Fallen (Kovac)

[Shayth]

The redhead smiled after the avora as he jogged down the range, slightly dissapointed he'd taken off. Granted, the training was required....but his damned grin set her heart racing. Shaking her head, Shayth picked out another arrow. Kovac was right, there was no way they would get anything done if they continued on the path she so willingly desired.

Watching the target swing back and forth, the rider frowned a little. It wasn't like she was terrible at archery, but she wasn't great. One hit wasn't suddenly her cue for being...well..good. Still, she raised the bow and held her arms as Kovac had instructed. Nocking the arrow, Shayth watched the target sway timing her shot. If it was coming down, then by the time her arrow hit it, it should be at centre. With a silent wish to any deity that might be listening, she let the arrow go.

It landed, right on the side of the target, but without enough force to stay in the board and disappointed Shayth watched it fall out.

"Petch." She said with a sigh. Lowing the bow, the endal looked at him.

"Maybe I should just carry a big stick around. Then I can whack things on the head and be done with it. Archery is...obviously not one of my strong points." The blue eyed woman said with a crisp tone. Her temper was also not a strong point.

[Kovac]

Kovac returned to Shayth's side after setting the swinging target in motion. Tucking his thumbs in the hem of his bryda, the archer again watched Shayth's technique, studying her form with a professional eye. He could see the tip of the rider's arrow swaying with the target, waiting for the moment to release. Shayth let her arrow fly, and it thunked against the target and dropped to the ground. Kovac heard the frustration in the endal's muttered curse. The woman was demanding, not only of him, and others, but of herself. Her blue eyes flashed at him as she vented her disappointment. "What makes you think you'd be any better using a big stick?" He goaded, but quickly followed up with words to appease her. He dared to rest his hand on her shoulder. "Your strong points are not in the skills you have Shayth. You are capable of being strong in anything. Your strong point is your determination. You have the tenacity of a wolverine, and I have scars to prove it. You will become a good archer, maybe even a great one, but you can't expect to just whip out a bow and some arrows and expect to be able to nail an elk from the back of a speeding eagle. Some skills take time to perfect. Give yourself that time." "You have the idea, lets go back to the stationary target." Kovac pulled four arrows and stuck them in the ground next to her. He leaned in close to her, his lips a hair's breath from her ear, his hand on the bare small of her back. In a husky whisper he challenged her. "Now, show me what you got, my darling." The saucy avora took Shayth's earlobe between his lips and tugged on it before stepping back and giving her an encouraging smile.

[Shayth]

It was hard for the rider not to pout like a spoilt child as Kovac chided her, and in his own round about way complimented her. Shayth knew she couldn't expect to be perfect, not over night, but she felt like she was dragging her feet. It was one thing to be able to rely on Turiska's keen eyesight and sharp talons to fish large cumbersome creatures from valley, but it was another to be able to participate in a hunt and down something smaller and more suitable for daily usage. She felt as though without Turiska, she was no more than a dek. It sickened her.

Picking an arrow from the few he stuck into the ground, the endal tried to ignore the shivery warmth of his breath in her ear. Her blue eyes narrowed as his lips teased her earlobe. Infuriating. Distracting. Delicious. Shayth couldn't help but smile in the end. As the archer stepped back, the rider lifted her bow and focused on the still target. She breathed, she held her arms tense.

She released.

It flew, fast and straight, and with a solid thunk it hit the target way off centre near the edge. Taking up another arrow, the woman took aim and released. This one hit again, off centre and low to the left. Frowning, the redhead plucked another arrow, aimed and lifted her arms a little. Releasing, her arrow this time, it was closer to home, but too high. Taking a deep breath the endal looked at the target, then back at her last arrow. At least she was hitting it. Centre was not in the end the ideal target. Picking up the last arrow, she tapped it on her leg.

"I want to go on a hunt. With you. And Turiska. With others." Shayth said as she looked at the target again. Her blue eyes looked distant, and her mind wandered. Turiska was around, she could sense her. Lurking in the sky, watching, waiting. Glancing at Kovac, she nodded firmly.

"I need to get out there, to work with others. Turiska could use the chance to learn from the other birds how to hunt in a group. I don't want to be just a bystander. I need to be more." Raising the bow, she looked back at the target, held her arms up, her shoulders back, her legs placed firmly along the lines of her shoulders. Pulling back, she held the pose as she steadied. With a slight movement her fingers released the arrow. It whistled towards its destination with a satisfying sound, and when it landed, the target rocked slightly. Quivering at the end, the arrow held firm just shy of centre. Letting her breath out slowly, the rider glanced at the sky.

"She'll be back soon, I can tell. She's getting bored without someone to annoy." Turning her blue gaze to the avora, Shayth grinned.

[Kovac]

Though his demeanor was typically sardonic and nonchalant, Kovac was careful how he handled Shayth when he instructed her. The archer knew her well, perhaps better than anyone. He knew what motivated her, a challenge. It was how he won her, for he provided a enough resistance to give her a good run, and eventually won his place in her bed. Likewise, when she worked on archery, he leveraged her need to better herself, to improve over past performance, to urge her to grow in her skill. But he also smoothed over disappointments that could prove to be obstacles. His sarcasm would not allow him to gush over her with praises, but he complimented her in his own way when she did well. The sexy teasing, well, Kovac just liked to see her shiver and get hot and bothered, it was a sick indulgence. Having elicited the reaction he wanted, the avora stepped back and let Shayth fire a few arrows off without distraction. The man watched her form, the subtle ripple of muscles in her back, shoulders and arms, how her movements became more fluid as she focused on her task. His grin returned as he gazed at her, It was like drinking a cool glass of water on a hot day. The first few arrows sailed down the range, finding the target, if not its center. Shayth relaxed, it seemed, and she spoke frankly about going hunting. Kovac's face indicated he was listening and considering. After the rider sank the last arrow nearly on center, Kovac broke into a proud grin. Stepping forward, he raised a hand to rest on her shoulder, then in a sudden move, leaned in to kiss her. "Great shot love." He awarded. "About the hunt..." Turiska was still an unknown to him. He had only ridden her for the first time that day, and though she restrained from removing his entrails, he would have to put a lot of faith in Shayth to ride her on a hunt. Glancing into the woman's sky blue eyes, the avora found something surprising, he did trust her. "I agree, there is nothing like learning...on the fly. If Turisaka agrees to carry me too, without attempting to make me vomit, we should get out there together." Up until then, the couple had not been assigned to actually work together. No doubt it was because of their relationship, though Kovac found that to be rather unfair. "You don't think the other riders would be jealous, would you?" He laughed, giving her a wink.

[Shayth]

Smiling as the green eyed man approached, Shayth was caugh off guard by his sudden kiss, obvious in her wide eyes and broad grin. Even an almost modest blush came to her cheeks before the rider could stop herself. Busying herself with an imaginary imperfection in the bow, Shayth listened as Kovac spoke the idea out. Her skyblue eyes lifted to meet his as a short pause filled the air.

Unable to hide her delight as he continued on, the red haired endal laughed a little. Rolling her eyes, Shayth pushed the avora.

"Ha! Jealous! Why of course they will be. With a catch like you on for the ride...well...for the hunt," A slightly raised eyebrow and smirk revealed her absolute awareness of what her comment implied.

"They'll be crying into their birds feathers over how lucky I am to have such a smart mouthed, disrespectful, violent, snarky avora riding with me." The tall woman had begun walking down the range to retrive her arrows as she spoke, scarlett tendrils dancing in the wind and bow slung across her body.

[Kovac]

Kovac laughed out loud as Shayth played into his mock boasting, adding her own sass to the game. Not missing her 'riding' pun, he shoved at her shoulder playfully before she headed down range to retrieve her arrows, the racey avora admiring her rear view with a grin as she strolled away. Kovac turned the idea over in his head, the two of them on a hunt together....with others. The archer and rider had kept their situation low key, not hiding, but not flaunting it in front of all Skyinarta. Joining a hunt as a pair would be a big step. But Shayth was right, it would be a good experience for her, and maybe it would loosen up her dictatorial eagle up as well. The snarky half-breed watched as Shayth reached to pluck her arrows from the target. "Start that one swinging again," he demanded, pointing to the target she had shot at previously. Once Shayth was nearly back at his side, Kovac raised his own bow, nocking and arrow and with a smooth, eased release, sent it racing towards the pendulous target. the missile struck it at the lower left side, between the edge and the center. Another arrow was set to his string, and raising the bow, the archer led the target a bit less. Holding his breath, he let go of the string and a second arrow streaked towards the swaying target. His adjustment paid off, and the arrow sunk into the target much closer to center. It was acceptable, certainly adequate. But Kovac itched to get closer to bullseye. Not particularly motivated in general, the avora did get fits of self-competitiveness when it came to archery and his music. Loosing two more arrows, creating a sufficient grouping, one that nicked the center, Kovac huffed and handed his bow to Shayth. He trotted off to stop the moving target and retrieve his practice arrows, calling out over his shoulder. "Why don't you talk to some of your uppity rider friends and see who wants to go on a hunt?"

[Shayth]

She knew he watched her, could feel his eyes burning into her from behind. And it was all the more she sauntered rather than walked down the range. Pulling her arrows from the target and around the grass where she could find them, the rider heard him call out and with a grin she gave the target a good shove before jogging back down the range. It wasn't a request, it was a demand...and if anything the rider knew that twist of disbelief and annoyance drove her to distraction. Damn him.

Watching as the archer released his stream of arrows, Shayth felt some triumph in the fact he hadn't hit centre, until inevidably - he did. Pursing her lips in a defeaded scowl, the riders piercing blue eyes followed his form down the range. She almost didn't hear what he'd said, and shook her head for a moment.

"Some of my...Kovac, when have you ever seen me with any of the riders? There is one I would rather gouge her eyes out with a spoon than go on a hunt," Her blue eyes blazed at the memory, before moving on.

"Otherwise, I just...haven't bothered. Turiska never let me before. But," Even as she was talking, the rider was thinking. The bird had been so restrictive before, but now she had a little more freedom. Why not take some time to get to know the other riders, to organize a hunting party? Petch but they were all so....full of themselves. Pompus over inflated....endals.

"Fine. I'll talk with them." Shayth said finally. Over head, a shadow loomed across the range. The breeze from great feathers whipped her long red mane around her face as the wind eagle settled between herself and Kovac.

[Kovac]

A smirk flickered across Kovac's face as Shayth complained about a particular rider, and the reason she hated her so. But to goad her with that stick so unwise not even the cheeky avora dared to try it. It was a known fact that Shayth did not socialize with the other endals. Even before they met, it was rather common knowledge that the tall female rider preferred hanging out in the drinking establishments in the warrens rather then patronizing the areas set aside for the upper caste. "Otherwise, I just...haven't bothered. Turiska never let me before. But..." The beautiful rider did not finish her statement, But Kovac could fill in the ending. Things had changed since he came along. It was terrifying, if the archer was honest, to move in with Shayth, knowing that Turiska did not like him. The wind eagle tried to kill him, or at least scare him to death, the first day he met the rider. But somehow Shayth convinced her to let him live with them, and she has tolerated his presence. Maybe the jealous eagle was lightening up. As if the giant raptor could read his thoughts, Turiska's enormous form appeared overhead, blotting out the sun. Her broad wings kicked up gusts of air that bent the surrounding grass in swirling patterns. Kovac did not miss the fact that the eagle landed between he and Shayth. Yes, they had made progress, but Kovac never let down his guard around Turiska. Kovac met the eagle's golden gaze, but did not hold it for long. He would taunt and aggravate Shayth to no end, but he would do nothing to irritate her bond eagle. In his mind, she was just waiting for an excuse to gut him. With a quick glance to his lover, the half-blood gathered up the arrows and quivers and took Shayth's bow to store on the harness with his own, waiting for the rider to take her place in the saddle before climbing aboard.

[Phoenix]

Character: Shayth Experience: Riding (Eagle)- 5, Archery- 5, Seduction- 5 Lores: Planning for alone time with Kovac, Suggesting that Kovac ride the Wind Eagle that despises him, Wrapping everything in innuendo, Having a bitchy Wind Eagle, Hitting a target, Preferring to be alone, Despising the other Endals for an unknown reason Character: Kovac Experience: Riding (Eagle)- 5, Archery- 5, Seduction- 5, Cynicism- 5 Lores:Being woken up by cold skin, Being scared of a bird (a huge, killer bird), Being jealous of an Endal’s bond with her eagle, Screaming like a little girl, Being tested by Turiska, Teaching the finer points of Archery, Being in a relationship that borders on domestic abuse The Method, The Fire: Any questions or concerns, please send me a PM and I'll be happy to help!