Target Practice(Open)

[Raylin Sunsetfeather]

"Oh, I-I'm sorry you lost your brothers. Then again I bet lots of people have said that too you." she said apologetically. The only people who she could ever call her siblings were her cousins. And even then it would probably be differnt if she lost one of them compared to what Jarhal had gone through.

"I've done some thinking before and I would like to go back to Wind Reach. I've also been wanting to see the ocean again." she replied, a small smile on her face. The thought of traveling resurfaced the time they had stop for the night near the large body of water. She loved it almost as much as she loved the sea of grass that now surrounded her. "Maybe we could go together." Raylin suggested with a shrug.

[Jarhal Treeshadow]

Jarhal thought, tilting his eyes up to the sky for a second. It was a rather unremarkable day so far, the sun obscured by dirty-looking clouds and the cold wind never letting you forget it was winter. Obviously traveling now would be terrible, shivering in the wilderness while the grass withered to a sad brown and marching until you couldn't feel your toes.

"I'll track you down in the spring and we'll see how it sounds then. Deal?" Taking his eyes down from the sky to find Raylin's own, he extended a hand to shake on it. She seemed like good enough company and traveling to a far away place was intriguing as ever.

Meeting the people of Wind Reach wasn't precisely his main interest, though. Traveling had always been more about learning of different lands, forests and mountains and jungle and so on. Even the Ekytol desert to the south was intriguing because of just how different it would be. Learning how hunters from different lands did their job might even help him to improve, and seeing just what their land had to offer would be enough reward by itself.

"Don't let me interrupt your practicing too much though, I wouldn't want your uncle mad at me." He gave a friendly smile, making a vague gesture with his hand at the target. " I'm curious though, do you still work with glass? I'd love to see some of what you've made, if so."

[Raylin Sunsetfeather]

"Deal. We wouldn't want to go now and get frostbite now would we?" Raylin said as she shook his hand. Though winter ment less animals, it ment worse weather.

"Your not interupting at all! I enjoy the company." she replied with a smile. "And yes I do still make things out of glass. If you ever want to come to the studio to hang out your more then welcome." Working at a glass studio during the winter was definately an advantage. The kilns kept the tent warm and unlike in the summer where you felt like you were in a fire, in the winter it kept it comfortable.

"Any place in particular that you would want to go?" she asked.

She then set up for a third shot at the target. Once again only moving her bow a little higher. This time the arrow hit her original target.

[Jarhal Treeshadow]

"Well, maybe I'll drop by some time then. If I have some time free in my very busy schedule." He cleared his throat, unclear if he was making a joke or just plain lying. "I've heard of some place called Falyndar, a long time ago. A land of giant trees, terrible beasts, wild humans and snake-people... nature untamed. I'd like to see it and stalk through it, one day."

He paused to observe where her arrow hit, nodding and then continuing. "I don't think I'd want you to come with me though, if I did go there. I've heard it's very dangerous and few come out alive."

It did not escape him that, perhaps, it was a very poor place to want to visit. He understood, but he also understood that people very much thought something similar of the grasslands. Any bit of nature was fatally dangerous to one that did not respect it, and ultimately deadly to all who refused to learn it's ways. To see a place where trees grew to the sky and vines wrapped about everything, mighty beasts prowling behind every leafy bush... it would be a challenge and also a pilgrimage for any follower of Caiyha. The jungle was a place where the primal was not a thing turned off and on, but kept close always.

"I don't really mind seeing any region, though. Traveling through it, seeing it's sights..." He trailed off wistfully, then shrugged. "Here's a different question, where's one place you'd not like to spend a night? The one place you would avoid entering the most?"

[Raylin Sunsetfeather]

"Sounds like an interesting place." She thought it definitely might be an interesting place to visit. The thought of snake people made her think of the time she went to the watering hole to get water and there was a girl with bright green eyes. Maybe she was related to these snake people.

"Are saying that a girl can't live through a dangerous forest?" Raylin said with a teasing smile. "Or are you just worried about my well being?"

She steped out of the way so that the Drykas boy would be able to shoot at the target now. It was rude to be a target hog after all. "Place I wouldn't want to go? A cave with Zith or the streets of Sunberth at night time. I've heard that Sunberth is over-run by criminals." The thought of walking down a dark ally in a place where thieves ran free didn't bode well with her.

[Jarhal Treeshadow]

"Oh no, it's much more selfish then all that. I just wouldn't want it on my conscience if you did get eaten by something." He joked back to her teasing smile. Reading between the lines, though, it did actually mean he'd be concerned for her well-being... but he didn't want to just say that.

Giving his fingers a stretch, he then worked his left shoulder as he stepped up in line with the target once again. "Those are pretty good answers, I'd say. Personally, I wouldn't want to spend a day I didn't have to in Stormhold Castle. All that I've heard about it, and it's people, makes it sound... stuffy." While he talked he withdrew one of his green-feathered arrows and nocked it to the string, holding his curvy composite bow sideways with the arrow flat on the wood. "Being cooped up behind stone walls with knights and nobles, and I imagine there's very little green to be found so I'd stick out like a Vantha in the desert."

Done talking, he hefted his bow at an angle and tried to get into the right mindset. For some reason, he found it more difficult than usual. It struck him that it really had been a long time since he had shot with anyone watching him, and most especially someone he didn't know. Was he nervous? He enjoyed a good joke as much as the next, maybe more, but it wouldn't be very funny to him if he sent an arrow soaring over the target like a fool.

More mad at himself than anything for the momentary distraction, he drew back the string and released the arrow with a short pause to aim. It was altogether much quicker than Raylin's longbow, the draw-length compact in comparison. His arrow flew through the air and struck the target, mere inches from soaring right over the top of the tall grass bundle altogether.

"Well..." He said slowly while he looked at the target, then turned quickly to the girl. "Have you ever shot a composite bow? I don't mind if you'd like to try it a little, my arm is pretty sore." With a self-deprecating smile, quite aware of his own lame excuse, he offered the bow to her as temptingly as he could. It really was quite unremarkable, identical to many you could find in Endrykas.

[Raylin Sunsetfeather]

"That is selfish isn't it?". Raylin let out a laugh. "If anything we can go around it and you can go another time." she suggested. The last time she looked at a map Falyndar was right beside Cyphrus, and so fairly easy to avoid.

"I could see why you wouldn't want to go there." From the looks of it, Jarhal definatly didn't seem like the person who would want to be stuck in a castle and wear uncomfortable clothes.

When the bow was offered, she carefully handed Jarhal hers so that she could hold the bow. Even though is was a fairly simple bow Raylin held it as if it was going to shatter any moment. There was something about holding other peoples weapons that made her be extra carefull. This was mostly because she didn't want to end up breaking it because it might have sentimental value. "It's quiet a nice bow." she finally said.

[Jarhal Treeshadow]

He took the longbow and stepped to the side a bit, giving it a cursory inspection before just holding it at his side. It was nice to see she had respect for other people's things, but this bow was not one of the few belongings he gave sentimental value. It mattered little to him if she popped the string or cracked one of the limbs, really.

"Oh, it shoots straight enough most of the time. It ain't made of glass though, don't worry about breaking it." Still, he appreciated the concern and held a pleased smile as he spoke to her. "If you do, it just so happens we're right next to some of the best bowyers in the world."

Sure, he might be a little biased on that opinion, but he surely hadn't seen better work than what a good Emerald clan bowyer could produce. In other parts of the world archery wasn't as vital to life as it was with the Drykas. The grasslands made for large space where a spear or closer weapon was impractical on the hunt, the prey animals so wary that coming within even 20 yards would take skill. You got good at making something that important to you.

"Go ahead and take a shot, you won't have any problems." He nodded confidently, as his hands felt along the limb of her bow idly.

[Wystern]

Wystern was technically supposed to take it easy for the time being. That is what the healer told him about two weeks ago, and that is the statement he completely ignored. No, it cost him quite a bit to still be here, and he didn't get anywhere for a season. First the surgeries, then therapy. It felt like the weight of the whole world crushed his back, or rather, his limbs.

Another fruitless day of searching was getting by. The winter air was getting on his nerves, Wys decided to vent with some crossbow practice. He wouldn't be completely back to his former state in a while, so might as well focus on something that requires less leg work. When he would come back to Syliras, he should probably have something to show for it.

He made his way to an archery field, a crossbow resting on his back with a small quiver. Beneath it was a cloak with a Windoak crest, and beneath that were some warm clothes. At this point he was completely lacking any armor, scratch a shield on his back and a cane in his left hand. It was simply too cold to wear metal, at least with his current equipment.

The range seemed to have a couple, practicing archery, like Wys intended to. The man could be a human, but the woman was almost definitely Inarta. Wys was just within range to hear a comment about Sunberth, which meant that the Inarta girl was slightly crazier than normal. And she was being handed a bow.

"I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one crazy enough to practice in this weather."

[Raylin Sunsetfeather]

Raylin took a step forward so that she was in line with the target and had a clear shot. She was about to get arrow out of the quiver when she heard a voice. When she turned her head around to see who it was, she saw a man a year or two older then Jarhal and herself. "Hello." she said simply. "Well when practice is needed it's sometimes better to just brave the cold." She looked at the stranger. He was well, a stranger. She had never really seen him around.

"I'm Raylin from the Sunsetfeather Pavilion of the Amethyst clan." She smiled and then turned back at the target. She got out a arrow and placed it in the notch of the bow. She carefully pulled back the string, she had never fired a bow like this and didn't know how far to pull before it was ready to fire. Once her hand seemed to cover her ear she aimed. This time a little higher then her first target. Raylin let go out the string. The arrow almost completly missed the target and ended up hitting about two inches away from the bottom.