Solo The Art of Trapping

[Lian Windrunner]

Timestamp: 46th Day of Fall, 514 AV Lian glared at his traps in disgust. It would be all to easy to come to hate the stupid things. Not because they were defective in any way, but because Lian's own lack of skill in using them made them all but useless to him. It was sheer luck on the rare time that he caught anything at all, and when he did, it was usually stolen from him by predators before he managed to get back to check and see if he had caught anything. Trying to puzzle things out on his own wasn't helping, so Lian decided that he needed to seek help. Perhaps someone over at the Hunter's Allegiance would be available, and willing to teach him what he needed to know. With that in mind, Lian gathered all of his gear, and left the tent. Once outside, he called for Talise. She galloped up to him, tossing her head, in good spirits. Lian chuckled at her antics. Then he stroked her gently until the mare calmed down, leaning into his touch. It had been a while since he had picked her hooves, so he decided to do so now. Lian retreated into the tent for a tick and returned with his hoof pick in hand. He stood near her shoulder, and stroked her neck soothingly. It was a soothing experience for both of them, and Talise relaxed under his gentle touch. When he was ready, he ran his hand down her right foreleg, and tapped the back of it. Talise sensed what he wanted, and lifted her leg obediently for him. He held her hoof with his left hand, and used his pick to scrape the mud and stones out. As Lian worked, he started at the heel, and worked his way slowly towards the toe. Before long, he was ready to clean out the frog of Talise's hoof. Knowing that it was a sensitive area, Lian set the pick aside, and used his fingers to work the mud and stones loose instead. Then he was finished. Lian released his strider's hoof gently. Then he repeated the process with the remaining three hooves. When he was finished, he retreated back into the tent once more to put the hoof pick away. "That wasn't so bad, now was it?" Lian asked his strider when he returned. Talise snorted, and shook her head. Then she shoved her nose into his chest hard enough to force the unprepared Lian back a step. Then she blew in his face. Lian chuckled at the strider's antics. "Is that what you think?" Lian asked with a laugh. Talise snorted again. Then she settled down. Lian started walking towards the Hunter's Allegiance at a brisk pace. Talise followed close behind him. As the pair made their way through the tent city, they had to weave their way around groups of children playing, and adults going about their business. Even so, they made good time. When he arrived at the Hunter's Allegiance, Lian began looking around for someone who might be willing to teach him.

[Lian Windrunner]

"Can I help you with something?" Lian turned to face the man who had spoken to him. The man was roughly a foot or so taller than he was, and had sandy brown hair. His strider, a tall, elegant looking black stallion stood beside him. Lian vaguely recognized the pair as volunteers who often offered their services as practice partners when Lian was trying to hone his skills. "I hope so. Do you know anything about traps?" he asked hopefully? His hands made a sharp gesture that conveyed his disgust at his own lack of skill quite plainly. "Some, yes. What are you hoping to learn?" Lian scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "Anything I can, really. I'm hopeless with these things. The one thing going for me is that I never lose them." The man looked impressed. "Really? Not even once?" Lian nodded. "That is impressive. Most trappers lose track of a trap or two once in a while. What is your secret?" Lian had to force himself not to scowl in irritation. Although the man's words were polite enough, his tone and stance suggested that he thought that Lian was exaggerating considerably. "Ive tied my traps into the Web. It's not all that impressive, really. It's impossible to lose my traps when all I have to do is look for them in the Web." The man raised an eyebrow, and whistled. "You tied the traps into the Web? Or did you ask someone else to do it for you?" "I did it myself. Webbing is...well, I've always enjoyed working with the Web." "Are you a member of the Watch, then?" Lian shook his head. "No. When I was a child, I wanted to be a Webber. That's all I wanted to do. And in pursuit of that dream, I'm ashamed to say that I didn't pay as much attention to other lessons as I should have. As a result, I'm not skilled enough to work for the Watch. Perhaps someday, though." "What do you do, then?" "I'm a hunter. Had I paid more attention to what my father and brother wanted to teach me when I was a child, I would be a better hunter than I am now. But I do have one thing going for me; I use my Webbing skills to help me hunt." The man's eyes widened in surprise. That surprise was echoed in his hands, and was a sense that he was impressed with the idea. "How?" he asked simply. "Well, for one thing, once I'm certain that I'm not in immediate danger, I enter the Web to get a feel for my surroundings. By doing so, I can check to see where the nearest predators are, and if they are heading in my direction or not. So in some ways, I am in less danger while out in the Sea of Grass than I normally would be. If I sense glassbeaks anywhere near by, I vacate the area immediately. Likewise if I sense a pack of wolves on the trail of prey and headed in my direction, or anything else that might be a threat. I am trying to improve my tracking skills, but if I lose a trail completely, I can enter the Web to see if I'm still heading in the same direction as my prey, and get a feel for how far away it is. Or if I can't find a trail that is easy enough for me to follow with my current abilities, I can enter the Web and look for deer rather than predators. That way, I get a direction to head in, and a sense of how far away my prey is. And with luck, I will run into a trail I can follow once I'm headed in the right direction. It's not exactly the normal way to hunt...but it does get the job done, and it allows me to be successful as a hunter despite not having learned what I should have when I was a child." The man whistled again. "Successful? I should say so! Do you bring something back every time you go out hunting, then?" Lian chuckled ruefully, and shook his head. "No, of course not. Finding prey is one thing. Being able to bring it down is another matter entirely. It's a waste of time and arrows for me to go after any kind of bird, for example. I'm nowhere near good enough with a bow to bring down a bird in flight. Anything smaller than a rabbit is too small of a target for me to have much of a chance of hitting, unless I get lucky enough to get really close to it. And even then, if it spooks, I'm out of luck. Moving targets can also be a challenge for me. So while Webbing is a very useful tool, it doesn't guarantee a kill." "I...see. Well, I'm meeting a friend soon to get some practice in of my own. But if you want to wait a few bells, I can give you some pointers on how to use those traps of yours more effectively. What do you say?" Lian grinned, and nodded. "Sounds good. I can use the time to practice with my bow." "I'll come find you when I'm done, then." With that, the man walked away, looking for his friend.

[Lian Windrunner]

Lian hadn't thought of bringing his archer's targets with him this time since he was hoping to learn more about trapping rather than practicing with his short bow. So he walked around until he found someone who was volunteering at the Hunter's Allegiance, and asked to borrow some targets. He set them up in a diagonal line so that each would be a little further from where he was standing than the next. Then he moved back so that he was a good twenty yards away from the first target. For the first several rounds, he just practiced shooting at the targets. Drawing the bow, stringing the arrow, and firing. Hitting the target was what mattered, not where the arrow struck. The movements now felt natural to him, but he still needed to build up speed. He was losing many of the animals he attempted to bring down for the simple reason that it took too long for him to fire the arrow. Distance was a factor as well. Lian found that he could hit the first three targets consistently. The fourth and fifth targets were harder. He managed to hit them roughly half of the time. The next two were harder still, but he could hit them once in a while. Beyond that, he had yet to strike the target even once. After a bell or so, Lian began taking accuracy into account. It wasn't enough just to hit the target anymore. He wanted to strike the bullseye. Again, distance had an affect on his aim. While far from easy, it was easier for him to hit the bullseye on the closest target than it was for him to hit more distant ones. And he found that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't strike the bullseye on any target further from him than the third one, save by sheer luck. The wind was an even greater factor when it came to accuracy. The slightest breeze could affect his aim, blowing the arrow off course enough that it hit the target, but not the bullseye he was aiming for. Sometimes a breeze could make him miss the target entirely if it was strong enough. A single muscle twitch as he was firing his arrow had the same effect. Another bell passed, and Lian decided to try something else. When out in the Sea of Grass, he was often riding Talise when he needed to shoot his bow. Attempting to hit the targets with his arrows while on Talise's back might help his accuracy when he was hunting. So after he retrieved all of his arrows, he waved Talise over. The strider mare trotted over readily enough, but she butted him in the chest with her head, demanding his immediate attention. Lian chuckled, and stroked her neck while telling her how beautiful she was. Talise preened for a few chimes, then settled down. Lian mounted his strider. Sensing his need, Talise stood rock steady while he readied his bow, and took aim. He did his best to adjust for the light breeze, and loosed his arrow. It flew true, but he had misjudged how much the breeze would affect its flight. As a result, did strike the target, but it was closer to the rim than the center. Lian scowled in frustration. He tried again, but Talise shifted her weight in response to a slight movement of his leg as he fired his arrow. This time, the arrow missed the target completely. Using his bow while he was mounted was an entirely matter than trying to shoot while standing on the ground. The height was different, and had to be accounted for, or it would affect his aim. And strider and rider had to be in perfect sync. If Talise moved even the slightest bit while he was firing an arrow, his aim would be off. Lian decided that he would practice while mounted from now on until he could master the ability. More often than not, he was riding Talise when he was trying to take down his prey. If he had to stop, and dismount before he could take the shot confidently, it was likely that he would miss the opportunity to take the shot at all. Lian eventually wanted to learn how to fire an arrow while Talise was galloping towards his prey. Or away from a predator, for that matter. The ability would improve his chances of bringing down game considerably. And if he mastered it, he would be safer if attacked while hunting. He might even be able to take down bigger game on his own. But even attempting to learn that skill would have to wait until he got better at using his bow while just sitting on Talise's back.

[Lian Windrunner]

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting for so long." Lian turned to face the man who had spoken. Another man stood next to him, and Lian guessed that he was the friend the other man had gone to meet. "Don't worry about it. I was using the time to practice with my short bow." Lian told them, dismissing any worries they might have. "You're a hunter, right? Is the short bow your primary weapon?" Lian nodded. His hands made a sign that meant he was answering both questions. "Yes, it is." "What other weapons do you know?" "None, why?" The man looked startled. Then he recovered quickly, and shrugged. "No reason, really. It's just that most of the hunters I know have a primary weapon that they try to master, and a second one that they at least know the basics of. And if you count a hunting knife as a weapon, then they know three." Lian considered the man's words for a few ticks. Then he shrugged. "I've thought about trying to learn another weapon. If I do, it will probably be a bola. I've been on plenty of hunts when it would have been a huge help had I had something to entangle the legs of my prey so it couldn't escape. But I never seem to have enough time to devote to learning a new weapon, and I would never be able to risk relying on a second weapon if I don't have a good grasp on the basics of how to use it. That would be like begging to get killed out there." The man chuckled. "That's true enough." The sign he made with his hands showed that he was agreeing with both statements. "I don't see why you wouldn't have the time to learn a second weapon, though. Using Webbing to find your prey as you do must mean that it takes you a lot less time to make a kill." the first man said. Lian frowned. "Not really. I told you before that being able to find prey, and actually being able to bring it down are two very different things. Besides...I only use Webbing when absolutely necessary since I'm trying to improve my tracking skills." "That's still impressive, though. I've never heard of someone using Webbing that way before." The man's signs reflected his sincerity. "I wonder...the Watch sometimes sends groups out that have a Webber among them. Would a hunting party benefit from that, too? The other members of the party could keep the Webber safe while he was locating their prey, and keeping them on course to find it. And if the Webber had some skill as a hunter as well, they would be able to help take the prey down, too. Even if they didn't, it would cut down on the time spent away from the city if they could guide the others to their prey. Keeping an eye on whether there were any dangerous predators in the area would be a big help as well. I really think that someone should try it. I know that I'd love to try hunting with a Webber." Lian grinned. "It might be worthwhile to try it at that. I've had a little experience in hunting with a partner, but I've never hunted with a group before. It could be interesting." he mused.

[Lian Windrunner]

"It sounds like something I might be interested in being a part of if you ever get a hunting party organized. For now, though...you came to get a lesson in how to use traps, right?" Lian nodded. "Which kind do you use?" Lian dismounted so he could show the two men the roll of thin rope his kit came with, as well as the snares. "Have you ever considered using live animal snares?" one of the men asked. At Lian's blank look, both men chuckled. "A live animal snare is a stout cage that has a spring loaded trap. They come in different sizes. The larger ones will allow you to catch rabbits, squirrels, and the like. The smaller ones are good for catching mice, and frogs. The advantage in using these kind of traps is that your prey is likely to still be there when you come back to check on your traps. Predators can't get at the creatures inside the cages. They can be a little expensive, though. One big enough to catch mice and frogs is likely to cost you a gold miza. And one of the larger ones usually goes for five gold mizas." Lian scratched the back of his head, hoping that he didn't look as embarrassed as he felt. "Well, that's one of the questions I wanted answered - how to keep predators from getting at what little I do manage to catch before I can get there." he said ruefully. The two men chuckled again. "Well, you do seem to have mastered one of the most important rules in trapping, at least." "Oh? What rule is that?" "Don't lose your traps." This time, it was Lian's turn to chuckle. "Yeah, that's not much of a problem for me." he replied with a grin. "Do you have any other specific questions we can answer?" Lian considered the question carefully for a few chimes. "It's more that I really don't know what I'm doing when it comes to traps. At all. I bought a hunter's kit a few seasons ago. The traps came with it, so I decided to try my luck with them. I've caught a few things, but even when I catch something, all I ever really see is the evidence that I caught something. Most of the time a predator gets anything I manage to catch."

[Lian Windrunner]

The two men seemed to consider Lian's words for a few chimes. "Where do you place your traps when you use them?" one finally asked. Lian's confused look told them all they needed to know. "Out in the Sea of Grass..." Lian said after a few ticks. His tone and posture was questioning, and his hands flashed through a set of signs asking what that had to do with anything. "Out in the Sea of Grass, yes...but do just put them anywhere? Or do you look for a spot that meets the right criteria?" "I often set one up by a stream or river since that's where I go in the hopes of finding a trail I can follow. Is that what you mean?" "That's a good start, yes. But there are other things you should look out for as well." "Like what?" Lian asked eagerly. "Look for places animals go frequently. Dens are a good place to put snares if you can find them. Or places where animals feed. Look for droppings, lots of tracks, shelters where an animal can hide if its surprised by a predator, scratches in the dirt, and other signs of feeding. If you set your snare up in a location where the animals you are trying to trap go to often, you will have a much greater chance of catching something than you will be putting them up randomly." Lian nodded. Looking back, he thought he remembered that the few times he had caught something had been when he'd seen what he'd thought to be a den nearby. "Another thing to be aware of is to know what you are trying to trap. You can't catch a rabbit with a snare meant to catch frogs. Likewise, it's useless to try and catch a mouse with a snare meant for a squirrel." Lian nodded again. That made sense. "A mouse would be able to escape from the larger trap meant for a rabbit, and the noose on a smaller snare would be too small to trap a larger animal like a squirrel or rabbit, right?" "Yes, that's it exactly. And in the case of a live animal snare, a rabbit won't fit in the cage meant for a mouse or frog." "What kind of knot do you use when making your snares?" the other man asked. This drew another blank look from Lian. "Maybe it would be better if you showed us." One of the men offered Lian a piece of rope. Lian took it, and stared at it for a few ticks, visioning himself tying the knot in his head. Then he gripped the ends of the rope. The right end went under the left, and was pulled tight. Then the process was repeated two more times. Over, under, and pull tight. It took longer for Lian to tie than the knot that he cared to admit to, and he had to make several attempts since his fingers kept fumbling with the rope, and making him do something wrong. But finally, he handed the rope back to the men. They eyed the rope for a few ticks, glanced at him, and laughed. Lian scowled at them. He knew he wasn't any good with traps! That's why he had come here in the first place! "Well...I guess we have a lot to work on when it comes to tying knots." one of the men said finally.

[Lian Windrunner]

Lian's scowl deepened. Then he sighed ruefully as he turned red with embarrassment. "I did say I wasn't any good with traps..." he muttered uncomfortably. "I'm sorry. It was wrong for us to laugh like that. Everyone has to start somewhere when learning a new skill. So lets start with this. In order to have any luck whatsoever with traps, you need to know what knots to use, and how to tie them." Lian nodded. He managed to bite back a sarcastic response to the man's words, but it was a near thing. "So. The knot you showed us will work when you are anchoring the snare to something. But the knot you want to use to make the noose is called a slip knot. I'll show you how to tie it." The man untied Lian's poor excuse for a knot, then glanced at Lian to make sure he was watching. Then he made a loop in the rope, by bringing the end of the rope that he held in his right hand under the end of the rope that he was holding in his left hand. When he was done, the rope was crossed left over right at the bottom of the loop. The man then secured the loop with his left hand, holding it tightly between thumb and finger. Again, he glanced at Lian to make certain he was paying attention. Lian was watching closely. He was determined to learn how to tie a slip knot properly. If he could improve his trapping skills, he could increase the amount of game he was able to bring in considerably. And with a child on the way, the extra mizas he would earn from selling what he brought in would come in handy. Since making a noose required a slip knot, and you had to make a good noose to set up a snare that had any hope of success, Lian had to learn this. The man reached through the loop with his right hand so he could grab hold of the rope on the left side. He then pulled it back through the loop. Then he let go of the loop he had been holding in his left hand so that he could grab the two hanging ends. After that, he pulled his hands away from each other. As he did so, he twisted his right hand clockwise until the knot was tight. "See? It's easy to do once you get the hang of it. And watch." The man demonstrated how the knot would slide along the rope. "The snare works because the rope, or in the case of a real snare, the wire pulls tight around the prey's neck when it sticks its head through the noose. The harder the animal struggles, the tighter the noose gets, until the snare strangles it." Lian thought about the man's words for a few ticks. "Why would an animal stick its head through the noose to begin with?" "It depends on how the snare is set up. If you set it along a trail, you can position it so that the animal can't see the noose. It ends up walking right into it. You can also position the snare so the noose in on the ground, and place some bait in the center. The trap is sprung when the animal goes for the bait. But for that to be successful, you have to know what the animal you hope to trap eats, and find something to tempt it into the snare." Lian nodded thoughtfully. "Do you think that you're ready to try the knot on your own?" "Yes." The man untied his knot, and handed the rope to Lian. Lian stared at it for a couple of chimes, remembering what he had just seen the man do. Then he began. He managed to make his loop correctly, but he secured it with his right hand, and reached through with his left. The man cleared his throat, making Lian hesitate, and look up at him. "The knot won't work properly if you do it that way." he cautioned. Lian stared at his hands for a couple of ticks, as he tried to figure out what he had done wrong. "I...used the wrong hand to reach through the loop?" he asked hesitantly. The man nodded. Lian let go of the loop, and began again. On his second attempt, Lian managed to make better progress, but when it came time to grab the dangling rope ends, he was careless, and only grabbed one of them. Once again, his teacher cleared his throat. "That won't work either." Lian frowned, and looked at what he had done. This time, he realized his mistake immediately. But instead of grabbing the second dangling end, he undid his progress, and started from scrap once more. He wanted to get this right. His third attempt was a success, and Lian felt a rush of pride at his accomplishment. As simple as it was, it was a significant step in learning how to use his traps properly, since without a noose that would work as it should, his snares would be useless. "Can you do it again?" Lian nodded determinedly. He untied his knot, and started over again. He worked slowly, but he didn't make any mistakes this time. "Good. I think you have the basics down. Speed will come with practice, as with anything else. I would recommend that you practice the slip knot for at least half a bell each day until you really get the hang of it, and can tie it perfectly each time. When you master it, it will only take you a few ticks to get it right each time." Lian nodded, and thanked the man. "So, to make a snare, I would just tie a slip knot to make a noose, then anchor the other end to something, right? A rock, or some grass that I've twisted together to make it strong enough not to break when the animal struggles?" "Yes, that's right. You'd want to position the snare along a trail, at the height of the head of the animal you want to trap. And in case you're interested, this particular snare is called a ground snare. There are several other types, but those will have to wait for another lesson. I can watch you make a ground snare or two if you'd like, though. It will give you a feel for making a noose with wire, and for anchoring the snare properly." Lian considered the offer. It was starting to get late in the day. Although it hadn't started getting dark yet, the sun's light was starting to dim. Dusk wasn't all that far off. Lian wanted to get back home to check on his captive. Now that he knew Seirei was pregnant, he felt the need to check up on her from time to time to make sure nothing was wrong with the baby. But this was important, and he wanted to be able to make at least one kind of trap reliably. So he nodded. "I have enough time for that. Thank you for being willing to being willing to stay long enough to help me with this." The man dismissed Lian's words of thanks with a grin, and a hand sign. Then he offered Lian a piece of wire. Lian took the wire with a grin of his own. Then he went to work. As the man had warned, working with the wire felt differently than the rope did. It was much thinner, so it was harder to see what he was doing. But he worked slowly, and was persistent. And after his fifth attempt, he had a noose he thought would hold. He knew that if he was setting a snare for real, he would have to find just the right place to set it. But since this was just practice, that wasn't necessary. So he chose the nearest cluster of grass, and twisted it together, forming a grass rope without tearing the grass from the ground. Holding the newly made grass rope firm, he dropped into a crouch so he could anchor his snare along the ground. Lian wrapped the free end of the snare around the grass rope several times, then tied a knot to anchor it. When he was done, he looked up to see if he had set the snare up correctly. "Not bad. You can also use a rock to anchor the snare if you can find one that is big enough. Or a stake if you have one. Either would be more stable than what you have there. But that should work well enough for a small animal like a mouse or a frog. Do you want to try again? I have a stake you can use." Lian took the man's offer gratefully, and took the offered stake and piece of wire. He made a noose in the second piece of wire. It took him more time than he would have liked it to, but he didn't make any mistakes. When he was done, he set the wire down, and picked up the stake. He drove it into the ground firmly. "You'll need to drive the stake in deeper than that. If you don't, it may pull free as the animal struggles." Lian nodded. Then he found a rock, and used it to hammer the stake in even further, until only an inch or two was visible. When he looked up, the man nodded approvingly. Lian then picked up the piece of wire once more. As before with the grass rope he had made, he wrapped the free end of the wire around the stake several times before tying the knot to anchor it further. Once again, the man nodded in approval when Lian glanced up at him. "I think you've got the hang of it now. It will become easier with practice, of course. I've got to get going, but I'm usually here for a few bells each day. Feel free to come find me again if you want another lesson some time." Lian thanked the man once more. He watched the man leave. Then he gathered up his gear, whistled for Talise, and headed home himself.

[Ssezzkero]

Grades

Lian Windrunner

XP:

Intelligence +3
Horsemanship +1
Riding +1
Observation +3
Socialization +4
Teaching +1
Weapon: Shortbow +2
Wilderness Survival +2

Lores:

Grooming: Picking Hooves
Shortbow: Combining speed and accuracy
Location: Hunter's Allegience
Trapping: Finding the best location
Using webbing to keep track of your traps
Knot: Slip-knot
Hunter's often weird multiple weapons
Combining webbing and hunting
Using webbing for hunting
Trapping: Making it stay
Use the correct trap for the correct animal

Notes: Don't forget to edit your post in the request forum as 'Graded'. PM me if you have any questions or concerns.