[Bronze Woods] Hunters Etiquette [Wade]

[Kalimalka]

Summer 15th Year 513 11th Bell Hunting in the tundra is vastly different than hunting in the green belt. Why? Because of debris. Not the human debris, not disaster debris, this is the natural, sticks-n-stones debris that sits everywhere to rot and nurture other vegetation. So that other vegetation in turn may make debris of their own. Its an endless cycle of debris. Its the debris singularity. And every creature natural to this environment has been engineered to deal with this cluttered madness; they can either climb it, burrow under it or leap over it. Kalimalka was made for endurance, where she couldn't beat a deer in a race, but has the stamina to run it down over a long distance. And there is no distance here that is not blocked by rock, tree or bush. Thankfully, she's found a creature that (like her) barrels through the debris rather than over. A pearly mist of saliva lifts from the Kelvic bitch's mouth with each laboured pant as she silently gapes her jaw behind the heel of her prey. The wild sow she is perusing is much less dignified in its chase, and squeals with a paralyzing sound. The pig is half her size but horribly resilient. Its flank and back carry multiple weeping bites, but it just wont stay down. The Kelvic has to admire its drive, even as she works to kill it. The pad of her footfalls pick up its rhythm as she gives herself the impossible task of matching her heartbeat, preparing herself for another leap. This is her last opportunity. If this fails she will have to give up the chase. And with this is mind she throws herself forward, jaws snapping down over the back of the sows bristly hide. The squeal raises another impossible notch and both animals roll forward with the cancelled momentum. Kali uses her size to wrestle herself on top and pull the sow back towards herself, rolling it onto its back and weathering the kicking hooves, before throwing itself over the underside of its neck. The sow throws her heavy head and bunches her thick neck reflexively, and the Kelvic is forced to dig for that life-pumping artery. But when the pig's squeal is cut down to a wheezing scream, she knows that while she might not have its jugular, she has found where to crush it. She waits out the minutes slowly, in no hurry now that she has the safe kill. And when the last of the muscles twitch and loosen she knows its dead. The Zypherian lets go of the sows heavy neck and gives a very human-like gasp of weariness. Why do these strange creatures run so fast. And why the void does it have to be so hot! The Kelvic has enough sense to drag the dead sow by the heel into the shade of an overhanging poplar tree before she collapses beside it with a dramatic groan. If this keeps up I'm going to starve, she thinks dryly. Despite that rather vicious endgame, very little blood has found its way down her white chest. Apparently these creatures keep their blood behind there unfeasible huge muscles. None the less, she needs a drink and a cleansing roll in the snow. But since only one is available right now, that would have to do. She shifts then, and the large, out-of-place dog is replaced with an equally misplaced woman. Her skin is almost painfully white with the summer sun catching on the thin sheen of sweat, and her hair is just as knotted as her fur. Raising her hands above her head, a series of rather alarming snaps and cracks ripple through her body, and it feels as if every bone is being realigned. Finally... Following the sounds of the brook bubbling behind the foliage, the Kelvic searches for her refreshment.

[Wade]

Wade crouched quietly on the large lower branch of the tree. His back was complaining to him, as were both of his arms, but he kept his bow up and an arrow ready to fly. Another was clenched in his teeth in case the first failed to do the job. His cloak, quiver of arrows, and axe were lying on the ground below him, abandoned so that he could draw and shoot without being hampered in the slightest.

He could not afford to let this deer get away, he told himself. He had begun the practice of not eating before heading out on his hunts in order to increase his focus and his desire to score a kill. He had set out well before dawn, and now the hunger pangs in his stomach were driving him, keeping his bow up and ready long after he would have let it droop any other time.

Infuriatingly, the deer, a doe, was grazing with contentment behind some protective undergrowth. The deer had but to move a few paces to the right, and into the open, and it would be dropped dead before it knew what happened. Wade clenched his teeth and furrowed his brow but kept his arrow in check, knowing that it would just get tangled up in the bushes lose all if its power. It would take a good, clear shot in a vital area to ensure that this deer went down.

Suddenly, the deer’s head shot up, ears perked and every muscle tense. Wade too, tensed, wondering if the wind had changed direction. He had luckily found this spot downwind from the deer, remembering all the times that his scent had tipped off the animals he pursued. There was no change in the wind, but a sound now reached Wade’s ears that put him on edge.

A high pitched squeal, that of a wild boar perhaps, smashed the quiet, tense silence of only a moment before. The deer skipped forward in surprise and then darted off, away from its would-be killer. Wade snarled and released his arrow anyway. It flew harmlessly short and disappeared into the bushes. The squealing died down, but the deer was long gone.

Wade realized that another hunter had been more successful than he. Truly, there was no etiquette for this sort of thing, but he felt as if the other hunter had ruined his kill. He threw down his bow before jumping down. He gathered all of his things, wrapping his cloak tight about him, and made for the source of the noise to investigate.

As Wade walked his steps started to become a little more hesitant. His anger was not deflating, but he reasoned that the hunter had not actually done anything wrong and any retribution Wade sought to deliver would not be deserved or, even, understood. His confidence returned as he decided that the hunter might need help carrying the large haul back to Syliras. The hunter would probably be generous in repaying him if it was truly a massive boar.

He found a spot on the ground that was apparently where the hunter had fallen upon its prey. There was a strange amount of blood on the ground and it looked as if the boar had struggled quite a bit before going down. A trail of blood and crushed undergrowth led out of the open and toward the trunk of a tree.

When Wade approached his chest fell somewhat. It was a nice catch, to be sure, but it was no legendary wild boar. The dead sow was much smaller than Wade had imagined and probably light enough to be carried home by one pair of hands. Wade looked around, trying to spot the one who had felled it, but could see no one. He approached and appraised the wounds on the sow and realized after a moment that they were bite and claw marks.

The sow had been slain by an animal!

The animal had apparently run away when it smelled Wade’s approach. It gave up its dinner in exchange for its life.

Wade smiled. It was a good trade in his opinion; he lost his deer and he gained this sow. He knelt beside the animal and considered the best way to drag it back to Syliras.

[Kalimalka]

It was the smell that tipped her off first. She pauses with her hands still submerged in the icy brook and takes a deep drag of air. There is a new sent under the smell of water and crushed vegetation, and it wasn't there a minute ago. Human, she concludes easily. And a hunter no less, for only they have the kind of ability to stay undetected by a canine nose. Humans are OK creatures, on the whole, and this doesn't bother her much. She hasn't exactly marked this territory as hers after all. Hands are plunged back into the water and brought cupped to her lips, and she sighs with pleasure. At least there is something here thats at least mildly cold. She takes another drag of air absently, checking on that hunter that is nearby, and is rather alarmed to realize that not only is he closer, the scent is stagnant. He hasn't moved on. Surely the human hasn't found that boar. And if they did, they must know better than to mess with an animals kill. A shiver finds its way up her neck as her mind balks at the thought of theft. That boar is hers. They know better than to take it. Now that she has worked herself up she has to check. The Kelvic grumbles lowly as she gets to her feet, and unconsiously steps around the foliage rather than stepping through it. If someone is there she doesn't want to be noticed. And when she rounds the last bush what she sees is exacly what she feared. A young human stooped over her kill. A switch flicks in her mind. This petty transgression is suddenly much, much more. How dare he. That belongs to her! She worked hard for it and it belongs to her. Her vision narrows and her mind fills with a miasma of anger and a strange twinge of desperation. As if her livelihood depends on this small carcass. Her breathing gets heavier and she slowly picks up a weighty old branch by her feet. And when she steps out into view, the branch is already raised over her shoulder. "That is MINE!" she barks, and the brach comes down with a crash. Either the boy heard her coming or he saw her step out, but he is well out of the way when the brach connects. It cracks against the tree at the hight his head would have been.

[Wade]

Wade took his cloak off and spread it out on the ground. His nose crinkled up; the sow’s neck and hindquarters were still covered in blood that might ruin his cloak. He removed his bow, quiver of arrows, and battleaxe and set them next to the cloak. He had just started pulling grass out of the ground to clean the big beast when he heard a loud rustling.

Hurriedly picking up his battleaxe in case of danger, Wade turned about. His eyes nearly popped out of his head when he saw woman white and snow, naked and wielding a branch was advancing on him and shouting. He continued to crouch, mesmerized for a moment, but had the presence of mind to jump backwards when she swung the branch in what would certainly have been a deadly blow! The branch hit the tree with a surprising amount of force and sent a couple of chips spraying onto him. The woman looked undaunted that he had better weapons, and some clothes on, and all she had was a branch.

Wade he held his battleaxe defensively before him, gripping it with both hands. He tried to wrap his mind around this situation but the blood pounding in his ears louder than a drum defied his gathering thoughts. He had encountered a few strange things in the wood but nothing quite as weird as this. He waved his battleaxe menacingly as he tried to force his mouth to form words but only managed to spit out a couple of syllables.

“What is.. wha… What?” Wade managed to sputter with a huge effort. He backed up a few paces when he noticed the woman seemed to be standing defensively over the pig. But a woman couldn’t have killed a sow that large or caused those obvious bite wounds with such a small jaw. It would have taken a pretty tough beast or at least some weapons to bring down such a muscled animal. What's more, she didn’t even appear to be scratched up at all. This made absolutely no sense.

[Kalimalka]

“What is.. Wha… What?” Kali is standing astride the boar and breathing like she just ran a mile. The disproportionate anger and desperation is clouding her vision like a blanket of paranoia draped over the world. The boy is obviously bewildered, but she doesn't see that. All she sees is the battle-axe he's waving at her. And she bristles at what she thinks is his clumsy display of dominance, rather than the poor guy trying to dissuade further attacks. Her shouting is choked off when she cant sustain the volume anymore and It boils into a snarl, pitched dangerously low, that opens her mouth and pushes her lips in a wicked parody of a smile straight to her gums. Kali tilts her head to making sure he can see her extra teeth shining wetly in the sun, as her own version of a threat. She doesn't lower the branch, or break eye contact, but with a deft movement she lifts her foot and scratches at the mossy ground by the boars belly, leaving long furrows in the dirt. The dog is marking her territory. And her little display of territory is awfully close to the boy's other possessions. But her arm is still high and taunt with tension, and it doesn't look like she will let him come closer without a fight. A vastly outmatched fight, with her going in clutching a piece of wood. But the Kelvic bitch still stands high and unnaturally stiff as she postures for him. "It belongs to me, human."

[Wade]

Wade’s face wrinkled in confusion for a moment as he considered her words, especially the last one. She curiously titled him a human, which instantly gave the impression that she was not one. She had curiously pawed at the ground, reminding him quite a bit of a dog he had once befriended for a period of time. She even made a noise at him that Wade could only assume was a growl! She still stood fiercely before him, naked skin blindingly bright white in the sunlight, not backing down at all from the sharp weapon in his hands.

He forced himself to breathe more slowly and let his heart die down somewhat so that he could think. It was difficult with the woman appearing to be so fragile but displaying quite the willingness to tear him in two. The answer lay just at the end of his fingertips, he felt, and he just needed to grasp it.

“A Kelvic?” He finally asked. It made sense. In fact, that answer was putting together all of the pieces in his mind. That explained why she was standing so territorially over the animal. She must have brought down this sow while she was in her other form, whatever it was, and for some reason put on her human skin. Finding a hunter about to take off with her catch must have set off her animal instincts.

Those realizations didn’t make Wade put down his weapon in the slightest though. He knew Kelvics were more than half animal and were driven quite a bit by instinct. He stopped waving his battleaxe about and assumed a defensive posture. He no longer wanted to threaten attack but instead dissuade any sudden assault from the woman herself.

This woman might attack him at the slightest sign of weakness just to protect her food. One should never come between an animal and their meal and Wade knew he had already made that misstep. His stomach growled at him, reminding him how strongly the desire to find food was influencing his own actions.

[Kalimalka]

She can almost see the gears whirling in his head as he tries to figure out why a naked woman with a stick is trying to kill him over a dead pig. And then it clicks and he asks, almost hesitantly, if she's Kelvic. Though the question could very well have been pointed to himself. Then his posture changes. The axe is still high but held closer to his body, his stance is more open and his breathing has decreased. He's not submitting, she can see that, but he's making it clear that he doesn't want what she has. And this gives the Kelvic bitch pause. The anger bubbles down with the realization that he's not coming after her or her things. She can hear his stomach rumble with hunger, and some tiny part of her mind that still sane kicks her with the situation at hand. What the frost is she doing? She's facing down a hungry boy, who's offence was touching the corpse of a fresh pig. Kali looks at the branch in her hands as if she just realizing its there, and with a huff she throws it into the underbrush. "I-I'm sorry. That was... Gods", she rubs her face with a fistful of her hair and growls in exasperation, though its not specified who it's intended for. "You should have known better than that! What were you thinking?" OOC : Sorry this post is so short. If the boss catches me I'm dead.

[Wade]

Wade watched as the woman seemed to break down for a moment in response to his question. Her posture momentarily changed from a threatening animal on defense to that of a woman stricken with confusion. Then she resumed some of her anger, though a more relatable and human anger this time. Wade nearly fell back on his backside when she scolded him and it took him a moment to gather his thoughts once again and develop and answer for her.

Wade lowered his axe now that she had gotten rid of her tree branch, though he prudently did not belt it for fear that the woman might change her mind in an instant. Animals were known to do that occasionally. "I uh..." He paused and gulped for breath. The pale, naked woman was intimidating. "I thought I had scared off whatever brought it"-he gestured at the pig-"down." He paused again. "I didn't want to just leave it to waste," he added as an excuse.

He thought about just turning and walking away from the situation now that the woman had calmed down but his things were still lying next to the prized carcass. Both of those, unfortunately, were firmly behind the Kelvic. Wade frowned, wondering how he could retrieve them without drawing the woman's ire. If he just walked up without permission she might try to tear him limb from limb. Asking her, though, was also a daunting prospect at this point.

"Could I... get my things?" He asked hesitantly, gesturing towards his cloak, bow, and quiver of arrows with his battleaxe. "I promise to leave you alone with your sow if I can just get my gear."

OOCDon't worry about it! I appreciate you risking your livelihood to thread with lil 'ol me.

[Kalimalka]

"What? Oh, right." Kali steps aside to let him get his things, but still unconsciously stands close behind her sow. Old habits die hard. His excuse for approaching a fresh kill was flimsy at best. And she hopes he will be quick to realize that there are things bigger than him out here. Mind you, every animal here seems to be smaller than those in Taldera. Even their rabbits are half the size of the snow hares she is used to. On the other hand, there is just so many more of these strange, smaller and dirt-colored animals. She can hear them in the bushes, in the branches, in the crunch of dry leaves and and in the bubbling waters. They make no effort to hide their sounds like the tundra animals do, but that doesn't make them easier to catch. This kind of hunting is a new game she has never played before, and she doesn't now the rules or the players. The boy draws cautiously closer and makes to grab his possessions and leave the angry woman in peace. And she studies him as he kneels to pick up his things. He has no winter blood in him. He is a Tikita, though she would never use such an insulting term to his face. He must have been living here a long time to acquire his olive skin and hunting ability. So that means the boy would have some knowledge of this new environment. He must be comfortable pouncing on fast creatures in this cluttered landscape. Maybe he can help! "Wait!", she calls as he turns to walk away, "You know these woods, right? this is more of a statment than a question. "If you dont have a kill yet, let me come with you. Show me around these woods and how to hunt here and I will help you take down the next thing we find.""Ah, for you to keep", she clarifies, aware of the tension of their unfortunate meeting. "I'm a really large bitch Kelvic. I can be useful to you if you tell me how."

[Wade]

Wade had been very cautious in picking up his things. It was awkward to gather up his bow, quiver, and cloak without spilling arrows onto the ground while still holding his battleaxe in his right hand. His ears were perked at all times and he would snap a the slightest sound of the woman advancing on him. He managed to get all of his things in his left arm and he walked away from the Kelvic, letting out a long sigh of relief. Tension started to leave his body and he leaned his head back and forth to stretch out his neck.

Wade turned about as she spoke, considering her offer. He smiled as he considered the rather generous offer. He probably would not get another look as good as the one he had earlier even with the rest of the day and he did not trust luck to be on his side after spending weeks hunting in these woods. Kelvics were great hunters due to their animal instincts and their ability to sniff out prey.

He still had to consider if this wasn't some ruse to get his guard down. If so, then the consequences would be quite dire indeed. She had revealed that she was a large dog of some sort and in her animal form she would probably be able to overpower him if he didn't get his battleaxe in time.

But still, Wade believed that she probably wasn't planning some sort of treachery at this point. It wasn't really like she had ever tried to attack him at all. He had been the thief and she the victim only moments before.

"If you're not afraid of losing your sow there," Wade said, "I'd be glad to have you help me with a hunt. I've spent a lot of time in these woods these past few weeks and know my way about somewhat. If you would just follow me, we might be able to track a deer-a doe, and find out where she's run off to." He belted his battleaxe and pulled his cloak about him, replacing the quiver on his back and gripping his bow as he prepared to resume his hunt, this time with quite the advantage over the doe.

He was excited to get another shot at her.