Flashback [Zeis L./Denusk P.] Of Bears and Swords/Respect Earned

[Delani Denusk]

Timestamp: Fall 28, 499 & Fall 51, 499

"Oh for Cheva's sake..."

She was staring at her cousin from Dela's back, the strider standing patiently among the other horses and riders who all waited for their final party member to finish with his goodbyes. From where Delani sat, it looked like her cousin-brother had his tongue well into Tamar's stomach.

"Honestly, Vanator, if you go any deeper you'll be tasting shyke; will you hurry up? We're losing Syna." She kneed Dela gently to approach the two, turning the mare so that her back side was to them, at which point the strider non-chalantly swatted them both with her tail. "Do you see? Even the horses tire of your...affectionate goodbye."

Tamar was given a gracious enough smile from the unwed cousin of the Denusk she was courting, then ignored for the sake of returning to the group.

Delani was decked out in light riding gear, the warmth of early fall still whispering of summer that had passed. Her falx was secured to the yvas and Dela's mane had been braided with beads and tasseled knotwork, most of which were prayers for a safe return. The rider of the strider wore lighter blues with similar safe-return tassels and a hunters braid. It was less elegant than might otherwise be worn, but far more effecient. It kept the hair close to the head with the longest parts tightly woven at the base of the skull before ending in a tight tail that hung down her neck. She looked the part of a hunter, at least.

Recruited by a caravan from Sylira, the group of nine (Delani and Vanator included) would head north and east towards Zeis Lake where last the bear had been spotted. From there, they were supposed to split into teams of two to force the bear towards the lake by surrounding it and letting the scenthounds loose on them. Then, the teams would converge and finish it off, putting the sickened beast out of its misery and returning "peace" to the traders that had been hasselled. A fine reward of 20 Miza's per member to the party would be given from the traders chests. It was a promising trip, and one Delani actually looked forward to. She wanted to have a fine story to tell her aunt and uncle when her birthday came a few weeks from then.

Common

Pavi

Thoughts

NPC

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[Vanator]

He was going to marry her, Vanator knew it. Tamar was just about all the young Drykas could think about, and this amorous farewell was typical of the couple every time they parted ways. The swat of horse hair forced Van to release the deep kiss with his paramour. He scowled up at Delani, but, unable to hold his irritation, laughed. "Alright you nagging witch!" He retorted as his cousin rode back to the waiting group. Giving Tamar one last, long kiss, Vanator climbed into his yvas, guiding Zura towards the other riders. Looking back, he smiled widely at the young herbalist, one he planned to make his wife.

The Denusk heir was clad in a hardened leather cuirass, a blue shirt beneath it, and dark wool pants tucked into his riding boots. From his yvas hung his battle ax, as well as a short bow and quiver. Thrust through his belt was a dagger and hand ax. A tent and bed roll and whither bags completed his supplies. As he trotted up to the rest of the party, a thin braid danced on either side of is face, held by bronze bands. Bringing his Strider to a halt next to Delani, Vanator scanned the group of horseman.

"Don't be jealous, Dela, some man will scoop you up and you will be cooking for him and darning his socks and warming his furs soon enough!" He barbed at his cousin, then reached out to give her a light smack on the thigh. He actually didn't like the idea of Delani marrying off to some other pavilion. He loved her like a sister, and could never see the ultra-curious young woman content to play tentwife. Still, he would not deny her love if she found it. He just didn't want father marrying her off for some political alliance.


"Akela is going to be upset she missed this. But I think she prefers hunting poachers and leechers to animals." Van commented. His half-sister, the oldest of Ay'aka's two Konti daughters, was a warrior, not a hunter. She lived for the fight, and was an efficient killer. Delani, on the other hand, was not as skilled with a weapon as her cousins, but Malkar's daughter was a good rider, and had a sharp eye. Eachann sent his niece and adopted daughter with Vanator to join the band on the hunt for the rogue grassbear.

[Delani Denusk]

It was so much more than a sharp eye that Delani had, and Van knew that. The young woman had such a knack for knowledge no one would be surprised if she became apprenticed to one of the elders for a wise-woman position. She absorbed it like a sponge but without the neglectful loss such could sometimes bare. While not nearly as proficient of weapon as her cousins and uncle, the dame made up for it with her higher intelligence. She could spot things others simply overlooked, little things that were often far more important than they appeared.

Where Vanator was armored for combat, Delani was ready to watch and track. She may not have been the most proficient tracker either, but her understanding of the Sea's geography outshone every member in the party present.

When her cousin swatted her leg, she reached out with a foot and kicked him lightly back. "Don't be absurd. My husband will find me about as far from a needle and pot as you can. I refuse to sit idle and watch the world pass me by." That spark of interest flared behind jade eyes and she clucked sharp and quick to her strider, kicking up a bit of dust around Vanator and tossing a lewd gesture over her shoulder at him. It was a hard ride to the last known location of the bear; it was time to get a move on (especially since the others had finally stopped waiting for them and were now a good hundred yards ahead).

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Several bells had now gone by since leaving the pavilion and the riders had fallen into an easy gait. Conversation was quiet for the most part, talk about recent hunts, the zibri herds, new strider bondings, and even the latest visit from some traders out of Eyktol. There were stories shared about Zith and snacks shared from yvas-bags, but mostly it was peaceful.

Delani rode near the front right now, alongside one of the scouts, and talked quietly with them. There was no sense of foreboding any could detect, only a gentle urgency to find the bear and dispatch it as quickly and effeciently as possible before it caused more stress to the traders. The Denusk waved a hand ahead of them along the game-trail they followed, pointing out the bend of the grasses on one side. Something large had passed through recently, large enough to split the head-high grass in this part of the region and leave it split.

The scout raised a hand overhead, calling for a halt and dismounting. Delani did as well now, hurrying to where Vanator may be in the group and speaking quietly to him, "Seyhor saw some tracks a half bell back or so. They looked like a bears, but the tracks were smudged. There's a break in the grasses just ahead, too, that we're going to investigate." She didn't need to say keep your bow ready or keep your head up, it was a given in this situation. A rabid anything was far more dangerous than your standard beast. The added danger of the disease that broke their mind made even the most docile creature lethal. Delani squeezed his foot before turning away and fetching the falx from its stash. Two of the other riders had dismounted now as well.

The horses were tense, their ears flexing forward and back rapidly and their eyes and nostrils wide. Something was out there and not being able to see it meant a greater risk to their well-being.

Moving beside the scout, they approached the bend in the grasses cautiously, sword ready and muscles tight, prepared to get out of the way if it was something to avoid. The wind swept down the trail and carried with it two things. The first was the smell of blood, freshly spilled somewhere nearby; the second was the low moan of a dying animal ....and something eating it alive.

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[Vanator]

The anticipation of the riders escalated as Delani and the scout dismounted to examine signs of a large creatures passing. There was a twinge of apprehension for his younger cousin. She was no warrior, though her father, and then his, ensured she was adept with the blade of the falx she carried. The tawny haired woman approached him, looking up to her mounted kin to give a report. Van nodded at her in silence, though his gaze spoke loudly his admonition for caution. The squeeze Delani gave his boot spoke the same from her.

As the team readied to investigate, Vanator nudged Zura forward slowly. He had considered nocking an arrow to his bow, but his was a standard short bow, and did not have the knockdown power of its composite cousins. For most creatures, his arrow would certainly do harm. But a grass bear, a rabid one, could easily shake off the sting of an arrow unless delivered point blank. Instead, the young Denusk slid the battle ax from the loop on his yvas. He was far more effective with the steel weapon than the bow anyway.

The wind shifted, sending an undulating wave across the tufted tips of the grasses, and carrying the metallic scent of blood to Van's nostrils. Zura and the other Striders detected it as well, fidgeting beneath their riders. From his mounted perspective above the grass, the Denusk could see the heads of Delani and the others that went with her. Vanator grew anxious, urging his Strider forward slowly at an angle to the dismounted Drykas. Should danger erupt, Zura would carry him swiftly to intercede.