Lian worked diligently on the wolf hide Dravite had called him over to help with. He had very little idea of what to do, so he watched to see what Dravite did. His friend seemed to be more skilled in such matters than he was. When Dravite started at the belly, so did he. It was similar to the lesson he'd had a while back on field dressing a deer. If he was working on a deer, he would feel along the rib cage until he found a spot that ended in a V shape at the end of the rib cage. That was the sternum, the base of the chest just above where it meets the belly. On a deer, that was just below where the stag's forelegs were if Lian remembered correctly. He didn't know if it would be in the same place on a wolf or not, so Lian rubbed his fingers along the rib cage, feeling for the place that ended in a V shape.
It took him a while, but he finally found it, and it was in roughly the same spot. Lian wondered briefly if the sternum was in the same place on all animals. Then he placed his knife at the correct spot, and pressed the tip into the dead wolf's flesh. He remembered that he had to make shallow cuts to avoid cutting into the wall of muscle that holds the animal's guts inside. Cutting through that would be to cut into the organs, and taint the meat. He remembered being told that he would feel a difference between the hide wall, and the muscle that holds the animal's guts inside if he inserted his fingers into the slit made by the first cut.
Unfortunately when he tried to make that cut, he cut too deeply. Blood, and pieces of the organ he had pierced welled out of the slit, coating the fur in dark, sticky blood. Lian scowled. He had thought he had been careful. What had he done wrong? Lian glanced at his friend as he worked, noticing that the knife he used wasn't as sharp as Lian's knife was. Could that be the problem? Perhaps in the future, he should keep two knives. One for skinning his prey, and one for killing it.
Lian decided to try again. Cutting into the organs might taint the meat, but he was more interested in the hide than the meat for now. With luck, the blood could be washed off once the skin had been removed from the carcass. This time, Lian eased the tip of the knife into the carcass as slowly as he could. After making the smallest of cuts, he inserted his finger into it, and found that he could indeed feel a difference between the hide wall and the muscle holding the wolf's guts inside. The blood that had been released made it more difficult to feel what he was looking for because it made everything slick, and wet. But he could still feel the difference.
Lian worked slowly, cutting from the sternum towards the crotch. He cut too deep on more than one occasion, but by the time he had finished making the first cut, he thought he was getting a better feel of how shallow the cut had to be. At least, he thought he was. Lian turned to see how his friend was progressing, and watched as Dravite drew his knife along the inside of each leg before trying to cut the pelt away from the carcass with short, sharp cuts. He did the best he could to follow his friend's lead, but he had no real idea of what he was doing. Since his knife was sharper than it should be, his cuts were often too deep. And sometimes the flesh tore as he tried to cut the pelt off.
But eventually, his efforts paid off. His pelt wasn't in good shape when he had removed it from the carcass, but it was his first attempt at working on a pelt unaided. He wasn't expecting much in the way of success. Lian turned to watch Dravite again. His friend rubbed salt into his pelt, and Lian remembered helping Dravite do the same thing with the skin of the grass bear they had killed together last season. So Lian began rubbing salt into this pelt now. He wasn't sure of how much to use, so he went easy on the salt. Using too much might damage the pelt in some way, ruining any chance he had of getting a pelt he could actually use out of his efforts.
When Amunet came over and confronted Dravite, berating him for insulting her strider, he couldn't help but watch with bemusement. The woman he was starting to see as a friend was very spirited as she stood up for her strider. Lian knew that if someone insulted his own strider, he would likely do the same. But Lian didn't know the full story here, and he knew it. Dravite wasn't the type of person to insult someone's strider without cause. Perhaps Amunet's strider had done something that she was unaware of? Or perhaps there was simply some kind of misunderstanding? Could Amunet have taken something Dravite had said as an insult when no such insult had been intended?
Lian didn't know what to think, as he watched his friend and ankal hold back his anger. Amunet left, and Dravite left soon afterwards. Lian watched him leave, then returned to his own work. He continued rubbing salt into the pelt for a while, until he decided that he had used enough. It was a complete guess on his part, but it was the best he could do. He had used far less salt on this pelt than he had on the bear's, which only made sense since the bear's pelt had been far larger than the wolf's.
By now, his hands were covered in blood. Lian wanted to get himself cleaned up quickly. Even if he wanted to stay and help with the efforts to find more food, he couldn't do so until his hands were clean. So he picked up his wolf, and carried it back towards the city..
.
.
It took him a while, but he finally found it, and it was in roughly the same spot. Lian wondered briefly if the sternum was in the same place on all animals. Then he placed his knife at the correct spot, and pressed the tip into the dead wolf's flesh. He remembered that he had to make shallow cuts to avoid cutting into the wall of muscle that holds the animal's guts inside. Cutting through that would be to cut into the organs, and taint the meat. He remembered being told that he would feel a difference between the hide wall, and the muscle that holds the animal's guts inside if he inserted his fingers into the slit made by the first cut.
Unfortunately when he tried to make that cut, he cut too deeply. Blood, and pieces of the organ he had pierced welled out of the slit, coating the fur in dark, sticky blood. Lian scowled. He had thought he had been careful. What had he done wrong? Lian glanced at his friend as he worked, noticing that the knife he used wasn't as sharp as Lian's knife was. Could that be the problem? Perhaps in the future, he should keep two knives. One for skinning his prey, and one for killing it.
Lian decided to try again. Cutting into the organs might taint the meat, but he was more interested in the hide than the meat for now. With luck, the blood could be washed off once the skin had been removed from the carcass. This time, Lian eased the tip of the knife into the carcass as slowly as he could. After making the smallest of cuts, he inserted his finger into it, and found that he could indeed feel a difference between the hide wall and the muscle holding the wolf's guts inside. The blood that had been released made it more difficult to feel what he was looking for because it made everything slick, and wet. But he could still feel the difference.
Lian worked slowly, cutting from the sternum towards the crotch. He cut too deep on more than one occasion, but by the time he had finished making the first cut, he thought he was getting a better feel of how shallow the cut had to be. At least, he thought he was. Lian turned to see how his friend was progressing, and watched as Dravite drew his knife along the inside of each leg before trying to cut the pelt away from the carcass with short, sharp cuts. He did the best he could to follow his friend's lead, but he had no real idea of what he was doing. Since his knife was sharper than it should be, his cuts were often too deep. And sometimes the flesh tore as he tried to cut the pelt off.
But eventually, his efforts paid off. His pelt wasn't in good shape when he had removed it from the carcass, but it was his first attempt at working on a pelt unaided. He wasn't expecting much in the way of success. Lian turned to watch Dravite again. His friend rubbed salt into his pelt, and Lian remembered helping Dravite do the same thing with the skin of the grass bear they had killed together last season. So Lian began rubbing salt into this pelt now. He wasn't sure of how much to use, so he went easy on the salt. Using too much might damage the pelt in some way, ruining any chance he had of getting a pelt he could actually use out of his efforts.
When Amunet came over and confronted Dravite, berating him for insulting her strider, he couldn't help but watch with bemusement. The woman he was starting to see as a friend was very spirited as she stood up for her strider. Lian knew that if someone insulted his own strider, he would likely do the same. But Lian didn't know the full story here, and he knew it. Dravite wasn't the type of person to insult someone's strider without cause. Perhaps Amunet's strider had done something that she was unaware of? Or perhaps there was simply some kind of misunderstanding? Could Amunet have taken something Dravite had said as an insult when no such insult had been intended?
Lian didn't know what to think, as he watched his friend and ankal hold back his anger. Amunet left, and Dravite left soon afterwards. Lian watched him leave, then returned to his own work. He continued rubbing salt into the pelt for a while, until he decided that he had used enough. It was a complete guess on his part, but it was the best he could do. He had used far less salt on this pelt than he had on the bear's, which only made sense since the bear's pelt had been far larger than the wolf's.
By now, his hands were covered in blood. Lian wanted to get himself cleaned up quickly. Even if he wanted to stay and help with the efforts to find more food, he couldn't do so until his hands were clean. So he picked up his wolf, and carried it back towards the city..
.
.
