Completed It's Off To Work I Go

[Faolan Lundgren]

Faolan Lundgren 14 Fall 514 AV The woods was calling to the wolf and Faolan could no longer resist the whispers that were born on the wind. The call was carried on the breeze and it swirled around his head all the time. Most of the time he could ignore it, but it had been a while since his last hunting trip and the itch to get out into woods was too difficult to ignore anymore. Gathering up his things he left his room before setting out into the city to head towards the docks. He waited around with an assortment of other people until the ferry arrived and then they set out over the water in the early morning light. Sitting with his back against the side of the ferry he watched the horizon roll by as the ferry slipped over the water. He enjoyed the quiet away from the hustle and bustle of the city. It was always so stuffy there with all those people crammed into such a small space. He smiled as he lounged in his seat; he grown to like these relaxing, quiet trips between the city and the shore. It was a rare moment where he didn't have to worry about much except the boat not sinking and plunging them all into the monster ravaged lake. A few bells later he stepped off the ferry and onto the dock near the shore. Heaving his things along with him he made his way out into the wilderness in search of his horse. He eventually found him after a few more bells had passed. His entire body ached and was fatigued at this point, but he hoped it would be worth it. After all he had to bring in enough meat to bolster his savings to keep him going through the rest of the season. It's a good thing he didn't buy much or he'd probably be flat broke. Saddling the horse and lifting himself into the saddle with a groan he got himself comfortable, pushing the hood of his cloak back to feel the sun on his face and hair. Turning the beast around to head for a hunting area he hoped would be far enough way from the city to avoid conflict with other hunters he nudged the horse onward. The light was beginning to fade by the time that he reached the edge of the trees that signaled the start of the hunting area he had scoped out the last time he had been out in this direction on his previous hunting trip. As darkness began to wind its way through the world he slid out of the saddle and hastily made camp. He set up the tent, rolled out his bedroll, tossed his backpack inside, and got the horse secured for the night. Tilting his head back a little he sniffed at the air but didn't smell anything that would pique his interest, not even the smell of water was carried on the almost non-existent breeze. Huffing lightly he turned and entered the tent as the light completely faded from the sky. Lying down he dozed off quickly and snored faintly throughout the night.

[Faolan Lundgren]

Faolan Lundgren 15 Fall 514 AV The young wolf was up at the first of morning and packed all of his things back up. He wasn't where he needed to be just yet. For one he needed a water source that would sustain him and his horse through the hunting trip and he wouldn't find that until he delved further into the forest. He knew this and made a face at his straining muscles as he saddled the horse up again and dragged himself up onto the beast's back. Letting out a long sigh he turned the other animal in the direction he intended to go and allowed the horse to set a steady pace that would carry them to the site he had in mind before the sun set. After riding for almost the entire day he arrived at his intended destination. A section of forest that was far enough from the city that the other hunters hadn't quite ventured this far yet. The woods was a dangerous place after all and only those that were confident in their skills would wander this far out on their own. Faolan didn't place much confidence in his skills, he was still learning the tricks of his trade, but he had noticed that he was improving gradually over his trips out into these woods. He knew the danger he placed himself in every time he left the city for the wilderness, but as far as he was concerned this was a danger he could at least understand. The danger of the city was one that lurked in the shadows and hung over his head every moment of every day; out here he would at least be able to hear danger approaching and could try to fight back or flee. Scouting out a small cluster of trees that sat a few yards from a rapidly flowing river he began to set up camp. The soothing sound of the running water, the leaves rustling in the trees, and the soft sounds of animals either waking up or rustling about in an attempt to find a safe place to bed down for the night made him feel much more at home. Setting up the tent, arranging his things inside, and forming a fire pit before making his way down to the river with his horse in tow to get a drink of water Faolan had high hopes for this trip. Once they were both hydrated he made his way back to the camp where he made sure the animal would be comfortable for the night. Stripping off his clothes he shifted into his wolf form and shook the dust from his fur with a happy sigh. Stretching out each of his four limbs he paced around the camp for a few moments searching for a viable scent that would lead him to his dinner. Picking up the scent of a rabbit he quickly followed after it. Ears and nose twitching as he followed the scent trail he trotted along carefully; knowing that at any moment he could accidentally startle his prey. When the faint noise of rustling reached his sensitive ears he slowed his pace, crouching low to the ground to minimize his chances of being noticed prematurely. Peering cautiously around the side of a tree he found himself staring at the backside of a rabbit that was furiously trying to dig its way back into its hole. Apparently the creature's entry point had collapsed in on itself or had been stepped on by a larger animal that prevented it from returning home. Lucky for him, unlucky for the rabbit. The black wolf positioned himself carefully as the rabbit's panic seemed to increase as if it knew that it was running out of time. Just as the last rays of light slipped under the horizon the wolf sprang forward and came crashing down on the frantic rabbit. His jaw clamped shut on the furry being's spine, and a sickening crunch followed a heartbeat later. Blood spilled into his mouth and the hunter couldn't help but continue to tear into his catch. It didn't take long for the hungry wolf to be sated enough for sleep, and he trotted his way back to his tent happily enough. Licking his muzzle clean he made his way into the quiet confines of the tent. Curling up on the bedroll the wolf closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, his ears flicking back and forth at any unusual that would alert him to any encroaching danger.

[Faolan Lundgren]

Faolan Lundgren 16 Fall 514 AV Waking just before the morning light would ease itself over the horizon the wolf stretched before getting up and heading out of the tent. Shaking out his fur he glanced at the horse to make sure it was alright before trotting off into the woods in search of breakfast. He would need a good meal before he could throw himself into the hunt for the sake of bringing meat back to the city. Managing to just catch a rabbit a few moments later he only managed to get a hold of its leg as it dove into its hole. As he pulled back the screaming rabbit struggled to pull itself further into the hole. Caught in a game of tug-o-war with his breakfast he growled in irritation as he jerked the rabbit backwards again. Getting it free finally he pinned it down with his left paw and released his hold on the leg. Struggling to keep the wriggling, screaming, animal under his paw he swiftly moved to clamp his jaw down on the rabbit's throat; giving the rabbit a swift end. Making quick work of his breakfast he then moved on in search of the bigger prey that he needed to make his trip out here worthwhile in more ways than just a relief from the confines of the city. Trotting through the trees with his nose to the ground he searched for a viable scent trail. It took a bell to find one that was fresh enough to bother with. The strong smell of deer piqued his interested, and he was quick to trot down the trail after them. Slowing as the scent became stronger he stalked his prey carefully to a field where tall grasses waved in the breeze. He could spy the group of deer a few yards away and decided to take his chances in the grass. Making his way slowly forward he stayed low to the ground so that the grass concealed his presence; giving him a better chance at actually catching one of the large, swift, animals. The downside of not having a pack to hunt with was that larger prey was more difficult to take down. A wolf pack would have made easy work of these deer, but a lone wolf had to plan accordingly in order to be successful. He made sure to stay downwind of them and moved to a position where he was incredibly close to one of the deer, but was still unnoticed. Deciding not to wait he leapt out from his cover at the deer and managed to grab a hold of its flank before it realized what was happening. Clamping down as the deer tried to run and free itself he found himself being partially dragged back towards the trees. This wasn't what he'd had in mind for taking down the animal. Knowing that if he was dragged into the trees by the fleeing animal he could be severely injured he started pushing off the ground with his back legs in an attempt to topple the deer over. Managing to get good purchase on the ground with his back feet he launched himself into the air, slamming his weight against the deer's back end. As the animal spun around and lost its footing he came down on top of it, releasing his hold on the flank and diving forward to bite down on the neck of the deer before it could get back up and flee. Making the kill just as the deer managed to get its feet back under it he let go as the body flopped back over onto the ground. Panting softly he sat down next to his kill trying to catch his breath. He wasn't sure how he always managed to screw up what should have been an easy kill, but at least he managed to get it. Changing back to his human form he began the trek back to the camp with the dead animal in tow. It would have been too difficult to make his way back with the carcass in his wolf form. It took him a bell to make it all the back as he had to stop quite often to rest his straining muscles. Back at camp he started the fire, rigged together a way to smoke the meat, retrieved his knife, and began working on his kill. As he sliced up the meat he placed it where it could smoke without cooking, eating the bits that were less desirable, unless of course they were the nasty bits that nobody would eat; including him. When he was done he took the carcass back the way he had come, dumping it off the scent trail he had left in hopes that any other predators would get distracted by the remains and leave him be. Returning to the camp again he checked on the meat before heading to the river to wash the blood off of his skin and get a drink. Once back at the camp he pulled the meat away from the smoke, wrapped it in the skin he had removed from the animal and then buried it near a tree. Taking the horse down to the river he made sure his companion was well hydrated and they stayed by the water for a while watching the water carry various objects downstream. Deciding that he needed to get back out and hunt some more he lead the horse back to camp, tied it to a tree, shifted back into his wolf form, and headed off in a different direction than he had gone earlier. He spent another two bells tracking down a viable kill, but only ended up with a rather large ground squirrel. Carrying it in his mouth back to camp he ate part of it for dinner and then prepped the other part to smoke and then wrapped it up in the skin and buried it with his deer. Cleaning himself up at the river he went back and sat beside his fire to watch the darkness of night weave its way through the trees. Once he felt tired enough to sleep he put out the fire, made his way into his tent, nestled into his bedroll and fell asleep the night noises of the forest.

[Faolan Lundgren]

Faolan Lundgren 17 Fall 514 AV Faolan woke early in the morning to take his horse down to the water where he splashed the cool liquid over his face to help him wake up. Getting a drink as well he let the horse drink its fill and then crop at the undergrowth that grew along the bank. He stood there with the other animal for a few minutes before heading back to camp. Gathering up some firewood he placed it in the fire pit in anticipation of another good hunt. He knew that a good hunting trip required a catch every day, but with the increased hunting around Ravok those types of trips were few and far between. Once back in his wolf form he made his way into the woods once more with his senses searching for prey in the area. Managing to catch a squirrel for breakfast he ate it happily enough before moving on in search of something bigger for his next kill. Trotting along through the woods he spent most of the day searching for a viable scent. Coming across something he hadn't smelled before he traced it through the trees curiously. Peering around a stand of trees when he found the source of the scent and the ensuing sound of rustling he found himself staring at some sort of pig-like animal. Deciding he needed to try and catch it he observed it for a few moments, noting the tusks that would probably do some real damage if he got caught by them. Easing his way around the trees he stayed crouched down, intently watching his prey. Darting forward he was surprised as the animal whirled around towards him. Sliding to a stop he growled at the pig thing which squealed angrily back at him. When the pig ran at him he jumped out of the way, spinning around to keep the pig in his sights. The next time the pig charged him he spun around quickly and took a snap at the animal, catching a chunk of flesh on its side. They continued this charging, spinning, battle for almost a bell. Faolan was bruised and exhausted but knew that the pig was almost his. The other animal was bleeding from its open wounds and was struggling to stay on its hooved feet. It seemed to realize that it wasn't going to win this battle and the next time it charged him instead of stopping and turning around the animal kept running. The wolf took his opportunity after inflicting another wound on the pig as he spun around he took off after the fleeing animal. Gaining on the pig he grabbed the pig by its back and wrangled it to the ground. While he was trying to kill the animal he gained a few more bruises from flailing hooves. Once he had killed the pig like thing he switched back to his human form and hauled his kill back to camp. Sitting next to the fire pit for a few minutes he closed his eyes before opening his eyes and examining the bruises that covered his arms, shoulders, and chest. Grimacing he got to his feet to lead his horse to the water with him. Getting a drink before washing the cool water over his bruises he sighed heavily, hoping that the battle with the pig thing was worth it. Making his way back to camp he started his fire and went about cutting apart the pig. Tasting some of the meat he nodded to himself before placing it for smoking. When he was done he took the carcass out away from camp to dump it. Returning, he sat down near the fire to watch his catch smoke. When it was done he put it in the same hide as the deer meat and covered it back up. Making his way to bed he groaned as he laid down on his bruises and tried to sleep. It was a long night for him, but he got the rest he needed to take on the next day.

[Faolan Lundgren]

Faolan Lundgren 18-19 Fall 514 AV When he got up the next day Faolan groaned as he sat up and examined the bruises he had sustained the previous day. Deciding that it was time to head back to the city he got up, got dressed, and began breaking down camp. Once he was done getting everything loaded onto the saddle he lead the horse down to the water so that they could fill up on water before heading back out towards the city. When that was finished he lead the animal back to camp. He made sure everything was packed up in the saddle before struggling to lift it up to the horse's back. He knew that he should have waited to load it until he had already gotten the saddle onto the horse, but for some reason he hadn't thought of it until now. Managing to get it up there he made sure the horse was ready for the trip before pulling himself up onto the saddle. They made their way through the forest back towards the city for the entire day. They stopped for the night near the spot they had stopped at on their way to the hunting ground, but otherwise made their way nonstop. When they got within walking distance to the city he dismounted and let the horse go back to its life in the wilderness. Hauling his things back to the docks he sat and waited for the next ferry that would take him back to the city. When the ferry arrived he dragged himself on board and sat there relaxing on the way back into the city where he'd sell his catch before returning to his room. His bruises were making the ride a little more uncomfortable than usual, but he still enjoyed the ferry ride. He thought again about his battle with the pig thing and decided that he wouldn't be doing that again. It just wasn't worth the wounds he had sustained. If he had been a little slower he probably would have been impaled by those tusks and seriously injured. Alone in the woods like that he would have been unlikely to survive if he was hit in a vital spot. Watching the horizon sail by, feeling the breeze on his face, and listening to the sound of the waves against the hull of the ferry did help to relax a little bit before he had to haul his kill through the streets to the vendor he sold to.