Keorvic watched the taciturn mage wander off into the darkness. "Ah well, He is still young. He will find someone sooner or later, and then realize, like I have, that it's all luck." He mused. he finished marking the outline of the etching and began scoring into the bone some shapes and shadings, becoming intent in his work.
Some time later he felt that he was as done as he would get for one sitting and stood up, realizing that he had been keeping terrible watch. If someone had tried to sneak up, he would not have caught them at all. The fire was low, but Keorvic was disinclined to build it up again. He had never seen the need for fires on his own, as he usually had salted meats that did not need to be cooked, and had better night vision that most people. "I guess it helps that I am a full Vantha by the standards of our Goddess." he surmised, thinking back to a time when he had simply burrowed into the snow rather then using shelter of any sort. The gnossis bestowed upon him allowed him to tolerate extreme colds with only minor discomfort, something he had taken advantage of many times in his travels. This far south, however, one needed a covering and shelter just to keep the bugs and vermin off!
Keorvic looked to the East and saw that the sky was indeed lightening. Dawn was not far off. He reached down and strapped on his spiked gauntlets and ran through a few drills he had been taught. He had nothing to punch against, but that was alright. After about ten minutes, he decided to patrol the area, and began to walk the perimeter, this time being as stealthy as a six foot tall man used to crunching through snow can be; not very much.
As he need the clearing's edge, he saw an owl swoop down and catch it's last squirming meal for the night. He followed the graceful creature with his eyes all the way up into the largest tree around. as the owl neared, it veered off, as if there was something wrong with the tree. Keorvic decided that it was a perfect tree for training, as he doubted his fists would do much more than wear some of the bark off, and marked its location in his mind's eye.
as the birds around began to wake up and sing for the day, Keorvic decided that he no longer had an excuse, and built up a fire for the others. He didn't mind eating salted fish for breakfast, but he doubted the other two would feel the same. He began his search for firewood, and after a few minutes returned with enough to build a roaring fire. He only tossed two relatively small pieces of wood onto it even though it was quite light enough to see, he expected it to still an hour or two until the others woke up.
He figured now would be as good a time as any to go build up the strength of his fists, and shucked his spiked gauntlets. He stuffed them into his pack and fished out the two lengths of thin, course rope that Jib had given to him. With care, he wrapped his fists and pulled on his leather gloves over them, deciding he would rather not tear his knuckles open on a tree. He peaked in on Akiva, noting her soft feminine snoring, and then set off. Moments later he was to the huge tree, and began working on rhythm and power, and also not breaking his hands. |