Solo Outside The Pride

[Dravite]

Part III

43 Fall, 515 AV
8th Bell, Morning
Sea of Grass

Dravite hadn't managed to get any sleep and the relentless woofing sound the lion continued to boom all night had left the man with a terrible headache. His shoulder and hip hurt from sitting up in the uncomfortable tree the last six hours gone, and he saw little hope of getting out of his current predicament with the large night lion sitting guard. Twice the lion had circled back to try and attack him up in the tree and twice Dravite had managed to draw blood on the end of his spear.

His legs and arms were stiff and he was startling to lose feeling in his right foot, which sat planted against his hatchet where he had placed the weapon as a footing hold. Dravite leaned back in order to wriggle his foot and try and chase the strange numbing sensation from his heel and toes, but quickly refrained from this when he heard the tree groan under his weight, knowing its slim branches were not made for supporting a grown man long. "You're not going to kill me!" The man hissed at the lion and took his dagger from his belt to hurl at the seated beast.

To his surprise the dagger found flesh, buried in the animal's hindquarters, just below the hip. The large male lion turned on himself, attacking the dagger in an attempt to work it free. Dravite took this opportunity to climb down from the tree with spear in hand and lined up a shot close range which, with one commanding thrust, saw his weapon buried deeply within the animal's chest cavity. Again the lion made to attack and Dravite's plan was swiftly executed, allowing the lion to run him backwards into the tree where he planted the end of his spear and let the powerful beast lunge himself upon it.

The night lion's claws brushed the man's arms and thighs and his teeth lay bare, snapping angrily at his killer as his life slowly fled him. Dravite sunk down against the trunk of the tree, speechless, breathless, and full of adrenaline that caused his heart to thump like a drum in his chest. Up close the lion was a fearsome sight to behold, his fur scarred and weathered, his face dotted with ticks and grazes; the fur stained with the blood of his last meal. The horse lord took his weapons from the beast and picked up his water skin to drink deeply from, the liquid providing some relief to his cracked lips.

Dravite, still alive with fright, took his dagger and opened he beast's belly with it to make sure the lion would not reanimate any time soon, "blood for blood, life for death," he thanked the goddess Caiyha for the life of another animal that would provide meat for his family to dry and store for the winter before he sat down in the tall grass and went in search of his missing animals.

Inside the web, Dravite forged a course home where he found Cree and Vicious had returned without him. Roan was there in the web to greet him and the two spoke for a brief time.
"Still alive, watchman?"
"Just," Dravite told him, "it was a rough night."
"Your wives are not very happy with you."
"I know," he admitted, "tell them not to threat, I am fine and the other lion is now dead."
"What!" Roan said, surprised, "how?"
"I stopped hunting him and in the end he found me," Dravite told the boy.
"When can we expect you back?"
"Soon," he promised, "but first I need to find Grim."
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[Dravite]

Dravite carried on through the web wondering why the large, Imperial Watcher had not returned to camp with the horses. He followed the lines of the web north, skirting the river and lake he hoped the dog hadn't strayed too far from. In the web he saw a great many things he was sure the dog would work to avoid; wild pigs, another snake, coyotes, and a rather territorial looking stallion corralling his mares in a northeast direction from the top most northern point of the lake.

As Dravite wandered back to the location in which he had left his unguarded form, he spotted a join in the web that looked rather weak, something that without proper upkeep would take part of the expansive grid offline for anyone intending to use it later. He stopped there for a while, pooling his djed to his chest where he drew it out in long, thin strands like woven rope and connected it to the weakened line, strengthening the bonds before he was on his way again.

When the horse lord opened his eyes, the ends of his fingers tingled, welcoming him back to his form from the depths of the web. He was surprised to find then, that Grim had showed up out of nowhere and wondered how he had managed to miss the animal in the web; surely their paths had crossed?

"I suppose he belongs to you, Blackwater?"
The woman's voice caused Dravite to flinch and when he looked up, Helene was smiling down at him, "you startled me," he admitted, "I was just looking for this guy," Dravite smiled and gave Grim a good scratch behind the ears.
"He's a good companion," the woman waved, "he sniffed us out early this morning and led us back here."
Us, Helene had said but when Dravite looked up to see who was accompanying the woman he couldn't see anyone else, "where is your hunting party?" Dravite inquired.
"There," Helene pointed, "and there, and there," she smirked and from the tall grass, and behind trees two men and a young woman stepped forth, their bare skin painted, clothes adorned with bits of grass, bark, and a healthy smearing of mud, "we've been working one camouflaged," the watch woman admitted, "what do you think?"
"I'm impressed," Dravite told her as he slowly got to his feet.
"Not nearly as impressed as us," Helene grinned, "you did this," she gestured at the dead lion.
"Indeed," the man agreed.
"But not without injury it seems."
"Huh?"
"Your arms," Helene pointed.
Dravite looked down, both forearms baring the deep claw marks of the lion, blood dripping away from the ends of his fingers, "Shyke," the man breathed, "I didn't even feel him grab me."
"Adrenaline will do that," she told him and turned to the yvas bags on her horse to fetch him some bandages.

For the next two chimes Dravite sat making sure the wounds were clean before he wrapped his arms firmly, though he stopped part way to check that the bandages were not too tight. When he was done he helped Helene and another man drag the lion onto a tarp she had stretched out behind her Strider so that they would be able to lift him and get him onto one of the extra horses without covering the animal in blood, "we'll help you take him back to the city," Helene offered, "if you will accompany me to the northern outpost this afternoon."
"Deal," the horse lord smiled, "but first I will need to stop in at home and make sure everything is well."
"Of course," Helene agreed, "you will need your Strider for this trip and the dog can come along too if you like."
"Sure, it will be good for his training," Dravite breathed as he gave the lion one last, strong heave to get it onto the tarp, using his legs rather than his back to shift the deadweight of the large, black animal.

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[Dravite]

The tanner informed Dravite that the price for curing a hide, especially something as large as a Night Lion had gone up in the last season, but managed to bargain with the horse lord on a deal they could both live with, "the meat of one lion for two expertly tanned hides," the tanner finally put his thoughts into words.
"If you allow me to take the meat of the second lion for my family," Dravite countered, "we will need all the meat we can get for this coming winter."
"I would prefer to keep the meat of both lions," the man informed him, "and of course, I will pay you well for such."
Dravite ran his hand over the night lion's mane, "meat is more valuable to me than gold," he admitted.
"But with the gold I give you, you can buy dry rations," the man explained, "they will last a lot longer during the cold season. Perhaps you will also be able to buy a cow and take the meat for winter."
Tired of negotiating, Dravite agreed to take the gold for the meat of one lion now and arranged to come back later in the season to pick up the pelts he hoped to decorate his home with, "you have a deal," the two men shook on it and parted ways after payment was made in full.

Back at camp, Dravite was relieved to see his wives and embraced each of them with a firm hug and a tender kiss. He greeted his children warmly and spoke with the other members of the pavilion who also seemed relieved to see him return home. His visit, however, was short lived, as the man had promised to travel with Helene to the northern outpost and the party at his back wanted to depart sooner rather than later, "I promise I'll be home tomorrow," he informed Belkaia, who wasn't as trusting as his second wife; she knew that if anything terrible were to befall her husband, their lives would be turned completely upside down.
"Tomorrow," she repeated, pawing at his chest, "will you not stay and eat first?"
"There's no time," he smiled, "I must be going."
"Don't worry, we'll feed him," Helene chimed with a wave.
Belkaia frowned and pressed a quick kiss to her husband's jaw, "just be careful," she sighed, worried after seeing the bandages on his arms.

Dravite decided to take Ashka for the journey, having put Cree and Vicious through their paces the day before. Ashka was a relatively untamed mare, though she seemed quiet enough for the most part. He had experienced her power before and thought a good run would do the animal well. It was hard for a horse focused on keeping up with a herd to find any time to buck him off and that was exactly what Dravite was hoping for. She didn't much like the yvas, nor the straps used to keep it in place, and when the man climbed up onto her back after fastening the yvas bags, the mare looked about ready to roll him, lowering her head to sniff as the ground.

He leaned forward and offered her the last bit of carrot for accepting him as her rider and before she had time to finish the treat and plot her next move, Helene saw to it that they got on the road. Ashka, though built for driving, was a dream to ride; something about the heavy stride and barrelled midsection made long journeys a lot more comfortable. Dravite was careful not to push her too hard or confuse her by moving his feet like he would with any of the trained mounts in his herd, instead he clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth to get her attention and hope from there that she would follow along after the rest of the horses in the traveling group.

By late afternoon they had reached the northern outpost, though when they arrived, Dravite was surprised to find the place empty, "I thought these points were always manned?" He questioned as he set down a bucket of water to occupy Ashka with before working to remove the saddlebags and yvas which he set down on the wooden deck of the outpost.
"They are, but we noticed you were in a spot of trouble early this morning and decided to depart."
"Your team mans this outpost?" Dravite looked surprised, surely Helene, who was ranked rather highly within the watch, had much better things to do.
The woman smiled, "don't look so surprised, Blackwater, sometimes the most proactive missions are the preventative ones."

The man sat down on the edge of the deck and rubbed the tired muscles in his legs, causing him some relief from the pain for a time.
"Need a massage?" Helene teased as she sat down beside him.
After their first encounter, Dravite was wary of the woman and her motives, "I'm fine," he smiled, "though I would like to know what our mission is?"
"No mission," she grinned, looking far too relaxed for his liking, "I thought you might like a break and a lesson or two in camouflage and stealth."
"I would never say no to a free lesson," he beamed, especially in those two arts, he then thought to himself.
"Yet the idea of a free rub down chills you to the bone?" Helene mocked, for which Dravite had no reply.
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[Dravite]

She stripped him of his shirt and painted his skin with the dark black, green, and brown paints, drawing lines across his chest, stomach, and shoulders before working on his back and arms, careful not to get any near his bandages, "you've lost weight," Helene observed, "quite a lot."
"I was sick," he admitted.
"At the end of summer? The Zith bite?"
Dravite nodded, "I got lucky."
"That was some time ago now," she goaded, as if to tell him he had no excuses, that he must be doing something else to keep the weight off.
"I've been busy," he shrugged and Helene scolded him for moving and messing up the lines of her work.
"A new wife," she teased, "I'm sure you have."
He couldn't help it, that one made him laugh, "Are you implying that I'm having so much sex that I cannot bulk up for winter?"
"Then not enough?" Helene waved, "A man with two wives shouldn't be depressed."
"Stop that," he scoffed, "assumptions do no one any good."
Helene giggled, "Well I don't hear you denying it."
"You're being far too familiar," he told her.
"You love it," Helene nudged him.
"If you must know, things have been relatively quiet at home, we lost Trail recently and I've been very busy with work."
"Oh Drav stop, you know I'm only teasing you?"
He smiled slowly, "how do I look?"
"Finished," Helene grinned before sitting back to admire the camouflage she had painted onto him.

Helene ran out into the tall grass after briefing them with their backs turned; they weren't to know which way she travelled, nor how far. This was to be a game of stealth, hunter versus the hunted. The men and the single woman in charge of looking for their leader, spread out after counting to fifty and when permitted to turn around and begin their search, Dravite's eye was automatically drawn to the lines in the tall grass that Helene had made, leaving tracks the majority of the small party made a beeline for.

The horse lord, however, had other plans, he didn't want to face Helene head on, who armed with a blowgun, would pick them off one by one when she heard them getting too close and was able to spot them before they could tag her. Her darts were laced with a mild numbing agent crafted from one of the local grassland plants, which wasn't strong enough to knock a man out or cause any damage, but it did have a nasty little sting to it that upped the ante and gave them all the more reason to avoid getting caught.

He ducked low and crawled along the wall of grass away from the tracks, tucking himself into a little piece of cover that would keep him safe long enough to delve into the secrets of the web and see what information he could take. Following the glowing blue lines, Dravite was able to pinpoint Helene, who had managed to cover a lot more ground than he expected. She was tucked away at the edge of a clearing, just out of sight and with a good view of the entrance to her little trap; a spider coaxing in the fly. When Dravite abandoned the web he smirked, finding the game a lot more fun than he had initially thought; Helene was very creative and knew how to turn an ordinary experience into something memorable.

He crept through the tall grass towards the woman's location and stopped dead in his tracks when he heard a rustle nearby, having been careful not to make too much sound, parting the grass to step through rather than folding it like he usually would. Through the dry, golden strands he noticed one of his comrades going in circles and closed his eyes in order to stop himself from seeing the hilarity in the act so that he might be able to concentrate instead of laughing and giving away his position.

Soon Dravite knew he was getting close to Helene, so close in fact that he heard her draw breath in order to fire another dart into one of her men; this particular man crying out as he was struck in the shoulder. He rose and walked back to the starting line after plucking the dart free, and cursed Helene for her 'hawk eyes'. She was just a breath away now, an arm’s length from where he sat, though just out of reach. The ground might as well be a bed of eggshells, he thought, for there seemed no hope of getting any closer, and then it happen, his chance to claim the game. Helene waddled backwards, readying another shot as she heard someone moving in on her location through the clearing.

Dravite again had to steady his nerves and keep in the bout of laughter so desperate now to escape. He bit his lower lip and raised a hand, steering it through the tall grass like the head of a snake to grab Helene's shoulder. The woman's scream rattled his bones, but was quickly followed up by a storm of laughter, one to rival the thunder that still rolled overhead. The watchmen cheered as Dravite got to his feet, reluctantly shadowed by the woman they had all spent the better part of an hour trying to sneak up on.

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[Dravite]

They continued their game well into dark and by the time Dravite started limping back to camp, he had managed to find his efforts rewarded with two darts to his back. He helped build up the fire in the large stone pit, having picked up the odd piece of wood on the way in. They sat under the starless night, blanketed by cloud, "Big storm coming I think, if not rain," the man decided, looking skyward.
"Heavy rain is my bet," Helene agreed, "that will be why the horses are all lying down."

Dravite looked out across the clearing to see that all of their animals had taken to ground, resting up before the rains. He smiled, finding the sight of watching the sleeping animals by firelight rather endearing. Still, there was work to be done. The watchman took a pot from the kitchen and poured some clean water into the vessel before heating it up over the flames of the fire pit.
"What are you doing?" Helene inquired from her hammock.
Dravite added salt to the water and waited until it boiled before setting it aside to cool slightly, "I need to clean my wounds," he told her, "They are starting to sting."
"I have some turmeric in my bag," she offered and struggled out of the hammock to fetch the ground down, yellow powder.
"What is turmeric?" He asked; though couldn’t help but feel he had heard the name of such a substance before.
"Well, some people use it in cooking, others have been known to use it as a dye for fabrics, but I bet your wife uses it for healing," Helene smiled, "it's good for wounds as it helps fight infection."

Dravite washed the paint from his arm before undoing the bandages to clean the claw marks, four on each forearm, "those are going to scar," Helene told him.
"I don't mind," he smiled, "we'll call them decorations," he laughed.
"The marks of a warrior," she offered.
"Or a fool," he then countered.
Helene laughed.

With the wounds cleaned out, Helene sprinkled some of the strange yellow powder over the cuts before Dravite covered them up once again with a fresh lot of bandages. He would be sure to remember the name of the powder Helene had used and inquire about purchasing some next time he found himself in the marketplace. After finishing the mug of herbal tea one of the watchmen had brought out, Dravite decided to call it a night. He rolled into one of the black, surprisingly comfortable hammocks crafted from a rather heavy fabric and pulled down the bug net before tucking himself in under one of the wooden blankets. They were sheltered from the rain, should it decide to fall soon, and had enough wood on the fire to see them through the darkest part of the night. If anything got too close to the outpost, Dravite was almost certain he would hear it, for sleep never came easy so far from home.

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[Ruari Darkwind]

Dravite

Skills

Skill	XP Earned
Massage	2 XP
Seduction	1 XP
Medicine	3 XP
Leadership	4 XP
Horsemanship	1 XP
Land Navigation	1 XP
Tactics	2 XP
Hunting	2 XP
Weapon: Shortbow	2 XP
Weapon: Spear	2 XP
Riding	3 XP
Tracking	3 XP
Wilderness Survival (Plains)	3 XP
Drawing	1 XP
Weapon: Dagger	3 XP
Animal Husbandry	1 XP
Persuasion	2 XP
Tanning	2 XP
Food Preservation	1 XP
Singing	1 XP
Philosophy	1 XP
Stealth	2 XP
Climbing	1 XP
Acrobatics	1 XP
Webbing	1 XP
Negotiation	1 XP
Camouflage	1 XP

Lore

Belkaia: Hot and cold
Roan: Attacked by lions
Roan: Lost his strider to lions
Medicine: Salt and honey doesn’t fix everything
Horsemanship: Rasping hooves
Night Lions: Identifying age
Vicious: Enjoys the hunt
Recognising limitations with spear throw
The Web near the heart of Cyphrus needs repair
Tracking: Night lion
Drawing: Night lion paw print
Wilderness Survival: Purifying water by running it through crushed charcoal
Dravite: The lone ranger
A song for Zulrav, a song for Semele
Philosophy: When is enough enough?
Adrenaline, it keeps the wounds from feeling the pain in the moment
Lifting with the knees, not the back
Location: Northern outpost
Tracking: Camouflaged quarry
Webbing: Using the web to find that which hid itself
A new set of scars, for a warrior or a fool
Herb: Turmeric
Turmeric is good for wounds, helps to fight infections

Consequences
Dravite has earned himself a bruised and scratched elbow, and due to that he treated it pretty much immediately, he won’t be experiencing much trouble for it, but it’s still a good idea to check on it the next day and clean the honey or risk ants (nobody likes ants, amirite). Also, Dravite will be a little stiff for a couple days due to camping overnight in the uncomfortable predicament of a tree’s branches. He should get some stretches in to compensate.

Dravite has suffered some pretty serious wounds to his arms. The bandages will need to be checked and changed often, to keep infection under wraps, and Dravite may have a bit of nerve damage where the lion got a little deeper than necessary. Recovery time will be several weeks, but Dravite will bare the scars for a life time (consider them war decoration; those aren’t as jagged as the wounds from most weapons.

Loot
2 Night Lion Pelts, excellent condition
+ 20 gm, for the lion meat

Just Mizahar Things
Alright! That was quite a read, and I’m definitely glad that Dravite made it through that particular challenge alive! There were many skills to earn here for him, and a fair few lores for the collection. I feel like he got a couple he hasn’t had yet, and it’s always great to learn something new!

I didn’t award much skill for webbing here, I wanted to note especially; he has progressed to a point in the magic that simply sinking in and seeking out his quarry doesn’t warrant a point, but the reparations he performed near the denouement of the thread definitely did. He also earned himself some medicine, massage, climbing, and a bunch of other skills that were well-deserved. Of special note are horsemanship and food preservation.

I felt the need to bring up skill limitations, although I did make an exception for adrenaline and the fact people do extraordinary things through it: Dravite climbed that tree much too easy, but I bring it up to note simply that in a normal instance, that wouldn’t come so easy. Pretty sure he was punished well by that tree and lion, though.

Well done, but let me know if there are any concerns with your grade, and please remember to edit your request in the grade queue. <3