Solo Just business, little ones

[Kayan]

8, Fall 514 Kayan drew her cloak closer to her skin as the winds from the nearby sea drifted past. Despite living here her whole life - which was really just two years, but who's counting? - the young kelvic couldn't get used to the cold temperatures that came with the changing seasons. The girl's hands, hidden from view beneath her cloak, held her hunting kit. In the other, less inconspicuous, held a red leash. On the other end of it was her larger coonhound, Snyder, who was walking beside the girl calmly as they walked towards Mirahil Pass. Kayan made her living as a hunter, even though she didn't look old enough to be on her own and, in fact, wouldn't be if it wasn't for her species independent nature. The drawback to this was obviously how little education she received due to both her rapid aging and inability to focus on menial things. It was a wonder she ever learned to write, even if her penmanship is abhorantly attritious.Thankfully reading and counting, and the very bare basic form of mathematics, came easily enough to the girl; meanwhile hunting came to her as second nature, which of course became a source of steady income for her. Hunting was fun, kept her busy, put some food on the table, and she enjoyed it. What better job could be out there? Beneath her feet the young kelvic could feel the familiar transition between the expanding grass and dirt mixed with a lack of cobble stone. The forest scent mingled with that of the port city, and as the two went deeper the scent was overwhelmingly that of wood and pine that mingled faintly with that of the ocean's breeze. The trees managed to block at least some of the wind blowing in, allowing the girl to let her cloak hang loose again with some amount of comfort. She smiled softly to herself before looking down at the hunter next to her, his tail in the air and waging with excitement as if he already knew their reason for being out here. He very well should know, as the only reason the two of them leave the city nearly every day was to hunt. Though the pair weren't always successful, Kayan's would normally make up for the lost day with as least a squirrel or a rat. A grin spread across her face at the thought that they might catch a rabbit this time around, as she decided to use the small snare that was normally left untouched. Usually she only set up a rope trap and one of the two tiny snares, mainly because she didn't want to spend all day setting up and late re-packing all four, but today she felt it would be good to give Snyder a little more free rein and let him run around a bit while she set up everything. The two stopped once Kayan figured they found a suitable spot. Just a few moments before, Snyder stopped suddenly and started sniffing at rabbit pellets on the ground; Kayan bent down, picked one piece of, and took a whiff for herself to be sure it wasn't just a rat on an all veggie diet. The young Kelvic stood again and dusted her hands off, then took Snyder's collar off, "Remember Snyder, stay quiet and don't scare off any easy prey." The K9 hunter responded with pants, a bark, and a lick to the face that made the girl start smile a bit, "Good boy, now go run around." She wrapped up the leash and put it away in one of her pockets, watching her dog as he decided to roll around on the ground and gnaw on a root like a newborn puppy instead. She couldn't help but give him a belly rub for his antics, which earned a cheerful bark, before walking towards a good looking, bendable branch nearby. First she tested if it would snap back up rather than stay limp once it's bent. Luckily, it did exactly as she wanted. With a satisfied nod, the young girl set to work getting the trap together, taking out the small snare from her kit. Once out, she began tying one end of a cord to the branch, and the other end to one of two hooks. She set both hooks together by their ends before digging a shallow hole in the ground with her fingers. Once both the second hook was secured in the ground, the kelvic turned her attention to the loose end of cord spiraled on the ground. It didn't take long for her to tie it into a simple noose, wrapping the base around the branch a few times just to make sure whatever was caught would be dangling in the air, then laid the noose down on the ground a little away from the branch. Kayan moved back over to her kit and took out a vial of rabbit scent, pressing her finger into the waxy substance and carefully rubbed it onto the noose of the rope. She licked her lips as she put the vial back, taking out an apple and her eating knife. She sliced off about a quarter of it, then put away the bigger slice and began slicing the smaller piece into thinner bits. She placed them in the center of her trap with care before placing a few sticks and leaves around the noose to make it more conspicuous. She smiled to herself before getting to work on her other two traps, the tiny one being the same as the small one, but with the difference that it was a sapling used instead of a branch. The other was a simple pit trap, dug deep enough so when young game that couldn't climb or dig well fell in, they were trapped until Kayan came back to check. the top was covered over with the thin rope that she didn't like using for snares, then covered over with leaves. If she was lucky, maybe something like a squirrel would step on it and tangle itself in the rope. That trap had the last bit of apple dead center. Kayan dusted her hands off with a satisfied smirk as she looked over her handiwork. Kayan packed up her kit and walked over to where she last seen Snyder. When she didn't see or hear him, the girl whistled "Snyder, here boy! Come'n, we gotta find some game before it gets too late!" A few moments after her call, she heard the dog's bark nearing from somewhere in the forest and ran to meet him.