Solo Learning Much Needed Skills

[Lian Windrunner]

Timestamp: 21st Day of Fall, 514 AV Lian tossed and turned restlessly in his sleep as fleeting images flickered through his mind. A bone chilling howl echoing through the still air. Snarls, growls, and flashing teeth ready to rend and tear. Sharp, short snorts of fear, and a whinnied challenge from Talise followed soon after by an equine scream of terror and agony. A sickening rush of air, and terrific force as a terrible weight of grey fur and sharp claws hurled itself at him. With a short cry, Lian sat up abruptly in his bedroll, eyes wide, and searching for the grey death that awaited him. His sides heaved as he gasped for air, and fumbled for his bow. But the agony of being torn apart never came. As awareness overcame lingering terror, he realized that he was safe in his tent. The dim, grey light of the predawn sky filtered through the canvas, allowing him just enough light to recognize where he was. Lian took a deep breath, and exhaled it slowly, forcing himself to calm down. It had been a nightmare. One of many he had had in the past few days since his close call with the wolves out in the Sea of Grass. The encounter with the wolves during his last hunting trip had not gone the way it did during his nightmares...but Lian knew that it could have all too easily. He had gotten careless. In focusing so completely on trying to improve his tracking skills, he had made the stupidest mistake of them all - forgetting to keep an eye out for danger. It was a mistake that he didn't plan on ever making again. He had gotten lucky this time. Next time, he might not. The Sea of Grass did not suffer stupid fools, and it was the height of stupidity to forget to keep an eye out for danger at all times when out in the Sea of Grass. So he would just have to make certain that there was no next time. One way of doing that was to hone his skills so he wouldn't have to focus on them so exclusively that he forgot everything else. Another would be to rely solely on his Webbing, but Lian didn't like that idea. Partly because it was a constant reminder of the fact that he had failed to learn the skills he should have learned when his father, and his brother were alive to teach him. The skills they had wanted him to learn. But it was also partly due to the risks involved. Being in the Web felt like...home. It was a pleasure that he felt only rarely when he wasn't immersed in the Web. And sometimes he found himself not wanting to leave the Web when it was time to do so. It was all too easy to stay and explore its depths for "just a little while longer." Lian could see all too easily why some of the Webbers who were stronger than he was ended up getting lost in the Web. Lian had to wonder if they were truly getting lost, or if they had simply lost the will to return to this world. He knew that if he were to rely on his Webbing a lot more than he already was, he might well lose the will to return. That thought steeled his determination to master the skills he should have mastered as a child. Since he had already proven that he couldn't trust himself to stay alert to his surroundings if he became too focused on improving his skills, it was clear to him that he needed a safe place to practice. And possibly someone to teach him as well. Both of those things could be found at the Hunter's Allegiance. Lian turned to watch his captive for a while. Seirei was laying on her side, seemingly asleep. Even in the dim light, Lian could see the outline of her rounded belly. His mind flashed back to the many times he had forced himself upon the girl, releasing his seed into her tense, unwilling body night after night until he was certain that it had taken root within her. And even when he had suspected he had succeeded, he had persisted in using the girl until Waisana had confirmed his hopes, and informed him that he could harm both Seirei and his unborn child if he continued to use her. Since then, he had not touched the girl. To his critical eye, it was obvious that his treatment of his captive had affected Seirei deeply. Even in her sleep, she held herself tense, and still, as if afraid of drawing his attention. He hated seeing her obvious fear, but it made sense. He had woken her more than once when he had taken her while she was unresisting, and helpless as she slept. By the time she had realized what was happening, he was already buried deep inside of her, and she was helpless to fight back. Lian felt more than a little guilt at the way he had treated his captive...treated Seirei. She had every right to hate and fear him. But as he stared in awe at her swollen belly, he felt a fierce sense of pride, as well. He had planted his seed in her, and this was the result. He had created the life growing inside her, causing her belly to swell as it grew. That was his unborn child sleeping within her. If it was a boy, he would have his heir. If it was a girl, he would have a daughter to love, and spoil, much the way he had loved his little sister. Lian wasn't sure which he wanted more. He felt deep regret for the pain he had caused Seirei...but he knew that it would not be enough to stop him from getting her with child again when the time came. He would give her plenty of time to recover from the birth. Plenty of time to get used to raising a child...his child. A year would probably be enough time if everything went well. And then the cycle would begin again. But this time, it would be different. He would take the time to explain why Seirei was being forced to bear children against her will. If possible, Lian would be more gentle when he began using her again. And he would stop as soon as he suspected he had succeeded in planting his seed within her. He wouldn't use her more often than necessary to get her with child this time around either. He would also find a way to reward her. A payment for her services as it were. Lian shook his head, dismissing his current train of thoughts. That would be many seasons in the future. For now, he had to get going if he wanted to make the most of the day. Lian quickly gathered everything he thought he'd need, and left the tent. Sensing his need, Talise was waiting for him when he emerged. Lian took a few ticks to stroke Talise's neck, and tell her how beautiful she was. Talise preened under the attention, and nudged him fondly. It didn't take long for Lian to put the yvas on his strider. Then he mounted her, and they were off.

[Lian Windrunner]

It was a nice day, and the ride to the Hunter's Allegiance was a pleasant one. Once there, it didn't take Lian long to find what he was looking for; a hunter with considerable experience at tracking prey. Although a hunter by trade, the man had a reputation for volunteering his tracking services to help look for lost children and livestock as well as tracking down criminals when needed. His additional services were most popular among the traders that visited Endrykas since their children and livestock weren't tied into the Web. "So let me get this straight. You need someone to help you improve your tracking skills?" the man asked after Lian had made his request. Lian hesitated for a tick before nodding. "I want to improve my hunting skills in general." he said slowly. The hand gestures that accompanied his words conveyed the lack of confidence he felt in his skills as a hunter, as well as the shame and humiliation he felt as a result of his poor skills. "My tracking skills are just a part of the whole. They are the worst part of it, though. I've learned to compensate foe the lack by using the Web. I use it for locating my prey as well as keeping an eye out for dangerous predators. Without that, it would be impossible for me to be a hunter. I'd never find any kind of game unless I managed to stumble across it somehow. But I work on my own most of the time, and entering the Web while alone out in the Sea of Grass has its risks. If it became necessary, Talise would do what she could to alert me to danger, of course, but there's no guarantee that I'd be able to respond in time." Lian made a sharp rueful gesture that signaled his doubt that he and his strider would survive should such a situation occur. "I've been trying to teach myself how to track prey using normal means, and I have picked up a few tricks. But it's nowhere near enough. Most of what I've learned is how to recognize a number of different animal prints. I can follow a very clear, simple trail with difficulty, but when doing so, I need to focus on the trail completely. So much so, that Talise and I were nearly a wolf pack's meal a few days ago when I forget to keep an eye on the Web, and allowed them to get close enough to catch our scent. By the time I dropped out of the Web, and recovered from the transition back into my own body, I could see them. It was luck more than anything else that allowed us to escape." "You were lucky." the other man said flatly, with a frown. "The gods favored you that day." "Believe me, I know that. And I can't count on it happening again. That's part of why I'm here today. I need to improve my tracking skills enough that I don't have to focus so completely on the trail I am trying to follow that I lose sight of everything else." The man nodded thoughtfully. "And the other reason?" "Another problem I have is that I'm very limited in what kinds of game I can bring down. Webbing allows me to find prey in the first place, but it can do nothing to help me actually kill it. My skill with a bow is such that I don't dare go after anything that is likely to turn and attack me if I don't kill it with my first shot. Predators of any kind, and boars are well beyond my skill to hunt. Birds are beyond my skill as well, unless I'm lucky enough to get one before it takes to the sky. So that leaves deer and rodents for the most part." Lian said ruefully. "It's enough to provide for myself, and earn a living as a hunter, but I'd be a lot more useful if I could bring in a wider variety of game, and drive predators away from the herds as well as hunt deer." "I see what you mean, and I think I know how I can help. Come with me, please." The man led Lian into the main tent, and showed him a place where he could sit. Then he walked over to a chest, and pulled out a well worn book. "This book contains images of hoof, and paw prints of many of the animals you are likely to find out in the Sea of Grass. One of our hunters enjoyed drawing as a hobby. He was quite skilled at it. When he was too old to hunt any longer, he drew these from memory. We use it to teach young children how to recognize animal tracks, and have them study it before we take them out for their first hunting trip. But I think it can help you with your problem as well. I'd like you to take a look at the book, and tell me what prints you recognize. That will give me an idea of exactly what you know already, and how much you need to learn."

[Lian Windrunner]

Lian did as he was bid. He opened the book carefully, and flipped through the pages slowly. It felt unfamiliar and strange in his hands. Books were rare in Endrykas. Paper wasn't always easy to come by, and the sometimes considerable bulk and weight of a book made it difficult to carry too many of them with them as they migrated along their run. But this one was clearly a useful tool. Making it had given an elderly hunter something to do. A way of being useful to is people even though he could no longer provide for them. Lian could also see how useful it could be to show children what they would be looking for when they went out on their first hunting trips. He wasn't sure that he would have liked using it when he had been a child. There was something to be said for the tried and true method of a father or older sibling showing a child what they needed to know. And seeing the prints in a book like this would do little to teach a child how to recognize them out in the Sea of Grass. But Lian could admit that it would at least give a child an idea of what to look for. Some of the prints were ones that Lian recognized quickly. He had tried to follow too many deer trails not to recognize a deer print when he saw one. The elk print wasn't hard to recognize either. Although he had much less personal experience with it, he had hunted an elk not that long ago. And the similarities between a deer print, and the slightly larger elk print left Lian with no hesitation as to what it was. Likewise, the horse and zibri prints were easy for him to identify. Lian told the other man as much as he continued to flip through the pages, and study the prints he saw. Other prints were less familiar to Lian, and as such, harder for him to recognize. Several pages showed images that Lian recognized as belonging to a variety of predators. The larger almost triangular pad at the "bottom" of the print, and a semi circle of smaller, round pads above it, each with a dot that would be made by the animal's claws. These belonged to hunting dogs, wolves, and the like. That much, Lian knew. But for the most part, he couldn't tell which was which. He did suspect that the largest belonged to the massive hunting dogs that his own people favored as hunting dogs. The ones that were big enough to pull a good sized travois with ease if they were trained to do so. Lian thought the smallest one might be a fox print, but he couldn't be certain. And a slightly bigger one might belong to a coyote. But the smaller hunting dogs, and the wolves prints looked too much alike for him. Lian said as much, before moving on. There were bird prints, and rodent prints shown as well. Lian recognized the bird prints as belonging to birds, but he couldn't even begin to guess what type of bird they belonged to. For the most part, he had the same problem with the rodent prints, though he did recognize a rabbit's print, and he guessed at a mouse print simply because of its size. Lian paid less attention to these prints than he had the others he had looked at since his hunting skills were not good enough to allow him to hunt birds with any hope of success. He did hunt rabbits, but his preferred prey were deer since they yielded more meat, and were sought after by pavilions looking for hunters to hunt for them more than rabbits were. Some of the prints were ones that Lian couldn't remember ever seeing before. One looked more like a hoof than a paw. But that was where the similarities to anything he had seen ended. For one thing, it was larger than any deer print he had ever seen, and it didn't have the rounded shape of a horse or zibri hoof. This print had two straight, narrow segments pointed forward in something like a V shape like some hoof prints he had seen. But it also had two more behind the first set, one spread to either side. It almost looked vaguely flower shaped, with a single "leaf" to either side, and the V shape looking a little like the flower part. Lian stared at the drawing for several chimes, a thoughtful frown marring his face. Finally, he looked up at the other man. "What kind of animal makes this? I've never seen it before." "That's a boar print." "Ah." And that was why he had never seen one before. His father and brother had never taken him out to hunt boars, believing that he would be unable to handle the situation if an injured boar turned on him and attacked. Many better hunters than he had died from injuries after being gored by a boar. Lian himself had made certain to keep well away from any of the unpredictable creatures by using the Web to warn him if any were in the area whenever he went out. Lian turned the page. The print on the left page was similar to a canine in that it consisted of pads. One large, longish oval shaped one with five smaller circular ones above it. Above each of the smaller pads was a disturbingly large triangular mark that looked as though it was supposed to have been made by a claw. The print itself was larger than anything he had ever seen before. The one on the right was even larger. The pad on the bottom was an upside down triangle with rounded edges rather than an oval, but the rest looked the same as the first print; five toes with disturbingly large claws. Since the prints had pads like the canine ones, Lian guessed that they belonged to a predator...a huge one if the size was any indication. "And these?" "Those are the prints of a cyphrus bear. From what you've told me of your skills, it would be suicide for you to face one of those alone. I wouldn't even recommend going up against one with a group of hunters skilled in hunting the creatures. At best, you'd be a liability they'd have to look out for, and at worst, you'd get yourself, and the others killed." Lian nodded in agreement. He had no illusions that he was anywhere near good enough to face one of the fearsome cyphrus bears. And he had doubts that he ever would be. There were no more pages to look at, so Lian closed the book, and handed it back to the other man. "Well, you seem to be able to recognize a decent variety of prints. My guess is that your difficulty comes in when the prints are less clear than these? Or are partial prints from an older trail?" Lian nodded again. "The best way to fix that is by going out to hunt. We'll go out for deer since that's what you're used to hunting. You're most familiar with deer prints, so it will be easiest to start with them. But if we see any smaller game while we're out there, we'll try to bring it down, too. Sound good? This way, you'll even get some hunting practice in as well as learning some more about how to track your prey." Lian smiled ruefully. "That does sound good. Thanks."

[Lian Windrunner]

It didn't take the two men long to reach the edge of the city. "I know of a good sized stream not too far from here. We'll start there. It is a source of water, and as such, it will be a draw to the animals in the area. We will be more likely to come across a trail there." Lian nodded his agreement. He knew that much already. A stream or some other source of water was the only place he could count on having at least a chance of finding a trail he could follow. "Do you own a hunting dog?" Lian shook his head, and frowned at the seemingly random question. "I have a pair of hunting cats, but not a dog. I don't even use the cats all that much. They make Tailse nervous with their antics. She hates it when I use them." "Hmm. There are ways around that. You should try getting them used to each other slowly before you take them out into the Sea of Grass. A properly trained hunting cat knows to leave a strider or horse alone." "Thanks. I'll have to try that." Lian said with a rueful grin. "Personally, I prefer hunting dogs to hunting cats. Especially the ones we bred here. They're big enough to pull a good sized travois, and smart enough to be trained to do that as well as hunt. A double trained dog is very expensive...but worth every miza in my opinion. And it may be my personal opinion, but I think that the dogs tend to make better trackers." Lian nodded thoughtfully. He liked the idea of an animal that could be trained to pull a travois as well as to hunt. With a pregnant captive, and a child coming towards the end of the next season, Lian knew that he would need more supplies than he had now. That would require that he find a way to bring those supplies with him as the city moved. It was also entirely possible that Talise would be more accepting of a hunting dog or two than the cats he had now. "You've given me a lot to think about." Lian said quietly. The two men rode in a companionable silence for a little more than a bell before they came to the stream Lian's partner had mentioned. "I'd like to see what you can do first. It will be good practice for you. I'll step in and find a trail for us to follow if I need to, though." Lian nodded as he dismounted. Then he walked over to the edge of the stream and squatted down so he could see what he could make of any tracks he found there. As he moved towards the stream, he was careful to avoid stepping on the tracks as much as possible. The tracks along the very edge of the stream were the clearest. The ground was softer there, so hoof and paw left a deeper indentation in the dirt. Especially since the animals braced their forelegs as they bent to drink, making the prints they left behind deeper still. There were a number of different types of tracks. Deer, rabbits, and birds, were among the ones he recognized. He could see where they had stood while they drank easily enough. What confused him was trying to follow the trail back the way the animal had come to see which way it went when it left. Once away from the stream's edge, the tracks turned into a muddled mess. One set of tracks crossed another leaving partial prints from both that were impossible for him to identify. He would find the beginning of a trail that he could follow only for it to be swallowed up completely when it intersected with a wind swath of tracks from another group of creatures. And the bird tracks seemed to appear out of nowhere, only to vanish again at the edge of the stream. Lian would see a single set of prints, or a short trail that made it look as though a bird landed a short distance away, and hopped over to the stream. But he couldn't seem to find any bird tracks leading away from it. He supposed it made sense, though. The bird would land where it was safe for it to do so, possibly observing the stream to make sure it was safe. Then it would approach the stream, drink, and fly off again. After a while, Lian moved back a bit. Since he couldn't make sense of the jumbled prints near the stream's edge, he wanted to see if he could pick up a trail at the edge of the muddled mess of tracks. "Having any luck?" Lian jumped at the sudden question. He had completely forgotten his partner's presence in his attempt to find a trail. "Not yet." Lian replied with a scowl. His hand gestures betrayed his frustration, and his embarrassment. But they showed determination as well. He was going to find a trail he could follow if it was the last thing he did! Shame was mixed in, too. He had forgotten that he wasn't alone. Hadn't he promised himself earlier that he would never forget to keep one eye on his surroundings at all times? Forgetting to do so was a good way to get himself killed. "Take your time. There's no rush. Although...I think I see what you mean about you becoming too focused on the task at hand. If I were a glassbeak, you'd be dead right now." Lian's scowl deepened as he flushed. He nodded once, and made a sharp gesture of agreement. Then he went back to trying to make sense of the tracks he was looking at. As he studied the tracks, he was careful to keep an eye on his surroundings. Finally, he found a set of deer tracks that looked promising. It was a single set of tracks that was clear enough for even Lian to read. The trail led south. Lian allowed his mind to slip into the Web briefly to see if there were any dangerous predators in that direction that were near enough to make it too risky to follow the trail. He couldn't sense any, so he returned to his physical body. After a few ticks of discomfort as he adjusted to the transition back to his body, Lian turned to his partner. "I think I've found something." he told the other man as he pointed at the trail. The other man glanced at the trail Lian had found for a few ticks, then nodded. "That does look promising. Let's get going." he said with a grin. The man's amusement was infectious. Lian felt himself grinning back as he mounted Talise. He patted her neck a few times, thanking her for her patience while he was searching for a trail. Then he gestured with his legs for her to start walking.

[Lian Windrunner]

The pair of hunters rode in silence as they followed the deer trail. Lian paid close attention to the tracks as he rode. The ground was dry, so the tracks were faint, but they were still visible, even to his inexperienced eye. Whenever they grew too indistinct, Lian looked around for other clues. A tuft of fur, or grass bent by the deer's passage. In this manner, he was able to follow the trail without having to resort to using the Web. "Look at this, for a tick, Lian." Lian turned to his partner. The man was still mounted, but he was pointing down at a pile of small, black pellets. They looked almost shiny, as if they were wet. "I noticed that you were looking for tufts of fur, and signs of the deer's passage as well as just following the track themselves. That's good. You can often follow those signs even if you can't read the tracks anymore. And if something disrupts the trail, you can usually find it again if you see some fur, or bent grass nearby. Deer droppings like these are another good indicator." Lian dismounted and squatted down beside the deer droppings to get a better look at them. He had seen them several times in the past while following trails, but he had dismissed them, not recognizing them for what they were. "You can use deer droppings for more than just following a trail. If you know what you're looking for, you can tell how many deer are in an area by how many piles of droppings you see. They can also be used to help you identify a herd's favorite eating and bedding spots if you hunt the same area long enough. And for our purposes, you can use them to figure out how old your trail is. Look at those droppings closely." Lian did as he was told, trying to memorize what they looked like so he would recognize them again. "Do you see how they look shiny with moisture?" Lian nodded. "That means that they are only a few bells old. Which means that this trail is only a few bells old." "And that means that we have a chance of finding this deer if we keep following its trail." Lian concluded with a grin. The other man nodded. "Exactly. Deer droppings become darker, and dried out as they age. And they settle into the dirt. The freshest deer droppings are steaming, or are at least warm. They also have a greenish tint to them. If you find any like that, it means that the deer left the area just as you arrived." "I'll have to remember that." "You should learn to recognize other types of animal droppings, too. They are one of the most useful tools you have in following a trail. You mentioned hunting elk, for example?" Lian nodded. "Elk droppings look like deer droppings, but they are larger. Goat droppings, on the other hand look a lot like deer droppings. They're only half as wide, though. You aren't likely to find many goat droppings when you're out hunting, of course, but there's always a chance that someone's goat got lost. As a hunter, it will be assumed that you are skilled in tracking, so you may be asked to help look for lost livestock." Lian nodded again. He refrained from mentioning that if asked to help find missing livestock...or anything else, for that matter, he would simply slip into the Web and search that way. When he was ready, he mounted his strider once more, and they continued on. This time, Lian made a point of keeping an eye out for droppings as well as any other signs he could find. Before long, he was fully engrossed in following the trail once more, sparing only a sliver of attention to his surroundings. This changed abruptly when a loud, shrill cry, and a flurry of wings caught his attention. A small flock of birds exploded into flight a few feet away from them, startling both hunters and striders. Talise snorted sharply in alarm, and Lian stroked her neck as he whispered reassurances to her. As he did so, he could only watch in admiration as his partner drew his bow in a smooth, practiced motion. Within a few ticks, he had readied an arrow, taken aim, and made his shot. The arrow flew straight up, seeming to disappear into the sun. But a sharp cry told Lian that the other man's aim had been successful. A few ticks later, the bird hit the ground with a loud thud. It did not move. The man dismounted, and picked up his prize. He pulled his arrow out of the bird's wing. It was broken, but he kept the broken pieces, putting them in one of the bags that were attached to his yvas. The bird was placed in another yvas bag. When the man caught Lian staring at him, he grinned. "When you're prey is a bird that has taken flight, you can't stop to think. A single tick can be the difference between dinner, and going hungry. There's no time to make certain of your aim the way there often is when you're hunting other prey." Lian nodded, listening to the other man intently. "You also have to remember that you can't aim for the bird directly. It's in motion so you have to aim for where you think the bird is going to be when you arrow reaches it. That means that you have to know both how fast your arrow can fly, and how fast your prey can move. This is a hard trick to master even in ideal conditions like the ones we have now. If there's a strong wind, or even any wind at all, your task becomes much harder. There is a good amount of luck involved in shooting birds on the wing, even for a master hunter. If the bird changes direction, it won't be where you thought it would be when you aimed you arrow. If the wind changes strength or direction after you take your shot, it will affect your arrow's path. And if you misjudge your aim by even the slightest of margins, you will miss. But when your arrow does hit its target, it doesn't matter if it's a glancing blow or not. If hit, the bird will fall from the sky, likely to its death." Lian nodded again. He didn't think he would be good enough to be able to bring a bird out of the sky any time soon, but he vowed to remember the man's words. He would need to know such things in the future. The man mounted his strider once more, and gestured at Lian. "We should get going. We don't want our prey to get too far ahead of us." "You're right." Lian said simply as he asked Talise for a brisk walk with his legs.

[Lian Windrunner]

They rode in silence for a bell or so before the other man signaled for them to stop with a sharp gesture. Lian obeyed immediately, his senses suddenly alert for the slightest sign of danger. The instinct to slip into the Web to be certain they were safe was almost too strong to resist. He doubted his own skills so much that he felt it was the only way he could be certain that they were safe. But he fought the urge, and after a few ticks, it subsided. It helped that he could hear the birds and insects going about their lives in the grass around them. If danger was near, they would be silent so they wouldn't draw attention to themselves. The man dismounted, and crouched down beside the trail. Then he gestured for Lian to do the same. Lian did so, eying the trail curiously as he wondered what had caught his partner's attention. "Do you see that?" Lian stared at the trail intently. "See what?" he asked after a few ticks. "The tracks are much clearer now. Fresher. Do you see the sharp, clean edges on those hoof prints?" Lian studied the hoof prints carefully for several chimes. It took him a while, but he could see the difference. "I do see it." he said with growing excitement. "That means we're getting closer to our prey. The fresher a trail is, the more details you will be able to see. If these were wolf prints, you would be able to see the textures of the pads on the wolf's paws. Older tracks tend to be more rounded than these are. They have less details. And you're likely to see debris marring the trail. Dirt, seeds, pebbles, bits of grass...that sort of thing. Anything the wind is likely to pick up as it blows. Eventually the trail will become dull, and misshapen as it ages. Dirt and debris covers the tracks, changing their shape, and finally obliterating them completely." "How far behind do you think we are?" The man peered down at the trail intently. "It's hard to say exactly, but I'd say half a bell. Possibly three quarters of a bell. I can tell something else by looking at these tracks, too." "What?" "We're chasing after a stag." Lian stared at his partner for a long tick, trying to see if the other man was teasing him. There was no indication in the man's tone or posture that he was. Even so, Lian couldn't begin to guess how the man could be so certain that their prey was a stag. "How can you possibly tell that without seeing the deer?" he demanded. "Do you see how deep those impressions are?" Lian studied the trail again for a few chimes before nodding. "With many animals, males tend to be bigger than females, right?" Lian nodded again. "That usually means that they weigh more, too. And the heavier an animal is, the deeper the impression it will leave as it moves. For an animal like a deer, it's enough to tell you whether it's a stag or a doe if you know what to look for. But if you're hunting smaller animals such as rabbits, or birds, you won't be able to tell the difference." Lian looked at the trail again, trying to commit what he was seeing to memory. He didn't think he'd be good enough to judge the gender of an animal he was hunting on his own for a long time. Perhaps he never would. But it was useful information all the same. Stags were worth more than does were in the fall because their antlers could fetch a good price, especially if they had a good sized rack. If he knew the deer he was chasing was a stag, he might be more likely to keep going after it after he would normally give up on a trail and start over. "Thank you for telling me this." "No problem. I like teaching. At least I do when my student actually wants to learn. We'd better get going, though. We don't want to let our prey get too much further ahead of us." "No, we don't." Lian said with a grin. The two men mounted their striders, and headed off once more. They rode in silence for about a quarter of a bell before they found a second trail that crossed the trail they were following. Lian dismounted to examine it. There were two sets of deer tracks in the second trail. One set of hoof prints was much smaller than the other. Lian guessed that it had to be a doe, and its fawn. Possibly one that had been born late if it was as young as it looked based on how small the hoof prints were. They were half the size of the other prints. Maybe less than that. Lian saw a pile of deer droppings along the second trail, not far from where it intersected with the one he was following. They had the greenish tint that his partner had mentioned, so Lian knew that the deer had been there very recently. Lian slipped into the Web, and flew among the glowing blue strands of the Web as he followed the direction the second trail went in. It didn't take him long to find two pools of djed. Further ahead, there were several more djed pools that Lian believed belonged to the herd the doe and its fawn belonged to. Perhaps they were trying to rejoin their herd? After a few chimes, Lian returned to his own body, and remained utterly still for the few chimes it took for him to readjust. "Which trail do you want to follow?" the man asked. "The one we've been following." "The doe and its fawn are closer." "I know. But there's a chance we won't be able to kill both. The fawn's hoof prints are so small...I doubt that it can survive without it's mother. If it escapes, it's going to die anyway. But if we leave them alone, the fawn has a chance of growing up, and there will be two deer out there for hunters to find. Even if we did kill both, a fawn that small isn't going to have much meat on it. You said the deer we're after is a stag, right?" "That's right." "So the antlers are probably going to fetch a nice price. Assuming we kill the deer, of course." "Of course." the man said with an amused grin as he mounted his strider. Lian did so as well. "I want to thank you." Lian said after they had been riding for a while. His partner turned to look at him. The man seemed startled by Lian's words. "You've taught me a lot today. Many of the things you've taught me are things I never would have figured out on my own...like knowing how to tell if the deer you are chasing is a stag or a doe. I know that I will need to practice a lot in order to put what you've taught me to use, but you've given me the tools I need to hone in order to improve my abilities on my own in the future. I still have a lot to learn, of course. Like how to identify other types of animal droppings. And I'll need to work on being able to follow a trail without having to focus on it to the exclusion of everything else. But I think I'll be able to track prey without relying entirely on the Web in the future because of what you've taught me." The man scratched the back of his head, looking flustered, but pleased. "You're welcome. Like I said, I like to teach. Especially when I have a good student. As long as you remember that you do need to practice if you want to be able to use what I've taught you, I think you'll do all right." They continued riding. As Lian kept an eye on the trail, he noticed another pile of droppings. They didn't have a greenish tint, but they did look wet. And the tracks were sharper, and more detailed than they had been even half a bell before. Lian kept an ear out for bird calls, using them as an indicator of approaching danger. Most of his attention was on the trail, though. That changed abruptly when Talise snorted in surprise. It wasn't a sharp snort of alarm, so Lian wasn't overly worried as he looked up to see what had startled his strider. A pair of rabbits had hopped out of the grass onto the trail they were following. Striders, and rabbits stared at each other, with only a few feet separating them. One of the rabbits reared up so that it was resting on its hind feet, ears flicking back and forth as it searched for danger. Lian could see its nose twitching as it scented the air. The rabbit stared at Lian, and he froze, not wanting to startle it into flight. When it looked away, Lian slowly reached for his bow, trying to seem as harmless as possible. The rabbit stared at him once more, causing Lian to freeze again. He barely dared even to breathe. One of the rabbits began nibbling at the grass beside the trail. The one that was standing guard turned away again when a faint breeze rustled the grass nearby. With bow in hand, Lian moved ever so slowly to reach for an arrow and pull it from his quiver. A breeze rustled the grass, startling the rabbits. Lian froze once again as the rabbit that had been feeding reared up on it's hind legs, scenting the air for danger. He wasn't sure why the scent of humans wasn't frightening the rabbits. Could the scent of the striders be masking their scent somehow? Or was it that their scent, one that definitely wasn't that of a predator was enough to make the rabbits think they were safe? As if sensing Lian's desires, Talise lowered her head, and began grazing calmly. That act seemed to reassure the rabbits because one settled back on all fours and began nibbling the grass once more. The other remained on the lookout for danger, but it turned away from Lian. With painful slowness, Lian readied his arrow, and took aim. He took a few extra ticks to be sure of his aim. The breeze had stilled, so there was nothing to interfere with the arrow's flight. When he felt that he was ready, Lian took his shot. The bowstring bit into his fingers as he released the arrow. The arrow flew true, and pierced the rabbit that had been on its hind legs with enough force to drive the arrow out the other side. It let out an agonized scream as it collapsed. The rabbit convulsed a few times, then was still. Lian didn't even bother attempting to take the other rabbit. It was already fleeing for its life, and Lian had little confidence that he could hit a rapidly moving target that small. But his partner seemed to feel differently. As Lian watched, he drew his bow and readied an arrow with speed and precision that made Lian jealous. The arrow flew true, and Lian was certain that it would hit its target. It did, and the rabbit let out a piercing death cry as it collapsed. Lian watched his partner ride towards his kill for a tick before turning to his own. He picked up the rabbit carcass, and carefully pulled out the arrow. Fortunately, it didn't break when he did so. He would be able to use it again once he had cleaned it off. Both rabbit and arrow were placed into different yvas bags. By the time he had mounted Talise, and was ready to move on, his partner had returned with his own kill safely packed up. "We need to get going. Our deer will have heard those rabbits die. With luck, he'll think he's far enough away to be safe, but we can't be certain that he won't flee." Lian nodded. As one, the two hunters gestured for their striders to resume their pursuit of the stag.

[Lian Windrunner]

"How did you do it?" Lian asked after they had been riding for a few chimes. "How did I do what?" "How did you manage to take that shot? How did you even know you could? I never would have attempted it..." The hand signs that accompanied Lian's words betrayed his frustration. "Ah, you mean the rabbit." Lian nodded. "Practice. Lots, and lots of practice. I watched you take your shot. You aren't bad." Lian started to protest, but the other man silenced him with a stern gesture. "You really aren't. I could see that you knew what you were doing when you took your shot. Your stance was decent, and your movements were smooth, and well practiced. You probably don't have to concentrate on each step when you draw your bow, and firing an arrow anymore. Am I right?" Lian nodded again. "From what I can see, you have two main problems. First, you lack confidence in your skills. That makes you hesitate. There are no blatant flaws in your stance or movements, but you lack the speed that confidence brings. It needs to be as easy as breathing. And as automatic. It was good that you were able to move slowly enough not to startle your prey into flight before you were ready. But a master hunter wouldn't care if he frightened the creature or not. Not at that distance. He would have drawn his bow, and taken his shot all before the rabbit could get out of range of his arrow. More than that, you refrain from taking shots you could probably manage out of a lack of confidence. Confidence will come with practice. I remember that you told me that you hunt alone most of the time. You might want to hunt with others for a while. Hunting with a group, or at least a partner reduces the pressure on you to make your kill. If you fail, one of the others may succeed. Without that pressure, you might be able to relax and focus on what you're doing more than on the need to kill your prey. Hunting with a group will also allow you to observe other hunters at work. You can learn a lot that way, especially if the other hunters you're with are better than you are. But even if they aren't, you can always learn what not to do. That is often just as helpful as learning how to do something." Lian frowned, deep in thought as he considered the man's words. "That makes a lot of sense." he said slowly. The man grinned. "Yes, it does." "You said that I have two main problems?" The man nodded. "Your other problem is that you don't seem to trust your instincts. You check, and recheck your aim. It only takes a few ticks, but each tick you hesitate gives your prey that much more time to flee. Before you know it, you've hesitated too long, and your prey is out of range. And as you know, you can't hesitate so much as a tick if you're trying to bring a bird out of the sky. Hesitate then, and you'll fail. You need to trust your instincts. That too, will come with practice." Lian started to say something, but the other man made a sharp gesture for silence. He was staring down at a nearby pile of deer droppings. Lian dismounted so he could examine them more closely. They had a greenish tint to them. Lian looked around quickly. He couldn't see the stag they had been following, but he could see the freshly bent grass that marked its passage. Hurriedly, he mounted Talise, and the two men asked their striders for a brisk trot. Two chimes later, they could see the stag browsing a few yards away from them. It was a young one, only a few years old, judging by the number of prongs on its antlers. It's head jerked up, startled by their sudden arrival. Lian glanced at his partner. The other man gestured for him to take the shot. That was all the encouragement Lian needed. In a matter of ticks, he had his bow drawn, and was readying an arrow. Since the deer was alert, and aware of their presence, Lian didn't have the luxury of making sure of his aim. So he released the arrow quickly, and hoped for the best. The arrow missed the spot he was aiming for. It still hit the stag, but rather than killing the animal, it was only wounded. Blood trailed down the stag's hind leg as it cried out in pain. Then it bolted. Lian swore, berating himself for his failure. "There's no time for blaming yourself now, Lian. We've got to get after that stag now. It's going to die whether we catch it or not, now. With an injury like that, it's probably going to succumb to its injury sooner or later. Even if it manages to survive, it's been weakened. It won't stand a chance against any predator that finds it." Lian nodded, acknowledging the truth in the other man's words. Then he coaxed Talise into a brisk trot. Speed was more important than trying to sneak up on their prey now.

[Lian Windrunner]

As they rode, Lian noticed several splotches of blood on the ground along the trail. They were bright red, the color of fresh blood. They were also still wet. Lian pointed them out to his hunting partner. The man nodded in approval. "Wounded prey usually leave a blood trail. The only time they wouldn't is if their injury is a broken bone that hasn't penetrated their skin. When pursuing wounded prey, that blood trail is often the most effective means of finding your prey. Blood is often easier to spot than prints that may not leave a clear impression if the ground is dry, or bits of fur and the like. The color of blood stands out, making it easy to see. It is also easy to tell how fresh your trail is by looking at the blood splotches left by your prey. When they are wet like these, that's when the trail is the freshest. Blood dries quickly in this heat. We are very close to our prey." Lian listened intently, wanting to commit each tidbit of information to memory. "Blood darkens when it dries. When it is bright red like this, it is very fresh. If it is a dark red, reddish brown, or the color of rust, it is older. Likewise, if it is dry and flaky, it is an old trail. You can also tell how bad the wound is by the blood trail. The more blood you see, the worse it is. And the closer the blood splotches are, the heavier the bleeding. Knowing how severe the prey's injury is can also give you an idea on how long it can keep going, and how quickly you can overtake it. It will also give you an idea of what you will find when you do. The weaker the animal is from blood loss, the easier it will be to kill. It may even die of its injuries as you harry it. But an injured animal is often a dangerous one. If it feels trapped, it is more likely to lash out. Especially if it is a predator." Lian nodded, and thanked the other man for telling him what to look for. Then he went back to focusing on the trail. Gradually, the blood splotches started appearing closer together. They also got bigger, as if the stag's injury was getting worse as it fled. The two men rode in silence for roughly half a bell before they saw the stag in the distance. As they watched, it staggered. It recovered, but it stood with sides heaving, and head lowered. Lian wasn't sure if it had the strength to flee again, or not, but he wasn't about to take that chance. The scent of blood would draw any predators in the area right to them, and Lian wanted to be well away before that happened. Lian drew his bow, and pulled an arrow from his quiver. With well practiced movements, he nocked the arrow, and took aim. Since the stag wasn't trying to flee, Lian took a few extra ticks to be certain of his aim. Then he released his arrow. The arrow flew true, and embedded itself deep in the stag's neck. It collapsed with a cry, and did not move. "Well done, Lian!" his partner exclaimed when they were sure than the stag was dead. Lian grinned. "Thanks." The man dismounted, and pulled his hunting knife out of a yvas bag. Lian watched him for a moment, then followed suit. "When you make a kill, do you call for someone from the Spit Fire to come butcher it for you, or do you do it yourself?" "I call for someone." "Well, today you're going to learn how to do it yourself. That way you don't have to pay the fee for someone at the Spitfire to come do it for you unless you're in a hurry to get back home." Lian gave his partner a relieved look. He hadn't wanted to admit it, but the reason he'd never done it by himself was that he couldn't remember enough from what his father had tried to teach him to manage it on his own. "The first thing that you should be aware of is that deer have glands on their hind legs that emit musk. We call them the tarsal glands, and you'll find them on the inner part of the hind legs. They're easy to recognize once you know what to look for. You'll see a patch of longer fur that is usually much darker in color than the rest of the fur. Here, I'll show you." The man pointed them out on the stag Lian had killed. Lian payed close attention to what he was seeing. His partner was right; now that he knew what he should be looking for, they were easy to see. If a deer had ankles like a human, the tarsal glands would be located near them. "You don't want to touch those when you're butchering your deer. If the musk gets into the meat, it will make it more gamy, and you don't want that. Bucks have a stronger musk than does do, but neither is good for the meat." Lian nodded. He remembered learning that some animals produced musk when he was a child, but his memory on which ones did, and which ones didn't was vague at best. And if he'd known that musk could damage meat, he had forgotten that, too. "I'll keep that in mind." he promised. "Good. Now the first step in butchering a deer is making certain it's dead first. If it's still alive, don't try to slit its throat. Since you use a bow, you'd want to shoot it again to make sure it's dead. A wounded deer may still have quite a bit of strength left, and they are likely to behave erratically. Trying to slit a wounded deer's throat is a good way to get yourself hurt." Lian nodded again. "In our case, that isn't a problem. So we need to get the stag onto its back." As Lian watched, the man wrestled with the stag until he managed to get it into the position he wanted it in. Then he placed his hands on the stag's body and rubbed his fingers along its chest. "You want to start the first cut at the sternum which is right about...here." Lian saw that he was pointing to a spot just below where the stag's forelegs were. "If you were doing this yourself, you would feel along the stag's rib cage until you find where it ends in a V shape. This will be at the base of the chest just above where it meets the belly." The man cut into the deer, slicing towards its crotch. "There's a trick to this, and it takes practice to get the hang of it. When you insert your fingers into the slit, you will feel a difference between the hide wall, and the muscle that holds the animal's guts inside. You want to cut through the hide and muscle so you can remove the guts, but you don't want to cut the organs themselves. Do that, and you'll taint the meat." Lian watched intently as his partner removed the organs from the carcass. "The heart and lungs make for very good eating. I usually leave the rest, though." the man said as he worked. Lian nodded, but he was quickly distracted by a sharp snort of alarm from Talise. A quick glance at his strider told him that she was tense, and alert. Her ears were perked up, and flickering back and forth. Her nostrils were flared, scenting danger. But the birds were still chirping contentedly. Had Talise smelled something on a breeze? Something far enough away still that the birds and insects weren't aware of its presence yet? Lian alerted his partner to potential danger, then slipped into the Web, wanting to know what they were up against. It didn't take him long to find out. Soaring through the glowing strands of the Web, Lian found a small cluster of djed pools that had the "flavor" of predators. It was likely a pack of wolves, or wild dogs, and they were headed their way. Lian realized they must have caught the scent of blood, and been attracted to it. "We've got to get going." Lian said tensely when he came out of the Web in a rush. "There's a pack of predators heading our way at a rapid pace. Wolves probably. Or wild dogs. We've got maybe a quarter of a bell before they'll be here." "We need to be gone before they arrive, then." The other man stopped butchering the deer, and went to get a rope and a piece of canvas out of his yvas bag. He lifted the deer carcass onto the travois, and tied it to the rings on his yvas. Then it was time to go. Both men mounted their striders. "We can't head directly back to the city, or we'll lead the pack right to them. So we'll take a roundabout way home. We'll leave most of the organs here. Hopefully that will satisfy the pack. If not, it will delay them from following our trail. Between that, and taking the long way home, we should lose them since they haven't caught our scent yet. Have they?" "I can't be sure, but I don't think so. They're probably following the scent of blood." "Good. Let's get going." The two men urged their striders into a brisk trot, and began the long ride home.

[Tribal]

G R A D E S

Lian Windrunner

Experience

• Logic: 3
• Observation: 5
• Intimidation: 1
• Planning: 2
• Organisation: 1
• Socialisation: 5
• Mathematics: 2
• Tracking: 5
• Research: 1
• Riding, Horse: 3
• Hunting: 4
• Wilderness Survival, Plains: 3
• Animal Husbandry: 1
• Webbing: 2
• Stealth: 1
• Endurance: 1
• Weapon, Shortbow: 3

Lore

• Lian: Never repeats his mistakes
• Seirei is expecting
• Lian: Seeking guidance
• Mathematics: Recognising shapes
• Tracking: An elk print
• Tracking: A wolf print
• Tracking: Small rodents
• Tracking: A boar print
• Tracking: A Grass-Bear
• Tracking: Following a trail in sand
• The Sea of Grass: Stay alert!
• Tracking: Finding other signs that animals were near such as fur
• Tracking: Fresh scat
• Bow: Hitting a moving target
• Bow: Wind and arrow speed
• Tracking: Tread depth and weight
• Hunting: Stags are worth more in the fall
• Logic: Mother's with fawns are best left for next time
• Lian: Learning from your mistakes
• Lian: Trust your instincts
• Tracking: A blood trail
• Tracking: Fresh blood is red and wet, old blood is darker and dry
• Skinning: Tarsal glands and musk
• Butchery: Basic cuts

Rewards

1 x Rabbit (food)
1 x Young Buck (food)

Notes

Hey, Lian. Another great hunting thread! I liked this one; it was informative and enjoyable to read. I like how you involved the bookwork as well and the field exercise. There were some cases where Lian ducked into the web quickly where I felt you expected some skill points but at his level in webbing you have to go into a bit more detail which you managed to do on a few occasions. The same goes for riding, there was no real control of the horse, just 'another bell or so of riding in silence' which I added up and offered you a point for this time, but won't be able to in future. Great use of a wide range of skills and you did well to get the max points in tracking this time! Enjoy the rewards; I look forward to marking more of your threads soon.