Closed [Bronze Woods] Friendly Fire.

[Medhozic]

Time Stamp: 25th of Winter, 513AV. The trees were a good hiding spot - or they would be. The foliage had been stripped off by the winter cold, and the thin branches weakened to brittle ropes that could barely hold his weight. But he still persisted, since.. well, he was finding it very difficult to approach his hunt from the ground - one wrong step would spell the end of his chances, a crack of a twig and the doe would disappear into the forest, never to return. So, it was only logical to hide in the trees and wait for them to appear, with his short-bow drawn and the leather quiver slung over his right shoulder, empty back-pack over his left to collect whatever he could kill. Sometimes, the aching Ethaefal wished that he knew more about things like tracking so that he could follow the creatures wherever they went, rather than being forced to wait for them to come to him. Or that he was better in trapping.. that way he could just set the trap and spend the rest of his day in front of the moderately-warm fire. As it was, he ached. His back ached from the weight braced on it, from being hunched over in such an unnatural position for at least three bells and countless chimes.. his arms ached from holding the bow at the ready for so long, arrow between his fingers and notched to the bowstring but not pulled back. It was all stupid - he couldn't wait for the spring. When all the woodland creatures would be emerging from their little dens, to collect food. When there would be an abundance that he could harvest rather than having to traverse half of the entire wood just to find a scrawny little rabbit with its ribs showing and mud caking its fur, that seemed almost thankful that he was putting it out of its misery. It didn't make him feel better for killing it, and it didn't matter. Trying to stay in the same position for a few more chimes, he found the pain in his legs too much and eventually shifted position to hang them over the edge of the thick branch to work out the cramp that had engulfed his kneecaps and most of his thighs. "Petching.. petch.." The words were whispered, but even they seemed to echo around the near-empty woods, mocking him. Look how empty this place is. I'll never find anything. So, ever-so-slowly, he reattached the bow around his chest with the bowstring digging into his grass-stained shirt, before slidding down the tree.. and making a complete mess of it by losing his footing and landing with enough force to get thrown completely off his feet. Another mocking from the forest returned the dull 'thud' as he met frozen earth, and the short metal clanging of the Kopis sprawling from his pocket a few seconds later. He couldn't hold it back. "Petching daughter of Syna's petching petch!..." Why did nature have to be so annoying. Why did he have to spend all of his time toiling in it, he'd gone through more than enough than to be forced to deal with it all over again, he'd served his time in this prison of a mortal plane, amongst these idiotic mortals who couldn't see anything beyond their pathetic lives, some never even thinking for the lives they take only due to arguments over matters never important... his inner ranting went on and on and on.

[Sami]

It was low in the undergrowth that the red head was skulking about. Her form was low, her fingers ready on the short bow. With the arrow feathers in her grasp, the end notched and ready to pull back should something com along. She had to keep practicing, she had to get better. It was near vital for her to do so in this bleak, wintery landscape. By getting better she would become stronger, and by doing that she would grow to be self sufficient. She would not have to rely on adults and they would not have a reason to worry about her. In theory at least. Her lips gave a tremble as she blew the cold air away. It was cold, wet and miserable. But that was the way it should be in winter, the seasons and the year demanded it so. Shoulders shrugged the cloak around her, the blazing red tied back in hope that it would stay out her eyes.

She had to grow, she had to change.

Gingerly she stepped out, focusing on keeping her form low and her steps light. The forest was still, silent, barely a breath within the winter landscape. No, there was nothing here. The animals had crawled away, retreating to safety underground whilst the humans dwelled the land above. Besides there did not appear to be anything remotely edible at present. There was a low clink of the short sword in its sheath as she lurked, her toes carefully lifting, her fingers twitching upon the notch of the arrow. Even the ends of the cloak dragged on the ground with how low she was moving, the worn wool occasionally snagging up on the branches and twigs.

There was a gentle sweep as she moved, deeper this time the copper trees of the bronze woods greeting her. Or silently guarding - she had yet to decide with these strange watching trees. She muttered a curse in Nari when her foot found a twig, the echo spreading out between. The arrow point snapped upwards, her pulse quickening in that moment of clumsiness, eyes scanning and searching for movement. But there was none par the unending silence. Perhaps coming out into the wilds was not the best idea after all, was the thought of hindsight.

And that thought was only confirmed when the mighty crash echoed through the trees. Giving a spin the Inarta wasted no time moving. Rather blindly she broke into a run, feet forced to hurry with her mad dash. Not that she got far in her hasty movement. She snagged up, her arms forced into wrapping over her as she gave a tumble. Scraping along the cold and dirty ground, she gave a roll earth and mud collecting itself on her cloak. Hands cupped around her head, her form creasing up into a ball - almost as if that would protect her. Not that it actually would.

Wetting her chapped lips she forced herself to uncurl, a steady clamber up to her feet as she heard the grunts and groans. She gave a look about, her eyes scanning the scene. It was with care that she took up her short bow and arrow once more, her eyes locking onto the broken and cursing form that laid beyond the dead fauna in silence. Or at least until she managed to break a whisper through the air, "Hello...?"

[Medhozic]

Of course, his attention snapped at the sudden break in the silence that had been left following his own fall. Either someone else was around and had heard him, or there was an animal nearby. Either the person was hostile and would potentially kill him the moment they found him, or they could be a simpleton who was innocently hunting for their own meal. An animal - well, it could either be a monster or a fresh kill in the making, and out of all four of those options, he knew that the best chance would be to do what he always did - slowly, cautiously sneak up and assess whatever it was, before either killing it or finding out whether they had an intention of killing him before moving on. After all, he didn't want to just leave a murderer free in the woods, they could come back and kill him after he'd moved on. It was the most logical way to go about these forests. There was always the possibility of a murderer, a Zith looking for fresh meat, a Symnestra looking for sport, or a Myrian looking for a fresh sacrifice, or a Nuit looking for a new body to inhabit. Anything could have been lurking in these forests, just on the outskirts of the Stormhold Castle - anything could have happened already, he was only thankful that the only creatures he'd met were Kelvic and Human, although some of the humans were a bit more savage and bone-headed than he would have liked to know. There were plenty of hazards unforeseen by so many that ventured, so many hunters that he'd come across before ignorant of the thin line they balanced between the hunter and the hunted. Still, he set off in search of the noise, and though he considered drawing his bow, eventually he thought better of it. After all, two hands free.. he would be able to slowly push his way through the thickets and other small underbrush that otherwise would have been shouldered through, making less noise on the way. Instead, crouched low, he set off towards the origin of the noise at a gentle pace. It turned out that he wasn't very far from the girl.. so the tremulous "Hello?" was quickly picked out once he nearly believed that he'd lost whatever it was that he had been attempting to track... and just beneath the undergrowth, at the bottom of a small embankment, a red-head girl sat like a lost child separated from her parents. She must have been running.. running from an animal, running from predators..? And fallen down the embankment in her haste, taking quite a tumble too by the looks of things. She didn't look particularly injured by the way she sat there, but then again, he needed to think about this rather odd situation - which may not have come about by mere chance. If she wasn't alone, there could be others waiting for someone to come to her aid, to spring out, like a trap to catch unsuspecting travelers or adventurers and steal their goods. Or she might simply be alone, looking to do the same. She had weapons, he could see them, all it would take would a step too close and it could go straight through his eye.. and then he'd be the one injured, lying in the middle of the forest and crying out for help. After debilitation, he stayed where he was underneath a small tangle of underbrush and thin branches woven together intricately, watching her through the small gaps like a peep-hole. If she got up, he'd follow her and find her intentions.. if she didn't get up, he'd find out if she was hurt, if he could help her.. and if she was intent on killing him and stealing what possessions he had. Most likely the latter first, since he could see a bow and arrow in her hands, and he didn't know if he could trust that she wasn't as adept in its usage as he was.