Closed Out In The Cold [Deer Hunt]

[Lullaby]

e

35th of Winter, 513 AV - around eighth bell

With the sun high in the sky, and the clouds only faint memories of the horizon, Gruv had high hopes for the hunt that was to set out today. He was careful not to look too closely at the snow, as the light dangerously reflected harshly off the pristine surface and was more than willing to hurt his eyes if he stared too long. "Hanna, do you think this is a good idea?" he asked his companion, turning to face the woman beside him. The pair had been selected to lead one of the two groups that had remained for the Frostfawn Deer Hunt, and both were highly respected as hunters within the Hold. Hopefully, knowledgeable enough to keep these young Vantha alive.

"Not really," Hanna responded after a pregnant pause, shrugging her broad shoulders as she adjusted the grip on a deadly looking spear. "We barely catch a Frostfawn with a group of twelve seasoned hunters, let alone two, a few novices, and these blundering Icewatch," she grumbled, gesturing to the group of guards that loitered close by. Each of the hunters that volunteered to lead a group, and then went through a selection process, didn't wish for a repetition of last year's Winter, and thus supported the decision to open the Hunts to the other Holds. Even so, it was difficult for them to overcome the engrained suspicion of these Hunts going awry, which some took as a symbol of dissonance and hardships on the horizon for Avanthal. "I only hope they do what they're supposed to," she added with a shake of her head.

"Well, now's the time we find out," Gruv noted, nodding towards the shambling teen that came their way. "Hmph, those must be our two." A Meville Brightshade, obviously not of Vantha blood, had to be the blond that sauntered with a careless air. Spirit Frostfawn, a vaguely familiar name, was the female that trod towards them, as the other three were called by Connie and Ryon beside them. "Meville Brightshade, and Spirit Frostfawn!" Gruv called out, for good measure.

Those two were not the only ones to join them, as three Icewatch broke off and ambled over, smiling warmly as they bowed their heads. Gruv and Hanna acknowledged them with a nod. Both beginning to go grey, they seemed almost elderly were it not for the sinewy structure and easy movement they still possessed. Hanna was taller than Gruv by a few inches, and seemed proud of it as she'd often glance over his head as she spoke to him as though to point it out. Gruv, a serious hunter, seemed unamused by Hanna's antics, but tolerated them with a paternal air he gave off, not just directed towards the fellow hunter, but the youth placed within his care as well.

"Morning to you, youngsters," Hanna said, extending her hand for Meville, then Spirit, to shake. "My name is Hanna, and this is Gruv, we'll be leading your group today. These Icewatch will accompany us for safety, since you're novice hunters."
"Prina, Cris, and Ryn," Prina listed off, gesturing to the two men at her side. Cris, standing a head taller than the other two, waved a hand with a grin. They all appeared around forty years old, though the comfortable way they held their weapons made it apparent they knew what they were doing.
"Alright, to start off then, since we already know your names - you must be Brightshade," she said, looking to Meville, "As I know you are Spirit," she continued, placing a hand lightly on the young woman's head, "Do you have any experience with any type of weapon?"

[Spirit Frostfawn]

Spirit was practically bouncing as she came towards the group of hunters and Icewatch. Kaden had opted out of joining her, for some odd reason. She was disappointed, but didn’t complain. Instead, she’d brought Orange and Apple along for a mini training session. The latter was expected to know what he was doing, however. They looked quite the pair, father and son, both with conspicuous bright red coats. She wondered if that was a problem…

As she was greeted, with the dogs trailing behind her, she smiled at the slightly familiar Frostfawn hunter. Maroah had pointed him out once or twice, though she never remembered the man’s name. Her companion was apparently called ‘Meville Brightshade’, and obviously not a Vantha: the name and hair said that easily enough. However, after some handshakes and other customary greetings, she figured out everyone else’s names… they had three Icewatch guards (which of them was a bear?) and two hunters, the one who had called names Gruv – that sounded familiar – and the other Hanna.

She replied with a quiet “Hello” and a slight duck of her head, though the barely contained grin on her face was quite obvious. She’d only ever been hunting once -that traumatic experience with Kaden- but other than that she was quite inexperienced. Maroah occasionally tried to drag her into it, but she put up the excuse that she healed animals, rather than hurting him. That usually brought around a scoff and a falsely grumpy cousin for the next few chimes.

“Err, weapons?” she muttered as the question came around, looking quite sheepish. She wasn’t going to give the excuse ‘I can hit things with a stick’, as it sounded quite silly with the present company. She wished her bonded was there, so she could just point at the Kelvic. His claws were enough for her. “No… not really. I have dogs though, they can help… I guess.” She hoped they didn’t scold her on her lack of ability… in hindsight, it was kind of stupid, but what could she have done? Taken intensive weapons training over the past season? She sighed and let it go, reminding herself that there was little she could do to fix it now.

x
x

[Meville Brightshade]

Meville responded with a slight dazed grin at the call of his name followed by that of a Frostfawn. He ambled over, a slight distance behind the young woman "Spirit", and proceeded to shake hands and exchange the customary pleasantries, offering grins and nods when appropriate. None of the company was at all familiar to him, which certainly served to prove the slightest bit surprising as he'd had plenty an encounter with many of the Icewatch. It was for the best though, starting out on a frosty foray into the wilderness with people he hadn't yet shown his more mischievous side to. Which, in this instance, would probably continue as he preferred to remove himself from the chaos he caused, rather than face the consequences of it. He'd already learned the tundra was not something to take lightly.

At the female huntress's singling out, Meville nodded the affirmative. Both he and everyone else was very well aware he was the one called "Brightshade" as his features were the only non-Vantha, but he offered no complaint. It wasn't as if the woman, Hanna, was being patronizing. She seemed familiar with the other Frostfawn which warranted a raised eyebrow and half grin from the blue-eyed blonde as he winked at Spirit.

The next question, weapons, was met with a slight shrug from Meville. "I can hitting things with a stick." In truth, he could do a bit more than that with his projected appendages, but within the context of the hunt, Meville was next to useless. In fact, he was useless. His whole reason for having joined the hunt was, more or less, to participate as an observer rather than a participant. He was inclined towards impotence, which made the whole aspect of hunting not only distasteful but also rather out of his set of abilities. Still, it was never too late to try, though he didn't plan on setting his heart on becoming an honorary Frostfawn.

At the mention of the dogs being used as living, breathing weapons, Meville glowered down at them, inching back slightly. It wasn't that feared the beasts so much as he didn't trust them. If Spirit thought they might be useful offensively, however uncertain she sounded, Meville didn't want to risk anything. Animals had never been his preferred companion, and the two dogs before him now didn't change his opinion in the slightest. Thoughtfully chewing on his lower lip, he offered an apologetic frown to both Spirit and Hanna. He really didn't have any other talent for weapons. For all he was worth, he'd stab himself by accident before cutting what he was aiming for.

Common | Vani

[Ablation]

Hanna glanced at Gruv donning a thin lipped frown. These kids were worse than either of them had thought. "When we asked for volunteers we were looking for those with hunting experience..." Gruv lectured gruffly, "Though your dogs might be helpful."

As Hanna gave the gesture for everyone to pack up and move out toward the Icewall Gates Gruv brought up the rear with the two children. "You two will be in charge of feeding, cooking, setting up, and breaking camp while we hunt. Hopefully that is within your realm of experience?" It wasn't really a question to be answered. If they didn't know they would have to learn fast.

The Storm had ended five days ago and left a litter of fresh snow over the ground. The temperature hadn't fluctuated recently so their footsteps plunged deep into the snow. The Icewatch and Hunters had knee high boots keeping out the snow. Gruv grinned at the kids feet and handed them some knee high boots at the gate. "Put these on." He directed, "and take these." He handed each of them the lead to two caribou.

The caribou were heavily laden with camping and hunting gear. Their noses dribbled slightly in the cold and they gazed at each of them with quiet doe eyed eyes. The caribou were about as large as horses but much bulkier, their bodies were covered in dense white hair tipped with browns and red along their backs.

They had long eyelashes and massive ears the flicked curiously. Reaching out to sniff Spirit one of them tilted its head nibbling on her shirt, its warmth breath falling across her face as it sniffed her nose. Extending its long rubbery tongue it ran it from chin to forehead before retreating unamused. While Meville reacted, distracted by the sight the small male at his elbow reached out and gently bit his back curiously snuffling his shirt.

The rest of the group had begun to depart from the Wall, Gruv having returned to the head of the pack with Hanna. "Silly Hunters aye? All closed off and by themselves. As if no one else could go and kill a bunch of critters." One of the Icewatch leaned back and whispered at them, eyes twinkling jovially.

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[Spirit Frostfawn]

Outside of Avanthal Winter 35th, 513 AV Spirit looked a little sheepish as Gruv complained about their lack of skill. She hadn't done much, that was true... though she'd been hoping she'd get something out of this learning experience. The only other time had been with Kaden on their first day, and that hadn't been much. Still, the comment about her dogs made her brighten a little. Apple had apparently had some previous training, while Orange... hopefully some instincts would kick in. She was mostly confident about their list of jobs, except possibly the cooking. She could set up tents, feed animals, start fires... and how hard was cooking? You put something over a fire and took it off before it burned... right? Making anything fancy was hard, but this she could do well enough. She nodded in response, glad that she would be helpful in this expedition, rather than sitting by as an observer. It would be a good experience, and hopefully she'd learn a few things along the way. The boots passed over looked much more robust than her own, reaching the knee to protect against the deep snow. She was used to the mostly-shoveled walkways inside the city, and rode when she left. Because of this, her own were much shorter, and had her thick pants tucked inside to protect against only stray puffs, not this deep stuff. She took that and the handed lead as well, then stared at both in confusion for a moment. How was she supposed to do both at the same time? Apple sat before her looking a bit curious, and the Frostfawn came up with an idea. She passed the lead to the dog, letting him grip it in his mouth, and leaned on the pack animal. She grinned to herself as her own nibbled on her shirt a bit and sniffed around, earning itself a rub on the nose. "You're so sweet," she whispered to the caribou, blowing into it's nose so it could better get her scent. The horses and caribou in the stables liked it. Spirit carefully balanced on the caribou's side, leaning on it while she pulled off her own boot and eased on the other, wobbling a little as she did so. She didn't want to fall, and get her wool sock wet... that would be no fun, and lead to cold feet. Still, the new boot was a pain to shove on, as it was cold and the leather smaller and tighter because of it. Normally it would be a nice fit, but right now... it squeezed. The process was repeated with the other foot, the caribou calmly and kindly standing still to allow her to balance on something. When that was done, she found a convenient nook to stash her boots on the creature's backs, giving it a hearty pat. She then took the lead from her dog with a gracious nod, and went to follow the others at a faster pace, with the caribou trotting behind.

[Ablation]

OOCSo we haven't seen a post from Meville in a bit so going to skip his turn. I will post once a week (or earlier if you both post) from now on. If you haven't posted in that time we will continue on anyway Don't want this quest reaching that far into the new season ;p Gotta be able to get your rewards so you can use them right.

Spirit moved about the caribou with confidence, and her knowledge and ease about the lead had the caribou following her willingly. The Iceguards nodded and chuckled at the young Vantha as she trotted out, following the guards. She was certainly the youngest one of the group and several uneasy glances were exchanged among the guards and hunters.

The other hunting party had already lead aboard sleds. They would be going much further afield than their party, south toward the herds of caribou. Their group turned north heading toward the icy glacial peaks invisible in the distance. The waste mammoths spent the majority of their time near or in the mountains, but during the winter when their world warmed and the paths among the mountains became more dangerous they descended into the plains. This was what the hunters were hunting.

Settling into a long line, the hunters took the lead followed by the Iceguard and brought up by Spirit and Meville in the rear. Several other had hold of other caribou less heavily laden than Meville and Spirits to carry their hunt back to Avanthal. The first person carved the back through the deep snow, the path slowly packed down by the many treading feet making it easy on the more heavily laden animals in the back who would otherwise struggle to make their way through the heavy snow. This was explained to Spirit and Meville by the same joking guard from the gates.

"Jeremy." He introduced, extending a hand backwards to shake hers and nodding at Meville who was out of reach. "Make sure you guys hang out with us when we set up camp. I don't know what you know about hunters but they're a little permanently frostbitten." He laughed as the hunters broke into song, as if that proved what he'd said.

Marching through the monochromatic setting it was easy to feel lost and tired with nothing interesting to entertain ones mind. Rarely changing, it was easy to feel as if one wasn't making any headway. This was a serious psychological aspect of travel in the Tundra. For this reason, and the ease of food they stuck along the cliffs and beaches near the ocean, leading them north. It would keep them on a straight line until they were in the woollies realm.

The hunters chant was heavy with references unfamiliar to Spirit and Meville but the tempo created an easy pace for their march and soon even the Iceguards had joined in by slapping their legs to the rhythm. Even the Vanthan hunters were musical or artistic, a quality that was surprisingly useful in the tundra. Many strangers ventured into Avanthal, easily dismissing everything artistic, ignorant of their importance.

A silvery smudge of woollies moved along in the horizon but the hunters continued their march unperturbed. Wild woollies were hunted on occasion, but so easily farmed within the realms of Avanthal most felt no need to spend effort on their gamier wild relatives.

The group remained in a tight line along the ocean side but easy jesting and conversation erupted between them. Gentle mocking and teasing being exchanged between the hunters and Iceguards.

"Look look!" The man before them gestured out at the ocean where two Gizzins had fled from their perch at the smell of dog. They were as tall as many of them men in the group and were several meters out into the ocean before being forced to swim. Glancing over their shoulders one anxiously called to the other, a short giggle emanating from its throat.

The sound sent the hunters into a fit of laughter, "Well that's one I haven't heard before!" One of them replied after gathering control of his wits only to fall into a tumble of laughter again as the other Gizzin barked at them making Spirits dogs perk up with curiosity.




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[Spirit Frostfawn]

The Wastes Winter 35th, 513 AV Spirit had already begun getting into the mood of things, leading her caribou – who was really quite sweet – through the snow. It was explained by a friendly Icewatch that, because the pack animals had such a heavy burden, they would walk near the end, where a beaten snow path had already developed. She was thankful for that, as though she had the new high boots, walking through any deep snow was always tiring. The man introduced himself as Jeremy, commenting on the coldness of the hunter. Ironically, said group broke into song soon after. It was a familiar song, one she recognized from… her cousin? Probably. He wasn’t a prickly hunter, as Jeremy described them, and his little group were actually quite pleasant… though it may have been because of their relation. He certainly hadn’t been very friendly with Kaden, after those scratches… It still made her giggle to think about it. She joined in on the singing as soon as she remembered the lyrics, starting quietly to herself, but growing in volume. She knew that any kind of mental entertainment like this –be it song, or conversation, or game- was incredibly useful on a hike or journey. She’d been on a few short hikes herself, when she was younger. Though… it had probably been shorter than it seemed, and her pack quite lighter as well. She’d been really small, in retrospect… though Wind had accompanied as a bouncing puppy. There were few sights to entertain her eyes, other than the hard-packed ground, but on the skyline a group of Woolies could be seen, tiny from the distance. Another, closer, creature caught the train’s attention, however. A pair of tall birds –Gizzins- flapped further away, probably because of their noise. A few people quietened, leaving the next sound to be heard easily. A giggle. Gizzins giggled? Well, they made many odd sounds. Most of the collection burst into laughter, and Spirit copied the bird’s noise in her own way. Another sound came as well… once again utterly familiar. A bark! Apple and Orange pricked up their ears at the sound, staring at the birds with alert attention. Dogs barked, but these things weren’t prey. In fact, the Frostfawn could probably guess that they were wondering why prey animals were talking predator speech. The younger of the dogs whined and looked at her imploringly, almost asking to chase the silly creatures. Spirit simply shook her head and smiled, knowing it wouldn’t be a very good idea. Why run of the entertainment? And if the hunters wanted something more than laughs from the Gizzins, she wasn’t going to interfere.

[Ablation]

Both the Gizzins threw back their heads copying the chortling laughter of the hunters. The rest of the day passed in good moods with plenty of singing and stomping. They had traveled many miles from Avanthal by the time they stopped at an outcrop of pine trees. Trees were rare in the flat lands of Avanthal so the hunters took advantage of the protected resting place.

The batch of trees were oddly circular, and as the group crept through the low bushes that protected the inside from the wind that could scoot under the high nettled pine trees everyone settled easily onto the nettles. With the heavy moisture and warmth of the isolated pine cave the nettles were half degraded creating a fluffy and warm bedding along the ground. The cavern of trees had appeared moderately large from the outside but once everyone had waddled in including the elk it was a more than cozy camp.

Smirking one of the hunters who hadn't yet introduced himself approached, "Ingenious isn't it? The hunters take caretakers with them to plant and care for these patches all across the tundra. They don't need them to spend the night out here, they're practically made of ice themselves, but it is certainly much cosier. We keep the elk in here to keep them calm, and stop their scent from drifting to the critters we DON'T want to see. Besides, they make it nice and toast." He chuckled, "I'm Shin." He offered.

"You can unpack the elk now, I'll set up the running line for them. Then you can start cooking and setting up the tents." Not waiting to answer any questions Shins classic Vantha face had turned away. Gathering rope from his bag he began tracing a line between two trees. The rest of the hunters and Icewatch had dropped their bags along the outskirts of the area leaving the middle empty.

Many ushered about, gathering twigs and half dead trees that hadn't managed to survive the weather. Others cleared the pine needles from the center while others stood about chuckling and laughing amongst each other. To these Vantha, who spent more time out on the tundra than in Avanthal, this was home.

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[Spirit Frostfawn]

The Wastes Winter 35th, 513 AV There was little else to catch the eye over the tundra, until the group arrived at their resting place for the night. It was an odd sight, to be sure… one almost never saw trees in the Wastes. It was an oddly circular group, but one of the hunters –who later introduced himself as Shin- explained it… They had these groves planted on purpose, just for overnight trips. That would be a savior to any who found them. Spirit’s eyebrows raised at the potential, impressed by the Vanthas’ ingenuity. ”Wow” she commented, staring at the ever growing trees. Her caribou followed placidly behind, apparently not minding the weight on its back. It also seemed to like the Veterinarian, as the snuffles from their introduction continued at periodic intervals. The first few times she’d felt a cold nose on the back of her neck, she’d squeaked… but now she was used to it. This time, she even reached an absent hand back to rub the caribou’s nose… before lowering it to pay more attention to Orange. The dogs were also loving the journey, bouncing here and there, chasing after rabbits. They weren’t very serious about it… she’d spotted Apple once, almost about to catch one desperately fleeing hare… then stopping at the last moment. He didn’t really want anything, it was apparent. Orange got close once, but even going as fast as she could… she couldn’t keep up with the quick turns required to chase one down. She also didn’t really understand the concept of stealth, like Apple did. They finally slipped into the cozy-looking collection of trees, any wind instantly blocked out. There was plenty of room for them all, including the caribou… who leaned over to snuffle at needles and lichen… even nibbling a little at the latter. She was quickly instructed to unpack the caribou, then… cook. The greatest challenge in all of this. They’d have plenty of supplies, but she knew some people carefully planned out each meal… was there something specific she was supposed to cook? Still, that could be put off for later. She carefully lifted the larger items from the caribou’s back, setting down a large and practical metal pot, two sets of snowshoes, a roll of something that looked like a tent, and the main packs themselves. Each thing was heavy, and she really pitied the caribou for carrying it all that way… though the creature looked as placid as ever. Knowing that there would be one other person to help, she glanced around for the non-Vantha –Melvile?- to see where he was, and if they could work together.

[Ablation]

OOCYou can feel free to progress the story as much as you like right now, or control any of the NPC's except the two leaders and Shin. Feel free to start trying to set up tents, maybe having them collapse on you and having everyone laugh. Or moving into the ring of hunters to get water boiling in that pot? Or asking someone if there is a planned eating schedule. If you take anything too far, or control someone in a way that doesn't make sense for their character (which you know nothing about yet) I will correct you. But no need to wait for me to spell everything out for you.

As Spirit looked around for the Syna haired boy he was brought over to the other side of the camp for what appeared to be other directions. As Shin approached the unpacked Caribou he tilted his head at the young woman. "You shouldn't expect any help in your duties, Meville will have his own to tend to. Besides," He winked conspiratorially, "you really wouldn't want to bruise such pretty skin doing mens duties would you?" Though genders were considered equal by the majority of Avanthal there were few, taught by elders or aging parents, that believed in older customs including gendered tasks.

Reaching out he took the critters lead in his weathered hands. "We string up all the caribou in three lines along the outskirts of the camp. That way they have enough space to range freely along the rope without tangling and its one extra critter between us and the wild beasts. One exit," He gestured to the one they had entered. "Is left open for quick escape." Arrogantly, Shin talked down to the young girl. Whether he was experienced, and simply enjoyed the power he held over newer members or inexperienced and looking for someone, anyone, whom he could hold power over wasn't clear.

The creature moved toward the man with the softest guidance. Always docile and stoically slow, even its blinking moved in a vastly different time frame than the humans. Left alone with the pack of supplies and little explanation Spirit was shot some sympathetic looks by many of the younger hunters. They had experienced the same thing months or weeks earlier and had been forced to use their own wits to solve what they didn't know.

This was done to impress upon them the importance of knowledge over skill, as well as for a good laugh. The newcomers always ended up being the butt of all the jokes on a hunting expedition.


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