Closed A Day of Gloom

[Khida]

The girl smiled, pleased by the Kelvic's acceptance of her help. Then she became pensive, contemplating the earth, the water, the plan proposed.

Not know, Khida gestured in response to her question, the motions quick although somewhat stilted in form. "Must see," she said in Pavi. "Like we do." Who knew whether a trap was empty or not before they checked it? Certainly not Khida.

Though the girl raised a good point -- perhaps a coyote's nose could determine the trap's state from much farther away than their comparatively poor human senses. I watch, she signed on the heels of that thought -- but where Khida's train of thought had traveled one way, the girl's marched off on another. Introductions. Names. The Kelvic nodded to the girl's self-introduction, made nothing of her apology. "I am Khida," she provided, yielding to the forms of the occasion.

And immediately moving right on past them. "Trap, you have. We will do?" she prompted, waving in the direction of the girl's pack. "It goes here, maybe near here. Maybe... Have trap before, maybe it looks again, maybe... maybe" good is good twice, she finished with a shift to sign. And that... was a lot of words in Pavi. Khida huffed a breath, then wiggled her fingers at the girl in a transparently demanding motion: come, come -- or maybe just gimme. Though the common factor to their conversation of late had been we, more suggestive of the first interpretation.

First, Khida expected, they would set the new trap. Then, they would figure out how to deal with the watching part. Just hanging around too close would only spook both prey and thief.

Common | Pavi | someone else

[Dinah]

Dinah quickly slipped her pack from her shoulders and opened it, producing the trap she had little luck with earlier. Placing the trap nearby sounded solid enough, if the animal was more scavenger than capable of capturing it's own prey then returning to somewhere it had determined it could get an easy meal rather than prowling in unknown areas had a good logic to it. Whether that logic would be followed by a coyote or not though, she could only hope.

The huff that left the woman wasn't entirely lost on her and at first she couldn't help but wonder if it was from annoyance that they weren't moving quickly enough. Then came the small gesture and for a split second the girl was almost annoyed. Just because she agreed to help didn't mean she was offering up her snare to join in this madness!

The wave of guilt that followed the selfish thought came quickly and the girl tried to swallow down her shame. That sort of thinking was more in line with her elder brothers and gone from her life or not the thought that they had any sort of influence over her even now was sickening. It didn't take long to figure out where the sudden spike of irritability had come from, the faint hint of a metallic taste in her mouth was more than enough. Her outburst when Khida has first come across her, combined with the less foolish means of uncovering the track were taking their toll. Just another thing to be aware of, Dinah supposed.

Mind back on the task, she offered the snare to the more seasoned trapper. "Best if you set it up," the small gesture that she meant to go along with it was obscured as her hand held onto the trap. The sudden switch to Pavi in her own voice sounded strange and Dinah let out a small sigh before trying again. "I haven't been even able to set the silly thing. If we need it to catch something, I rather leave it in the hands of someone who actually knows what they are doing."

"Pavi" | "Common" | "Tukant"

[Khida]

The girl seemed distracted at first, her thoughts gone inwards on some currents Khida couldn't even begin to follow. Khida waited, her brow creasing faintly; she didn't interrupt, though, as the girl's attention returned before the Kelvic's patience wore thin. She went on to hand the apparatus to Khida, gesturing for her to be the one to set it up. Just as well, given what she had seen of the girl's skill earlier.

Not that Khida was that much more capable with the thing.

The whole of the prepared kit was unfamiliar to her -- but clever, she quickly realized, seeing stake and supports in the pieces, along with the obvious noose. Her trapping had always improvised those things out of whatever she could find at the site, with only the nooses being prepared from dedicated material. She had not looked beyond the rope, when she bought her gear, and perhaps her bondmate had not either. Maybe they would have to do so sometime, whenever errands took them into the city proper again.

That solved what and who. The question of where to put the new trap remained. Khida studied the landscape around them, particularly the path of the gully. The easier access to water here was simply too attractive to pass by... yes, she would put it in the same place. Or nearly.

Her hands were too full of things to easily sign. "Can be here, away the bush," she said, tipping her hands towards the puddle. "We see more." Her snare had needed the shrub to provide a convenient anchor -- but not so with this one. Khida moved up beside the puddle, examining the contours around it. She lay the noose down across a depression, what might have been a path or simply a channel for a trickle of runoff. She sorted out the wood in her hands, but had not the words in Pavi to explain what purpose they served -- not readily, not easily. Perhaps showing would be good enough.

The smaller wood pieces, she tucked under either side of the noose, driving them into the ground until an exploratory wiggle found them firm. Then Khida ran the rope tail out nearly to its end, holding it at right angle to the supposed path and the noose across it. Sinking the larger stake into the earth there revealed the rock, or at least some obstruction of the sort; she had to move it over several inches before it would go firmly into the ground. Then she tied the noose to it, low to the base, making sure the knot was decidedly snug. She turned back to the noose and fidgeted with it a bit, making sure it lay more or less evenly across the supports, and that they didn't stick too far up from the ground.

Then she stepped back and looked at the whole thing. Yes, the stakes made everything easier.

Common | Pavi | someone else

[Dinah]

As much as Dinah didn't want to stare, she still found herself doing so as Khida set up the trap. The way the stakes were placed into the ground, that extra shake given to make sure they were steady, the way the noose came into play and was poised to catch at the shoulders of whatever animal tried to run through - So what's how it's done. It all made far more sense than it ever had before, of course that probably had a great deal to do with actually having an example to learn from. Even the where in regards to how it was set seemed so obvious she could almost envision herself somehow letting part of her spirit leave her, letting her arm escape it's physical bindings; if only so that Dinah could have the privilege of smacking herself upside the head for not thinking of such a thing on her own. For a tick she could almost swear she heard someone encouraging her to try but Dinah waved it off like one would a particularly annoying insect that buzzed at her ear.

She looked over the set trap once more before looking up around around the surrounding area. There were plenty of places to watch from, though sadly most of it involved standing about in the open. The grass was tall, but not tall enough to entirely conceal two women if they tried to sit among it's blades. They hadn't gone very far from the pitiful looking tree that marked where all this began, it was on a slight ridge and would no doubt offer a decent lookout point, though Dinah had to admit that what could serve as an advantage could easily be a disadvantage too; if you had an easier view of things, that probably meant that things had an easier view of you as well. There were other factors too, things that Dinah had been told about but truly had no understanding of; like the importance of staying down wind of your quarry - whatever that meant.

Aside from being an extra set of eyes, it was becoming rather quickly apparent that the girl wasn't going to be of much use at all in the whole preparation aspect of catching the thief. She wanted to let that fact bother her, eat away at her shallow reserves of patience and self control, but common sense once more got the better of her. Fine, time to ask another question then. Was there a god of annoying novices, she wondered. If so, she prayed that it was watching over her and keeping her from driving Khida completely mad; not that the other woman seemed particularly easy to perturb.

"Any suggestions on where to watch from?" She asked, trying to not sound entirely unsure of herself.

Dinah was silently cursing her lack of bringing Niamh along, the yavas bags the Strider carried often had things borrowed from camp, specially her bedroll and a blanket, which would have been quite handy given the evening's plans. There would have been some rations as well, nothing glamorous but at least enough to hold out through the night so she wasn't sitting around with an empty stomach. Strange thing was that Dinah almost felt she deserved it.

"Pavi" | "Common" | "Tukant"

[Khida]

The Drykas girl seemed to watch closely as Khida placed the trap; the weight of her attention was nearly palpable. Or perhaps that was simply Khida's awareness of her audience. When it was all said and done, and the Kelvic looked to gauge her companion's take on the matter, she could read nothing resembling uncertainty or confusion in the girl's manner -- nor did she ask any questions. Instead, the girl proceeded to look around the area, seeming to evaluate the terrain.

Khida let her do so in silence, tolerant and faintly curious at what the girl was thinking over. Her manner seemed to shift from contemplative to something more rueful, if the Kelvic was interpreting her posture right. Then, at last, she broached a question, soliciting Khida's opinion for a camping place.

It brought home the fact that while the girl was willing to keep watch, she simply could not do so as Khida had intended to herself. Human that she was, she needed tent and fire and clothes -- and, most likely, food that did not run around under its own power mere ticks before being eaten. And those things might be a telltale sign to their quarry, both the prey they hoped to catch and the scavenger they were planning to ambush.

That... put a somewhat different cast on the plan, one that Khida had to give some thought of her own. There were no convenient outcrops from which the girl might overlook the trap, or even the approach through the gully. Furthermore, the one gully was too densely overgrown with brush to provide a line of sight. But by the same token, the coyote could not run in that direction, either. Her gaze narrowed, consideration shaping her posture. Perhaps the girl could set camp out a short distance, somewhere the falcon might try to drive the scavenger...

Consideration shaded into decision, and Khida turned back to her companion. "You need... things," she stated, gesturing vaguely towards the Drykas girl and the city off in the distance, masked by the tall grass. "Tent... warm... food. You go back to have? Bring here?"

Khida glanced at the landscape around them once more. She still wasn't sure where to put the girl... except that the winds seemed to come down the gully. "There is," she continued, pointing down and away from the stream. "Not too close, not... not to smell. Camp there?" Not that Khida had any real idea of how well coyotes could smell -- just that their noses were better than hers. "I wait, I watch there. You go."

Khida space Common | Pavi
other space Common | Pavi

[Dinah]

Well at least one of them was using her head. Dinah had just written off spending the evening cold and hungry in pursuit of the thief, but leave it to the other woman to point out that she could just go back and get her things. Coyotes weren't exactly known for roaming around during the day, after all, so it wasn't exactly like they were expecting it to show any moment now.

It was painfully obvious, though the Drykas girl wasn't sure if she wanted to attribute it to being completely stubborn or if it was more like something her grandfather used to love teasing her with; can't see the sea for the grass. Her twin used to point out similar, only that came in the far less eloquent, Stop getting so hung up on the details, Di. Either way, she was thankful to have it pointed out. It also helped to avoid any weird questions in the morning from the other members of her Pavilion. Wife to the youngest son who still hadn't managed to have a baby - right, like she needed spending a night away unannounced added to that. No doubt it would start as a joke and just end up becoming a mess of accusations, best to rein it in now.

Dinah's eyes followed where Khida gestured downstream and nodded her agreement. It was as good a place as any as far as Dinah could tell and it seemed far enough away from the trap that it wouldn't be too obvious to an animal that it was being watched. Maybe; it wasn't like the girl was exactly well versed in such things. She once more surveyed their surroundings, trying to get a better memory of where everything stood, what sort of landmarks she could spot later that would lead her to where Khida would be waiting for her to return rather than some other spot along the stream. The tree was a good indicator… Why aren't you letting yourself fully see? Dinah started at the thought and the fact it sounded terribly like the voice of her mother. That too was surprising given what her head had begun suggesting, considering it had been taught by her far less agreeable former Ankal.

She took a deep breath and concentrated, not on the land itself, but on the ever present but not always seen lines of Djed that wove across the Sea of Grass and it's inhabitants. The first glowing lines she noticed were the same that she always seemed to start with; the ones that ran from her outwards, connecting her back to Niamh, to her husband, to the other members of her newer family, to home. The lines pulsed faintly as she struggled to keep focused enough on them as she turned her attention elsewhere. There were more lines now, some more visible than others, none that specifically linked back to this place, though, and she wasn't about to try and actually let herself go and fully search for anything else that would lead back. For a moment she considered making that connection, weaving her own Djed into the web to find it easier on the return trip, but the thought was far more enticing than it had any right to be and the slight metallic taste in her mouth suddenly snatched her focus away and with it the glowing threads of the web returned to their usual unseen state. No, she wouldn't be able to do it now. Maybe later... Later!

Of all the things to not consider! "When I get back, I- I think I can do something that will let us know when something gets near the trap after it catches the initial prey," Dinah could barely contain the excitement that the realization had brought on. "I'd try now but I think I over did it a bit with the waterworks earlier, but after I rest a bit and get something to eat, I might be able to make a small web around the perimeter."

Her excitement waned a bit as she fully considered how possible it was. She hadn't actually done more than some very simple webbing before when she had first learned. Creating such a thing would be a learning experience, that was for sure. Her uncertainty began to show before Dinah spoke again. "Hopefully, that is. I'm not sure how good it will be, but it can't hurt." I hope.

Dinah looked towards where the moving city now waited on her, another realization striking that had her glance over at Khida again. The woman didn't seem to have a lot of equipment with her, not by any means, and she had said she would stay... "Is there anything you need me to get? I can probably get an extra blanket or two or I can try and find your-" Her thoughts stumbled a bit before she corrected herself to something less presumptuous. "Who you stay with. And pick up anything you may need."

"Pavi" | "Common" | "Tukant"

[Khida]

As Khida's remarks faded away on the wind, she could see the Drykas girl's posture take on a sort of surprised realization. It shaded into gratitude in short order, to which the Kelvic nodded, satisfied they had a solution for that possible issue. The girl went on to survey the place Khida had picked out, affirming it would be suitable for her to camp at. In fact, she seemed to spend rather a long while studying it... but she agreed, and that was all the Kelvic really needed to know. Issue number two, also solved.

Khida started forging a path through the grass to the chosen campsite -- but only made it five paces before the silence broke, disrupted by a sudden rush of excited words from the girl. Words in fluent, fluid Pavi; words which tripped over one another and jumbled together in the listener's ears, causing Khida to pause and turn back and blink at the girl. Something about knowing, catching, water... and rest? Her words trailed off, but her concentration evidently didn't, and Khida just looked on in bemusement as the girl chased down the trail of her own thoughts. She watched as the girl's excitement took on a more uncertain cast, lack of surety also creeping into the words that followed.

Khida felt like she'd either just missed something important, or what had blown past her ears was something totally not important to her at all. But she couldn't tell which, a quandary which wrote perplexed contemplation into her manner. A moment later, Khida cast the whole issue aside moving on with resolution. Back to problems she actually understood --

-- like the question of what she needed. Is well, the Kelvic signed. All is good. Everything she needed to have, out here, was with her already; it was no more than a shift away. In that, she was not like humans. "I not to need more. He knows. He does not like, but he to know." No more than Khida liked being away from her bondmate overnight -- but she knew he was well, he knew the converse, and they were not so far apart as all that. With the girl to watch over the trap, Khida could always make the few chimes' flight back to the camp, if she so desired.

Go, you go, she gestured towards the girl, an emphatic shake to send her on her way.

Once she knew Dinah was firmly set on the route back, Khida resumed her progress towards the designated campsite. There, she divested herself of her things -- clothes neatly folded, snare materials and knife resting atop, all set in the shade of a bush -- and shifted to falcon, taking to the air. All the better to see.

oocSlight presumption there on my part; just let me know if Dinah wouldn't head out!

Khida space Common | Pavi
other space Common | Pavi

[Aladari Coolwater]

Character Name: Dinah

If you happen to return, please PM me and I will give you your grade.

Character Name: Khida

Experience Earned
Skills

• Tracking + 5
• Trapping + 2
• Socialization + 2
• Detection + 2
• Deduction +2
• Ecology +1
• Hunting +1
• Investigation +4
• Land Navigation +2
• Logic +2
• Planning +3
• Tactics +1
• Teaching +2
• Wilderness Survival +1

Lores

• Ground Squirrel: Characteristics of Fur
• Tracking: Identifying Whiskers
• Tracking: Feline Tracks Versus Canine
• All Hunters are Scavengers
• Trapping: Advantages of a Prepared Kit
• Dinah: Manipulates Water
• Coyote: Opportunistic Trap Raider
• Endrykas: a 'Body' Made Up of Its People
• Hunting: Finding Prey's Shelter
• Investigation: Dividing the Search Space
• Investigation: Examining with touch
• Investigation: Examining with Smell
• Land Navigation: Orienting with Landmarks
• Land Navigation: Retracing a Remembered Route
• Mist pigeon: Characteristics of Feathers
• Planning: Accounting for the Needs of Others
• Survival: Move to Keep Warm
• Tactics: Lure and Ambush
• Teaching by Demonstration
• Tracking: Dry or Root-bound Earth Holds No Tracks
• Tracking: Freshly Broken Twigs Are a Sign of Life
• Tracking: Signs of Death in the Grass
• Tracking: Tracks Can Be Under Water

Comments :

I really enjoy reading your threads, Khida. I love reading Khida's thought processes, and being with her every step of the way.

I gave you a lore on Dinah, because I couldn't think of another way to give you a lore about water Reimancy. If you don't want to include it since she's absent, you don't have to.

If you feel I missed anything or have any questions, please contact me or Prophet. Don't forget to edit your request to reflect this thread's graded status.