Food in the Valleys(Kiou)

[Jaeden Kincade]

Jaeden gave a nod as the smell of the campfire smoke was now lingering in his nostrils. “Wandering the lands. I did that for a few years.” Jaeden commented, as the trudged over one more incline, coming across a small flat clearing.

It was a simple enough spot. A four man tent not far off to the side. A dug out fire pit at the center with the workings of a spit next to it. A preservation kit plus some spikes, for laying out the hide of Jaeden’s prey, off in the corner of the camp. A backpack and saddle was laid out next to the tent, with a large Nightwalker roaming nearby the camp, foraging for edible plants that either poked out above the snow, or laid shallowly beneath it. The sound of a small stream echoed within Kiou’s ears, not terrible far off from camp itself. A fresh water supply, close enough to walk for, but not so close that animals stopping by for a drink would be drawn curiously towards the noises of a camp.

Red moved into camp, first grabbing a few sticks and throwing them along the fire to feed it and keep any chance of it dying out at bay. She then pulled out some hemp rope, carrying it over near the preservation kit. “Settled in Sylira for a little while then, my homeland. Well, aside from the occasional job as a wilderness guide.” Jaeden then said as the pair of them dragged the elk over to the area, where Jaeden would field dress it.

Jaeden the let the leather strap drop to the ground, walking over towards the tent for a moment as he began to strip his belt and other needless gear for the next task at hand. “So, how do you prefer your meat?” Jaeden said, stepping back over towards the elk as he loosened the ties that kept it held to the body sled. “Raw, cooked a little bit, cooked nicely, or burnt as hell?”

[Kiou]

Kiou scowled as the smoke from the campfire burned his nose, his eyes following the scent ahead of them, his keen eyes catching sight of the flickering light of the fire not far ahead. Digging his feet into the snow, he trudged up the small incline, glad to find that it evened out at the top into a small clearing. He surveyed the hunters camp, catching sight of a large tent pitched a little off to the side, a fire sitting in the center of the clearing. He caught sight of the saddle the exact same second he heard the horse it belonged to shuffling nearby, nosing around some of the plants that strived to survive this winter season. Seemed they wouldn't succeed. Though he couldn't see it, he could hear the faint sound of water nearby, near enough for them to get water as they pleased. He watched as the fox strolled into the clearing, adding a few more logs to a dwindling fire. He watched as she carried some rope over to some kind of kit, probably for curing the meat or something along the lines. He shifted his gaze back to Jaeden as the man spoke again, speaking of Sylira. Kiou knew a little about the place, having passed through every now and then, though he hardly stayed for long. It was an ok place, though. As they dragged the elk the last few stretches, he glanced down at the beast, momentarily, before turning his gaze back to the man who had shot it. When they came to a halt, and he saw Jaeden drop his side of the strap, Kiou did likewise. He watched silently as Jaeden went over towards his tent stripping some of his gear as he did so. When asked the question, he had to restrain a small laugh. That was the first he had ever been asked the question. "However you fix it. It matters not to me how you cook it; meat is meat," he replied, smiling slightly.

[Jaeden Kincade]

“Well, sometimes it depends on the cook.” Jaeden muttered under his breath as he began tying the rope around the elk’s hind legs. A stick was slipped between the hind legs itself, keeping them spread before the other end of the rope was tossed over a nearby tree limb.

His feet anchored into the ground as he gave a grunt and leaned back, tugging along the rope as he began pulling the elk up until it dangled in the air, hanging about a foot off the ground. “So, no bondmate then?” Jaeden then asked, pulling out his knife once again as he began cutting into the elk, first circling the hide around just below where he tied off the rope to the elk’s hind legs and making strait cuts along the hide strait down the inner part of the legs. “If it’s a topic of conversation you don’t want to go into, I’ll understand of course.”

Red came up from the side, slipping a pan under the elk as blood began to trickle out and towards the ground. Jaeden wasn’t the best skinner in the world, cutting too deeply at some points and having issues with cutting a strait line down the front of the elk itself. The process of skinning the elk and cleaning the meat from it would take a short time, so Jaeden tried to fill such with conversation, though his topic of choice was strait and blunt, some would consider.

[Kiou]

Kiou watched silently as Jaeden began binding the elk's hind legs together, placing a stick between them before tossing the other end of the rope over one of the nearby tree limbs. He watched curiously, taking mental notes. Who knew when the information might come in handy. He had never watched anyone skinning an animal before, and figured it might be an interesting process. Watching as Jaeden hauled the elk into the air, about a foot or so off the ground, he was once again impressed by the humans strength. Not every human could lift a 500lb elk a foot into the air. When asked the question, he remained silent for a moment, watching Jaeden as he cut into the elk's hide. Almost as if in response to his momentary silence, Jaeden spoke again, stating that he understood if Kiou was unwilling to speak of the issue. "No, it's fine," he replied slowly, watching the other kelvic as she placed a pan under the elk, catching the dripping blood. "I guess I just haven't really looked for one yet. Figured I would get out and explore while I can," he stated, shrugging slightly. "But who knows; maybe I'll meet them during my travels." Kiou didn't think about bonding all that much. Or at least, he tried not to. Frankly, the thought of bonding to someone slightly scared him. What if his bondmate was someone cruel, or if he got chained again? He wasn't sure about the idea of bonding, but he felt it, deep within, that he should, that he needed to, bond to someone. He decided to push the thoughts of bonding away for the time being. It was a topic that he wasn't too keen on thinking of, and instead, shifted his gaze, and attention, back to Jaeden, watching quietly as the hunter went about skinning his prize.

[Jaeden Kincade]

Jaeden began moving the blade of his dagger over the fore legs of the elk, cutting along the inner leg before circling around near the mid joints. “That’s usually when it does happen for many I imagine.” Jaeden commented as he raised his dagger once again, turning the elk before cutting along the tail. “She was a captive. Collared and used for sport in some vulgar hunting game that a small group of hunters thought would make them some coin.”

Jaeden shook his head slightly. “Hunting as sport. A complete affront to Caiyha in my opinion.” Jaeden grumbled as he began to peel back the hide now, starting at one of the legs. It took a bit of effort, but the hide otherwise separated from the muscle tissue somewhat easily. Every now and then Jaeden would pause, sliding the edge of his dagger over fat and connective tissue, cutting through such parts to prevent the hide from being torn if it were simply pulled free. “Anyways. I took Red’s collar off, we worked together in freeing the other Kelvics, bonding over the experience together. We’ve been traveling together ever since.”

Jaeden had pulled the hide free halfway down now, as the skin hung draping, revealing the large quantities of meat that would be cooking or being preserved soon. It wouldn’t be long before a final, quick tug from Jaeden would free the rest of the hide completely from the elk’s corpse. “So, life of contention then or are you seeking answers you don’t have yet, to questions you aren’t aware of?” Jaeden said with a smirk, knowing the question itself made very little sense on a practical level.

He slowly knelt along the ground, grabbing a woodsman axe nearby before he began spreading out the hide, and staking it out along the ground, stretching it slightly. His dagger was then scrapped along the inner lining of the skin itself, as pieces of fat and meat that had torn away during the skinning were scrapped free from the hide.

[Kiou]

Kiou listened quietly as Jaeden spoke of who he figured to be the kelvic fox, watching attentively as the hunter cut deep into the elk's hide, watching the blood flow down into the pan, easy to see as it was silhouetted in the dazzling white snow. When Jaeden spoke of someone by the name of Caiyha, he frowned slightly, not recognizing the name. He thought nothing of it, however, and instead turned his attention back to the elk as it's hide was being stripped. Jaeden continued to speak of the fox, whom he seemed to refer to as Red, and Kiou briefly shifted his gaze to the fox, watching her momentarily before shifting his gaze away once more. He knew that it was not a fun experience to wear collars, or chains of any sort. He was glad to find that Jaeden had helped some kelvics to escape them, and felt slightly grateful to the fact. No one, kelvic or otherwise, should be forced to where chains. It was one of the worst feelings you could have; your freedom is limited to about five feet, if that. Shaking the thoughts from his mind, he leaned back against a nearby tree, closing his eyes as he considered Jaeden's next question. "Answers to questions I have yet to discover, most definitely," he replied with a casual shrug. He had many questions about this world that he did not understand, and he had no doubt that more would pop up along the way. He listened quietly to the sounds around him; the dripping of blood into the pan, the fire cackling noisily nearby, the scraping of Jaeden's knife against the inner side of the elk's hide, that giant of a horse still nosing around through the snow for food. Kiou let out a small sigh, wondering what he was doing here. This went against all of his habits that he had acquired over his relatively short time on his own. Was the only reason he had tagged along was for a meal? Probably not, but he decided that he would only ever admit that that was his reasoning. He was somewhat lonely, however, and at times, he acutely felt it. He would see how this night went, however, whether the outcome good or bad, it would be interesting nonetheless.

[Jaeden Kincade]

Jaeden gave a slow nod, moving back over towards the elk once again. “That’s the walk of life, I suppose.” Jaeden said as he began to cut out the elk’s stomach and major organs. “Sort of just finding one’s place in the world. Many don’t even realize they’re doing it.“

Red would catch them along in separate pans and dishes, carrying each them out to deeper parts of the forest and leaving them for the scavengers and other predators that ventured to them. Jaeden then slowly held out the dagger towards Kiou, hilt first. “If you would continue cutting away meat from the elk, I’ll get tonight’s dinner started?” Jaeden then offered. “After I get the initial courses over the flames, I’ll show you some food preservation techniques. It won’t be anything major, but it will keep food fresh enough that you can carry it around for at least a day or two before it begins turning bad.”

[Poison]

THREAD AWARD!

Kiou:
Skills: Observation 3, Tracking 2, Hunting 1

Lores: Acquaintance: Jaeden

Jaeden:
Skills: Hunting 5, Tracking 3, Observation 3, Bow 2, Rhetoric 2, Running 1

Lores: Hunting in the Snow, Acquaintance: Kiou, Negotiating with Lions, Constructing a Body Sled

Comment: This was a great thread. It's too bad that Kiou disappeared. I especially liked the description of Jaeden hunting. I could almost see him, hunting that elk!

Let me know if anything is unclear or if you think you deserve more/different XP!

Kiou: If you ever come back, let me know, and I'll award you XP as well.