A Big Day Ahead (Open)

[Erzotol Silverden]

His eyes sparkled as he saw the deer heading into his range, his horse running powerfully underneath him, and he released his arrow just as the tip came in line with the deer, the length of wood darting across the narrow space to bury itself in the animal’s chest. The metal tip pierced the beast’s heart as it ran into the shot, and the blow stopped it instantly forcing it to collapse against the ground, and lay still. Slight pressure from his legs on the horses flank, and a tug on the yvas, he let the horse know it was time to slow down, and Airiat slowed down to a trot, and he flipped his leg over, and hopped down onto the ground, intent on seeing to the felled deer. Over in the distance Laeon responded to a unseen command, trotting over with the bird in mouth, and only stopping when he came to his master's side, and with a smile he extended his hand and scratched the fox behind his ears, the fox finally releasing its burden on the ground, and with his right hand he grabbed the fowl up and tossed it onto the deer carcass, knowing they would all have to be taking care of sooner than later.

Loud whining over to his right drew his attention to Kaja, and he stared at her curiously for a moment wondering what was up with the woman. After all they had done well, and she had pushed the beast right into his sights, which was how hunting partners helped after all wasn't it? he wondered and shook his head, still wearing that smile he always seemed to wear around her, and started over for her thinking she might be hurt. Before he could though she was taking off again after some unseen target, and he shrugged chalking it up to a kelvic's unusual behavior, and her need to blow off some energy. Turning backwards to face their newest acquisitions, he smiled and set his bow on the ground before unsheathing his longsword. Since he didn't have a proper knife this would have to do, and he didn't have proper rope to mount the animals either so work with their bodies would have to be done quickly here and now, him cutting off the best parts he could find, and caring them in his bag and lap.

Moving into position he chopped his sword down viciously on the deer’s neck, half way severing it, and then slashing it down again to complete the cut, and holding the blade one handed he bent down and took one of the doe's ears and picked up the head, tossing in to the side for Laeon to munch on, and Kaja as well if she decided to ever come back. Taking the hilt of the sword again in two hands, he chopped hard down on one of its legs, severing it from its body, and adding a chip to the edge of his blade that he would need buffed out later. He repeated the process with the rest of the legs before finally dragging to beheaded, limbless body over to the side and dropping to his knees to get to the truly hard work. The body of the animal held good meat as well, but it was a bit harder to get to, especially if you where using a longsword in favor of a dagger, but he shrugged just seeing it as a challenge he had to overcome.

Maneuvering the tip of his blade carefully, he pierced the belly of the beast just above where its hind legs started, and dragged the sharp metal upwards, separating skin, and muscle alike, as he pulled it all the way up to its collar bone. Setting the bloodied blade aside, he pushed his fingers through the gash, and pulled it outwards the opening widening as skin separated from muscle, and flopped to the sides, exposing tender flesh underneath. He needed to work fast before the predators smelled the fresh meat, and would be coming any moment and he had to get it all prepared. Taking the blade in one hand again, and pressing it's flat in slightly he worked the metal underneath the meat, between the flesh and bone of the ribs and began slicing it to the side, a large chunk of flesh coming off the carcass to fall from the bone, and he repeated the treatment to the other side before gathering up the chunks of flesh, and the legs in a neat little pile, and leaving the rest of the meat for Laeon and Kaja to enjoy while he loaded it and the bird on.

He was surprised though when he lowered down to retrieve the meat, when he saw Kaja bring yet another prize and he gave her a smile. She is sure full of surprises isn't she he though amused, and reached down to scratch her behind her ears before looking at the pig and deciding what to do. It would be better to just cook the thing whole though he had no cooking experience what so ever, but with a look to his beloved strider, and remembering the fact that they weren’t so far from Endrykas, he sighed and decided they could just take it whole, and figure it out back at the tent. Shrugging off his pack he started putting the hunks of meat within it, before stuffing in the legs and bird, feathers and all, and it was a tight fit in his bag but he managed to close it up properly, and slung it back around his shoulders, the upper halves of the legs sticking from the packs like odd obstructions. Next came the pig, and the fact that is was relatively small made it easy for him as he grabbed it by it's feet and held it horizontal on his shoulders making his way over to his horse and clicking his tongue for Laeon to climb up him and onto the horse. Airiat tensed up expectantly with the new arrival and anticipation of a heavy load, but he was used to his master's other friend riding with him so he remained calm.

The horse bent it's legs slightly to have him aboard, and he held the pick aloft with one arm, gingerly climbing onto the horse before swinging the pig back onto his shoulders quickly. Holding it with one arm was very straining, but with it balanced on his shoulders it would be easier to ride back with, and hoping Kaja would follow, he clicked his tongue again and spurred the horse on with his knees, holding onto the yvas with only one hand, a risky gamble but one he knew he had to take. Soon though they were back at Endrykas and outside of his tent and shrugging off his burden and the bag that so burdened him, he climbed easily from the horse and watched as Laeon hopped down similarly. He took a brief moment to retrieve a brush from the tight jumble that was his bag, and removed the yvas from his horse, brushing the burrs from its coat before heading back inside with their prizes in hand, and he would leave it in the middle of the tent, waiting for Kaja to arrive before deciding anything.

[Kaja]

Kaja moved her head up and more into his hand when he went to scratch her ears. She finally felt like she had done something right. However she still felt very tired after her exertion to get a catch of her own. She noticed that there were some chunks of meat left behind and she went to town on the one that the fox wasn’t nibbling in. She made quick work of it her strong jaws crunching into bone, meat and sinew. When she was down she liked her maw, and looked back up to see that the fox and Erzotol were already well on their way back to the camp.

She followed in a light job, she was still rather weary from her three chases of earlier before, and she figured she wasn’t too far off from the camp and could keep them in sight. Plus if need be she could sniff out either Erzotol or the fox and find them that way if she really did get too far away from them. At any rate she knew where the moving city was, and that was enough. She jogged along happy that she had caught something of her own.

Once she got to the camp she slowed her jog down to a trot weaving through the many legs that were walking about. She lifted her head up to sniff the air and while she couldn’t use her eyes like she liked to do she still had a good olfactory sense. She caught the scent of both the fox and the man mingled together, and headed in that direction. She pushed her way through the tent flap to see Erzotol unpacking his pack, and the fox curled in the corner watching. She let out a yip, and then transformed into her human form. Walking over to where she dropped her clothes, she picked them up bending over to do so and then slid the top, and then bottom back on before she finally turned and said, “What do you want me to do? Mind you I am not that good with cooking, but I can try?” She acted as if she had not just walked naked in front of him at all, but she had, though she had no problem with nudity. She was just as comfortable without clothes then with, in fact more so in her natural skin really.

She walked over to him, and watched as he prepared to do something to the kills they had just made. She smiled at him, and in toned softly, “We did good, no?” She was hoping that she had proved some sort of worth with him. She was started to like this Drykas man, and wanted to somehow be able to stay with him, however, she had to be something of use to him. If not as a herd animal, which it didn’t seem, he needed then maybe his hunt mate along with his fox? She looked over to the young fox and walked over to it and patted its head. She had got a little sore with the little white fur ball after he had caught something so fast before her, but he really was a sweet thing. She hoped she hadn’t offended him with her sharpness, and un-sportsmanship behavior in front of him. She knelt down before him, and said quietly, “I’m sorry for my behavior earlier.” She knew he wouldn’t be able to understand her know that she was human again, but she would still be able to understand whatever he said. He moved back over to Erzotol again and said softly to him, “I really liked when you rubbed my head.” Her hand creeping to his arm to touch it lightly, it was firm, and was just the right muscle. She smiled at him.

[Erzotol Silverden]

He removed the legs first from his pack since they were blooding it fast, a ruining the fabric, and he set the legs appropriately beside him on his right before reaching across to take out the bird and lay it beside the legs as well. The pig carcass was still laid on his left side where he had shrugged it off and he was still kneeling when he had heard Kaja enter, and then utter a sharp noise that he didn't know what it meant. He turned just in time to see her transform, which wasn't much of a process as it was instantaneous but he had never seen a kelvic transform so it was a rare sight for him. It was a surprise though to be so boldly staring at her naked body, but his eyes didn't immediately shy away from her body, the slight blush creeping across his cheeks the only hint of his interest that would flare up if he got caught looking at her. She was very bold not caring for her apparent nudeness, and even announcing her arrival, and he found it as yet another thing curious about the race in general. It was interesting, alluring even, and his eyes followed her around as she dressed and approached him with a question. " Cooking will come soon, but first could you acquire us some wood " he asked her, slowly standing up, and dusting his hands together.

They had done very well coming in with a haul much larger than he had expected to come back with, and he gave her a warm smile, his eyes softened with a wave of joy, and pride. " You did very well, you and Laeon did excellent out there, and you even more so with that extra kill " he said brightly, and walked over a few steps, his eyes never leaving hers. He smiled again as she headed over to see to Laeon, and his eyes flickered back to the meat as he turned in step. Now what to do with all this meat

Laeon perked up when she headed over to him, and he rubbed his head into her waiting hand, panting softly, and licking her hand. His energy seemed to be dampened now, but he was easily excitable, and he put his paws on Kaja's leg, chitterling. " We did well, you did better, you made master glad, you got feast, very tasty food, and you have fun too? " the fox communicated before hopping back down onto his feet, and curling in on himself, resting his head on his fluffy tail as he stare happily up at her.

Erzotol was in the process of figuring out what to do with the meat when he felt a soft hand touch his arm, and he looked over and smiled at her. " Its good to hear " he responded to her, his arm touching against the flat of her back, and he smiled liking the feel of her muscles underneath her thin shirt. He was accustomed to the touch of a woman, but it didn't mean he didn't know how to react and respond in kind, and he assumed that the same could indeed go for Kaja like it would for any other woman.

[Kaja]

Kaja had turned away moving toward Leaon, though she didn’t even know the little fox’s name, when he said she had done best of all. That made her very happy and maybe also lends her to feel slightly better toward his other furry companion. They would all work together. Or at least that was what she was hoping right? To have them all live in harmony together. She grinned down at the young fox’s comment, but kept it to herself. She couldn’t respond back to him now, but she would have said something like, ‘You’re right, we did have fun.’ Though at the time she hadn’t thought so at the time, but looking back at it now it was good for her to have a bit of competition to bring out the best in her.

When he asked her to get firewood she heard him but didn’t do it very quickly. She leaned into his hand on her mostly bare back, his hand was large though and some of it did touch the fabric of her short top. The warmth that emanated from his touch made her shiver, but in a good way, she had never felt like this around a man before. “I will go and find some wood.” If she had to she would buy a bundle from the bizarre. She had a little money on her from working for the past several days. Her mouth watered for the thought of a bit of lightly cooked plump pig. Her mouth watered as she walked out of the tent.

She went out into the market area to find the bizarre to buy the cord of wood for their cook fire. When she got there she walked up to one of the clerks and asked about how much a cord of wood would be. There response was something a bit too high for her taste. She wasn’t used to bargaining but she only had a few mezas and silver. She then countered with if they would go down a bit to maybe around one meza for one cord rather then what they said which included two cords for five meza. She knew she was low balling it but maybe they would come down more if she went low rather then giving a higher price. The merchant rubbed his chin, and looked at her, and responded with something that was down a bit. He waited for her response. “Yes I will take that price.” It was one cord for two meza, it would only leave her with two meza and some silver, but it was okay.

She moved off with the bundle of wood under her arm, she hoped it would be enough. She would be embarrassed if she hadn’t bought enough with her meager funds. She had hoped she had got herself a good bargain, but she wasn’t sure she wasn’t good with money much, or haggling. It wasn’t something she did very often, unless she didn’t have a lot of money to begin with and she had to make it last. She walked back into the tent, and laid the wood by Erzotol. “There you go.” She said as she stepped back. “What do you want me to do to help you?” She noticed he had started to clean the bird, and she wondered around to see what there was around to cook with, plus some type of herbs to put on the meet they were preparing.

[Erzotol Silverden]

His smile remained until she disappeared in search of wood, and then it faded in favor of pure concentration. He still had a bird to prepare before she got back, and he wasn't sure how to approach it, but grabbing up his longsword, and unsheathing it, he decided to learn by error. Laying out the pheasant out on the ground with its neck exposed, he poised his blade to sever it quickly and struck hard decapitating the fowl and tossing the head to the side. It wouldn't be much good for eating he figured, and he wouldn't waste his time with it when the body would most likely take much time for him. Placing the flat of his blade against the bird’s chest, he held his hand against the top of it as he scraped it hard along the bird, the feathers falling from the bird several at a time, and continued to do it till the bird was relieved of all of them.

Footsteps from behind him drew his eyes backwards and he turned to see Kaja enter the tent, and his features instantly brightened. " I take it the getting of the fire wood went well, feel free to get what you paid for them out of my coin purse " he said warmly, patting his hip where it was, and then looking towards the wood. " I've got a few vegetables in my pack that I can add to a stew, if you could prepare the fire for me " A slow pause followed as he moved to his bag, and gathered up some potatoes, and a onion before heading back to Kaja and chopping up the vegetables as fine as one could with a long sword. " One problem I foresee though, I don't have a pot on me to put the stew in, but you might find one in the back to borrow from my mother's stuff " he said with a smile, and stretched a little bit before continuing to peel, and chop the greens, before cutting pieces of meat into large chunks. He wasn't used to cooking at all so he was a bit of in proportion wise but he tried to accommodate as much as he could as he continued his work.

After he finished with the veggies, and Kaja had received the pot, if she found one, he would pour water from his waterskin into it before adding the veggies and chunks of meat and then would sit on the ground, taking a look at the wealth of meat they had yet to use. " What would you like to do with the pig, bird, and the rest of the deer? " he asked a pleased expression on his features as he stared at the bounty. Another look to Kaja, and he would lean back to rest on his back while listening to Kaja speak, the crackle of the fire humming before him, the smoke plumbing out into the open air just outside of the tent, and a spectacular view before him since his pavilion had chose camped on the outskirts of Endrykas because of there all to recent arrival to the mobile city.

[Kaja]

Kaja came in and when Erzotol cheerfully said you may get the money from my pouch on the side of his hip to pay her back for the money she spent she just stood there blinking for a few seconds. Then she seemed to realize she was just standing there doing nothing staring at the man working so hard before her. She blinked again and proceeded to remember what to do to make a fire. It wasn’t like she had made very many of them. While she was on the road she just found some little hole, or shelter curled up in her animal form, and slept. However, she wasn’t about to let Erzotol know that she was unsure how to do it. She stood for a few minutes and tried to remember what the Zith had done that she stumbled upon her last few days in the Sea of Grass before she actually had made it to the moving city of Endrykas.

She at the moment did not go about getting the money from Erzotol because to her it was her service to buy the wood for him after he was making a meal for her. She looked around. What was it she had to do first in order to make the fire? She worried her lip thinking what did he put down first….? It suddenly hit her it was pine needles. She looked around but there were no pine needles around her. She blinked. What was the reason why he would put down that? Oh…. Oh yes it was kindling something to start the fire with. She looked around and saw some old rags in a corner. She grabbed them piled them up in the middle, and made a little tee pee around the cloth leaving a hole for her to light it. She swallowed as she realized she didn’t have flint and stone.

She looked over to Erzotol who was chopping vegetables, and the fowl. “Umm… I don’t have flint and stone…” Without turning around Erzotol patted his hip again. She blinked as she walked over, and reached for the hip pouch rummaging in it. All the while she was feeling also his muscled leg, and hip against her hand. She swallowed, and finally found the flint and stone and pulled it out. She still hadn’t taken what he had told her to take of the money. She left and struggled to get the kindling starting. After five tries of flicking the flint on the stone to make a spark she finally sent one flying. She smiled triumphantly as she blew on the little fire and it took off. She was so pleased with herself.

She blinked as she looked around at the other packs and finally found the pot. She put it on the little hanger that was put up by the fire pit, and then looked up too Erzotol and blinked what did she want to do with it? Well… Ermmm eat it? She had never really thought about it much I mean sure she had cooked meat and such, but normally she just ate what she caught raw not worrying too much about cooking. “Ermmm… Well, we could put the bird in the stew, smoke, or dry the deer meat for jerky, and roast the pig?” She said it as a question because she really didn’t know what humans liked to eat. She had never really been in service to them in that way. She had been trained mostly in hunting, running, trapping, and tracking from her parents for hunting and herding. That had been what they had done.

[Erzotol Silverden]

A smile wore across his features, and standing up, he walked outside to a water barrel that had been there, and dipped a bucket into it, before carrying it back and pouring it into the pot. After putting the bird into there, he slowly began to roast the meat with Kaja, using the left over wood his family and himself had gathered before to cook until it was burnt on its edges, and then the bird was done. Soon before them on the ground was two heaping piles of meat before them, and two clay bowls filled with a roughly done stew, but it was food, and they would have enough to last. After they finished eating, Erzotol would see her kindly off to her own tent, giving her all of the leftover food to keep for herself, before returning to his tent to pack. He had much work to do.

oocThis will be the ending of the thread, so it won't be too long to grade for whoever gets the chance. Wonderful thread with you, very much enjoyed it.