Solo New Skills, Old Memories

[Seirei Dawnwhisper]

Timestamp: 7th Day of Fall, 515 AV


The Dawnwhispers were going to be joining the many others who were going out into the Sea of Grass to hunt this season. It seemed only natural that they would, since Shahar was a hunter. Seirei had been asked if she would be willing to help her friends. She had said yes, of course. After everything that Naiya and Shahar had done for her, there was nothing she wouldn't do for them. She knew that she could never pay them back for all they had done for her. But that didn't mean that she wasn't going to spend the rest of her life trying.

The problem was that Seirei didn't know the first thing about hunting. They were going to be hunting olidosapai...but Seirei didn't even know what an olidosapai was, never mind how to hunt one. And although she had bought a composite short bow in anticipation of the hunt, she had no real idea how to use it. When she was a child, some of the caravan guards had amused themselves by impressing her with their prowess in their chosen weapon. Shooting targets that seemed impossibly far away to the young girl, and things of that nature. One had even shot an apple that his friend had tossed into the air for him. It had never even touched the ground. The arrow pierced it, and carried it away, embedding itself in a distant target that had been tied to a tree. Such amazing feats had impressed Seirei so much as a child, that when one of the guards had offered to teach her a few things, she had jumped at the chance.

But as with most things that were not related to carving, it had been no more than a passing interest for the young girl. The fact that neither her mother, nor her brother, Jared had approved of her learning how to use a weapon had left an impact on her as well. As a result, she had learned only the most basic of things. She knew how to stand properly when firing a short bow, and how to hold one. She could put an arrow to the string, too. And in theory, she knew how to fire the arrow once she had put it to the string. She had even fired the guard's short bow a few times. But when it had begun to hurt her fingers after firing only a few arrows...none of which had even come close to hitting the target, Seirei had given up. The guards' laughter at her pathetic attempts, as well as her mother's disapproval had ensured that she had never tried again.

Seirei didn't even know if the little she had learned would be of any use since her new weapon was a composite short bow, and the guard who had taught her had used a regular one. So Seirei made the only decision she could. She didn't want to be a burden on the hunt, so she needed to learn as much as she could. And the best place to learn how to hunt was at the Hunter's Allegiance.


Word Count16,402 words.
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[Seirei Dawnwhisper]

Seirei glanced at Kairi thoughtfully. She knew that she needed to learn how to ride. Thunder was counting on her to do so, so when he was old enough, she would be able to ride him properly. But one look at his mother told her that today was not a good day to approach her. Walking was just as good. So she gathered up her bow and arrows, and set off at a brisk pace.

Once Seirei had arrived at the Hunter's Allegiance, she began looking for a place where she could practice without getting in anyone's way. Most of the people she saw were men, but there were several women practicing their skills as well. Many were working with a weapon, but some seemed to be studying the ground, or sparring without weapons. Some were working with partners, or instructors. But several seemed to be practicing on their own. There were even a few classes being taught.

Seirei was too nervous to ask anyone to teach her, but when she found a good sized class that appeared to be learning the basics of using a composite short bow, she paused to listen in for a while. One of the things that Seirei learned was that the composite short bow tended to be more accurate than a normal short bow was. It had more power, and as a result, could shoot heavier arrows that would penetrate deeper, and cause more damage. That sounded like it would be a considerable advantage to a hunter. Seirei wondered why anyone would use a regular short bow if that were the case.

But the instructor continued to explain that the glue used to hold the pieces of wood that made up the belly of the composite short bow dissolved easily in water. So if it rained a lot, or if you dropped the bow in water, it would be ruined. After seeing how much rain they had gotten last fall, Seirei could understand why some people would choose a regular short bow instead. The much higher cost of the composite short bow might well be a factor for some people as well.

The instructor had people line up in front of a series of targets so they could practice. Seirei watched intently as people began firing arrows at the targets. As she watched, their movements were familiar, stirring up memories of the lesson she had had as a child. But watching them practice, and trying to memorize their movements made her feel guilty, too. Her mother had not approved of her interest in learning how to use a weapon when she was a child. And since that disapproval had been the result of being a girl rather than her age, Seirei knew that if her mother were alive, she'd still disapprove. For that matter, Jared hadn't approved back then, either.

Knowing that her mother wouldn't be happy with what she was doing weighed heavily upon Seirei's heart. But what could she do? Her circumstances had changed drastically. And she needed to learn how to hunt in order to be useful to her friends. That meant that she also needed to learn how to use a weapon. Hunting without one would be both very dangerous, and a waste of time.

After a while, Seirei had learned all she could simply by observing. So she walked away from the class, and looked for a place where she could practice what she had learned.

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[Seirei Dawnwhisper]

She didn't have to look for long before she found a series of ten targets that weren't being used. Each target was different than the others. Some were smaller, and looked harder to hit than the bigger ones. Others were positioned further away. Those too seemed like they would be more difficult to hit than the closest ones. There were some that were attached to tall posts. Seirei wondered why they were so high up. Then a thought occurred to her. People hunted birds...maybe these targets were meant to get people used to shooting something in the sky? There was even one that hung between two posts in a way that would make it move when touched. She had no idea what that target was supposed to be used for.

Seirei dismissed most of the targets immediately. Even she knew that most of them were well beyond her ability to hit. She needed to start with something easy before she could move on to more challenging targets. So she chose the target that was closest to her. The people she had watched practicing had stood anywhere from twenty yards from their target to as far as seventy yards away from their chosen target. Using that as a reference, Seirei guessed that a short bow had a maximum range of seventy yards. The students who had been practicing at that distance had been acknowledged as the best in the class, and when one had tried to move further back, he'd been scolded, and told that he'd never hit anything from that far away.

With that in mind, Seirei positioned herself roughly ten yards away from her chosen target. She figured that as she got better, she could move further and further back from the target until she was firing from seventy yards away like she students she'd seen practicing had been. When she was ready to begin, Seirei removed her bow off of her back, and pulled an arrow out of the yvas bag she'd used to carry them in. When she had watched the class practicing, they started by pointing the bows at the ground. So Seirei did the same thing. With the bow pointing at the ground, they had positioned their arrow. But when Seirei tried to do the same, she quickly realized that she had no idea what she was doing. No matter how hard she tried, the arrow would slide off of the spot she put it on. If it didn't slide off, the arrow would fall when she tried to bring the bow up so she could shoot it.

"Having trouble?"

Seirei fumbled her bow, dropping it as she started, and turned to look at the person who had spoken to her. It was a a woman who looked as though she was several years older than Seirei was. Seirei nodded ruefully.

"If you want, I could give you a lesson." the woman woman offered with a smile.

"I saw you trying to pick up a few pointers from the class over there. But when you are as...inexperienced with a weapon as you obviously are, if you don't mind my saying...it is best to learn from a teacher."

Seirei hesitated. She wanted to take the woman up on her offer, but she was wary. Why was she offering to help?

"Thank you. I'd like that, if you're sure it's not too much trouble..."

The woman smiled again.

"I'm sure. If you don't mind my asking...are you a captive? It's just that you don't have a strider with you, and a Drykas who wanted to learn how to use a weapon would usually ask someone to teach them."

"Why do you want to know?" Seirei asked warily.

"No reason, really. I was just curious. You see, I was a captive until my master married me two seasons ago. It was a reward for giving him three sons. So if you are a captive, I can relate. And I won't give you any trouble for wanting to learn how to use a weapon."

Seirei hesitated for a few ticks more. Then she shook her head.

"I used to be a captive. " she said softly.

"But I bonded last summer. I want to learn how to use a short bow because I need to know how to use a weapon if I'm going to learn how to hunt. I did learn a couple things about the short bow when I was a child, so I thought it would be easier to learn this weapon rather than one I knew nothing at all about."

"That makes sense. And I bet there's all kinds of things you need to learn now that you're free. It was the same with me when my master married me."

Seirei nodded ruefully, offering a shy smile.

"Well, let's get started, then. Here, look at your arrow. Do you see the groove in the end, there?"

Seirei examined the arrow she was holding closely. The woman was right. It did have a groove in the end.

"Yes, I do."

"That's called the nock. That's where you fit the bowstring when you're positioning the shaft of your arrow on the arrow rest, which is called nocking the arrow. The arrow rest is that little groove in the middle of your bow. Nocking your arrow makes it less likely that you will fumble and drop the arrow when you are trying to shoot."

Seirei looked at her bow, searching for the groove in the wood that the woman had told her about. When she found it, she positioned the shaft of her arrow so that it was resting on the arrow rest.

"Wait! Always point the arrow at the ground when you're doing that! If you accidentally shoot the bow before you take proper aim, someone could get hurt, or even killed if they're standing in the arrow's flight path. By keeping the arrow pointed down until you are ready to take aim, you prevent any unfortunate accidents."

Seirei flushed in embarrassment. She had seen that the people she'd watched practicing had pointed the bow at the ground while putting their arrow on the bowstring. But she hadn't known why until her teacher had explained it to her. She really should have known, though. It was obvious that you might shoot the bow by mistake before you were ready if you didn't know what you were doing...like her. Seirei hadn't thought of the possibility of someone getting hurt as a result of her practicing, but she really should have.

"I'm sorry. I should have realized..."

"Don't worry about it. You didn't know. No one got hurt, and now you know how to prevent anyone from getting hurt in the future."

Seirei nodded. She wouldn't forget, now that she knew the potential consequences.

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[Seirei Dawnwhisper]

"Try nocking your arrow again. You'll start to get the basics of doing it down after just a few attempts, so I want to make sure that you learn how to do it properly. After that, time, and a great deal of practice will allow you to get to a point where you can do it quickly, and without thinking about it."

Seirei nodded determinedly. She pointed her bow at the ground. Then she placed the shaft of her arrow on the arrow rest, and fitted the notch on her arrow up against the bow string. Or tried to. The string moved while she was trying to nock her arrow. She wasn't expecting it, so she fumbled the arrow, and dropped it. With a resigned sigh, she picked up her arrow, and tried it again. This time, she succeeded in nocking the arrow. Without needing to be told, Seirei began practicing nocking her arrow over, and over again. It took her nearly a bell before she was able to do it correctly several times in a row. And even then, her efforts were painfully slow, and careful. If anything distracted her, she would lose track of what she was doing, and fumble her arrow. Even so, her teacher seemed to be pleased with her efforts.

"What you really need now is practice. That's the only thing that will make you feel more comfortable with the process. And once you start feeling comfortable with it, you will start to get better at it. So I think we can move on to the next step now. Nock your arrow."

Seirei obeyed, then looked up at her teacher, waiting to see what she should do next.

"You should be holding your arrow on the string lightly, using three fingers. Here, let me show you."

The woman demonstrated the proper grip while Seirei paid close attention to what she was doing. Her fingers were all placed below the arrow as they held it in place. Seirei tried to mimic the position her teacher's hand was in. And after several attempts, she managed to get it right.

"Now you're going to raise, and draw your bow. Drawing a bow means that you pull back on the bowstring. Your bow arm, the one that is holding your bow, should be held out towards your target. The inner elbow of the arm that is pulling the string should be parallel to the ground, and your bow should always stay vertical. While in that position, you should be able to look straight down the spine of your arrow at your target. When you pull your bowstring back, you should be pulling it towards your face, specifically your cheek, or ear. That is your anchor point. If you were using a long bow, you would be able to draw back all the way to your cheek, or ear. But a short bow won't allow you to pull the string that far back. As you practice, you will get a feel for how far back you can pull the string before you are forced to release it. The string will feel like it is being pulled from the grasp of your fingers."

Once again, Seirei did as she was told. She could feel the tension in the bow string as she pulled back on it, and she understood why she wouldn't be able to pull it as far back as her cheek or ear. If she tried, the string would probably break. Several times when she tried to draw her bow, Seirei pulled back on the bowstring too far. This caused the string to pull out of her fingers with a painful snap, which in turn caused her to drop the arrow. But Seirei was determined to learn, so she refused to give up. And her persistence paid off. After another bell or so of practice, she was able to draw the bow consistently without pulling back too far, and releasing the string. The movement felt awkward, and uncomfortable, but her teacher assured her that she would become accustomed to it with time and practice.

As Seirei continued to practice what she had learned, her teacher frowned thoughtfully.

"Your stance is all wrong. You'll never hit anything of you stand like that. Here, watch me."

The woman stood in such a way that if Seirei drew a line from the woman to the target in front of her, the line would go over the middle of her feet. Her feet were spread shoulder width apart, forming a line that pointed towards the target. She was standing straight, but there was no tension in her posture. Her bow was held in her left hand, and her left shoulder was pointed towards the target. At Seirei's surprised look, the woman paused.

"You should hold your bow in the opposite hand of your dominant eye, because that's the eye you aim with. And you handle the arrow and string with the other hand. With most people, their dominant eye is the same as their dominant hand. So since I'm, right handed, I use my left to hold the bow." she explained.

Seirei nodded. She was right handed too, so she switched her bow to her left hand, and tried to copy the woman's stance. After a few tries, she got it right. Her teacher smiled.

"That's better. Try practicing raising and drawing your bow while standing just like that now."

Seirei could feel the difference immediately. Her new stance felt more natural, and it made drawing the bow feel more natural as well. But it took some time to get used to the new feeling, and try to get a feel of what it should feel like when she was drawing her bow.

"Definitely better. I think you're ready to learn the next step now."

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[Seirei Dawnwhisper]

Seirei smiled at her teacher, feeling a rush of accomplishment as she did so. She allowed herself a few ticks to indulge in the feeling before it was back to work.

"What's next?" she asked eagerly.

"Next, you have to take aim. This is harder than it sounds, because you have to determine how far you are from your prey. And if there are any trees around, they will impede your aim. You need a clear line of sight on your prey in order to take proper aim. The wind plays a factor as well, because it can blow your arrow off course. You will need to learn how to take that into consideration, and adjust for it. But most of these things are too complicated for someone at your stage of learning. Things like judging wind speed and strength, and working around obstacles will come when you actually go out hunting and encounter them. And since you already know how far you're standing from your target, we can move on."

Seirei nodded, taking careful note of everything her teacher said.

"So the next thing to do is to release the arrow. Just let go of the string. Simple, right?"

Seirei frowned thoughtfully. Something in the tone of her teacher's words suggested that it might not be as simple as it sounded.

"It sounds easy enough..." Seirei said skeptically.

The woman laughed.

"But things are rarely as simple as they seem. You were right to doubt me. Letting go of the bowstring is simple enough. But the way you release the string will have an effect on the flight of your arrow. You want a nice, clean release. Anything that deflects the string as you release your fingers will alter the arrow's flight path. This means that the arrow won't fly true, and chances are, you will miss your mark. When hunting, that will often mean that you will fail to bring down your prey, and you'll go hungry that night. This is probably the most difficult part of shooting a bow for a beginner like yourself to master. It will take time, and a great deal of practice."

Seirei nodded. She was no stranger to the saying that "practice makes perfect." How many endless bells had she spent practicing one carving technique, or another? No, she understood all too well the need for patience, and practice. She wasn't going to suddenly become good with a bow overnight. But she wanted this badly enough to put in the work she needed in order to gain competency in her chosen weapon. When she succeeded, she would be able to be an asset when it came to helping her new family hunt rather than a hinderance.

So without needing to be prompted, Seirei pointed her bow towards the ground, and nocked her arrow. She was utterly focused on what she was doing, trusting that her teacher was watching, and would point out any mistakes she made so that she could correct them. When she was ready, she raised her bow up, fixating on the target in front of her. Then she drew the bow, pulling the string back until she felt it starting to pull free of her fingers. Her movements were slow, and uncertain. But she believed her teacher's words that she would gain speed and ease of movement as she gained confidence through practice. After a few ticks, she focused on the target in front of her, and paid attention to her surroundings.

The target was ten yards away. She knew this because she had chosen to stand ten yards away from the easiest target, well within the range of her bow so she could get a feel of what she was doing. With that knowledge firmly in mind, she knew that she didn't need to judge the distance between her, and her "prey." But a light breeze had sprung up, and Seirei had learned that wind could alter an arrow's course. Was this little breeze strong enough to do that? How could she compensate for it if it was? Her teacher hadn't taught her how to do that, yet. Finally, Seirei decided that it didn't matter. She had to learn how to actually shoot her bow before she could learn more advanced skills like dealing with the wind. So she released the string, and hoped for the best.

The bow string stung her fingers sharply as it snapped free of her grasp. This caused Seirei to flinch at the unexpected pain. The arrow missed the target entirely, sailing off to the right to embed itself in a nearby post.

"You flinched."

"The string bit my fingers."

"That's because you didn't release it cleanly enough. I told you that you would need a lot of practice at this. Try it again."

Seirei nodded. She was determined to get it right.

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[Seirei Dawnwhisper]

With iron determination, Seirei went to fetch her arrow. When she got back to her starting point, she pointed her bow at the once more. She nocked her arrow a bit faster this time, because she was starting to get a feel of how it was done. But she still needed to glance down and make sure she had done it correctly before she could continue on to the next step. She was able to raise and draw her bow faster this time, too. But she pulled the string back too far. It snapped out of her grasp, and she fumbled the arrow.

Her teacher said nothing, choosing to simply watch her. Seirei thought she was waiting to see if she would give up, or complain. But she didn't do either. She simply picked up the arrow, and started over again. And again. And again. Each new failure ate away at her already shaky confidence a little more. But sheer stubborn determination kept her going when her confidence failed her. And after a while, she had her first success. Her arrow struck the outermost ring of the target, grazing the rim as it did so. But it stayed in the target, and that's what counted. Seirei grinned, and glanced over at her teacher, her eyes dancing with excitement at her success.

"Well done. Now let's see if you can do it again." the woman said with a smile.

Seirei nodded, her confidence renewed by her success, no matter how small it was. Once she had fetched her arrow, she pointed her bow at the ground. She was going to hit the target again. She could feel it. She nocked her arrow, and raised her bow to aim at the target, drawing her string as she did so. So far, so good. There were no breezes, nothing to interfere with her aim, and she knew how far she was from her target. Her hand trembled with excitement, and the need to succeed as she released her string. This caused the string to wobble, and her arrow bounced off of the target's rim to land in a clump of nearby grass.

"Your hand wobbled as you took your shot, Seirei. That's what altered the course of your arrow. You need a steady hand when you shoot if you expect to be able to hit anything. Now try again."

Seirei spent the next several bells practicing what she had learned under her teacher's watchful eye. During that time, she only hit the target five more times. Three of those had bounced off of the rim. But she had started to get a feel of what she was doing. She had started to feel comfortable with the movements she made as she shot an arrow. Her teacher told her that she was well on her way to figuring out what worked best for her when taking a shot. Her fingers ached with the unfamiliar use, and Seirei was reluctant to risk injuring her hands. So she decided to call it a day. She thanked the woman who had taken the time to teacher her. Then she headed home, proud of herself for taking the first step in becoming more useful to her new family.

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[Jasmine Stormblood]

Let me know if i missed something

 

Seirei Dawnwhisper

XP

• Weapon- Shortbow: 5 XP
• Socialization: 3 XP
• Planning: 2 XP

Lores

• Seirei: determined
• Jared: didnt approve of Seirei learning to use a weapon
• Shortbow: need a clear line of sight
• Shortbow: requires a steady hand when shouting an arrow
• Shortbow useless farther than 70 yards away
• Shortbow: pull back too far and the arrow will fall
• Composite Shortbow are more accurate than normal short bows
• Composite Shortbows fall apart in water