Hunting a Dead Bear(Fois)

[Ronin]

Hunting a Dead Bear 33rd of Spring AV 511 Ronin wandered the inner warrens of Wind Reach with a lot on his mind. He had spent the morning with his new friend, Vala, but now he had something else he needed to do. The day before, he had killed a bear and taken it's teeth as proof. Now, he just needed to find someone with enough influence to convince everyone else and prove to them that he had done what he was saying he had. Or else he would need to find several people who were willing to go out into the woods and help him drag the bear back to Wind Reach. Either way, he needed to be able to prove what he had done. The lacerations on his chest and the teeth in his hand were both good proof, but he still couldn't prove it entirely. And who would want to go three hours into the woods and find out it was all just a hoax? Ronin decided that if he could find someone with some status and convince them, then others would be much more likely to believe him as well. Ronin now wandered the halls with a purpose. He was looking for someone dressed as though they were of impressive status or someone he recognized. After a short time he eventually noticed a man of athletic build, and his very demeanor demanded respect. Ronin immediately suspected him to be an Endal and after a couple moments of figuring out what he would say, he approached the man. "Hello sir. Forgive my intrusion, but I have something I need to show you." Ronin was nothing short of respectful and subservient in how he spoke. His wounded shoulder was bandaged, but if the Endal needed more proof beyond the teeth, Ronin would not hesitate to show him the marks. Ronin pulled the teeth out of his pocket and showed them to the man. "Sir, these belong to a bear that is laying dead in the woods near Sanikas road. I was hunting there with my friend when we were attack. I managed to kill it, and I took these as proof. However, I must request assistance in returning it to Wind Reach as it is far too large for me to carry on my own." Ronin paused momentarily to catch his breath. He realized that he had been speaking quite fast so he slowed down when he continued. " I assume by your dress and demeanor that you are an Endal, and I realize that you probably don't want me here wasting your time.. But.. If you would be so generous to assist me, you compassion would be unrivaled." Ronin stopped. He had a tendency to ramble, and he feared that he had done so again. He stood in silence as he waited for the man's reply.

[Fois]

The hunting day for Fois finished rather early today, partly because of an early start and partly because of luck. Although it was a relatively quick hunt, it was quite tiring nevertheless. Endal had had to run fast more the usually, employ some acrobatic tricks that he didn’t know were possible (and judging from how poorly they were executed, perhaps indeed were impossible) and a quick jump from the eagle that was followed by a badly performed landing left his left leg a bit sore. Fois decided that after a work day like that he would treat himself with a visit to the Dreaming Lady. Endal left his aerie and was now strolling through the inner warrens of the city. After every dozen steps or so, a slight limp on his left foot could have been noticed by a more observant onlooker. It wasn’t painful to Fois, but more of a minor discomfort. Still, he expected it to be taken care of soon, anyway. Endal’s pace was fairly slow as he didn’t have anywhere to hurry. The day was about to come to its satisfyingly relaxing conclusion. Fois walk came to a gentle halt at the fork of the tunnels. The Dreaming Lady wasn’t his most common destination, so he knew that accidentally taking a detour was a real possibility. Getting the route right in one try was preferable. His immediate instinct told him to turn left, so after a few moments of pondering Fois decided to go with it. Before he could resume his trip, he heard someone address him. Endal turned to the person, who approached him. It was a young man, a little bit taller than himself. He was bandaged and had his hair done in a peculiar fashion. The man didn’t strike as someone above the Chiet cast, neither by the way he looked, nor by the way he spoke. At least his manners were in place, so Fois agreed to listen to whatever the man, who could’ve been called a boy not too long ago, had to say. Fois was shown some teeth that definitely belonged to an animal, and also had to listen to a speedy tirade that more or less explained how those teeth came to be in the man’s possession and what he expected from the Endal. After the man finished, Fois looked at him with a noticeable hint of doubt. ”You killed a bear?” The same doubt could have been traced in his voice. ”Wouldn’t call you a hunter if I had to guess.” Fois had a suspicion that his plans for a relaxing rest of the day might be forfeit. On one hand, food and furs are always welcome in Wind Reach, and it was his duty as an Endal to keep bringing them in. ‘Whatever means necessary’ was probably stated somewhere in his responsibilities’ description. On the other hand, this Chiet might have been attempting to play some sort of stupid prank. Obviously, the risks of such stunt were great and it would take an idiot to try pulling that off. Fois looked at the man. Although his choice of hairstyle might have been questionable, the Chiet didn’t give the impression of being foolish. ”When did that happened?” Fois moved his gaze somewhere above the young man’s head. Even though there were only wall behind it, his eyes appeared to look somewhere much further away. ”There might be a dead bear somewhere in the woods,” Fois entered a private conversation that could not be heard by anyone except for the one being he addressed. ”Your deduction skills are brilliant as always,” Seleer replied. ”A Chiet told me he killed one there,” Endal clarified. ”I thought you were going to get a massage or something.” ”Should we go get it? Part of your ‘duty to the community’ , isn’t it?” ”Probably. Food is always needed. How’s your leg, Fois?” ”It’s usable.” ”If you’ll limp all the way back to the aerie, I could carry you somewhere closer.” ”I can walk alright, but I’ll gladly take the offer.” "What's your name?" Fois looked back at the Chiet. ”You know the way back to the place you killed it?” Endal glanced at his left foot. So long, relaxing spa and massage. ”Alright. This is what we’ll do. You go to the Sanikas Gates, I’ll meet you there. It’ll take less time for me to get there, so don’t make me wait for you.”

[Ronin]

Ronin was grateful that the man had given him the chance to speak instead of simply dismissing him. Though he took offence to the fact the man had dismissed him off hand as a hunter, he ignored the remark for the sake of remaining polite. Despite the disbelief in his voice, it seemed the Endal was going to help him. "It happened yesterday. My companion and I made it back to Wind Reach around sunset." Ronin answered the man's question, but he wasn't sure if he had heard him. The Endal seemed to drift off into his own mind and completely forget about Ronin. However, Ronin was patient for fear of being rude and stood there silently for the duration of the Endal's silence. Finally, the man spoke again, and Ronin answer eagerly. "My name is Ronin. I believe I can lead you back there. It is not far from the road, near a downed tree." He listened intently to the man's instructions, and as soon as he was finished, Ronin was on his way. Ronin raced the the warrens on his way to the Sanikas Gates. He dodged left and right as he weaved past others in the halls. He did his best not to knock anyone over or trip himself up, and, for the most part, he succeeded. By the time he got to the gate, he was out of breath and his legs were beginning to feel like jelly. Ronin had run faster than he knew he could, and now his body was making him aware of the fact that he was not supposed to push it that far. Once he was outside, Ronin bent over, hands on his knees, and tried desperately to catch his breath. If Fois was there, Ronin didn't know it. He was more focused on breathing.

oocSorry, short post.

[Fois]

OOCI present you the top quality of RP. It not only takes days for me to get around to doing it for some reason, but even when I finally sit down and write it, my post ends up being just me getting carried away for the most part and failing to get to the point without the massive detours Fois watched Ronin hurry away just as soon as he had finished speaking. A smile of amusement formed on his lips. The Chiet took his last words more seriously than he had intended them to be. Still with the same smile, Endal now turned back to his aerie. He had already travelled quite a bit of the way to the Dreaming Lady, so it wasn’t a very short journey back that he had to cover. And all that without the rewarding part between the two trips. Perhaps it would’ve been better if that Chiet hadn’t intervened once the Endal’s day was just about to flow more pleasantly. No, definitely would’ve been better. Contrary to Ronin, Fois walked at a slow pace. For one, his destination was closer than the Chiet’s, and second, he wasn’t the one who had to worry about making the other party wait for him. Ideally, Ronin would already be at the Sanikas Gates when Fois showed up. Also he didn’t want to put too much stress on his left foot by needlessly rushing to the aeries. When Fois was already close to his aerie, the slight aching began popping up more often to remind him of the bad landing earlier that day, but aside from not hurrying up for no reason, he did not pay much attention to it. He was an Endal and some small discomfort wasn’t something important enough to trouble him. Usually Fois didn’t mind the many stairs that led to the Eagle Aeries and considered them as one of the forms of exercises that helped him keep fit; however, today he didn’t appreciate them at all. The stairs seemed longer and much more annoying and by the time he was climbing the last set of them, the somewhat pleased smile from earlier had already abandoned his face without a trace or even a goodbye. The route to the Sanikas Gates Fois had chosen wasn’t that much easier as he wanted, but now that he had reached his common room he knew that it was only the easiest part of the trip left. Except, of course, for the part where he would have to roam the Sanikas Road and the woods nearby in a search for that bear. It was probably not that good of an idea to agree to help, now that Fois thought back. Damn Seleer and his consideration that only offers second-best options. Ronin had better knew the way to his kill. Fois walked to the room on his right where he usually kept his clothes, equipment and most of the any other possessions he might have had. Now that only Seleer and he lived there, Endal had one room too many. Two, if one counted the vast common room as well. It rarely served any practical purpose and only reminded Fois of his status in Wind Reach every time he entered it. Endal grabbed his Katinu, longbow, quiver with the arrows that still remained from the hunt, and his leather bag, where he kept tools and things that were usually needed for the hunt. He got dressed and equipped everything before leaving the storage room and walking over to the nesting chamber. Seleer was already waiting at the small perch. ”Oh, our beloved cripple finally shows up," the eagle noticed Fois approaching. ”Don’t worry, I’m fine,” Endal replied. Seleer was exaggerating the situation, and Fois wondered if it was his own fault. All he did was complain a little bit about his foot and then announce his decision to visit the Dreaming Lady, but it was clearly enough material for the Wind Eagle’s teasing. Fois climbed onto the eagle and settled into the saddle. Seleer made this task easy by lowering himself, so Endal didn’t need to engage in acrobatics of any kind. Fois contracted every muscle in his body and then slowly relaxed them all feeling comfortable in the saddle. ”The Chiet’s at the Sanika Gates,” he told Seleer. ”The Sanikas Gates it is then, boss.” And with those words the Wind Eagle stood up, spreading his big wings. He beat them allowing himself to rise higher and leave the aerie. The direction of the flight was mostly downwards and since the Wind Eagle knew precisely where to go, Fois didn’t have much to do apart from trying to remain safe in the saddle and stretching the reins when Seleer attempted one of the more sudden maneuvers. It wasn’t long before the Endal noticed Ronin leaning down. Seleer circled once not too high above the Chiet before coming down nearby. The landing wasn’t very hard nor sudden, but perhaps close enough to give an impression to Ronin that the Wind Eagle might knock him down if he didn’t move. ”I told you not to make me wait for you, but I didn’t mean you have to run fast until your very soul runs out of breath,” Fois said while a smile that might be described as a bit smug appeared on his face. He leaned forward and threw his right leg over the eagle, this way letting himself slide down the side of the giant bird. Fois released a small sigh when his legs made contact with land. ”I’ll be flying around somewhere not too far away. Let me know when you’ll need someone strong enough, who can actually carry the bear,” Seleer told the Endal while he was unstrapping the bow from the saddle. The Wind Eagle took off again as Fois was walking past Ronin down the Sanikas road. He gestured the Chiet with his hand. ”Let’s get going. Show me where you have that dead bear of yours.”

[Ronin]

The only consolation for the fact that Ronin felt as though he was about to die from lack of oxygen, was that he had beaten the Endal to the gate. The man had given him an order and he had completed the task with time to spare. Perhaps this would win him some favor with the man you far out-classed Ronin. He had not beaten him by much, however. Ronin was force to take a step back as the giant bird landed in front of him. Seeler was a beautiful bird, but Ronin was not concerned with him. He was anxious to get going on their trip down the mountain and find the bear. "I apologize, I simply didn't want to disappoint", was Ronin's only response to the Endal's chastising remark. Ronin couldn't believe that he had gone above and beyond what he was asked to do, and yet Fois still looked at him with that smugly superior grin. He had gotten used to the arrogance of the Endal, but it still bothered him. He hated having to be subservient to someone who was by no means better than him. Regardless, he hid his contempt well as he stood respectfully silent, waiting for the man's next command. By now, Ronin had caught his breath to a fair extend and was ready to go, but he noticed the man's reaction to landing off the Eagle. This was disconcerting to Ronin. He began to wonder if he had employed the assistance of someone who would be much better off getting medical attention or caring for some injury. Still, he said nothing. To imply that Fois was incapable of helping him would be rude, and Ronin wasn't going to let his tongue slip now that he had the man's attention. After all, it was really Seeler's help that Ronin needed, not Fois'. The Endal simply needed to be able to make the trip down Sanikas road. As soon as the man motioned with his hand and spoke his command, Ronin was moving. He headed off down the road, assuming that Fois was behind him. He didn't run nearly as fast now, since it was a much longer trip. His pace was that of a light jog, just enough to get them there and back before nightfall. Ronin would only stop to rest if commanded to do so by the Endal, but, being sore and wounded from the day before, he would certainly wish to stop at least once before they reached the bear.

[Fois]

Fois said nothing to Ronin’s apology. His remark hadn’t required any answer in the first place and was more of a joke, but the Chiet took it quite seriously. Endal’s status and a rather arrogant demeanor more than likely had influence for that. And usually, this case included, Fois liked it that way. He didn’t need commoners laugh or smile at his words, witty or not, and it was better when they took what he said seriously and addressed him with respect and obedience. And definitely better than them trying to act as his equals. For this reasons Ronin was creating a rather good impression in Fois’s eyes and mind as an almost exemplary Chiet. At least so far. The Chiet moved immediately at Endal’s command, again demonstrating a proper understanding of how life works, and Fois followed him. He moved at approximately the same pace as Ronin and was only slightly behind. Jogging wasn’t his preferred method of travelling that day. Fois wasn’t sure if there was a reason for hurrying, but then he realized he hadn’t asked how far away their destination was. ”I presume the bear isn’t very close, yet near enough for you to assume we can trot all the way there.” It wasn’t meant as a hint to slow down in any way, but as an indirect question for some information on the matter. Endal kept the same pace even though the path at this time didn’t provide the most suitable terrain for running even at this slow speed. The light snow under the two Inarta feet often threatened to make them slip and injure or at least humiliate. Fois’s leg also expressed the dissatisfaction with his course of action and made it clear by an increasing, albeit slowly, aching. He refused to acknowledge that, though, and carried on as if everything was absolutely fine. However, after a while Fois understood that they won’t make it all the way without stopping to rest. For one, after jogging for a quite a bit, his foot started to bother him even further. What’s more, his companion seemed beat up quite badly from his last fight and combined with his foolish sprint earlier was quite possibly having the remains of his energy drained much faster than the Endal. Fois believed that Ronin wouldn’t ask him for the pause. A proper Chiet most likely wouldn’t, and this one appeared like a proper one. So the decision to allow some time for respite was an obvious and an easy one to make. Not long after Fois reached this conclusion he noticed a few trees near the road that were probably knocked down during one of the storms making it a good enough site to have a rest. ”Alright, stop here,” he told Ronin. ”Would you say we’re about halfway there?” Fois walked over to one of the blown down tree. ”Let’s take a break.” With a few gentle sweeps of his hands he brushed away the snow from the trunk and took a seat. Endal bent over, reaching his foot with his hands. His fingers firmly pushed randomly around the place that was aching. That was a short attempt at amateur massage, but was enough for a while, since it felt better already when he sat down. Fois straightened his back and looked at Ronin. ”You got off easily,” he said while gesturing in front of his own body, indicating Chiet’s bandages.

[Ronin]

Secretly, Ronin hated the caste system of Wind Reach, but he would never show it, especially to an Endal. It had always been his dream to rise to the rank of Endal so that he could prove that they didn't all have to act superior. Yes, bonding with a Wind Eagle was a special feat, but it did not give a man the right to command others without question. Regardless of he is feeling on the topic, Ronin knew how to act. He would comply without question and would not do anything unless asked to do so by his higher-ranked companion. As Ronin's blood pumped faster through his body, the wounds under the bandages began to bleed. He also had no katinu to protect him from the cold of early spring, since his only one had been destroyed by the bear. Despite the uncomfortable condition of their travel, Ronin continued on without breaking pace. He didn't even look back at Fois. The only way he even knew that the other man was following was the sound of the footfalls behind him. When the Endal finally commanded Ronin to stop, he did so abruptly. Bring his jog to a quick stop, Ronin turned to face Fois. The man's question seemed to perfectly reflect their distance from the dead bear. "Yes sir, almost exactly." Ronin spoke between heaving breaths. His ability to hide his exhaustion was nearly gone. He was lucky to be able to mask his pain, but his weariness was beyond him to hide. Ronin waited for the other man to take a seat before brushing off a seat of his own and sitting down. He sat bent forward, taking small gasps to get air. Ronin didn't dare look down at the wound he knew was leaking blood. The sight would only make the pain more severe, and pain was not something Ronin wanted to promote. Fois' comment about his wound seemed like an insult at the moment, due to Ronin's current condition. However, he was right, things could have been a lot worse considering the circumstances. Ronin nodded politely in agreement with the Endal's statement and spent the rest of their break in silence. After all, it is hard to catch ones breath when they are speaking. After a short while, they were ready to embark again. Ronin once again took the lead. His pace was about the same as it had been before until they began to approach the area the bear had attack. Ronin didn't know the exact spot, but he knew it was visible from the road if he was paying attention. If Fois was to ask him about why he had slowed his pace he would explain that he thought they were close and follow the directions of the Endal at the point. If Ronin was lucky, there would still be a few embers aglow from their fire that had burned through the night. It was not long after he had slowed that Ronin spotted the downed tree, the spot on which they had been attack. And there, laying next to a few smoking ashes, was the enormous creature. Ronin was a little shocked at it's size. In the chaos of the situation the day before, there were very few accurate memories. When Ronin saw the actually size of the bear he was even more surprised that he had lived to tell the story. He was sure that Fois' Wind Eagle could handle the weight, but if it was up to the two of them to get the bear back to Wind Reach, they would most likely die of the cold and hunger before they made it back. Ronin removed one of the teeth from his pocket and approached the mammoth creature. He held open the mouth and place the tooth up to the spot he had take it from. The act may have seemed pointless, but to Ronin it just further confirmed that this was real and not some concoction of his dreaming mind. Satisfied that he had fulfilled his duty to find the animal, Ronin slumped down on the ground. He was exhausted from the long jog, and weak from lack of time to recover from his injuries. He removed a canteen of water from his pack and held it to his lips. The cool water soothed his throat, but it was hardly enough to quench his thirst. The cold air and heavy breathing had dried his mouth, and the long journey had dehydrated him. However, this water was all he had to drink. He drank about half of it before returning it to his pack. "How 'bout when we get back to Wind Reach, we stop by the Inclement Weather and get a stiff drink? I could use something to dull the throbbing in my chest." This was the first time Ronin had been candid with Fois, and it was far from his usual self. To be so open with someone of a higher caste than him might not be proper etiquette, but Ronin felt as though he had earn the right to speak freely for once, having just lead the man to this source of food and cloth for the city. Of course, Ronin did not intend to be disrespectful, but it felt nice to finally talk to his companion as more of an equal.

[Fois]

OOCI assumed that Ronin carried on being a good Chiet boy and did as he was told more or less. Let me know if you want to change that. Or anything, really. Ronin didn’t look too good, so Fois decided to allow enough time to catch a breath at their rest stop. On the other hand, Endal didn’t want to drag their trip long into the night, so once he thought they both had enough rest for now, he stood up. ”Well, let’s carry on,” Fois told Ronin and then followed the Chiet to where he was leading. After a while Ronin slowed down his pace as if he started looking for something. Fois issued a very short inquiry asking if they were nearly there and was confirmed that it was the case. Soon Fois saw the dead giant that they came for. Bears weren’t the game he usually hunted, so it wasn’t often that he had a chance to approach one as closely as he could now. Killing such bear must have been quite a feat, which Ronin managed to survive. While the Chiet was checking whether the teeth match the bear, as if they might have stumbled over a bear that somebody else had killed, Fois walked closer and dropped of his bag nearby. ”I see that getting the teeth was as far as you went.” Same as Ronin, Endal sat down on the ground near his bag. He unpacked it and slid one hand into it recovering a water-skin, while the other one was massaging his foot that was again irritated by jogging. Fois took a few gulps before putting the water-skin back into the bag. He then spent a few chimes resting. Fois raised his eyebrows when Ronin spoke. Chiet’s words were met with a look that was very open to interpretations. ”There’s work to do,” Fois said while standing up. It wasn’t a proper response to the offer in any way. Endal didn’t say anything about that because, for one, Ronin had done something impressive and valuable to the community, and secondly, because there really was some work that needed to be done; work, which was definitely more important that any plans on grabbing a drink with a Chiet. The Endal approached the dead animal, carefully examining it. There wasn’t too much to say – it was big and dead. The fur was a little charred on the back. The bear was conveniently positioned slightly downhill, with its head being at the lowest point. This made the task a little easier for Fois as he took his hunting knife from the bag and cut a deep wound into the bear’s throat. He hoped that the cut was good enough to bleed the animal, though the blood flow was slower than he had expected. It might have had something to do with the fact that quite some time had already passed since the bear had been killed. ”This might take a while,” Fois said while holding bear’s head a little off the ground to allow the blood to run down instead of being blocked by it and soak into the fur. ”Come, help me roll in on the back,” Fois instructed Ronin once there was barely any blood pouring out of the throat. After a little bit of struggle, the bear finally ended up on its back. Now Fois could see the many wounds in the bear's chest and throat along with one recent cut he had just made. The blood from the injuries had soaked and dried on its fur. ”Smooth,” Endal’s word didn’t really have any intentions behind it. It just seemed that that would have been what Seleer said. Although it was very likely that the snarky Wind Eagle would have had more words to say. ”Sit down for a while. Try not to bleed out like the bear,” Fois told Ronin. ”Did you have anyone look at it properly?” he added after glancing at the Chiet’s bloody bandages. Fois went down on one knee beside the bear. He felt the animal with his left hand searching for the place where the ribcage ended. Once having located it, Fois cut the skin along breastbone the way Endal imagined it would go. He tried to keep the line straight, but the task wasn’t all that simple. The blade would go a bit too deep or little bit to one side or the other. Once the not-so-straight line reached the base of the bear’s jaw, Fois began cutting the muscles along that area. The cuts wouldn’t be described as very elegant incisions, though they weren’t entirely some random chops. Eventually the bone and throat were exposed. Fois stood up and walked around the bear to approach it from the other side. There he once again got down on one knee. From the same starting point as the cut upwards, this time Endal sliced the skin down to the anus. He tried his best not to push the knife too deep so as not to severe any internal organs. Fois stood up and walked to his bag. He put the knife near it and pulled out the axe, the handle of which had been sticking out. Endal removed the cloth that had been wrapped around the blade and put it on top of the bag. Fois approached the bear, his axe in both hands, while trying to figure out his next step. Hacking through the breastbone with full force wasn’t an option, so he looked around. He noticed one branch of the downed tree that was not too big, but thick enough to do the job. Fois walked over to it and with one powerful strike cut it down. ”Ronin, take this branch and come here,” he said and moved towards the bear. Endal positioned the blade of the axe along the bear’s breastbone and turned his head to the Chiet. ”Use that branch as a hammer to hit the axe. We need to cut through the bone.” After they had broken the bone, Fois put down the axe on the ground. ”Hmm… I don’t think we will open the chest with bare hands, huh? Maybe if we pulled his legs apart? Go grab that one, and I’ll do this one.” Endal took the frontal leg of the bear that was closer to him and pulled it with much of his strength. He could feel that the tug from the other side of the bear wasn’t as strong, probably because the Chiet was definitely not in his best condition. Nevertheless, they managed to split the chest open. ”Beautiful," Endal's voice showed no emotions, as if he was stating some ordinary and dull facts."Now, hold the bear open.” Fois went to pick up his knife and returned to the bear. There were a lot of things unneeded that were located inside the bear, so Fois began getting rid of them. He started by cutting the windpipe and gullet. Then Endal moved to slicing through the abdominal muscles, while taking great care not to severe intestines or the stomach. Failure would result in the inside of the bear becoming even less pleasant and, more importantly, might make some meat only suitable to the Dek. After that, Fois went on to cutting the diaphragm from the chest wall; first the left one, then the right one. ”Try to pull the organs to one side so I could see what I’m doing,” he told Ronin while doing that. Occasionally Endal’s blade would come too close to the internal organs that could contaminate the meat, and in the end very few of the muscles had been cut easily and smoothly. Finally, Fois cut the muscles and muscle tissues that were holding intestines and rectum to the pelvic bone and anus, and pulled the lower intestines out of the cavity. ”Let’s roll it a little bit,” Fois said to Ronin and helped him to push the bear on a side while using one of his hands to aid the organs and intestines, which were spilling out onto the ground, do so quicker and easier. After that, Endal walked towards his bag, took the rag and threw it at Ronin. ”Here, wipe the cavity.” While the Chiet was busy, Fois sat down on the ground. He took out his water-skin and took a sip from it. ”Well, Seleer, we’re done,” Fois reached the Wind Eagle with his thoughts. ”Brilliant, my boy. Where are you?” Endal looked around for any noticeable signposts. ”Fly along the Sanikas Road, after a while you’re bound to see a downed tree near the path along with two Inarta, a dead bear and lots of his insides on the outside. Chances are those are going to be us.”

[Ronin]

Fois' mention of the teeth seemed almost as a rebuke to Ronin. As if, he was supposed to do something more after he killed the bear. Ronin wanted to make a snide remark about how he was bleeding out and carrying an injured companion at the same time, but instead he kept him mouth shut and drank his water. Memories of the day before flooded his mind. From the utter fear of being on his back, looking up at a roaring beast, to the terrible realization that, even after killing it, they might not survive to tell the tale. He then began to think about Vala's profession of friendship and how she had trusted him to keep her secret. In such a short time, they had become closer friends than Ronin had been with anyone in a long time. They even had spent the morning together, and now, even when he was out in the woods with an Endal, trying to bring back the bear they had killed, he couldn't help but think about Vala. She consumed so many of his thoughts now that it seemed unhealthy. Ronin had to fight to stay attentive to what was happening around him, as he waited for the Endal's command. After a brief moment of looking at the bear, Ronin watched as Fois slit the creature's throat. Ronin's stabs to the neck and throat had cause quite a lot of blood loss, but he hadn't done nearly enough to properly drain the animal. It was a process that took quite some time, and this gave Ronin's mind even more time to wander. He fought slipping into daydreams, since he knew he didn't want to get in trouble for being inattentive, but he couldn't help but imagine alternate scenarios that may have played out for the prior day. The one that was most prominent in his mind had to do with them staying in Vala's room that morning instead of going hunting. However, Fois' instruction broke Ronin's fantasy before he could get too caught up in it. As soon as Fois spoke, Ronin was on his feet and by the bear's side. He did as he was told and got down on the ground to push the dead bear over. Ronin put his good shoulder against the bear and pushed with his legs, and eventually, the bear flopped over, leaving it's crest and stomach exposed. Ronin took a long look at the wounds he had inflicted on the bear. A feeling of intense pride lifted the corners of his mouth in an almost sadistic smile. He had no real malice toward the bear, but seeing how well he had defended himself brought a strange pleasure. The way Ronin saw it, the bear was simply looking for food so it could survive, and Ronin was simply looking to survive as well. The bear had been willing to kill Ronin in order to survive, so why should he feel any differently? It may have been a simplistic and perhaps primal philosophy, but it was Ronin's, and he didn't see any reason to think differently. When he was told to sit down, Ronin once again complied. This order, however, was one that he had no problem following. Though he doubted that he was in any real danger, it did feel nice to give his body the break it had needed for so long. His bandages were in dire need of changing, but he was not looking forward to a trip to the healer. They would, of course, insist on cleaning the wound for themselves and would use a salve that made the wound sting worse than the initial pain of being mauled by a bear. However, he knew the trip would be necessary, and he planned on going when they got back ti Wind Reach. "I have not yet had a chance to see a healer. I was exhausted by the time we returned to the city yesterday, and this morning I was busy taking care of my companion who was with me when I killed the bear." He offered no more than this short explanation of why he hadn't seen a healer yet, but he assumed that is would suffice. Ronin watched with fascination as the Endal began the process of gutting the bear. He had disemboweled animals before, but never one this large. It took a lot more work, while still requiring the same precision as it took to gut a rabbit. He tried to take it as a learning experience, though he didn't know when he would ever gut a bear after this. It is always useful to know something, whether you will use it again or not, Ronin thought to himself. It was not long before the Endal had made two long incisions across the bear, from top to bottom. He watched as Fois walked to his bag and removed his axe. Ronin nearly objected when he saw this, as he knew that hacking into an animal with an axe wasn't the way to butcher it properly, but he held his tongue and look on intently to see what the Endal's next move would be. When Fois cut the branch off the tree, Ronin still had no idea what he was planning to do with it. However, when he was given more instructions, he obeyed immediately and without question. He gathered up the branch in his hands and carried it to where Fois was standing. As he saw the axe blade positioned on the bear's chest, he finally figured out what the other man's plan was. Now that he knew what he was doing, Ronin hurried with increased vigor. He began whacking the small log against the axe with steady, firm, hits. After almost a minute of hammering, and having to reposition the branch so that it was not split in half my the axe, there was a loud crack and the breastbone broke apart. Ronin was beginning to anticipate what they would do next, and he was already in position when Fois told him to pull on one of the legs. He did his best to pull with force equal to that of the Endal, but the other man was able to spend much more of his time hunting which had given him a stronger build. On top of that, Ronin was fighting to block out the pain of his wounds. Though the Endal's response to the chest cracking open was lacking of any affect, Ronin took sincere satisfaction out of it. He thought of it as if Fois had just complimented him, regardless of whether this was really the case. However, his joy was short lived, as it was right back to work. Pulling back the skin to either side, Ronin exposed the creature's innards. The organs were like blown up versions of the things he had pulled out of rabbits many times before, and the smell seemed to be that much larger as well. When he was younger, gutting rabbits had made Ronin a bit queasy. A trick he had learned back then was to breath through his mouth instead of his nose. That way, he didn't have to experience nearly as much of the smell. He decided to employ the same technique here, in an attempt to keep from becoming sick. Despite the nauseating element to this process, Ronin didn't hesitate to do as the Endal said. He was now elbow deep in the dead bear, as he held back the innards, out of Fois's way. He did his best to keep everything held back, and for the most part, he was successful. When the other man was finally finished cutting, Ronin removed his arm from the cavity. Immediately, he knew he was going to have to make a second trip to the baths today. The stench of the bear clung to his arm like he had dipped it in glue, and, despite his usually un-squeamish personality, he tried his best to keep his arm from touching the rest of his body. Ronin had little time to focus on the fact that he was covered in the insides of a bear, since Fois had yet another job for him. Ronin once again lowered his good shoulder and pushed against the bear. This time, with the Endal's help, it was much easier, and Ronin watched as the guts spilled out onto the ground. Once Ronin had the rag, he went to work, that is, after he quickly wiped off his arm. Cleaning the inside of the bear was rather boring work, and, knowing that Fois' Wind Eagle would most likely be returning soon, Ronin decided to ask about him. "What is your Eagle's name?" He decided to start with an easy question. "What is he like?" Ronin knew that the different Wind Eagle had very different personalities, and he figured that an Endal would like to talk about what set them apart. Despite having a moderate distaste for having to be submissive to the Endal, Ronin truly loved Wind Eagles. He had a passion for all birds, but giant eagles were definitely his favorite. They seemed to be the pinnacle of all avians, with the way the dominated in both size and in their regal nature. Ronin had always secretly desired to be an Endal, though he would probably never admit it. It was not for their power, position, and benefits, but for their close bond with one of the worlds grandest creatures. That was what Ronin truly envied about the high caste of Wind Reach. Once Ronin had finished his task, he waited patiently for Seeler to arrive, making conversation with the Endal, if he would permit it.

[Fois]

Although the short conversation with Seleer was already finished, but it felt as if Ronin’s question interrupted Fois forcing his thoughts to return from somewhere far away. Endal’s eyes blinked fast a few times before he concentrated his gaze on the Chiet. Fois’s mind repeated Ronin’s words in its final attempt to bring him back to the world. ”Seleer,” his answer was short, not making much contribution to the conversation. However, this apparently didn’t stop Ronin to continue carry the burden of the discussion weaving, as he asked yet another question about the Wind Eagle. Fois took one more sip from the water-skin. It wasn’t often that he would talk about Seleer with others, partly because it wasn’t too often that he would engage in long conversations with other people. His Wind Eagle and his raven were the ones Fois would chat with the most, though it had been a one sided discussion with the latter. This low degree of seclusion existed not because Endal didn’t have much to say, when it was quite the opposite. In fact, Fois himself couldn’t be certain about the reasons behind the scarcity of occasions where he would open up for an honest conversation with others. ”He’s a prideful bird, but justifiably so,” he said and a slight smile appeared on his face. Fois wasn’t sure why he was saying this to the Chiet. Perhaps he just wanted to say it out loud and this was the chance he got. And after all, Ronin had killed a bear, they gutted it together and now the day seemed to finally be going to a satisfying conclusion. Fois felt he could relax a little bit. ”He has quite a sense of humour that he wears as armour on the outside to defend the love he feels for Wind Reach and its people on the inside.” This was a bit romanticized way to describe Seleer, since it skipped the part about the arrogant superiority, but in Endal’s mind was still very accurate. ”Seleer’s the closest living thing to me, y’know? He’s like my brother.” It now may have seemed as if Fois wasn’t talking to Ronin, since he wasn’t even looking at the Chiet. This was no longer a two way conversation, but more of a thinking out loud. ”He is the one that is making me be who I am, not allowing me to slip into the dreams and end up a failure. Rather he pushes me towards the ways of proper Endal and to contribute to the community the best I can.” Fois took another sip from the water-skin and turned his eyes back at Ronin as if remembering that there was someone he was talking to. He was now a bit uncomfortable that he had shown such openness. And what’s more, with a Chiet, one that he had just met. Fois hadn’t poured out his feelings like this since his raven passed away, so perhaps that was it. After all, he had to learn to talk more to people if he didn’t want to talk to Seleer about everything. Maybe it was better to start with some random Chiet in the woods than somewhere with someone where it would matter. ”What do you think of the Wind Eagles?” Fois asked Ronin in an attempt to return their conversation into a dialogue. After a while an outside thought invaded Fois’s mind. ”I see you,” it was Seleer. Endal put his water-skin into the bag, instead pulling out a rope. He took his knife and stood up. ”Let’s go, help me tie the bear’s legs together,” Fois told Ronin while approaching the dead animal. The Wind Eagle landed beside the road when the two of them were tying the frontal legs. ”A nice bear,” Seleer complimented, though only Fois heard that. When they had finished the posterior ones, Endal instructed to drag the bear closer to the Wind Eagle. The task wasn’t as difficult for the two men as it would have been if they had had to do it a few bells earlier, because now the bear was lighter once he was missing its innards. It wasn’t too easy, though, as Fois’s left leg was quick to remind him. He then put his hunting knife and the rope back into the bag; he wrapped the axe’s blade into the rag and put it inside, too. The handle was sticking out, thus making it impossible to close the bag completely, but it was enough so that no items would fall out. Fois put on the leather bag and walked towards Seleer. His limp was more prominent now. ”I suppose you’ll want a ride back.” ”Walking would be a real torture now,” Fois agreed. ”Well then, hop on, my prince.” Fois glanced at Ronin. ”He’s badly injured and bleeding,” Endal’s thoughts spoke to Seleer. ”Even if he was capable to return, should any slight problem or obstacle arise on the way back, he’s as good as dead.” ”You’re saying I should take the Chiet, too?” ”Well, he’s the one who killed the bear. And besides, we can’t let him just die.” ”Are you sure he wouldn’t make it? He might be tougher than you say…” Fois eyes were looking at the tired Chiet, whose amateurish bandages were soaked in his own blood. ”Positive.” ”Well, alright. But this is special circumstances. Saving a life! Don’t make carrying Chiet a habbit.” Fois motioned Ronin with his hand. ”Come here. Get on.” Endal would help the Chiet to get onto the Wind Eagle and into the saddle. Then he would settle himself in front of Ronin and tell him to hang on. Seleer would beat his large wings once to jump towards the dead bear and would grab its tied legs with his talons. The Wind Eagle would then flap his wings more powerfully and faster a few times to rise into the air and they would be flying back to Wind Reach.