[Wind Reach] Fish and Falcons [Kadin]

[Kovac]

Timestamp 28th of Summer, 510 Av Location: Lake Kanti Status: Closed, Tag Kadin The rock was slippery, almost slimy beneath Kovac's bare feet. He carefully stepped further out along the stone that projected almost to a point into the lake. A recent rain had soaked it, and the sun peaking through the shreds of clouds had yet to dry the surface. The archer, short bow in one hand and a curious arrow and coil of light line in the other, finally reached the edge of the smooth stone, barely a foot wide. Fate had seemed to toss a lot of people at Kovac this season, people who he did not expect, or rather, were not who he expected them to be. Enmass, the encounters had chipped away at his resolve to simply exist in a state of self-centered pity, frozen in a moment in which he could savor injustice. But his soul had been cracked open, just a bit. The archer had decided to try something new, securing some special arrowheads from the Arms Gallery. He was a hunter who now wanted to try hunting fish...with a bow. Looking down into the clear water, Kovac could see several fish meander by. This would do, he assured himself. Careful not to lose his balance, the Avora slipped a loop at one end of the line to his right wrist, letting the coil drop. The opposite end of the string was secured to the end of the arrow, just ahead of the fletching. The shaft was tipped with an iron point lined with barbs. Setting the fishing arrow to the bowstring, Kovac raise the bow and aimed it at the water. He waited until a suitable sized fish came near, lined it up and shot the arrow. It broke the surface of the water, missing the silvery fish, which darted away. Circular ripples expanded as Kovac drew in the line and fished the arrow from the lake. With a scowl, he shook the water from it and laid it to the bow again, seeking another target.

[Kadin]

The tunnels leading to the lakes of Mt.Skyinarta would always get smaller and smaller as they approached the crater, twisting and turning enough to have a tourist lost or very, very scared. To make things worse, there were very few torches lighting this area, so if Kadin didn't know what she was doing she would probably have bumped her head several times by now. Even though she was completely confident with her direction, the same could not be said for Zèke, her falcon, who was now nervously resting on her right forearm. Claws dug deep into the Sontav, he flapped his wings impatiently, and as soon as he saw light coming in through the passage, he flew ahead of Kadin and out into the open. She didn't mind, the bird was well trained and would know as soon as he saw the lakes that they were out on a fishing trip.

The temperatures rose quickly along with the humidity, a feeling that Kadin despised. She didn't like coming to the crater, but it was ideal to get fish for the community, which seemed to be lacking the past week. She assumed it was because the majority of people were more frisky on going to an especially hot place in the middle of summer.

Removing her sandals to avoid the risk of slipping (which was high), Kadin finally looked up to see Zèke already skinning the lake, scanning the waters for his prey. What she did not expect, though, was to see another person present. Almost directly across the lake from her, she recognized the half-blood, who she remembered growing up with but never speaking to. What concerned her though, was the fact that he had his bow at the ready, facing the lake. At this unlucky moment, Kadin saw the bow pointing roughly towards the falcon.

She didn't take the time to analyse the situation rationally. "What in the hell are you doing?!!!" Her rage echoed throughout the confines of the crater as she already started making her way around the lake to confront him. She wished she had a bow right now, so she could just shoot him down from where she stood. Zèke, surprised by the sudden cry from his master, screeched and flew up into the air, circling the crater in confusion.

[Kovac]

balancing on the thin, wet rock proved more challenging than Kovac had estimated. He moved only slightly and slowly as he held the fishing arrow ready, trying to find the right fish to target. As he lingered, the barbed tip wavered, leading to Kadin's impression that her falcon was in danger. The woman's harsh yell startled the archer, who looked up long enough to see a female form before his feet slipped out from under him and he was airborn for the length of a long breath. "Whoah"! was all that he could utter as Kovac landed in the water with an unceremonious splash. Still gripping the bow, sputtering and muttering, the Avora swam back to the lake's bank, clambering out onto the grass. The loop of the fishing line was still around his wrist, and he drew the arrow out of the water and shook the drops from it. Turning to look in the distance at the person he most certainly blamed for his plunge into the lake, he saw it was a woman, one that looked vaguely familiar. He had seen her around, had passed words with her at the First Thaw Festival. It was that falconer he had known as a child, the one who always had a feather in her hair. He shook his head, sending a spray of water in a circle around him. Droplets ran in rivulets down his bared chest, back and arms, his soaked bryda sticking to his legs. He glared back at Kadin and shouted. "What is wrong with you?"

[Kadin]

Watching Kovac fall into the lake so suddenly could have prompted a good laugh, but Kadin only saw it as a chance to get closer to him faster. She paid good attention to her footing, not wanting to share an embarrassing moment with the large fish swimming back to shore. Her fast pace didn't help making the walk around the lake feel longer than it ever could.

She was about 15 meters away from him when he got out of the water. She reminded herself of the knife she kept tucked in her bryda and quickly dismissed the thought; the situation couldn't get that out of hand. As she was finally thinking a little more rationally than a minute ago, the hunter's words provoked her once more.

"Clearly, I should be asking you that question, you crazy dunce! Pointing that wretched bow at--" She stopped short, finally realizing another oddity of the event. His arrow was attached to a string, winding about on the wet floor before reaching and tying around the man's wrist. Instead of adding sense to the whole ordeal, her feelings of fury were starting to mix up with confusion, leaving her at a loss for words for a moment, staring at Kovac completely dumbfounded. "Okay seriously, what are you doing."

[Kovac]

Kovac turned towards the woman storming up to him, water still dripping from his body. It was the falconer....Kadin was it? Well whatever her name, she was certainly upset about something, and her sharp retort took him back enough to stall his own anger at being startled into the lake. But he soon found his tongue. "Crazy dunce? Me? You were the one yelling at me like a mad woman across the lake! Did you see what you made me do?" The question she asked finally sunk in, and almost as an afterthought, Kovac looked down at the bow and arrow. "I am fishing, what does it look like?" He shook his head as if she should have known, and began to shake his legs in a curious sort of dance, attempting to get the fabric from clinging to his legs. Laying down the bow, he began to pull at the pant legs. "Ugh, I hate wearing wet clothes." He looked back up at the falconer. "Well, an apology would be a great way to continue this conversation."

[Kadin]

Zèke finally grew tired of his current flight path and dove back down to meet up with his master. Kadin absent-mindedly lifted up her right arm to let the bird land, her mind still fully concentrated on the matter at hand. The man was so confident in his words that she was the one in the wrong that it was hard not to believe him. After all, her emotions were getting the best of her, she knew she had to calm down. She stroked Zèke's feathers nervously, tried to keep silent, but it was hard not to retort on the fishing comment.

"Clearly you've never heard of a fishing rod, or maybe a raptor," she motioned towards her bird, trying to make make this obvious to him, "you'd probably be more comfortable using that bow in the fields, hunter." She'd never spoken so condescendingly to someone like this, and was starting to feel uncomfortable in her own skin. Even though she did want to make amends, Kovac's words seemed to always be more provocative than the last.

"I am not going to say sorry! you--" she stopped herself before she could say something stupid again. I'm being childish, gotta calm down, she repeated in her mind, taking a deep breath before allowing herself to speak again. "Okay, okay. If it makes you feel any better, I'm sorry," she forced the words out as though she'd surely regret it later. Eyeing the peculiar looking arrow again. Strangely enough, she recognized the metalwork and asked him, "So uh.. you're the weirdo who commissioned my father to make those arrowheads?" She wished she hadn't called him a weirdo, but that was how her dad had described him when ranting about another busy day at work.

[Kovac]

Kovac took a step back as the falcon flapped between them and lighted on Kadin's leather-clad forearm. It was a fine raptor, as far as the archer knew. He did not feel as strong of an affinity for birds as his full-blooded Inarta neighbors, but he had come to appreciate them as an integral part of Wind Reach. Kadin's tone was snippy, something obvious about him had irritated her. Which was no big surprise to Kovac, though he usually knew what he had done to annoy someone since it was usually intentional. But the falconer had preempted him with her sarcastic comments. He ignored her smart remarks but allowed a smarmy grin to light his face as she reluctantly and half-heartedly apologized. Seeing Kadin's eyes drop to the arrow in his hand, he scowled at being called a weirdo. The blacksmith seemed like a decent enough guy. His daughter, on the other hand, was rivaling his own ability to be offensive. "Yes, I had him make these. I think I am rather ingenious. Sometimes genius can appear weird to .....others." His sardonic grin widened, prodding the slight woman. "But I will not hold it against you that you could not see the difference." His gaze turned to the proud raptor in her arm. "And you need not fear for your falcon, I would never endanger one of Wind Reach's birds." Kovac cringed as he took a few steps in his soaked bryda. "Ugh, I hate wearing wet clothes." He muttered, darting a dour glance back at Kadin. He blamed Kadin for it, of course. A thought passed through his head and shot out his mouth before he could catch it. "Tell you what, lets have a contest. My weird arrow against your falcon to see who could get a fish first? If I win, you get me a new bryda. You win....well, you name it." What was he thinking! He had never actually caught a fish with the arrow. Falcons do it instinctively. He opened his mouth to backpedal, but it was too late. To retract it now would make him look cowardly and foolish.

[Kadin]

As predicted, The satisfaction on the hunter's face as she apologized made her want to throw him back into the lake and make sure he didn't resurface. Despite her murderous intentions, she had calmed down significantly and was determined to be the more mature of the two. She held her tongue as he went on about his own genius, only muttering inaudibly that he didn't look so clever falling into the lake a few minutes ago. Still, he claimed to respect the birds of Wind Reach, helping her feel a lot more comfortable that indeed the misunderstanding was hers.

Hearing him repeat his complaint about wet clothes, it became rather clear that he was blaming her for his fall. She opened her mouth to retort when he blurted out a challenge that she couldn't resist. Mature or not, a chance competition would never be turned down. She felt fired up again, but this time in excitement rather than anger.

" Challenge accepted, and I don't think the tailors will be commissioned for a bryda anytime soon," She paused, wondering what the hunter could possibly offer that would benefit her and have him sorely regret challenging her at the same time. She stroked the falcon's feathers soothingly, trusting that his primary instinct would topple the archer's skill. No doubt Kovac was a good marksman, but against a raptor and hunting fish no less, he wouldn't have room for mistakes.

Suddenly Kadin's eyes lit up with an idea, and she didn't hesitate further. " Alright, if I win, you're have to teach me how to use that genius weapon of yours. They say a person's skill is measured by how well he can teach it." Kadin had never had much interest in archery, but it was a dare that was surely way out of Kovac's comfort zone. Plus, it couldn't hurt to learn the basics of a skill her people prided themselves on. Who knows? She might actually like it.

" I suggest you get that cleverly crafted arrow ready to shoot," she said, jerking her sontav upwards. Zèke understood the message and allowed the movement to throw him up in the air and send him flying. He started circling the crater, eyes carefully scanning the lake below. Once the bird dove he surely wouldn't miss his target, so Kovac would only have one brief chance at winning. He could either shoot a fish within the next 15 seconds, find a ridiculously clever way to keep Zèke's victim from his talons, or simply lose. At least, that's how Kadin perceived the situation.

[Kovac]

Kovac shook more droplets from his bow and hoped the sudden regret at his ill-conceived challenge was not betrayed in his face. He had little to no chance of beating the raptor, unless he made a lucky shot, but he was not going to let this sassy woman see his abject lack of confidence. Kadin, on the other hand, could not seem to hide the excitement at the chance to humiliate him. "Alright.....agreed. But I am afraid you will end up having to pay me if you want lessons falconer!" He chuckled half-heartedly. his weak grin fading as she told him to get ready and launched the falcon into the air. Kovac watched it soar off above them for a moment, then scrambled to get back to the water. He eased himself back out onto the rock, but not as far as before, lest he suffer a second humiliating drenching. His eyes darted nervously to the bird circling overhead and then to the smug Avora watching. Turning to scan the water, Kovac searched desperately for a target. He caught a flash of silver in the clear water, a smallish but suitable fish, it was all he could find. He fumbled setting the arrow against the bow string, finally getting it nocked. Raising the bow, he drew back and followed the iron head until he sighted the reflective prey. Following it for a breath, he made a guess as to its path, lead it a bit and released the creaking bowstring. The arrow pierced the lake's surface with just a tiny splash. Kovac leaned over, trying to spot the fish though the ripples, pulled back on the line tied to the arrow, which felt no heavier than before. Immediately he knew he had missed. Shyke! He cursed as he hurriedly pulled the arrow back in and looked around to find the falcon.

[Kadin]

Seeing the arrow return empty disappointed Kadin almost as much as it did Kovac. Even though she obviously wasn't too keen on getting him a bryda, she always wanted to see something new work. Either way the bet was hardly fair. While Kovac depended greatly on his skill as an archer, Kadin's work was already done training the bird and all she had to do was watch, and trust that the falcon knew how to catch a fish. Zèke was taking a little longer than usual to find his prey. The activity from the archer was suggesting that most fish should steer clear if they valued their lives. Still, some just lacked the primary skill of flight and swam close to the surface, unaware of any possible predator.

One fish in particular was starting to make itself a clearer and clearer target, naively swimming around at the middle of the lake. This unlucky fellow caught Zèke's eye, who was now preparing to go in for the kill. If he's fast enough, he might still make it, Kadin thought, half worried about losing and half excited to see that arrow pierce through the animal. Zèke finally decided the fish was asking for it and dove down, his talons ready to clutch dinner.