Always Laughing, Brother. (Solo)

[Puapasho]

Spring, Day 65, AV 511

Puapasho rose from slumber as the Sun's light began to slowly illuminate and lighten the sky, the interior of his cave home changing from an inky dark to a slow lightening of the redstone walls. The native beetles, which provided the Kalanue with their black bands, skittered to and fro in the changing light and heat. He stretched in his nest, a crafted bundle of scrub, feathers, and furs, lined and curved to resemble a bird nest.

He crouched on the cool cave floor, winding his torso in a slow circle, turning and stretching his joints.His hands came before him, palms flat against the stone, his breathing even and slow as his lips moved in a silent prayer to Brother Crow. ---Great Brother, watch over me today as I enter the great open and seek sustenance for myself. As I seek sustenance for my family. As I seek sustenance for my people. His head rose slowly, his double lidded eyes blinking to take in the first light of the day.

The air was already moving. Though it merely trailed over his face and occasionally whipped inside the cave's mouth, his sensory pads in his hands could feel the currents, shifting and moving the sands. Tracks were degrading. He had to get moving. A few moments later, he had slipped his wrap over his legs and grabbed his spear, slipping from his hole in the rock as the others were just stirring. His feet moved carefully down the footpath until he stood on sand. Careful steps on the redstone were always a necessity, even when one had run over their faces his whole life.

Crouching again, his eyes scanned the sandy paths through the stone. his father had always told him to start at home with tracks. You could completely miss a kill without leaving your home terrain. Every mote of energy saved for the Burning Lands was needed, even for their hardy race of people. Lizard scat, now two days old and quickly becoming little more than crumbling calcification. Few footprints, save for the nightly purging of fluid any may have taken in the night. A sharp slice of 'CAW' caught his attention from above.

Auspicious. Brother Crow answered his prayer, now circling over and around his general location. Puapa's head shifted toward the augury, black band and eyes blending into darkness against the rising and burgeoning sun. He could see Brother Crow landing, hopping and rising, angry snips of caws perforating the silence. Others began to poke their heads from their caves with the sound of their benefactor. Whatever He wanted to show Puapa was on top of the formation that contained his own cave and many others of his family.

That meant a short climb.

[Puapasho]

Always keep your spear within reach. Don't ever leave it sitting for one moment. It is your life, so don't set it aside needlessly. His father's words resonated within him. The smooth cracked curves of the sandstone formations didn't make that so easy. Puapa slid the spear's shaft through the back of his wrap. It caused an awkward offset of weight, the extra burden causing the swing of the body to gain more impetus, which could work badly in a near slip. His hands finding familiar holds, his legs hung until he pulled himself up over the jutting ledge. He pulled up into a low crouch, reverence demanding it. He approached Brother Crow low, since His motions and actions could be a message easily lost in the absence of slight details.

Slight details were usually the difference between an empty stomach and a full one. Moving into a kind of kneeling posture before Brother Crow, he could just see something moving beneath Him as his wings flapped, His own black eyes focused on something before Puapa. Rising slowly, black eyes set on the source of the frustration in Brother Crow. A large snake, riled from its otherwise uneventful absorption of heat, coiled and hissed at the black wings and sharp beak. Puapa narrowed his eyes at the natural battle for survival, the corner of his mouth turning upward. "What are you telling me, Brother?", he whispered. Partially to himself, partially to the flash of black feathers.

Rising to his feet slowly, the spear's shaft firmly in hand, his other hand gripping the end to buttress it. His eyes watched the viper, no doubt filled with poison. He was more accustomed to throwing his spear, but the thought of doing so against a snake was laughable. A shrill cacophony of caws and harsh chirps came from Brother Crow. "Yeah, I won't be tossing my spear there, no worries, Brother." His small beads of darkness focused back on His quarry. The snake moved slowly laterally, its head floating and focused on the flying aggressor.

His steps were slow and deliberate, the pads of his feet pressing slowly against the warming stony surface. His Brother looked at him, head bobbing and a series of caws as He flew backward and landed well outside of the viper's strike range. "Giving me an opportunity, Brother? Very well." The serpent recoiled, muscles rippling as it took notice of the new, larger aggressor. Humanoids cast long shadows, always a signal for an animal to flee. he had just a moment to make it happen. The shaft of his weapon slid loosely in his grip as he propelled it forward, thrusting downward with it.

Be it the quickness of his quarry or his own novice skill, the spear's edge skipped across the sandstone, grazing the flesh of the viper, opening its scales slightly to reveal wet flesh beneath. All Puapa had succeeded in was angering the potentially deadly prey, giving it him to only focus on. The crow remained, its head swiveling as the snake's body shifted to point the end of the coiled poison whip in the young tracker's direction. A chittering trill of birdspeak dribbled from the Brother's beak. Though the situation was deadly serious, Puapa couldn't help but crack a grin along with his laughing Brother.

[Puapasho]

Pulling the spear back for another attempt, the head crossed the path of the viper. It lashed out in a strike, tapping the shaft as its deadly toxin trailed down the length of it. Its body was at once retreating and advancing, seemingly both preparing to move away while keeping its head forward at Puapa, tongue flickering. He looked over to see his Brother, finding Him picking at Himself and grooming. This was Puapa's test, after all. No reason to ---

A flash of pressure along his free hand was the only thing that gave him the second to react. Had it not been for his sensitive hands, he would surely be injected with poison, the snake striking out once more in defiance. Puapa slid back with that advance warning, holding his spear out, as if he could somehow strike the snake with it. His heart immediately quickened, his breaths more shallow, his focus pure. Looking back over, he found no trace of his Brother. He only nodded silently.

Remain focused on your quarry at all times once you have it within striking distance. Strike true or go hungry.

His father's words echoed in his mind as it was clear that Brother Crow had tested Puapa's focus. The moment of reflection had given the viper the moment to flee, though he left a few spots of blood behind. Puapa's eyes narrowed as he felt disappointed in himself for failing the test of focus. He would make it right with a feat of determination. His feet began to move across the hot red stone, his eyes scanning for spots of blood left by the snake. Not only would he redeem his failure, but he swore to himself and his Brother that he would be sure to eat the snake's heart.