The Calm Before the Storm (Aello)

[Gunho Ma]

Injured but not out for the count. The thing could run, even with the staggering forth step in its canter this deer could race and keep itself from becoming another meal for awhile. It ran, its hooves leaving deep impressions upon the soil covered ground in it's urgency. Gunho was having a hard time running, keeping up with the thing was taking its toll on his stamina but he was so close... he just had to wait, until they were running towards that steep hill right in front of them.. And the creature ran, it fought against the hill despite its faltering rear hoof and made good progress. And then it fell into Gunho's trap. It could move, but not fast enough in this snowy incline. He'd already stopped at the foot of the hill to get into the stance required of him. He pointed the bow towards the creature, his elbow jutting out slightly while he kept Aello's shortbow fixed in his arm. He quickly loaded the arrow, notching it unto the string with three fingers to secure it and once he sighted the damned deer he exhaled a breath, adjusted the angle of the arrow slightly so it was pointing up and fired. The shot was fast, but he'd woefully miscalculated at the last moment. His arrow hadn't been drawn far back enough in his haste and while it did hit the deer it nicked the thing's head instead of plunging into unprotected flesh. Skulls were not easy to pierce through and the arrow almost harmlessly ricocheted off course from the creature's head. It wasn't a harmless attack however. The creature panicked and with its injured leg finding slipper purchase on the snow had lost traction and it lost balance. The thing fell, rolling down the hill in Gunho's way so quickly that the masseur was only able to escape injury by throwing himself away from the creature and falling on his back and rolling in the snow. That was one lesson he'd learned long ago at Lhavit, a lesson on how to brace one's self against being thrown. It was strange how old lessons seemed to come in handy here though he'd still recieved a few shallow scractches on his forearm for skidding against a rough rock. Yet he'd cradled Aello's bow during his fall and he was able to get up with it intact. Perhaps its was his stupidity, that made him prioritize someone's weapon over his own safety. He didn't know what had happened while he was rolling. The world was spinning in confusion to him and he wasn't sure if Aello would've tried anything against their fallen prey while he was still trying to get his bearings and his head on straight.

[Aello]

As Aello kept on running she couldn't help but think that this chase would be going on for quite some time. For although the deer had been injured, it would not stop. It simply refused, knowing full well what its fate would be should the two humans catch up to it, but not what its fate would be should it get away. For then, it may last a little longer, but, in Aello's heart, she knew it unlikely to make it through the night. Ignoring the thoughts as she ran along, her chest growing tight with the strain, Aello simply watched the flickering lights. Chased after them blindly until they came to a rise in the terrain. "Gunho, no!" Aello screamed as she watched what was happening, from a place which seemed so far away. But it was too late, the arrow was gone, and in an instant, the deer was cascading back down the snowy hill towards her feet. Without thinking, Aello dashed forward, and then, pushed up off the ground with her feet, just before the creature reached her. She tucked her legs in, and pushed them behind her, towards her back. As Aello glanced down, she could see the bellowing deer sliding past, just as she began to sink. Her temporary dwelling in the air fading away, as she pulled her legs away from her back and drew them both beneath her form, to catch herself. It seemed only an instant had passed before she touched down on the ground. Her feet hitting the gentle slope in the terrain unevenly; hard. The girl grunted as she looked behind her, at Gunho and the deer, and simply shook her head as she turned. Her hair splaying into her face as her grip tightened around the hilt of her dagger, as she swung her body around, before releasing it, tossing it at the downed deer. Towards it round belly. Aello thought she could see fear in the creature's eyes as the dagger swirled through the air. Twisting and flashing in the sunlight as it finally came to imbed itself in the deer's side. "Finish it Gunho," Aello panted, as her left hand made its way to the hilt of her spare dagger. The one devoid of blood. Slowly, she could feel herself releasing it from its bed, waiting, to see if Gunho could handle the task she had given him. OOCApparently the dagger skill encompasses throwing them as well, which means Aello should be good at this too. >.<

[Gunho Ma]

Gunho hadn't been able to witness Aello's spectacular display of skill and agility but he was able to see what she'd done the moment his vision recovered. The deer's fate was sealed now that it had been mortally wounded, it was going to die here and the only thing they had control over was how long it would take before the thing perished. Gunho was aware of what Aello was asking of him. Why she was offering him the dagger was a mystery to him however. Did she think him too kind-hearted to end this thing's life? Or was she simply giving him the privilege of ending the hunt. Regardless he'd already killed a man once and he'd experienced kill fowl and even a goat in preparation for cooking. This was just another meal and in these harsh times a man couldn't afford to waste a gift as precious as this. He relieved Aello of her dagger carefully and approached the deer, supressing its jerking head with a hand and its body with his leg. Then he touched the creature's neck and head with two fingers, looking for the perfect position that would allow him to end the thing's life swiftly, he found the depression he was looking for and without fanfare, slid steel into its neck, into its brain and with a twist of the pommel the thing stopped struggling and fell limp. "I'll open this up, take what meat I can get from it and wash them downstream. Do you want to bury the remains here or will you leave it here for scavengers?" he sounded tired, but he had began his work. He used Aello's dagger to slowly make choice cuts where there would be meat, avoiding the innards which could rupture and soil edible muscle. "We're not close enough to camp and a sated wolf is less likely to go approach us tonight." "If there's anything else you need I can cut it out for you."

[Aello]

Aello chuckled. "In this weather? It'd be a wonder if any of them were still left awake." She eyed the Shinya uneasily, watching him carve up the creature with her dagger. She hadn't been offering it to him. Simply holding it at the ready, just in case he couldn't do what needed to be done himself. "Even if there were some, the ground is hard. It'd be difficult to bury what's left of that thing," Aello went on as she gestured to it with a hand. "So, if there are any, perhaps they will come. Can't say they strike much fear in my heart anymore," Aello chuckled. "Simply killed too many... it gets easier you know, when you come to know their weaknesses, which doesn't come too difficultly when you travel with one at your side." Aello's eyes sparkled as she retrieved her bloody dagger and sheathed it with ease. "Just wash the other one when you're done," Aello instructed, as she retrieved her bow and arrows from Gunho and stepped away to let him work. She figured she'd watch his back as he left himself open for attack, and then perhaps, if she felt generous, help him carry the meat back to camp. She didn't see the point in that though, considering how he seemed strong enough to handle something so simple, and how someone should be at the ready. Looking out for any possible surprises. "Then we can go back," Aello added, as she glanced around, thinking it more than likely that they'd be left alone for awhile.

[Gunho Ma]

Aello's confidence in her skill was reassuring. Gunho didn't know what he'd do against an animal, he could probably put up something of a fight against another man... especially an unarmed man but he couldn't claim any experience in killing dire animals. "Then I'll trust in your fearsome ability." he returned her chuckle with hearty laughter of his own. "Leave the mundane tasks to me." Since he could finally relax and completely drop his guard Gunho was able to work faster. He carved what meat he could, turning the skin of their kill into a sort of bad and lumped hearty red meat into it. He avoided especially tough flesh and anything close to the intestines as he'd been taught to do at Lhavit. A few minutes later he had more meat ready for transportation than they could consume this day. "I'll just go wash this now, it's not really heavy so I can do it on my own." he lifted the fruits of their kill in a makeshift skin bag. "If you can go back to camp and keep the fire going that'd be great. I stacked a lot of firewood during the morning so we won't have trouble with that until the next morning's done." If Aello wanted to accompany him wash the meat at the river she was welcome to do so, but it would be boring business that Gunho would finish with no fanfare. He'd return to camp with the pieces of meat ready for cooking and would immediately soak the bottom of the frying pot with oil. He'd return Aello's dagger to her and work with his own. While he waited for the oil to simmer he'd cut down the potatoes into really thin strips and would follow up with salt, ginger, garlic and mushrooms to follow the oil in short order. Then the potatoes already cooked would turn golden brown and meat... each slice carefully made thin the the masseur would fall into the pan and he would allow it to cook, thin slab of meat, one at a time and stack them on the wooden plate. The thin slabs of meat would cook quickly and before long he'd have on two plates, a collection of make-shift steaks, thoroughly cooked because he didn't want to risk them catching any kind of disease. Then the crispy potatoes that had turned into chips wouuld follow shortly and finally, onions, quickly sliced and grilled in rings would be placed on top of the meat with the juices of their meal serving to cover their food in a glossy sheen that carried the harmonious combination of the ingredients Gunho had used. "Brunch is served Aello, I hope you enjoy it." he'd bow, theatrically at Aello, hoping that she'd find this dish well. He usually used beef with this recipe, so he wasn't sure how she would like this improvised dish.

[Aello]

"I'll meet you back there," Aello responded as she reached for her dagger and tucked it back into place. Sheathing it with a strangely satisfying ring. As soon as the metal had returned to its resting bed, Aello turned away from Gunho, and moved off through the forest, following the trail they had left in their wake back to camp, arriving several chimes later, long before Gunho. Sighing as she eased her bow onto the ground, Aello moved over to the fire, and half-heartedly tossed several small sticks from a nearby stack onto the logs. She watched them curl as they blackened, the fire crackling around them, growing. Sending pillars of dark grey smoke into the sky. Slowly, she eased her body down and blew on the fire lightly, fanning the flame. She watched it grow, licking the underside of the sticks, as she backed away and stood up. The aurist simply stared off towards the trees for several chimes. Her gaze seemed to cloud over after awhile, only to come back to normalcy when Gunho showed himself, and set about his work. While he did so, the girl said nothing, standing silent, as though guarding their camp. It was only when the former Shinya spoke that Aello seemed to remember his presence. "I'm sure I will," Aello called, as she took her plate from him and nodded in thanks, before moving off to one of the fat logs and taking a seat. The aurist watched tendrils of steam rising towards her nostrils. They flared, as they caught the scent of freshly cooked meat. "I guess we should dig in," Aello called, as she picked up a chunk of deer, and brought it to her mouth, nibbling off the end, and chewing thoughtfully, before going in for more. As with the day before, the dish wasn't particularly flavorful, but it was cooked fairly well. Burnt a bit about the edges in her opinion, but far less than if she had tried it herself. "It's good," she muttered, as she finished chewing and went after another piece. "Good job Gunho," she added, just before she plopped another strip in her mouth.

[Gunho Ma]

He waited for the girl's judgement before he dug in himself. When he popped a piece into his mouth and chewed it thoroughly he came to understand that while the dish wasn't revolting, it was lacking in flavor. It's saving grace was really in the deer's natural flavor which could stand on its own without the need for really good condiment. Gunho smiled, even if he wasn't thoroughly satisfied. It wasn't a disappointing meal but it was significantly better than last night's dish. He'd just have to freeze the remaining pieces of meat somewhere that they wouldn't grow cold. He guessed the iron oven would do the trick once it was washed with melted ice and had turned relatively cool again... As he enjoyed his meal and passed Aello the bottle containing melted snow-water he wondered just how long their fortune could remain this way. He rather thought that unwinding this way wasn't so bad, he just hoped that the weather wouldn't spoil it but turning harsher on them. There were the wolves of course, but that was out of sight and mind.

[Emblem]

Congratulations! You Get Glorious Experience! Gunho Skills Weapon: Shortbow- 5 XP Observation- 4 XP Cooking- 4 XP Hunting- 4 XP Wilderness Survival- 3 XP Running- 2 XP Tracking- 2 XP Dagger- 1 XP Lores Chasing Dinner First Hunt Food Preparation- Potatoes Food Preparation- Deer Aello Skills Teaching- 5 XP Observation- 3 XP Seduction- 3 XP Tracking- 3 XP Wilderness Survival- 2 XP Running- 2 XP Auristics- 1 XP Lores Chasing Dinner Hunting in Winter Tracks: Deer Comments : This was a highly entertaining thread, well done! Hopefully the lores and skills make sense to you all, and if you have any questions or concerns, PM me!