Closed A Day At The Range (Euthisa, Holland, Neris)

[Alori Sai]

Aela watched from beside Sira, as Euthisa took up the bow and loaded an arrow. She stayed silent, wanting to allow her friend to concentrate, and use her own instincts to make the shot. In her mind, firing the first arrow wasn't always the hardest. It was firing the second, after having missed the first. This was the point at which those subtle feelings became so much more stronger. However, it was possible that Euthisa might make the first shot, or at least come close to the center. So she waited, lips sealed as she watched her friend raise the bow and fire. Aela found herself a bit nervous as well, this was the first time she'd come to the range with another, and most of all, it was her first time training someone. She was a novice herself with the bow, and she'd hate to fail someone she called a friend. This would be a learning experience for them both, and she just hoped that she could help. Euthisa's aim seemed a bit high, but she couldn't be certain from where she stood. Aela breathed in as she watched, almost feeling as she was taking her first shot again. Once the arrow was launched, she breathed out and sighed as it drifted over the top. "Oh crap." She smiled and walked closer, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder. "You did fine. We're not Endals yet right?" She giggled leaning against Euthisa's shoulder. Aela was relieved that her friend hadn't taken the miss to heart. It was a working process for even the most talented of archers. And The little Avora knew that even she wasn't anywhere close to being one. "Okay..." She said and paused. It would have been nice, or at least helpful, if she could think of something to say as she made her shot. Something that Euthisa could keep in mind the next time that she attempted a shot. Moving into position, she lowered her bow and placed an arrow into line, and raised the bow with her eyes on the target. She had an idea as she stood there, and decided that she would pay close attention to her shot, and after she made it, she could then explain it better. With the arrow raised just a bit above the center target, Aela pulled back on the string and released the arrow. It soared through the air, in the same direction as Euthisa's and disappeared behind the target. "Oh..come on." She huffed. It surprised her that she missed the shot, especially after she had made the one earlier. It appeared that the fiery teen was even more nervous than even she thought. Was it because she trying to teach someone else a skill, one that she hadn't mastered herself? Or perhaps, it was because of the woman with the golden eyes. Aela could almost feel those eyes on her, watching her every move. Aela still couldn't remember much from the night before, but even so there was an intense feeling she felt when she was near this woman, someone she barely knew. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes, even as she drew forth another arrow and placed it against her bow. Aela removed all thoughts from her mind, and tried to focus. She did her best to ignore the sudden tremble in her hands, and her rising heart beat. She opened her eyes, and raised her bow toward the target and fired again. The arrow soared true, this time landing on the inner ring, close to the target."Petch.." she mumbled and turned to look at Sira. "Umm..Would you like to try next?"

[Sira]

Sira watched as both Aela and Euthisa shot and missed their targets. She smiled, recalling the days when she was just a beginner. She still wasn't an expert, but then again, she didn't really need to use a bow. It was more of a hobby for her, since she could just as easily hunt in her Wind Eagle form. But she enjoyed the skill it took to take down prey with a bow and arrow. Sira nodded, walking up to take her place in front of the target. It would be just her luck if she fired and completely missed the target, but then they might think she was doing it just to make them feel better. Her next shot was quicker than the one she had done before. She took her time as she nocked the arrow, but once she lifted it and drew it back to her anchor point she let go right away, relying more on instinct than aiming down the shaft in order to make the shot. Usually, when hunting, that was how it was done. Shots had to be quick, you didn't have time to aim, breathe, center yourself, aim some more, ect. Shooting in a range was much different than actually hunting, and Sira preferred to practice as if she were shooting at real game than round targets. The arrow flew out and hit the target, though not in the center. It was above and to the right of where her first arrow had gone. Sira frowned, it wasn't a bad shot, but she knew she needed to be more accurate. She needed to be able to shoot quick, so before she stepped aside, she drew another arrow and repeated the process, shooting off another arrow. This time it thudded above and to the left of her first arrow. Really, it wasn't a terrible grouping, but she had been aiming dead center and none of her shots hit the mark. "Hmm.. I guess that's good enough," she mumbled to herself before stepping aside and turning to face the others. "So um.. your turn again, I guess. One thing I would suggest is try not to hold it so long. It's hard to shoot fast, but if you hold it for more than a few ticks, you'll start to shake and your vision might get fuzzy. That's what I'm working on right now, trying to release quicker. Just pull, find the target, and let go before you have a chance to shake. You might miss a few times, but eventually you'll get used to it. Also, you'll be able to practice for longer if you do it that way. In the long run, it will make you a better shot." OOCAh, people who aren't archers trying to describe how to teach archery. What fun! I need to go practice with my bow some more so I can do these threads better.

[Holland]

Holland let out a frustrated sigh as she attempted to aim for the bulls eye once again. Unfortunately, it missed her goal point leaving her in utter misery. Many others wouldn't have had this obsession of being perfect, many others weren't like her. She craved for perfection just hoping for the day when she hears that she's good enough. Until that day she would continue to strive for perfection. No one would ever seem to understand her pain, the anxiety, and the frustration that was all wounded up in her frail body. It was hard not being able to tell anybody without crying or running away from her problems. The Avora never looked into having friends because Archery was a main priority in her life. The only thing she really thought about. Instead of being the regular Inarta who would eventually find their love and make many friends. She was busy practicing, unable to take her mind off of anything else. Her childhood was a traumatic one, and somehow she just came out all wrong. Holly only wished to be normal, even trying to be normal was hard when you had no one to support you. No matter how hard she tried, her old habits taunted her heavily. Giving into them she continued her life the same way. In the distance she saw a group of three attempting to practice in the ranges. With it being so crowded, it wreaked of anxiety and frustration. One of them being hers, but the smell still floated about. The three were laughing and taking turns, each one of them missing the bulls eye. Holland contemplated whether she wanted to go help them to get her mind off of things. But if she did that, would they accept her baggage that came with her? Her corpse was a weight to lift, with due time she knew soon a day would come when she was free. Free from her Mother, her Father's wishes, and just life itself. Mustering up her pride and courage she slowly made her way towards the group of girls. Her heart pounded against her chest as she found herself coming closer and closer. This was something unusual for her to do, everyone knew her as Ms. Obsessive or Ms. Loner. At least that was what she had heard from some bystanders while she practiced. Stepping out of her bounds felt like breaking through glass, painful. Holland had never had been able to communicate with others of her kind. It was only because she didn't group up being around others, talking and associating herself with them. Her parents decided it was better to isolate her from the real world, and what lied there. Her Father claimed that Wind Reach was full of imperfections and they would rub off on her. Eventually causing her to become an abomination to the family itself. The Avora loathed the fact her parents deiced to keep her when she should have set off from the rank of a Yasi. Being tied down was the worst thing that ever happened to her, and only now she is attempting to break out of her shell. From her daze she found them staring at her with a weird expression as she just stared at them with a blank face. Raising both brows she blinked quickly feeling her breath hitch. "Oh.. Um, h-hi... I'm Holland." She gave them a small smile and wave before feeling her heart rate pick up. "I'm sorry to d-disturb you, but umm... There is no space in the ranges, and I was wondering if I could join you guys?" The Avora found herself fumbling with her words but she was trying to fight running away. Her body was telling her to run, but her heart was telling her to see what comes out of it. The legacy she held was slowly shattering, and soon she'd be free.

[Euthisa]

Euthisa watched closely as Sira stepped up to take her turn. She fired several shots, quicker than before, and while she didn't hit the center, she at least hit the target. Euthisa wondered if it was the luck of the draw, or if she actually had skill shooting that quick. She had to be skilled to one extent or another, there was no doubt about that. Her experience was obvious in her every move. Euthisa could only hope to get herself to that level. With Sira finishing her shot, it was her own turn again. Sira explained why she was working on shooting quicker and how it helped, and Euthisa decided to give it a shot. She stepped forward and got ready to make her attempt, when they were joined by another girl. She was clearly nervous speaking to them, and Euthisa's heart went out to her. The girl introduced herself as Holland and asked to join their practice party. Euthisa hesitated, not wanting to speak for her friends, but she didn't think they'd mind, and she herself saw no problem with it. "Hi Holland. I'm Euthisa. These are my friends, Aela and Sira." She pointed each girl out as she called them. "The ranges are very packed. Of course you can practice with us. No laughing though, haha. This is my first time here." She smiled at the girl, hoping her friendliness would put her more at ease. She averted her attention back to the target down field and prepared to take her second shot. She replayed Sira's words in her head. Pull, find the target, release. Quick. Don't hold it. Don't concentrate too hard. She inhaled a deep relaxing breath, pulled back an arrow, and as soon as their target was in her vision, she let go. She'd shot a little lower this time, she thought, and she bit her lip in anticipation as the arrow flew down the range. When it landed, it was an improvement. She'd hit the target. It was off centered and low, low enough it'd just barely hit the target, but she was still happy she hit it. She knew this would take much more practice, but an improvement, even one that was probably pure luck, was one she wouldn't complain about. A beaming smile adorned her face and she almost jumped up and down with excitement. Calming herself though, she turned to Holland and offered for her to go next. "Here Holland. You can go next."

[Alori Sai]

Aela watched, surprised at how Sira took her shots. It was clear that the woman was used to firing from her bow. There were subtle things, only to those who had done so themselves would notice. She was much faster than Aela when she drew her arrow in, and it had to take practice to be able to fire so quickly and still hit the target. Aela was impressed and wondered if she should join Euthisa and allow Sira to teach them both how to shoot. She realized how silly she was to think that she could teach someone a skill that she was still new to, but it was worth a try for a friend. Once Sira was done and started to explain to them both the errors in their execution, she listened and while a bit confused at first, it made sense. She remembered how quickly she had fired while hunting as she was trying her best to hit the elk before it escaped. But for her, the shots had been too sloppy and she barely hit anything at all. She thought if she came to the range and practiced at a slower pace, that it would improve her shot for the better. She really felt silly now, after hearing Sira's explanation. She had been trying it the wrong way, although a seasoned hunter wouldn't need to fire as quickly if they could remain invisible to their prey, but stealth wasn't something she knew anything about. Watching as Euthisa stepped up to fire next, Aela stared at the target, making mental notes on what she had been doing wrong, and the best way to correct them. She turned suddenly, when a woman walked over and introduced herself. Smiling, Aela only waved her hand since Euthisa was already doing the introductions. She wasn't bothered in the least to share the spot with another. The range was still overly packed, and if it wasn't for the quick thinking of Sira, they would still be waiting themselves. As that thought crossed her mind, she couldn't help but to wonder what she had said to him that caused him to give up his spot. She had asked her before, but Sira hadn't answered her, which made her even more curious. Moving a bit closer to her and allowing Euthisa more room, she leaned towards Sira and asked. "So..before when you talked to that guy..What did you say to him?" Her attention was quickly drawn back to Euthisa at her excitement of hitting the target board."All right, go Euthisa!" She giggled and loudly clapped her hands together once. She was eager to go next, and test this new theory of Sira's out. It had helped her friend connect with the board and she hoped that it would work for her as well. But she didn't mind waiting and allowing the new comer to go first. "Go for it Holland."

[Sira]

Sira didn't have a problem at all with Holland joining them, so long as Aela and Euthisa were both okay with it. Since they both seemed fine with it, Sira happily greeted Holland the same as they did. When Euthisa stepped back up to shoot Sira made sure to watch. She didn't look away when Aela asked her again what she had said to the man, wanting to make sure she saw how Euthisa did. She did answer, though her playful tone suggested that there was more to it than she was letting on. "Oh, I just asked him nicely.. and I might have promised to do something mean if he said no," she added with a chuckle. Euthisa did what Sira suggested, and it seemed to work for her. The shot was far from perfect, but it hit the target, and that was most definetly an improvement. Sira had some more tips she might be able to give, but she wanted to wait to see how Holland did. If Holland was a better shot than Sira, then Sira might be the one asking advice. Sira still wasn't as good as she wanted to be, certainly not as good as the other endal. After she met Aidara, her training started to slack. It wasn't that she wasn't doing her job, she was just usually flying rather than using her bow. "Great job, Euthisa. You've got an instinct for this, I think. You just need practice. I've been shooting for years, but I'm nowhere near as good as I want to be. It just takes time and effort. So, let's see what you've got, Holland." Oddly enough, though, Holland seemed to have a change of heart. Rather than step up and shoot, she decided to leave instead. Sira was a bit confused by the woman's actions, but other than that, it didn't really matter to her. After shrugging, Sira decided to step up and take another shot herself. She continued to practice her instinctive shooting style. She stood with her feet about shoulder width apart, and slightly sideways. Her eyes were on the target, and never left it. Sira pulled an arrow from her quiver and nocked it to the string. She was used to doing that now, though she could recall a time when she needed to watch what she was doing and adjust the angle of the arrow before she was ready to draw. Now it was instinctual, and most times she was able to do it correctly without looking. Sira pulled back on the string, breathing in as she did so, and raised the bow at the same time. Her back straightened, and she naturally shifted into proper shooting form. It wasn't perfect form, but what felt natural for her, and in her mind that was what really mattered. She drew the arrow back until her index finger touched her cheek, aligning it with her target as she did so, and as soon as it was in position she released. She took her time that time, in comparison to the quick shots that she had done before, though her release was still just as quick. That was because she was trying to show exactly how she did it. The arrow flew out across the range and struck the center of the target, not dead center, but still in the center circle. Sira smiled, lowering her bow. It was always nice when a demonstration shot turned out good. "Oh yeah. Another thing about this kind of shooting, it's what you'll need to use if you ever want to be an endal.. or shoot from horseback, or something. Obviously you aren't going to be standing in one place if you are flying through the air, so you can't always be in perfect form."

[Euthisa]

Surprised but not alarmed at Holland's sudden disappearance, Euthisa carefully watched Sira. She didn't look at the target at all, just Sira's body and movements. She focused hard, blocking out all the other sounds and images around her. She watched Sira get into her stance, comfortable but balanced, watched as she eyed her target, eyes focused and unwavering, and watched as she knocked her arrow. This was all the easy part; the setup. What really made the difference would be how she takes the shot itself. Sira drew back her arrow and this time Euthisa saw her take a deep breath as she did. She'd missed that part before. Her posture was proper but relaxed. Easy stance, but a straightened and sturdy spine that steadied her form. Her hand reached up to graze her cheek, a close-quarter alignment, and she released. The shot paid off, smacking just inside the center ring of the target. She was impressive to watch if you had the chance to see just how she does it. "Oh that makes a lot of sense. You should get yourself used to shooting from random and quick positions because you won't always have the opportunity to take your time on a shot. You know Sira, you're a really good teacher. Might have to hire you as my tutor, haha." She turned to Aela. "You're good at teaching things too. I don't know what I'd do or how I'd learn this without you guys. Now let's see a bulls-eye Aela!"

[Alori Sai]

"Sira, that's horrible!" She said with a giggle. Aela couldn't have guessed what the woman had said to the man. What mean thing she could have come up with that would scare him enough that he would give up his post in the range. She giggled again, absentmindedly glancing around to see if the man was still around and turned back to Sira. "I hope he gets over it." she finished with a softer giggle, then folded her arms across her chest. Aela was proud of Euthisa, and how quickly she was picking it up. She still had far to go, but so did Aela, but with such determination she knew that they both could become fine archers in no time.She was also impressed with Sira, she was much better at teaching, and Aela became even more curious about her, and where she learned to shoot. She had visited, practiced at the range for a long time now, surly she would have noticed the woman at least once by now. "O...kay." She said softly, her eyes wandering off as Holland decided not to shoot with them. The woman did appear strange and timid when she first walked up. Aela hoped that they didn't scare her away, but then, they hadn't done anything other than be nice and offer her a place at their side. It wasn't as if they had leaned in and whispered words of ill intent into her ear, as Sira had done the man earlier. For whatever reason, she was gone and Sira decided to step up and shoot. Combing her hand through her hair, Aela flipped her bangs to the side and watched as Sira readied herself for the shot. She watched the woman, closely, paying attention to her form and the way she set up to aim. She was good, she had to be if she could nocked her arrow to her bow without looking. Aela always looked, even placing her bow across her knees to make sure that she nocked the arrow in the right way. She imagined that the woman had to be hunter, unless she just enjoyed using a bow so much that she stayed in practice. Another impressive shot from the mysterious woman sent a slight chill up Aela's spine. If she was a hunter, it might do her good to tag along with her so that she could learn more. Aela blushed at the thought, and waved her head at her silliness. Perhaps it wasn't yet time to ask, and she figured she'd get to know her better before asking something so serious. She smiled and nodded to Euthisa about how well Sira had done and then stepped up herself. Suddenly she felt her breathing deepen, her heart started to thump harder, and there was a tingle rising in her limbs. She was getting nervous again, most likely because of the accomplished archer standing next to her. Although it would have looked cool, Aela didn't attempt to nocke her arrow without looking, instead she did as she always had, placing the bow against her thighs and slipping the arrow in before slowly rising it while making sure that her fingers didn't slip and drop the arrow. She focused on the target, pulled back and fired, trying to move faster as they had been instructed. An almost inaudible whisper hissed from the bow's string as the arrow soared across the range and landed with a thud on the target board on the outer rim close to where Sira's had landed. It wasn't as impressive as Sira's shot, but Aela had realized chimes ago that Sira was now the teacher. Still, she pouted a bit, having always been the competitive type, it was still a blow to her ego. "Well.."she said with a sigh. "Next?"

[Sira]

Aela was not a bad shot. She knew what she was doing, though from the look of her, she lacked experience. Sira had been hunting and using her bow for some time now.. she did it every day, all day. It was true, she did not always use her bow when she hunted, because she could bring in much larger game in her eagle form. It was hard to hunt tuna with bows and arrows, and that was one of the staples of the Inartan diet. But Sira enjoyed hunting on foot as much as she did by sky, and there was nothing quite like the thrill of stalking one's prey through the forest until she was able to line up that perfect shot and take it down. The predator in her absolutely loved it. While their competence and accuracy might not have been all that far apart, it was Sira's experience in the field that gave her such grace when using her weapon. Practicing at the range could only teach you so much. Her new friend would have to go hunting if they truly wanted to get good.

Aela's shot hit very close to Sira's, causing the kelvic to smile. She certainly wasn't a bad shot. It wouldn't be long before Aela would be hitting the center regularly, and when she could do that, she could move on to moving targets, which would give her a greater edge if she ever did go hunting. Hitting a moving target, or worse, hitting a target while moving yourself, was much harder than standing still and shooting at a still target. And unfortunately, targets did not always stay still when hunting in the wild. But it wasn't time for that step yet, especially since they were supposed to be teaching Euthisa.

Euthisa lacked training, but she was not hopeless. Far from it, the woman seemed to have a knack for the bow. She was picking up the advice Sira and Aela offered easily enough, and already there was improvement. It was her turn to shoot as well, and Sira wanted to watch and see what she had learned so far.

"You go ahead, Euthisa. Both of you take a few more shots, I'll just watch and try to give you some advice. You wont get better just by watching me, you've gotta practice yourself too."

[Sphinx]

Aela Calder

Award

Skill	XP Earned	Lore Earned
Weapon: Longbow	3 XP	• Splitting Another's Arrow
Socialising	2 XP	•

Sira

Award

Skill	XP Earned	Lore Earned
Intimidation	1 XP	• Everybody Practises Today
Socialising	2 XP	• Using Your Caste to Get Your Way
Weapon: Shortbow	3 XP	•
Teaching	1 XP	•

Euthisa

Award

Skill	XP Earned	Lore Earned
Socialising	2 XP	• A Chiet in an Avora World
Weapon: Longbow	2 XP	• Ambition to Rise in Caste

The Sphinx's Riddle

Holland, I withheld your grade due to your retirement. If you return and would like it posted, please do not hesitate to PM me.

Aela, I've never before seen an arrow split in half in a thread. Kudos to you! Euthisa, it was good to see you in a foreign setting like this. I found it particularly charming that Sira struck up a seductive pose and then intimidated her new Avora friend.

Wonderful thread, ladies. It's too bad it didn't go longer.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your grade, please send me a PM and we can figure it out.