A Hunting We Will Go [Aran]

[Naiya]

Rue grinned at his story, remembering the interesting turn of events that led to finding her Wildfire.

"Ready to go, Wildfire?" She asked, brushing her hands off on her pants and hooking her bow carefully on the yvas. She pulled herself up, a hop and a shove landing her on his back and then a gentle kick of her leg so that she straddled his back.

She lifted her bow once more to her hands, aware that the dangers of the grasslands increased with the smell of blood around them, and faced Aran, waiting for him to lead the way.

[Aran Windblown]

.

Aran followed her example, patting Anyalvis on the shoulder with a firm command to "Stay." He backed up a couple of steps, bounced on the balls of his feet, and then jogged forward, bouncing on the last step before he would run into the Strider to give himself a bit of a boost to vault onto Anyalvis's back, using the yvas to help swing himself over. Once he was situated, he pulled his own bow and notched an arrow, grinning at Rue before urging Anyalvis into a swinging walk with a click of his tongue. As they traveled, Aran trusted Anyalvis to watch the ground for holes and other things while he helped navigate their way back to Endrykas, a wary eye out for glassbeaks or any other potential predators who may have been alerted to potential prey by the rabbits' earlier screams. He let Anyalvis set the pace, and the Strider seemed to be content to walk at an easy stride. Aran slowed Anyalvis a bit so that Wildfire could catch up so he could talk to Rue. "See anything?"

[Naiya]

Rue followed after him, relaxing her hips as Wildfire began to walk so that she could better follow the rocking motion of his back. "No, but I don't imagine we will, not this close to the city anyway. " She offered, hoping the reminder would help the both of them to relax.

She knew that Wildfire was capable of a bigger walk that the current pace, and she also knew that if she relaxed, he would step into the pace, but it seemed some of her tension lingered from her incident with the rabbit.

Or maybe she was just out of the habit of riding - a frightening thought for the Drykas girl - and her easy relaxed state would return with a longer ride, or even just riding more often.

With that in mind, she decided that both the horses could walk unencumbered if the took a two point seat. Wildfire because her weight would shift from his back, and Anyalvis because he wouldn't have to slow up because she was too tense to let Wildfire have his head.

So she tightened her core and her legs, lifting herself up and backwards so that her hands lingered a third of the way up Wildfire's neck and her hips stretched back towards the horse's rear.

Wildfire stumbled a step, tossing his head, and Rue had to reevaluate her position, finding that she had inevitably hunched over his back rather than stretched along it, and with a mental kick, she forced her body to straighten out into a better position.

[Aran Windblown]

.

Aran watched Rue's movement with a critical eye. He saw the way she hunched, as well as the way she corrected herself. "Breathe," he advised. "It is basic, but the first thing most people forget. If you do not breathe, you tense, and usually the only time you relax is when you faint. If you breathe, you may tense, but it will also be easier to relax." He offered her a grin, demonstrating his own two-point briefly; he used his knees and thighs to brace himself above Anyalvis's back, reaching up to steady himself with one hand on Anyalvis's mane. "The biggest thing with riding is to try to relax; if you are relaxed, your horse is relaxed. You and your horse are a herd of two-- your horse looks to you for guidance and protection. You must be able to reassure him with your body as well as your words." Aran relaxed back onto Anyalvis's back, settling himself just behind the yvas once more. "We should be back to Endrykas in a bit at this pace; it truly is a beautiful day for a simple ride," the Drykas mused aloud. "Not as hot as I feared it would be for the season."

[Naiya]

Rue laughed, though it left her slightly short of breath, and carefully turned her head to look at him without losing her position. She watched his weight move through his knees to absorb the bounce, and she realized that her own knees were tight and pressed to Wildfire's body.

"I'm a bit out of practice." Rue explained, consciously releasing the tightness of her knees and letting them absorb her weight as she bounced softly above her mount. She only managed to have good form for another minute or two before her legs screamed for relief.

She lowered herself back down, resting just behind the withers. "Maybe more than a bit." She amended, but at least now her hips followed more easily than before, rocking to match Wildfire's motion.

He was right, considering the heat of summer to come, the day was cool by contrast. She sighed as the horses came into view, her relaxation lost to the sight.

"Thanks for this." Rue said, her breath back in control. "It was nice to have a chance to ride again."

[Aran Windblown]

.

Aran nodded, smiling. "That is much better," he praised as Rue lowered herself back down onto Wildfire's back. "Drykas and Strider must move as one, and breathing is often forgotten in favor of concentration." His smile widened as Rue thanked him. "You are very welcome," he said sincerely. "I had fun, as well. Perhaps we could do this again some time?" Aran genuinely liked Rue; she was an interesting person(and pretty, but Aran was quick to shove that thought down), and Aran found himself intrigued by her. "If your Ankhal is agreeable, that is," he added.

[Naiya]

Ankal and father were one in the same for Rue, so she nodded. No need to get technical, even if she did kind of want to remind him that she hadn't had the option the first time.

"If he is agreeable." She conceded, she'd had fun after all, despite the odd start to their day. He hadn't pushed her into doing anything odd or anything that made her uncomfortable.

Wildfire gave an unhappy call as they approached the corrals and Rue dropped her weight slowly into his back. He was happy enough to halt, as reluctant as she was to return. To put an end to their time together, even if she only had such time at the hands of a stranger.

She needed to finish her morning chores, even though afternoon bells soon approached, and she had errands to run before evening came.

Life waited for no one.

[Aran Windblown]

.

Aran led them first to the herd, where they dismounted and untacked Anyalvis and Wildfire, grabbing their kills. Then, Aran walked with Rue back to her pavilion-- he had to keep up the pretense that he'd taken Rue out with the intention of possibly courting her. When they arrived at the pavilion, Aran grinned at Rue. "I had fun," he said honestly. "I would like to spend more time with you, if that's all right with you."

[Naiya]

Rue hesitated at the door, digging the heel of her boot into the dirt as she was considering his proposal. It was normal for men to ask a girl's father for permission to see them, just because her father had behaved oddly afterwards - well it shouldn't taint her impression of Aran.

His grin was charming, and he was obviously sincere in his words. "I think that could be nice." She consented, giving a soft nod. "Maybe next time we will be able to stay out longer."

"Rue, is that you?" A voice called from the pavilion, drawing her attention and signifying that her time was up.

She smiled at Aran, giving a small wave, and ducked into the pavilion, the tinkle of the charms in her hair following her inside.

[Khida]

Rue Nightsong

Skill	Points
Butchery	+2
Horsemanship	+1
Hunting	+1
Riding	+2
Socialization	+4
Stealth	+1
Weapon: Longbow	+2

• Anyalvis: Aran's Strider
• Aran Windblown: a friendly hunter
• Bow: stringing a longbow
• Butchery: draining blood from a fresh kill
• Butchery: slit throat to dispatch an animal
• Horsemanship: checking well-being before riding
• Riding: staying on a yvas at a gallop
• Riding: two-point position
• Stealth: eyes on the ground for quiet steps

Please deduct the cost of two apples (say 5 sm) from your ledger.

Aran Windblown

Skill	Points
Horsemanship	+1
Hunting	+1
Observation	+2
Persuasion	+1
Riding	+2
Socialization	+5
Stealth	+1
Tracking	+1
Weapon: Shortbow	+1

• Horsemanship: removing stones from a hoof
• Riding: staying on a yvas at a gallop
• Riding: two-point position
• Rue Nightsong: a 'red-headed stepchild'
• Stealth: keeping a burden from rustling in the grass
• Wildfire: Rue's Strider

Notes

A neat little social thread. Good on Aran for pulling Rue out for a bit.

I have one critical comment for you both: Bear in mind that your characters are both raw novices in their respective weapon skills.

Aran, you have ZERO points in shortbow at the time of this grading. That's practically equivalent to having never touched a bow before. You also have zero in Hunting. With that skill level, I would have expected him to exhibit much more difficulty in aiming and firing, much less hitting his target. It is not reasonable for him to get a one-hit kill on the first try with ease at zero skill. Even of a rabbit. Please keep this in mind and play consistent with his skill level in future threads.

Similarly, Rue -- you did great overall... except for having Rue track and successfully hit a frantically zig-zagging rabbit. I really appreciate that she tried for three arrows, didn't actually insta-kill with the arrow that did hit, and acknowledged the luck of her success. But with all of 9 points, truthfully, I wouldn't have expected her to hit a moving target. Certainly not a small and dodging one.

That addressed, I think the awards are generally transparent. Aran, I gave you +1 in Tracking for finding the rabbit warren, but I didn't give you any lores because you didn't describe what the signs were. Also, if you had included more detail on that front, you might have netted more points.

As always, please PM me if you have any questions or concerns regarding your grade. Aran, please edit your request to show this thread has been graded.