A Bumpy Ride (Konrad)

by **Ramona Silvertongue** on September 5th, 2017, 6:38 pm

Ramona

Take that knife, and start with the body. Easier, now the legs and head are gone."As Hansel offered the knife, Ramona was doing her best to keep her stomach from doubling over. She glared at her bloodied hands, it still wasn't her blood, but she still didn't like the feel of how sticky the coagulated substance was. What she really didn't like about the blood, was the smell. It smelled like iron, when it was being smelted. There were plenty of blacksmiths around here, to know what iron smelled like. Or at least steel. With shaky hands, she held the knife.

"So like this?"Ramon accidentally poked the innards of the meat as she was trying to cut an opening so that she could peel the rest of the skin with Hansel's knife. She was really not good at this, and she didn't know if she was doing it right or not. She wondered how Hansel had learned to skin the deer so well, did he possibly learn how to when he was living with the Pridesuns?

She struggled a few moments before she had almost cut her other hand. She reacted just enough to keep the knife away. She sighed, and continued to skin the deer as she had just started to become stressed. She would like to learn, it was difficult. Though, she did wonder how much harder it would have been with the legs and the head. She did notice the blood that pooled around the deer, she didn't want to pay too much attention to it. She might need to have to buy some new clothes too.

"Is this looking right at all?"She half muttered as she looked up at Hansel.

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Template layout courtesy of Prophet, and big thanks to him for letting me use his layout.

by **Konrad Venger** on September 6th, 2017, 2:35 am

"So like this?"

"Less stab, more slice, m'dear."

Konrad looked up from his work, and found Sedon fawning over the damn girl. The older Drykas was a sucker for the ladies; mayhap his slimming down over the course of the baking Summer had made him think he had more chances with them? Either way, the Pridesun cook sidled up to Silvertongue and gently took the blade from her.

"Here... like this."

Sedon could have skinned a buck twice as ragged, just as fast, in his petching sleep. He grabbed a handful of pelt and tugged back on it just enough to be taut, then slid the blade between the hide and the carcass. Into that space where muscle and fat met skin. As he tugged, he sliced and cut, keeping in that sweet spot. As Konrad and Ramona watched, the skin pulled away, leaving the stinking carcass naked underneath.

"Keep at it. You'll learn."

"So kind you are..."

Sedon shot Konrad a look that screamed "don't mess this up for me, asshole!" and got nothing but a dark chuckle in response. The walahk continued with his leg, doing much the same as Sedon, but slower, until he'd peeled away all the fur and hide and there was nothing but a hunk of meat and bone with a hoof sticking out the bottom.

"Is this looking right at all?"

That was directed at him, though, and there was no getting away from it. Konrad's gaze flickered up from underneath his hat. Shaded from Syna, he looked like a snake suddenly noticing her. Bright green eyes, alive but cold. Looking from her... to her work... and he pursed his lips thoughtfully.

"Not bad."

Which was fair. Her half of the torso was a messy masterpiece. It wasn't good, but it wasn't bad. It was happily in that middle space, that meant they could still eat it... or at least work around those patches of fur and pelt that she'd missed. He rose from the grass, severed leg and hunting knife in either hand, and perused here work.

Less for us to do, at least. And now we've got another hundred pounds to feed us.

Charity was an alien thing to Konrad. Like warm embraces for friends... hell, like friends, it was something that didn't quite gel with his hidebound Sunberth selfishness. But give and take, act and reaction, cost and price... these things he knew. And he saw a good deal when it was dripping blood before his eyes.

"Good enough, eh, Sedon?"

"Oh, I'd say so," Sedon said brightly, broad smile not quite matching his eyes. Konrad rubbed his face, hiding a smirl. Gods, the man was mortified that he'd have to cook that mess. But Caiyha forbid he let the girl catch on to that. "Reckon she's pulled her weight."

Another grunt. Konrad apparently had one for every occasion, and each sounded a little different. That one was higher, a mocking edge plain in it, but also denoted an... acceptance. Agreement. It went with his nodding head and finally, he directed the woman towards a bucket of water.

"Clean up. Then you can take home what's yours."

by **Ramona Silvertongue** on September 7th, 2017, 12:40 am

Ramona

"Less stab, more slice, m'dear."Ramona followed as closely as he suggested, skinning a deer took more work and effort than Ramona had ever imagined it would. It was a process that seemed to be more on the craftsmanship side of things more so than survival.

She gently picked away at the fur, and did her best to scrape off whatever she could as Hansel watched. She felt nervous when he watched her, and Seddon was looming over her. She scooted apart from him, and didn't really want to be next to him. When she had the most awkward feeling that a Drykas could have.

He inched closer, and took the dagger from her hand, and before Ramona could say anything.

"Here... like this."Seddon showed Ramona how to do it, and she watched very closely. "Keep at it. You'll learn."

"So kind you are..."Ramona looked at him with a sense of confusion. She thanked him as he showed her how to skin the deer, she imagined how much harder it would be to skin a deer alive. She looked over to Hansel, and noticed his glare at Sedon. She had just registered that look- it wasn't directed to her... she turned to face Sedon. He was still a bit close.

"I don't know what you're doing-but I'm not looking for anyone-" Ramona cut herself off, as she wiggled in her spot uncomfortably. She lied about that part, but she knew that he was being kind. Ramona felt guilty about lying to Sedon, as she was looking for someone. Though, she was mostly hoping for a more romantic setting. "Is this looking right at all?" Ramona had asked as she looked up to Hansel.

"Not bad."He replied, she wondered what perfect would be like... Good enough, eh, Sedon?"

"Oh, I'd say so," they've socialized as if Ramona was working in front of judges. She frowned a bit when Sedon seemed to have ignored her about her prior claim. "Reckon she's pulled her weight." It was better than, 'your kind.' It was a start, but Sedon would have to do much more than just compliment her. Though, it felt as if they were talking about her like she wasn't here. She cleared her throat and handed the dagger back to Sedon.

"Clean up. Then you can take home what's yours."

Ramona nodded.

"Thanks for all the help, the both of you. I'll come back again if I need anything."Ramona cleaned her hands thoroughly, she used the soap, and scrubbed her hands as well as she could manage. She returned as was glad to see her meat preserved and salted. "If any of you need something, you can find me at my tent, closer to the center of the Diamond Clan." She waved her goodbye to the Pridesuns, and stashed he meat in the Yvas and mounted Anthem. She waved once more and Anthem cantered off.

OOCLet me know if you'd like me to edit anything?

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Template layout courtesy of Prophet, and big thanks to him for letting me use his layout.