Hunting on the plains (open pm only)

[Xandes]

Timestamp: third day of Spring in the Year 510 AV

Xandes Lidwell awoke soon after dawn. he knew this more by the scent in the air than by the actual sunlight. It was fresh, new. He supposed that was what morning was meant to smell like, spring to. It was a new beginning on a new day. He still felt like a child in this world. If he hadn't already he would have as he climbed out of his tent at the edge of the great forrest and looked out into the wild plains. The amber sun burned against the horizon appearing to set the entire world alight. to both his rear and his sides stood a natural wall, miles thick, of forrest. It was all rather intimidating for him. Of course Xandes hunted a lot in the past with Dantra his mentor. He remembered almost twenty years ago as a child seeing these lands for the first time. he was so innocent, alone.

The other Akalak had never really accepted him to begin with. He had no last name then and no wish for one. A stubborn, angry child, even the adults where weary of him. He always walked away from the main group, not that they wanted him anyway, he was lonely. But that was a lifetime ago. He had a last name now, he had Dantra and he had to catch something today or he would go rather hungry… not to mention having some game and furs to sell when he got back to the bazaar would be pretty cool. He hoped to gain enough of a catch today that maybe the elders in charge of the bazaar might loan him enough to start his own stall, maybe hire a younger Akalak to help him out selling while he hunted. Dantra always said Xandes spent far to much time dreaming, so he shook his head clean of unimportant thoughts and dressed in silence. Listening to the sounds around him, looking with his ears for something to hunt.

After he had dressed and had a small breakfast of the rations in his backpack Xandes cleared the camp doing his best to leave it as nature had intended. he did his best to leave it as though he had never been there. After he had finished he planted a a small blue flag that was just high enough that he would be able to see it from a mile or so around. After that the mornings work begin. he worked as fast as he could but trapping was still very new to him, his mentor being a fighter first and a bounty hunter second thought trapping a pointless tactic. preferring taking down an opponent one on one. He set up five small traps around the camp and hoped in vain they would at least catch him a small rabbit or other kind of rodent. Although going back to the city with field mice, even one the size of a rabbit, would be far to humiliating. One would do for dinner though. Once the traps where set the sun was getting high in the sky, he had taken far to long on the endeavour and now hunting was going to get hard. He packed the last of his meagre belongings onto his mount, a mare called Raine, and rode off.

About three hours in and Xandes was starting to get angry. Every deer track he followed seemed to lead to a dead end. He was bored, not that he would admit it if asked. He stalked through the edge between the two worlds crossing them in a snaking S pattern. it was late in the evening before he got some luck. it was not the kind he had hoped for. But so late in the day Xandes would have been happy for so much as a wild dog… as it was he got something a lot bigger.

A grizzly bear was feeding on a deer carcass less than 200 metres from him. this was a large bear, its skin alone was worth plenty at market. But the bears claws could potentially rip him in two and he wasn't wearing his armour. Apart from his half spears that probably wouldn't make much of a dent in the bear he had his flametongue. Fighting a large bear with nothing more than a small combat blade, a really bad idea. Even so, Xandes didn't see an option, he let from his horse and walked slowly towards the bear, blade drawn. His plan was as simple as they come, slit the beast's throat. minimum damage to the coat or the meat inside. unfortunately when he was almost within an arms reach the bear stopped eating and paused. Frozen, Xandes waited to see his fate.

[Raithe]

The sun had risen earlier today, and though Raithe's breath still misted out before him he knew that the chill would not last. He had climbed out from the relative warmth of his bedroll perhaps but thirty minutes before, and had quickly set about starting a small fire (not too hard a feat, as he could use the ring of stones from the night before), so that he might brew himself a bit of herbal tea and have something for breakfast. Rubbing his hands together vigorously before holding them out before the meager flames, Raithe allowed himself a moment of contemplation.

Three weeks ago, he had awoken in a bed and did not even know his name. A woman's face hovered into his field of vision, and he knew her not, either. He must have looked at her in stark confusion, because she offered him a smile of assurance and went to draw her hand across his brow. Raithe had snatched it tightly within the same fingers he stared at now. The woman, Shadana, had gasped, startled, and tried to pull back.

“What,” he managed to croak, but that had been all he was able to muster.

Shadana, at last extricated from a grasp that was nowhere near as weak as she had expected it to be, spoke, her tone less than sure, though she tried hard to hide that from him. “Your name is Raithe Garrdel.” Seeing no recognition light up his eyes, she continued on. “You were in a terrible accident.”

And that was it, as if that was all there was to it. Oh, of course she gave him the details, explained that there was no telling when he'd get his memory back – though she was sure he would! But it had seemed...insufficient. Raithe wanted, perhaps one could say he expected, even, a more meaningful explanation. One that would make him remember something. Anything.

The water was boiling, the stark whistling coming from the battered kettle whisked him away from his thoughts and forced him to deal with the present once again. Kneeling down, he removed the pot from the fire and carefully poured himself a small cup. The stuff was pungent, and tasted horrible, but it was extremely good for ones health. Raithe's breakfast wasn't anything spectacular, either. An apple, one of three he'd managed to snag the evening before, and some flat bread he warmed over the fire just slightly before consuming.

After breaking his fast, Raithe began to break his camp. He moved in a quick, but methodical manner, and any onlooker would realize that the pale man was no novice at this. It was one thing among many, he knew, that came to him as naturally as breathing, yet he had no idea how, or why. This way of life – out among the wilderness – had not been borne entirely of the desire to isolate himself from a community he was not sure he could take part in. Raithe knew (or perhaps he hoped, but was not yet ready to admit that), that this was somehow connected to his life before, and if he only just tried, it would all come back to him.

The rest of the early morning saw Raithe laying a few traps. He didn't have a bow, and so that made hunting larger game animals a bit of a problem. However, he could set a trap easily enough, and catch small game for the time being. The rabbits out here weren't fat, but neither were they scrawny, pathetic fare. Raithe wasn't interested in making money just yet. He was only interested in surviving, in finding more puzzle pieces to the shattered past of his life.

It was never Raithe's intention to save somebody.

He had been looking for a water source, perhaps a small stream or pond, when a noise in the distance alerted him. Raithe was not ignorant of the dangers that the Sea of Grass presented. Glassbeaks were a terror he had absolutely no desire to come face-to-face with, but there were myriad of other beasts that could see Raithe dead if he were no ever-vigilant and alert. In fact, the snuffling, wet- and heavy- chomping sound that he'd detected belonged to that of a plains bear.

He was upwind of it, thank the fates, but the unfortunate man Raithe could only just glimpse, was directly in its line of vision and downwind of the animal. The bear might have left him well enough alone if he hadn't gotten so close to its meal where the predator could sense it. Out on the open ground, with nothing but his sword at his hip, Raithe knew that there was no possible way he could take the creature down. It was madness to think otherwise.

Worse. They probably could not outrun the bear, either. As a beast of these grassy-plains, it had to be relatively quick if it wanted to compete. Raithe knew not what he could do to help. In fact, in that moment, he wasn't even sure if he really wanted to.

The fool.

[Xandes]

Xandes had less than a second to react. the bear turned with surprising speed and as Xandes backed up slowly trying to re-evaluate the situation the animal swung its left massive clawed paw at him. Xandes was ready with his flametongue in his left hand He was ready. Leaning into the attack Xandes forced his blade into the beasts paw absorbing the impact throughout his body, it shook him to the core but he managed to disperse most of the blows energy. Withdrawing the blade and jumping back a few feet, Xandes re-evaluated his position. The wounded animal held its self on three legs holding its front left paw in the air slightly and sounding more angry than wounded, the bear snarled in his face. Smiling a little bit he punched the animal as hard as he could in the face. His fist easily contacted with the right side of the bears muzzle and his right eye. Unfortunately though it seemed to do little except really annoy it. His plan to stun the beast had unfortunately failed.

Sidestepping the bear as fast as he could Xandes put himself on the bears right hand side, taking advantage of the fact the bear couldn't turn fast with for working legs… never mind three. He lunged forward using the blade in his left hand to dig deep into the animals left shoulder, it sank in to the hilt. he grabbed its back with his right hand and tried to wrap his legs around it. either by design or accident the beer rolled onto its back crushing Xandes. In the confusion he lost his weapon and released the bear. rolling away from the bear he pulled himself up leaning against a tree. Calling on any strength he had left he prepared for another assault. But something moved a fraction of an inch behind him…cubs. Slowly turning he noticed the man, a short man at that. Easily a foot of height must separate them, strange. Maybe it was a child who had stumbled upon the fight.

The distraction had given the animal a small advantage and it intended to take it. Diving towards Xandes, teeth drawn. Sliding behind a tree, he heard she crashing sound as the massive oak took the brunt of the blow. Blinded by rage, the bear didn't care anymore and had foolishly done more damage than good. Using this lull, Xandes yanked his blade out its shoulder and into its neck. Blood sprayed everywhere, coating him. Xandes stumbled to the ground and fell in pure exhaustion. That had been one of the longest minutes of his life. His body was bruised to hell and he was in no shape to move just yet. He just sat there, planning how the hell he was going to get that animal fur and all that meat back to Riverfall in one piece… it was going to get dark soon to, and even an Akalak wouldn't be walking around in the dark of the plains in this state.

[Raithe]

There could be no doubt. The young Akalak was brave. Stupidly brave, but that was besides the point. Raithe would never have chosen such a route, and when he'd seen that Xandes would indeed carry through with an attack, he thought for sure that the youth was dead. His mind veritably reeled as he watched the battle, no more than a handful of minutes long, progress. By all accounts, Xandes had done the impossible.

The bawls of the mother bear's cubs were only a momentary distraction. A small thought of the short lives they would lead without their mother flickered through his mind, but was summarily dismissed as Raithe strode towards Xandes. There was something wrong with the person who would look after the lives of animals before that of another fellow man. He came to a stop not very far from where Xandes himself now stood, his frame slumped and breathing heavy.

“Impressive,” Raithe offered in a way of encouragement. Perhaps Xandes felt a bit irritated that Raithe had not helped him? He could not be sure, but then again, what had the man expected? He offered the slain bear a passing glance, as if to be sure it was truly well and dead.

“I'll help you get back to Riverfall,” he offered. “It's best not to linger here, especially with the scent of death in the air.” They'd have more to contend with other than a single mother bear, and Raithe did not believe the Akalak's amazing luck would hold.

“The cubs,” he added, almost as an after thought. “I'll take them.” For some reason, the notion of leaving them to die did not sit well with the pale man. “If we can make a travois, then hoisting your kill back will be easier. The cubs will follow it.” It was up to Xandes to decide whether or not he wanted to. Raithe only wanted to make sure he could make it back to Riverfall.

[Xandes]

Xandes still felt dizzy as this new man spoke to him. Defiantly not a youth then, interesting. His help was needed indeed. Xandes had been so centred on the bear he had hardly noticed the cubs, they seemed far more noticeable now. They must have hidden during the battle. Mentally Xandes checked himself over, his left fist was badly bruised where he had punched the bear and looked to be broken. Not to mention the cracked and broken ribs he had. He was a walking bruise and even with this humans help he doubted they could take the kill with them. "Thank you, my name is Xandes... You may want to leave me here. This noise, something will be along soon and that will be the end of it."

He tried to stand, whistling for Raine, she came eventually, warily. Using her reins, he managed to stand. His "surprise" attack had almost killed him, and probably still would. That bear carcass would be worth something, even in its state. Analytical, even in this state, after this mistake, Xandes was deciding the best action. His traps within the woods could be destroyed by the night predators if he left them, it couldn't be helped. He took a length of sturdy rope from Raine's saddle pack. " on second thoughts we might just make it..." he spoke as the distant sound of howls in the distance sent a painful chill down his back. Wolves, hungry and nasty, "Or not...". He spoke looking concerned towards the mysterious samaritan before him.

It seemed his fate was no longer within his hands. His kill, his equipment and his life lay before him. His desperate need for success had probably killed him far sooner than he had planned. Something would need to change in the future... if he survived till dawn that was.

[Raithe]

All that Xandes had accomplished was to be for naught, and Raithe knew it. The wolves would be upon them soon, and if they didn't beat it, then they'd be as dead as that bear. His lips worked into a thin line. Raithe had absolutely no desire to be shat out from the belly of a wolf three days from now in the form of fertilizer. He took one last look at the bear, then to its cubs.

“You can't drag that,” he said, very matter-of-factly. “It's probably three hundred pounds or more, and like it or not, I'm going to have to ride with you.” Raithe didn't have a horse, and unless Xandes didn't care what happened to the fate of another man, then he'd let Raithe come along.

“We can still take the cubs, and if you're a good tracker with a memory, you can come back and scavenge what's left of the carcass.” It was possible that Xandes might be able to harvest some teeth and claws, and make money from those. It wasn't much of a victory, but it was more than nothing.

It was certainly better than death.

“Each of us will need to hold one of them,” he stared off towards the tiny creatures, which were young indeed. Raithe wondered if even their help would see them kept alive. “But let me help you onto your horse, first, and then I'll pass the first one up.” It would be up to Xandes whether or not he'd accept Raithe's help, but he'd have to make the decision quickly. They could outrun wolves on a horse, but if Glassbeaks happened to be nearby, then they were surely doomed.

Luckily for Raithe, he had all his gear with up, having packed it up this morning. He'd not been staying in the same camp sites for more than a few days at most, some of those even being ancestral Drykas sites themselves. He would caution Xandes, should the Akalak protest the loss of any of his equipment, that he could always come back for it. The creatures out on the Sea of Grass would be more interested in fresh meat than they would a few metal contraptions they could not even make their animal minds understand.

“We can reach Riverfall by dusk,” but he did not voice his concerns about Xandes physical state. Instead, he offered a carrot of hope for the youth to grasp onto. “I know a woman there, very kind, she's a healer of sorts.” Shadana owed him that much, didn't she? “She'll be able to tend your wounds, and feed you, too, if you're polite.”

The cubs were rolling about at Raithe's feet, as of oblivious to the impending danger. The pale man himself looked about ready to haul Xandes onto the horse himself if the Akalak didn't surrender to his offer to help.

“Once you have the cub, I can tuck the second into my jerkin and pull myself up.” Not the best of horsemen, to be sure, but neither was Raithe a bumbling novice.