A Hunt I (Solo Job Thread)

[Ramona Silvertongue]

15th, Winter, 517av.

When it's time to hunt, it's time to prepare. That was what exactly Ramona, Eachann, Siobhan, Roison, and Sorcha were all doing. It's only been over a couple handful of days and nights before the Mourningstars had invited Ramona along. The night before tonight, Eachann asked Ramona if she wanted to come along on their next hunting trip.

"This hotness won't fade. When will it go away?!" Eachann's words were grim and bitter-sweet. Ramona shrugged, she didn't mind the warmth. It was good for training, and Ramona was sure that soon Morwen will return. She was hopeful, and hope meant everything. It doesn't matter whether Ramona liked the warm during the Winter, the animals needed the Winter. Without it, everyone and everything will die, because everything won't be able to grow the way it should be, and animals would be gone by the time Winter actually comes around. That's if Winter takes forever to return.

Hopefully Morwen will realize that MIzahar needs Winter...

...Otherwise she'll be responsible for killing everyone. Instantly, Ramona worried about Bhug- perhaps she should stop thinking about this Winter not coming nonsense. It wasn't good to think about problems when she's out in the Sea of Grass, hunting.

"Yes, rest of the Drykas are getting irritated- just like how we are without the Winter coming." Sorcha added, she signed some things about doubting Morwen's return to revive Winter. However, Ramona was still sure that she'll come, it didn't matter what the others have said.

"We can't think like this." Ramona said with a smile she signed hope, and much other things like believe.

"Morwen shouldn't come now, it's almost Mid-Winter. There's no point of her coming back. We're just going to die, that's why we need to gather more." Eachann signed survival, and food.

"Ramona's right. We need to stay awake, and make sure we keep it together." Siobhan was advocating for Ramona, and Ramona appreciated it.

"Anyways... we can talk about this when we come back. Everyone pack up, and saddle up. We've got some traveling to do. It'll be about a few bells before we reach the wild boar sights." Eachann suggested.

Emerald green eyes nodded towards the group leader, and Ramona mounted Anthem. She was so willing to follow Eachann's commands that she did it so instinctively. Normally if she was told what to do, she would have some sass, however her attitude has been changing. Fall was quite stressful for Ramona, and she had so much to worry about.

When Bhug had gotten sick, that was the climax for her. Waisana had given Bhug his life back, and Ramona was more than thankful than she could ever have been. Thanks to Waisana, Bhug was a happy soul, and he prospered well. It was relieving to know that the medics here at Endrykas had discovered what the illness was.

Ramona owed Waisana her life, and for that Ramona would do anything for Waisana. Ramona didn't change because Waisana had only saved Bhug's life, she changed because she became friends with Waisana, Hansel, Ashka, and Ciraaci. Fall was the best experience/worst experience of her life! She was excited to get her life back on track again, and now that she has a bigger support group of a new family, and new friends she can feel at home.

She always hated being alone.

Word Count: 558/2500.

[Ramona Silvertongue]

15th, Winter, 517av.

Since Ramona was not alone this time around. She was going to need to focus on working with others. She doesn't have a problem, normally. However, it just depends on behavior, and mood. Ramona was always an open-minded person. She loved to be with people, and she loved to work with people.

She was also so pleased to have people looking out for her now.

*
The party of Drykas and Striders bounded across the Sea of Grass. They all hoped for one thing. Game. A successful finding of prey would be perfect. Only because, they would be able to take it home, and serve it up for dinner. Maybe even make some extra Mizas over the catchings. However, the party needed a plan. A good one. They can't charge in head first. It could get them killed.

Everyone was scanning the grasslands, and Ramona was doing her part to. She gripped her shortbow, and loaded up a arrow against it. She held it carefully. She always did her best to prepare for combat. Even when it was hunting. She always grabbed her shortbow, and knocked an arrow in the bow.

Eachann pointed outwards, over a valley. Towards the West. They all stopped and observed what kind of animals were wandering around The Sea of Grass.

Wild boars.

"Oh boars! Yes!" Sorcha exclaimed. She pulled back her dark hair and readied her long bow. She signed excitement. Hunt. Before readying her long bow. Eachann had already prepared his short bow. There was a surge of excitement that coursed through Ramona's system. The Djed that was inside her was tickling her skin, however, she didn't have any offensive magic. She just only knew Webbing. It was difficult trying to keep up a strong will for Webbing. Especially when Ramona had to 'deactivate' her webs from her original location. She then had to redo them and combine her pavilions web with the Mourningstars. It took bells. However,
Ramona managed to do it.

"Flank the sides. We'll get the advantage. However, try to not go so far from each other. Don't want you guys getting caught in the herd." Eachann explained, and he tapped his heels against the sides of his Strider.

Everyone else followed suit.

This meant that the Drykas hunting party were going to actually get involved with hunting.

"Try to stay close to each other, but if you need to you can move ahead." Eachann advised, and he and his Strider moved forward. Ramona split off with Eachann and Siobhan. Anthem merged between the two other Striders, and whinnied. Ramona could tell how excited Anthem was to get some real action. Ramona was a little nervous herself, however she was also excited to hunt for the first time in a long time.

Brown hair was pushed back as one sweaty hand gripped her short bow.

Anthem followed behind Eachann's Strider. They seemed to be having some sort of conversation between each other. Eachann was signing things to Ramona and Siobhan and they were both nodding along. He wanted them to stay close, and make sure that the didn't come into close contact with the boars. The loud thumping of the boars and their hooves made it difficult to hear any spoken words, so Eachann was smart, and was signing what he needed to say.

Ramona's heart raced as the Striders bounded closer to the boar. Ramona aimed at the closest boar, and she was at the back, while Eachann was on the left side of the herd, and Siobhan was on the right. Roison and Sorcha were up top, but one of them was on the left side of the herd, and the other was positioned on the right side.

Ramona took aim, and fired as Eachann signed go.


1186/2500

[Ramona Silvertongue]

Day, Season, Year.

After shooting her arrow, there were so many thoughts that circled through Ramona's mind. She wondered if she'd hit at least one of the boars, and get lucky if she takes one of them down. However, her shot missed as she watched the fine shortbow arrow fly. She aimed to high, and a little too much to the right of the herd of boars. The arrow was instantly lost within the tall blades of grass. Ramona frowned, but kept her head up as she needed to be careful and watch what Anthem was doing. Just in case he decided to do something odd at one point, Ramona would be there to correct his oddness. Although, at other times it can be good, but not during hunting.

Ramona leaned down to retrieve another shortbow arrow. She struggled pulling it out, as stomping continued to echo throughout the Sea of Grass. She wasn't paying too much attention to the others, but they were yelling and cheering as they herded the boars.

The huntress eventually managed to load the arrow and knock it, and got prepared to aim. She had to balance on the Yvas to get a firm stance. She took a few breaths, and blocked the sounds and distractions out of her mind. She leaned back, hoping to strike a shot at the boar. However, her focus wasn't as strong as it was when she's learning to Web. It really wasn't. She fired, but missed again, and she noticed the arrowhead snapping as the arrow 'whoosed' over the body of the boar. The boar simply trampled over the shortbow arrow, and it shattered into many pieces as they jumped about over the tall blades of grass.

Another curse as she watched Roison and Sorcha take down one of the wild boars with their arrows. They managed to get quite close to them, but Anthem didn't want to be very close to them. Something was telling Ramona that he didn't enjoy the close combat as much as everyone else did.

It was understandable to Ramona. Ramona wasn't much of a violent person, but being a hunter seemed like a good idea. Since she'd be getting food for her and Bhug at the time, and then she was able to earn extra Mizas depending on what she would have had caught. However, it seemed different when she merged with a bigger pavilion. There was more people that Ramona had to help to look after and support. There weren't too much hunters either, and a lot of the members of the Mourningstar Pavilion seemed to be kids. Young ones at that too. However, they were resourceful and not expendable one bit. They helped around as much as they could.

The Silvertongues used to be a bigger pavilion many years back, when Ramona was younger. Maybe... Ramona wasn't sure. She remembered her cousins, grandma, and grandfather. She didn't know what to do after her family had pretty much left her when her cousins had left after grandma had passed away.

"Shouldn't think about that,"thought Ramona. She needed to focus on the present, again. Hunting. This was what she needed to do. She noted that Sorcha went back for the fallen boar that Roison and Sorcha had managed to take down earlier. Eachann, Ramona, and Siobhan were still trying to take down a few of the other boars in the back. The herd had sort of split up at this point, and that had only made it more difficult for the three of them. Especially Ramona, she wasn't really trained with this sort of action. She needed more time to learn the ropes of hunting.

Her father had started teaching her how to hunt a few years ago, before the Zith attack, and after that. Ramona had been getting guidance from nearby pavilions, and the Warstorm Pavilion. She went as many times as she could to get training, and this was how her training was treating her.

"Come on boy, a little closer. So I can get a better shot... please?" Ramona asked in the best way possible. She hoped that he had heard her. However she had spoken loud to. She was able to hear herself speak over the loud thumping of the wild boars. They made so much noise for being smaller than a dog. Then again, they were together as a herd. So... that would've made a difference in general.

Ramona hoped that the third time would be the charm as she prayed to the Gods above her that they would at least help her out with her third shot. She wanted to feel that pride after taking down that boar. At least one boar would be enough to fill her pride, but she didn't know how many boars the Mourningstar Pavilion really needed. She hoped that at least three would be enough. Especially since that they don't have many people to take the boars back home.

Ramona took a breath, and knocked her arrow into her shortbow. She steadied her aim this time. However, she was bouncing a lot, but she continued to pray to the Gods that she'll make this third shot. Otherwise, that'll be another arrow going to waste, and she didn't want that. She lost and either broke two arrows. It appeared to be that she normally looses at least two-three arrows per season when hunting.

She took aim, and a few extra confident breaths as she still hoped to earn that final shot. With all that she had been through this year, she could at least start earning some self-pride through this hunt. It would be nice. She fired the arrow. It 'whoosed' through the air. It was a lucky shot, and it struck the top of the boars' neck. It crumpled to the floor and rolled around the grass after it had been shot.

A smile formed across Ramona's lips, and she knew that she had finally gotten that kill. She thanked the Gods above her, as Eachann had managed to take down a boar as well. Three boars. The other females of the party turned back to Eachann as they went to meet together. The rest of the wild boars scattered about the Sea of Grass and ran away from the five of them.

"Good job everyone. Tie them up, and lets go home." With sweat dripping down his hands, he signed Next Is Skinning Game. Ramona frowned at the next stage. Of course the next part was to skin the boars.

"Ramona has to skin her own game this time as well." Worst of all, Ramona noticed that he was smiling. One of those sinister 'ha-ha' smiles. Ramona frowned, and tied up her boar as everyone else did. Then she and Anthem followed everyone else back to their Pavilions. Ramona was definitely not looking forward to skinning an animal. Again...

Word Count: 2332/2500
*Will do another post to get it over with. I like to post with different transitions. XD