PM to join Helping a Old.... Friend? (Naiya)

[Jasmine Stormblood]

Jasmine nodded and pushed Chaser faster as well knowing the group had to move. It worried her to know that the women were at their camp having to fend for themselves. Of course Jasmine in no way thought that the red head couldn't take care of everything, but an entire pavilion can be hard to handle without an ankal. Though perhaps with Shahar missing Naiya is the head of home. The blonde watched the ground on the other side of the group looking for any traps. Tomma had been teaching her about working with the dogs as of late. So the challenge of training another's hunters would provide a chance to prove herself.

"I would be happy to train them. Bring them by the Predator's Pride, and I will start working with them," Jasmine said with a smile.

"A trap," Naiya said and pointed to where she was looking at the ground.

Jasmine pushed back causing Chaser to stop. Throwing a leg over to the same side as her other one, the blonde slide down and walked over. Kneeling down the woman watched the other as she worked with the trap. A strange indentation on the group caught her eye. Moving some of the grass out of the way she saw two sets of prints laid out before her. One a smaller print that of perhaps a young rabbit; beside it was a set of larger prints that could easily be a fox or other predator. Motioning the red head to look Jasmine pointed to the set of tracks.

"A rabbit and perhaps a fox? Is the trap bitten through? Or set off?" the woman asked looking over to her once more.

[Naiya]

The first trap was emptied, she released the small creature, it would grow and be a meal for another day. She rechecked the knots that held it in place, and stretched the noose across the gap, a stick helping it to stretch across the path.

Jasmine called for her attention, a sign catching her eye. Naiya moved across the grass to examine the prints, the trap here was empty, but Jasmine seemed to notice something she had missed. If a fox had come through...

Naiya returned to inspect the trap. The rope lay askew, and the noose was ruined, "Chewed," Naiya told her, winding up the rope in hopes that it would serve a purpose later. "Do you think we might find the fox?" She peered at the tracks, trying to gauge the time they had been made, but she really had no experience with such things.

"Can you tell when the tracks were made?" haven't learned, poor tracking. Her hands plucked at the air, a gentle sorrow in the frustrated shapes. She wasn't a skilled hunter, trapper, or tracker, she could barely cook. She tried to push those thoughts aside, she was making good efforts, and that was what counted. "Perhaps we could follow it? A ride might lead us to something if not the animal that caught the snare."

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Naiya space Pavi | Common | Tukant
other space Pavi | Common | Tukant

[Jasmine Stormblood]

Jasmine looked at the woman as she peered towards the tracks. From what she could tell the tracks seemed to be fresh. Gently touching the inside of the track caused dirt to fall showing it didn't have time to harden.

"It's still crumbling so they cant be super old yes?" Jasmine asked looking to the red head and grabbed one of her snare wires, "here use one of my lines."

She allowed her to take the wire before walking down the tracks a ways. Kneeling beside the a berry bush looking for anything that seemed out of place. While crouching the woman spotted where several limbs that were bare of any berries. Figuring a rabbit must have come through recently and ate the blonde looked as the red head appeared.

"Berries are missing from the bottom level. A rabbit or something of the same size must have eaten them, hopped down and got caught in your snare; I don't know if it managed to chew through the wire which is possible or if something else got it," Jasmine said and looked to the woman, "either way. With the trap set, let's mount up and follow these tracks."

The woman knew there was no way that the pair could catch up to their prey on foot. It appeared to have at least a good twenty chimes ahead of them and growing. Standing up and dusting off the woman mounted up and waited for her companion to do the same before pushing Chaser onward.

[Naiya]

Jasmine touched the track, and the dirt there crumbled, apparently made recently enough that it hadn't had time to harden. If a track crumbled, it was still relatively fresh, that was something for the huntress to remember.

Jasmine offered her a snare wire, and Naiya had to sign apology rather than gratitude, Know, negative. Wire snares were outside her grasp of trapping, she could count on a single hand the traps she could make, all of them rope, and none of them complex.

The tracks were familiar, rabbits, or perhaps a squirrel, she had followed such before before, but Jasmine moved toward the large marks of the hind feet, following them to a berry bush with clear browsing on the lower branches. It seemed to Naiya that the rabbit must have been moving in the opposite direction, towards the front feet. She crouched over another set of tracks, looking for the pads of the paw. They were turned in the opposite direction, making Jasmine right that the back feet lead the direction.

"Perhaps this would be a better spot for a snare of your own?" Naiya offered "Especially since I don't know how to use the wire snare.", a gentle playfulness underlined her words, her hands suggesting jest to cover her embarrassing lack of knowledge. If Jasmine should decide to set the snare herself, Naiya would watch closely to see what she might learn from the other before following the woman to the horses.

Naiya greeted Wildfire with a pat on the neck before taking hold of the yvas and pulling herself into the seat. Ready, she reassured the other, as she rolled forward in her seat and stretch through her torso to ask Wildfire to move.

She followed the other, her eyes scanning the grasses ahead of them, and the horizon, seeking the larger forms of predator or prey that might break through the swaying grasses. It seemed that Jasmine was a better tracker than herself, so Naiya was happy to allow the woman to take the lead in that.

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Naiya space Pavi | Common | Tukant
other space Pavi | Common | Tukant

[Jasmine Stormblood]

Jasmine had seen very few people actually use the wire snares herself. So to set one up would be trial and error for the young inexperienced trapper. Kneeling down the woman took off the rope snare and used the stick already there to work with the wire. Tying on end to the stick the blonde tied a loose knot on the main line. The knot was secure enough to not come undone if it caught anything. While at the same time having the ability to move up and down so that it would tighten and hold the prey. Several times the woman would drop the small wire having a hard time with unpracticed hands. Making a small face she forced her nerves to calm down and worked slowly finally getting the knot just right. Laying it down on the ground she hurried over to the bush and plucked several berries putting them in a small pile.

The blonde hoped that the promise of food would cause something to get close. Once finished she got on Chaser and pushed forward before too much foliage caught their scent. After several chimes the tracks seemed to slip into two trails. There was no way of telling which would be a more productive follow. Looking around she tried to notice any land marks.

"There is the tree beside the river just a few chimes ride from here," Jasmine said and pointed to the right showing her what she was talking about, "or there is the burrows to the left. Which way do we need to go?"

The woman asked and looked back to her companion not sure what to do. If she had been alone the woman would have went for the water source; where it would be possible to allow Chaser the chance to cool off. But she the blonde was not alone so there was more to consider than just her stallion.

[Naiya]

Sorry!Sorry for the wait, I lost track of this thread in the stack of others I have going. Please feel free to poke me in the future, or I might not notice I've been missing posts!

Naiya watched closely, the 'knot' of the wire snare a wire prong twisted around itself. It was really far from anything Naiya had experienced with snares, not that that said much since she had only been trapping for a few moons. Once the snare was set, the woman dropped berries in the center, bait, something Naiya had not thought much of. Was it not more obvious that they had been present if food was found in the middle of cleared, trampled ground?

She put a more reasonable tone to her question when she spoke it aloud, her voice soft as she urged Wildfire to begin a walk towards the other huntress. "Is it not suspicious to bait a snare? I'll admit to being new at the task, but I have always thought that placing food was... unnatural" unsure. Her hands shaped the respectful inquiry with extra care.

Naiya was familiar with the vale the woman spoke of, or at least she was aware of one near by as well, so she nodded along the path she thought they should take, her hips guiding Wildfire's walk so that he would follow the turn of her head.

She reminded herself to be gentle, her mindlessness did not translate to Wildfire so much as her careful mindfulness. He was walking, responsive, he didn't need her to use secondary cues. She leaned forward, reaching up along his neck to give him a gentle pat of apology, her hips softening as she allowed him his headway once more as they transected the sloping grass.

She sat up tall once more, lifting her body from Wildfire's back as she looked out across the downward slope, asking him to take her lower than the ridge they walked upon. She drew her bow up as she moved, scouring the grass and giving the other woman room of her own to hunt.

She tried to fall a bit behind and to the left of the blonde woman, letting her take point and hoping her skill would allow them both to find fruits for their labor. If nothing else, they could fish while the horses cooled, and set a water trap to catch things for the following day.

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Naiya space Pavi | Common | Tukant
other space Pavi | Common | Tukant

[Jasmine Stormblood]

“I plan to find what does and does not work through trial and error. So I have no idea at this point if it will work or not,” Jasmine stated with a smile.

She did not want the red head to think her abrasive. Though that is how she often came off as no matter how hard the girl attempted to change it. Chaser snorted while walking ahead of the other horse as their riders spoke. He had always been known to throw his weight around; Jasmine was not aware of why though. It almost appeared like he wanted to show his “dominance” to both horse and drykas alike. The blond just ignored the male when he acted out as it seemed giving him attention only made it worse. The woman pushed him on towards where water was. Or where she thought it was at. Pulling the stallion to a stop, she put her legs high on his back and raised up looking around for any spot of trees or reeds.

“I can't see anything,” Jasmine whispered looking around still, “do we want to keep going or no?”

The woman turned to look at the red head unsure of what to do now. She would continue on if it was just her, but the other may not want to go that far from town. True they were farther out than most would probably go without webbing. But the young drykas almost always knew her way back or rode will she saw something that she recognized.

[Naiya]

"Oh!" the blunt remark of the other girl brought a surprised laugh from her lips. "In that case, perhaps you will let me know what you discover?" She shaped the words with a sort of pleased inquiry that only held a mild touch of true interest, if the woman should wish not to share later, it would do their relationship no harm.

The stallion beneath her companion had much to prove, striding ahead and taking point. It was frustrating to Wildfire, he would have argued the point if not for Naiya's heavy weight asking him to slow, and eventually pull away from the others.

A movement in the grass to her left had her pulling Wildfire to a stop, she pulled her bow to her, taking a tick to find the proper grip on the wood, adjusting her hand to the position. She drew an arrow slowly, careful not to let it click too loudly against the others in her quiver. Her hands met, setting her arrow in place before drawing back the string.

She waited, it was never a good idea to shoot at motion. Motion could be anything, a hunting cat, a child... Kon toladi yo and she was no webber to ask it. Indeed she would have to see the quarry to take her shot at it. She waited, a steady hand possible only because of the stillness of her mount.

As the tawny hide of her hunting companion appeared, Naiya gently released the draw of her bow, setting the arrow back among the others in her quiver. A chirp of greeting was muffled by a squirrel in the cat's mouth. Naiya greeted the cat and praised her hunt. The cat brought the small creature closer before dropping it at the feet of her horse, and Naiya scooped it up and offered it to Jasmine. Naiya had already had success with two rabbits, more luck than skill, but still, they were together they should both benefit.

She patted the feline, being sure to reward her for bringing the creature to her. She must have followed her out of the camp and joined the hunt without verbal invitation. It was a sign of growing familiarity between them. She mounted once more, more hopeful of a successful hunt with Banti by her side and a real huntress to guide them.

"Lets continue, I know I have a trap just on beyond the rise in the land, and if I'm not mistaken there is a vale just chimes beyond where the grasses deepen into a valley." Her voice was toned to carry to the woman, but not so loud as to ruin their chances for prey.

She looked at the gear she had brought, no pole, but string and hooks that she always had in her rucksack. They had enough to fish, and if nothing else there might be some water plants worth gathering. Between a bit of foraging, filling her wetskins, and the prey she had already caught, today would be a success regardless of what they found at the water.

She watched Banti slink off to their left, not gone, but hidden in the grass, she would keep an eye on their hunt, and see what she could catch. Naiya began to direct them towards her trap, letting Chaser take the lead as he seemed so anxious to do.

She shared a conspiratorial grin with Jasmine, hands shaping a delicate frustration, scorn towards both their mounts, boys her hands said, laughter and teasing in the gentle nature of the signs and the flippant motions that shaped them.

Her trap was empty when they finally reached it, but she left it in hopes that the evening would see better luck. On the bright side, there were clear marks of the passage of deer, and perhaps boar, if she recalled the shape of their hooves correctly. She called Jasmine's attention with a click of her tongue against her teeth, an approximation of Khida's falcon sound that called for attention.

Her heart sank at the reminder of her wife's absence, but she let the sorrow wash over her rather than fighting it, pulling Jasmine's attention to the marks in the trodden path beyond her trap. She wanted to keep silent, the animals may well be close.

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Naiya space Pavi | Common | Tukant
other space Pavi | Common | Tukant

[Jasmine Stormblood]

“Absolutely,” Jasmine agreed with a nod of her head.

The blonde was more than happy to help her fellow Drykas were she could. Though that was proving difficult seeing as how the only person to have taken any time with her as a child was her grandfather. Even that teaching was few and far between due to his work schedule. A soft look crossed the woman's face as her eyes turned sadly towards the open sea of grass. Blue orbs wanted to see what was not there; she longed to see him riding up on his strider telling her what a fool she was out with no plan. Closing her eyes the woman shook her head before turning back to the red head. Noticing the childish sign towards the stallions, the blonde laughed gently. Agreeing with the other girl, she rode by spotting the strange movement to the grass. Confused and slightly on edge now Jasmine relaxed realizing it was one of Naiya's hunting companions that had followed them. And at the moment would continue to follow them while the group was out.

“Right behind you,” Jasmine stated and pulled back some.

The woman was fine with letting the stallion take point, but she was not sure where the trap was at. So in order to not pass it up the blonde allowed the red head to take point. Of course Chaser was not happy at all, but there was no time to argue with the creature. Snorting the dun colored horse slowed down and followed for only a short distance to the groups target. Pulling him to a stop the blonde looked around letting her hair fall forward in front of her shoulder. A sudden chirping made her jerk around and see the motioning towards some thing on the ground. Opening her mouth the blonde wanted to speak till the red head motioned for her to stay silent. Nodding slowly and dismounting the woman walked over to where she had pointed to on the ground. Kneeling down close to where the other stallion was Jasmine gently moved the grass spotting tracks. The trail was that of a fat or large animal that had the shape of a deer hoof or perhaps boar. Looking up from her kneeling spot blue eyes slowly looked ahead to where the trail lead.

“These tracks are fresh, we need to move quickly,” Jasmine spoke quietly turning her attention back up to Naiya, “lead us. I am close behind.”

The blonde allowed the red head to move a head a few steps before running over to Chaser and mounting up. Clicking her tongue, the stallion snorted and trotted over before keeping up with the other horse. Turning her head slowly blonde hair floated up behind her when the wind blew across the grass. So much movement would make it hard to see where the prey had disappeared to.

[Naiya]

Naiya's excitement shifted her body forward, urging Wildfire into a ground-eating walk. She let her eyes scan the grasses, following the trail, chasing prey that couldn't be far ahead. She trusted Jasmine to seek the forms of the animals in the swaying grass, but still she could hardly leave her eyes on the ground for more than a few ticks at a time, seeking the motion of the creature they tracked.

The wild grass was tall, brushing her legs and tickling at her senses with distraction. It was a good hiding place for deer, but also a good hunting ground for Banti. If they found a herd, Banti would pick one that ran, leaving Naiya and Jasmine to shoot what they could before the animals escaped.

Pleased to have found the trail leading towards the water, Naiya watched the ground until her vision shifted, finding the trampled grasses that marked the trail rather than the prints. From there she was able to ride up onto the rise of a hill, leading them to a better vantage point if not an inconspicuous one.

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Naiya space Pavi | Common | Tukant
other space Pavi | Common | Tukant