A Dangerous Trek (Vala)

[Ronin]

When Ronin noticed Vala's labored attempt to keep up with him, he slowed his pace. He wanted this to be fun for her, in hopes of getting her to come along again. Ronin laughed at her joke about him losing another chunk of hair. He didn't honestly think that was something she would do again, but he would still be on his guard any time she reached for his head. His expression quickly became more sober when she mentioned that morning. He thought it was funny, but he didn't know is Vala felt the same. When she changed the topic he was grateful. It wasn't exactly something he wanted to discuss at the moment, but her next comment was rather sad. Maybe she really didn't have any friends. "That's a little depressing. Don't any of your friends like the outdoors?" Ronin wasn't about to accuse her of being friendless, but if her first encounters with everyone where like theirs, he could see it as a possibility. Ronin continued to lead the way down the path. He didn't stray off of it nearly as much as he would have if he was alone. He couldn't help but laugh when she asked if they were shooting bunnies. Ronin got the suspicion that she might be more light-hearted than he had first thought. "Yes, we will be hunting rabbits. Why? Is there something wrong with shooting rabbits?" His tone was teasing and there was a wide smile on his face. "They don't if you are any good." As they walked down the path the brush around them began to get thicker and Ronin knew they would soon be approaching an area often populated with rabbits. "We are getting close to where they live. We should probably keep our voices down." As he spoke he pulled one of his real arrows out of his quiver and handed it to Vala. "Just aim and shoot, just like the targets in the range." His voice was almost a whisper now. After a few minutes of walking along at a slow enough pace that Ronin could keep his footsteps silent, they saw their first rabbit. Ronin pointed it out to Vala without making a sound, then motioned for her to take the shot. He gave her a small wink and a smile in an attempt to wordlessly wish her luck.

[Vala]

Vala pretended not to hear Ronin’s condescending question about her ‘friends’, especially blocking out the pitying tone. Her lips pursed in silence. Hunting Deks was different to hunting bunnies (according to Vala): Dek were the dredge, worhtless creatures who were good for nothing more than cleaning waste. They didn’t deserve to have Wind Reach’s limited resources wasted on them. Bunnies on the other hand were adorable and innocent; especially the ones with the deep glassy eyes just peering up curiously. Vala wanted to believe Ronin, but she was still a little skeptical. She didn’t want to cause something so pure any pain - Priskil wouldn’t approve. And Vala knew she wasn’t good, she wasn’t even relatively medioclre. She nervously wiped her sweaty palms on her Byrda and took the arrow Ronin offered. It was wicked sharp and was fletched far better than any practice arrow Vala had ever handled before: it was made for killing. Vala brought her pointer figner close to the tip - closer and closer - until her finger just brushed against the edge, pricking herself, releasing a warm drop of ruby red. Vala popped her finger in her mouth. “Eeeep!” She squeaked in pain. She clamped her hands over her mouth when she remembered Ronin had told her to keep quiet to not scare the bunnies away; a line of blood smeared across her pale left cheek. She pantomimed an apology and proceeded to situate herself, preparing to draw another’s blood. A bunny hopped into a small clearing before the pair. Its little pink noise twitched; Vala fought the urge to coo. She took a deep breath, then another, and then squeezed her eyes shut tight. With her eyes still closed, she notched her arrow and raised her bow. She pulled back the string until it was taught and her fingers were by her face. She opened her eyes, turning her head to look back at Ronin. She opened her mouth, as if to say something, then shut it, turning back to her prey. Her arrow aimed straight and true. Taking yet another deep breath, she tried to calm her racing heart. The bunny hopped, until it faced Vala. Her nostrils flared as tried freeze her heart. (figuratively that is) I’m sorry. She whispered to no one in particular. Clearing her mind, as her fingers began to cramp, Vala released the arrow. The bunny fled with the agility so common amongst the hunted. Though it ran, it definitely wouldn’t be able to hide with the trail of red drops than dripped from the gash along its side. The arrow lay embedded in the snowy ground. She lowered her bow and pouted. “I missed...”

[Ronin]

Ronin watched silently in anticipation. The rabbit hadn't noticed them yet, and that made the shot an easy one. He wondered why she hesitated so long. Maybe she really did have qualms with hunting rabbits, although he couldn't imagine why. They were just little rodents like the rats and squirrels. They were food, and tasty food at that. Since they hadn't brought anything to eat, it would be nice if they could catch something for lunch. Vala was taking too much time, and the rabbit was going to see her. In a single, quiet motion, Ronin drew a second arrow from his quiver and notched it on his bow string. He didn't draw the string yet, because he didn't want to seem like he lacked faith in Vala's skill. As he looked back up from his bow he saw Vala's hand release and the arrow fly through the air, clipping it's prey. When Ronin saw the rabbit begin to run, he drew back his bow string and took aim. He followed the bloody trail it left behind until it ended in a small, dense, patch a brush. It wasn't much, just a small blotch of red, but Ronin knew exactly where to aim his shot. This string was nearly pressed against his cheek as he took one last deep breath and let loose it go. Ronin immediately knew his shot had been higher than he intended. None the less, it sunk into the soft fleshy target with a gruesome sound. "I didn't.." Ronin stated coldly with a satisfied smile on his face. To someone who cared for that type of creature, Ronin may have seemed insensitive. However, he didn't see why anyone would care for a rabbit, and had no guilt for killing it. He walked up to the area of his shot and it was not long before he had twisted the arrow back out of the creature. Ronin hadn't hit it as squarely as he hoped, but he had hit enough of it to kill it quickly. He held it up by the ears like a trophy for Vala to see. "Look, we killed it together. Now I can show you how to skin and gut it!" A strange as it may seem, Ronin was excited to get to show Vala these things. His hand was quickly on his knife and pulling it from it's sheath. "What do you think? You ready for lunch?"

[Vala]

Vala had missed, but Ronin obviously had not. She had dropped her bow a few seconds after she had made the shot, when she realized she had caused the innocent bunny, undue pain with her failure. She tried to convince herself that the anger and shame she felt was from missing such an easy shot; it would have been embarrassing to explain how much empathy she felt for a bunny - something Ronin evidently classified as nothing more than food. Its black, glassy eyes seemed to stare Vala down from the depths of the underworld. She whimpered. As they had walked, Vala’s stomach had been grumbling quietly; she was use to eating a large breakfast. Almost instantaneously, any trace feeling of hunger dissipated as she watched the small bunny sway side to side, hanging from its ears at Ronin’s fist. She held out her hand, in a motion to ask Ronin to not say a word, just for a moment. She turned her head to the side, body still facing him, as she brought her fist to her mouth, pressing her knuckles hard against her nose and lips. She coughed, gagging mostly, on the vomit that spurted up into her mouth; She swallowed it painfully, the acid burning her mouth and throat. This was the first time she had killed something, and the experience was a little jarring for her. It felt different than the passive aggressive torture she was use to - this was real - this was permanent. She cleared her throat again, but was unable to get the vile taste out. She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. Give me strength Priskil, Vala prayed. It took her a chime to finally get recomposed. She looked up at Ronin, her heart and conscious clear, almost cold, in its aloofness. “Let’s do this.” Her tone determined. OCC : I described her as cold, but she really wants to learn with Ronin. Also, sorry if her pathetic squeamishness is annoying - I know it annoyed me.

[Ronin]

Ronin felt bad, not for killing the animal, but for making Vala react the way she did. He had not realized how much this killing actually bothered her. He set the rabbit on the ground, slid his knife back into it's sheath, and walked over to her. He kept a couple feet back until she no longer looked like she might puke on him. When he was confident that she was past the nausea, he stepped closer and placed his hand on her shoulder. "I'm really sorry.. I didn't realize that this bothered you." He didn't really know what to say. He had never thought about that chance of her being so squeamish, and he felt quite insensitive. "You don't have to watch me gut it. I don't want you getting ill." Ronin sighed and shook his head. Hopefully she would forgive him for what he had done. However, he was getting hungry and there was good meat laying on the ground behind him that he didn't want to waste. "How about you get some wood so we can make a fire and cook the meat? By the time you get back, I'll be done and there will be nothing but meat left." He tried to be reassuring with his hand on her shoulder and a soft smile on his face, but he wasn't sure if it would work. Vala had seemed pretty disgusted by the dead rabbit.

[Vala]

By the love of Priskil - did he want to go bald?

She wasn’t sure who was luckier that she was wearing her Katinu, either way, Vala was grateful he hadn’t made skin to skin contact. Though, the pressure of his hand was still enough to make her uncomfortable. Using her gloved left hand, she gingerly plucked his hand off her shoulder and let it drop to his side. Ronin’s cute smile - while quite dashing - irked Vala as it was paired with the unwanted touch.

“No, I’m fine.” Vala asserted forcefully. She managed to bite back the need to convince Ronin she wasn’t weak - it would only be pathetic pleading after her initial reaction. “I want to learn, I do. I’m fine now.” She cleared her throat. “And it won’t take me too long to find enough firewood. Come on lets get started... you sound hungry.” She tried to smile cutely.

Vala looked around, as she waited for Ronin’s answer. She bent down, subtly edging away from Ronin’s hand. One twig - two twigs - a dry bush - Vala piled up the dry foliage she found littered on the forest floor. Her quick eyes scanned the brush, reading the ground like a book.

OCC :

When are we doing the bear thing? Sorry its so short...

[Ronin]

OOCI will bring in the bear in my next post, once we start cooking the meat.

Ronin found her rejection of his hand on her shoulder odd, but thought was only a passing one. His focus was more on the fact that she wanted him to show her how to gut a rabbit. Just a moment ago, Ronin thought that she would puke at the smallest provocation. Now she wanted him to show her the insides of an animal? He found that hard to believe. Maybe she was just trying to act tough, or maybe she looked ill for some other reason. Ronin didn't know. Regardless, he would do as she asked. He helped her collect a small amount of wood and kindling and piled in a small way off the path. His flint was in his backpack so starting the fire took little time at all. "Alright, if you are sure you want to do this." He motioned with his hand toward a downed tree nearby on which they could sit. Ronin retrieved the knife and rabbit and set them on the tree trunk. "Watch closely. Unless we catch more rabbits, I will only be able to show you this once today." With that, he began to flay back the skin, exposing the creature's innards. Ronin started listing the different organs and showing Vala how to remove them. As he did so, he piled the unwanted parts on the ground near them. Finally, he got to the meat. This he piled on a small cloth which he had also taken out of his backpack. "So, how do you like your meat cooked? Personally, I think rabbit is better when it is rather rare, but it is up to you." Once he was done, he placed the remainder of the rabbit in the pile of guts.

[Vala]

They finished collecting all the fire wood and kindling they needed in a few chimes. After the cold Winter there were still a lot of foliage that had yet to be recycled into mulch by the Spring. Vala was inept at starting any fires - use to the comforts of Skyinarta, use to the volcano providing all the fire and heat an inartan could ever want. Thankfully Ronin had been prepared, packing a flint in his pack. His hands moved steadily and surely as he lit the fire in just a few tries. Vala watched and pantomimed his motions. She was still too insecure to ask to try, but she liked to know how to do the movements before hand if the need ever arose.

It was a little discomforting to Vala to listen to Ronin’s compassionate, placating words. She tried to understand him, she tried to catch the in detectable - because it was nonexistent - lilt of a condescending tone. Vala didn’t realize her all consuming paranoia was probably going to make Ronin uncomfortable with her piercing looks and not so subtle furtive glances.

“I do want to do this.” Vala lied - well half lied. She wanted to learn, true, but she was still uncomfortable learning off a dead bunny - a dead dek maybe, but a dead bunny? - Puke worthy. Ronin led them over to a tree trunk, still holding the bunny by its ears, its body sometimes rotating to face Vala - the bunny staring intently. Vala tried to look away but was captivated by her morbid fascination. Her normally pale rosy coloring was marked by a light greenish tinge, especially on her cheeks. She sat down on the three trunk, the bunny sprawled out in between the both of them. Vala reached out with a gloved hand and gently turned the bunny’s face into the wood, so it would stop judging her with its cold, lifeless eyes.

“Watch closely.” Ronin said, his tone serious - ready for business. Using his knife, Ronin pierced the bunny’s skin right under its throat, cutting straight down to the crotch. Blood gushed out, then dribbled out, then just oozed out: staining the trunk. Vala tried to keep her eyes peeled wide open, but couldn’t help looking away a few times, clearing her throat every now and then to prevent any more bile from coming up. Once Ronin pulled back the furry skin, Vala couldn’t tear her eyes away from the innards. Sure she could barely face its face, but its innards were impersonal meat - Vala could handle that just fine, she could even handle innards better than a nasty paper cut - those things are like just pure evil...

Working in the library gave one more free time than one would expect. Especially since she was repairing a good number of them, Vala often found time to just flip through the books and gather nibbling triva. It was only a few days ago that Vala had come across a wilderness survival text chock full of diagrams - Vala found it even more detailed than some of the medical texts in the Enclave. As Ronin piled up the organs by his side, she pulled off a glove and reached out tentatively, poking the bloody mass with child like curiousity. She tried to keep up as he listed them: heart, lungs, stomach, kidneys, liver, small intestines, large intestines. She tried to remember which organs were edible... “We can eat the heart, kidneys and liver right?” Vala hated wasting food as a Wind Reach raised Inartan.

With all the organs pulled out, and only the meat remaining, Ronin asked her “How do you like your meat cooked?” As a chiet she was use to eating what was prepared for her at the Kitchens - very rarely meat for one in her caste. And even when she helped out every once in a while, she was never really assigned to dealing with meat - fruit, vegetables, and bread only - the simple stuff. She was happy when Ronin just told her how to cook it - she would have been lost on her own. “Rare will be fine for me too. Is there anything else I can do?” Her greenish hue began to fade in her excitement of learning.

[Ronin]

Ronin was excited that Vala had seemed more interested once he started cutting it open. Perhaps whatever was the matter earlier had just been a passing wave of illness. However, watching was one thing, but actually getting your hands in and dirty was another. This is why, Ronin was rather surprised at Vala, when she poked the bloody mess of organs with her un-gloved hand. It please him that she was getting more curious and seemed happy. This stilled some of his lingering fears that she didn't want to be here. When Ronin had finished he looked up at Vala and answered her question about what else she could do. "Nope, I think we have everything we need." He said as he picked up a pair of sticks off the ground. He handed one to Vala and started skewering some of the meat on his. "You ever cooked over an open fire before?" Ronin started cooking his meat over the small fire they had built. He loved rabbit meat, except when it got too chewy, so he knew not too over cook it. However, he had heard stories about people getting quite ill after eating the meat raw, so he made sure he always cooked it some at least. "If you aren't familiar with cooking meat, I can tell you when it is ready to eat." Ronin's mouth twisted into a small smile. He was doing what he loved, and it was obvious. Unfortunately, Ronin wasn't the only one who liked the taste of rabbit. It was early spring and the few bears there were in the area were starting to come out of hibernation in search of fish on the Sanikas River. Ronin hadn't considered how close the were to the river, or even the possibility of bears, when he foolishly began cooking the meat here. The fragrant aroma quickly spread through the surrounding woods, attracting anything with a keen nose and a grumbling stomach. This included bears. Ronin had been too caught up in cooking his meat to notice the approaching footsteps of the mammoth creature. By the time he was even aware of it's presence, it was too late to run. At the noise of a loud snort, Ronin turned around to face the fearsome animal. The big, hairy, brown, mass raised itself on it's hind legs and let out a threatening roar. Ronin leaped to his feet and grabbed Vala's arm, pulling her up as well. If Ronin had been more knowledgeable about bears, he might have known that it most likely only wanted his food. Instead, Ronin decided the only was out was a fight. He bent over, grabbed the end of a small log from the fire, and turned back to hold it between him and the bear. The fire didn't seem to frighten the bear as much as Ronin had hoped. Also, the log was beginning to burn Ronin's hand. So without considering the consequences he chucked it at the bear. This single foolish action turned a rather docile bear hunting for food, into a ferocious monstrosity. The make-shift torch hit the bear squarely in the face, scorching it slightly, but doing no other damage. The only thing this attack really succeeded at was enraging the bear. The, now angry, creature bolted forward toward Ronin. He barely had time to draw his hunting knife before the bear reached him, and this gave him no time to strike with it. Before Ronin could react the bear was once again standing on it's hind legs and this time it was ready to attack. With one swift motion it brought it's clawed paw down across Ronin's left shoulder. The sharp claws pierce the flesh, but Ronin was able to pull away quick enough that they didn't go deep enough to do any real damage. Still, the force of the blow was enough to knock Ronin on his back, wincing in pain. He held his knife forward, but he knew that in his disadvantage position he would be unable to win this fight.

[Vala]

Vala wiped her blood stained finger on her boot before putting her glove back on and taking the stick from Ronin - it wouldn’t do to have another freak out now that they were getting friendly. She watched in mild distaste as he skewered the meat with vigor. Ronin was obviously hungry, as was Vala, but she proceeded with a little more delicacy. First she observed Ronin’s technique, and tried to do the same, but not before a quick prayer, whispered under her breath. “Thank you for the life you sacrificed. We honor the meat you give to sustain us. May Priskil grant you peace.” Vala wasn’t sure if bunnies had souls or djed like she and Ronin had, but Vala felt it was only right to show respect. She tried not to mangle the meat as she skewered herself a piece. She was also grateful that he had skinned the poor thing and tossed it a little to the side so she didn’t have to face its judging eyes anymore. When she finally managed to get a piece on the tip she held it over the fire as Ronin did. “I’ve never ‘cooked before.” Vala responded to his question about the open fire. “We’ll I have ‘cooked’ but not really ‘cooked’.” She stopped talking to try and collect her thoughts, realizing she probably sounded like an idiot. She tried again, trying to clarify. “Well I help out in the kitchens, mostly just cutting vegetables and fruit or making bread, but they never let me handle the meat, but I’ve definitely never done something like this before.” She smiled, truly grateful that Ronin was broadening her horizons with all the new, albeit shocking, outdoor experiences. Vala was waiting patiently for Ronin to tell her when her meat would be ready, ignoring her grumbling tummy’s protests, when they were rudely interrupted by a loud snort and a threatening roar. With her sharp ears and mild paranoia, Vala knew there something big lumbering their way, but she was too inexperienced and naive to mention it to Ronin, who had not noticed, so she assumed if he was ok with it she should have been too. She regretted her silence now, as the large brown mass towered before them. Ronin pulled Vala up, saving her from getting crushed underfoot, she stumbled over a large rock as he dragged her back. In normal circumstances, Vala’s face would have burned a shade of violent red at his intrusive touch, but normal circumstances didn’t usually include a giant bear, ravenous after a season of hibernation. Vala didn’t have much experience with combat, well she knew archery, but a ranged style wasn’t helpful when the target is close enough to swipe at your face and your bow is sitting a disheartening two yards out of reach. She was afraid, who wouldn’t be. She felt powerless and the feeling made her angry. She stood paralyzed, watching Ronin handle the situation - like a fool. Vala stared, unmoving, as Ronin grabbed a small, flaming log from their measly fire. The bear just looked angrier as smoke got in his eyes. Then... he threw it. He really threw it. Vala couldn’t believe it. Sure, she threw sand at an Endal’s eyes once, but a flaming log at a hungry bear? The bear didn’t seem fazed, not even annoyed, just angry - a violent I’m-going-to-rip-your-bloody-ginger-arms-off angry. Vala gasped, reaching out in concern as the mammoth charged at Ronin, feet still frozen immobile. It stood up on its hind legs, looming over Ronin, before clawing his left shoulder. Ronin’s warm blood spurted, splattering Vala’s face. The sick feeling of the wet drops dripping down her cheek, the metallic taste upon her lips, shocked Vala out of her reverie. Time faltered. Something within, called out. Something pure and true. Danger was a persuasive motive. There were no questions. There was no time. Save Ronin. The call throbbed painfully, demanding action. Hands rose. Eyes closed. Heart opened. Vala let herself go. It wasn't painful but it wasn’t comfortable, the feeling of something growing, building, within her, something of her, but not her. She tried not to fight it. It was hard not to fight. She begged it to move. She didn’t know what it was but it was trying, trying so hard to get out. It was oozing in her veins, oozing from her chest, through her arms, to her hands. It pushed. Pushed hard. Pushing out of her skin, painfully. Her eyes watered. It didn’t hurt, but it felt so wrong, so very wrong. It came out slowly, from her palms. A thin gas like substance - Res. Vala couldn’t believe it. It was coming out. She pushed harder, helping it through, forcing it through. It came out thin, it barely came out. Before it oozed a few inches, the ethereal gas burst into a scorching burst of flames. And the moment was gone. Vala tried to recollect herself. What had seemed like ages, had only been a few seconds. She tried to forget her failure by pushing through with logic. She wouldn’t be doing that again. A quick assessment 1. Ronin on the ground - immobilized 2. Bear. Kill. Ronin - aprox 5 seconds before next attack 3. Bow, arrows, and fire out of reach - longer than 5 seconds to utilize 4. Large rock by feet - 2 seconds to pick up, 1 second to throw It only took Vala two seconds to make and execute her plan. Pick up rock. Throw rock at bear. Pull Ronin up. Without much experience under pressure, Vala was surprised everything turned out so well. The rock flew in the air, and as if guided by Priskil’s hand, and hit the bear square in the head. Sure with her weak arms, it just dazed the fellow, but it was confused enough to take a couple lumbering steps back, away from Ronin. This was her chance! Vala ran to Ronin and jammed her hands under Ronin’s armpits. She wasn’t use to touching, let alone carrying people off to safety, so she set her face in icy determination, and began dragging him back, out of the clearing. She managed to get him a few inches back before realizing she was getting nowhere and the bear was starting to get his senses back. She quickly changed tactics. Vala squatted low, and wrapped her thin arms around his dense torso and tried to pull up. She managed to help him stumble up at the price of her own balance. Wind Reach maybe be built into an active volcano, but at least it was littered with random crap a poor girl could trip on. Yet again, Vala found herself foiled by an unassuming rock. She tried to hold on to Ronin, but her grip slipped and her hands reached out at thin air. She fell back, arms flailing wildly. She dropped to the ground, the foliage actually helping her cushion the fall, but not before she rolled her ankle. The pain wasn’t instant, nor was it subtle. When the agony finally hit, about two seconds flat, Vala started screaming at Ronin, the bear, and her twisted ankle. “KILL IT! KILL IT! RONIN KILL THE THING BEFORE I KILL YOU!”