Closed An Afternoon of Arrows

[Arandolya]

Timestamp: 91st of Winter, 512 AV

Flying on an eagle never got boring.

No matter how many times Arandolya almost got pitched off, or felt dizzy just by looking down, she would do it again and again. And again. For her there was nothing more satisfying than seeing first-hand the bond between Rider and Eagle, as the bird turned and the Endal shifted in such a perfect unison it was as though another just was an extension of one's self.

She could only pray that one day she would be like these fierce hunters, and be able to run game down from the sky on her own Eagle. For now though, Arandolya had to be content with sitting dutifully at the back of this patient Eagle and wait for when they landed.

Just the other day the food-stores had run dry, and right in time for Spring to begin. Even so, Arandolya and a few other Avora were going out today to see if they could bring back some small game along with the hunt of the Endal. Most Avora offered (more like begged) to be taken as a second rider, though Arandolya said she would go alone to hunt as not every Eagle could (or would) carry another rider.

With the afternoon spanning in front of her, Arandolya breathed in the crisp air of winter as the eagle landed with a flurry of powdered snow. Not quite at Thunder Bay, but not near the mountain, Arandolya hoped this spot would produce some animals that could be carried back. She jumped off and bowed to the Endal with a murmured thanks, also thanking the Eagle with a stroke of its beak. Both nodded sharply and took off with little more than a quick comment of returning later for her - after all a redhead in a white forest couldn't be that hard to find, right?

Arandolya strung her composite bow bought only days before, and still slightly unfamiliar. She hadn't had time to avidly practice it with the Winter season coming to a close and all hunters sent into the forest to see if animals had begun to waken in earnest. Most of them she had come back empty-handed, but today, having some company, Arandolya hoped the two of them would be able to pull of something worthy of the seasonal pay.

Only once her bow was strung, and quiver readjusted, did Arandolya turn to her companion. This man, unlike the draw weight of her short bow, was very familiar. Not only from her past as a child, but also from the recent season when they had trained together in the heart of the Twin Lakes. "Ready, Kovac?" Arandolya asked, wearing a pleasant smile.

[Kovac]

As much as he begrudged the Endal their privilege, Kovac could not deny the inherent thrill of riding with them. To soar above the landscape astride a Wind Eagle was a boon only the riders and the few hunters they carried could enjoy, and Kovac would not complain a bit about a joyride.

The eagles descended in an open area of the Unforgiving, dropping off the pair of hunters with a prearranged check in plan. Riders were depositing hunters in pairs and small groups in promising hunting grounds before setting off to hunt themselves along the mountain slopes. Hopefully Kovac and Aran could bag some healthy game to take back, hunters could be a bit competitive.

Kovac tightened the belt on his katinu and slung his pack over his shoulder. His long knife dangled from the belt, and a talon sword was strapped next to the quiver on his back. It was a lot to carry, but the Unforgiving was just that, and someone unprepared soon died there. Wiping down his bow, Kovac leaned heavily on it, bending the wood and horn laminated weapon until he could loop the bowstring over the end. His gaze lifted to his partner. Arandolya was stringing hers, and he noticed she now had a composite bow similar to his own.

The hunters tightened up their gear, readied their weapons and Aran asked if he was ready. " Yep!" Kovac replied, walking over to the golden-eyed girl. He gave her a nudge with his elbow, flashing a snarky grin before glancing at her bow. "Finally, I see you moved up to a big girl bow!" He teased his friend.

Kovac gestured to a copse of evergreen trees nearby. "Lets start there."

Kovac was an excellent shot, and Aran was no slacker with an arrow either, he had learned as they had begun to train together over the past seasons. However, neither were great trackers, so they relied on keen eyesight and long shots to take down their prey. As they entered the small forest, the pines towering above them, Kovac drew an arrow, a broadhead-tipped for big game, and nocked it to his bowstring. The area was pefect for the two of them, little to no underbrush and lack of low hanging branches made for clear visibility between the thick trunks.

His pace slowed, the sound of the hunter's steps muffled by the carpet of fallen needles. The mongrel turned a smile to Aran, his voice low. "So...who is that guy I saw you with last night?"

Of course, Kovac saw nothing of the kind. Aran was reserved, for an Inartan, always collected, and the half-breed could not help but poke at her sometimes. Not in a mean way, he liked the attractive younger woman, and they had become close enough he felt he could get away with some good natured teasing.

[Arandolya]

While Kovac cheerfully responded that he was ready, he nudged her with a glance at her new bow. "Finally, I see you moved up to a big girl bow!" Arandolya paused and let it slide with a playful glare, much reminiscent of the one she gave him all those years ago when he laughed at her faith in Priskil. "Let's start there," he said, gesturing towards the treeline.
"Sounds fine," Arandolya said with a nod, trotting towards evergreens at an easy pace.

Hunting was always a pleasant experience for Arandolya as it was often just her and one other, silent in the arms of the forest, with only the whir of arrows to break the quiet. She nocked a sharp arrow, keeping it loose on the bowstring that she held with the same hand. She swept the area quickly with her sharp gaze, seeking any sign of awakening life - or just prey. Neither presented itself so easily though, and the woman just slipped into the simple mode of search and find.

For a bit that was all it was, Kovac and Arandolya moving in sync as they drifted through the forest as shadows. She carefully placed each footstep, in no hurry, and watched out for twigs that would break, or bark that would snap. Then, though, came Kovac's whispered question, "So...who is that guy I saw you with last night?"

If Arandolya hadn't been forced to temper her reactions down over the course of the Winter, she probably would have frozen on the spot. Though her heartbeat quickened, her face stayed carefully passive, honey eyes directed on the path in front of her. Last night? She scanned her mind. There was only one male she ever saw, and he held no pleasant memories. Her jaw tightened slightly, though Arandolya forced herself to relax. "I'm not sure who you might mean," came her smooth voice, perked with an amused edge, and peppered with a fondness she held for Kovac. If searched though, just below the surface, there was a spike of suspicion and a wariness uncharacteristic to her collected persona.

Did he know? Well, in all reality, why wouldn't he? It wasn't like it was a secret, no, not on A'tier's terms. Her servitude to the haughty male was nothing Arandolya could keep quiet if he wanted it out in the public. Did she see him last night though? She slightly panicked to think her friend might learn of the debt she owed to the Endal, paying a dire price for reacting badly to his taunts. Shifting slightly, Arandolya felt a twig give underneath her foot, having been missed in her scattered state. "Petch," she grumbled, and forced her mind where it belonged, on hunting and on the land.

Looking away from the black-haired Inarta with a flash of a frown, Arandolya glanced through the treeline. There was little to see, and nothing seemed to be too eager to fall before an arrow today. She probably would have gotten more done to just stay home and practice . . . Shaking her head slightly, Arandolya cleared her throat and looked to her partner, cocking an eyebrow to continue their conversation, trying to keep up the careless and calm attitude that was to be whom she was.

[Kovac]

"I'm not sure who you might mean..."

Aran's voice lifted quietly with a lilt of amusement as she responded to Kovac's taunt, but was there a hint of concern under her casual delivery? Had he unintentionally hit a mark? As the two hunter's crept through the sparse underbrush, Kovac wondered whether he should pursue the ruse, perhaps discovering something about the woman he did not know...a secret by chance. The method was not entirely ethical, but for the mongrel, it was within the bounds of his own rather vague paradigm of right and wrong.

The dark-headed Avora allowed the conversation to lull, his head turning to his ginger companion as she snapped a twig beneath her boot. The half-breed scanned the forest floor, looking for signs of animal tracks, or perhaps a well-traveled trail that they could stake out for prey. It was easier than trying to sneak up on them. Were they to find a few Alkana Deer, their day would be well worth the cold and wind. On the other hand, to return with just a brace of rabbits would be less reason to celebrate. To return with nothing would be humiliation. Kovac would bum rush a Takan Mountainbeast and hack it apart with his talon sword before he went home empty handed.

Casting a glance to his redheaded partner, Kovac decided to seed the suspicion a bit further. "Don't know what I am talking about? Hmmm, must have been someone else, all you full-bloods look alike to me." He flashed a wry grin. "But I am sure I saw someone with his eyes on you...an Endal maybe?" It was a shot in the dark, but even shots in the dark hit a target once in a great while.

[Arandolya]

Kovac fell silent for a few moments, offering Arandolya false sense of security. She visibly relaxed, and looked away, scanning the underbrush. Pausing, she tilted her head to study an indent further to come to the conclusion it was nothing but a natural pock-mark. Moving on, Arandolya seemed to shy away from talking again, intent on the ground as she search for some sort of clue that would lead them on to some prey.

"Don't know what I am talking about? Hmmm, must have been someone else, all you full-bloods look alike to me." Arandolya snorted in mild amusement, shouldering him. The amount of relief she felt was straining to be kept from her expression as she looked away quickly. So it wasn't her.
"If you'd look past the red hair you'd be able to see the difference," she teased with a grin.
"But I am sure I saw someone with his eyes on you...an Endal maybe?" came his easy continuation, tone casual and playful. Arandolya's struggled to laugh, though manage she did.
"An Endal looking at an Avora?" Her golden eyes rolled as she shrugged her shoulders. "If only the Gods smiled down so much, I would finally be able to move into a bigger hole in the mountain."

Now would be a great time to find some animals and get Kovac shooting his arrows and not his mouth. Muttering something of making noise, Arandolya moved off for a moment, looking upwards to see a break in the trees' skeletal branches to seek the sun and guess the time. She breathed in the crisp chill of winter and tried not to fret too much on Kovac's prodding questions. As reasonable as they were, Arandolya would pretend to see prey and run after it rather than talk.

Her service to the Endal was nothing she was proud of, and if A'tier didn't scream it to the world, neither would she. Also, she was slightly afraid Kovac might judge her for the reckless action that earned her the justice served. She blinked a passive gaze, and stared at the grip she had on her composite bow. Loosening it slightly, Arandolya breathed out and calmed herself. It was her own fault, and if people judged her for it who was to blame but herself?

Her thoughts so wound on Kovac, Arandolya almost missed the imprints in the snow. She turned quickly and glanced to her right were they wandered in an absent manner before disappearing into the treeline. "Hm, we might just have some luck today," Arandolya commented to the black-haired Inartan, gesturing to what she thought might be deer tracks. Her tracking wasn't all too amazing, but they looked like hooves to her. Following them, Arandolya stayed quiet and tense, expecting the deer to suddenly appear from the trees. It didn't, of course, and Arandolya began to worry the trail might be old - that is until she spotted a neat little pile of dung. Perhaps the gods were smiling down after-all. Arandolya knelt down and gestured Kovac to do the same as she gestured to the pile of dung in front of her. "This looks fresh," she commented, reaching for a twig to prod the feces to see just how much so. "Same deer perhaps?" she asked, looking towards her companion as she scanned her knowledge of Winter animals that refrained from hibernation. It was too large to be a rabbit's, and too small for any of the larger - and much less friendly - beasts the Winter kept up. "Should we continue to follow the trail?" she inquired, her voice low and soft as to not disturb the peace of the forest that seemed very tentative now.

[Kovac]

"An Endal looking at an Avora? If only the Gods smiled down so much, I would finally be able to move into a bigger hole in the mountain."

It was Kovac's turn to be disarmed, and his head turned to look at Aran suspiciously. "Well...um...yeah." An Endal had indeed looked down upon an Avora. More than two years earlier, an Eagle Rider named Shayth had taken the Avora Kovac in as her 'live-in' archery instructor, but everyone knew that they had been lovers. Kovac wondered if Aran had known too, and it was a teasing jab at him in retaliation. For a year Kovac had enjoyed living in a 'bigger hole in the mountain'. But the affair with Shayth was a torrid one, marked with great passion both beneath the furs and in open quarrels, and more than once Kovac bore the red hand print of Shayth across his face. Finally Shayth threw him out, and after the Great Storm of the past Spring, Shayth and her eagle had not been seen.

Now, as eager to turn the conversation as Aran had been, Kovac crouched and examined the tracks and scat with Arandoyla. "Yes, its deer. And I agree, it passed by not long ago. I think this is a good place to start."

Rising to his feet, he nodded to his partner and they carefully started off following the deer tracks in the snow. They came and went, as the snow upon the forest floor was patchy, depending on how much the trees shielded the ground beneath them. Kovac's gave the petite young woman a sidelong glance now and then. She was his co-worker, but the mongrel could not help but find her attractive. Not that he had intentions towards Aran, not yet anyway, but the hunter certainly was free to enjoy her beauty. When he first met her that day in the Enclave, he knew the curious girl would become a fine-looking woman.

A movement in the corner of his eye caused Kovac to halt in his tracks, a hand lifting to signal Aran to stop. Without a word, he motioned towards the movement, off to the right, and the hunters altered their course to intercept the unknown source.

[Arandolya]

By the tensing of Kovac, Arandolya suspected her comment hit a chord unawares. Her face held an expression of apology as they shifted topics quickly, furthering her assumption she had triggered some sort of memory neither to share or dwell upon. "Yes, its deer. And I agree, it passed by not long ago. I think this is a good place to start," Kovac said studiously, both retreating from the playful banter as it threatened to take a darker swing. Arandolya nodded to the dark-haired man, following closely after.

It took her a while to realize Kovac was glancing at her as they walked, as she only caught on when she herself looked towards her partner to see him flick his gaze away once more to the tracks they silently followed. Arandolya chose not to dwell on it and simply watched the man she walked beside, studying him as she assumed he was doing to her.

He was a few inches taller than her, with a head of black hair Arandolya couldn't help but find mysteriously exotic. His skin tone was a couple shades darker than hers, with a bright green gaze of the Inartan. If she allowed herself to consider it, she would have noted he was quite attractive. As she considered the day when they had met those years ago, Arandolya silently commented on the change. He definitely grew from a young adult to a handsome man.

Though, he was in complete shadow for Arandolya, something she found slightly disconcerting within the midst of the loud and very open Inartan race. She knew little of his past, and even smaller amount of his mind. Yet, he seemed to have kind intentions and had an amusing perception of humor. Curiosity fueled a direct interest to get to know him more, and find the wood for the fire that she knew burned inside. Whether it of spirit or emotion Arandolya could not even begin to tell, and didn't want to try. She hoped one day she would learn. Until then, the dark-haired man held her gaze of respect with his skill of archery and playful mannerisms, coupled with interest in mind for the mysterious air he so thickly cloaked around himself.

His hand raised. Arandolya jerked to a surprised halt, finding herself much more caught up in thoughts swimming around the man than the task she was set out to complete. As she chided herself silently, Arandolya fell into an even more careful step, aware of the slight movement just beyond the eye's reach.

Her hand tensed and drew the bowstring back slightly more, allowing her shoulder muscles and arms tense as they adjusted to the heavier draw-weight. She said nothing but glanced at Kovac with a small smile, lowering herself slightly to peer through the trees. Acutely aware of how her bright hair would flash through a treeline, she put Kovac in between herself and where the movement presented itself. Hopefully that would help, as it would most likely not fully eliminate the problem of her mass of red curls.

The movement shifted, and Arandolya's sharp arrow pointed at it, her golden gaze squinting through the treeline. Was that the brown of a pelt she saw? Glancing to her companion a slight raise of fiery eyebrows inquired if they dare venture closer, or if they should risk a shot from here.

[Kovac]

Kovac met Aran's bright gaze, reading the question in her eyes. He shook his head slightly, then spoke in a hushed voice. " No, still too far, lets try to get closer." His head tilted in the direction of the movement, inviting the woman to join him so they could slip closer to their potential prey. The half-breed crouched a bit, lowering his profile. He paused for a moment, noting the side of his face that felt to cold movement of air through the forest. Kovac pointed in a direction at an angle from the thing, where they would be downwind as the stalked closer.

The clouds overhead had shred a bit, allowing gaps where the light of the sun would cast rays through the winter canopy. Such a moment came as they stalked, and the dark shape appeared again ahead amid the trunks. A ray of light caught the hide of an animal, the illumination revealing a red tint to the fur. Kovac's head turned towards his partner, a grin splitting his lips. Arandolya would know as well as he, only one breed of deer in Kalea kept its crimson tint all year around, the Alkana. It was a rare breed, large and a prized quarry to take back to Wind Reach. A thrill brought a new excitement to the hunt, revealed in a broad smile flashed at the woman.

[Arandolya]

Kovac shook his head with a whispered comment, and Arandolya followed silently. The woman kept her gaze half on the prey and half on the ground, consciously choosing where she placed the ball of her foot before slowly lowering the rest of her foot down. Kovac and her moved in silent sync of two hunters, one after another, trying to be silent in the already soundless forest.

The sun showed through the clouds a bit and shed some light on the prey they were after. Arandolya jerked to a surprised halt to see the flash of red through the trees. She would have suspected it another Inarta had it not been obviously short fur. An Alkana? This had to be some kind of joke! She'd heard of the deer, and seen it brought in once or twice by the Endals, but never had to seen them this close. And alive. She almost felt reluctant to take the beautiful life away, but the thought of the praise dampened the appeal of finding other prey. Arandolya couldn't believe their luck, golden eye dancing with a new found fervor.

The hunter looked towards her companion whom wore an excited grin, his green gaze thrilled as they met hers. Arandolya couldn't help but smile back in response, though she relaxed the hold of her bowstring and arrow with a slight incline of her head. This would be an amazing prize to return with, and Arandolya knew Kovac was far superior with his bow than her own.

As they ventured closer, Arandolya stopped and lowered herself slightly. The Alkana presented itself through the treeline, and Arandolya unconsciously tightened her hold on her bow, drawing the string back slightly with the arrow balanced between her fingers. She looked to Kovac, raising an eyebrow, once more asking the same question. This time though, she felt they were close enough. Even if Kovac missed, Arandolya felt she could try and get it as it ran, but then again, she'd never seen the male miss a still target. She smiled encouragingly, amber gaze bright.

[Kovac]

Aran had paused in her tracks. The deer did not seem to notice the hunters yet, nor detected their human scent. The prey was not fully visible, the head still hidden in behind a tree trunk, but what the two Skyinartan's could see of the flank, it was a sizable prize. The petite huntress flashed her golden gaze at her mongrel partner, her drawn bow lowering slightly, the dip of her ginger head indicating that the archer should take the first shot. She was ready for a follow-up shot. Without a word, the hunter's agreed, and Kovac raised his bow, pulling the string back the last few inches, the weapon creaking at its full pull. Squinting shut his left eye, Kovac aimed the barbed iron tip of the arrow at what he believed to be the deer's chest, right behind its front leg, where the heart resided. Raising his aim slightly to compensate for drop, and a bit to the right to counter the slight breeze that managed to stir between the trees. Then he held his breath, ready to release.

Suddenly, there was a high pitched squeal, barely discernible by human ears, followed was a rushing sound in the treetops above the red deer. A large shape descended quickly upon the animal, humanoid with broad, leathery wings. The deer scrambled wildly, but the flash of a serrated dagger became visible, plunged into the prey's chest. Zith!

Kovac quickly relaxed his bow, a hand reaching to clutch Arandolya's kinatu at the shoulder and pulling her down with him behind a fallen tree, the hunters landing in a pile in the snow. He looked at her with a sober gaze, lifting his finger to his lips as an indication to remain silent. The half-breed had yet to see one of the feared monsters, but he knew well enough what they were, all hunters did. The tales of their heinous attacks were notorious among those that ventured into the Unforgiving.

Kovac lifted his head above the trunk enough to see two more Zith land near the kill. They seemed to be determining how they were going to carry off the heavy carcass, though one kept looking around. The Avora ducked back down, eyes quickly darted upwards through the leafless limbs above, looking for more of the hideous beasts. His gaze fell again to the woman crouching next to him.

"Petch, this is not good, not good at all." Kovac whispered nervously. The dark-haired man was a hunter, not a warrior. Though he was certain he could pick them off with arrows, if it came to using his talon sword, the archer was unsure he could hold his own against them. Nor was the mongrel particularly brave or heroic, but as his eyes shifted again to the young Arandolya, he thought of the stories he had heard of what the Zith do with women slaves. Kovac knew he could not let that happen to her.