Flashback Auburn [Synntina]

[Viridae Kabre]

13th Fall, 511 AV

The wilderness surrounding Kalinor was lit with the busy buzzing of early fall, as animals prepared for the long winter season. The trees were fluttering colors of fire against a pale blue sky, spitting the embers of leaves fluttering in the wind.

Viridae and Synntina walked lightly with hunter's feet through the thin blanket of dried leaves coating the forest floor. This day, they headed to a river, where bears fished in abundance. Indeed it was a dangerous endeavor for two young hunters to attempt on their lonesome, but it was an opportunity for fine pelts and hearty meat, which would feed the pair both in their mouths and in their coin purse.

The pair of them had not been acquainted long before the hunt. They met where most of their trade do, at the Sickle and Arrow. Viridae had seen Synntina around the place many times before, but never thought to speak to her. But this was a hunt he could not undertake alone. Before he had skipped it, but a bear pelt danced in his dreams, taunting and challenging him so slay one of the beasts for himself. So he decided to approach the ambitious hunter, and a few days later here they were.

Viridae inhaled the sweet scents of fermenting foliage, then looked to Synntina, tilting his head slightly. She was very pretty, with golden eyes and long silver hair, taller than many females, with pale skin, only slightly more tan than others of their kind, marking her as one who spends time on Kalea's surface. She also had a hardness to her, an air of intended silence so common on the hunt. Much like his own.

"Not far now," He said quietly, just loud enough for her to hear. "Another bell at the most, but we're almost there."

[Synntina Novul]

Viridae Kabre. A man known for his ambition on the hunt. She had heard stories from others on how he loved to track the animals of a large variety. She had never done so herself, but Synntina would not pass down an opportunity to try.

Her feet stepped lightly across the leaves that lay on the forest floor. They were of many different hues of orange, yellow and red. It was fall now, and a soft and slightly chilly breeze flew past her, moving the strands of hair that were not caught up into a bun, around her face and neck. Viridae had spoken of wanting to hunt a bear, and soon after approached her in the Sickle and Arrow, asking her to join him in exchange for part of the profit.

She watched him move ahead of her, as quiet and stealthy as she was, if not more. Even though they were on the trail of a mighty hunter, Synntina felt strangely at ease. Although the Fall season was always struggle for her. It was in this season that her father fell to a humanoid attacker while out on a lone hunt. But she felt better now that she had company.

The man had mentioned something of heading to a river where the bears were known to stand in the rushing water and catch the fish that swam there. She had never seen a thing, not traveling far enough in the way they were now to ever experience it. She was excited, but it did not show. Her golden eyes were as always, exquisite and calm.

He spoke to her, his voice quiet and she realized now just how far they had come. They were in the territory of the bears now, and her relaxation came to an end. She nodded, the free strands of silver hair falling over her shoulders. She had no reason to speak back however, so she stayed silent. Her golden eyes searching around them for any sign of movement or oddity. But as of yet, nothing but the tall trees moved in the wind, moaning low as if they were speaking to each other.

[Viridae Kabre]

Viridae smiled at her silence, a fang poking at his thin lower lip. It was hard for him to not be swept away by the magic of fall, its intricate dance between death and beauty. The dying forest burst with life around them nd the scents of berries filled his nose. Not long now.

Instead of letting his mind drift with the Autumn breeze, Viridae decided to consider his partner for this hunt. She was....quiet. Very calm. Focused. She seemed like the kind of woman that knew exactly what she wanted. Reminded him a bit of himself, with the absence of bad sarcasm and grumpy demeanor. On second thought, they were not very similar. But she was good company, and very beautiful. Viridae was grateful for that. He looked at her again for a moment before smiling and slowing his pace.

"We're almost there," He said, drawing his bow as he listened for the sounds of the river. It was a quiet bubbling, hinting they were nearing a slow moving section, perfect for fishing.

"We need to find cover," He whispered, squinting to search ahead.

[Synntina Novul]

Synntina kept quiet even longer, listening to the rustle of the leaves being swept up by the wind, who's chilly air spoke of winter being not far along the way. She closed her eyes for a moment, breathing in the forest and everything it had to offer. Her eyes snapped open again as they continued. She noticed Viridae looking back at her every now and then, a smile on his face. She narrowed her eyes for only a few moments before giving an almost silent huff and returned her gaze to the forest.

After a bit more time passed, Viridae's mood seemed to change, he straightened up and slowed himself down. He turned to look at her to speak, drawing his bow. She reached behind her, running her fingers over the wooden weapon before bringing it over and off her back, holding it in her hand. She nodded to him, and when he fell silent she heard the gentle lapping of water hitting rocks.

His voice was quieter now when he spoke, saying something about finding cover. She let her golden eyes wonder ahead of them, searching the horizon for something that could hide two pale skinned hunters well. After a few moments silence, Synntina spoke, her voice smooth and soft,

"Ahead of us on the left. There are some large bushes. But if it is tree's to fancy, straight ahead has some that have sturdy branches near the top."

She paused, looking over at him with slight curiosity. Wondering if she would have been any help to his request.

[Viridae Kabre]

Viridae paused for a moment. "The tree. Safest place to hunt bear. That way incase we're up wind our scent will pass over their heads. Not that they'll mind much. Hard to spook them while they fish."

As they neared the tree to the north, Viridae shouldered his bow once again and sprawled his fingers over the trunk of the tree. he stood there a moment before peeking around its trunk at the gurgling river.

Several large brown bear wadded in the river, six at least in the immediate area, watching the water intently. He turned his attention back to the tree and sprawled his other hand a little higher on the trunk, pulling himself onto its surface and gripping with his bare feet. He climbed into a higher branch and glanced over his shoulder to ensure Synntina was following, before drawing his bow and an arrow from his hip quiver.

[Synntina Novul]

The pale skinned woman nodded at Viridaes words, although his judgement was fair, she had remembered her father telling her that bears could climb. So climbing a tree could be a mistake.. or not. Synntina felt comfort in high places, after practicing areial dancing for so long. The girl moved closer as they near the trees. The sound of the water was louder now, gone from a gentle trickle to more of a soft rush of sound. She crouched down, leaning onto one of her knees as she looked past the trees and out into the river where she could hear the grunting of bears. She had never seen a live bear, so the sight was rather breathtaking.
And terrifying.

Synntina stared at the bears as their large, imposing figures lumbered into the river. By how little the water fazed them, it was easy to see their power. For a second, the Symenestra faulterd. 'What am I doing here?' she asked herself before frowning and shaking her head softly. No, she would not chicken out. These were bears, yes, but she was a lithle, swift, and capable hunter. At least she thought this, as she began moving the words through her mind over and over.

The woman made her way to the tree that Viridae had climbed and put her bow over her shoulder again. She placed her hands on the trunk and began to pull herself upward. Trees were much easier to climb then rocks, but much harder to climb then silk. She continued to make her way up the tree, careful not to make noise by a falling branch or anything of the like. She made it up to Viridae's height not long after he did, sitting on a branch slightly below his own. She leaned into the trunk, crouching again as she stared down at the beasts who currently had no idea of their where abouts.

Synntina gave a small huff and spoke again, her voice barely over a whisper. Despite her underlying fear, her voice was as calm as ever,

"I can't believe you talked me into hunting a bear."

She reached behind her slowly and positioned the bow in her hand. She used her other hand and ran her fingers over the arrow feathers in her quiver before picking one out, almost as if it was a selective thought, rather then a random 'lets just go with this one' thought. She set it against her bow and string but waited on Viridae. She wasn't quite sure where to aim for when hunting a bear, or what she should really do at all after this. Big game wasn't her specialty.

[Viridae Kabre]

Viridae sat crouched with his back against the tree, arrow nocked, and scanned the game below. There three bears in the river, two on the bank closest to them, and one on the opposite bank. Shooting any one of them could agitate those not preoccupied by the fish in the river. To make matters worse, a pair of cubs scampered from the brush bellow and wrestled each other in a shallow river pool. The others would not notice a bear dying in the river, but the shot would have to kill the beast, and the body would have to be recovered quickly.

"Best game in Kalea," He whispered with a smirk as he relaxed the tight grip he was holding on his bow.

"We have a while to wait yet, there's far too much activity down there to recover a kill. I'd also like to figure out which is the mother of those cubs. wouldn't want to make orphans of them."

He fiddled around with his belt until he retrieved a bit of silk from his rope, which he began to separate into three separate sections to braid.

"Ever had bear killed during fish season?"

[Synntina Novul]

Synntina let the gentle wind of fall wash around her as she waited, relaxing only a slight bit into the tree as her flaxen eyes ran over the figures of each bear. She noticed then the cubs that were wrestling in the shallows near the shore. She frowned and looked over at Viridae for a moment before back at the cubs. She hoped that one of their arrows would not meet into the hide of their mother. It was one thing hunting for food, but it was a completely different situation when that food had young life to look after. Something that couldn't survive without it.

She let her golden eyes turn to Viridae as he began to speak a bit. She nodded gently, glad he felt the same way about the mother bear. She looked out at the river again, taking in the scenery and how beautiful it really was. The trees were turning all kinds of colors, but many still had yet to drop their leaves. She turned back to Viridae and pondered his question for a moment before shaking her head.

"No, I don't believe so."

The girl realized her answer wasn't a very good answer to strike up much of a conversation, but she was never good with talking to others. Often she found herself more then a bit too quiet. But she so often would rather listen then speak unless she felt the need to cut in. Which, despite her lack in social skills, she was not afraid to do.

[Viridae Kabre]

Viridae smirked as he turned to Synntina again.

"Tastes like fish. Its different in the berry season. But its heartier in the fish season, and more plentiful."

He finished braiding the silk and inspected it in his hand. Thin, a cord of black, one of white, and one of red. Silently he reached for Synntina's hand and pulled it towards himself gently, before tying it around her wrist.

"Something to remember the hunt by," He whispered with another smirk, before squinting at the river below. One of the bears that had been fishing was walking towards the bank, and the cubs scampered out to meet it- or her- Halfway. They stumbled into her legs and ran alongside her as the three of them continued to walk further down the bank until they were out of sight, most likely to find a different spot to fish.

"Well that's that," He whispered, readying his bow again. Only one on their bank, two in the river, one on the opposite bank. This was most likely the best opportunity they were going to get.

"Shall we take the one closest to us?" He whispered, his face stone still with concentration. If all went well, they could move the carcass before the other bears figured out there was a foreign presence in the area.

[Synntina Novul]

Syntinna nodded, listening to his explination in the taste of the large, burly creature. She looked out at the river, and down at the cubs playing. It was a shame really, to have to kill them. But the bigger the animal, the better her people could eat. And the better the hunters would be payed. She turned her head toward him when he reached out to grab her hand, she flinched back for only a moment before he tied the braided silk around her wrist. She looked down at it and redness appeared on her cheeks.

"Thank you. It's simple, but pretty."

She said, pulling her hand away and touching the silk with her fingers. She ran her fingers over the material gently and smiled again before looking over at the bears. The cubs rushed forward to meet their mother, and the trio began to lumber down the side of the river and out of sight. The girl nodded, moving the arrow in her hand back to the bow but waited to pull it back. Viridae's voice lowered as she watched him search through the bears before deciding on the one closest to them. The girl moved a few inches away from the trunk as to get a better view of the bear. Synntina nodded, and pulled the string back on her bow, holding the arrow steady. She would wait for him to let loose his arrow before she did hers, so she could see approximately on where she should be aiming.