Hunters and fishers greet

by **Kayan** on October 13th, 2014, 5:54 pm

21, fall 514

The young kelvic sat crosslegged on her bed while shifting through a supply kit, a thoughtful expression fixed onto her face. Next to her was a roll of thin rope, a hunting knife, and a small cage. On the other side of her were a shovel and crossbow. She pulled out a folded tarp, thinking for a moment about whether she would need it or not before setting it aside. Then she pulled out the few scent vials she had, all of them tied together, and examined them briefly before putting them back into the pouch.

Her hand moved towards the rope and hunting knife, unwinding the roll before severing it with her knife, then placing the roll back onto her bed as her attention turned to the shovel. It took only a moment before she had the tool tied to her back and bounced off the bed after putting what she felt she would need in her kit and leaving what she didn't - only the crossbow, ammo, and tarp - on her bed. With her pouch secured onto her shoulders and the cage in her hand, the girl's eyes moved over to her companion who was currently siffing at every crack in the door and jumping around as though he'd never be let out before.

She grinned at the dog's antics after he nearly crashed into the only chair she possessed before calling him over and attaching a leash around the large animal's neck. "Alright, try not to drag me around. 'K?" She opened the door to the cottage and, as expected, not a moment later she was running with her companion dragging her along from up ahead.

To her credit she was able to keep up for a few paces, but soon after began to slow until the leash seemed to be the only thing keeping the two together, and also the reason why the young girl was getting closer to falling flat on her face with every step... well, that's really the dog's fault when she thought about it. After a short series of ignored calls, followed by an unneeded long series of swears Kayan picked up from hanging out by the docks, her trusted companion finally calmed down and allowed his owner to keep pace with him.

Just a short time after that little spat were the two already jogging through the forest, with Kayan adjusting the rope holding her shovel to her back so it would stop hitting her leg and neck repeatedly. She stopped when her hound stopped, sniffing at what she recognised as rabbit dung, then put down her kit and untied the shovel to set out putting together her traps.

The first was decidedly a pitfall, which was normally saved for last or simply left to Snyder, but putting her tool to use first would probably make this whole setup go a little bit faster. "Alright, let's get this over with." She whistled to her hound and pointed to the ground, making the hunter start digging at the chosen spot almost immediately. Kayan moved to the other side of him to make sure there wouldn't be any accidents involving a dog's head and the sharp end of grooved metal. Shoving the digging instrument into the dirt, she couldn't help but be a little surprised at how easily it moved, considering how she heard some farmers complain that mid fall made it a huge hassle to plow their fields.

Why that was, she wasn't very sure. Maybe it was because of how warm the weather was? Well, it didn't matter, whatever the cause was, was only making it easier to make one of the most annoying traps she had to deal with, so she wasn't going to question it. Once she felt the hole was deep enough, the kelvic dragged her shovel over to where her pouch sat and took out a length of rope already cut for this job. She slung it over her shoulder casually, then moved to gather fallen leaves laying out on the ground; all the while Snyder continued digging for who-knows-what-reason.

Two arms full of leaves later and Kayan was shooing her canine away from the pit now large enough to fit his head and shoulders in. She decided she would figure out what to do with the dirt pile later as the hunter ran off to who-knows-where but hopeful staying within earshot. She laid out the rope in a way that barely kept it from falling in the hole, which was the most she could do if she wanted to disguise it with leaves without them falling through. She looked over to the dirt and figured out how to use that to her advantage, by patting it over the edges of the rope so it wouldn't fall in with the slightest breeze. Then after refurbishing the trap a little better with the use of the pile of dirt and most of the nearby leaves, you would be pretty hard pressed to know you were about to fall into a hole the second you stood on a patch of dry leaves and dirt.

After setting the bait, she moved to set up the cage trap; pretty simple from what she was told. Put the bait inside, tie the door of the cage up, and set the trigger... wait, how was this rope supposed to fall? Was this a bait and wait kind of trap? She didn't have time for that! Kayan ran a hand through her hair in frustration, realizing she'd just wasted money on a cage she would never need! Just a few seconds after that little realization did she kick over the cage almost hard enough to break both it and her foot, resulting in a few minutes of ill tempered swearing before hopping over to the shovel just a few feet away. Meer seconds before the poor cage was smashed to pieces did her oversized hunter charge towards her like hell was at his heels and barking with such force that basically said he wasn't taking any prisoners.

In his frenzied antic's he knocked Kayan flat on her back, which made her temper shift from the cage to the dog, and then ran after him while forgetting all her things on the ground.

Bait1/3 of a 1 lb Apple

by **Dulute Jadesmith** on October 16th, 2014, 12:14 am

Duluute had just gotten to Mirahil Pass and already he was having second thoughts. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to explore such a foreign land alone. He wasn't like the hunters that called this place their home. He couldn't fight and only had an eating knife for protection. What would happen if he ran into trouble? The only option that was really for him would be to run for his life.

Duluute knew he couldn't think like that, though. It was too late for him to turn back now. He'd already stuffed his backpack and Zeltiva was looming in the distance. "I vowed that I would see the forest again. I won't give up now. I can't." Climbing up the hill, Duluute passed by a few new arrivals that reeked of sweat and mud. "More hunters?" Duluute thought momentarily. Lately there had been more and more people coming in to take advantage of the quiet times, although it may have also been because of the incoming fall festival.

It was a while before Duluute actually reached the more forest-like area of the Pass. He felt a rush of anxiety as he walked into this still foreign landscape. Last time he came here he was under someone else's protection. Today he had only to rely on himself for safety.

As he climbed down the hill, Duluute began to carefully examine the map in his hand. He knew in such a foreign land there was a need for navigation directions so he brought it along just in case. The only problem was, he had no idea how to use the map. Sure he could read it, but when it came to actually finding out where he was going...that was another story.

Folding the paper up and pocketing it, Duluute decided to simply go with his instincts and follow the trail set before him. In his mind, he thought he would be safe as long as he could see the mountain. As large as it was, it gave him a clear view of where the entrance to the city was. Looking ahead, Duluute took his first look at a non-aquatic animal from the forest. It was a rabbit, one of the few land animals Duluute remembered.

The small brown creature wasn't alone. He also saw a few squirrels here and there but that was about it. The most exciting animal he could find was a mouse that disappeared underground before he could get close. Fortunately there was plenty else in the forest to keep him entertained. However, as he watched life go by, he wondered why he hadn't seen any predators around. He knew Winter was just around the corner, but he thought there would at least be one or two carnivores.

"Perhaps they're simply hiding just out of sight. Or they may be watching me from afar." That thought frightened Duluute a bit, making him look around to be sure he wasn't being watched. It was in his paranoid state that he heard what sounded like barking. A few moments went by before he realized the sound was coming towards him. Thinking it was a predator, Duluute decided to hide behind a bush, peaking to get a glimpse of what animal it was.

To his surprise and disappointment, the so called predator was only a dog. A human was running behind it, obviously furious with the beast for some reason. It was certainly an interesting little show for Duluute, and maybe the rest of the animals as well. Duluute thought about coming out to greet them, but decided to see how far the scene would go first.

Price Check :

by **Kayan** on October 22nd, 2014, 6:11 pm

It wasn't a surprise that Snyder was easily outrunning his owner to the point where he was able to stop for a second, run around her in a circle, and then keep running in another direction. In fact, if Kayan didn't know any better she would have thought he was doing that on purpose... which, in fact, he probably was. Not that she was thinking at all in this moment. All her attention was currently being channeled into catching and choking the life out of that horse that's dared to be called a dog.

Now if she actually were thinking and was paying the slightest bit of attention her surroundings she would have seen all of the wildlife that stopped what they were doing just long enough for her to jump at them and at the very least have them trapped within her fingers. Instead her vision mirrored closer to a laser pen pointer that narrowed with every step ahead of her the hunter ran. When the mangy mongrel decided to take a sharp turn, the kelvic tried to mimic him. That, in turn, made her stumble over a curiously large rock as she was already falling from putting so much pressure on the foot she kicked a cage with just minutes before. Unable to catch herself, Kayan fell flat on her face and stopped moving.

With his owner no longer trying to catch and strangle him, Snyder ran in excited circles around the young Kelvic and barking in a way that would make one think he was claiming a victory. Which, again, he probably was. "Petching overgrown mutt..." was all she muttered after moving her face out of the dirt and letting her head rest there for a bit while her dog continued to gloat. Once he stopped barking loud enough to scare off every bird in a 5 mile radius and moved his attention to other things in the area, Kayan picked herself up and shook her head to force out whatever clumps of dirt weren't clinging to her hair. The most stubborn brown specks stayed stuck to the right side of her head and face, but she didn't pay much mind to them.

Kayan's little tantrum seemed to have dissipated with that fall, as she was now just standing there trying to figure out how far she and Snyder just ran while rubbing her sore nose. Lucky her, she didn't break it just now. She was toughing it out with her foot, even though it felt like she was standing on pins and needles with a rock trapping her between them, it wasn't like she was going to be a baby about it and limp home or something. She wasn't some giant a baby, after all.

Now, while Kayan was figuring out which way lead to her supplies, Snyder was looking for a scent. Whatever he picked up on was clearly human, and smelled almost as bad as the fishermen by the docks. Almost. That fish stench was still pretty bad, though. As he tracked the scent to where it was at its strongest, he started treading closer to where the other person was hiding.

by **Dulute Jadesmith** on October 25th, 2014, 6:11 pm

From what he could gather by looking, the dog seemed to belong to the human. He couldn't tell what breed it was though. It was a dog with jet black fur, brown paws, and other patches of brown scattered about its face. Compared to the other dogs he'd seen, this one was a bit large. However, it was just as hyperactive as the smaller ones. Maybe even a bit too hyperactive.

Its owner was barely able to keep up with it. In the time it took her to run forward the dog had enough time to run in a circle, rest, and then keep running. To say the human wasn't anywhere near as quick on her feet would be an understatement. It wasn't like the dog was too small to catch either. The human - a woman with long black hair and a brown complexion a bit lighter than his own - wasn't too big herself.

Duluute could only think she was one that had little forest knowledge. She seemed like even more of a city dweller than he was. Why would she think exploring the woods was a good idea? It couldn't be that she was a hunter. She could barely "hunt" her own dog.

As he thought this, he saw the woman take a sudden dive and fall flat on her face. It was an action he couldn't help snickering to himself about. With that one move his theory was confirmed. This wasn't a hunter he was looking at. She had probably wandered into the forest like he had.

Suddenly he felt awkward watching the woman as he was. He assumed if he stayed any longer he might see her do something really foolish. So he decided to finally reveal himself to save them both the embarrassment.

Acting natural, he stood up from the bushes and dusted himself off like nothing had happened. "Having a bit of trouble there miss?" he asked casually as he came out. He didn't know what to expect of her reaction, but it didn't really cross his mind anyway. Looking at the female now, he realized that he towered over both her and her dog. This was normal, though, considering he was six feet tall. There were barely any that could match, let alone surpass his height.

by **Kayan** on October 28th, 2014, 5:38 pm

When the other human moved out of his hiding spot, Kayan wasn't paying enough attention to that direction to even realize anyone was nearby, and only turned her head towards him when Snyder started barking. She sent out a high pitched whistled through her clenched teeth, the only thing that would make him quite down. Once he did he stalked to his owner's side in a protective manner while she regarded the tall man in a skeptical but unassuming manner, "Aside from the fact that I forgot my knife, I'm fine."

With her flat tone, it was pretty much up to the taller man to interpret how she meant that statement. She wasn't very concerned with that, though, which was prevalent in the way she turned her head back towards the slightly disturbed ground caused by herself and Snyder, what she was concerned about was whether anyone stumbled onto her supplies while she was chasing after her dog... and, more importantly, every track she was going to pass by just because she didn't have that knife on her. Well, at least she would at least know where to look on the way back.

She let out a displeased sound before she allowed her attention to be drawn back to the near by human. He didn't look like he was out here for any malicious reasons... not as far as she could tell, at least. And even though her sense of smell wasn't up to par with Snyder's, the lingering stench of fresh and dead fish was prevalent. That meant he either spent a lot of time on a fishing boat or too much time with the dock workers. Maybe both? Well, that didn't really matter. Now that she was paying attention she realized he was not only tall, but also a bit lanky from what she could tell. If there was any muscle behind that build, she wasn't sure she wanted to find out. Even though his complexion was darker, he didn't look like someone who would be running around out here.

Then again, he might just be an archer or trapper that put his equipment away for the time being. Hard to say, honestly. For the time being she's decided to assume he wandered away from his camp or something similar to that effect. "Do you need help with something?" Kayan's voice softened so she at least sounded earnest with the question. All the while the black coated hound kept a protective and aloof giat near them.

by **Dulute Jadesmith** on November 5th, 2014, 10:47 pm

No surprise when Duluute finally stood up he was immediately hounded by the dog. Fortunately its owner was gracious enough to recall the creature before she addressed him. "Aside from the fact that I forgot my knife, I'm fine." With her neutral tone Duluute didn't know whether she was serious or just bored.

"That's fortunate. I would have felt guilty if that accident had actually left a scar." A smile rose across his face as he remembered that scene. Stepping from the bush, Duluute extended his hand in a gesture of good will. "Duluute Jadesmith. Pleasure to make your acquaintance." Whether she shook his hand or not was up to her. He half expected the dog to get between them before contact could be made anyway.

With the introduction out of the way, the woman suddenly changed her attitude as she inquired if he needed assistance. "I could ask you the same question. You don't seem as if you belong in a place like this. Of course, neither am I, but..." He let the last part trail off as he wasn't quite sure how to explain himself.

by **Kayan** on November 12th, 2014, 1:21 pm

Kayan scold at the subtly mention of her not-too-long-ago impact with the ground. Though it was more to herself than to the bronzed skinned man in front of her; that fall wasn't exactly one of her finer moments. She blames Snyder. She watched as he extended his hand in greeting "Duluute Jadesmith. Pleasure to make your acquaintance", and before she could respond, Snyder moved from the girl's side to stand in front of her while giving Duluute a warning growl.

She crossed her arms with a noise that sounded like disapproval but didn't look entirely unpleased with the dog's actions. "I'm Kayan, and this is Snyder." She pat his head briefly before refolding her arms. From there, she asked if he needed some kind of help, "I could ask you the same question. You don't seem as if you belong in a place like this. Of course, neither am I, but..."

Kayan just gave him a confused look, then glanced around, completely oblivious to what he actually meant by that, "Well, I think I would be more comfortable in a hotter place, I guess." Then shrugged, "I'm okay either way. And this forest makes it easier for me to earn money, so I'm not gonna complain." She started looking him up and down, "So why are you out here?" She didn't even attempt to hide the suspicious tone in her voice, mainly because most people didn't walk around this place for no good reason. Some people, but he didn't look - or smell - like one of them.

by **Dulute Jadesmith** on November 14th, 2014, 12:01 am

The woman introduced herself as Kayan...after her dog was done growling at him of course. He retracted his hand as she told him the dog's name was Snyder. "It's a pleasure," he had said sarcastically.

As for his comment on her out of place-ness, however, it seemed to fly right over her head. Her only response was that she could make money from the forest...whatever that meant. She once again asked of his business, but this time in a more suspicious tone. With her dog already trained on him he thought it best to put her mind at rest.

"Truly, I have no business here. My only wish was to see this land again. If I were to be honest, I simply wanted to prove something..." He let the thought trail off there, thinking Kayan wouldn't be interested in the rest of the story. He realized he had been staring into space as he spoke and let his vision naturally drop to the human. No...Duluute's wasn't sure if she was human.

As he looked upon her he realized that there were sharp fangs where Kayan's teeth should have been. While it wasn't a clear sign that she was from another race, it still made Duluute curious.

by **Kayan** on December 23rd, 2014, 9:39 am

Kayan's hand felt the top of the large dog's head, calming it down enough to stop his growling but the agitation was still there and clear from the way his lips curled back in favor over a growl. Kayan herself couldn't help the small grin of amusement that found its way onto her lips by the man's obvious annoyance towards Snyder's behavior; which she herself would have found just as annoying, but she couldn't help but see it as kind of endearing.

The woman watched his eyes grow distant and wander as he explained why he was wandering the forest, an action that would have had her asking another question had she cared enough about personal motives that didn't involve her. Well, didn't involve her any more than bumping into a person who was merely taking in the sights near his home. Her posture slumped back from suspicion to disinterest, eyes moving back towards the direction of her supplies with her mind satisfied with the knowledge that nothing dangerous or threatening was happening nearby, and her mouth opened to simply dismiss Dulute as it appeared he didn't need any help.

Only to pause and close her mouth as her mind went back to the last thing he said. "Prove something? Is it something like being able to survive an attack led by small animals?" She couldn't stop the wisecrack from slipping - not that she really tried to - but it was clear from her expression her attention was back on him, this time with more curiosity than weariness. And with Kayan's ease, Snyder stopped giving Dulute a look that said he wanted to rip the man's leg off, but the attack-ready tension was still easily read in his posture.

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