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[Khida]

Winter 37, 516 AV
morning

The day before had been spent in establishing camp, after a journey that even Khida recognized was not part of the city's normal progress; the lake they had come to was no landmark she recognized. Lari Lake, she had heard it called; the river, at least, she did know by name. Strangest of all, the Drykas had elected to send their herds away from the city, driving them around to the far side of the lake with abundant escorts in attendance. That act had made more sense after their wife explained the city intended to remain longer than usual; in her years with Endrykas, Khida had certainly seen what a large number of grazers might do to the land they passed through.

Having the herds set apart made the city much quieter than usual -- both in actual sound and in the sense of activity. There were no rumbling bleats, no youths driving flocks to new pasture, even a distinct lack of herding dogs bounding about. It struck Khida as more than a bit strange, as she tacked up her Strider and they made their way beyond the city's bounds.

She had scouted the area in falcon form the day before, both evaluating the environment for hunting potential and observing the patterns of activity the Drykas settled into. The immediate vicinities of city and grazing herds alike were not places where she might expect to find game. Elsewhere on the lakeshore had some promise; Khida was particularly optimistic about a cove on the north side, where a small spring-fed rill flowed into the lake. It was quite far from where the herds were being kept, and there were a fair number of shrubs in the area to provide cover.

It took a solid bell of riding, given the Kelvic's reluctance to encourage anything faster than a walk from her Strider, for them to reach the area she had selected. All the while, the sense of strangeness that had arisen in the city refused to leave her, even though she had left its tents well out of sight. Something wasn't right, and that feeling kept her watchful, not least because she couldn't quite put a finger on what seemed off.

This whole entire season was wrong. Today was just one more in the growing multitude of unrightnesses.

Approaching their destination, Khida let her weight settle back, cueing Sephra to a halt. She dismounted, hesitated at the horse's side for a moment, then assembled all the equipment she didn't exactly expect to need -- namely, her bow and its associated gear -- as well as the things she would certainly need for traps. It was little enough to carry, strapped to her back, easy enough to slip out of as well... and there was something about today that felt like before, when she had found monsters in the midst of an otherwise abandoned glen.

Not that she had reason to believe there were monsters about, here and now. But... something seemed similar.

Better to be ready.

Signaling for Sephra to wait, watch, be ready, Khida set out to walk upstream, studying the ground and grasses for signs of prey. Not necessarily actual prey -- though she wouldn't turn down such fortune -- but the trails and tracks their habits left behind. If she found a trail, she could lay traps either by the water or some den at the other end, and perhaps snare something by tomorrow.

Water being the necessity for life that it was, it didn't take Khida long to find a well-worn path in the grass. About as wide as her hand, she thought it might have been made by a large grazer, deer or antelope or something of the kind; not really the kind of prey she was looking for. She found no actual prints in the dry soil of the slope, nor scat lying in the immediate vicinity, either of which would have confirmed her guess at the path's makers. The ribbon of flattened grass did cross right over the stream's gully and continue up the opposite slope, so she did the same, hoping to perhaps find prints in damper earth. No such luck.

The top of the opposite slope, though, held the remnant of an old print, pressed in sun-baked soil as hard as brick. Its edges had crumbled, precise features become indistinct, but it had the paired-oblong profile of ungulate hooves. She thought it might be as old as the storm of several days past, perhaps made in the evening after the weather had calmed.

...which seemed like a rather long time for a print to be sitting here, entirely undisturbed.

Khida space Common | Pavi
other space Common | Pavi

[Ashka Windrunner]

As Syna was following her journey to the highest point in the skies, heat was making its way down to the Tent city, rolling around Pavilions and embracing all in its heavy arms. The temperatures were still warmer than the past fall, and that could not mean anything good. The Conclave even chose to ignore the yearly course of the Run to settle near fresh water, and for a longer time than usual. She had overheard some worrying conversation between the Elders, about winter not coming and the difficult spring that will follow, and there was a nervousness in the air about the days to come. This first month of warm winter had already put the natural cycle of seasons out of balance.

Luckily, it had been decided that Endrykas would settle on the banks of Lake Lari. The air was fresher, and at least water was easily accessible. There was one thing less to worry about. And Ashka liked the lake, she had many memories of days spent in the water and foraging around.

Four of her family members had left early in the morning with their herd, joining the others to lead the animals along the river. It was quite unusual to send them so far away from the city, but otherwise there would be too much competition on the lakeside. As she walked towards her Strider, yvas in hand, she noted something different in the city around her : the absence of the familiar buzzing background sounds. With most the animals and their guardians gone, there was a stillness in the air she was not used to. Tents seemed much further away from each other than usual, and the city was almost quiet. There was no occasional dog running between the tent, nor the ordinary flocks of zibri grazing about.
But maybe she should just enjoy the space. After all, it will only last as long as they camp here.

She greeted her stallion with open arms and ran her hands through his ash-coloured mane. Lako welcomed her with a soft nicker and stepped closer, sniffing her neck, her arms, curious to see what she will ask of him.
-There, there. I am glad to see you too. The words were soft, loving. Both felt the warmth of their bond reinforcing. The Drykas placed her pad and yvas on his back and jumped atop.
Not so agile. She firmly grabbed the yvas' handles while trying to get her balance right, legs tightening around the Strider's sides, weight shifting onwards.

Lako interpreted her agitation as a demand to get moving, and he started walking. Wrong way, she thought, and she adjusted her posture to lead the horse along the lake banks and outside of the city.

Ashka had spent the previous day helping at setting up the family Pavilion and gathering water and dried grass for the fire. Today she was done with the mundane tasks and charged with a more challenging mission : find food. She knew there would be meals waiting to be caught in the lake itself, but really she wasn't so good at fishing. Thinking of it she was not so good at hunting either, but you have to start somewhere. So out they went in the hope that today Caiyha's favours would fall upon her.

They found a place somewhere outside of Endrykas, near a small stream flowing into the great body of water. Not that she knew exactly where game could be found, but the riverbanks the pair had walked by before were too busy with people, and there was no point for her searching where others had not caught anything. They had been riding for a long time now and this place seemed far enough that game would possibly still be around undisturbed. Shifting her weight to the rear, she signified her Strider to stop, then dismounted.

The Drykas had her bow in her hands and arrows in her bag, but she wasn't too confident with them. Truth be told, never had she hit a moving target with this gear. She was a little more hopeful about the rope she had brought ; maybe she'd be able to set some snares around ? The young woman's hopes tipped towards rabbits or ground nesting birds.
Her eyes wandered over the surroundings as she walked around, looking for hints or tracks to tell her there was prey around. A flattened pattern in the grass near the water caught her attention, and she approached, inquisitive. There was definitely a path here. The stalks were all stamped down, all the way from across the runnel. Seemingly a creature had walked through the grasses to satisfy its thirst, but, judging by the size of the trail, it would be an ambitious move to try and hunt down the animal. She kept her examination going.

Yet the inexperienced hunter did not find any other trails after a thorough search, so she resolved to follow the path along the stream. She crossed the running water and tracked it up to the top of the opposite side, but what she stumbled upon there was not a sight she expected.

There was another hunter already on the tracks. A woman was there, leaning over what Ashka thought to be a hint in the trail.
-Oh, hi ! The tone was slightly high as the meeting was unexpected, her hands automatically signing greetings to the stranger.

[Khida]

An intermittent crunching, rustling noise teased Khida's ears -- the sound of dry grass disturbed by striding feet. She turned towards the sound, cautious, but not immediately alarmed; not when the approaching presence was so bold and straightforward, yet also without haste. It proved to be another hunter, a Drykas woman with auburn hair and darkly tanned skin, shortbow held at rest in her hand. She spoke with surprise, and signed a cordial greeting as each regarded the other.

Greetings, Khida's hand shaped in automatic reply, action made all but reflexive by her seasons with the city. She considered the stranger for a long moment, she who had apparently much the same thoughts and intentions as the Kelvic. Slightly annoying, to have someone else on the same track as she -- even if the deer hadn't been her intended quarry.

Track, much old, Khida finally elaborated, gestures fluid from extensive use but her vocabulary stilted and sparse even beyond the intrinsic nature of sign, clear indicator of the Kelvic's ultimately foreign origin. She waved towards the print she had been examining, stepping back several paces so the woman might view it for herself. Maybe deer, maybe not. Go often, go water, go sleep. But old. Not here go soon.

Casting a glance down the length of the trail, Khida considered its unknown other end. Probably somewhere with brush, where the grazers might rest behind its covering screen. If deer bedded down there, perhaps other creatures would as well; cover was cover, no matter what you were.

And, now that she thought about it, a sleeping deer might even be something she could sneak up on.

But the other hunter was an unknown variable in that agenda. If she was after deer, Khida might return to looking for pheasant and grouse and rabbit tracks instead. She set that thought into action, part of her attention remaining with the stranger but the rest returned to surveying the ground. She took slow, measured steps out over the rise, looking for any other prints that might have been captured in the soil. Just because deer had made the trail didn't mean other creatures wouldn't use it; anything that led to water was beneficial.

Unfortunately, it became evident in fairly short order that either the one cervine track was a fluke, or simply nothing else had traversed the hill during that critical period of impressionable soil. If she was to find actual game, Khida would have to range farther afield.

Khida space Common | Pavi
other space Common | Pavi

[Ashka Windrunner]

As the woman turned to her, Ashka noticed her looks ; unbraided black hair and bright amber eyes spoke of a non-Drykas native, yet she greeted her back in Pavi. Her hands spoke of old tracks, prey coming through to get to the water, small chances at the hunt. Her gesture was clear and straightforward, although tinged with a slightly peculiar feel.
She stepped away from the track, giving Ashka a chance to have a closer look.

The Drykas kneeled down, examining the soil. The path was old, indeed. The pointy shape of a two-hooves foot could be seen in the earth, but so dried out it was clear the animal had passed there days ago. In Semele's parched skin, the print was slowly falling apart, untouched. No point in following this way, Ashka thought. Standing up on her feet, her eyes scanned the area for hints at a potential presence of preys, more recent than the old double hoof print.

The grassland on her right stretched afar, Zulrav's breath swirling among the tall stems. A long way on her left, the bright structures of Endrykas contrasted against the greenish canvas of the Sea of Grass and the sapphire tones of the lake. The sky was clear. Buzzing insect activity filled the warm air.
Nothing came to sight despite an conscientious search. Ashka sighed with frustration. It seemed like she'll have to venture further away in the plain to find the author of the print, and that could be a very dangerous route. And she really didn't have time for a days-long expedition. Her Pavilion was counting on her.

She turned to the other hunter, who was looking for tracks as well. Ashka considered her options. If the woman wanted to brave the grasslands for big game, Ash would not be able to follow. The auburn-hair huntress wasn't proficient enough with her bow to take down such animals. She'll have to go back to search for smaller preys, maybe set some traps. That deer was long gone but there had to be game near the lake. She considered the stranger and her gear. Maybe they could work together. They'd be more efficient if they joined forces ; after all, two pairs of eyes and two bows were worth more than one.

Perhaps the other would not be interested in teaming up, though. Ash knew of many hunters who preferred to work by themselves.

Did you find anything else ? She inquired. Nothing here, Ash signed, showing the area she had just examinated.
Maybe over there. Will you go ? Her hands indicated the wildlands onward, where the trail appeared to be heading.

[Khida]

It seemed Khida was not the only one having difficulty finding recent spoor, as the red-haired huntress caught her attention with a query and an expression of failure. No find, the Kelvic echoed readily enough. The woman went on to wave towards the distance, asking if she would search further. Khida looked down the stretch of the game trail, considering its presumed far end and her immediately available options.

Certainly, she would like to net a sleeping deer...

Yes, her hands shaped, before the decision had entirely reached her conscious thought. I go.

If she thought to find deer, she would need her bow to hand, in case quick action proved necessary. Khida took the few ticks she needed to remove it from its case and string the composite recurve, though she did not ready an arrow. That would be much quicker to retrieve at need. Focused on her objective, she would have set off -- ah, but the other woman yet stood there, something vaguely expectant, or maybe just hopeful, in her posture. And she, too, studied the same trail.

I go, Khida signed again, a flick of her hand indicating the sweep of the trail, then quartered off its right side. I watch, right. You go, you watch left, query?

Two of them wouldn't be that much noisier than Khida alone... and might have better chances of spotting prey. The way this season was going, Khida needed every advantage she could find.

The trail progressed away from the lake, around the slope of a gentle rise. It passed through clumps of brush almost heedless of the obstacle they posed, a true frustration to any would-be stealthy hunter; not that Khida was good at sneaking in the first place. She just wanted to be, when it mattered. She knew not to place her feet straight down on the earth; that was asking for cracks and rustles and the grinding of small stones. Gentle steps, slow, easing her weight from the padded front onto the bony heel. The way they slowed her down had the extra benefit of giving her plenty of time to study the ground. But what did one do for sharp, grabby twigs that plucked at hair and clothes, practically shouting her presence to the world the entire time?

The only thing she could. After the second stand of brush, whenever it passed through another, Khida parted ways from the trail and took the long way around. It meant more walking, but no extra noise.

Though she was beginning to suspect noise, here and now, to be entirely meaningless. She could hear nothing from the grassland except the sounds of their own passage. No chirping songbirds foraging in the grass. No startled pheasants or rabbits or even snakes slithering off out of the way of moving feet.

The grasses were, Khida realized at last, as empty as any given stretch of sun-scorched desert.

How could there be nothing out there?

Nothing here, her hand shaped unbidden, the signs sparsely sketched in her preoccupation. Quiet, all quiet much.

But she wasn't ready to give up yet. The trail they followed was well-worn, a thin ribbon of earth bared by frequent traversal. The Kelvic knelt down beside it, touching the fingers of her free hand to the dry soil. The root nodules of the grass tufts bordering it were all but polished, so much traffic had they seen. Something had to still be here, surely; a path had to be significant to be used so extensively.

Surely.

Khida space Common | Pavi
other space Common | Pavi

[Ashka Windrunner]

No find, she answered.
Yes, I go.

Signs formed, and the woman took out what appeared to be a dismantled bow out of its box. While she proceeded to put together the string and the body, Ashka stood there for a moment, thinking. The other had decided to try and hunt down the deer, or whatever creature it was that made the tracks. Should Ash joined her ? She couldn't stray too far or for too long, but still, the possibility of coming back with a substantial kill was very appealing. Ash was quite inexperienced when it came to bow hunting, but she could maybe learn a thing or two from the stranger.

As if she had read her hesitation, the other woman turned to her and words formed in the air.
I go, she repeated. I watch right. You go, you watch left, query ?

The request sounded to her like a good solution. There was strength in numbers, in case they fell into some nasty situation, which was Ash's main concern. She had seen enough lives claimed by the wilderness to know that prudence should prevail when venturing in the steppes.

Agreed, she signed promptly.

Without another word, the women followed the trail down the short hill, to an area of dense bushes and small shrubs behind the elevation. Walking with great caution to not alarm potential nearby preys, she took slow steps, as quiet as she could on the uneven ground, while her eyes inspected the surroundings.

The way on her right proved impractical, the abundance of low branches making their hunt loud and detectable. Ash chose to skirt around the problem and took a couple of paces aside. From the corner of her eyes, she noticed the other hunter doing so as well, after a short attempt at following through the vegetation. They will both walk around the obstacle and catch up on the trail right after.

The Drykas took the opportunity to inspect the ground in more details. She knelt down a few times, eyes scanning the grasses for broken stems and signs of recent foraging. With Caiyha's help, they would not have to venture too far to find game. Water always attracted many creatures, as the trail they had found demonstrated.

Unfortunately it seemed the goddess was not walking with them that day. Nothing significant could be found in the green maze around her, apart from a small pile of old, desiccated droppings. The pieces, rounded and of a greyish-brown colour, probably belonged to a rabbit or hare who jumped passed here long ago. Those were no clues for a fresh trail to follow.

Disappointed, Ashka continued her silent walk along the tracks. A small hill on her left presented itself like a good observation point. From the top, she'd have a extended view of the environs, and maybe a hint on where to direct their hunt.

Frustration frown the Drykas' face as her eyes scanned the horizon. The grasses in sight were devoid of the usual grazing herds and low flying birds. The common cries, roars and whistles that Ash was taught to recognize growing up had made way for an surprising quietness, only troubled by the voice of the wind.

Nothing here. Quiet, all quiet much.

Signs spoken quickly came from her hunting companion, like Ash's own thoughts made into words.
Very quiet. I don't like it, she answered as her hands signed a lack, absence.
I've never seen or heard of water without game around. Worry tinted her voice. The Drykas way of life was highly depending of the natural balance in the Sea of Grass, and what they were seeing seemed to Ash as if that balance had been certainly disturbed.
Should we continue ? Opinion and question took shape as she turned to the other woman.

This season was becoming stranger and stranger. The weather being wrong, the goddess of Winter failing to accomplish her duties, and now animals abandoning their usual living grounds. Those were not good omens for the times to come.

[Khida]

Nothing, her companion affirmed, in somewhat more words. Nothing on the left, nothing on the right; nothing on the trail, nothing behind...

Continue, the woman asked, caught in the edge of Khida's vision as she regarded the length of trail ahead of them. There had to be game out there, somewhere... right? Normally, the Kelvic would journey as far afield as it might take to net prey -- prairie dog, pheasant, mist pigeon, rabbit... whatever might reasonably be caught by her snares -- but... normally, she did not go this far without seeing something.

Was it truly worth the gamble to continue?

...No. Whatever there might still be in this desolation, it did not seem liable to reveal itself to her sight.

Trap, I, Khida signed at last, indicating the trail and the route backwards with quick sweeps of her hands. Prey later find. She could still hope... perhaps this evening, or tomorrow morning, traps would yield what in-person searching had not. Leaving her companion to her own devices -- whether it be to continue her own search, set her own traps, observe Khida's work, or whatever -- the Kelvic turned and began working her way back towards the water, casting about for good places to set snares.

One of the clumps of brush she'd previously detoured around seemed like an obvious choice. It had a clear line through the middle where the trail had been formed, a corridor at once both permissive and sheltered, and any creature out here would be likely to take advantage of the trail. Shouldering her bow, Khida drew out a pre-cut length of cord from her sash and ducked down into the brush to set it. She opted for a foot snare, tying a slipknot around a small loop and arranging it on some twigs to just barely stand off the ground. The loose end of the cord, she anchored to the main trunk of the shrubbery, where the wood would be least likely to fail.

That done, she pushed her way between the rest of the brush and continued in the direction of the lake, seeking other likely points. Another clump of growth just off the trail seemed enticing; when Khida knelt to exmaine it more closely, she found remnants of last spring's eggshells tucked away under shrouding branches. There wasn't much left of them, but the curvature suggested a small size; maybe grouse, or prairie-chicken, or something of that sort.

If such a bird nested here, it or another of its kind might return to roost; another opportune point for a snare. A second length of cord made a second loop, which Khida propped up in the branches so that it'd be somewhere around head height for a ground bird. This one, too, she tied securely to the bush, its twigs rattling with her every motion. Those twigs also snagged on her hair as she withdrew, leaving bits of plant-stuff caught in the locks. Turning her feet back towards the lake, Khida ran her hands through her hair and knocked most of the bits back out; one piece of moss remained stubbornly stuck over her right ear.

Afterwards, Khida paused and glanced back down the trail, reflecting on the traps she'd just set. Hope she might yet, but suspicion would not be dispelled from the very back reaches of her thoughts: nothing here.

Khida space Common | Pavi
other space Common | Pavi

[Ashka Windrunner]

It took the huntress a few ticks to make up her mind. The young woman observed as the other was absorbed in her thoughts.

Blunt amber gaze, short and direct words for conversation, moving cautiously on the trail but carrying herself with confidence, she seemed to be a seasoned hunter, with a lot of assurance. While Ash was probably not as experienced, she made up for a lack of practice by paying close attention to other's techniques and decisions, so she waited for her hunting partner's opinion with genuine interest.

Finally, signs formed and Ashka understood that the other huntress shared her doubt to find decent preys in the surroundings.

The dark hair-woman set off to install some traps, walking back the way they came. The Drykas followed approximately the same path, only not stopping in the bushes the other had elected for her snares. Even though they started on the same trail, it was tacitly agreed amongst hunters from different Pavilions to not interfere onto each others' hunting grounds, specifically when it came to putting up traps.

The red hair girl continued her walk to the lake. She still believed game would be found near the waters, in spite of the discouraging emptiness of the grasslands around. Earlier on, during her ride with Lako, her eyes had caught sight of Drykas in canoes, on the lake, testing out their fishing skills with more or less success. In case she didn't catch anything better, she could always try herself at boat-fishing.

Ashka smiled as she noticed Lako grazing a few hundred feet away. Even though he would not follow her without being asked to, the Strider was never to far from his rider. Some sort of protective and stubborn instinct always kept him within earshot, ready to react if she was to call him.

Bow still in hand, the woman turned her attention back to the lakeside, and searched the ground for hints of recent animals tracks. Anything that could tell her where to place her own snares would be welcomed. She approached the water. There, trees made way for smaller shrubs and water plants, and the soil was muddy and wet, as she realised after putting a knee down for better balance while studying the ground. Here again, her grey eyes looked for tracks in the mud, and signs of nesting areas. They could not detect any hooves or paws imprints, but a familiar, circular shape caught her attention ; a few feet away, an entanglement of twigs turned out to be a nest. The red hair huntress took a couple of cautious steps closer, in an attempt to get a better look without making too much noise.

The nest appeared to be empty. It hadn't been in use for a few seasons ; this she could tell by the general state of the structure, some twigs moldy from humidity and mud covering the bottom. Its size and location told her that it had probably hosted a new generation of ducklings the past spring.
The discovery lit up a spark of hope in the huntress' heart ; if birds had been nesting here, chances were some would still be living here. Lari Lake was after all the greatest body of water around, and it would be completely logical to find waterfowls in its surroundings.

Eyes alert with regained confidence, Ashka stood up and examined the vegetation around. In the green and brown maze of low branches, grassy stalks and mud, nothing struck her senses ; no rummaging little rodent, long whiskers trembling as it ran along the banks ; no graceful deer, quenching its thirst in the abnormal winter heat ; no ground birds chirping and searching the ground for herbs and seeds.

But a few feet further, bathing in the glowing waters under Syna's warm eye : the recognisable shape of a duck in his brown winter coat.
And another one.
And another again.

In front of Ashka's growing smile appeared not one, not two but six adults ducks, their brown feathers contrasting against the sapphire tone of the Lake. Some were swimming just a couple of feet away from the bank, quacking about while others were foraging in the silt, palmed feet stomping and scratching the ground as they searched for food. At last.

Grey eyes widened and fixed the newly found targets, The huntress took a slow, measured step forward, making sure to not step on a small branch. If the ducks heard her, a quick flap of their wings would carry them away from the reach of her bow.
Crouching behind a thick bush, breathing quietly, she slowly reached for an arrow in her quiver and armed the bow.

[Khida]

The other woman had gone on ahead in the lake's direction; Khida continued working her way down the trail, wondering if she would find the woman waiting, or if the other hunter had taken to her Strider and sought other grounds. For a brief few chimes, Khida was both alone and aware of it -- her own Strider left to graze nearer the lake, the other huntress about her business, and that eerie silence all around, hinting at an absence of everything that moved.

It was a strange, strange feeling, and the longer it went on, the higher Khida's hackles rose.

It was more than time to be done with this trail, and the emptiness it passed through.

As she approached the lakeside, the greenery grew taller and more lush, the soil softer and darker. At the edge, Khida saw her Strider waiting, and was seen in return; she signed for Sephra to continue, thinking she might try her luck in the direction of the larger body of water. She was already here; she might as well be thorough about the search. The trail she had followed out took a turn that Khida did not copy; neither had someone else, from the dimpled foliage and broken twigs she could make out. Khida paused to examine a couple of the damaged twigs; their snapped ends were pale, a string of peeled bark faintly damp on its exposed inner side. Very recent, if those were anything to go by.

Probably her erstwhile hunting companion, the Kelvic thought, about the same task as she. Just further along, assuming she hadn't stopped to set any (or as many) traps of her own.

Khida eased her way through the brush, moving slowly, pushing the pliable boughs out of her way and gently guiding them back. That prevented any sharp whipping which might rattle half the undergrowth. Before too long, her searching gaze stuck on a color rather out of place in the riparian wood -- a splotch of dark coppery red that might have belonged to a fox, if it weren't set considerably higher than any such creature might stand.

She had been following the other hunter's trail.

Khida halted, eyes narrowing as she considered the woman's posture, her stillness and the forward fixation of her attention. The obvious conclusion was that the woman had sighted prey. The Kelvic might have envied her, except she had no room for envy around the sudden surge of want that thought evoked.

She wanted that prey, wanted a successful hunt.

But charging forward would spook whatever it was, and no one would gain.

So she planted both of her own feet on the ground, breathed a soundless sigh, and settled in to wait. To watch, as the woman lifted her arrow and sighted on whatever she had found to hunt. To witness, as the missile was launched, initating a short-lived furor of quacks and splashing as surviving prey -- surviving waterfowl -- fled the revealed threat's vicinity.

Only after the few ticks it took for that concerned frenzy to abate did Khida move forward, joining the other hunter at the lakeside, finally getting to see with her own eyes what opportunity she had missed.

Ducks. Ducks on the water, now cannily watching the shore.

Maybe she could still parlay this into an opportunity of her own...

oocNo assumptions here about Ashka's success or not - that's for you! - just anticipating that whatever she does is going to spook the birds.

Khida space Common | Pavi
other space Common | Pavi

[Ashka Windrunner]

OOCI hadn't chosen yet, rolled a dice for the result

Tensed muscles. Eye fixed on the closest target. Breathe withheld.
And the sharp sound of the rope when the fingers released it.

Instantly, in a movement resulting from long days of practice, her hand reached for another arrow, ready to draw again if the first shot hadn't been conclusive. An automatic motion learned to increase her chances of a successful hunt. She watched the panicked group of birds moving away from where the arrow had flown, hoping for a hit.

Lucky huntress.

A grey gaze spotted the injured prey. The arrow had missed her primary target by a couple of inches, only to find its way into the feathers of the duck swimming right behind. The bird was now quacking loudly, in pain, a wooden sting piercing through its wing to its flank. At the sight of the unfortunate animal, the huntress was quick to react. A short prayer of thanks to Caiyha whispered silently, and a second feathered arrow crossed the air with a hissing sound.

Fluttering wings and splashing palmed-feet didn't make for an static target, but at least it could not fly away anymore. The second projectile struck the bird in its breast, and soon a crimson red fluid met the clear water of the lake. One final cry left the animal's lungs, and it slipped into Dira's embrace at last.

Ash stood up from behind her bush and took off her boots. She entered the blue water, now spoiled with bloody streams, and walked until knees-deep in the lake, to where her prey was floating. The huntress picked up her prize and turned back to the shore. A expression of content appeared on her smiling cheeks, proud that she was for not coming back to the Pavilion empty-handed ; the season was harsh and resources scarce, but at least she would keep her family away from hunger for one more meal. Of course, with that many people to feed, one bird would not be enough, but she prayed Caiyha for this success to be the first of a lucky streak.

The Drykas put her boots back on and worked on retrieving the arrows from the dead body. With a careful grip and gentle movement, in order to not ruin the meat any more, she pulled one shaft out of the tender flesh, and then the other. She managed to do so without too much struggle, but the carcass was still bleeding, so she walked back to the lake bank to clean her blood-soaked arrow. All of the other birds had flown a few dozen feet away and were now observing here warily ; she saw their suspicious looks flickered her way, and could still feel the nervousness of the flock. But they felt safe from a distance, they believed her deadly darts would not reach them from afar, and that's why they hadn't flown away yet.

Hopefully she would prove them wrong.

But as she stood up and away from the water, the sound of footsteps made her turn around. The sounds came from under the trees that were her shelter a few moments ago, and it didn't take too long for her to find their origin. The other huntress, the one she had followed that barren trail with, was standing in front of her. She must have heard the quacking confusion of the birds earlier on, and followed the noise. Ashka took a glance at her, then at the group of remaining ducks, her own prey still in hand, dripping of blood.

The huntresses now had game to pursue. Maybe a temporary association would turn profitable ?

She glanced back at the woman, unsure of her intention. Then a shy, unspoken word formed in the air, shaped by hesitant hands :

Teamwork ?