PM to join Leaves and Arrows

[Dravite]

83 Summer, 515 AV
9th Bell, Morning
The Watch, Endrykas

"Come on," Sparrow smiled, standing with her hands on her hips outside the shooting range in The Watch training grounds, "I saw you sneak out of camp this morning at the crack of dawn; what took you so long to get here?"
Dravite smiled and approached his younger cousin with bow in hand, "spying on me cousin?"
"You have the stealth of a bear chasing fish in a stream; hard not to."
The man laughed fondly, "I tripped over the cooking pots is all."
"You know stealth and archery go hand in hand," Sparrow smiled.
"So you're telling me before we even get underway that I'm going to be terrible at this forever?"
The girl giggled, "No, I'm telling you to work on your stealth; we could do that today if you like?"
"Let's fire a few arrows first; I've worked myself up about it this morning."

Sparrow nodded and signalled for Dravite to step up to the shooting range; she pointed out the target that was closest to them which also happened to be the largest. The man with the wheat coloured hair took his mark and readied his stance, taking the position of feet, shoulders and arms into consideration. Sparrow put her hands on the man's hips and turned him just enough to make the shot more comfortable before he hooked an arrow to his string and studied the target.
"Watch your mark, check there is nothing important behind it; you don't want to kill anyone by mistake. Focus your aim and fire."
Dravite's shoulders shook as he held in his laughter, "the only thing I'm killing with this weapon is my pride."
"Focus," Sparrow insisted.

The horse lord took aim, pulled the bow string back, glanced at the target, its position on the horizon, and the land at its back before loosing his arrow. He lowered his arm quickly, knowing already that he had made a mistake, "I forgot to refocus my aim."
"And that it way your arrow now belongs to the tall grass," Sparrow smirked, "try again, cousin."

This time when Dravite set up his arrow, he remembered the 'instinctive shot' Sparrow had talked about, which was firing without sights, in their last lesson. He tipped his bow to adjust the shot just like she had shown him and looked down the length of the arrow. He checked the target, its surroundings and then refocused his aim before letting his arrow fly. The pointed length of wood whizzed through the air and grazed the left side of the target before flying off into the tall grass.
"Two," Sparrow teased, "two arrows for the tall grass."
"Watch it, cousin," Dravite scolded in jest, "or I'll make sure I lose you in the tall grass."

The two of them laughed and Sparrow put her hands on her hips. She watched her cousin for a moment before setting the scene. "A rabbit has stumbled into the area and you know you can take it down with your bow, but first, you have to take five little steps towards it without being noticed," she grinned and pointed to a stray rock as if to say 'there's your rabbit, now show me what you've got'.

Dravite turned slowly and kept his eye on the rock, taking a slow step forward before putting one foot in front of the other, sneaking up on his prey.
"Too late, it's gone," Sparrow shrugged.
"What?" Dravite frowned, "I was creeping an--"
"And you didn't even check to see where you were putting your feet," Sparrow told him, "your eyes were on the prize when you needed to consider both."
The horse lord looked down and realised he had disturbed a tussock of grass with his clumsy foot, "I see."
"Try again," the girl clapped.

.
.
.

[Dravite]

This time, a lot better prepared, Dravite watched where he was putting his feet as he snuck towards the rock. He used the toe of his boot to gently part the tall grass before planting his foot in a clearing, but as he stepped forward the foot that followed got caught on the grass and caused it to rustle loudly. He froze and looked back at his cousin who stood with her arms folded, shaking her head disapprovingly. "Petch," the man growled.
"Just like a bear and almost as hairy," Sparrow remarked.
Dravite laughed, "It’s not as easy as it looks!"
"Which is why you need to get better at it; show me what you can do with that spear you walk around with strapped to your back all day."

Dravite grinned and took his spear before setting down his bow and quiver. He went back to his mark then took a few steps backwards to put some distance between himself and the target. Sparrow raised a brow as if to say 'how daring' and the young man smirked, pleased with the progress he had made during the season with his chosen weapon; all too happy to show it off.

From where he stood, he had put a good thirty metres between himself and the target. Sparrow made sure to get herself well clear of his firing line and Dravite touched the tip of his finger to his tongue to test the breeze, noticing a slight pull in the air to the west. He lined up his shot and took three quick, running steps towards the target before heaving his spear into the air to watch it fly. The shaft shook in the air as it flew, turning down towards the target to clip the outer ring and waver back and forth until it became still.
Sparrow clapped again, "impressive, it's not dead centre or anything but you would be able to injure a large animal like a deer from this distance."
"Thanks," Dravite smiled.
"Now do that with your bow," the girl quipped and raised her weapon quickly to fire an arrow into the target, two rings below Dravite's spear and much closer to the centre.

Encouraged by his own shot with the spear, Dravite raised his short, composite bow and lined up a shot. He took his time, focusing on where his feet needed to be and going through all of the steps Sparrow had taught him. When he was finally confident he loosed an arrow and watched it sail towards the target, hopeful that this time he might have a shot, until it whizzed past the first target and plunged into the second on the lowest part of the outer ring. It was all by chance that his arrow had landed there and Dravite disguised the shot as purposeful, "so I guess I win?"
Sparrow, dissatisfied, raised her weapon again and this time, took a moment to adjust her shot before sending an arrow into the bull's eye of the second target, "no cousin," she smirked, "you got lucky, I win."
Dravite smiled, he had to, she was just like her father, his uncle, Raven; cheeky, crafty, and good humoured, "well done, little bird, you've outdone me again."
"Come on," the girl waved, "let's move closer and get you firing arrow straight."

.
.
.

[Dravite]

"Again," she insisted.
Dravite loosed another arrow and then a third in quick succession. All three missed, "I need to take my time," he grumbled like low lying thunder.
"Life or death," sparrow hissed, "the boar is charging you!"

She had taken the target off its legs and set it low to the ground, pressuring Dravite to take hurried shots at the thing, hoping a little encouragement might force him to land a shot. The horse lord was determined but had it in his head that he just wasn't made for wielding a bow. He pulled back the string and noticed before he even fired the shot that he had given up on himself and was acting only to please Sparrow’s repetition now. After this he slowed, looked at the target and fixed his aim. He looked down the arrow, adjusted his shot and then let it fly. The arrow struck the target finally and Sparrow smiled, "too bad that boar already ripped your leg open."
"Witch," he deemed his cousin and the two of them laughed again.
"Go find your arrows," she waved.

Dravite trudged off into the grass in search of the arrows he had lost, he found one or two along the way and a third tucked in the dirt. After bending down to collect it he realised Sparrow had taken her eyes off of him and turned her attention on something else. The horse lord smirked and ducked into the tall grass to get low and hide.

After a few chimes passed and Sparrow realised that her cousin hadn't returned, she called out to him and when no reply was repaid to her, she stepped forwards to the edge of the grass and called again. Dravite closed his teeth together tightly to stop himself from laughing and giving his position away. When he heard Sparrow move into the grass he moved under the disguise of her rustling to edge closer to her without being noticed. "Drav?" The girl called again and turned her back on him to look around.

Now was his chance the horse lord smiled and reached out to take Sparrows ankle through the wall of grass. A high pitched scream raced from the girls lungs and she pulled her foot away quickly. "What in the world’s name?" She hissed as Dravite stood up.
"And you said I wasn't stealthy enough," he laughed.

She beat his arm with a closed fist and he tackled the woman into the tall grass, wrestling with her just as they had done when they were children. A swift knee to the man's stomach saw him roll on his back and play dead. "That was mean!" She growled, "I thought I had been bitten by a snake!"
Dravite laughed and she slapped him again, "sorry cousin," he chuckled, "you should have seen the look on your face!"
Sparrow looked very unamused, "get up! You're stalling, we have a weapon training lesson to get back to; come on, a little hard work now will pay off in the future."
He sighed, "You’re right, let's get back to it."

The two of them stood downwind of the target which Sparrow had fixed to stand on its legs once more. "Point your bow up just a little," she instructed, "steady, release as you breathe out."

Dravite focused on his shot, glanced down the length of the arrow at the target and then raised his weapon a fraction on account of the distance that stood between them and the mark. He pulled a slow breath of air in through his mouth and slowly released it as his arrow was loosed. The feathered end seemed to wave goodbye as it flew from its keep, travelling up accordingly before turning down to hit the target. Sparrow stood with her mouth agape. Dravite wasn't far off. The two looked at each other before looking back at the arrow which had hit the second ring of the target.
"How did you?"
"A good teacher," he smiled.
A fantastic student, came her reply in grassland sign, "come, let's go hunt some rabbits," she grinned.
"You sure?"
"Yes I think you're ready."

.
.
.

[Dravite]

The weather was cloudy but warm and the pair of hunters had ventured out onto the plain without their horses. Dravite sat down at the edge on the tall grass and bowed his head to concentrate, trance and slip into the web. Any trip out into the grasslands was hazardous, but going without a quick getaway such as their Striders made it even more so. Dravite circled the area through the web, looking for any dangerous prey they might stumble upon. He soon came across the great number of energies, none of which registered as hazardous, but with so many rabbits still in the area it wouldn't be hard for something small, but still just as deadly to move through the grasslands undetected.

"See anything?" Sparrow asked as she helped the now conscious man to his feet.
"Lots of rabbits, we won't have any trouble finding them."
"And what of predators?"
"I didn't see anything that worried me, but we should keep an eye out just to be sure."

Together the crept through the tall grass while Dravite watched the way Sparrow moved to try and pick up some tips on how to travel undetected. "Tell me, cousin; what can I do to move invisibly out here?"
Sparrow smiled, "stealth is all about slowing down and moving as quietly as you can."
"So I slow down, then what?" He asked.
"All right, shorten your stride to a fox walk."
"A fox walk?" Dravite looked confused and rightfully so.
"It's a half step, like this," the girl demonstrated as Dravite worked to copy her as best he could. "No you're doing it all wrong," Sparrow insisted, "heel to toe is not how stealth works."
"Toe to heel then?"
"No," she smiled, "you put your foot down to land on the outside of your foot then check where the rest of it is falling before gently rolling it flat."
"Slow down, shorten stride, out and in motion," he summarised to make sure he hadn't missed anything.
"That's right," Sparrow grinned, "the fox walk."
Dravite smirked, "goodbye bear stomp."
Sparrow laughed, "Good riddance."

For a while he practiced slowing down his walk and taking half steps, putting his foot down on the pad of the outer edge before flattening it against the ground to take the next step.
"Why don't you take your boots off?" Sparrow encouraged, "stealth is all about learning how to walk quietly so that you don't have to spend as much time looking down at the ground; it frees your sight up to keep an eye out for animals instead."

Dravite took off his boots and tethered the rolled leather laces together so that he could sling the boots over his left shoulder and forget about them. It was easier to feel the world underfoot in bare feet and he found that he could move a lot more quietly.
"Make sure your foot is flat in the ground before you transfer your weight," Sparrow coached the man until he was following all of her advice well.

When finally they stumbled upon a rabbit, both hunters raised their short bows and quietly slipped an arrow from their quivers. Dravite wore his quiver at his hip and Sparrow on her back. The horse lord tongued his dry lips before whispering, "Why do you have your bow up?"
"Because you are going to miss and I want to eat tonight."

Dravite smirked and pulled back the taut string of his bow once the arrow was in place. He knew his cousin was probably right; there was no chance of him landing a hit from this distance, but maybe if he moved closer. Dravite put the fox walk Sparrow had taught him into practice, rolling his feet gently as they were designed and making sure his foot was flat before he shifted his weight into the next step. He glanced at the ground to make sure the way was clear before watching the rabbit graze all while sitting blissfully unaware of the two stalking it. When he knew his shot was within range he slowly fixed his position and pulled back the string once more. He checked his target, the background and then readjusted his aim before letting the arrow loose. The arrow flew true and cut into one of the rabbit's hind legs, causing it to spring up into the air with shock.

The horse lord sprinted forward to dive on the rabbit before it could escape and it kicked and struggled in his grasp before he was able to get a good hold on it and snap the poor creature’s neck. Lifeless and limp, he stole the splintered arrow from the rabbit’s hind quarters and held it up to his rather shocked, but impressed tutor. "Well, you can't sneak that close to everything you hunt... But I suppose that worked," Sparrow blinked, surprised.
Dravite beamed, "you want to get a few more before we head back?"
"Don't get too cocky," Sparrow hissed playfully, "wouldn't want to damage your ego next time you miss!"
He smiled, "hey, who is the guy holding the rabbit?"
Sparrow giggle, "just wait, I'll take home twice what you do."

.
.
.

[Dravite]

"There!" Sparrow pointed and the man loosed an arrow that sped towards the fleeing rabbit only to miss it again.

He fixed another arrow to his bow and tried again, this time remembering to breathe, but Sparrow was right, he really did have no luck or hope of hitting these animals unless he was up close and personal. As he adjusted his shot and then let the arrow go, Dravite noticed the rabbit falter and jump away from the arrow as if it had clipped him. The horse lord ran forward and ducked down to pick up his arrow when he spotted blood on the grass, "I hit that one!" He called to Sparrow who was running to catch up to the man, three dead rabbits in hand; she was a far better hunter than he was.
"Go after it!"

Dravite looked down to pick up the trail and follow the odd patch of blood across the plain, jogging to build up endurance. Sparrow soon noticed what he was onto and searched ahead, her hand flying up, "there!"

The two off them sped towards the injured animal at full speed, cutting through the tall grass just like they used to do when they were children. When they caught up to the rabbit it started and zigzagged away from them as if it were being hunted by a wolf. Dravite raised his bow and fired another shot, this one landing at least a foot in front of the rabbit which caused it to bolt in the opposite direction, right into a well-timed shot by Sparrow.

The horse lord stopped and put his hands above his knees in order to catch his breath, "nice work cousin." He picked up the arrows and held out the rabbit to Dravite, "no you keep it," he insisted, "you earned it."

On the way back to Endrykas Dravite spotted a bed of wild onions growing amongst the tall grass, delicious! He signed, "rabbit and onion stew!"

Sparrow bent down to start plucking up the odd onion or three while Dravite crouched down alongside her reaching out for the bigger ones. He turned them gently to make sure there was no rot before cutting a string of them away with his dagger.

Once they were back at camp, Dravite settled into his usual post hunting routine and sat down in front of the fire pit with his rabbit and hunting knife. He was extra careful when it came to skinning rabbits as he had found that their pelts tore a lot easier than a lot of other animals. He removed the rabbit’s paws, tail, and head before cutting down the line of its belly to then work the rabbit out of its skin. With the bloody, wet pelt in hand he took a fistful of salt from his stock and sprinkled it over the pelt evenly before rubbing it in to make sure the fur would dry out well.
"What are you doing?" Sparrow asked.
"Tanning the pelt."
"That's tanning? What do you do with the tail?"
"Very basic tanning," he nodded, "the sun does the rest of the work, it's a great technique, especially when working with thinner pelts like this or snake skin in particular because you don't had to use as much salt. I always keep the tails for little side projects."
"That's really neat," the girl smiled, "help me with mine?"
"Sure."

LedgerSparrow's lesson fee -2 GM

.
.
.

[Pearl]

DRAVITE

Experience

• Rhetoric 3
• Intelligence 2
• Weapon: Short Bow 5
• Intimidation 1
• Stealth 4
• Wilderness Survival: Plains 2
• Weapon: Spear 1
• Wrestling 1
• Mathematics 1
• Webbing 1
• Scouting 1
• Logic 1
• Unarmed Combat 1
• Running 2
• Tracking 1
• Endurance 1
• Hunting 1
• Tanning 1
• Teaching 1
• Foraging 1

Lore

• Short bow: Instinctive shot- Firing without sights
• Stealth: Know your feet when sneaking up on your prey
• Dravite: Prefers to use his spear
• Sparrow: Just like her father
• Dravite: A sneaky devil
• Short Bow: Release your arrow as you breathe out
• Sparrow: A good teacher
• Dravite: A fantastic student
• Always be on the lookout for predators
• Stealth: use the fox walk to quiet your steps
• Stealth: Bare feet aid in moving more quietly
• Stealth: You can't sneak up on everything you hunt
• Tanning: Use salt to aid the sun in tanning animal pelts

Loot

• 8 x wild onions - food

Penalties

• 2 x arrows lost in the tall grass

Goodbye bear stomp. I don't think I will ever forget that line! I enjoyed reading this story and awarding Dravite a point in unarmed combat with a bunny!

Thank you for allowing me to grade your thread. If you feel I have missed anything, please do let me know.

.
.
.