled on the dark shape winging toward them. Is that our new lad? She felt his focus turn from the heat gathering soothingly along his back and onto the splotch in question.

Yes, that is Vayeki and Dayed. Both young, though the former appears to have a good head on his shoulders and the latter is eager to please, Catabasis informed her, dipping to peel off from the other two birds and leaving them with the knowledge that they were just going out to greet the newcomer. The distance closed quickly and a flash of ideas passed between Eagle and rider, before ending in a crisp focus.

Catabasis contacted Vayeki. Would you be adverse to Sai dropping in to greet Dayad personally? he requested politely of the much younger Eagle. If permission was granted, Catabasis would wheel sharply to the right and then back to the left so he would cross directly over the younger pair at a forty-five degree angle. Sai, meanwhile, firmly gripped the two jug holds on either side of the saddle and readied herself with a rakish grin. Coming up on the pair, the flight leader perched lightly on her toes and centered her weight between her arms while the Wind Eagle did half a barrel roll. Muscles knotted, she fought gravity and inertia until they were safely upside down. Whew, here we go, pepping herself up, she carefully uncurled her body and lowered her feet toward the earth. The signal was Catabasis sharply pushing back and stalling. Timing had to be perfect, not only did Sai have to land on Vayeki’s back, but the younger Eagle needed to be clear before the stall (and upside down flying) caused Catabasis to drop in altitude.

Her body swung forward as he sharply slowed, but for good measure, he also barked Now! Sai knew better than to question his orders and released her hold immediately. The drop was only a foot or two, but Sai watched the younger birds wing under her feet and then the body if its rider come into view as she moved backwards and down. Her hand clamped down on whatever part of the boy she could reach and her knees bent, feet spread, to absorb the fall and promote balance on the slick back of the bird. She hoped no feathers were injured by her weight. Catabasis’ tail feathers grazed her braided hair as he cleared them. The Wind Eagle, upside down already, arced toward the ground and back up to level flight, bursting through a cloud and taking up a position just to the front and right of Vayeki.

“Hello Dayed!” She chirped cheerfully, grinning from ear to ear, heart hammering and blood pounding in her veins. “I just wanted to congratulate you. I hear Vayeki is a fine young Eagle. Now. This is going to be a bit unsettling, but you’ll appreciate it once you get used to it. Catabasis is going to have the other Eagles set up a telepathic link between the riders. We won’t have to go through them to talk to each other on flights, when verbal communications is pretty much impossible. Got it?” the intense woman asked before her eyes slid to the side and she tilted her head back and forth a bit. “Well, think you can handle it?” she rephrased the question, knowing he was new to the telepathy thing.

If permission for this little stunt was not granted, they would swing around and come abreast with the younger pair, simply waving. Catabasis would follow up the request with a Welcome to the hunt, lad. We are going to establish a mental connection for you to communicate with the other Rider’s. And then he did so.

Sai’s ‘voice’ came, a light but sharp and commanding presence. Hello, we’ve got a short ride ahead of us today. Don’t fall off your Eagle. Tossing over a lopsided grin, a comfortable traveling distance was put between the two Eagles.

Either way, the other two Eagles fell in behind Vayeki and Catabasis, heading north. The flight would take about half the morning and they would land on a thin arid ridge. Sai and Catabasis had seen some mountain goats bedding down in the area just the previous night.

[Dayed]

Kayven squinted his eyes against the wind and did his best not to look down at the treetops that looked so small beneath his great Eagle. While not afraid of heights, it was still discomforting to know that a fall would most certainly be deadly. ”You will not fall, Dayed. Calm yourself, it will grow easier with time.” As always, Vayeki was there to comfort his young rider, still new to the liberation of flying that had been the Wind Eagle’s nearly from birth. Each stroke of Vayeki’s great wings brought them closer and closer to the other Riders, but Dayed saw one break off from the others and maneuver towards Vayeki. Dayed tensed, hoping he wasn’t about to be reprimanded for being late. The other Rider/Eagle pair grew closer and closer, Dayed thought he recognized the Rider as Sairque, an older female Rider, and quite attractive as well.

What happened next caught Dayed completely off-guard. Sairque’s Eagle, Catabasis wheeled sharply to the right before crossing over Dayed and Vayeki at roughly a forty-five degree angle. Just as he was passing over them, Catabasis rolled over and upwards, nearly upside down! Sairque fell gracefully, and her timing was immaculate, landing precisely behind Dayed, nearly startling him out of his skin. Dayed’s heart was pounding, thinking some unseen predator was attempting to rip Vayeki and himself out of the air, until he looked over his shoulder and met eyes of a similar hue to his own. The low, rolling laughter of Vayeki filled his head. ”That was not funny! The least you could have done is warn me! Dayed sent to Vayeki, along with a healthy dose of indignation. Vayeki chuckled telepathically, ”But that would not have been nearly as entertaining. Calm yourself now, it was all in good taste. Nothing in the sky can harm us!” That last sounded like a boast, but was sent with such confidence that Dayed believed it wholeheartedly.

Focusing his vision back towards the front of his Eagle, Dayed nodded as Sairque spoke into his ear about setting up a link with the other Riders. “Thank you,” he began, “And none of this is exactly ‘settling,’ so how bad can this link be?” He smiled beneath the scarf he’d wrapped around his lower face to keep the wind at bay. He wasn’t sure how or when exactly it happened, but suddenly he could hear others in his thoughts, and more than just Vayeki. ”This is so…strange,” he sent, and was met with a chorus of laughter from the other Riders. ”You’ll get used to it eventually, fledgling,” sent one, ”for now, let’s get this started, I’m eager to see what the hatchling can do!” While Dayed was a little indignant on being called a hatchling, he kept silent, simply taking note to himself which Rider had said such things (he didn’t know all their names yet), and resolved to hunt better than he did.

Vayeki instinctively fell into formation behind and to the right of Catabasis, with the other Riders forming a loose ‘V’ formation off of their base. The flight north would be a long one, Dayed thought, and almost wanted to fill in the gaps with conversation as the other Riders were doing with their banter. However, he had no great stories to boast of, no great deeds under his belt, so he simply sat back, content to listen in to the other Riders rib each other in jest, leaning forward a bit to allow Sairque a bit more room. She was attractive, and perhaps if they weren’t on the back of a Wind Eagle in mid-flight, Dayed would have been flirting with her, but at the present all his focus was on the thrill of flight, and the mental preparations for the coming hunt.

[Sairque]

Sai laughed at the lad's spirit, patting him roughly on the shoulder as the other Riders welcomed him to the hunt with good natured ribbing. All right, lad, thanks for having me. I think you’ll do just fine with us. Catabasis…fetch!

Squawking indignantly, the massive Eagle, nearly twice as strong as any other in Wind Reach, wrenched his head around and fixed one great yellow eye on the trio to his rear left. To his intense displeasure, Sairque was serious. Sometimes, he wished he had never caught her that day. Time after time, he told her it was dangerous to play this game, but she always referenced the day they had met when he had plucked her, a child, and a fledgling out of a free fall.

Leaving Dayad to prepare himself for the upcoming hunt, Sai stood again. Strong hands dug into the youth’s shoulders for aid in balance; Vayeki was a bit narrower and provided a seriously smaller area to work with. No matter. She slid off his side, timing her movement with the beating of his wings so as not to disturb the Eagle’s flight.

As though the plan hadn’t been for Catabasis to dive after the Endal in a race to beat her descent to the ground, she thumped squarely onto his back, tumbling gracelessly. He rolled back and forth, keeping his grunting package between his wings until her momentum from the fall bled off. Sai felt herself come to a stop, and lifted her head, shaking it in a daze. When had he got under Vayeki? More importantly, how was she supposed to get up to her seat? From so low on his back, his movements were more pronounced and she could feel the flexing of his whole body, not just the upper portion. His body undulated and the long sheets of muscle beneath her hands and knees flexed with every beat of his wings. Long chords of muscle jutted up and then disappeared again with every twitch of his tail feathers.

This is what you get for being so reckless, he told her smugly, which was apparently the cue for the other two Rider’s to heckle her a bit, too. The whipcord thin woman just shook her head at the group, promising to get them back later, and inched forward on his back.

The ridge came into view for the Eagles long before the Rider’s. By the time the Inarta recognized it as their destination, the birds had already changed their bearing to approach the landing area from a direction that had little chance of disturbing any prey.

All right, boys, Sai’s no-nonsense mentality cut through the banter that she had been partaking in just seconds before, silencing it immediately. We’ve got plenty of time to hunt, the remainder of the morning and into the evening, it was already far enough into the season that daylight lasted fourteen hours. The goats we saw last night were bedding down just below this ridge on the eastern side. We should be able to find their trails and track them with little difficulty. We’re going to split into two groups. Dayed will be with me. You two-together. Although no one was looking at her, she glanced over at the other two riders being paired up. They were seasoned hunters and would be fine on their own. The hunt leader continued, ‘voice’ inflexible and clearly enunciating the expectations. As always, be prudent in your kills. You do not have to the kill the first thing you see, I expect you all to be patient and make the best choices. Do not shoot only billies, do not shoot any kids. Do not shoot any elk. They’ve been rare in this area for the last several years and that is because we’ve been killing all the bulls. Sai liked to have a good idea of what she was hunting, and it was fortunate that the goats had been so numerous that no further scouting was required.

Catabasis dropped to the earth, speeding over the blurring vegetation and coming in for the landing that no bird could make graceful. He hopped and flapped and eventually stopped. The motion, jarring and made for muscles far larger than any Inarta’s, always threatened to throw Sai from his back if she couldn’t get in rhythm with him, know when to expect the smack of his feet against the ground. She was wrong this time and lost her hold on the perfectly shaped grips. One of the sharp smacks against the earth reversed Catabasis’ downward momentum, but not Sai’s. She continued toward the ground as he hopped up and forward again. She tumbled head over heels down his back, bounced off his wing and then the rocky ground. The nimble woman, well acquainted with rolling to a stop, protected her head and neck and turned the rest of her body into a something akin to a limp noodle. Momentum would drain off quicker this way. Granted, it didn’t hurt any less when a shin or elbow smacked into a rock.

Catabasis hovered protectively over her prone body, knowing she was alive and taking stock of her body parts. The two older Riders set down nearby, sliding to the ground and getting their gear together. Sai was chuckling when she finally stood and shook herself out. Petch, it’s been a while since I’ve done that, she ‘said’ good naturedly. Aside from a few aches and scratches, nothing stood out as serious and she pulled a longbow and quiver over her shoulder.

The three gathered at the game trail leading down the ridge.

[Dayed]

Dayed winced as Sai’s hands dug into his shoulders as she stood up, and he could feel Vayeki’s muscles tense beneath him in apprehension. Then, as suddenly as she had arrived, Sairque was rolling off of Vay’s back and dropping through the air! Dayed’s heart leapt into his throat, adrenaline surging through his body as he watched her fall to the ground so far below. Then, like a massive feathered arrow, Catabasis dove through the air, leveling out below the falling Endal just in time for her to land on his back. Dayed let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding, allowing his sudden death-grip on Vayeki’s feathers to loosen. “I knew she’d make it,” Vayeki said, though Dayed could sense the apprehension in his ‘voice.’ The young Endal simply smiled and shook his head, focusing his mind on the hunt-leaders instructions.

The young teen nodded to himself, taking Sairque’s instructions to heart. He briefly wondered what his first kill would be like. Dayed fervently hoped it would be something significant, like a deer, or the aforementioned goats, and not something silly and trivial, like a rabbit, or worse. Though, he supposed that if he were ordered to hunt rabbit then he would hunt rabbit. Smirking, Dayed took a glance at his spear, the six inch blade would make short work of all but the largest animals when placed correctly, while the three inch bar would keep it from penetrating too deeply, and would also serve him well against a human combatant, he had never heard of bandits attacking hunting parties, but it probably happened eventually, right?

Dayed was shaken from his thoughts as Vayeki began banking towards the large clearing in preparation for a landing. “Just do as I do, but in reverse,” the large eagle sent. Dayed was still trying to make sense of this when the first impact came, bouncing him up into the air with a yelp. He tried to regain his control and fall into a rhythm, but the next impact came shortly after the first, and Dayed’s effort only resulted in him being catapulted forward, over Vayeki’s shoulders and into the path of the large birds massive claws. Rolling instinctively away, Dayed tucked his head and formed a ball with his body, to better protect from injury. The rocky ground bit into his figure through his katinu, though as he finally rolled to a stop, some several feet away from where Vayeki had finally halted, Dayed didn’t feel anything broken or bleeding. He stood sheepishly, feeling a fool. “We need to work on our landings, I think,” he sent to Vayeki, who responded only with a quiet chuckle. Dayed jogged up to Sairque, feeling slightly less foolish upon seeing that she’d had a similar landing. Hefting his spear in one hand, Dayed smiled, trying not to sound as if he’d just been thrown on his ass by a giant eagle. “So, where do we start?”

[Sairque]

Sai adjusted the longbow over her shoulder and grinned at the youth’s enthusiasm. “We start here. Dayed and I will take this game trail down into the corridor where we can see how effective that big stick is,” a somewhat doubtful look at the spear. “And you two can head to the meadows.” The two males jostled each other and melted into the rocks and vegetation down their trail. Sai glanced back at the Eagles. Catabasis had already settled in for a nice nap. “I guess when we need a scout, Vayeki is our Eagle,” the slight woman cast a wry glance back at Dayed before starting the descent off the ridge.

The thin trail, worn away over years and years of use by hoofed creatures, cut down into a copse of trees. Molds of hooves had been dried into the dark packed earth, but further into the grove the dirt was softer and moist. The deep prints squished under their boots, but fresher prints were easier to see. Sai scrutinized the path in front of her feet as she walked. Suddenly, she shifted to the side and kneeled off the trail, beckoning the lad to come take a look. In one relatively short stretch of trail, several differently shaped prints had been left behind.

There were several mammal tracks, with little pads and then four or five little toes and then little claws. Sai ignored these. Well, she did point out one of them. “This is a rabbit track. Notice how it’s all smushed together and there’s not separation between toes and the main pad.” She had sat staring at a plethora of these just last season while she waited for a hare to venture forth from the nest into her trap. “Trust me when I say it’s much easier to skin a rabbit to feed yourself for one night than skin a deer to feed yourself for several nights.,” giving him a wry smile, she recalled the waste of effort and food from the same hunt. And the bear attack. Which brought her to her next print. “This is a brown bear track. More specifically, this is the front foot. See how the claws curve far away from the toes? Brown bears have longer claws then a black, and see how its toes are all in a line? That’s also specific to the brown.”

“Anyway, just watch for bears when you get far away from Skyinarta. Have you met Renol yet? He almost got eaten last season because we weren’t looking for bears.” Sai moved on to the hooves. “This is our track. See how they come to a point because the inner edge bites in the lobe?” Sai traced the curve. “We know that none of our goats have come up this way because these tracks match the deep ones that have already dried into place further up the trail.” Sai suddenly straightened, realizing that the lad probably already knew all of this. “I’m just going over things you already know, aren’t I?” Her smile was a bit rueful, though she wasn’t sure. It seemed likely that he recalled all of this from his lessons as a Yasi, but Sai had gotten caught up in this being his first hunt as an Endal. Either way, she stood and continued down the trail, treading softly and slowly.

“There are several game trails that cross this one once we get through these trees, I’ll bet my next meal that some of the goats have taken them. We just need to figure out which one and then sneak up on them.”

At the first bisection, Sai glanced around. The slope had just started leveling out for a little plateau before descending further. Sai stood on the grass and scrutinized the trail. This one had been churned to dust and there were markings everywhere. Crouching down, she compared her own boot print to some of the goat tracks. It was compressed, no lose grain aside from what had been pushed up by her toe. The goat track next to it was just as clean. Some of the others had been smeared and looked worn. “What do you think, Dayed? Would you say taking this trail would be a reasonable expense of time?”

Frankly, tracking wasn't her thing, she'd rather just meander around in the sunshine until something come up. Maybe check the usual spots, tree lines, streams, grottos, depending on the time of day. So either way, she was taking this trail forward. And sure enough, after about half a bell, the tell-tale white flash of a mountain goat peeked from between some rocks up ahead.

[Dayed]

Dayed felt his body warm a little at Sairque’s smile, though the doubtful look she gave his spear put a slight frown on his face. I’ll just have to show her, he thought with a smirk which quickly turned to a startled look as Vayeki’s chortling reminded the young teen of the telepathic link. Suddenly sheepish, he simply nodded and followed Sairque, leaning his spear back against his shoulder, steel point to the sky. As they walked, he did his best to take in all the sights and smells of the forest. The cool clean air, the heady scent of pine…it seemed like an eternity had passed since he’d last set foot in the forest. The fresh air was a nice change from the stale, sulfurous stench of the drudge passageways. In fact, while the trees lining the narrow path almost resembled the warrens of Skyinarta, Dayed got an itch between his shoulder blades, like something was watching him, just waiting for a moment of weakness. Perhaps there was such a thing as too open.

The young boy listened intently as Sairque pointed and described the various tracks to him. Some were clearly days, or perhaps even weeks old, while others seemed incredibly fresh. Still, Dayed was only half listening, he couldn’t quite shake the feeling that he was being watched, that he was exposing himself to some fierce predator. He tried to keep his thoughts clear, lest the other riders pick up on his anxiety, but he could do nothing to hide it from Vayeki. “Don’t worry,” the Eagles sonorous voice-that-was-not-a-voice came, seeming to resonate in Dayed’s skull, “I am here; nothing will escape my attention.” Looking up briefly, Dayed caught glimpses of Vayeki’s winged figure through the thick canopy, and allowed himself to relax just a hair. He was thinking like prey, he realized, and he was supposed to be the predator. Some hunter you are, he thought to himself as he forced himself to re-focus on the tracks, especially once the flight leader mentioned bears.

His first reaction was to drop his spear from his shoulder into a ready stance, right hand about six inches from the end of the haft, his left about a shoulder’s width ahead of his right, point angled forward and slightly upward in anticipation of a large, angry bear charging out of the treeline. His breathing quickened, and the itch between his shoulders worsened, causing him to whip his head around behind him. He saw nothing, and calmed down considerably when no bear came charging out at him. He let out a long breath, his cheeks reddening with embarrassment at how foolish he must have looked. Perhaps he really was just a fledgling after all….

As Sairque described the goat tracks, Dayed nodded. He had learned all of this of course, but that had been a few years ago, with the other children of Wind Reach, and it was nice to have a refresher course of sorts. He smirked as she voiced her own thoughts. “It’s been a while since I was a Yasi,” he noted slyly, but chose not to pursue the point in favor of giving the goat tracks a closer examination. The track she pointed at was fresh. Very fresh. While Dayed was hardly an expert hunter he would guess that the goat had passed through here only shortly before the two hunters had. He caught a glimpse of motion perhaps half a bell later, a white flash moving through the trees. Narrowing his golden eyes in suspicion, Dayed dropped lower, bringing his spear into a more horizontal position. “Vayeki, Dayed sent, only to be cut off by his Eagle. “I saw it, mountain goat ahead of you. He’s grazing in a clearing but still pretty nervous.” Dayed nodded, sending Vayeki’s report to Sairque telepathically, not wanting to warn the surrounding prey of their presence via vocals, though he was sure they could be picked up by scent. Better safe than sorry. “I think we should go get that goat,” he sent with a smirk, stepping ahead slowly, trying to keep his center of mass low.

[Sairque]

Sai smirked at the jittery youth’s suggestion, taking in his newfound enthusiasm. The smirk softened into encouragement and she used the picture Vayeki sent over to formulate a loose plan. All right, lad. I’d like to see that stick of yours in action. What we’re going to do is give you a shot to bring him down yourself and I’ll climb up there, the slender flight leader nodded toward a bristly pine tree growing high a little further down the slow. Yellow eyes light on his, she reached over and clapped the taller, burlier young man on the shoulder. To get out of the way and let you do your thing. Don’t worry about it, we got all day, and there are plenty more goats for us to find. Take your time, don’t hesitate, she advised, knowing full well how hard it could be to take that first kill. On her first hunt, she had let four elk get away over the course of three days before she’d made peace with herself and the Gods. Never would she have raised a hand against a peaceful creature had its death not given back to the cycle of life. That had been one of the first sacrifices she had made for her people. The decision to be a predator outside the cycle of nature. She would take from nature and when she died, nothing would go back. But it was necessary for her people. All of this passed to the lad in the blink of an eye, Sai’s reminiscing unguarded for a brief moment until she realized what she had done and clamped the link shut on her more unintentional thoughts.

I’m here if you need any advice or help. It’s okay to make mistakes. With that last thought, Sai glanced over at the rocks they had seen the goat behind, a small pile set in front of a hillside liberally coated with outcroppings, and turned to head down the hill toward the tree. About fifteen feet from the trunk, its lowest branch brushed the hill on the incline side, the direction she was advancing on. Something she greatly appreciated, as it made getting up into the tree much easier. Dropping below the branch, she descended along the hill only far enough to allow for a good grip on the branch. The bark was rough under her hands, and her foot kept kicking the end of the long bow, but she swung, hand over hand, the branch swaying under her weight, until it was strong enough for her to pull herself atop. Crouching, she got her footing secure and glanced up to plot her path. By the time she had twisted her way between the branches and up to thin ones that seemed too frail for her weight, she was well above Dayed and the goat.

Comfortable with heights, and trees, the nimble woman balanced precariously as she removed her bow and an arrow. Gripping both in one hand, she pulled out a knife and started clearing foliage out of the area she would need to draw in. Perhaps leaving the lad to his own devices had been a bit like abandoning him...but they really did have all day. And perhaps he would succeed. If he didn’t succeed then at least he would have some questions and more ideas for the next goat they found. They really did have hours and hours to get four or five animals, and the area was crawling with goats at this time. Sai leaned back in her little nest, extending her legs along the length of the branch and leaning against the trunk. If the boy didn’t do something interesting soon, she was liable to take a nap up here. Maybe he would get attacked by it, she perked up, that was always awesome.

[Dayed]

Dayed watched with awe as the nimble woman clambered up the tree to get a better view and, as she put it, get out of his way. The young Inarta wasn’t quite sure how he felt about that, it wasn’t as if he’d be doing anything extravagant. Still he crouched lower, picking his path carefully, grateful for the covering of pine-needles fallen from Winters past; nobody much cared to do any raking out here, and this gave him a soft cushion to suppress the sound of his steps as he crept closer to the clearing. Dayed froze as he reached the edge of the tree cover, dropping down to his face, crawling slowly through the grass. The goat’s back was to him, but Dayed had a feeling that it was still on alert, perhaps nervous from Vayeki’s flyover just minutes earlier. Dayed held his spear in both hands, using the blunt end to help leverage his crawl. The grass here was tall, but not quite tall enough to entirely conceal the boy, even in the prone position. A chill wind blew through the clearing, and Dayed froze, holding his breath as the goat looked up from its graze.

The wind died down, and the goat took a few steps to the right, finding a new patch of grass to graze on and presenting its side to Dayed, though he was still too far away to strike just yet. Still crawling, Dayed moved sideways, trying to get away from the creature’s line of sight before rising to a crouch, so slowly his muscles ached in protest as he crept forward. He was close now, almost close enough. He could end it with a single powerful thrust of his spear. As he drew closer and closer to the moment of truth, Dayed’s heart was racing, his entire body overflowing with adrenaline. He clenched his spear tight as his arms began to shake. This was unacceptable, it had to be now. Dayed sprang forward in a single movement, thrusting his spear forward, hoping to catch the billy in the side, just behind the front leg.

But Dayed’s adrenaline betrayed him, and at the last moment his arm wavered, striking low into the dirt as the alarmed animal sprang off into the treeline. Yanking his spear out of the ground, Dayed thumped the haft against the dirt, cursing softly beneath his breath. ”Many fail on their first hunt,” came Vayeki’s voice, calm and soothing as always. Dayed ignored him for now, disappointment flooding his senses as he turned back to the treeline, looking up to find Sairque among the branches. He hoped she wouldn’t be mad at him; Dayed was angry enough at himself. He was sure if he hadn’t wavered he would have had it. Why had he hesitated? The Inarta shook his head. It didn’t matter. The day was still young, and the hunt was not over yet.

[Sairque]

Even before the lad attempted to strike, Sai could tell that something was wrong. He was moving too quickly, not shoring himself up, being impatient. The mental link as tightened as much as the bands of muscle along every inch of the young Endal's body. It wasn't a big deal. There was only a slim chance that the goat would flee in her direction, but still she scooted forward on the branch, dropping her legs to hook together by the ankles, clamping the wood betwixt her legs. Not the most comfortable position, but the branch was stable and the wind was still. Motions in sync with the expansion of her lungs, Sai extended the bow into the area she had cleared. Fingers curled stiffly around the string and arrow, she drew. Muscles clenching and pulling, she didn't take a moment to appreciate it, but the feeling was familiarly comforting.

The goat evaded Dayed and shot off. She tracked it, yellow eye sighting down the long shaft, and took the one shot available. It was following a path and only one spot was remotely close enough for her to conceivably make the shot. The arrow flashed in the sun, bearing down on the snow white animal with gravity-enhanced speed. Her timing was off. The arrow thunked into the bank right behind the white flash of goat. See, Dayed, happens to everyone. Was all she had to say before she dropped the hand still lingering by her ears. With the bow slung over her shoulder again, the agile Endal picked her way down the haphazard ladder made by of living tree. She had expected the youth to take longer, but didn't mind the quick up-and-down trip. Besides, the elevation had helped her spot a small group of goats just over the next ridge.

"What did you do wrong?" Sai asked him upon closing the distance between them. Not in a tone that informed him she was about to tell him, but a curious inquiry to get his thoughts on the matter. Grasses swaying around them, and dust clouding underfoot, the flight leader led the way back down to the path and toward the other ridge. On the way, she snagged the arrow, tugging it out of the dry ground and lifting it to her eyes for inspection. The tip was pitted a bit, but the shaft appeared straight and the fletching undamaged. Lucky.

The trek through the ravine and back up the next ridge went quickly enough and Sai slowed them, peering around for the markers to tell her they were near where that other game had been munching. Was this the boulder? Next to this spritely tree? Hmn. She stopped, hands on her hips, and surveyed the rocky edge they found themselves on. Where were those silly goats?