Completed [The Archery Ranges]Back to the basics(Kovac)

[Lavira]

Timestamp: Spring 56, 513

It was a relatively nice day today and the nesting eagles were in a tolerant mood right now, putting Vira in an even better one. When the mama's were happy, so was she. The teen was particularly excited because two eggs in one of the wind eagle nests had begun shifting about in the warmth they were so bathed in. It was an overwhelmingly good sign, one that Vira had long looked forward to since that matron had lain. The eagle herself had been exceptionally attentive to the eggs and quite a bit more protective of them (with good reason!), but had caused the Chiet that attended her little problem overall.

With this giddy mood she was in, Lavira decided she would go down to the archery ranges and watch some of the other archers as they practiced. She stopped by the kitchens first to grab her noon meal, picked up Tulaj from the raptor aeries, and headed towards the gates and the path that led down to the ranges, swinging the tote her meal was in merrily and ignoring the annoying pinches from the onnery harrier. His unnatural aggression would not dampen her delight today. The eggs were sure to hatch soon, if not today, then within the next four-day.

Pausing to let a pair of craftsmen pass, she gave the glassworkers a pleasant smile and then headed into the range to the always pleasing sound of bows being released. The sights brought back nostalgia, as it always did when she visited, and Vira couldn't help sighing longingly as she headed to the Second Arrow. There were quite a few around that day, the cool air refreshingly calm today other than the usual high altitude gusts that sometimes blasted the mountain-face. She found a spot out of the way of the others and settled down, letting Tulaj loose beforehand so he could hunt until she called him back. There were always small prey down in The Pit for him to stalk, even if his white plumage gave him away in that dank and shoddy range.

Crossing her legs, Vira pulled her braid over her shoulder and set her lunch in lap, opening the knot at the top and pulling out the offerings for that day to munch on as she watched the Avora shoot. A couple had their sponsoree's with them, but mostly it was solo-shooters today. That long-seeded sense of jealousy tickled its way through her mind as she ate, hating that she was not able to join these fellow Inartans even on the range more accomodating to a Chiet caste member. But she tried not to let this inhibit her good spirits; it did show in the tightening of the scarring around her eye, however and the faint, but there, frown that touched that side of her face.

She missed shooting with the other Yasi...Missed it as much as she missed getting to walk among the Fledglings, hoping one might choose her. The feel of the bow in her hands....the brush of the string against her cheek, feather resting comfortably near...the smell of the oil that kept the tools working...the righteous TWANG as the arrow was released and the string snapped back into place before the fulfilling THUD of the arrow finding its target. It was a flight of majesty nearly as beautiful as the Eagles as they soared. And she really missed it. Lavira sighed once more and took a bite of her cooled roast.

[Kovac]

Kovac had opted for the Bent Arrow, the outdoor range a bit more realistic for practicing hunting archery than ranges within the mountain. Not by much though, the wind was mitigated quite a bit by the magic shielding, but the sunlight and targets made it marginally more like working out in the Unforgiving. The half-vantha was clad only in a black bryda and short boots, a sontav on his left arm, his chest bared.

The mongrel Avora had taken time from teaching others and hunting to keep his own skills sharp. He plied his composite bow, a short recurve bow crafted from laminated layers of horn and pliable wood. A quiver of practice arrows hung from a short rod with a hook nearby.

The dark-haired archer nocked another arrow with practiced ease, raising the weapon as he drew back the string, bending the bow's stiff limbs with a creaking noise. The fingers held the string near his jawline, the fletching almost tickling his cheek. Trained eyes sigthed down the shaft of the arrow, lining the head up with the roughly deer shaped target at the end of the lane. Lungs were filled and breathing ceased, subtle compensation calculated for any hint of air movement and gravity over the distance to the target. Left hand fingers flexed slightly, assuring his hold on the grip was relaxed, elbow bent and rotated slightly, shoulder low. All preparations performed in just a few ticks, before the fingers at the nock flexed subtly, letting the oiled string loose and launching the missiled towards the faux deer. Kovac held the bow in place, only after the arrow struck the target did he lower the weapon.

Emerald eyes examined his shot, the arrow jutting from the chest of the deer just behind the front leg. It was the best hit of the group, four other shafts protruding from the target in close proximity. With a quick glance at the other shooters close by and realizing they were waiting for him to finish, Kovac motioned to the dek man nearby to retrieve his arrows.

While he waited, Kovac surveyed the range, seeing a young woman sitting and eating her lunch. It was an odd past time to enjoy, during a meal, he mused, watching folks shoot. He did not recognize the girl as a hunter, or a patron of the ranges. Closer examination did mark her as someone remembered, as a Yasi. The name escaped him, but the marred eye in an otherwise pleasing face stood out in his mind. He had worked with her for a short time at the Yasi range.

Motioning to the approaching Dek to drop the arrows in his quiver, Kovac strolled over to the munching girl. He donned a snarky grin and looked down at the redhead.

"You must really be bored to find an archery range entertaining." Kovac lowered his bow, resting the butt on the ground and leaning on it. "I remember you, as a Yasi. You were not particularly good at shooting, if I recall." His smile widened, easing his taunt.

[Lavira]

The woman always loved the sight of the archers, no matter how jealous she was. It was something to be proud of, eventhough she couldn’t participate. But when she saw one of the archers coming towards her, the Chiet hesitated midbite and stared up at Kovac and the taunting half-sneer he appeared to give her that echoed the words he said. It was insulting enough that he leered at her so, amplified by his declining recognition of her archery ability. Vira snorted in response and lowered the sandwich back to her lap.

”You must be really bored to find teasing the lower class entertaining.” The food was raised again and another bite taken, chewed, and swallowed before she said more. ”Besides, it wasn’t lack of skill that I had. I just excelled in other fields, if you hadn’t noticed.” Another bite, chewed and swallowed. No sense wasting her time too much. ”Most that I knew of my age were all pomp, anyways. Too much flash and attitude, not enough real concentration; how many of them do you see now?” She raised a brow. Arrogance tended to make one reckless, which tended to cost one their life in the end; it made them foolish, in other words. Vira took another bite, and sat contemplating for a moment, her thoughtful nature unusual in the Inartan culture. ”Falconry was more my preference; that and husbandry. Ironically worked out for me in the end.” Her shoulders rose and fell in a partial shrug, that blind eye staring through him unnervingly.

She’d been there only ten minutes or so when that obnoxious bird returned, albino feathers all ruffled and a dead dormouse in his beak. The harrier landed on her knee without invitation or summoning and deposited the rodent on her sandwich, giving a far too pleased-with-himself warble as he lowered his wings and looked up at her. The Chiet scowled down at him in response, her meal now ruined by the still bleeding tidbit the albino had caught. ”Ought to have you stuffed, you daft crow.” She grumbled and shook the mouse onto the stone flooring in front of her legs. Tulaj apparently disagreed with this gesture, stepped from her knee and picked the mouse back up, working it around in his beak as he did so. He hopped back onto her knee and dropped the mouse onto her sandwich once more. And all Vira could do was sigh, covering her eyes with her other hand. ”You make it look as though I’m the fool, Tulaj. I say with utmost sincerity that your parents dropped you out of their nest. Honestly…” But for all the frustrations the albino gave her, Vira still picked some of the cooked meat from her sandwich and fed it to the raptor, tickling the underside of his beak afterwards. ”He’s so spoiled.”

The woman looked back up at last to Kovac and gave a patient smile. Her lunch was ruined; may as well chat, right? Obviously the Avora wanted something or he mightn't have interrupted her meal.

[Kovac]

Kovac's admittedly less-than-amiable greeting was met with the derisive snort and snarky comeback he supposed it deserved. He could have rankled at the disrespect of the Chiet, but the mongrel would have reacted the same if an Endal had addressed him in such a manner. Instead, he smiled and bowed his head, accepting the sardonic attitude he had evoked. She defended her position with confidence, putting the abrasive Avora in his place. For some reason, Kovac held his tongue, biting back a retort. Maybe it was her unique glare, one eye a vibrant, challenging green, the other a dead, unnerving stare.

The half-breed would have his vindication, it seemed, when the woman's falcon returned. The raptor insisted that his keeper accept the valuable gift he worked so hard to secure, the two caught in a back and forth with the dead rodent. Kovac stifled a laugh, unsuccessfully, and a guffaw blurted out. But as the woman and bird reconciled, Kovac composed himself, meeting again the memorable gaze of the Chiet falconer. Her smile seemed to relax the tension of the moment, and the Avora returned a less wry grin.

"Sorry, did not mean to offend you." It seemed a long way to come to just sit and eat, and now the woman couldn't even enjoy her meal. The day had little in store for Kovac, and the range was becoming a bit boring to someone who spent so much time within them. Some company would be welcomed. Kovac looked back at the ranges, then again at the seated woman.

"Look, your lunch is ruined, do you...want to shoot a few? You can use my bow." A more disarming smile graced his face, hoping to dispel the poor impression he had already made with the girl. "I am Kovac."

[Lavira]

Vira blinked at the man when he laughed like that, one eyebrow raising and eyes glancing down at the rotten white bird still happily standing on her knee, waiting for another bite of her meal like the spoiled thing he was. Then, that patient smile eased away and the teen couldn't help but laugh, too. It was a pleasant sound, honest and light, not unlike a robin at the height of spring, singing to all the pretty birds in the trees.

She scritched the birds head one more time, leaning in to let him gently nibble at her cheek in that avian-style kiss they sometimes gave. Most others would likely have lost patience with the kooky raptor she so loved, but Vira had persevered through his weird antics and unsociable behaviors. He was trained well, though it was harder to observe. But it was Vira's tenderness that was the most unusual; most Inartans were fierce of face and tongue. They were not, for all things simple, gentle. They were as harsh, in the end, as the volcano they had come to live upon and as bold as the dire eagles they stood beside. They were not made to be sweet and well-tempered, maternal in essence. And yet, here sat an exception to the rule. It wasn't often one got to see an eagles gentler side, afterall.

However, her laughter ebbed and surprise took its place upon the Chiet's face when Kovac asked if she'd like to shoot since her lunch was ruined, as well as introduce himself. The woman looked back at the range in disbelief, and then back up to him again. "What?" she began, shocked. "But, I'm no archer, sir. I can't line up properly anymore; I'm more likely to hit someone than I am to hit the actual target! It's really not the smartest thing." She chewed her lower lip a moment and looked back to the range again, brow furrowing in deep thought.

Her eyes fell to the harrier now, one hand having begun stroking his back gently, a soothing gesture for herself that Tulaj accepted right now. For all of his spiteful nature, he enjoyed his attendants attentions. Vira spoke quietly in the local tongue now, still stroking his back. "What do you think Tulaj? You know how bad a shot I am...I don't want anybody to get hurt because of my...disability."

The raptor just stared up at her for the longest time. Then, the bird turned his head and gave her wrist a firm pinch and flew from her knee. The rush of wind blew what threads of hair were loose from her face and made her blink a moment as she followed his brief ascent up to where Kovac was standing before her. He landed upon his shoulder, claws careful not to pinch more than necessary for once, and gave her a low churr. Whatever communication it was, it made Vira smile and nod.

"Guess that settles it, doesn't it." The Chiet got to her feet, brushing her palms against her hips and tossing the remains of her sandwich to the bird. "But I'm warning you, Kovac. I'm really no good. I can't line things up so well anymore." No need to explain why. The ruined eye was reason enough.

"I'm Lavira. Vira's okay too."

[Kovac]

The young woman's annoyance at both the man and the bird faded into a pleasant, honest laugh, melting the thin thread of tension Kovac's gruff greeting had created. It was obvious that the girl loved the white harrier, as ornery as he was. It was a trait prevalent amongst the Inarta, the love for their raptors, great and small. It was a passion Kovac did not inherent from his Inartan father, though growing up in Wind Reach had instilled a respect for the cities Wind Eagles in the half-vanthan Avora.

Kovac disregarded the woman's excuses as she claimed to be beyond hope of ever firing an arrow with any accuracy. But Kovac was confident in his own ability to show her how. One brow lifted as the Chiet consulted with her avian companion, as if its opinion was valid, or even existed. But the mongrel archer's skepticism was quashed as the raptor spread its strong wings and lifted off of the girl's knee in a miniature whirlwind of swirling air and disturbed dust. Kovac froze as the flapping wings mussed his hair, the talons securing against the flesh of his shoulder, only enough to for the bird to steady its perch.

Fearing any motion would cause the claws to sink further, the Avora smiled rigidly, wide eyes flashing towards the young woman. Apparently, the harrier had given its approval of Kovac, convincing the girl to take up his offer.

Once again she expressed her concern, a warning to the expert archer to exonerate herself should he fail and she end up shooting someone by accident. Kovac replied, stock still, smile frozen as his eyes darted to the bird on his shoulder. "No worries, we will have you shooting straight in no time, Vira. Follow me and we will find a suitable lane to use." However, Kovac did not move until the raptor left his shoulder, only then leading Vira to one end of the range that had more room.

[Lavira]

"Tulaj, come on, get off him. You're going to tear the nice mans shirt."

This was said as Vira tried not to laugh at the Avora's strained features, the woman waving a hand at the bothersome raptor. "Go wait in the aeries, I'll bring you a treat after I'm done at the nests. Go on, now." The horribly frustrating bird screeched once at her, turned its owlish head on Kovac and took a swipe at his ear as if in punishment for being denied a permanent perch. The bird was absolutely psycho. Why Lavira ever kept it in the first place was a right mystery.

But the swipe was brief and Tulaj was launching himself away once again, sweeping out into the open to fly back to the general aeries where the other birds often roosted when not with their handlers.

"Sorry, he's...Tulaj." She said apologetically then motioned for him to lead the way.

[Kovac]

The girl was right, her harrier was ill-tempered, if not downright surly. Kovac tried not to flinch as the bird perched on his shoulder,even as it screeched, but when the raptor tried to nip at him in protest of its banishment, the half-breed skitted and shrugged with an 'agh', dancing awkwardly and flailing his arms as the bird's wings beat the air and it lifted up and towards Wind Reach proper.

Lavira apologized, and Kovac realized how silly he must have appeared. Shrugging, his stalwart attempt to remain serious broke out into a fractured, self-effacing laugh. Regaining his composure, the archer lead the girl to a clear shooting lane, with empty lanes on either side, for the safety of others.

"Alright now. First, I want you to take a shot, so I can see your stance." Kovac handed her his short bow, and recurve composite, and a practice arrow. "Lets see what you remember."

The Avora stepped back and folded his arms over his chest, but only after peeking under his vest to look at the small red marks where the harrier's talons had dug in.

[Lavira]

The young woman took the bow and gave it a study. Her fingers moved along the string, feeling the tension of it and trying to see if she could recognize the material. But her bowmanship was not that astute. She was able to recall the general information about the type of bow, though.

Recurved were meant for better delivery of the arrow, allowing a more effecient use of energy when the string was released. Vira ran her fingers along the grip, admiring the smooth blend of wood that made it a composite.

Vira took the practice arrow now nocked it, her head tilting downwards so that dead eye was aimed up and got her feet in alignment via open stance. Both feet were shoulder-width apart and pointed perpendicular to the target. She then brought the bow up, not drawing the string yet as she took aim at the target across the way. It was hard for her to gauge the distance, though, her head tilting this way and that in an effort to find the alignment she needed for a good shot. The Chiet remembered her lessons well enough, but her own self-doubt and visual imparity made making a true shot, well, true.

She found as good an angle as she could and drew a breath at the same time she drew the string. The arrow rested comfortably where it should and the rear most point of the arrow did not quite touch her cheek as she kept the bow steady, her breath held.

She tried to steady her heart to break the tiny tremor she felt in her fingers, but felt a shadow cross her sight and loosed the shot prematurely. The practice arrow hit the stone wall a good three feet over the target, a little nick in the stone where the shot struck left. The bow was lowered.

Two targets over, on the right, Vira glanced to the archer that was snickering. A young man, a few years older than herself she guessed. Cocky fellow, to be sure. The Chiet looked over her shoulder at Kovac then, lips tight. "They'll all be laughing before long, sir...I told you, I can't see the target well. This is a bad idea."

[Kovac]

Kovac watched the young woman examine his bow, her fingers testing the tautness of the string. It was a well made bow, one in the finest in Wind Reach, the Avora would claim. He sensed Lavira's hesitation, but nodded to her, encouraging her to approach the firing line. With arms crossed over his chest, Kovac watched as she lined up. The girl started out well, remembering to place her feet shoulder width apart and perpendicular to the line. There was an awkwardness to her preparation, as the archer noted how the girl compensated for the blind eye. That would be her greatest obstacle, especially if it were her dominant eye.

The bow was lifted, but not drawn. Kovac's lips parted to comment, that drawing on the rise was the preferred way, but he silenced his criticism, allowing Lavira to continue. The mongrel could see the girl gauging how to aim her arrow, to get a feel for how she would line up the target. Lavira drew back the string, and Kovac overlook the small details, her grip, shoulder placement and such. The first trick for the Inartan would to hit the target at all.

Kovac saw her small fingers twitch, new by her sudden shift that the arrow was loosed before she intended, the missile sailing high and hitting the wall behind the target. The hunter too heard the derisive laughter, and the whithering gaze he shot the snotty Inartan shut the man up. Kovac put up his hand to silence Lavira too.

"first of all...I am Kovac, not sir. Second, ad for those laughing fools, if I jammed my thumb in any of their eyes, they would do no better, and not look half as pretty doing it. And i am tempted to try." His gaze shot at the jokester before he stepped closer, next to Lavira at the line. "You just lost your focus. Try again. What we are trying to do is baseline your sighting, aim where your eye sees the center of the target. We will work from there to determine how to compensate for any offset in vision, understand? Try again. "