[Flashback] The Nature of a Hunter (Solo)

[Haraza Frostfawn]

(12th of Spring, 499AV) Breathe in. Breathe out. Haraza's breath was white in the air, the way in lingered for a moment before fazing into the nothingness. The cool air felt good in his lungs, refreshing. He tucked the furry hood tighter around his ears, though part of him wanted to free it from his head and feel the cool air in his sweat-dampened hair. But the cold was biting even to those marked by Morwen after a while, and even the Great Haraza was not so prideful to ignore the winter. Haraza gave a wary look to the clouds about, the gray behemoths dotting out any trace of the sky above. It would have been an otherwise fine sunny day, maybe get some of the winter frost melted with the coming of spring, but the clouds would not let it be so. Still, the light was bright enough to see clearly while aiding to his own hiding attempts. Which was good enough weather for him. The wind danced through the trees and gave out its own call, merrily enjoying the frozen day. The way it bellowed and shrilled and laughed through the branches was good cover as Haraza took light steps in the snow, moving carefully but purposefully. Each step was focused through the snow to make as little noise as possible, not to startle the beast before him. And the wind was moving towards him and away from the animal, masking his scent. Perfect, just the way he wanted it set up. Haraza rested a hand on a tree, examining the bark. The way it had been nibbled and chewed had brought him here to find the stag before him. Teeth marks of the big beast were so distinctive on the flesh of the tree, revealing its pale smooth innards to lay bare against the cold. His hand traces the wood for a second, the warm gloves blocking out most of the feeling. Haraza went ahead and slipped the glove free, now holding his other glove and his spear in the other hand. Slowly, gently, Haraza felt the wood grain. Snow and ice knocked free of the bark, melted slightly by the warmth of his body. Haraza closed his eyes. Breathe in. The way her hair moved, danced around her like a halo, had been burned into his mind. He could see Azuria clearly, the dark of her hair hinted with traces of a light blue. But her face was the most shocking. The red lips he longed to feel weren't turned up in a smile as they desperately needed to be, but a scowl. A look of pure irritation and annoyance. In his mind Haraza traced his eyes up from those supple lips, looking into her perfect eyes. The red that tinged her almond eyes wasn't happiness. The way it burst like a fire with bleeds of orange proved it to be not passion either. Nor joy or excitement or any other emotion that played itself out in Haraza's own eyes, revealing the way this girl made his mind spin and his heart beat. She was furious. Breathe out. Haraza hadn't realized he'd been holding his breath. He took a deep and slow one now, trying to correct his quickening heartbeat. He couldn't let himself get distracted like that, he had to focus. This is who Haraza was, after all. A champion hunter, a hero to the kids, a super star. Someone that everyone loved. Everyone but her.

[Haraza Frostfawn]

Haraza stalked a little further, allowing himself to finally break free of the trees he'd been nearly hugging and move out into cooler air. His movements were so slow as he stared down the horned creature ahead, his eyes narrowed. The beast hadn't seen him yet, but he was still 20 or 30 yards away at this point. He had to close the distance before the animal knew what was going on and it would escape him. He hadn't thought to bring snowshoes, but he hadn't really needed them. The snow was only a couple of feet thick and Haraza was simply taking bigger steps and evening his weight. His travel was a little slower for it, but that wasn't necessarily bad now that his prey was so close. Slower steps went unnoticed. At least for now. The spear's weight was comfortable, the way its own wooden surface scratched and caught his gloves. He held it balanced, evening the weight out as he focused further on the task at hand. It would sail right; Haraza had used this same spear in dozens of other hunting excursions. Most of them hits too. He lifted it a bit higher, the pointed end targeting the brute of a buck. Haraza narrowed his gaze. Haraza stopped again, standing firm and watching the deer. It was walking his way, fortune would have it, but it stopped every so many steps to look around. Same as Haraza had been doing. Still, why the beast had turned around was a mystery, but one Haraza greatly appreciated. He was tired of tracking these almond hoof prints, of following the brown animal from hours and hours. But he was out here for a reason. Haraza didn't understand why Azuria hated him. She called him childish? 'How am I childish? Gah.' Haraza blinked his eyes several times, shaking out the thoughts. No, not that reason. Haraza eyed the buck and moved his other hand slowly to grasp the spear, keeping his motions nice and light. The deer hadn't even looked his way, but the eyes could still spot him if he wasn't careful. So he would just have to be extra careful then. Haraza watched the way the animal moved. The long limbs were careful, each step meaningful. Like what Haraza attempted to copy. The brown coat was thicker from the winter months, a thick smokey brown with a vibrant white below. The buck had a great set of antlers, nice and tall and branched out, soon to be shed from the looks of it. Breathe in. The spear went flying, arching high as the deer came ever closer. Haraza's breath was quick, his muscles strong as he slung it forward with all his might. It seemed to be going well, the alarmed deer hadn't time to react as the spear went spinning through the air! Thunk! The spear sank deep, throwing up a bit of back splash as it went. Right into the ground. Breathe out.

[Haraza Frostfawn]

"Grrrrah!" The guttural shout Haraza roared out was followed by gritted teeth. His voice broke the silence that was the winter landscape, greatly overshadowed the whisperings of the wind's songs or the faint noises of nature around him. It was almost eerie, the difference of sound. But the eeriness melted away at the loud bellow from the buck. The smooth animal took a few panicked and quick steps away from Haraza and towards a different part of the treeline. Haraza took off running after the best, trying to catch it before it went into the treeline and was lost forever. As he ran, his hand quickly wrapped around the second spear on his back, slipping it easily from the knot that strapped it to him. Haraza glared at the buck and raised his second spear, ready to get it this time. But just as his arm would be swung the deer moved through the threes and out of sight. He exhaled heavily and lowered his head to run faster, trying to get the beast in sight before the web of frozen trees. Haraza's held the spear up, ready to throw it as soon as he turned within sight of the deer behind the heavy and ice-covered trees. But the spear just slightly put Haraza off balance. He held his weight a little funnier, a little less than perfect. And his mistake had its consequences. Haraza tumbled into the snow, his leg slipping out from under him and face-planting him into the white blanket below. Sadly the blanket wasn't nearly as soft as it should be, the previous months of snow had built up into a crunchy wall that bit and nipped with its icy claws as Haraza plummeted. His spear went wild, skirting through the snow like a snake for an instant to escape from Haraza's hands. Haraza just lied still for a moment, gathering his thoughts. He was angry and felt slight pain from the ice and was tired. He turned his face to the side, looking with blurry eyes towards the woods. A second to breathe, then we'll hunt that buck. Breathe in. Breathe out.

[Haraza Frostfawn]

Haraza's thoughts turned to a familiar place, the same thoughts shifting back through his head. These emotions plagued him, the confusion and longing and sadness. He didn't want to deal with them. That's why he was out here, right? But it's like he couldn't escape her gaze, her words, no matter how far he chased his prey away from Avanthal. Azuria's words echoed in his ears again, bringing back the memories. "You are nothing more than what you think you ought to be. You're a follower. And you're not worth my time." Her words were cruel, but he had pushed her to the point of exploding. Haraza closed his eyes tighter in the snow he lay, hoping to force out the memories. He had work to do. Haraza took a deep breathe and and tensed up, ready to stand and grab his spear, hunt this bull for a few more hours. He cursed himself silently for not just setting up in a tree and waiting, but he wanted to do it the hard way. He wanted to prove... something. But before his energy was used standing, Haraza froze. Breathe in and out and in and out. But that snarled breathing was not his own. Haraza raised his head slowly, piecing together the noises to try to figure out where the big animal was. He heard the hooves hitting the snow, getting louder, vibrating through the packed ice. The form of the deer was blurry for a moment longer after Haraza opened his eyes, but the wavering form of the deer came clear as it got closer. Before Haraza could move the deer charged. Haraza screamed loudly as the horns of the creature came closer, hoping to scare the bull off. This didn't make sense! It was well after rutting season, there was no reason for the stag to attack! But there was no time to figure out why the bull was charging, just to get it to stop. Haraza lifted his hands up to protect himself from the horns, but the buck raised up right before the antlers would impale him. Still, the dangerous hooves hung in the air above for what seemed like forever. Muscles rippled in the light brown legs above, and then they came down hard. The legs swept at him, striking his chest and air with painful blows. The air knocked free from his lungs with the lucky first blow Haraza could do n nothing for a moment but take an onslaught of limbs, the stag looking huge as it bared its weight above him. More heavy strikes connected, hitting his shoulders and head and arms. Haraza struggled to crawl away but the stag kept an even pace, striking him again and again. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted the spear that had dropped when he fell, a weapon, an end to the attack. Haraza scrambled backwards through the snow. He was still trying to protect himself from the full blows with his spare hand as he hurried back. The snow was becoming much more difficult to move though, bunching up and sinking and making him lose his footing in addition to the worries of the angry stag attacking. His hand reached out to the spear, his fingers just inches short. The buck above him gave angry grunts as it fought, bellowing out in fury. Haraza pushed himself back as quickly as he could, pushing against the spear and yelling out again as a hoof came down on his chest, sending more searing pain through him. But the pain wasn't his focus, he rolled over to his knee and held the spear tight. As quickly and powerfully as he could muster Haraza thrust the spear forward. Breathe in. Breathe out.

[Haraza Frostfawn]

Blood dripped down the spear, dotting the snow below. It colored his his gloves as it fell, painting the ground with long lines of red. Haraza's hands shook a bit as the deer groaned and grunted above, the spear shaft implanted deep in its chest. The world was... quieter. Haraza was breathing heavily, relieved that the onslaught was over. The buck staggered, losing its footing and fell aside, smashing into the snow. Its own breathing was weak and it was clearly in pain. Haraza quickly pulled a knife free from his side, a small one but sharp and suited to the task. He moved quickly, staying to the animal's back to avoid the hooves if any power still remained in them. His hand grasped the knife firm and made a quick motion to end the deer's life and pain as quickly as possible. Breathe i- "AAAHHR!" Haraza screamed out, grasping his side as he tried to take a deep breath. And like water pouring through recently cracked ice on a lake surface, pain too began to surface throughout Haraza's body. His hand grasped his tender side and he fell to his knees, teeth gritted at the pain. Haraza's eyes were shut tight, trying to focus on what he had to do instead of the pulsing pain. He needed to dress the deer, see if he could gather meat to carry. But he quickly dismissed the thought as a he stood up, another shoot of pain gripping him. He'd have to send someone back to collect the body, hope wolves or the like wouldn't get into the meat before he was able to return. For now he just had to get back to Avanthal. On shaky legs Haraza grabbed his free spear from where it had impanted into the snow. Rather than try to tie it he just held it in his hand and left the one inside the deer for now. Haraza stumbled away from the white and red scene, just trying not to think about the hours of pain-filled travel he'd have to go to to get back to Avanthal. And to not think about Azuria for now. He wasn't worried about any hunt right now. Just two phrases entered his mind. Breathe in. Breathe out.

[Cheshire]

Character: Haraza Frostfawn Experience: Observation +2, Stealth +2, Tracking +1, Hunting +2, Weapon (Spear) +2, Running +1, Weapon (Knife) +1 Lore: Knowing Signs of Stags [Basic], Rutting Season of Deer [Basic], Additional Note: Amazing hunting thread. It was really well written. I enjoyed reading it! PM me with concerns.