[Wind Reach] Off for the long hunt (Closed)

[Renol]

OOCSoory for the delay. Things have been crazy here the last few days, so I haven’t had any time to get a post up. It looks like that should be over now, though.

Renol was oblivious to the fact that the comments being made were grating on the Avora’s nerves. After all, the man was grinning, so there was no indication as to him being hurt by the comments. And Renol knew that they were just joking. It was the way many people bonded. In his family, if they didn’t give you crap, they didn’t like you. Heckling and joking was a sign of acceptance and friendship with his family. So he didn’t think anything about it. It was something natural for him. And Sairque’s comment brought a short, lighthearted laugh out of him, the ow sound of his voice echoing slightly off the rock outcropping, the stone bouncing the sound back around them a fraction of a second. They all seemed to be enjoying the little ‘tit for tat’ they had going on. And it seemed everyone thought it was funny, they just didn’t know to what degree.

Renol’s eyebrow perked at Addys challenge, causing a sly, mischievous smile to spread across his face once more, his eyes sparkling slightly as thoughts came bounding back into his mind before he could block them out to keep a straight face. He looked to Addy for a second,” I am sure that you want your sister well rested tonight. After all, there is another long flight tomorrow, and it wouldn’t be good for her to fall asleep halfway through to catch up on the sleep she would lose tonight if I were to take that dare.” He chuckled slightly, the grin only stretching a little wider,” Any sleep you would loose would be easy to catch up on, since you don’t have to fly Catabasis, you can take a nap.” He winked playfully to Addy again, hoping that she wouldn’t take the remark about the eagle the wrong way. He had heard about the conflict between the two, and he didn’t want his remark to be misconstrued.

All the while, Renol had listened to the tune that Kovac had played, admiring the man’s skill. Sooner or later, he was going to have to try and take up a musical instrument of some kind. It did seem like a good way to pass time and enjoy one’s self when alone or on a journey with others. But there were so many other things that he wanted to improve upon first. His archery and his sword play being the two primary skills. He had always been taught that those were more useful by his mentor. Anything else was secondary after bringing in the food for the community. So that was what Renol had focused on as a boy. It seemed to have paid off well, though. Renol snapped out of his little reminiscing as the music stopped and kovac started eating, only to hear the whispered comment from Addy. Renol grinned once more, chuckling quietly within his chest as he saw her face flush red, even in the yellow light of the fire.

He listened as Kovac gave his ‘short and sweet’ version of his past. It was very brief, but still gave a bit of insight as to why the man was the way he was. Renol hadn’t had a life like that, and part of him wondered how he would have turned out if the tables were turned. But he sighed, figuring the man didn’t really tell them that for pity-sake. So after a shoft pause, he spoke up,” There is nothing really interesting about my up-brining. My parents were Avora, my father a bowyer, like Kovacs, and my mother a glassblower. I was raised well. Like most kids, my parents constantly told me that I was destined to be an Endal, but there was always a part of me that was certain that they were right. I bid my time, though, learning everything I could as I grew. Learning everything that I thought I would need to be an Endal. Unfortunately, I found out that there were many things that I should have leaned as well. But I’m a good hunter and tracker because of my lessons, so I glad for that. Both my parents are still alive, I see them regularly. My father was the one who made the bow I use. It’s one of my few ‘prized possessions, besides my swords and Fereo. But Fereo isn’t really a possession, anyway. He is just my closest and most loyal friend, and I could not have asked for a better eagle.” Renol shook his head slightly,” I’m sorry. I tend to ramble a bit whenever I get talking. It’s a bad habit of mine. What about you two?” His eyes glanced between the two women that sat across from him, smiling a little bit as he watched the colors of the fire play across their faces and their hair, shifting the hues of both of their locks between different shades, from the color of glowing embers to the hues of a raging conflagration. He had to wonder how anyone could find one attractive and no instantly think the other was as well. They looked so much alike, it seemed it would be impossible.” From the sounds of it, you two are always having some kind of excitement, hmm?”

[Sairque]

Kovac hid his disdain for their conversation well, continuing to play, shifting tunes seamlessly. If he had made his boundaries known, the conversation might have been steered differently, but maybe not. Tormenting the lower castes had a place, but out on the hunt wasn't it, well, not on her hunts. Unknowingly, Sai was soon taking a leaf from his book when Renol insinuated that she would let him in her tent. Perhaps she had given him the wrong idea by joking about Addy and Kovac. Being so willing to tease her sister had opened up an avenue that she wasn't interested in going down.

The ribbing from her sister about never having an overnight guest was expected, and she smiled, nodding in agreement. It wasn't a secret, her private chamber was quiet, every night, all night. And Addy deserved to get a good one in after having been portrayed as a slut by her own twin. Sai shifted to allow her room to sit comfortably, still slowly pecking away at the stew so carefully prepared by the healer. The rabbit was juicy, and the vegetables had held their own flavor throughout the cooking, just the way she liked it.

The conversation moved on to Kovac's past and then Renol's, Sairque finishing her bowl, and thanks to Addy's topping off, didn't need to replenish it. The meal settled warmly in her stomach, the bowl settled out of the way in the shadow of the log. Stretching her legs out, her feet came within a foot of the fire, and she bounced the sides of her feet together, letting light spill through and then cutting it off.

"Fair enough, you two shared. Meeting Catabasis was an accident, he found me instead of the other way around," Sai turned the knife over in her hand. "I like fruit, it's my favorite food. I wasn't raised by my parents, we were raised by Dek and commoners," Sai shrugged and looked to Addy for her to pick up the ball there. Yellow eyes were turned back to the fire, the knife left laying between her knees so she could reach up and start undoing the frayed braid. Dragging her fingers through her dark locks, Sai slowly untangled her hair and laid it over her shoulder. There wasn't much else to say. She had been born, she had bonded with Catabasis, and now she was sitting at the fire with them.

It was only slightly disappointing that he had dropped the quiet interest he had been showing her. It had been intriguing and low pressure, low key. With that boast he had made, he was sounding more like that youth, Kellan. And Renol had been right there after Sai had shot him down with his smooth lines, maybe he had caught on and was just acting different to get her attention. Renol's intelligence had never been in question.

[Aidara]

The moment that Kovac had started his reminiscence, Addy's gaze didn't leave his face. The flames still danced between them, and little by little her eyes grew wider. The shadows that played on the Avora's face made it hard to read his expression, though his cut and dry telling of the tale left Addy wishing she could reach out to the man. This was actually the most the man had spoke their entire trip, and the woman found herself admiring the timbre of his voice, specific only to him. And then he glanced at her. She sucked in a deep breath, once again turning an embarrassing shade of red, as she tried to wipe the look of longing from her features. It wasn't necessarily lust that provoked her elongated gazes, not to say he wasn't extremely handsome. The man intrigued her, and the distance he kept from his hunting companions only sucking her in deeper. Though she would never admit such, no one ever ignored Addy as this man did. It was intoxicating. Though it seemed like hours, it was really only a matter of seconds before the healer had her face under control. She inclined her head towards Kovac as he finished, offering a small, shy smile, though it held but a tinge of the sadness she felt for him. How boring was she, sitting there brooding all night? Renol broke her out of yet another reverie. Her eyes lit at his telling, a smile creeping across her lips. She loved hearing stories of those who had grown up with their parents, lovingly been taught lessons and skills. Oh, how much she had missed out on as a child. Aidara laughed softly as Renol spoke of wanting to become an Endal. Though they had shared that dream, at least one of them had actually accomplished it. She glanced over at her twin, a smirk ready to spring to her lips at the sight of the doe-eyed look she thought she'd see on Sai's face. The neutral expression made the healer simply blink, confused at this sudden change. Addy felt along their connection, but Sai had blocked her sister out. Grasping at straws, for Renol had stopped his rhetoric and had asked about the twins, who sat staring at each other. "Not rambling at all, I enjoy the sound of both your voices." Awkward. An audible sigh this time, and she rolled her eyes and covered her face with her palm. "Ignore me, I am a lost cause." Settling back into another embarrassed silence, Addy idly kicked at a branch that worked it's way out of the hot coals with her boot, the sparks that issued reflecting in her eyes. Not even needing a prompting, Addy picked up where Sai left off without missing a beat. "Yeah, I don't think I've seen my parents since I was four or five. I don't remember their faces, but I think they have red hair." She paused, and smiled at her own terrible joke. Hey, at least she thought she was funny and that is all that matters. "We didn't grow up with much, passed from hand to hand ever since we were little, but we learned a lot about our people, of all classes. I, personally, have respect for everyone who makes Wind Reach what it is." Her gaze danced between Renol and Kovac as she spoke "Endal, Avora and Dek alike." A nod as she affirmed this within herself. "We live together now, in the Aeries. Her room is bigger than mine, but mine is filled with better things." A playful nudge to her sisters arm "Pastries are my love, only second to the falcons that I help Val take care of, and my healing." Her mouth twisted as she said this, as if the words tasted sour, but didn't embellish. "And now, here we are. The hunt is a very...intimate way to get to know someone. It's rare that you depend on strangers to keep you alive and fed, if unable to do so yourself. I am glad it is you two, however little we do know each other aside." Green gaze shifted to her sister "I've only ever gone hunting with Sai, whom I obviously trust with my life." With her spiel complete, Addy smiled at the boys as she rose to her feet. Humming to herself, as she always did when contented, the woman began to clean up the remnants of their meal, lugging the almost empty pot of stew back to the tents, where the rest of the water Kovac had brought from the river was located. Time to clean.

[Kovac]

After reciting his cynical and brief history, Kovac turned his attention back to his bowl of rabbit stew. The air had become chilled as the sun dropped out of sight, and the hot soup was a welcomed warmth. Maybe it was the filling meal, maybe the crackling fire, maybe it was just exhaustion, but the Avora found himself...relaxing, his usual wall of discontent crumbling. He suddenly felt almost bad that he had been so snarky talking about himself. The regret may have been a first. There was always a self-consciousness that, even as an Avora, he was still a half-breed, a mongrel. Kovac was convinced that is why Kalle had left him for a full-blood Endal. So, for most of his life, his natural defense was to put people off, it was a habit that was hard to break. Lately, people had cropped up that have defied that imagined prejudice, Haya, Amon, and now Shayth. But Kovac still had a hard time convincing himself otherwise. He looked up at Renol, then over to the twins. They were all friends of a sort, he realized. That was all the sarcasm and taunting was about, friends teasing each other, not unlike the hard time he and Shayth gave each other. They were simply including him in their games. The fact that they showed any interest in engaging him was a bit surprising, and the socially-inept hunter was not sure how to take it all. He sighed, settling in against the log behind him. He turned to Renol as he spoke, giving the Endal more attention than he would if they were back home. Yes, being out here in the wilderness alone with these people changed things, and seemed to change him, to his chagrin. For once, he did not disregard Renol's story out of hand, just because he had a more privileged childhood. The archer even laughed quietly when Renol made his jibe at the sisters. His eyes darted towards Adaira as she voiced her quiet comment, effacing herself for some imagined embarrassment. Kovac could not contain the smile that erupted. Was she really that backward? She was... refreshing, Kovac thought. He was not one to go for 'cute', at least historically, but Addy was interesting and well....fun. He studied the twins in the dancing firelight. They were nearly identical. It was true, to call one attractive was to find both of the sisters so. Sairque seemed to have shimmied off her flight leader status, now just another Inarta, sitting with her legs stretched out towards the heat of the flames, playing hide and seek with the fire's glow between her feet like a little girl. It seemed all of them were shaking off the persona's they had to wear back in Wind Reach. Sairque was brief and to the point. For some reason, he was not surprised that fruit was her favorite food. Then Adaira chimed in. She seemed a bit idealistic, at least to the sardonic Avora. He was surprised to hear the twins were not raised in comfort, but much like himself. Fnally, Aidara spoke of the intimacy of the hunt, a fact that Kovac had either never considered, or was too bullheaded to admit. But it was true. His life was in the hands of these three strangers. Why would he chose to alienate them? Gods, he was getting soft, he warned himself, promising he would not engage in group hugs. Nevertheless, he flashed a subdued smile at the girls as she finished. Then, for some reason he was at a loss to explain, he rose as he saw Adaira start to clean up after the meal. He tossed another couple logs on the fire, then gathered not only his bowl, but the dinnerware and utensils of the others as well, following Aidara over to the water to help her wash up.

[Dreamcatcher]

The campers talked a while more before they headed to bed finishing up their conversation and chores. Slowly the soft hum of insects rolled over the campsite, and the smoke from the fire kept them at bay, while the wood gave a soft crack every now and again. For those that decided to watch the night sky, stars winked and a comet streaked across the sky above the hunters. The wind held its breath, and the world settled as rabbits and foxes took to their dens and the great eagles began breathing a deep restful sleep. For the riders, dreams of flying with their eagles came to them. They soared across the blue ocean, seeing the dark forms of fish under the waves, feeling wind rush through their feathers. Thermals would twist the ocean waves and they would glide upward ever higher. Large ships with three masts sailed the ocean heading to different destinations. Whales broke the ocean waves and shot water up into the air, slowly they turned back towards Wind Reach. The world was an awesome place, for they glided over thousands of sea turtles and swarms of penguins. Yet, they never lost their sense of home, Mount Skyinarta was there, like a mother waiting for their return. For Kovac and Aidara, dreams of the hunt came to them. Elk, moose, boar, and even bear were out there calling to be hunted. Horses came to them and they felt the great animals under them move. The horses running through the forest and the feel of exhilaration as the white tale of a huge stag was seen. There was their prey, and yet it moved like a water, weaving its way into and out of trees and bushes. It's leap was perfect as it sailed over a giant log, barely missing its hoofs on it. Kovac felt a horn next to his hip, he picked up the silver hunting horn putting it to his lips and sounding it. The note rang across the forest calling other hunters and dogs. Men and women began to come, they were dressed in different clothes and came from different lands, but they were after the same thing, the great white stag. For Aidara, she felt the wind blowing through her hair, and saw great birds of prey over head. They called for Aidara to continue on, to bring down her prey, because in order for her to eat she must kill. For the two, they had a sense of belonging and understanding of the order of life. The hunt was beginning to close as they saw the sun raising upon a hill, and for a moment the stag stood before them. The hunt was over as the daylight hit the stag, and the hunters began to leave, congratulating one another on how close they had gotten. The campers awoke from their dreams, feeling the chilly morning air upon their faces. Underneath the blankets they felt warmth and a still cozy want for sleep, but slowly each got up and the group broke camp. Fereo and Catabasis were saddled and since they weren’t in an enclosed space there was no shower of rock or sand. The eagles set east, dropping close to the ocean. The riders felt the cool morning salt spray as the eagles glazed across the water to a thermal. The morning began to heat up the riders as the continued south. Renol saw the landmarks leading them over mountains and valleys as the day continued. Once they crested a ridge they saw the valley in question, and a great sigh of relief was in the minds of the eagles. The valley was 30 miles long and 10 miles deep. A river ran down its center as patches of forested areas crossed over rocky outcroppings. A low moan came across the valley and the hunters saw elk burst from a field to the covering of a forest. A flock of birds exploded out of the trees and darted back and forth. Fereo let out a screech as he saw the prey run. The hunters landed high on the ridge, the camping site was made of soft long grasses that came up to a bowl shape rock covering. The forest was a brief walk from the campsite and a small stream that fed the river was close by. As the hunters took stock of the campsite they saw that occasionally goat passed through the area, but overall it was located in a place that didn’t disturb the wildlife. After setting up camp, the hunters had a few bells for hunting and saw a mountain goat that had crept back to the field hoping for a quick snack. No more dreams came to the group of hunters as the night fell and morning rose. Setting out early in the day, Kovac and Renol ran across two male elks battling for their lady love. Both bucks were well in the 700 lbs range, and even after dressing one, it would be 500 lbs of meat and bone to move. The ladies happened across a field of mule deer, though not as impressive as an elk, they perhaps could carry two of them back, since after dressing they would only weigh 180 lbs each. After midday they went out again and luck was with them again. They were able to find a moose drinking in the river. It took all of the young hunters to bring down the prize, but it was a 1000 lbs of meat that they were able to slaughter and take back to camp. The second day brought a soft drizzle of rain, giving a chill to everyone, but it didn’t seem to affect their luck as several more goats were found by mid morning. By the time they brought back their catch they looked around realizing that the eagles were going to be hard press to take so much meat back to Wind Reach. So they took the rest of the day off, and as Catabasis and Fereo came back to lift up there catches, they in fact couldn’t carry all of the meat. Forced to leave a bull dear behind they quickly left their hunters with warm wishes and thoughts of food. The bull dear was cooked and smoked for the hunters, while they bedded down for the night. In the morning, they ate as much meat as they could and headed out. It was the girls turn to be faced with a large elk and the problem of coming back with so much meat, as the boys were only able to find a boar weighing around 300 lbs.

[Renol]

Renol had sat by the fire, nodding here and there as he listened to Sai and Addy’s words. He noticed a very faint expression of disappointment slip across Sairques features at his little remark, causing him to perk his eyebrow for a second as his gaze went back to the fire for a moment. He didn’t say much of anything the rest of the night. Thanking Addy and Kovac for tending to cleaning and Sai for taking care of the fire. And bidding her good night as she went to retire for the evening. His gaze followed her as she headed away, considering the thought of stopping her before she got to the tent. Not following her into the tent, or anything like that, but just to talk a little more. But he decided he had been brash enough for the night, and just followed her with his eyes instead. As she looked back toward him, his eyes had met hers for an instant. He didn’t shy away from her look, instead letting his own provocative gaze linger on hers for a short moment. They both seemed to look away at the same time as she escaped into her tent and he looked back to the flickering flames before him. He stayed where he was, tending to it a little longer and ensuring that nothing else would catch flame during the night. He sat there, thinking silently to himself as he studied the flashing fingers of the fire before he finally did the smart thing and went to bed.

Renol always had a problem with remembering dreams. As soon as his eyes opened, the memories of the dreams slipped away like wisps of fog being driven away by the light of the morning. But his head was clear as he sat up in the tent, hearing the noise of the others moving around the camp. He quickly got up and changed into clean clothing before stowing everything and breaking down his tent. Everything was being taken care of before he even had to point it out to get taken care of. Though he was a little disappointed that his fire pit had been dismantles. He had left it there for a reason. He didn’t care if anyone else decided to use the spot when he wasn’t there. It was a good camping spot, why not share it. And he found it nice to have the ring already set up for when he came out on his own. But he had shrugged it off as he saddled Fereo and started getting things loaded. Fereo’s eyes studied Renol carefully You don’t look as “refreshed” as I would have hoped this morning… No tension got released, I assume? Renol didn’t even stop the loading process as the bird put in his little comments, instead, slumping down the packed up tent a little harder against it’s moorings, causing Fereo to shift slightly under the weight for a second. You’d be wise to mind your tongue, bird. Nothing happened. Renol could sense the eagles disappointment but didn’t pay any mind to it.

Shortly after that, everyone was seated and ready to go. Renol took one last look around the camp, ensuring everything was taken care of. Sairque was letting him and Fereo take flight first once again and Renol looked over his shoulder and nodded appreciatively to them both as Fereo’s great wings beat against the air, lifting them off the ground with a few short, running hops of the birds legs. This leg of the journey always seemed shorter than the first. Renol was too busy navigating along the landmarks he knew to take in the views that the others did, paying attention only to the geographical features that he needed to bring them on the right course. As they passed over the ridge and saw the valley stretching before them, he immediately saw the landing spot that he always used. As they headed towards the spot, Fereo pointed out, in a rather not quiet manner, the game that was flushing from the woods under them. Renol shook his head slowly, mental reigning the eagle back in before he set off on a dive to catch some lunch. Fereo chuckled slightly, listening in to the whole exchange between Sairque and Catabasis and relaying the information over to Renol. He looked over to Sai, smiling light heartedly and shrugging. Had the birds been a little closer together he’d have shouted something over to her. But at the distance they were, he knew she wouldn’t hear it, and he knew that the information wouldn’t be relayed between the two birds, as they wouldn’t appreciate the comment. So he filed it away for later commenting.

Shortly after that, they were on the ground once more. It took only a little bit to set up camp at the site, another site that was already prepared from the last time Renol had come out. Quickly, Fereo was unloaded and unsaddled, Renol dragging over all the bags, including the talon sacks that the birds had carried, over toward the actual camp site. Fereo took a minute to stretch himself out a little, spreading his wings out full and flapping to get the kinks out of his back. It was the only thing the bird had complained about the entire trip, so Renol wasn’t worried. If there was anything wrong, the bird would have told him. Fereo was chomping at the bit, so to speak, about getting back into the air to catch a good meal and with a nod of Renols head, the bird lifted off the ground, heading off back to where the elk had been. The only stipulation had been that the eagle would drive the game towards them as it hunted, bringing the game close toward the campsite for easier hunting.

Renol looked over to Sairque as she asked for the new safety strap. He smiled, looking to the saddle in his hands,” Yeah, I got a few I could spare. Kovac doesn’t seem to be using them much. I only use enough to keep myself on the bird should he pull some foolish barrel roll or something.” The muscles in his arms bunched and flexed as he lifted the large saddle so that most of the weigt rested on one shoulder, leaving him with a free hand as he walked over to Sai. He reached over and untied one of the leather straps and handed it to Sai. His mind was busily thinking of alternative ways of using such strapps, but he kept that to himself. Only the sly, devilish sparkle in his eyes hinted at his thoughts. But as she reached to take the strap, his subtly let his fingers slide along hers gently for a second, smiling charmingly to her, his eyes never parting from hers,” If you need any more for anything, just let me know.” He turned slowly, having a hard time tearing his eyes from her exquisite features before he turned and headed off to set up camp.

He had missed the whole altercation with the animal while talking to Sai, and as he walked over to where he had set his belongings, He didn’t even see Addy as she stepped in the excrement left behind by the animal. It wasn’t until she mentioned the stream nearby that he looked over and caught the scent of what had happened. He smiled slightly as she walked off, taking his sword out from its scabbard. He apologized to the blade for using it in such a base manner as he used the flat of the blade to pick up the left over droppings and deposit them well outside of the campsite. Coming back, he cleaned off the blade on the grass,” There. That should keep that from happening again.” And with that, he went back to setting up his tent.

Renol, having just finished setting up his sleeping arrangements, heard Sai mentioning going hunting. He laughed slightly at her jibe about ‘real men’, shaking his head slowly once more. He reached over, picking up his quiver and bow before agreeing to head out for the hunt. As they headed out through the tall grass, renol took two arrows from his quiver. One was knocked onto the bow string held tight between his first and second finger. The second was held between his ring ringer and pinky at a downward angle. This kept it out of the way but at ready access for an split-second second shot. He had trained all he fingers on his right hand to be able to pull the string easily, so he could draw and aim just as easily with his ring and pinky fingers just as much as his index and pointer fingers. He still wasn’t to the point of being able to fire two arrows at once, though. But he was working on that. Renol stalked through the grass a little ways off to Sai’s left. So as they closed in on it, she had a better chance at a shot then he did. He watched and waited, silently kneeling in the tall grass. His eyes narrowed as he heard Sai’s bow string strum and the arrow whistle to its target, taking the goat in the side. The second shot was off shortly after that, hitting just slightly beside it. The Goat struggled, heading to take off through the grass. Renol wasn’t about to have to track it trough the grasses to find where it would finally collapse at. He drew the bow as the goat came around to run, giving him a good shot. He aimed for a fraction of a second to be sure of his shot and released. The arrows he used predominately where heavy sheef arrows. They had a little shorter ‘straight shot’ range, but were heavier and hit harder. So when the arrow hit the goat in the neck it had enough momentum behind it to carry it through both the major artery and vein and out the other side, bringing the beast down before it got too far ahead of them. As the goat fell, Renol stood up, looking over to Sai apologetically,” I didn’t mean to intrude. You hits would have defiantly killed it. But I didn’t feel like tracking for a bell to find where it finally bled out at.” He walked over to the goat, putting his bow over his shoulder and drawing his sword. He looked to Sai as she walked up,” Great grouping on those shots, by the way.” And with that he set to field dressing the goat to take it back to camp.

The rest of the night was uneventful. Fresh goat was one of Renols favorite foods and he could help but eat too much. But it was figured that Addy and Sairque would hunt together and that he and Kovac would work together. It wasn’t how he figured it would go, but that was what was decided. But his decision would have been based on stereotypes, so he left them unvoiced. Besides, the twins really did work well as a team. So wh fight it? After a good night’s sleep, Renol woke to the smell of mint floating along the air coming in the front of his tent. He smiled brightly. There were defiantly a lot of perks to traveling with a group, especially women. Had he been alone, he’d have settled on a quick meal of some salted meat and water before heading out to hunt again. This was a very welcome change as he emerged from the tent in another set of fresh bryda. He wouldn’t don his Katinu until they were heading out for the hunt. The only reason he really wore it was to keep his scent from escaping too far from him. The heavy coat helped to suppress his presence in the woods, helping to give him those extra meters that he needed for a good clean shot with his heavy arrows. Renol thanked Addy for the quick, light breakfast, which he still supplemented with some salted meat for anyone who wanted some for some good protein and more lasting energy. The tea was especially refreshing, though and he enjoyed it thoroughly. The women agreed to head off to the fields to find anything else of interest besides the goats. Renol talked Kovac into heading down to where they had seen the elk coming in. Fereo had done a good job of bringing them closer from what the Eagle had told him. And, apparently, they tasted delicious.

It was a fairly long walk before they spotted the elk fighting their duel in a small field clearing in the woods. Quickly, and quietly, they devised a plan. Kovac, who was the better archer, would get into one of the trees to get the best shots one the elk. Renol, who do better on the ground, moved forward through the tall grasses slowly, silently moving to keep from spooking the elk. He waited for Kovac to take his first shot before he took his. The plan worked well, bringing down the two males with little effort between the two of them and leaving the doe to run from the area. Best o leave her alive to make more elk to hunt later. They stripped the elk effortlessly. Renol employed a simple means of transporting them. He took two long, thick branches and draped smaller branches across them, all tied together with lengths of some rope that he had brought, to make small impromptu rickshaws for each of them. It eased the burden of carrying the heavy animals without having to drag them on the ground.

As they came back to camp, Renol saw the two women wrapped in their blankets. Renol looked to Addy as she mentioned the preparations of the meat for transport,” Salting it will work best. We really don’t have the time or provisions here to properly smoke all of this meat before the eagles get back to transport it. I have plenty of salt in Fereo’s talon sack. I was planning on using that. Salting the meat was a tried and true method of preserving and curing the meat for shorter periods of time and it would do perfectly for getting the meat back to Wind Reach. It was one of the first things Renols’ teacher had taught him for hunting. So, after shaving off enough of the salt to use, they prepped the elk and deer meat and then placed it into one of the talon sacks before closing them up for transport. Thankfully, the sacks were complicated to open and thick enough to keep all but the meanest of animals out of them. After a quick lunch of some more salted goat, they all went back out, this time sticking together. With how things had been going, they could get just as good of hauls going out together as with being in teams.

Renol heard the sounds seemingly the same time that Addy did, but being at the back of the group didn’t help him with issuing hand signals or anything. So he let the woman take the lead with this one. It would be good to see what she thought. As she came back with the news of the moose, Renol knew this was going to be tough. He plan was right, put the best shot in front and try to get good position. But with a beast this large, it was going to take more than a few arrows to bring it down. It could shrug off a few arrows without too much notice. This one was going to be a challenge. Renol motioned to Sai that they should branch off to the other side to get alternative angles on the beast. And as they moved off, Renol crept off, further separating from the others to keep as wide of an angle as possible on the animal. And then everything was happening. The first arrow must have been from Kovac, hitting it square in the side. Then he heard Sairque’s bow peel off two shots as he beast turned. Renol did the same, bringing his bow up as the moose turned to run off across the stream, exposing his side to him. In a flash his first arrow was off, impacting the animal right in the lung. He knocked the second arrow and drew, taking aim as the beast continued its wounded charge off toward the forest. Renol bared his teeth, sighting down the arrow for a split second before he released, sending off the next arrow. It impacted straight into its chest, where its heart would have been. He couldn’t tell if the arrow had sank far enough to connect before the animal crashed off through the tall foliage.

Renol was off after it like a bullet, his red hair streaking behind him as he ran, drawing and knocking another arrow as he ran, hoping to get one last shot if he needed it. But as he jumped, feet first with his coat fluttering in the wind created by his flight, through the foliage the moose had gone through he found it slumped on the ground, dead. It had fallen to the side that he had shot it, splintering the arrows he had used. The other side showed four arrows in it as well. He wasn’t sure which one had been the killing blow, but it didn’t matter. The animal was down and ready to be stripped. Renol whooped once in excitement before he slung his bow and drew his sword to start cleaning the kill. The set up, take down, and mainly the cleaning of the moose had taken much of the rest of the day. So by the time they had wrestled the meat back to the camp, it was time for rest. The animal had been too big to make one of his rickshaws for, without having to use entire trees, anyway. So it was a manual struggle to bring the beast home. But at the camp, it was a quick matter of salting the meat and loading it into the talon bags to be ready to set off. With that, they all rested, gathering around the fire to eat and joke and talk once more.

Renol woke the next day they all woke to the sound of light rain pattering on their tents. Renol decided to leave his katinu at the camp. The rain would do a better job of repressing his scent then the coat would. So he didn’t need it today. Instead, he just let the rain slither along his bare skin and leaking from his hair as it fell free down his back. It kept him chilled, but that was good, as his blood tended to run hot when he was hunting, the excitement and adrenaline of hunting keeping him warm enough through the cold water, leaving a faint steam wafting upwards from the top of his head. By the end of the morning, they had brought down several more goats and after stripping them down realized that there was too much meat for the birds to carry. So, after a quick vote, they pulled one of the mule deer off and loaded the rest. The two eagles, impressed with the amount of meat in such a short time frame, took the load without any complaint, besides not being able to eat any of it. Once the rain died down, they all set to work getting the mule deer smoked and ready to eat. The large amount of meat meant that it would have to smoke over night.

The next day brought another calm morning, without any rain. Renol took some time to eat his fill from the deer, savoring the smoked flavor of the venison. After that, they set out once more. Renol and Kovan found a large boar rooting through the brush in the woods as it looked for food. Boar was a tough animal and, though not as big as the moose, would still take some effort to bring down without a fight on their hands. Still, Renol made sure his sword was ready in case the animal charged him. A simple plan was laid out. Much like the moose the other day, they’d take their shots from both sides of the animal to maximize their ease of bringing it down. Renol ventured off to the one side, leaving Kovac to take the other, moving around so that they weren’t quire at a 180 from one another. That way, if a shot was missed, there was no risk of hitting the other hunter. Renol shot first, this time, the first heavy arrow taking the boar in a poor shot to its hind-quarters. Renol growled at himself as he quickly knocked the other arrow and fired, this shot hitting true into the pigs side, right through its lung. With the other arrow from Kovac, the boar went down and they set to field strip it. Renol looked to Kovac as they stripped it.” I don’t know about you, but I’m not aiming to move this thing like that moose yesterday. Take over here for a second while I figure something out a second.” he left the Avora to finish up. It wouldn’t take much at that point to finish cleaning it. Renol walked over to a young tree, thick but flexible, and started using his sword to cut it down. The razor sharp edge taking chunks of it out at the trunk until it finally fell. He quickly chopped off all the limbs, leaving a solid trunk to use.

He brought the trunk over to where Kovac was, smiling as he laid it down along the length of the pig,” We hog tie it over this and then we can each take one end. Makes it a LOT easier.” He waited to make sure the pig was clean before he started tying the hoofs together around the tree trunk. When they was done, it was an easy job to lift it up and rest the tree on the shoulder. Renol looked over his shoulder, smiling jovially,” Stick with me, Kid, and you’ll do just fine.” he waited to make sure Kovac was ready before heading off back toward the camp. It was a little bit of a hike, and the pig bobbed up and down, bending the tree trunk, but not breaking it, as they walked along. Renol talked over his shoulder to Kovac as they walked, trying to keep his eyes ahead of them to take a clear path,” Sorry if I haven’t been talking too much lately. You know how It goes on the hunt. Too much talk can scare the game away. Plus, I always tend to clam up whenever I get my bow out. It gives me a one track mind for some reason. All I think about is tracking and hunting when it’s in my hands. The only thing I talk about is tracks and other signs of recent activity. It’s only time like this that I really get to talk, you know? And even then, I’ve always got too much to think about. I start talking, I start rambling.” Like now… Renol clammed himself up quickly, realizing that he was doing it again. He shook his head slowly, sighing as his mind went back to the last few nights and days. The jokes and conversation between them all had been fun. Sairque seemed to be warming up a little more to him. But he wasn’t going to try and force it. Why do that? It wasn’t like they were going anywhere, after all. Renol smiled to himself as he thought about it all. But the sight of a tent top brought him from his thoughts, bringing a brighter smile to his face,” See, we’re almos there already…”

[Sairque]

Addy filled in a little more of their history, and while not commented on, the girl's awkward bumblings were noticed. Feeling along their connection, Addy's problems no longer stemmed from her sister, which left only one culprit. Sai's eyes, flashing in the firelight, settled on their reserved Avora friend, as though she would be able to see the spell he was weaving to discombobulate her twin so. Studying him intently, she almost didn't catch the sentiments of community that Addy rattled off so eloquently. Her words brought a quiet smile to the Endal's face. Their upbringing had taught the girls similar things; Addy learned that people were people, no matter their status, and were a source of new experiences, each to be sought out and learned of; Sai was shown the bigger picture, that the caste system was a necessary tool to keep life burning in their frozen capsule, the Eagles, Endal and Avora were the cogs of the machine, but the Dek were the oil that prevented inefficiency.

Half their group departing to attend duties broke Sai from her musings and she stood as well. It seemed like a good time to start wraping the evening up. While the healer and archer cleaned up the dinner paraphernalia, Sai set about breaking down the few remaining sticks in the fire. Confident that the fire would be dead and ready for dispersal by morning, the short Endal said her good nights and retired for the evening. But not without one last thoughtful glance at Renol.

Still able to smell the heavy air wafting up from the ocean, Sai's eyes popped open the next morning. Groaning in appreciation, she stretched and left her twin to slumber on in their tent. Her melodious humming broke the quiet of the dawn as she wandered through the dew stained grasses toward the waking Wind Eagles. Catabasis blinked one unfocused eye at her and covered his head with a wing. I know you are not contemplating loading the gear before the rest have even awoken, Sairque.

Sai dropped to her knees and crawled in under his wing, propping herself up against his side. "Petch no. I don't have to oversee breakfast, or the dispersal of camp, I don't even have to worry about making sure they're awake," she sighed in what she hoped was satisfaction, reaching back to brush a feather tip out of her face and settling in to wait for Renol to do his job. Catabasis' amusement blossomed in her mind.

Your attempt at releasing control is admirable, he told her somewhat dryly. She groaned, sitting forward and reaching out to grab her outstretched feet. Who was she kidding? Even just these few moments were leaving her antsy. The fire ring needed to be broken down, she needed to get her tack and ensure nothing had gotten to it overnight, her sister needed to be roused, breakfast needed to be organized, the camp site needed to be combed. With a huff, Sai batted weakly at the underside of his wing until he moved it and let her stand.

"Be ready in half a chime," she suggested firmly, striding off to break camp in the early morning chill.

In just less than the half a chime, Sai and Addy were mounted, the camp carefully rid of any hints of occupation and all the gear loaded. Fereo took to the skies first, Catabasis having reminded his human that she was supposed to be differential to Renol and Fereo; that was part of leisurely accompanying someone else's hunt. She rolled her eyes, but agreed, and he took off second.

Penguins, whales, and ships were scanned for as the duo dropped to the ocean in search of air currents. The heavy air instilled a sense of deja vu in the flight leader, the dream coming back to her in bits and pieces until she could fully recall it beginning to end. The flight to their next camp had been blessed by someone or something, she decided, vainly twisting around to catch sight of Mt. Skyinarta. Their home was currently unavailable for study, but the steady knowledge of it's continued welcoming existence was unshakably ingrained in her being. As well as Renol's, she would wager. Rider's didn't leave home, most had never even had the thought occur to them. Turtles, not the thousands that had come to her in the night, but enough to make her smile and point out to Addy, made an appearance shortly before the Eagles headed inland again.

The vast expansion of green held less interest for her this time, but she smiled at the exuberance her sister was showing. She could feel the saddle creaking left to right whenever something directly below them caught her sister's attention and enticed her to lean over for a better look. The Eagles had formed a link again, allowing the rider's to easily communicate. At one point, during one of the long lulls between hunting anecdotes, Sai tried to take the little 'box' of fuzzy happiness that was Addy and bring it into the link. There was a clear separation between the part of her mind that she was sharing with the the three males and the part that Addy occupied. She just had to bring them closer together. She imagined that it would give the three males a touch of joy, unexpected and disconnected, while not affecting Addy at all. The healer should just be able to pick up a faint sense of utter determination. Of course, this was if she could breach the gap between them at all. Not in her wildest hopes would it occur to her that by dragging the box into the link would they actually be able to hear the girls thoughts or be able to speak to her. One never knew, though.

Eventually, they made it to their destined valley, Sai carefully constructing a vague lay out of the land to aid with her sense of direction while on the ground. Catabasis' relief was palpable. Oh, come on, old man, you're getting lazy, she jibed, patting the stiff feathers of his neck. Vaguely, she sensed a plan to do an aerial flip to prove just how lazy he could be, divesting himself of the lumpy sacks of tubers that had been riding him all day. Grinning, Sai glanced over at Renol to see if he had caught the exchange. Addy would never know that it wasn't the moment when Fereo spotted the game that almost had her flying off the back of Catabasis. The great Eagle, fire accentuating his feathers, didn't flinch as Fereo got a little exuberant about the animals and gave the boys an unexpected jolt. Sai petted his neck again, giving Renol a smirk should he glance at the ladies.

At camp, Addy headed off to take care of the gear again, set up the tent, play the damsel to Kovac's knight, that sort of stuff, while Sai tended to Catabasis. Like the previous day, she set the saddle aside to focus on making sure that no sores had been rubbed into the bird's skin, or feathers damaged. Not only did they need the Eagles able to take them home again, but the birds would have to make multiple trips.

I am fine, he assured her. The weight was bearable and I did not experience any 'hot spots'. His distaste for the term she used to describe skin where raw spots were beginning to form was evident. She knew that he just didn't like the indignity of having to spread his wings out and have her crawl all over him like a mother hen. Giving him one last lingering look of displeasure, Sai gave up the check up, and turned to her fellow Endal, who was just a short distance away with Fereo.

"Hey, do you have any spare leather straps? One of my safety straps broke on the way over," she lied convincingly. Hey, so what if she needed an excuse to talk to the tall, physically fit, red headed, golden eyed, hygienic son of a bowyer? He didn't know that, and Aidara would always appreciate more safety straps. So intent on her ruse, she didn't even notice the scuffle on the other side of the clearing. In her defense, two rather hefty birds were preening right in her line of sight to the goat ambush. She even deliberately ignored the embarrassed anger that sprang up in Addy's box.(...no pun intended)

Storing the tack, Sai finished up her responsibilities with Catabasis and gave her blessing to his hunt for dinner. Sai, meanwhile, had her own hunting to do, he had dropped the hint that there was a mountain goat nearby. When Sai told Addy this, she didn't understand why the girl turned all red and started sputtering about washing and streams. Backing away from her frantically gesturing twin cautiously, Sai snagged a bow and went in search of the mountain goat sans sister. Weirdo. The boys, however, were asked if they would like to accompany her and maybe pick up a tip or two on how real men hunted. Facetiously boasting, of course.

Unless they took her up on it by issuing their own challenges, in which case she was determined to get the goat. Following some earlier advice given by Catabasis, Sai waited until things had calmed down again after the startling activities of two 40' long raptors. She had been watching the animal for some time, but it wasn't until it stopped reacting to the faintest little noises that she crept up. It was on the edge of the ridge at this point, happily munching on some vegetation. Bow drawn, the tip of the weapon extending high above the grasses, Sai down on one knee, she waited for the perfect shot. Just needed it to turn one inch to the left. Just one inch...come on, little further. She really wanted to breath at this point. Don't stop, now. There! The arrow whooshed through the grasses, and Sai watched the goat take one stumbling step as her hand darted back to knock another arrow. The second one embedded more to the center of her lungs, just two inches from the first arrow. This was, of course, if the boys didn't meddle with her set up and do anything silly like take her shot.

Either way, there was meat was happily sizzling over the fire when her sister decided to join the party. While the men folk handled the barbecue, Sai assembled chairs again. This time, she only found large river rocks, which would only be better than the soft earth in the event that it rained.

"I'm gonna pretend this is my little friend, kay? Kay," Addy informed them as she moved her rock to be just so between her twin and Kovac. Hiding a grin, Kovac had finally filled her in on Addy's traumatic experience, Sai shared a glance with both men, waiting for one of them to quip in. It would be predictable if she was the one that commented. In fact, she would bet that Addy already had something planned in retaliation should Sai open her mouth first.

She wasn't shy, however, the next morning when Addy so rudely thwacked her on the head and then ran away while she was still too tangled in the bed roll to retaliate. "Hey! Hey! You! Goat-" Abruptly, the indignant voice screaming through the material of the tent cut off. Sai concentrated on an intense lust for Kovac. Kovac had great cheek bones, and that brooding thing he did would be hot to get through in bed. His abs were hard as a rock, he was tall and strong, competent, smart, probably more than a little creative when it came to sex. Addy wanted him so badly. She wanted his approval, she wanted him to lust after her, to find her attractive, interesting and worthwhile. A great way for him to convey that would be to return her kiss. She could just climb right on into his tent, kneel at his side, place one cool hand on his muscular chest and lean down to see if he had a soft, considerate kiss or a hard, needy, impassioned one. Hopefully now Addy wouldn't be shy either! This wouldn't be the first time that one of them had managed to force the other one to almost do something embarrassing. As the man's tent was quite a ways away, there was a good chance that Addy hadn't even made it over there before realizing what Sai had done.

Addy didn't seem to mind, if the way she buckled down and focused on taking down the two mule deer later that day was any indication. Sai was quite impressed with her sister's calm attitude toward the hunting. She would have to ask her about it once they were home. ...and then the girl was prancing around whispering to everyone while they were trying to get into position on not scare the moose.

The beast was alone, standing on the banks. The young hunters crept up behind it, and around, trying to maximize the probability of someone getting a good shot. It was calmly drinking from the river when someone's arrow silently appeared in it's side. Sai didn't know who took that first shot, but the animal was already coming around to charge off. She wasn't entirely sure where the lungs were on this particular animal, but she assumed it would be in the same general area as other big game. Sai released her own first and then second in quick succession, they only took a split second to send off, but the moose was already out of her eyesight in the brush. She could hear it crashing through the dense foliage, and rushed to follow. By the time she found it, she was last to the party. It was a short lived celebration, as the hunters worked to dress the carcass and carry it back to camp. Just this one kill took up the whole day, and, frankly, left Sairque a little sore the next day. Damn, that thing had been heavy. And they had even more luck, despite the rain, with several goats snagged before lunch.

Taking the rest of the day off, they got the Eagles loaded up and the remaining deer smoked. Sai had successfully shed the aura of command by this time, relaxing enough to continue the teasing banter that Renol had started the first night of the hunt. Gathered around the fire to ward off the chill of the rain, Sai still wasn't very forthcoming about very many personal things, but she was quite social otherwise. Shortly after dark, after dinner had settled in her stomach, the flight leader scooted away from where she had been settled rather closely (and by that, I mean within arms length) to Renol, and headed to bed.

The next day, Sai and Addy headed out amicably. They were having such good luck that the short redhead wasn't surprised when they stumbled on a herd of elk.

Boots silent on the plush earth banking the stream, Sai lead the way back to the camp site. Frankly, she and her sister looked ridiculous. Leaving the bones in the elk wasn't an option for the two the way it was for the boys, they simply couldn't afford to let the inedible part of the elk take up space or weight. So, the twins had two sacks slung over their shoulders, the meat creating large bulbs at either ends, bouncing against their butts in the back and their thighs in the front. The set up made it slightly more difficult to walk at first, but having the meat in the front and the back balanced the weight out and took less of a toll on the hunter.

Aside from the bulbous ends bouncing around, they looked like they hadn't even been hunting. Hey, they had men-folk to awe. Naturally, after dressing and spreading the elk remains throughout the small glen, the sisters had taken a quick bath to freshen up and keep the smell of fresh kill contained in the bags. Being the stronger of the two, Sai also had the quiver and bow on her, knowing that Addy had volunteered to carry more weight than she was used to. She was proud of her sister, though, the climb up the ridge hadn't been easy and Addy had kept trooping along without getting distracted once.

The tops of the tents came into view, and Sai felt a rush of relief. Foooood. A hot meal. It was her turn to make dinner and she had planned a treat. There were berry bushes right over...everywhere. No wonder there were so many damn creatures running around here. The valley could sustain thousands of large game animals, and it was prime habitat for bears. Which she was a little surprised not to have seen. From afar.

She would try one more time. Conversation had been sparse between the two while out on hunts, they were trying to communicate at a deeper level. This little connection they had, they were certain that it could be developed. Sai focused on the shame she held, a particularly prickly emotion for her, and stopped, waiting for Addy to catch up. When the healer came next to her, with her face turned away, she reached out and grabbed her sister's arm, focusing on all the greasy, repulsive shame she had. The thing was, she wasn't ashamed right now. She was content with their hunt, happy to be out of the mountain for a few days, and enjoying the company of her companions. Hence, the experiment.

After a few seconds, she peeked over at her sister's face and her mind turned to dinner. They were going to have slow cooked filets for dinner done in a sweet berry glaze. Yum. Maybe she could convince her sister to take care of the elk, do whatever they had decided on to preserve the meat until the Eagles returned. Eyes on the tents, she started forward again.

She imagined that this evening would go as the rest had. Taking care of the meat first, someone cooking, eating around the campfire, asking Kovac to play his lute, mild flirting with Renol, and teasing Aidara. Then they would all help with clean up, ensure no food stuffs remained in camp, and hit the hay. The twin's tent was off toward the stone bowl, tucked away. She had let Addy set it up this time, while she went in search of stones or logs that would make good seats. Most of the girl's gear was in the tent, but anything that might interest a creature for dinner was hung up in the tree line.

[Aidara]

The world was bleary with sleep when Aidara finally woke, torn from her dreams as she heard her hunting companions moving about, breaking down the camp. Hands lifted, rubbing the remnants of sleep from her eyes, taking a few moments to savor the little bit of time she had left in her warm bedroll. Not surprisingly, the healer felt confident about their upcoming hunts. Though the details were slipping away, like sand through a filter, she grasped at the few details she could. The wind in her hair, the birds overhead calling down to her. She recalled the rush of adrenaline as she surged forward to mark her kill, bringing it down with easy accuracy...And not once did she feel the twang of guilt she expected too. Yes, she was supposed to heal, not kill. Isn't that what Rak'keli had been trying to tell her by depositing such a gift upon her, unasked? Self-doubt began to creep back in. Determined to start out the day with that positive, adrenaline driven feeling Addy rose from her blanket, shaking all other thoughts from her head. Bedroll was carefully refolded and stowed neatly in her pack. Sai had vacated the tent long before Addy had woken, so the woman took the time to empty out their remaining gear and broke down the tent. This was also returned back into its original pack. Next, Addy took the cooking gear they had used the night before and also began to repack that. Thanks to Kovac, the cleaning had gone moderately fast. Of course, Addy had been all smiles and stutters the whole time, though she did manage to joke and laugh a bit more naturally around the Avora away from the eyes of her sister and Renol. Aware of Sai's intense criticism of...well, everyone...Addy was determined to keep most of her interests in the opposite sex a secret, lest her sister not agree with her choice. Luckily for the healer, not many men in Wind Reach had the ability to hold her attention for more than a week, and so far her fears had not become a reality. With all the gear packed, Addy took a break before they headed out. Perched on the log that once settled near the fire, though now it had been moved to the edge of the clearing, the redhead watched as her companions to care of the rest of the camp. Sai carefully saddled Catabasis, silently and efficiently. The absence of any emotion through their connection hinted Addy off to the fact that Sai and her eagle were actually in deep conversation, mentally in a place far from where any link between the twins could touch. She tried not to let this bother her. Diverting her attentions, she watched the boys. Not that it was hard to do, they were both extremely easy to look at. Neither of them paid her much attention, intent on their own tasks. Renol with Fereo and Kovac with his gear. Addy found herself remembering one of them in her dream. But which? Would they remember? Was it even important? She knew that the dream left her feeling confident, as if it was a good omen for their upcoming hunting attempts. Fidgeting and never one to enjoy sitting idely, Addy looked around for something to do. Someone had already broken down the fire. There was literally nothing left for the woman to do but wait. Finally, everyone was ready and the quartet set off, Sai and Addy with Catabasis and Kovac with Renol and Fereo. Renol took the lead, claiming expertise in the landmarks they were searching for to lead them to their next camping ground. Surprisingly, Sai graciously backed Catabasis off to the side of the clearing, allowing Fereo to alight first. A smooth take off, and the birds were gracefully winging east. The trip was much more enjoyable this time around. First off, Sai had removed the braid from her hair, saving her sister from being whipped in the face the entire ride. Addy sent her twin a surge of gratitude and turned her gaze to the spectacular view below them. The sun glinted off the waters as the river meandered across the land below them, spectacular rapids in some sections visible even from their high vantage point. The vast amount of trees, the glimpses of the wildlife between the branches all left Addy with her mouth hanging open. And to imagine what she missed on the flight here! She would have to make sure to pay attention on their flight back. Suddenly, ahead and to their right, Fereo squawked alarmingly, his massive head turned, his golden eye fixed on the ground. The giant bird began to tilt towards the forest, as if he was going to dive. The reaction of the eagle seemed to take even Renol by surprise. Addy's grip on her sister's waist tightened, and she gasped as she watched the large Endal fight to control his eagle. Tearing her gaze from the hunters ahead of her, green eyes sought the origin of such a reaction. Ah. Far below, a heard of elk bounded in and out of view between the branches. Tapping Sai on the shoulder, the woman pointed, just in case she hadn't seen. Watching Renol fight with Fereo was bad enough. Addy didn't want to have to worry about Catabasis taking a metaphorical bit in his teeth and dive bombing his prey. He would find himself flying into camp sans two redheaded women. Arriving at the next campsite, Addy took a mental inventory as she climbed rather stiff-legged off of Catabasis. Renol and Kovac had already landed and dismounted, and seemed to be waiting for the girls before setting up. Both had all arms and legs. Their faces were as handsome as ever. They all had their packs, and Fereo also seemed to be mark free; He sat preening his feathers on the edge of the woods. Perfect. In a surge of her normal confidence, Addy grabbed her pack and strode over to where Kovac waited. She smiled, still somewhat shyly, and lifted a hand to point to the trees bordering the campsite. "We should probably just cut to the chase and assume I can't reach that branch about three feet above my petching head. Mind helping...again?" She wrinkled her nose, grabbing her and her sisters packs and tottering over to the indicated tree, bowed slightly under all the weight. The healer turned and raised a delicate brow, suppressing a smirk. "Pretty please? I mean, unless everyone was looking forward to a nice show of aerobatics. I'd be happy to oblige." Was that a hint of her old fire coming back? Perhaps. From directly behind Addy came a loud bleating, followed by the crash of something stomping through the underbrush towards the clearing. Startled, the woman jumped nearly out of her skin, dropping the packs in the process. Her attentions were focused on Kovac as she addressed him, her eyes sparkling mischievously. Before she knew it, Addy was on her butt in the dirt, scrambling away from whatever was trying to attack her from the bushes. Green eyes blinked owlishly, as the rustling increased ten fold. The suspense was killing her. Finally, she managed to pull herself to her feet via the aid of a nearby tree as....a goat plunged into the clearing. A goat. A petching goat. "REALLY?! Are you serious!" Picking up a small pebble, Addy flung it at the goat as it retreated back into the forest. The poor thing, probably started by Catabasis and Fereo, was even more startled than Addy to find itself face to face with four humans. Another bleat, and it skidded off back into the woods. But not before leaving the hunters a nice, smelly indication of it's fear in the middle of camp. At least Addy had only fallen over. However, she was too busy cursing the creature to pay attention to where she was walking...and yes, that's right. She found the foul present with her foot. The healers head sagged in defeat as she lifted her foot from the mess. Her shoulders drooped and the woman could barely meet the others eyes. She was almost afraid to see the looks on their faces. She knew her own was probably as red as it could get, and would be clashing superbly with her hair. Mustering all the dignity she could, Addy cleared her throat. "I saw a stream...over there. I'm going to go wash up." Straightening her shoulders, she marched with a distinctive clomp, squish, clomp, squish around the edge of the forest towards the small stream. Her eyes peered inconspicuously towards the edge of the trees. If she saw that goat again.... By the time Addy returned, the others had finished setting up camp. Thankfully, none of them had followed her and she was able to revel in her embarrassment alone. The delicious smell of roasting meat wafted towards her as she got closer. Picking up her pace, Addy wriggled into a space beside the fire, between Kovac and her sister, across the flames from Renol. She smiled at them all and took the offered meat. "I'm going to pretend this is my little friend, kay? Kay." And she dug into the meal, but this time she ate with a quiet satisfaction that had nothing to do with flavor. Addy retired early that evening, leaving the other three to discuss the details of the hunt the following morning. She knew what she needed to know; She would be with Sai, and they would bring back meat. Enough said. Sleep found the healer quickly, wrapped tightly in her bedroll, and she fell into a deep and easy sleep. Aidara woke with the dawn, eyes fluttering open when the light permeated the semi-thick tent material. She started the morning right: with a luxurious stretch that cleansed almost every muscle of sleepy fatigue. Before exiting the tent, Addy tucked the bedroll in around her sister, so she could enjoy a few moments longer of sleep. No, not really. Before Aidara left the tent, she thwaped her sister on the head. "Get up, lazy. It's our turn for breakfast" A quick trip to the stream to clean the eating utensils and the pots they used to cook last night, and Addy began breakfast. She stirred up the coals, setting a pot of water to boil over the small flames. Humming softly, as not to disturb the slumbering gentlemen, the woman sat cross legged in the dirt by the fire, taking the few quiet moments of the day she had left to arrange her curls into a plethora of braids, all falling down around her shoulders. Morning was so the best time of day. Hair done, the healer rummaged around in the flora at the edge of their camp. Muffled cries of delight punctuated the still morning air as Addy came upon a few treasures she could use for breakfast. By the time everyone was fully awake and moving about, there was a pot of mint tea boiling over the small fire, four bowls of berries placed neatly in the spots they had occupied for dinner. "Sai, lets head out towards that field, over to the west. With all those petching goats, there has to be something of interest in the field as well..." Addy suggested this as they equipped themselves with bows and knives. Aidara had to purchase a dagger for this trip, which she had tucked awkwardly into the top of her boot. Her bryda kept catching on the hilt, pulling awkwardly and causing her to constantly adjust her pants. Anxious to get going, as to not be shown up by the menfolk as they headed off into the woods, Addy hurried her sister along. However anxious and clumsy she appeared to be on a daily basis, while hunting the woman had some of the same natural flare as her sister. It really was a shame they weren't an Endal team. They would be unstoppable. Hardly a twig snapped or a leave crackled as the twins stalked through the forest, eager to avoid any kind of noise. At the edge of the field, only a short walk away from the camp, they stopped. Sure enough, the healers prediction was correct. There grazed a herd of mule deer. Luckily, the girls were downwind of the animals, and they were oblivious to the humans. Slowly, meticiously, Addy crouched down onto one knee. Four arrows were stuck head down into the loam in front of her, the bow strung across her back slowly lifted up and over her head. The string was tested with a few experimental pulls, but she never released. The twang would surely startle the deer. Lastly, almost as an afterthough, Addy strapped on her wrist guard."Are you ready?" she whispered to her sister, who was crouched next to her "Choose your target...on three." The first arrow in the line was plucked and fitted into her string. The bow was raised, her elbow drawing back on the string until her fist was near her ear. Addy took a deep breath as she drew back, the muscles in her arm tightening as they fought against the force of the bow. A slow exhale when the string was drawn back as far as she could go, and she held the shot."One..." Sighting along the bow, into the herd, Addy picked her target. "Two..." Near the edge, a medium sized female stood with her head in the tall grasses, angled towards the girl. A perfect shot. And one shot was all she would need. A brief moment while Addy closed her eyes and took another deep, calming breath. "Three!" All at once, she exhaled as the bow twanged, the string slapping smartly against her leather wrist brace. At the sound, the stags head flew up, alerted now for the danger. Addy didn't even pause now to check if her arrow had flown true, and had already picked another arrow, drawn back and let fly by the time the first deer bolted. Thud.....thud. A double hit. In the zone, Addy didn't even smile as she watched her doe topple to the ground, motionless. Her arrows seemingly hit true. She got lucky, this time. The twins rushed into the field after the last deer scattered. Each was able to take down a doe, and each tended to their own kill. Addy drew the dagger from her boot and made the swift, precise cuts she'd seen her sister do many times before. As quickly as possible, Addy bled out the deer, wrinkling her nose slightly in disdain, though she made sure her twin didn't see. Tucking her knife back into her boot, grabbing hold of the doe's legs and swinging the whole carcass up onto her back. Good, it wasn't too heavy. The load only made her stoop slightly, and the camp was practically a stones throw away. Pausing to wait for her sister to be ready, the two headed back to camp with their prizes, identical faces both lit with a pleased glow of success. By the time Renol and Kovac returned to camp, Aidara had already cleaned up their breakfast from the morning. Both of the womens kills were wrapped in sheets of canvas they took from their packs, stowed at the edge of camp until further notice. Addy was gathering wood by the edge of the forest, tossing it in a pile by their fire pit for later that night. Anyone who had been paying attention would notice the way her green eyes kept a wary look out for any kind of disturbance in the underbrush. When Kovac and Renol had finished preparing their kills for the eagles to fly back to Wind Reach, the four got together to discuss going out for a second time that day, together. "Well, whatever we bring back, we're going to have to smoke and salt it, or else it is going to spoil by the time Catabasis and Fereo get back from this trip." She nodded towards the large mound of meat that waited for the aforementioned eagles to carry away. And so out they went, the four of them together, into the woods. After a couple miles into their trek, Addy heard a noise. Holding up her hand to the other three, motion for extra caution, she scouted ahead. Just behind the next copse of trees, a gigantic moose lurked. Scurrying quickly but quietly back to her waiting companions, Addy towards Kovac. She placed a hand on his shoulder, pulling his head down so she could whisper in his ear. The adrenaline pumped in her ears, and it made her momentarily forget her shyness around the avora. "It's a moose. It is going to take all of us to bring it down, I think. You're our best shot. I suggest you take up the prime position, 'cause you will be able to shoot to kill." Green eyes sparkled as she grinned up at him, before scampering quietly off to deliver a similar message to Renol and Sai in turn. Waiting for Kovac to lead, Addy then followed him, positioning herself to the east of his chosen position. She had no clue where Renol and her twin had taken up for their shots. It was all up to Kovac. The groups success was obvious when they trooped back into camp, the four of them supporting the massive carcass of the moose. Aidara struggled greatly under the weight of the animal, but didn't utter a single complaint. When they had deposited their burden however, she nursed a sore shoulder. She sat rubbing it while they prepared another meat-tastic meal, dressed the moose for delivery got ready to bed. Exhausted, another dreamless slumber took Aidara immediately. The patter of rain against their tent woke her. Waking up to the rain was a much harder process than when one knew the sun was going to be shining. Addy lingered under her covers, loath to get wet as they set out to hunt once again. Upon exiting the tent, a fine rain pelted her face. Shivering and wrapping her arms around her, Addy took stock of the morning. Hm, the eagles still weren't back. This might be a problem. "Catabasis and Fereo still aren't back. Maybe we should take it easy today?" Warming herself by the fire, Addy sent this inquiry to each of her companions as they awoke and joined her near the warmth. Sure enough, they all agreed. Begging off the group trip, Addy spent the time at camp, double and triple checking the meat the eagles had left behind, still nursing her sore shoulder. It was her bow arm, she would have been completely useless had she gone. Another day passed, and yet another night of no dreams for the redheaded healer. In the morning, Addy set out once again with her sister, They followed the trail they took the first day out, towards the field. It was a gamble, but there was also the slight chance they would spot something else.....And they did. They took down a large elk with their combined efforts, though had to cut the meat from the carcass and bring back all they could carry. The elk was much too heavy for the two small women to carry whole. One, two...one, two..one, two, three...Wait, crap..one....two... Regretting that she told her sister that she would take her equal share of the weight, Aidara plodded along behind Sairque, counting her steps as she forced herself to keep moving forward. Despite the load that was much to heavy for her, Addy refused to utter a single complaint. Lips were pressed into a thin line, and she breathed heavily out her nose. Every once and a while, her steps would falter or she would have to step around a rock or branch, disrupting the steady thumping of the bundled meat against her thighs and butt. Each time this happened, Addy almost went tumbling face first into the forest floor. She knew they looked ridiculous, but thankfully Sai had decided to leave the teasing to a minimum, allowing Addy to slog along in silence. The boys were a different story. No doubt, it was a rather unconventional way to bring back the spoils of a hunt, but it worked. The women refused to pass up such a massive amount of meat, even though their tiny statures hindered them more than either would admit. Maybe the boys would tease them too badly when they got back to camp. Addy could already see the barely suppressed smirk that would hover over Kovacs lips, the cynical twist to his mouth at the women as they struggled. Renol..she imagined him laughing out loud. That, Addy could deal with, lobbing a quip or two in return. But the smirk...left her cheeks burning at just the thought. Clenching her jaw, the healer silently cursed the awkwardness of both of their burdens. Lifting her eyes from where she focused on the ground before her, Addy peered at her sister. At least Sai was having as much trouble with the size of the bundles as she was. Yes, it was a big too heavy for the woman but with that she could deal. The damn things were too long, and kept threatening to knock her legs out from under her with each step. Damn elk. Why couldn't they have come across a deer...or something tiny? Like....A sparrow. "Hey Renol! Kovac! Got us some bird!" Yes. That would have been fine. Stupid, stupid elk... With thoughts focused on the twins arrival to camp (preferably before the boys, so they could rid their backs of the elk meat in privacy), the thought of warm food and fire, Addy didn't notice the feeling the was slowly creeping into her mind...at first. And then, all at once, it was as if Sai was screaming in her head...well, screaming without words, or actual sounds. Green eyes widened as Addy stopped in her tracks, the bundle of meat almost slipping from her shoulders before she caught it. The weight of the meat all to one side knocked her off balance, and she fell to her butt with a soft thud. The healer gazed at her sister, still striding along the path ahead of her, smiling slightly to herself. Clearly not embarrassed or shameful. But....In her head, Addy felt nothing but those two emotions coursing along their link. The feelings, the "yell", from her twin was so strong at it's peak that Addy wrinkled her nose. "Sai...are you okay...?" And then her twin turned around, waiting for her to catch up, with a rather satisfied smile on her lips. Whoa. Way too much to deal with at this exact moment. Pale brow furrowed, green eyes sparkled in confusion as she struggled to her feet. A grunt, and Addy hoisted the sack back up across her shoulders, taking a deep breath before trudging up to where her sister waited. "When I'm not too busy lugging an entire elk across the petching world, We're going to have to talk about what just happened. You have a lot of explaining to do...like how" Despite the snippity quality of her tone, Aidara wasn't actually irritated with her sister. Disbelief was more accurate. And exhausted, sore, embarrassed, anxious, and hungry. She couldn't help but sigh in relief as she glimpsed their camp through the trees. Almost there. OOCHunka, you Challenged me to make it longer. You're welcome, Hunka, You're welcome.

[Kovac]

The vivid dream had stuck with Kovac for quite a while, prominent in his mind as the team broke camp. His dreams were usually disjointed and difficult to remember. But this one had been clear and coherent and it occupied much of his thoughts during the breathtaking journey to the hunting site. The Avora was not much for superstition, but he took his dream as a token of fortune, though he could think of no god that would find him interesting enough to bother inspiring. He remembered Aidara in the dream as well, both of them portrayed as almost heroic hunters, like characters in a fairy tale. The vision-like dream competed with other musings, like the tall redheaded Rider he had just moved in with. He thought of Shyath and their torrid encounters, the bold move they had just made and how to define what was going on between them. Then, there was the current...distraction. The Avora's head turned frequently to see the twins astride Catabasis, a curiosity about the quirky Aidara nudging for his attention as well, the attraction to the girl further evoking questions about both the dream's significance and the nature of his relationship with Shayth. This trip was supposed to be an escape from the complications of Wind Reach. The hunt had taken on some of its own complexities as well. Kovac studied the landscape as Fereo plummeted towards the landing site. It was a rich stretch of land, surely Renol was right that there would be plentiful game in this pristine terrain. The rituals of unloading and setting up camp ensued, the Endals tending to the eagles and the Avoras beginning to set up. Kovac had waited for Aidara to lug her and her sister's gear up to him, while he bore his packs and one of the talon packs. He did not crack a smile as she prodded him to help hang her supplies again. "Well, I will have to think about it, you know, its your job to hang your packs." Again, his trademark wry smirk appeared as he turned and headed toward the large maple tree. He watched Aidara as she came up behind him, bent under the burden of her load. Again she plead for assistance. 'Pretty please? I mean, unless everyone was looking forward to a nice show of aerobatics. I'd be happy to oblige.' Kovac could not suppress a laugh. "Well, you are the best entertainment I've seen so far this trip. But you've sat on the back of an eagle for bells on end and I am sure your lovely arse is already sore!" That sardonic smile returned, accompanied by a wink. He had thought he caught a roguish twinkle in the girl's green eyes, much to his delight. He could not deny that she was easy to look at, a beauty in the girl-next-door kind of way. Creamy smooth skin, girlish freckles brushed across her nose, youthful green eyes. Aidara was worth a second look, and with a quick glance he did...from deep red head to booted toe. Any further taunting and mutual admiration was interrupted by the rustling brush. Kovac instantly dropped his packs as well, his hand flying to the hilt of the talon sword on his back. He relaxed when he heard the telltale bleating. He stepped back laughing, barely getting out of the way as the startled Aidara again landed on her backside, panicked at the ruckus in the brush, struggling to gain her feet again. His laughter erupted into a guffaw as the harmless goat burst into the clearing, the angry girl tossing a stone at the poor animal. Then, the archer had only just caught his breath as he saw Aidara step soundly into the goat's dung. His laughter renewed, this time so uncontrollably that he doubled over. Tears blinded his eyes and he could not respond as the woman trudged off to clean her foot, leaving Kovac gasping for air. He had never remembered laughing so hard in all his life. He returned to setting up his tent and stowing the gear, noting Renol's resourceful use of his sword to remove the offensive goat pile. It was a wise move, lest any the rest of the party stumble into Aidara's predicament. Camp had been made and thoughts had turned to food. Sairque had mentioned seeing a goat, which evoked a reddening blush and muttered antics from her sister and a muffled chuckle from Kovac. Sairqe had challenged the men to a hunt in a blatant attempt to taunt them. Kovac did not take the bait, not unaware of the growing dynamics between the Endal. He simply gave the fiery female rider a grin and a shake of the head as Renol silently accepted the bawdy challenge and the two riders left to bag a meal. In the meantime, he was content to finish setting up camp with Aidara and starting a fire. The next day, Renol and Kovac set out apart from the girls to hunt. Renol was able to track and stalk, skills Kovac was still developing. The archer, on the other hand, offered the accurate shots to bring down prey. Renol, no slouch with his beautiful longbow himself, was ready to follow up to ensure the quarry did not escape, and hit at longer distances. The strategy they agreed upon to gain both bull elks was sound, Kovac taking position in a nearby tree while Renol approached on foot. The archer's short bow was more manageable in the tree, and he hid bare-chested in the branches while the stealthier Renol with his beautiful longbow drew closer to the prey. Both Endal and Avora had skillfully struck their elk, and Kovac began to feel a bit better about hunting with the Rider. The afternoon moose hunt was the first test of the four of them as a group. Aidara took a surprising lead in trying to organize the hunters, and Kovac felt a little self-conscious that she assumed such authority apart from the counsel of the Endal. He found, to his own surprise, that he did not deny her green eyes and smile she flashed him and moved up ahead towards the moose at her suggestion. Nocking a thicker, short range arrow to his short bow, he stole through the cover at the top of the bank, crouching as he neared the moose. The archer paused a moment for the others to take position, though he could not see them. Then he drew back and raised the bow, holding it sideways to keep it hidden. The majestic beast still drank unaware at the edge of the water. Kovac set the game in motion, sending his heavy arrow to slam into the moose's side, causing it to flinch and stagger back. Two more arrows hit it in quick suscession, then the animal was off, more shafts hitting it as it made a dash for the woods, where Kovac lost sight of it. He did see the direction Renol had sprinted towards, and Kovac broke cover to follow. Once he caught up with the long-legged Rider, the beast had already succumbed to the hunter's arrows. The true scale of its size was not realized until the four of them labored to return with as much of the meat as they could. Gods, they must be feeding every man woman and child in Wind Reach with the stacks of meat they had been providing. After the light day of goat hunting and meat curing, Renol and Kovac again hunted together, this time in the denser, older part of the forest. Again the men were successful, this time with the large boar. The had felled it without having to face its dangerous tusks, which the hunters took as a token of the hunt. Kovac was grateful for Renol's idea. Shrugging off his own long coat and laying it across the pole, he hefted his end onto his muscled shoulder. His scuplted torso did not bear the exotic inked markings like Renol's, but his skin was darker than most Inarta, having a faint olive glow that he inherited from his Vanthan mother. Kovac agreed the pole was a better way to lug the boar carcass, but he bristled when he heard Renol retort. Stick with me, Kid, and you’ll do just fine. It was the kind of remark that he was used to hearing from the arrogant Riders that enjoyed demeaning him. But after a deep breath his ire eased. The Avora was just getting to know Renol, but the man had not made such remarks to this point, in fact, he was a bit of a joker. So Kovac gave him the benefit of the doubt, shrugged off the comment as a harmless jibe, and gave a short laugh. The half-blood listened as Renol spoke. It was probably the most he had spoken while the two had been outside the camp during the trip. I always tend to clam up whenever I get my bow out. It gives me a one track mind for some reason. All I think about is tracking and hunting when it’s in my hands. Though Renol could not see it Kovac behind him, the archer's face lit up with roguish smile. It was his turn to take a good-natured jab. "I understand. It does seem, however, that your mind seems to be on a different track once we are all in camp." He let the snarky joke lay, concentrating in getting the boar back to camp.

[Dreamcatcher]

As the hunters made their way back to the campsite the rain finally went away. Here and there leaves began to fall into the foliage on the forest floor along with nuts. Winter was close at hand and soon the world would be a blanket of white snow and biting cold nights. However, the small respite from the rain had allowed the campers to hear a tree fall in the distance. Unbeknown to the group of hunters, the tree was the very same one that had housed their food supplies. The tree had been a large maple, living the past 50 years of its life in relative peace and good health. The tree had grown and survived countless attacks by disease and antlers. However, this last season had brought a root eating disease to the valley, and though the tree had survived the disease its roots had been weakened considerably. However, disease had not be the cause of the great fall, nor had the weight from the hunters food been the cause. No it was an old grizzly bear that had lived a long life in the valley. The goat field had been a favorite hunting spot for the bear, because wolves would usually kill goats near the field, and the berry bushes nearby helped to feed the grizzely for the long winter ahead. However, the bushes had been picked dry by someone, and as the grizzly went around the camp, he could smell death and meat. It wasn’t long before he had found the tree in which delicious and wonderful smelling food had be hung from. Slowly, the bear stood up, standing 14 feet in the air and then coming down upon the tree. Though the tree was old, some of the roots gave and it wobbled. Back and forth the bear began to move, the continued stress on the tree began breaking more roots and the wet soil could no longer support the weight. The tree fell, spilling all the hunters’ food over the field, and laying the great tree in the middle of their campsite. The grizzly simply began to eat, as the hunters continued on their way back to the tents. Renol and Kovac were the first ones there, they saw how the tree had fallen breaking some of their cooking gear and spreading the food about the campsite. Then a big brown lump partially moved, camouflaged by the maple. Kovac quickly realized that the lump was a large grizzly, one that was probably thick with fat and weighed upward of 1600lbs. The bear had probably become so large from the plentiful game that was located in the valley. While its sides showed that it regularly fought battles with male elk and moose. The bear had killed them with no more than scratches to show for it, so Kovac’s bow was probably useless against such a large beast. Kovac reasoned that though the arrow could penetrate the hide of the bear, unless he was less than a few feet from the bear the arrow was likely to be caught in the folds of fat and skin and not hit anything vital. Luckily he had realized that the bear was upwind of the two, and that they had the luxury of backing away. For Renol, he had known the valley had a few bears to it, but he would never have guess that such a thing existed. Looking around the campsite, Renol realized this bear was hungry; he had quickly developed several days’ worth of rations and the remainder of the deer they had roasted. The grizzly was quickly turning this into a very lean trip. However, without a spear, the creature was likely to kill them all and have them for dinner. Then he saw the ladies with their bright red hair approach the camp from the other side. The sounds of the bear chewing something stopped and its massive head went up. Renol and Kovac could hear Aidara say something to Sairque, which distracted her. It was then that they noticed the girls were wearing large strips and haunches of meat. It seemed that they too had great luck in finding an elk to kill and were now bringing back the meat tied over their shoulders. However, their good luck became bad as the scent of coppery blood filled the air. The bear began sniffing and the air smelled of blood and death. The women smelt like a wounded elk, and the bear was still very hungry. Kovac saw the fat saturated hide of the bear beginning to move, and then a deep thumping sound came from the ground. Renol and Kovac would have to break cover to target the bear. However, with the tree in the way and the bear running all their arrows would probably do is send it into a rage. Addy and Sai finally turned back to the camp to track up across the open field to their tents, when they saw the bear. It was perhaps the size of a cart, its head alone was the size of one of their torso. The bear noticed that it prey had reacted to its massive form, and now let out a roar that sounded across the field, its deep bass roar echoing off the rocky ridges. Birds flew from trees and even the trees seemed to shudder from it. For one moment, Addy noticed that its paw was the size of her head, while one of its claws could easy be as long as any of her fingers. Sai, having been on previous hunts knew that the bear was getting close to full speed; they needed to do something quick. With blood spattered about them, the bear would track them thinking that they were wounded. If they ran, they could make it to the camp or possibly up the nearest tree, but it had to be now.