{Flashback} Riding into the Hunt (solo)

[Kelaugh]

Summer 15th 508 AV

Kelaugh had been looking forward to this trip for a long time. She'd packed two days ago and had been grooming Dratai to within an inch of his life. The first day of her fussing, Dratai had borne it well, only fussing once or twice, which was usual for him. Yesterday, though, he had stood for a bit, then ran off and wouldn't come back for her. She'd had no choice but to give it up. But the moment she had put the grooming gear away, Dratai had come up behind her and stuck his head over her shoulder, looking for attention.

Kelaugh smiled and left the tent with her packed bags, her bow and quiver already strapped to her back. She set her bags aside as she called for Dratai to come, using a shrill whistle. When he approached she smiled and stroked his forelock and behind his ears, "Hello you." She said before she went about securing her yvas onto him, then attaching the bags to it.

Her father, Leros, and brother, Tais, rode over and urged her to mount, they were eager to get hunting. She grinned and mounted, urging Dratai into a trot, Tais and Leros close behind.

[Kelaugh]

As they rode further into the sea of grass, Kelaugh let Dratai have his head and enjoyed the ride. Soon enough, however, they came upon the tracks of a herd of deer, Kelaugh was the first to spot them as she was familiar with deer tracks. Leros praised her for her keen sight.

Kelaugh watched and listened to her father as he told her how to tell which way they had headed and how long ago they had made the tracks. Soon they were trotting off in the direction the animals had gone, and not long ago according to the tracks.

They continued until they caught sight of the deer bounding through the grass. Kel slowed Dratai down and took her bow from her back, Tais and Leros doing the same. Leros motioned for Tais to move to the left flank, as he had more experience with hunting, and told Kelaugh to stick by him. Kelaugh did as she was bidden, urging Dratai closer to her father.

They slowly approached the herd of deer, her father praising the gods that the wind was in their favour. He told Kel that as long as they were downwind, the deer wouldn't pick up on them following.

Kelaugh nodded her understanding and felt her blood singing as they neared the herd. Her brother signalled Leros, pointing out a young buck who seemed to be lagging a bit behind the others. Leros nodded his understanding and signalled him to start the chase.

[Kelaugh]

Tais grinned and began to charge at the deer, cutting between him and the herd. The buck started and tried to manoeuver around the strider blocking his path to the herd, but Tais was skilled and his strider, Onyz, was well trained to respond to him. He pushed the buck further and further from the herd, before taking his bow swiftly from his back and notching an arrow, loosing at the buck. The arrow missed but served to force the buck further away from the safety of the herd.

Leros motioned for Kel to follow him and drew an arrow from his quiver. Kelaugh followed suit, drawing an arrow and laying it on her bow, fingers poised to draw.

She rode now only with her knees, she had been practising this in preparation for today and she was glad she had. Kelaugh signalled Dratai to follow her father's strider Estas.

Soon, Onyz tired slightly and the buck slipped through making a mad dash for the herd, but Tais' interference gave Leros and Kelaugh enough time to gain on them and Leros let his arrow fly at the buck. It barely grazed his flank, but Kelaugh loosed soon after and managed to pierce the buck's belly.

Tais loosed once more and this arrow hit true, sliding between ribs and entering the doomed buck's heart. The buck dropped swiftly, tumbling into the grass and lying still.

[Kelaugh]

Kelaugh whooped and urged Dratai closer to the buck's carcass. Dratai detested the smell of blood and pranced nervously, but Kel held firm.

Leros, Tais and Kelaugh all dismounted and knelt around the buck. Leros took a knife from his belt and recited a prayer of thanks to the gods and bid them to help the buck return to the web. Kelaugh watched as her father then slit the beasts neck, watching the blood stain the soil dark red.

She watched Tais as he drew his own knife and began to cut skillfully at the beast, beginning to skin the hide from the neck down. Her father began to do the same, naming the cuts of meat as they pulled them from the body. Teaching Kelaugh the best way to quickly achieve this, as the fresh kill would not go unnoticed by the various predatory beasts of the Sea.

Soon they had wrapped the meat in clean cloth and put it in a bag that Tais attached to Onyz's yvas. The hide was preserved as best as possible and this they rubbed with salt, before wrapping it in on itself, fur out and placed in another bag, which Leros attached to Estas. Out of the offal, they saved the heart, kidneys and liver, with the liver a small green sack of bile had to be removed before putting it in a bag with the rest which Kelaugh attached to Dratai. Her father then took a saw from his belt and sawed the bucks antlers from the skull, tying them together and hanging them on Estas as well. These could be used to make jewellery, a hilt for a weapon or even for some medicinal uses.

Leros said a final prayer over the stripped carcass, before they all mounted up. They did a quick lookout for predators but couldn't see any, as yet.

[Kelaugh]

Leros and Tais ran Estas and Onyz back to the camp, Kelaugh not far behind with Dratai. She loved riding, loved the feel of the raw power between her knees, the strong bunching of Dratai's muscles. She gripped her hands in his mane and revelled in the freedom of the ride.

Soon, too soon in Kelaugh's opinion, they were back at the pavilion. Each of them untied their bags of prizes and Kelaugh ran to her mother with the offal because it was the first to be cooked. She then returned to Leros and Tais and helped them cut up the meat for smoking. They cut the meat into managable strips, then rubbed them with a combination of herbs. They then took small metal hooks and hooked the meat onto it, then put them on metal poles with were suspended over the fire made from the hardwood trees found on the outskirts of the Sea of Grass.

That task was finished and the next was the hide. After attaching it to a frame, they scraped off any flesh still attached before rubbing some more salt into it. This process would continue for a while (over a week) but Kelaugh still felt happy to have achieved so much today, in such a short time.

Her father cautioned her that not every hunt went so smoothly. Kelaugh took note of this, but refused to let that get in the way of her enjoying this day.

That night they feasted on a warm deer stew. And to Kelaugh she had never tasted anything better.

END

[Stranger]

XP Award!

Horsemanship +3
Riding +3
Tracking +2
Archery +2
Leatherworking +2
Butchery +2


Lore:
The Hunt
The Strider and the Drykas Bond

Notes: Nice solo. Let me know if you think I missed anything!