Tough Break (solo)

[Siiri]

Timestamp: 27th of Summer, 511 AV
Location: 10 miles north of Taloba

"...So where is it?" Siiri asked as she waded through the waist deep waters of the flooded section of the jungle, spear jabbing before her to test the depths.

The monsoon season had started and it did not take long for the Kandukta Basin to overflow. Reports have filtered through from scouts that a crocodile had immediately ventured out of the boundaries of the Basin and began rampaging through an area it would never had considered as its territory on any other season. Carcasses of several animals, from boars to monkeys to wading birds, had floated near Taloba, evidence of its handiwork. Even several large cats numbered among its many victims.

It was normal behavior for crocodiles to extend their hunting grounds during the summer season, as the flooding of the Kandukta Basin expanded the range they could swim to, and the Myrians allowed them this for the most part, only forcing those that ventured too close to their city back to where they came from. Land-bound predators adapted to this shift, changing their territories as well to hunt for prey that have migrated themselves to higher ground. Sometimes, those creatures that moved out too late from the encroaching flood fall victim to the surge of water-based predators. Usually, they were eaten, meaty prizes claimed by those who had slain them, and the Myrians do nothing to upset the law of the jungle, for they to believe in survival of the fittest.

Occasionally however, there were crocodiles like the one Siiri and her small party hunted that ventured forth for the sole purpose of killing other animals. They do not bring them to their underwater lair to feed their young or eat the bodies themselves. They just enjoy killing, leaving a string of their victims in their wake to litter and pollute the waters. This was not a typical behavior among the crocodiles and the Myrians usually hunt these beastly serial killers so that they could not further upset the balance of the ecosystem.

As newly proclaimed matriarch of the Snapping Jaws clan, Siiri had taken it upon herself to eliminate the killer croc. A handful of her clan's warriors accompanied the young leader, among them her own sister Janna. Following the latest reports sent by scouts, they traveled to where the beast was last sighted, daring the waters in order to lure the creature to them.

"Maybe it's hiding because there's so many of us," Janna replied to her older sister as she too scanned the area for any sign of the crocodile.

"That has never stopped a crocodile before. Only a hippo would scare them out of the water."

The younger Snapping Jaws warrior mulled upon this, her brows furrowed as she thought to offer something more helpful to her sister. "Maybe we should have brought a chicken with us, slit its throat and let its blood lure the beast towards us," Janna spoke once more after a few long moments of silence.

Siiri immediately shot down the idea. "No. These are not sharks, Janna. They do not hunt by the scent of blood. Movement in the water attracts them, however. But with this unending rain, there's always movement in the water, on the surface at least." The woman looked up with a scowl, the torrential downpour peppering her face like an endless stream of needles. She cursed silently as she turned to one of her people who have taken to the trees.

"See anything from up there?" she shouted.

[Siiri]

One of the scouts stationed in the trees and acting as lookout gestured in the negative as she continued surveying the area from her elevated position. Siiri appreciated the silent signal, an effort on the scout's part to hide the number of their group to anyone who may be spying on them. If anything or anyone ambushed them, the attackers would be caught by surprise from the hail of arrows from the Snapping Jaws warriors hidden in the trees. Noting from the woman's reply that there was no sign of their quarry, Siiri began to turn away to wade deeper into the water, but then caught the scout pointing belatedly to a spot a short distance away from where she stood.

An object, obscured by the curtain of rain falling all around them, was submerged just beneath the surface of the water, its length seemingly drifting towards their group. Even Janna caught sight of it now, and the younger woman readied her twin blades in anticipation of a fight. Siiri, the nearest one to the object, jabbed her spear at it before it got too close. She felt the sharp point of her weapon imbed itself in the object, the stiffness of how the weapon was held telling her that she had stabbed it on wood.

"Just a log!" she called out.

Siiri reached an arm out to hold the thing in place as she yanked her spear free from its bark. Two things happened as she did so: the scout, the same one who had pointed the log out at her, fired an arrow at the far end of it as soon as Siiri had confirmed it was not their target, an effort, perhaps, to make sure that the Snapping Jaws leader was not mistaken. The woman's aim was perfect, the arrow zeroing in on her target that Siiri was hardly in any danger at all despite being so near. However, when the arrow thunked into the wood, it momentarily distracted Siiri as she turned towards it.

And that's when the crocodile made its attack.

There was an explosion of movement, and water spraying everywhere, before Sharp teeth pierced the wrist of Siiri's extended arm, the pain of it registering into the Myrian's mind just before the giant lizard spun violently in the water, initiating its vicious attack, the death roll. Siiri's eyes widened the same time her elbow snapped, and suddenly, she found herself underwater as the crocodile's movements dragged her beneath the surface. She did not even have time to scream from the pain of the gruesome injury.

Like a rag doll, the Snapping Jaws warrior found herself buffeted by the wild thrashing of the crocodile, its snout clamped tight on her wrist. In the back of her mind, Siiri was amazed that the beast did not just tear her limb off. This told her that the part of the snout holding on to her arm was near the nose of the croc. A fortunate thing. A little farther in near its muscular jaws and the animal would have snapped the limb in half and Siiri would be left with just a strip of meat where her arm had been. With its continuous thrashing and spinning however, the crocodile may do just that. She could already feel bone scrape against bone, a bad sign. And very painful.

Desperately, Siiri threw her free arm around the beast's jaws to ease the pressure on the injured limb. Her legs followed suit, wrapping themselves around its head and locking them there. Secured, she knew she could still save her arm, she just needed the crocodile to release its hold on her. Problem was, the beast was trying to drown her, keeping her underwater and hitting her against submerged tree roots with each spin of its heavy body. She knew she only had seconds left before she was knocked unconscious and lose her arm (and more) or reflexively start inhaling water. Both were painful ways to go.

With her free hand she pulled out one of her daggers, opting to use one of the sturdy steel ones rather than the serrated ones made of bone. With her thumb, she poked for the creature's eye. Siiri knew the instant she found it, for the crocodile involuntarily released it hold on her arm. She pulled it out as fast as she could and, just as quickly, stabbed down with the dagger, her weapon arm sped up by Myri's mark. Siiri plunged the blade deep into the beast's eye socket. And while it thrashed with renewed vigor as it felt the pain from the wound, unlike it, Siiri did not release her grip on the dagger's hilt. Each wild movement only aggravated the wound, widening it.

Madini, I need to take a breath - NOW!

Unable to hold on any longer, Siiri pulled the dagger out and let go, pushing herself away from the creature by kicking her powerful legs off the crocodile's body. Her mouth was wide open as she sucked in air as soon as she broke the surface. She felt more than heard a shower of arrows plunging into the water beside her, the archers peppering the crocodile with their missiles.

"After it! Don't let it get away! Go! Go! GO!" Janna screamed at the rest of the Snapping Jaws warriors as she half-waded, half-swam towards her sister. "Siiri! Siiri! Are you alright?"

[Siiri]

Siiri, still heaving, turned to look stupidly at her sister. Her face was pale, her eyes half-lidded. She presented her bloody and mangled arm.

"Set it," she told Janna softly. She seemed to take no note of the violent activity behind her as Snapping Jaws warriors jumped into the water and wrestled with the crocodile. The murky waters clouded red as daggers came into play. She thrust the limb to her sister and repeated her request. "Set it, Janna."

"Siiri..."

The look on her sister's face was one of horrified fascination as she beheld Siiri's injury. The arm bent at the elbow the wrong way and ragged wounds ran along the length of her forearm, a couple of them so deep that the white of bone could be seen. Halfway to wrist as a large purple bump, indication of a broken bone within. Siiri was bleeding profusely but amazingly not spraying her lifeblood all over the place. The crocodile's teeth did not sever her artery. That was not to say the wound was any less grievous, however.

Siiri swayed on her feet as she struggled to wade forward towards her sister.

"Set it, damnit," she said for the third time.

Whether it was the expletive or the tone of her sister's voice, Janna was prompted into action. Gingerly, she grasped Siiri by the wrist and the crook of the elbow, feeling the limpness of the limb. The girl hesitated.

"Siiri, this will hurt..."

"I know," came the warrior's whispered reply. She gritted her teeth. Janna could not tell if the droplets that rolled down her sister's face were from her wet hair or was actually sweat.

"Do it quick," Siiri ordered. Her voice sounded weak.

Janna complied, quickly forcing back the broken bones into alignment. She cringed as she felt Siiri's bone grate against bone. All the while, her eyes never left her sister's. She did not miss it when Siiri's emerald orbs rolled up into their sockets and she slumped forward, the woman's mind finally shutting down from the intensity of the pain.

Before she passed out completely, the warrior heard Janna shouting at the others, the girl's words disjointed and seemingly distant.

"Skura...Someone, help! We need...out the water...turns septic! Hurr...loss of blo..."

And then Siiri heard no more.

[Siiri]

Location: Taloba

"...is she?"

"...almost lo...arm. Fortu..."

"Praise My..."

"...ira, you me..."

Siiri drifted in and out of consciousness, not fully aware of the passage of time as she did so. The few times she thought she was awake, she felt disconnected from her body, as if she was just a spectator of the events another person was perceiving, albeit a spectator viewing things through a veil of black cloth. Everything was fuzzy - sounds were muffled, images were blurry.

Still, the warrioress was able to catch snippets of conversation, though her mind was too foggy to properly identify the speakers. The voices sounded familiar however, and she took comfort in that. She knew she was among family and friends.

In one of those moments when she felt her vision could pierce through the black veil, a familiar face came into focus.

"Sii...'s Bra..."

"Hush, she's...eeds slee..."

The face vanished but so did everything else. Again there was only blackness. Siiri felt herself sag in the empty void.

==/==

Timestamp: 29th of Summer, 511 AV

Sounds of shouting breaking through the incessant pounding of the rain on the roof woke her up. She was not sure how much time had passed since the last time she was awake but judging by the meager light seeping through the blinds of the nearby window, she assumed it was...Time to eat, she thought as he stomach growled.

"I need my lieutenant!" someone insisted, the volume of it easily penetrating the wooden wall between them.

"Too bad. You have to wait a little longer to have her."

There was a brief sound of pacing, of boots clicking on wooden floorboards. Siiri thought she recognized the first speaker as Eena, the leader of her fang. The woman sounded irritated.

"Alright, fine. But I'm kicking her dog-thing out of her bunk for her temporary replacement!"

"Not my problem," the other speaker said, her tone indifferent. The voice was familiar but Siiri could not quite place it. She knew she's heard it before, however.

There was a loud sigh but Eena did not speak again, perhaps realizing that she could not get through to the stone-cold facade the other voice presented. Siiri heard the woman's footsteps recede until she could not hear it any more. It was replaced by something else, a dull, steady thumping punctuated by brief periods of grinding - the sound of someone using a mortar and pestle. Siiri realized where she was now.

This is the herbalist's place. Tingu.

[Siiri]

Sensing that the herbalist was busy powderizing whatever it was she was powderizing and that she was alone inside the room, Siiri tried to get up, minimizing her movements so that she made as little noise as possible. It was a struggle for her, just to push herself up - her whole body felt sore and stiff, especially around the shoulders, abdomen, hips and thighs, as if she was made to do a hundred sit-ups as fast as she could. Her feet felt all tingly, with stars shooting through them whenever she tried to move them and her arms felt heavy, especially her right.

The injured one, she belatedly realized, recalling what had happened a few - what? A few hours ago? Days? She was not sure exactly how much time has passed since then. Turning her head, she looked at the limb and saw the reason for the heaviness. The whole forearm was wrapped in thick bandages and coated with a hardening agent such that her arm was covered in a thick, hard shell. Siiri surmised it was to prevent her from jarring the severely fractured bones within and aggravating the injury. Still, she thought her arm resembled an enormous sausage because of it. And not only did it look ridiculous, just seeing it like that made her felt helpless and it was an emotion that she despised. She wondered how much damage the limb had suffered and wondered as well, not without a little trepidation, if she would ever get to use it again.

Perhaps it was because of that fear that she tried to move it. Lifting it up was out of the question; Siiri felt too weak to even bring it up for just an inch. She settled to try and wiggle her fingers. Small wooden sticks seemed to brace each digit and the bandage wrapped around them but they did not completely restrict movement. Gingerly, she willed the index and the middle ones to curl.

White hot pain lanced through the limb, making Siiri hiss out in agony. It felt like someone had inserted a fine wire through her wrist, barbed it, then pulled it out her elbow. The simple experiment actually brought tears to her eyes.

"Awake now, I see."

Siiri, still wincing, whirled her head towards the door even though she knew the speaker to be Tingu herself. The older woman still held her mortar and pestle in hand and continued to grind whatever was inside. The expression she leveled at her patient could best be described as stern.

"Stubborn girl. I put splints on each of your fingers so you can keep them still and yet here you are, not three days yet into your recovery and you're already testing them out." Tingu tsk-tsked, shaking her head. "Stubborn, impatient girl."

"Sorry," Siiri said, chastised. Upon hearing her own voice, she grimaced. Even it sounded weak. "I've been out for three days?"

"Two and a half. Your sister never left your side the whole time."

Tingu nodded to the floor beside the bed and Siiri inched over for a peek. Janna was lying on the floor, a blanket haphazardly thrown over half of her body, her mouth opened in her tired slumber. Poor girl couldn't even be disturbed by their conversation.

"Your wolf friend is in a fit as well," Tingu added. "If you've heard earlier, she's being kicked out of your bunk in the barracks."

Siiri could only nod, knowing Eena would want to get a temporary replacement for her to keep the fang full, especially since it was the summer season and routine patrols were exposed to even more dangers. With her injury, Siiri would only be a liability to the rest and might endanger them if the fang ever found itself in a tight spot. She and Miharu would be put on the shelf for now.

Like decorations, Siiri thought bitterly.

"Girl also brought your sword with her."

Following the direction to which Tingu pointed, Siiri saw Slayer leaning against the wall on the opposite side of her bed. The blade appeared recently cleaned, with not a single smudge of mud from her jaunt in the jungle. Miharu did good work with it. Straining, Siiri reached for it - with her left hand. She stopped halfway through, her face crumpling as she realized what she was doing.

She had always reached for it with her right hand.

Her unbandaged hand changed direction and moved to cover her face. She felt dampness in the corners of her eyes.

"Petch this," Siiri whispered. "How-how is...when can I...?"

She could not finish the simple sentence. It was too hard. A lump caught in her throat as she swallowed.

"Take your time," Tingu advised, her voice quiet. "We'll talk when you're ready."

The older woman left the room before Siiri could say anything else. Not that she had any words to say.

[Siiri]

Siiri hardly heard the door close behind the herbalist, all her senses focused on her bandaged arm. She stared at it as if she could see where the crocodile’s teeth had ripped through her flesh, her mind’s eye tracing the path the sharp fangs ripped through with every twist of the beast. The wounds seemed to throb as she remembered the pain. In the space of a few seconds, the creature had crippled her, rendering her right arm useless – for how long, she did not know, too afraid to find out. She hoped it was only temporary but the fear that it may be permanent, that the damage done had been too severe, began to creep into her heart.

All her life, Siiri had never suffered an injury so harsh as the one she had now, not when she patrolled the jungles with her fang, not even when she was that child who had jumped off a raft in murderous rage to slay the slayer of her beloved aunt. There had been serious ones, yes, but they had only required stitches or bandages or a few weeks of rest. But right now her arm was splinted and wrapped so thickly with bandages that Siiri felt she could use it as a bludgeoning weapon if it did not hurt just to move it. Even just a little movement on her fingers caused immeasurable pain that she was afraid to even breathe on it whenever she leaned in close to inspect it. The limb felt heavy and not just because of the bandages; it was as though her arm had already been severed at the elbow and a lead weight that injected liquid agony into the rest of the limb had been attached to the stump. The unfamiliar feeling ate at the warrior. Once proud of her body, considering it a living weapon, Siiri now felt reduced and diminished, as if she was less of a Myrian now because of it.

Deal with it! she berated herself, her mind's voice echoing in her head like the adamant command of a matriarch. She thought it sounded like her mother's voice. Stop wallowing in self-pity and do something about it! Do you ever see you sister, Tala, complain about her handicap?

The words were like a slap to the face and Siiri found herself shamed. No, Tala never did complain, and yet here she was, supposedly the strongest child ever produced by Ehra's loins, whining about a torn arm like a baby. She could still function despite the injury, why was she crying like a mewling left by its mother? Heaving a deep breath, Siiri shifted from the bed to plant her feet on the floor. The movement jarred her injured arm and sent fresh waves of pain running up the limb but the stubborn woman just gritted her teeth against it and continued to stand up, her free hand supporting the bandaged limb and hugging it close to her body.

I need a sling, Siiri thought, looking about the room for anything she could use. A discarded linen towel lay on the nearby table, dried blood discoloring its whiteness. It had probably been used to staunch the bleeding of her wounds. Spreading it on top of the table, Siiri leaned down and placed her bandaged arm over it, swinging one end of it up and around her neck and pinning it in place with her chin before taking up the other end. It was then she realized she had no way of tying a knot with just one working hand. Cursing softly, the warrioress took the end she had trapped with her chin and bit it instead, holding it firmly with her teeth before looping the other end around it and forming a knot. She pulled each end to tighten it and made another knot to make the sling more secure. The end result had her injured arm hanging just beneath her breasts. She exited the room as soon as it was done, keeping her footfalls soft and quiet so as not to disturb her slumbering sister.

Tingu did not look up from her mortar and pestle as Siiri stepped out of the room. She was shaking her head however.

"Ever independent," the old woman noted, pouring the contents of what she had been mashing into a small leather pouch. "Too proud to even ask for help to make a sling? Do you even have friends, Siiri of the Snapping Jaws?"

"I can still function," Siiri replied, her tone formal and distant as she ignored the verbal jab.

"That much is obvious. I still see the fear in your eyes, child, even if you refuse to acknowledge it yourself." Tingu paused, as if waiting for her to speak in turn, to voice out anything against what the old woman had said, but Siiri kept her lips sealed. Tingu shook her head again. "Very well. Your arm suffered very serious damage. The bone broke off clean, and worse, it popped out your elbow as well. I heard from your sister that you made her set it back before you passed out. Foolish. Janna hardly has any first aid training under her belt. If she had done it wrong... But she did not, lucky for you. I'd say the loss of blood did more damage to you than fracture. The crocodile did a number on you, it looked far worse than an ear of corn shucked by a blind fool when they brought you in."

Siiri's face remained stoic as the herbalist spoke, her face grave at the gravity of her injury but she maintained her silence. She could not wait until Tingu got to the part about how long it would take before she regained the use of the limb again. The old woman continued.

"You're looking at a season at least before I take off the bandages for good. Maybe a season and a half, depending on how it heals. And then another season of you working to get it back the way it used to be. Better shelf your weapon in favor of a smaller one until then. You won't be able to use it one handed. Here," Tingu said, throwing the leather pouch at Siiri, who almost missed catching it with her left hand. "Add a pinch in your drink at every meal - that's three times a day, not when you feel like chomping on a goat's leg. It more bitter than Ruros' son so I suggest taking it with something potent. Questions?"

Siiri considered if she had anything to ask. Tingu had been very thorough with her explanation and prognosis. The recovery period stank like boar piss but the warrior knew she had to follow it if she ever wanted to use her right arm again. In the end, she settled for a different question.

"Did they get the croc?" she asked.

Tingu snorted in amusement. "Now you're thinking like your mother. Always wanted results. Ehra wasn't a bad sort, even if you two never got along. Yes, they got the croc. Head's probably hanging in your clanhome. I imagine you'd want to settle things back there, being away for two days and all."

"I'm sure Tala has everything under control."

"And from your tone, you'd want her to keep it that way forever. You know I can't fix her leg, child."

"I know."

"Then get going. I'll send your sister after you when the fool child wakes up."

Siiri merely nodded her thanks, gathered her things from the room, and then went on her way. Before she stepped out the door, Tingu called out to her one last time: "Remember not to use your arm if you want it to heal properly!"

The warrioress could only nod.

But the next day found her out in the training fields already.

OOCPlease state upon grading the cost of the medicine Tingu gave Siiri as well as for the treatment. I'll deduct it from the ledger then. Thanks!

[Siiri]

Timestamp: 30th of Summer, 511 AV

The twin scimitars arched towards her from opposite directions, the first coming in a direct intercept course with the heavy mace she wielded, the other traveling much slower but at a lower angle, moving to cut down her legs. Siiri easily parried the first, shoving with all her might as the weapon connected against the mace's length, while at the same time, her right foot lashed out, hitting the inside of her sister's left wrist. Both of Janna's arms flew wide and, already unbalanced, the girl fell on her rump as Siiri followed up with a front kick to her sternum.

The Snapping Jaws warrioress had her injured arm bound tight against her body, the sling secured on her leather armor with many straps to ensure that the limb would not swing free in her rapid movements. Each shift of her body brought needles of pain shooting up from the arm up to her shoulder but Siiri merely grunted through the discomfort and went about her training in relative silence. Droplets of sweat were trickling down her face, both from the pain and the exertion but she had insisted in having the exercise with her sister. Of course, it was not much of a sparring session since Janna appeared to be holding back.

"What are you doing?" Siiri demanded from the younger warrior.

"What? I thought it was a good counter!"

Janna would not meet her eyes, the girl's almond-colored orbs looking to the left as she dusted herself off. It was a sure sign that she was lying. For what, Siiri could not imagine. It was an annoying habit however, one that irritated her. Janna always lied when she wanted to spare someone discomfort or avoid an awkward moment. Siiri had no idea where the girl picked it up from.

"Quit bullshitting, Janna!" Siiri snapped, her temper quickly rising with each word she uttered. "You're pulling your punches! You're better than this! You know it, and I know it. So come at me like you mean it, damnit!"

She could see Janna flinch at her tone, but the girl met her eyes this time. "But Siiri, you're...you're hurt -"

"So what?"

The question seemed to confuse the girl, as evidenced by her slight frown that creased her forehead. Siiri released a frustrated sigh.

"When you're fighting out there, whether against beast or man, are you going to hold back just because they're injured?"

"Well, no. But you're my sist-"

"Pretend I'm not."

"But Siiri..."

"Just do it."

It was Janna's turn to sigh but she still complied to Siiri's adamant demand. Both siblings readied their weapons, Janna with her twin scimitars fashioned from tskanna tusks and Siiri with the heavy mace she had purchased from a faraway land. As before, Siiri initiated the match with a short jab of her weapon's flanged head, an attack easily parried by her sister. Janna slapping the cumbersome weapon away with one of her scimitars while the other flew in a horizontal arc to try and take her sister's head off. Siiri only managed to duck under it in time.

The move gave her an opening to deliver a side kick to Janna's gut but she ignored it and threw a vicious kick on the girl's leading leg, her shin connecting solidly just above Janna's knee. The girl's leg almsot buckled from the impact but she countered with a double thrust that forced Siiri to scramble backwards. The blades followed her with every step, Janna throwing quick, short jabs at seemingly random angles. It was a familiar attack routine to Siiri, who has seen her sister do it many times before, and each time the girl had tried it on her, she had easily foiled it with the superior range of Slayer. But she was not using her trademark weapon right now and she could not think of an appropriate counter with the much shorter mace.

Thinking to just wing it, Siiri parried one of the scimitars with her weapon and pulled down, hoping to hook the blade in one of the small gaps that was part of the elaborate design of the flanges. Janna seemed to have anticipated the move, however. The girl twirled her weapon around Siiri's, the keen edge snaking around the mace's bar and aiming to kiss her fingers. To avoid suffering the cut, Siiri was forced to release her hold on the weapon. Janna capitalized on her advantage and threw a side kick of her own, aimed at Siiri's kidney.

Unfortunately, the attack came from the right. Siiri's injured arm was directly between her sister's leg and its intended target.

[Siiri]

Siiri saw the attack coming but with the arm nearest her sister's kicking leg disabled, she had no way to deflect or trap it, only avoid it. She turned, presenting her back towards it and bracing herself, intending to duck under it if it came in too high or jump up if it came in too low. It didn't do either, the kick executed to perfection. Siiri prepared to roll with the blow but she was moving a heartbeat too slow, and Janna's shin connected just a little above her firm buttocks. The force of the blow staggered and unbalanced her, and Siiri knew she would fall into a heap, skinning her knees and palm if she did not do anything to dissipate the force it generated. So she allowed herself to be carried by its momentum, throwing her now weaponless hand forward to catch herself as she fell.

She wanted to do a handstand, using her arm to vault herself away from her sister as soon as her palm landed on the ground, but she did not take into account that her other arm, the bandaged one strapped to her body, totally screwed with her balance. The planted arm bent at the elbow from the awkward distribution of her weight and she fell heavily on the shoulder of her injured side. Her scream of pain rent the air as soon as her body collided with the unrelenting surface of the training grounds, the force of impact jarring the damaged limb. Siiri felt the smallest scraping of bone against bone in her forearm and she immediately curled up into a fetal position, her left hand clutching her bandaged right.

"Siiri!" she heard Janna gasp, her voice followed by the clanking of scimitars as the younger Snapping Jaws discarded them to run to her side. She could feel the girl's hands on her trying to make lie on her back. "I'm sorry, Siiri! This is why I didn't want to do this! I knew it wasn't a good idea...Turn here, let me see that..."

"Janna, no," Siiri hissed through gritted teeth. "Don't move me. My arm's flaring up like a bitch. I-I think I dislocated my shoulder, too."

"Oh, oh, right. I'll...I'll get Tingu! Wait there."

The sound of Janna's retreating footsteps soon followed, punctuated by the girl's soft cursing. Siiri almost chuckled despite the pain coursing through her arm. Her sister always did have issues when it came to sparring with people she knew. The girl lacked the ability to switch on her killer instinct on a whim, always depending on the situation or the foes she faces to release her desire to deal pain and death to others instead. It was something she felt she needed to work on with the younger girl - Woman. Janna's a woman now. Has been for a while now. I just didn't notice with...everything else going on in my life.

"You know, you can't beat her with that cumbersome weapon," an impish voice coming from behind her noted, interrupting her thoughts. Siiri knew whose it was: Kara. She did not realize that the other girl had been watching their match.

"Hey, Runt," Siiri teased, forcing herself to lie on her back despite her earlier warning to Janna about not moving her body. She tried to turn towards the voice but gave up halfway as the strain she put on her neck only made her shoulder throb with renewed pain. "How long have you been there?"

'Runt' was Kara's childhood nickname, the appelation having stuck after being called it for so long. Standing at a mere five feet and six inches, the girl was the shortest one among the Snapping Jaws siblings, even shorter than the twins. Kara never got mad at being branded with the nickname even when she was young. In fact, Siiri could not remember the last time she had seen the girl get mad. She was just one of those people able to keep their tempers in check no matter what. So unlike her sister Siiri.

"I've been here all this time. You two were just too busy with what you were doing."

"Really," came Siiri's dry response. The girl did have a skill in that, being able to blend in her surroundings until one forgot that she was there. Unless someone actually had their eyes trained on her, Kara would often go unnoticed until she announced her presence. And the girl seldom did that. "So what's this about my weapon not beating Janna?"

"It's too slow. You may get better with it in time, but I don't think you'll beat Janna's twin scimitars. She got better with them while you were away, you know."

"Oh? An expert opinion, huh? Tell me more, Great One."

Siiri's tone was sarcastic but teasing. All of the siblings loved teasing Kara if only to get her to give an emotional response. It was something the girl never did. Even now, she replied as if Siiri spoke in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Yes. She'd nick you in a dozen different places before you could get a second swing in. You should use a shield together with that though. I think it would make a great complement."

Siiri scoffed. "Shields! Who uses them?" It was a well known fact that she had little respect for defensive implements, believing that they slowed down her movements too much to be effective in battle.

"They're not solely for defense, you know. If you were using one, maybe you wouldn't be lying down there in the dirt."

"Oh, ha ha, every funny."

"It's true."

"Aren't you going to help me up?"

A sound halfway between a snort and a cough coming from her sister caught Siiri off guard. She realized it was the sound Kara made when she was amused. It was the closest thing to a laugh that Siiri had ever heard from the girl. That realization made her feel that she needed to spend more time with her siblings.

"What's funny?"

"Nothing. I'm not moving you. You just told Janna not to. You can't seem to follow your own advise though."

"Won't be the first time."

"No, it won't. You're like Mother, you know. You sound like her too. Especially when you chewed out Janna earlier. I thought you were a little hard on her."

Siiri sighed inwardly. Was everyone going to compare her to Ehra now that the old woman was gone? And was she really like her? it was a little hard to swallow, being compared to another's personality she didn't like.

"She needed to learn," Siiri groused, feeling like she's being lectured by her younger sister.

"True. But not like that. She looks up at you, you know. Idolizes you even."

"Really. You seem to know a lot."

"I do. I keep my ears open. I know a lot of things, but I won't tell you."

"Why not?"

Before Kara could give her reply, Janna arrived with Tingu in tow.

[Siiri]

"Siiri! Are you alright? Still with us? Who were you talking to just now?"

The younger Snapping Jaws crowded around her sister, concern clearly evident upon her face as she fussed over Siiri's prone form. She was clearly puzzled to find her sister speaking to no one in particular. Siiri realized that Kara must have slipped away before Janna got there, the slippery little girl.

"No one. I thought you brought Tingu?"

Janna was elbowed aside by the Myrian elder before she reply. The older woman had a stern expression on her face, displeased that Siiri had disobeyed her orders from the previous day. Siiri closed her eyes for the lecture that was sure to come. Likely, Tingu would disallow her from direct contact with others until she healed up.

It's going to be a long recuperating period.

-fin-

[Cayenne]

One note: Crocodiles and Alligators certainly will hunt by scent of rancid meat. The nastier the better. If you dip it into the water and hang it above on a hook... it goes downstream and they'll come to you. Omnomnom. Also, they have a little kill spot on the back of the head, where the skull meets the neck, that is about 2" square. Anywhere else just hurts them and pisses them off. Something to keep in mind for future threads. Tracking: 1 XP Hunting: 1 XP Wilderness Survival: 1 XP Swimming: 1 XP Leadership: 2 XP Interrogation: 2 XP Weaponry - Flanged Mace: 2 XP Unarmed Combat: 2 XP Intimidation: 1 XP Rhetoric: 1 XP Lore: Patience and Healing Lore: The Risks of Crocodile Hunting Lore: Breaks and Dislocations in the Arms and Shoulders Other: Medicine to burn disinfection and to help with the pain: 4 Bikka