Completed Into The Woods Again

[Faolan Lundgren]

Faolan Lundgren Take a walk in the forest. 70 Summer 514 AV Faolan had been hunting a few other times since his first trip, each trip he had been pleasantly surprised by Drifter showing up at his whistle. The ferry had been hard to catch each time but he had managed, hauling his gear out into the land surrounding the city as he was doing now. He had chosen different hunting areas each time, and this trip he had decided on an area that it seemed not many hunters frequented yet. Of course with the shortages in the city it would be discovered soon enough and its less trampled through appeal would quickly disappear. Calling Drifter he stood next to the saddle and examined the landscape around him. He had been able to figure out how to navigate the city in a way that kept him out of danger, but it was still too stressful to stay there for long. His hunting trips offered a break from the stress of the city and he looked forward to maybe moving on to a slightly friendlier place soon. He didn't know if that would happen though, he still needed to find someone to travel with and as there weren't many traveling merchants around he would have to find someone else to accompany on the road. As his horse trotted up to him and nudged him happily he smiled and pet his nose gently. It was odd, a wolf and a horse, he suddenly realized that they got along well despite that in nature they never would have. He saddled the horse and clambered onto his back, frowning as he got them pointed in the right direction and on their way. He still hated riding and avoided it whenever he could, he understood the basics and could get them where they needed to go but he was always paranoid that Drifter would get startled and bolt or throw him off, those situations he was not equipped to handle yet. He rode the horse until the light was beginning to fade from the sky. By the time he was worried about being able to see to set up the tent he was right where he wanted to be, in a quiet section of woods near a bubbling stream. Sliding out of the saddle he went right to work setting up his tent, needing the last of the light to get it and the tarp cover set up. As the last of the light drained from the surroundings trees he took Drifter's saddle off and moved it into the tent, tethering the horse to a nearby tree. He could see in the darkness, but it was a little uncomfortable as everything was black and white. It always took him a while to get used to the switch from color vision to night vision. Blinking a few times he huffed and tried to decide if he should try hunting in the dark or if he should ignore his growling stomach for the night. He had forgone buying rations on all of his trips, believing that it would help motivate him to hunt more efficiently. That and he was close enough to the city that if he got desperate he would just have to go back. He had come close to having to do that several times and then his luck would pick up and he would find plenty to eat and to take back to the city. Most of the time he had just been hunting in the wrong area and once he was roaming far enough he would stumble across where all the animals had moved to. Deciding to ignore his hunger he crawled into the tent, curled up and went to sleep. He would be up in a few hours anyway as he would get up just before the light would begin to lighten the forest. Snoring a little bit as he slept he slept better than he had since he had returned from his last trip, it was as though his sleep got worse the longer he stayed in the city and when he was out hunting he slept well enough to carry him through to his next trip. And smell the wild air.

[Faolan Lundgren]

Faolan Lundgren Take a walk in the forest. 71 Summer 514 AV Stretching from where he laid on his bedroll he yawned when he woke up just before dawn. He waited for a moment to make sure that nobody had come into his camp during the night before stripping off his clothes and shifting into his wolf form. He was hungry and as he stepped out of the tent he was in high spirits. On his way in he hadn't come across a lot of smells that were associated with other hunters so he hoped that he had beat the influx of hunters and would have better luck hunting here than in the other areas. Either that or he had just come in via a different way than the others, he would find out eventually or he wouldn't, it all depended on if he crossed paths with someone's scent or not. Trotting through the trees as the morning light began to weave it's way through the leaves he followed the fresh trail of a rabbit carefully. Sneaking up on the unsuspecting animal he pounced quickly, his mouth coming down around the fluffy neck and crunching down swiftly to kill it. He didn't let go until he was sure it was dead and then he had his breakfast before continuing on in search of something to actually take back to camp. All of his senses were engaged in tracking the different scents that criss-crossed over the forest floor before him. There were a few scents that while not human, were still a cause for concern. The scents of several predators were interwoven with the other scents and he tried to judge how old they were before deciding he should be safe enough for now. If there were other predators in the area that could indicate that the hunters had pushed the prey animals in this direction, after all they would follow their food source just as he had. Running across the scent of deer that was fresh he examined the trail to determine the direction they were headed in, looking at the way the foliage was bent in particular and noting any actual tracks. Trotting down the trail behind them his spirits were high as he caught up to them, pausing to examine the prospects. He still couldn't seem to catch the big, healthy ones, so he was looking for the old or the injured. Spotting an older doe that seemed to be moving a little stiffly among the others he decided she was going to be his target as she shouldn't be able to move as quick as the others. Darting off into the group the deer scattered swiftly and he was able to take down the elderly deer rather easily. The rabbit had satisfied him enough to keep him from tearing into his catch immediately and so he changed back to his human form and hauled the deer back to the camp. Once there he gathered up some wood and got his fire going. Retrieving his knife he set about working on removing the hide before cutting the useable meat up and setting it up to smoke. He did munch on some of the less desirable bits to keep his stomach satisfied for now. When the smoking was done he tucked the meat back into the hide, rolled it up, and buried it to keep other predators from stealing it. Taking Drifter down to the water he looked at the stream that flowed in a shallow bed of pebbles and washed himself up as Drifter took a long drink. He drank from his cupped hands as well before heading back to the camp. Today was off to a great start and he hoped that it would continue to be a good day for hunting. Tethering Drifter back to the tree he got rid of his pants and took back off in his wolf form, headed in a different direction to see what he could find in that area. It wasn't until dusk that he finally caught another rabbit which he carried to camp. By the time he came back his fire had burned down and he would need to gather more wood, but he also needed to catch something to eat or he would have to eat the rabbit. Huffing softly he walked back into the woods in search of something he could eat for dinner. Managing to catch a squirrel he munched on it before heading back to the camp. Changing back again he gathered some wood up before the light completely left the trees and rekindled his fire. Taking care of the rabbit he sat near the fire as darkness settled in through the trees. Watching the meat smoke he wondered when he would be able to arrange to leave Ravok, he was getting more and more restless by the day. If he could make his hunting trips more frequently he would, but with the ferry situation due to the monster in the lake that wasn't going to happen, not to mention it was just largely inconvenient. When the meat was done he wrapped it in the hide and buried it with the deer. He was proud of his first day hunting on this trip, he hoped it would set the tone for the rest of the trip. Putting out the fire he went to bed, sprawling out on the bedroll his eyes slid shut and he fell asleep easily. And smell the wild air.

[Faolan Lundgren]

Faolan Lundgren Take a walk in the forest. 72 Summer 514 AV After a good night's rest the hunter woke ready to get his day started, before the day had even actually started for many. Standing up in the crisp morning air he stretched before heading down to the water with Drifter. Getting a drink and looking over at the horse he smiled softly, hoping it would be another deer kill kind of day. He knew that the chances of that were slim, after all how many old or injured deer were still running around the forest? Surely other predators would have picked them off by now. Making his way back to camp he left Drifter at his tree and parted with his pants before assuming his wolf form and disappearing into the woods in search of breakfast. Finding a groundhog he managed to leap up and snatch it off the tree it was trying to climb up to escape him. He got a few scratches from its front claws before he snapped it's back and had himself some breakfast. It had been a while since he had seen such animals and he figured that they made easy catches for trappers so they were being killed at a high rate. Over the remainder of the day he managed to track down and kill a rabbit, another groundhog, a fox, and a weasel. Gathering more wood once all of his kills were back at camp he got a fire going and went to work on them. While the meat was smoking he went down to the river with Drifter and got cleaned up before heading back to camp to find a coyote investigating his fire, trying to figure out how to get to the meat without getting into the fire. Looping Drifter's tether to the closest tree he kicked off his pants, shifted, and stalked into camp with his hackles raised and teeth bared, a low growl rumbling in his chest. Just by nature's design he was bigger than the coyote already, with his hackles up he was that much larger. The coyote seemed to think about whether it was a good idea to challenge him or not as it turned to face him, he could see the scavenger weighing the possibilities. Now Faolan wasn't much of a fighter in any form and he didn't really want to fight the coyote, although he was sure that the pelt would make a decent amount of money regardless of how inept he was at skinning. Stalking forward he made it seem as though he was going to attack and as the coyote began backing away he charged forward with a loud snarl that had the coyote turning tail and running back into the trees. Stopping a few yards past the edge of the campsite he kept growling and showing his teeth as he kept an eye on the retreating coyote. Walking back to his fire he eyed the meat to make sure the coyote hadn't contaminated any of it before he trotted back to the rather skiddish looking horse. Changing back to his human form to help calm the animal he pulled his pants on and waited for Drifter to calm back down before approaching him. Back and camp he packed up his meat and buried it in a different spot just in case the coyote or some other scavenger decided to pay him another visit. As the sun set he put out the fire and flopped down on his bedroll, dozing off after a few minutes of listening carefully to the sound of the forest around him. He was sure that Drifter would alert him to a coyote coming into camp, but smaller scavengers were a different story. Sleeping lightly that night he woke at any noise that could be unwanted company, making for a rather long, restless, night. And smell the wild air.

[Faolan Lundgren]

Faolan Lundgren Take a walk in the forest. 73 Summer 514 AV Having not slept very well the previous night Faolan was in a rather sour mood when he woke up in the morning. He had stayed in the tent until the morning light had lit up the forest around him, not wanting to get up just yet as he was still rather tired. When he did finally emerge from the tent he frowned at the heat and sighed. Another reason he wanted to leave, it was so hot here compared to the other areas he had wandered through. He wondered if Ravok had irritated one of the gods or something to deserve a water monster and this terrible heat at the same time. Not one for religious musings however he put that out of his mind, whatever was going on with Ravok was not really his problem, he had other things to focus on. Taking Drifter down to the stream he splashed the cooling water over his face and neck to help chase away the irritation that had settled over him. It took some of the edge off and he drank of the clear water before leading his horse back to the camp. He sat down near the empty fire pit and allowed the water to dry before he decided to start his day. He trotted off into the trees looking for breakfast to fill his stomach before focusing on bringing in a catch. The day proved to be difficult but worth the struggle in the end. He managed to hunt down a rabbit and a squirrel for breakfast and with a full stomach took down a small deer as well. After he had made sure it was cleaned, smoked, and buried properly he went back out to try and find something else. Returning with another rabbit he did the same thing with it before burying it with the little deer. Deciding that he could spend the remaining few bells of light that the had left by the stream he picked up his fishing gear and went down to the stream with Drifter. He sat in the cool water at the bank with the line in the water, not really expecting to catch anything in such a small stream, just wanting to cool off and relax a little bit. He did catch a small fish that he ate for his dinner before he returned to camp with the horse and put out the fire as the light faded once again from the woods. While he wasn't bringing in big catches he was at least catching something to bring back. He wanted one more deer and a few more smaller animals before he returned to the city. In a way he hoped that tomorrow brought what he needed, but at the same time he hoped it would take a little longer so he would have more time out of the city and in the forest. Flopping down on his bedroll he closed his eyes and fell asleep almost instantly. And smell the wild air.

[Faolan Lundgren]

Faolan Lundgren Take a walk in the forest. 74 Summer 514 AV Making his way out of the tent before the sun rose this morning he stretched, rolling up onto the balls of his feet as he reached towards the sky with a groan. Feeling better after stretching out he took Drifter to the stream to start their day off with some fresh water. Splashing it over his face and running his wet hands back through his hair he smiled a little, feeling as though today would be a good day, even if he didn't catch anything. Amazing what a good night's sleep could do for a person's state of mind. Humming softly to himself on the way back to camp he placed Drifter's tether around a different tree to give him a new area to crop in. Tossing his pants into the tent he changed to his wolf form and made his way into the woods in search of breakfast. Catching a chipmunk and a groundhog he ate them happily enough before going in search of something he could take back to camp. It was midday before he came across a small group of deer in a clearing quite a ways from camp. He examined them carefully, keeping his distance so as not to alert them to his presence. As he was moving around to see them from a different angle he came across the strong, recent, scent of a cougar. Pausing, he turned his gaze to the trees, looking for any sign of the big feline. He didn't want to cross paths with the cat, knowing he would not be any match for it should they come face to face. He spotted the feline just across the clearing in one of the trees closest to the herd of deer. Sitting down he watched the scene unfold in front of him curiously. The cougar patiently waited for one of the unsuspecting deer to wander close enough so that it could drop down on it, claws sinking in to hold on to the deer's shoulders as its teeth sunk into the spine at the back of the neck. The rest of the deer had scattered into the trees as the feline took down its kill expertly. Getting up he moved away from the clearing, knowing that if he hung around the cougar would notice him and wouldn't like him hanging around its kill. Unlike the coyote there was no way Faolan could chase off the cougar without a fight. Splashing across the creek that he had set up on further down he wondered if he could track down the remnants of the deer herd he had just witnessed scatter. He doubted it, they were probably pretty far away by now. Making his way through the underbrush he found himself at the edge of a very large clearing filled with tall grass and flowers. He stood there wondering if he could effectively hunt in such an environment, he was used to hunting in the trees but he knew that if pressed for it he could run down something as long as it wasn't faster than he was. Deciding to give it a try he made his way into the tall grass, following his nose and ears. Following after the scent of prairie chickens he crept up on them as their sounds and scents got closer. He had run in to these kinds of birds before so he knew that he could use them, but he would need to be able to get more than one to make them worth the trip back to camp. When he jumped into the fray he didn't manage to get any of them, instead he watched them scatter into the grass or take off in short flight. Huffing lightly he made his way back into the trees, he could always adapt to hunting in the grass later on if he needed to. Back in the trees he plodded along in no particular direction. He came across a squirrel which he caught and ate for a snack before continuing on his way. Making his way back towards camp he decided it was time to call it quits for the day, by the time he got back to camp it would be dark so there was no point in stalking anything else today. The light had completely gone by the time he got back, just as he thought it would be, and he walked into camp on his bare human feet so as not to startle Drifter. He patted the horse's neck softly as he walked back and crawled into the tent. Pulling his pants on out of habit he got comfortable on his bed roll and listened to the sounds of nature around him. Even at night the forest spoke softly to him and he missed it when he was in the city. Letting the sounds soothe him to sleep his eyes slipped closed and he drifted off to sleep. And smell the wild air.

[Faolan Lundgren]

Faolan Lundgren Take a walk in the forest. 75 Summer 514 AV Faolan woke in the morning to step out of the tent and inhale the fresh morning air. It was warm, not nearly as hot as it would be later in the day but he knew that it was going to be hot again. Shaking his head as the ponderings of why Ravok was so hot again entered his head, he took Drifter to the water to get their day started with the refreshing water of the stream. He was a little surprised that the water of the stream was still relatively cool, or maybe it was just a few degrees cooler than the air and so it was just cool enough to be refreshing. After all it wasn't deep enough to have it's own coolness. After he drank from the stream and splashed it over his face and neck he led Drifter back to camp. He recalled his catch for this trip and figured he needed another deer and some more small animals before he could head back to the city. He hoped the he would be more fruitful than that but he had a feeling that wasn't going to happen, between the other predators and the encroaching hunters he knew the game in the area was retreating further and further away. Taking Drifter back to camp he tethered the horse to another different tree and shed his human form, making his way into the trees as the morning light trickled in through the leaves. The wolf walked quietly through the underbrush, his senses searching for any sign of prey or danger as he made his way through the trees. He came across a rabbit, which he managed to catch just as it dove into its burrow and he pulled it back out by its hind leg, listening to it scream in pain. Holding it down with his paws he released its leg and quickly tore its throat out so it would stop suffering. He ate the small creature before moving on with his search with a satisfied appetite. It was many bells before he came across a badger, which he knew better than to challenge as they were vicious little creatures. Avoiding the badger for fear of getting injured he searched well into the afternoon to no avail. He did find and catch a wild turkey just as the light was beginning to fade again. Eating it for dinner he huffed and returned to camp. Pulling his pants on he took Drifter down to the water where he cleaned them both up, spending the rest of the remaining light making them both a little less dirt encrusted. It helped to cool them both off, that was the only reason he did it otherwise he wouldn't have bothered, after all they were out in the wild, who cared if they were caked in dirt, it was part of hunting. Returning to camp he made sure the horse was secure before he crawled into the tent to go to sleep. As his eyes closed he dreamed of deer and elk roaming the forest ripe for the hunting. He didn't really want an elk though, they weighed far too much for him to be able to do anything substantial with them. If he was going to catch an elk it would have to be within feet of camp or he would waste whatever he couldn't carry back. Turning his dreams to more attainable and desirable prey he kept his dreams focused on those animals for the remainder of his sleep. And smell the wild air.

[Faolan Lundgren]

Faolan Lundgren Take a walk in the forest. 76 Summer 514 AV Emerging from the tent with images of deer and other prey animals running about his head Faolan lead Drifter down to the stream again to get them both hydrated for the warm day that was ahead of them. Once again he returned Drifter to camp and struck out into the woods in search of something to eat before he could actually hunt down something bigger. He hoped that today he would get something more than he did yesterday, even if it was just to keep his stomach full. It took him one bell to run down a weasel, which he ate ferociously before continuing his search for something bigger to hunt. A little worried by early afternoon that he wouldn't find anything else worth hauling back to the city he stumbled upon a small group of deer. He almost startled them but noticed them right before he did so, their scent had been downwind from his searching nose so they had remained hidden to him. Watching them carefully without moving from where he now stood he couldn't see any that were old or wounded. This would prove to be a challenge. He had yet to run down a healthy deer by himself, wolves that grew up in the wild usually had a pack to help them run down these types of deer, he was not lucky enough to have such a thing to rely on. As he watched them he wondered what it would be like to hunt with others, having never experienced such a thing he thought maybe it would be a difficult experience, learning to work with others when he was used to working alone would prove to be a challenge. As he stood there pondering what his course of action should be he noticed something moving in a tree above the herd. It was the cougar he had come across the other day. Noting the position of the other deer he realized that with the cougar getting ready to attack some of them would scatter in his direction, giving him the perfect opportunity to catch one if he acted accordingly. Backing up slowly, carefully, he positioned himself in a way that would allow him to charge off in one of two directions depending on what direction they scattered in. When the cougar pounced, the deer came barreling towards him and he managed to catch the third one to run by, after failing to grab either of the first two. With his teeth sunk into the flank of the bleating deer he stumbled along with it for a few yards before managing to take it down. Tearing the animal's flank open to keep it from getting back up he pounced on it's neck and snapped down on it's jugular to relieve it of it's pain. He didn't like letting the animals suffer, it was only fair to give them a quick end as they were giving him what he needed in return. Managing to drag the deer back to the camp he made his preparations before taking care of the animal by skinning, dressing, and getting it over the fire to smoke. Proud of himself for catching his first healthy deer ever, even if it was with the health of a cougar, he munched on the rest of the raw bits that wouldn't be fit for smoking or selling. Burying his kill when it was ready he smiled to himself and carried the remains out into the woods to dump it a safe distance away. Returning to camp he went down to the water with Drifter and cleaned himself up, drinking from the shallow stream and relaxing for a few moments as darkness started to twine its way through the trees. Making his way back to the camp he tethered Drifter to a tree and made sure that his fire was out. Standing there next to his fire he looked up at the sky through the branches and leaves and let darkness wrap around him, quieting the creatures of the trees and settling in for the night. Making his way into the tent he laid down and fell asleep quickly, knowing he would have to return to the city the next day and that it would be a miserable, long, day. And smell the wild air.

[Faolan Lundgren]

Faolan Lundgren Take a walk in the forest. 77 Summer 514 AV When Faolan woke up in the morning he did so with the morning light, having let himself sleep in later than he did on his hunting days. He would need to have his rest for hauling his catch back into the city after all. Getting up he accompanied his horse to the stream and he made sure they took their time at the bank before heading back to the camp. Sighing softly he scattered the ashes of his fire and then began to work on breaking down his campsite. Taking down the tarp and tent he packed them away and then rolled up his bedroll, attaching it to the back of the saddle. Lifting the saddle with a grunt he shoved it up onto Drifter's back where he tightened it down, patting the horse's neck softly in thanks. Pulling his shirt back on and slinging his bag over his shoulders he walked over to the first of his caches. Digging it up he checked on the meat inside before stuffing it into the saddlebags. He repeated this process with the rest of the caches, making sure the load was even on the saddle. He didn't bother eating, figuring he'd do so back in the city. Mainly he didn't want to waste any time getting back as it would end up taking him almost all day. He was hoping he could make it there in time to catch the ferry back in to the city. If not he would just sit on the dock until he could get one back, he wasn't hauling anything anywhere else if the ferry wasn't there. Sliding the bridle on he removed the rope, rolled it up and deposited it in to the saddle bag he always carried it in. Hauling himself up into the saddle he sighed before nudging the horse forward back towards the city. They made their way through the trees and then out onto the prairie. They traveled for most of the day and he allowed Drifter to carry him as close to the city as he dared before sliding off of the horse's back. Unloading him he secured his things in a way that made it easy for him to carry, the weight was what made it difficult. He wasn't the strongest person and lugging the gear back with his kill just made the whole process that much more difficult. He spent the next few bells hauling his things back to the outpost. Letting the guards check his things as he was used to by now he managed to catch the last ferry into the city. Setting his things down on the deck he slumped down next to them and sighed heavily, relaxing as he settled in for the ride back into the city. And smell the wild air.