Completed An Education In Jungle Life III

[Tazrae]

Timestamp: 46th of Fall, 510 A.V.

Continued From: An Education In Jungle Life II

It really wasn’t as hard as Tazrae thought it would be. Bree frolicked through the jungle after Randal’s steady pace. Riding Bree was different thank walking. The Ixam moved in an undulating gait that Uta had tried teaching Tazrae early on. It wasn’t until she experienced the gait first hand from Bree’s saddle, leaning over the lizard’s blue neck, that she truly understood how such movements aided one in the jungle. Bree was brave, not using a steady speed, but rather stopping and starting in a darting pace that had her all over the trail… sometimes to the right of Randal and sometimes to the left. She scurried right up behind him at times, and fell back a little. Bree even ranged ahead a time or two If they came to a clearing she could investigate thoroughly.

So, when Randal told her to take out her machete, she halted the lizard with a thought and pulled the blade from where it was bound to her pack laying along Bree’s flank. She already had her gloves on, but paused as Randal approached and surveyed her grip and the way she held the overlong blade. “You need to find the right grip, Taz. You want minimal effort in a swing with maximum strength. To get this, the grip is key. Holding the grip wrong will give you blisters and wear you out faster. You can even injure your shoulder rotation, elbow, or wrist. And you might end up loosing a toe or slicing into Bree’s flank.” He advised then stepped closer, approaching her right side and reaching out and up to adjust her grip.

Bree nuzzled under Randal’s arm with her long slim snout as he lifted his hand up to adjust Tazrae’s grip. Taz couldn’t help but smile at the gesture. She could tell the Ixam liked the Founder. Randal gently repositioned Tazrae’s fingers around the machete, wrapping her thumb and forefinger around the opposite sides of the tool’s handle then pressed them together tightly. He actually loosened her grip on the rest of the machete’s handle with her remaining three fingers. “This gives it a little play in your palm. It needs to be able to slightly wiggle within your grip. Most people think you need to grip its handle tight but there’s no need with this weapon. We sell only well balanced machete’s at the mercantile and I know this is where you got this one.” He added.

Tazrae nodded and gripped the blade again, balancing it in her hand and testing it with a slight whoosh of her wrist to make she she was lightly gripping it and giving it the wiggle room Randal said it required. Once she nodded, the Founder continued.

“Machetes have a heavy sweet spot that you need to utilize with the force of your swing to maximize its efficiency as a chopping and hacking tool. You don’t actually need to throw your weight behind it’s swings or worry about working your shoulder too much. You simply need to get the proper momentum of your body’s core behind you in order to keep it working within its strengths.” Randal explained, then demonstrated with his own machete, stepping back from Bree’s side. Tazrae shifted curiously in the saddle, rebalancing herself as Bree shifted slightly away from Randal’s swings. He was in no danger of hitting the Ixam, as he was well out of her reach. However, Tazrae didn’t blame Bree for the sudden shift. Randal was power incarnate when he swung his machete.

Word Count: 588

[Tazrae]

“Allow your elbow to lead the swings direction, Tazrae.” Randal instructed then demonstrated. Tazrae followed his advice and swung the machete in a similar fashion, understanding immediately what he meant. “When you swing it, begin higher and direct your full arm in the downward direction to increase your momentum. That will keep the machete’s weight and everything’s willingness to fall on its own to your advantage. Less effort for more impact will keep you from fatigue longer.” He added.

Tazrae nodded and took a moment to practice what he said, nodding to herself as the lesson made sense to her. “If you don’t know anything about hand to hand combat, this might not make sense. But when you swing, you suck up your gut and focus on your core… right here.” Randal tapped his chest right above his navel.

“Don’t laugh but I understand a core through singing.” She said flippantly and wrinkled her nose even though she did tighten up, draw a breath, and swing again as he’d directed but this time with her core tight. She minded her shoulders and quickly realized that by stiffening them and loosening her core she was able to make sure her torso was supplying the power and that her arms were just extensions of the machete. The thrust, she found, was a lot more powerful than if she just flailed around with her arms and kept her body still.

“I bet this gets you in shape fast. You use so many muscles you don’t normally use, even astride.” She commented.

Randal laughed.

“The thing you need to remember riding Bree and using your machete is to keep your hips loose and your core tight. If you stiffen your hips, it will be harder for her to move beneath you. The more free-flowing attached to her you are, the easier and less fatiguing for her it will be.” He said, glancing at the Ixam.

“My previous rider was very stiff. I was often sore after a few hours of moving through the jungle.” She told the Founder, confessing something she hadn’t told Tazrae yet.

Randal raised his eyebrows. “Bree, you never said anything about who the group was you were with. Is there a reason for that?” He asked, looking at the scaled mount thoughtfully.

The Ixam blinked, flicked her tongue out nervously, and tilted her head around repeating the gesture as if tasting the wind. “They are travelers, the kind that steals when they run out of supplies. There are more of them out in the jungles than there are of you in the settlement. If my band found you, another will soon enough. They look for women and food. Sometimes both are indistinguishable. They also like metal… weapons, coin, that sort of thing. They are all kinds of people but mostly spider people away from the place of many webs.

"Tazrae and her friend Juli would be good pickings for them. Their women can’t have children and survive it. Their children have venom. So, they kidnap strangers and force them to have their offspring. The ones who aren’t spider people just keep a woman and young males for other things… to work for them. The spider people are not good riders. They use us to protect them because they are frail and fragile. They can climb like monkeys and swing through the trees, but anything can hurt them. The humans, like you and Tazrae, are better riders. Tazrae is half the weight of my previous rider and is a joy to carry. He was… less than pleasant.” She said to Randal, which really surprised Tazrae.


Word Count: 605

[Tazrae]

The lizard was highly intelligent, sentient even, but she never made speeches or told stories. But then again, when Taz thought about it, Bree was mostly quiet. She was getting better at her speech and opening up. She probably felt safe and at home here in the jungle, which helped a great deal with any shyness. It all made sense.

“Have you ever been raided?” Tazrae asked Randal.

He shook his head. “No. But it's only a matter of time. I hadn’t realized there were barbarians of a mix of races out in Falyndar, but I should have. We should be more prepared.” He mused, looking thoughtful. Taz could tell there were a million thoughts going through his head all at once. And she exchanged a glance with him that said volumes.

To her, this was it. This was what Kihala had warned them of. And in a way, this was what she had been waiting for.

Her mind turned to The Protea briefly. She’d have to make some changes, booster security, and think of ways to prepare the guests in case there were raids. For one thing, she could purchase weapons and hang them decoratively in each room so her guests were armed if they were caught by surprise. And she’d have to hire that help she knew she needed. Only, another prerequisite was going to be added to the person’s qualifications… weapons training. They’d have to have some sort of defensive abilities.

Randal gently called her back to what they were actually doing. Both of them had wandered far from the course. He started moving again, now that he had Tazrae’s grip on her machete fixed, and Bree followed in her odd ambling gait. “I want you to always lead your swings with your elbow… Taz. It’s important.” He added, demonstrating.

Taz followed suit leading with her elbow and decided she had far more control that way coupled with the improved grip and the fact she halfway knew what she was doing now.

“Slightly flick your wrist, Taz, while you are striking the material you are cutting. Try to flick downward on woody vegetation, and try to flick upwards on the grass and leafy ground material.” He added, demonstrating as well. Tazrae nodded her understanding and kept clearing the path. Now that both Randal and Taz were using machete’s, the trail on either side of them was especially nicely cut as they walked. Taz wasn’t sure how long it would take to grow back – not long in the jungle – but people could easily see where they’d been.

“One other thing I wanted to tell you was that you need to be mindful of your angle of attack… where you contact your target with your machete. You need to hit your material at the point where it's most efficient to cut it. You don’t want to tire yourself out too much. Perpendicular angles can do that. It's often better to hit material at a forty-five-degree angle instead.” He demonstrated. “In thicker things, angling your cut tends to take a smooth bite out of your target while coming straight down at a ninety-degree angle will halt your swing abruptly and jar your whole body. So, hit it at an angle, and if it's thick take smaller ‘bites’ out of the material.” Randal suggested.



Word Count: 551

[Tazrae]

Tazrae altered her hacking away accordingly, Bree slowly getting used to her swinging the machete off her right flank and tended to keep her head and neck out of the swing line as Tazrae saw it. “If I’m not using it, should I keep it sheathed?” Tazrae asked. “Or balanced over my saddle ready to use at a moment’s notice?” She amended.

Randal shook his head. “Keep it put up. It's just safer until you are far more comfortable with it. Besides, Bree could trip, you could slide, and both of you could get jarred or startled somehow then you might gut yourself inadvertently or chop into her neck. You never want accidents to be able to happen like that.” The Founder added then looked thoughtful. “Let me see… other tips….. you’re doing good but let me think…” They plowed on through the jungle a bit longer until Randal began to talk again.

“Wear gloves… we talked about that. Use your grip as a pinch grip. Keep your grip loose and smooth, your wrist flexible. Oh.. keep your lanyard on your machete. It should be looped over your wrist… so if you drop it, you won’t lose it especially mounted. Don’t use it with wet hands or wet gloves. You’ll never have a good grip that way. Don’t ever swing it across your body, using it to cut horizontally, etc. It’s just far too dangerous that way. Don’t use it when you are tired, and keep calm while you are chopping or making a trail with it. Machetes are useful but they can be dangerous. Don’t run with one out of the sheath if you can help it.” He added.

Tazrae nodded. “Two questions… first why not swing it across my body? I don’t understand. And why do you keep mentioning not using it tired? Don’t you have to use it at times even when you are tired?” She asked thoughtfully, wondering what he meant exactly.

Randal explained.

“When you swing across your body, it's so easy to slip, trip, or lose your grip. Yours follow through when you do that will drive the blade into your side opposite of your grip on it… so your right-handed, that makes your left side vulnerable when you swing across your body. I’ve seen a lot of new people to the jungle cut their arms, legs, and even their hips swinging a machete across their body that they lost control of. Up or down you are going to fling it into the air in front of you or lodge it into the ground. That’s much safer. And that reminds me. If you notice… “ He said, pointing something else out before he got to her second question.

“If you notice… I step chop, step, chop, etc. I don’t chop as I walk. You get too focused on where you are chopping and not on where you are actually going and what’s around you. That’s one of the number one dangers out here in the jungle. If you don’t pay attention to where you are going, you are going to get lost.” He added firmly as if trying to make her understand.

Tazrae did understand.


Word Count: 531

[Tazrae]

“And tired?” She said, guessing for herself. “All these rules you have given me go right out when you get fatigued…. I bet you even lose sight of the fact that there are rules.” She said, shifting in the saddle and kicking her feet out of the stirrups to stretch her legs a moment before toeing her foot back into the iron rings.

“If you get lost in the woods… or you are out here and things are getting weird, there’s just one thing to remember and that will help you get back on track. First… STOP. The word and how it's spelled… S-T-O-P. It will remind you how to protect yourself. You STOP, you THINK, you OBSERVE, and then you PLAN. It will keep you alive in the jungle if you can disconnect your emotions of fear, panic, that sort of thing, and get yourself thinking calm and objectively. Because when you are calm… you are making good decisions. And honestly, out here, every decision is critical.” He added.

Tazrae nodded. She had just one more question. “If I’m following you with this machete on Bree… what should I be doing to help you out the most in terms of cutting this trail we are on? Should I make it wider, more Bree friendly? That kind of thing?” She asked as Randal smiled.

“Good question. You need to remain a safe and clear distance behind me while following… keep your lanyard over your wrist in case you lose your grip on your machete and fling it… then clean up behind me. I’ll be leaving sharp branches, tresses, spikes, that kind of thing. Cut off the sharp parts, open it wider, and make sure pitfalls are clearly visible like clearing the brush away from a trip hazard like a big root over the path or a fallen log. That’s the biggest help you can be… and when I tire… I’ll fall back and let you blaze trail a while.” He added.

Tazrae nodded.

Continued In: An Education In Jungle Life IV

Word Count: 341
Thread Count: 2616[/color]

[Tazrae]

Tazrae -

Riding (Ixam) +5, Machete +5, Wilderness Survival +3, Observation +5, Medicine +1, Socialization +5

Riding: How To Move With An Ixam’s Movements, Machete: Proper Grip, Machete: Proper Swing, Max Strength W/Minimum Effort, Medicine: How To Avoid Injury When Using A Machete, Machete: Using It’s Sweet Spot, Machete: While Riding – Hips Loose, Core Tight, Falyndar: Bands of Roving Symenestra/Barbarians, Machete: Angle Of Attack, Machete: Wrist Motion – flick upwards on grass and leafy greens, downward on woody vegetation, WS: Always Wear Gloves, Machete: Keep Lanyard Looped Around Wrist, Machete: Never Swing It Across Ones Body, Machete: Never Run With One Unsheathed, Machete: Step Chop Step Chop, Don’t Chop As You Walk, WS: S-T-O-P Principles