[Flashback]Blood dripped from their teeth(Naemi)

[Erzotol Silverden]

12th of Summer 510 AV

Erzotol awoke in the pavilion to lights blazing in from outside, temporarly blinding him as he fought his morning grogginess, and shuffled to his feet. It had been a pleasant night of dreaming, and the day before had only a few minor skirmishes with some glassbeaks, which needless to say on the Sea of Grass, it ment it had been a good day.

He stumbled to the mouth of the large tent, leaning on one of the wooden supports as he gazed out over the horizion. The sun was just now begining to come up over the edge, as dawn on this part of the world came to greet the people of this land. Erzotol smiled, and soaked in the warm sunlight, wearing nothing but a pair of his cotton pants. He like to sleep rather bare on nights, despite the fierce cold wind that plauged them.

He streched out into the warm light, welcomed the new day with gusto as he walked over to his horse and began his morning ritual of cleaning and feeding his fine steed. As he brushed the striders tan coat, and a bit of white flashed in the corner of his vision, and he smiled wide and looked down at his feet to see his fox, Laeon, by his feet. Erzotol smiled and crouched low to bend down and scratch behind the playful white fox's ears, and scratch its belly.

He scooped up the fox in his arms and then walked over to the edge of the tent, and grabbed a piece of dried meat from a bag closed up tight, and tied to a jutting pole some ways off the ground, to prevent tappering from cunning little animals like the one in his arms. Erzotol let the fox down and tossed him the chunck of meat. He went inside the tent, and grabbed a small bag of grain, mixed with some nuts and then walked outside towards his horse, tenderly named Airaiet.

Placing the bag full of feed a little ways in front of his steed, he resumed his meticulous brushing of its fur, taking special care to get out all the small pieces of grass and brush from its feet and legs. He ran his hand along the horses form, smiling enjoying the way that its muscles rippled, and enjoying being in the presence of such a powerful and majestic creature. Erzotol ran his hand along its snout, and kissed it on the top of its nose before walking back to the tent. He would try his hand at hunting today.

A little bit later he left the tent, alone save for his trusty hunting partner Laeon perched on his shoulder. He had decided to travel light this day, only carring his composite small bow, a couple dozen arrows, and of course his broadsword just in case he ran into trouble. He wore his cotton shirt and pants, and his durable boots. His full leather regalia in all of its stark whiteness would be too obvious to wear while hunting, and would hamper his already poor hunting abilities.

After a couple of hours of hunting, his small furry companion now leading the way through the grass, he had finally caught sight of a rather large male deer upahead. Making sure to stay low, as his fox had signaled to him with its behavior, he crawled slowly along the grass as silently, and carefully as he could manage, making sure not to disturb the grass any more than the constant wind already was. Slowly, on cue from his fox, he sat up into a crouch, still well hidden by the tall grass.

Slowly and deliberatly taking his bow off of his shoulder, and stringing it he peaked over the edge of the grass to see the buck grazing on a portion not too far away, and seemingly unaware of his presence. He silently drew a arrow, and drew the string back taut as he slowly lifted himself from his crouch, his sights set on the deer as he prepaired to loose the arrow.

[Naemi]

It was finally morning. Naemi had been anticipating today because last night she had gotten in a fight with her father. It was never a pretty sight… their fights. Lots of yelling and always ending with pain on both sides. But today was a new day, and Naemi was excited to escape the suffocating pressure of her father and go hunt. She generally used her father’s bow, for it was more comfortable for her to use, and today would be no exception. The only difference was that Naemi had to get the bow and out of the tent before her father noticed. It would be a challenge, but one that Naemi was up to, especially with the lure of hunting being irresistible. She slowly pulled on her boots, already wearing her dark green blouse and brown pants as well. This was her typical hunting attire, well accustomed to hiding her figure as she stalked wild animals. The boots were on, and as quietly as she could, Naemi walked to where her father was sleeping. His chest rose up and down with each breath, slow and steadily. Having lived with the man her whole life, Naemi could tell from just the rise of his chest that he was asleep. Her gloved hand reached over the sleeping form of her father to grasp the bow and quiver that sat on the other side. After a low mumble from the sleeping man, Naemi heard no more for she was already outside their tent, the morning breeze blowing her hair across her face. The breeze was not unpleasant, but it was chilly for it was only Spring and Winter had only recently ended. It was days like these that made Naemi wish a strider had chosen her already. Hunting would be made so much easier with the assistance of the creature. But the only things the Drykas woman had were her fine tuned senses and the bow. It had been enough to bring in decent catches in the past, and Naemi hoped it would be enough today as well. With the quiver strapped to her back, the woman began to run silently, her form making no sound as she made her way to one of her favorite places to hunt. The animals loved the area, and so did the woman. It gave her more peace than being trapped in any sort of confining structure, even her own tent. Naemi peered across the tall grasses of the plain and spotted a large male deer. It was very lucky for her to spot an animal this big at the beginning of a hunt, and a silent prayer was sent to Caiyha for the bountiful gift. Her gloved hand pulled an arrow from the quiver and set it in the bow. Her finely tuned muscles pulled the bowstring back as she eyed the buck. From where she was standing, the arrow would hit the deer’s chest if she aimed just right. With careful precision, Naemi finished aiming the bow, and let the arrow fly. If it had gone true to where she had aimed, the deer’s chest would be impaled, but instead only its shoulder had been hit. Another arrow was drawn and careful but quick aim was taken as the other arrow was released. This time, it hit its mark, landing in the deer’s chest. With a grim smile on her face, another prayer was given to her goddess as she walked quietly over to where the deer was laying on the ground.

[Erzotol Silverden]

From his vantage point in the tall brown grass, he could see nothing save for the large brown deer. He kept his eyes locked on the beast, and grimaced as he felt the rawhide string of the bow dig deeper into his index and middle finger. Erzotol bit his lip, and steaded his breathing as best as he could to try and make the shot steady as possible. Barely noticable from this distance, the deer jerked ever so slightly, and then started to bolt away. Cursing under his breath he raised and turned his bow to compensate for the burst of movement, and let fly. The arrow soard wide of its mark however, landing in the tall grass some ways away from it.

Quickly taking out more arrows and notching one, he reoriented his sight on the deer, and the proper adjustments of his aim. He had another three clenched in his fist for accessability, and he let fly the arrow skiming the deer's antler, but otherwise not causing it any trouble. He set another arrow in the bow and he managed to finish adjusting his aim right as the deer went down before him. A sense of puzzledness washed over him, as he wondered what had brought the deer down. Easing up on the bow string, and removing the arrow he quietly replaced them in his quiver, before drawing his broadsword and creeping through the brush.

A tugging on his left heel begged his attention, so he looked back to find his white fox bitting the edge of his boot, and pulling on it to get his attention. With the deer falling down from phantom attacks, and he fox acting peculiarly he figured that there was someone else in the area. He crept silently through the brush, as the fox padded after him, sometimes alongside him, and somtimes leading the way through the dense grass. At last he was only a few feet from where the deer had ended up falling, and from his vantage point he could finally see who had killed the deer. The grass obscured most of the details, but he was able to make out that it was a woman, and a hunter by the looks of her, quite possibly a Drykas like him. Just a few feet ahead of her, he stood up and announced his presence to the woman. "Hello, it seems like we have been hunting the same prey, though by all the looks of it I think I had laid eyes on it first." he said. He would try the civil approach first he figured.

[Naemi]

A man? This was a good place to hunt, and Naemi wasn’t surprised but generally if someone was there she would have noticed him before he spoke up. Naemi hadn’t seen him, but when he had announced his presence to her, she noticed the human looking form a small distance from where she was standing. Drykas by the look of it, the man had claimed the fallen deer as his, telling her that he laid eyes on it first. Of course, simply spotting the deer first did not mean that the prey was his, in fact it was hers. Naemi was the one who actually brought the deer down, and while looking down at the wounded animal, she saw no other arrows embedded in its body, meaning that the man had not even hit the deer once. A small frown appeared on the woman’s face. The prey was rightfully hers. “It seems like we have…” her voice had a trace of anger in them as she stared at the strange man, “And of course, if looks could kill then yes, the deer would be yours…” She had taken a few steps closer to the man only to see a fox at his feet. Naemi had never encountered a fox as a Drykas pet, and while she had seen dogs used for hunting, it was slightly humorous for the man to have his hunting companion be something that could be easily mistaken for prey. As soon as she had seen the fox, her feet had stopped moving. It was likely that the fox didn’t like strangers much, and the woman didn’t want to take her chances being attacked by the small animal. “But I’m afraid looks don’t kill… and the deer was brought down by my arrows, making it mine.” Her glare was aimed at the man who truly seemed to believe that the prey was his. Any person accustomed to hunting would know that the prey belonged to the man or woman that brought it down. If the man had at least hit the deer once, then Naemi could see him trying to claim the deer, but only her arrows had reached their marks. The strange man would not win this argument, and soon Naemi would return home with the deer.

[Erzotol Silverden]

In his mind Erzotol knew this was a argument only a fool would make, but the adrenaline pumping through his veins in such copious amounts, rendered his judgement to be less rational. Also, in missing the deer twice, his ego had been wounded and he needed to win this argument to assuage it. Clearing his throat, and sticking the tip of the broad sword in the ground in front of him, he locked eyes with her coldly staring at her. "I did not think i needed an interpreter to speak with you but it seems your to dense to read my words. I did not lay claim to the deer, for the beast is yours as surely as the sun sets in the sky, i merely ment that if it wasn't for your clumsy bow shots, i would have, and should have killed it in the first shot." Erzotol jabbed back eager to repay her barb in kind.

Every other sense in his head said to end the argument here and now before it got too out of hand, but the woman's last insult was the only incentive he needed to continue the argument. He feel Laeon bristling, likely in reaction to the emotions that hung thick in the air, and expressed by his master. Erzotol wispered somthing to his fox as a means to calm him down before looking back on the woman. She seemed to look at him with open contempt, and he responed in kind. "Now I dont know what has gotten you in such a sour mood stranger, but you have insulted me without cause, and im willing to let it slide, as long as you are willing to show me the proper deference that is my due" he said as he watched her. He pulled his sword his sword out of the ground and after breifly wiping it off on the grass, he sheathed it as he sensed no actual threat from this woman other that a battle of words.

Surely he was disappointed that he wouldn't get the deer, but there was plenty of animals out on the grasslands. He would move on, and put this encounter a long ways behind him. So as long as she showed him the proper respect that is. He still needed his ego a little bit more stroked, and his foolish pride was mostly to blame for this. It seemed as if it would get him in trouble yet again.

[Naemi]

As he spoke, Naemi’s glare turned to a smirk. Although his sword had been stuck in the ground in front of him, she could tell that he would not attack her. How she could tell this was unknown to even herself. The man continued to speak, and Naemi became even more amused. What an ego this stranger had, for he expected her to show him proper respect even after he had just called her dense and her shots clumsy. A snort was emitted as he sheathed his sword. She would not show him respect, for he did not deserve it. This was a show of dominance, and he wanted to prove that she was lower than he was in the social hierarchy. Little did he know of who he was messing with. “My shots are clumsy?” the Drykas woman feigned shock as the smirk remained on her face, “You dare call my shots clumsy when both of your arrows missed the deer entirely?” This accusation was addressing the first statement made by the prideful man. He would not get away with calling her shots clumsy when in fact she had seen two arrows fly by the deer as she was releasing her own arrows. The first arrow had missed completely, and the second had merely skimmed the deer’s antler. When thinking about the strange man’s second statement, her voice rang across the distance between them as she contradicted what he said. “I was not in a sour mood before I came across you… and not only have I insulted you but you have just insulted me. Now I will die before you get me to show you the proper deference,” Her tone was definitely mocking as her hand clenched around the bow she was still holding, adrenaline coursing through her veins.

[Erzotol Silverden]

He took it all in quietly after his latest outburst, he had realized he had erred by speaking in the heat of the moment, and sought to make things right, and yet this woman insisted on continuing this tirade. Erzotol could have argued his head off all day, but he had responsibilites and his family to help feed. As the discussion grew more heated however it quite possibly looked like it might come to violence, he noted as he saw the ever so slight movement of her delicate fist clenching the bow.

"Are you not hearing what im saying or do i need to remove the blockage from your ears? I admit that i was wrong, and besides my shots wouldn't have mist had you not spurred the deer into such random, ragged motion! He clarified observing the fact that the tension in the air was tense enough as it was, and the decided to diffuse it in a manner that would leave both of their honors intact. "If you are going to use that bow, then by all means use it now" he said spreading his arms wide. He felt shame for his previous actions, but he would never let that on. Still Zultrav decerved utmost respect and honor, reflected by how his followers conducted themselves, and he himself was not acting as he should. He actions demand an offered sacrafice of some sort from him, and whether this woman recognized the action as such, did not matter as long as he honorably offered her the chance to do it. He sighed and locked eyes with her calmly.

[Naemi]

As the man stared at Naemi she could feel the tension between them. His words told her to use the bow and as he spread his arms wide it looked as though he were accepting it as punishment. It did not make sense to Naemi for she would never offer herself to a complete stranger like that and simply hope that the stranger had enough decency to not shoot. Of course, however much she was frustrated and angry; Naemi would never shoot a man who came at her unarmed, especially if he did not attack her first. The bow was used for hunting and a minimal amount of self defense, never to attack a fellow being especially another Drykas. From the distance, it was hard to tell whether the man was Drykas or not, but that was the last thing Naemi was going to ask him about in this time of tension between the two hunters. “I will not shoot…” she spoke calmly and gazed back into the man’s eyes, “I am not that type of person. But attack me and you will not live to see another day.” It was an underlying threat to the man, just as a warning so he didn’t even think of attacking her in any way. She could not see the man in front of her doing such a thing, but certain precautions must be made to ensure her safety. If something happened to her, Naemi’s father would be devastated and it was for that reason above all others that she tried to stay as safe as possible.

[Erzotol Silverden]

The wind had begun to pick up and the skies darken, but distracted as they where they did not notice such things. The clouds heavely laden with rain, sparked with the power they had been storing up, it was going to be quite the storm. Erzotol kept his eyes on hers through all of this, a scarcely noticed the budding storm, only realizing he felt a little bit more strength seep into his muscles and bones, a effect storms often inspired in him. How he enjoyed them, and would have found the moment pleasurable if not for the present tensions. A flash of lightning darted across the sky, followed by a loud crack, sounding like if the very fabric of time was splitting. Looking up, Erzotol only glanced at it causally before looking back to the woman.

Slowly bringing his arms down, he strode towards the girl until he was close enough to greet her properly. "Fine, how bout we start over then? Fine shot on that deer, I am Erzotol of the Diamond Clan, and you may be?" He asked changing his inflections mid-sentence as he tried to go to a more accommodating tone of voice. He extended his arm to greet her. Erzotol wasn't very happy the way events went today, but he took the sign of the storm as saying he did the right thing in admiting that he was the one at fault, and he was eager to thank his god for showing him the error of his ways.

[Naemi]

A storm was coming, possibly already here. Naemi could tell from the thick clouds rolling in, but she did not pay much attention to them for her conversation with the strange man held most of her attention. They had argued before, but now he was telling her his name. It was a common courtesy, but one that she did not expect after they had both offended each other. Lightning flashed and a loud crack sounded, making it seem like the sky was about to split and pour on them right then. A slight nod was given to the man as he approached. Maybe it would be better if they start over. He said he was Drykas, and from seeing his form closer, Naemi could believe that. “I am Naemi of the Emerald clan.” Her face formed a small smirk at the mention of her clan, which unlike his, was focused on hunting specifically. Most of the members of the clan excelled at hunting, even the younger members were taught from an early age to hold a bow, and fire an arrow. It was a way of life for many, including Naemi.