Closed Perfect Hunters Don't Exist

[Jace]

30, Summer 518AV

Common
Makath

Jace awoke before Syna's light had risen and the dominion of Akajia had faded. It was still early, perfect for what he had planned. This day, he was going into the jungle on his own to hunt one of the many tapir that roamed through the underbrush. He took his time, putting on his leathers and making sure he had all of his gear. The leather pouch with his hunting materials was fastened to his right hip, while his grandfather's short sword hung from his left. The leather quiver that held his arrows was attached neatly to his back, as was his short bow.

It wasn't long before Jace was all geared up and once more stepping into the dense jungle surrounding Syka. It was finally time to really test his skills and venture out to hone his skills with his bow. Morning dew dripped from the flora around him, and the cool ocean breeze made the temperature bearable underneath his layers and equipment. It was a bittersweet relief, though, being that it meant he was upwind from whatever may lurk in the shadows, which themselves were restless and noisy.

He kept his back to the beach as he walked, venturing deeper into the jungle in the hopes of finding suitable prey. About two or three chimes in, he found himself removing the hunting knife from the rest of his supplies to mark the trunk of a tree to make sure he could find his way back home. The forest was dangerous, and too easy to get lost in. Marking where he had been was one way to avoid that.

He could hear a great many things going on around him; the snapping of twigs, rustling of leaves, and melodic bird songs were just some of them. The whisper of the surrounding shadows were another, and probably the most distracting. "Shhhhh." he snapped at them, not really in an angry way. "I need to listen and you're making it hard to hear." They quieted down, for the moment, but no doubt they would soon be chattering amongst themselves once more.

It didn't take long for Jace to lose all sight of the coast; about twenty chimes in, there was nothing behind him but more trees and other types of native flora. It wasn't likely that animals dwelling within the jungle would be hanging around its edge so close to the Syka settlement. No, he would have to go further in to find his prize. As far as he could tell, he hadn't even come across any game trails or droppings yet. He marked the trunk of another tree, carving an arrow that pointed in the direction of the settlement, before continuing onward.

word count: 452

[Jace]

Common
Makath

A bell or so after Jace had first entered the untamed forest around Syka, he finally caught the scent of an animal nearby. The wind had long since changed direction, putting him downwind. This was what he had been waiting for, to find a suitable animal to hunt and bring back to the settlement. Crouching low to the ground, he grabbed the short bow from his back and nocked an arrow. His head was on a swivel, searching everywhere he could for any sign of danger as he moved. Judging from the scent, the animal had to be close by.

He did his best to move silently, using the trees to hide him as he searched for the animal. It took more than a few chimes, and a snapped twig or two, but eventually he managed to find the source: a group of tapirs drinking from one of the many streams that ran through the jungle. Quietly, Jace moved closer, still doing his best to stay hidden behind the trees so he didn't startle his prey. Stopping only maybe thirty yards away from his chosen tapir, Jace carefully drew back the arrow and aimed at the animal's head.

He hesitated a moment, steadying his breathing to time his shot. At the bottom of his exhale, his fingers slipped off the bowstring and let the arrow fly. He watched anxiously, as the arrow flew through the air and actually hit its mark. Jace was so shocked at first, he just stood there awestruck; his mouth hung wide open as he watched the animal fall to the ground with a bloodied arrow protruding from its eye socket. The shock was soon over, however, and he nocked another arrow when he notice the remaining tapirs beginning to flee.

He aimed quickly at the one closest to him, the one that was a little slower in reacting to the young Kelvic's first arrow. He drew the arrow back, and let it fly. This time he targeted the animal's heart, since he'd have to aim at the largest part of its body to hit it. And that's when his real skill with the bow showed. He may have been aiming at the tapir's heart, but the arrow struck the trunk of a tree a good three yards to the left of it. Cursing himself for not practicing before now, he loosed another arrow and it soared high over the animal and landed somewhere Jace couldn't see. He had rushed that third shot, and failed miserably. At least he got one and could retrieve two of his arrows.

word count: 432

[Jace]

Common
Makath

Unfortunately, sometime between retrieving his arrows and tying one end of a rope around the tapir's neck, Jace realized he hadn't prepared to carry a 370 pound animal back to Syka. It would take at least a bell, probably longer, to get back to Syka from where he was now. He doubted he could make that trek while trying to carry a tapir along with him. He would have to make several stops, possibly dragging it at some point, and the scent of fresh blood would probably attract the jungle's predators before he made it even halfway home.

He was going to have to field dress and skin the damn thing right here and hope he could finish before any predators caught the scent and came running. He had watched his father do this countless times as he grew up, but boars were different than tapirs and Jace had never done this himself. Hopefully he wouldn't mess up too bad.

He knew he had to act fairly quickly if he wanted to get this done before any larger, more dangerous, animals showed up, so once he was sure the end of the rope was securely tied around his prey's neck, he dragged it over to a low hanging branch. The other end of the rope, he threw over the branch and used it to pull the beast into the air and hang it so it's head was at eye level with his. Once he got it to the right height, he tied the loose end around the trunk of the same tree to make sure it wouldn't come undone. Finally, it was time to begin.

His bow had long been placed back onto his back, and the hunting knife he carried in the leather pouch at his waist was now held firmly in his right hand. With it, he cut into the animal's groin, making sure to cut deep enough that he could see the pelvic bone. When he could, he used his grandfather's short sword to slice it completely in half, and then stick the sword into the ground next to him. From there, he went back to using his hunting knife and used the gut-hook part to continue the incision up the center of the tapir's body, stopping just below the neck.

Its guts began spilling out right away, landing in a small pile on the floor beneath the poor beast.

word count: 403

[Jace]

Common
Makath

He kept looking around every few chimes to make sure there still weren't any predators around while he worked. The smell of fresh meat was enticing, even to Jace, so he was certain sooner or later something would show up for the free meal. He would have to finish this before that happens, even with his mouth watering at the thought of sinking his teeth into the dead tapir.

He finished gutting the animal, and used his waterskin to clean out the insides of its body. He sprayed it lightly through the incision, making sure to wash away any left over residue from the internal organs. When he was finished, he quickly let down the tapir, untied the rope from around its neck, and then strung it back up by it's hind legs instead. It was time to start skinning.

Using his hunting knife, Jace began making several more, smaller incisions in order to get the tapir's hide from the rest of his body. He started with the inside of the left leg, slicing from the incision in the groin and ending halfway down the length of the leg. He made a similar cut on the right leg, and then on the back of the tapir, he sliced down the length of the animal starting halfway up the leg and stopping at its neck. He did that on both sides of the beast, and then made a final cut from the base of its tail down the center of its back and ended that at its neck as well.

Again he stopped to look around, straining his ears and using his sharp nose to pick up any signs of the jungle's predators. Luckily, there still seemed to be no danger and he was able to continue. His heart was racing, both from fear and excitement, as he tried to finish skinning his prey. Refocusing his attention on the tapir, he carefully sliced its legs to connect the two incisions on each that he had just made. It was time consuming work, skinning an animal. Not very difficult, but definitely time consuming. He had to be very careful not to damage the pelt as he went, holing back the skin with one hand and slicing it off of the muscle and tendons with the hunting knife in the other one.

Time consuming, and physically draining. Once he had enough skin sliced away from the body, Jace had to grip it with both hands and physically pull it away, ripping it off here and there before he cleaned it up with the hunting knife. It took another twenty chimes or so, and several false alarms, before he finally had a clean stack of pelt tied neatly with the rope he had used to hang the animal. It was a shame to waste all that meat though, and he was getting pretty hungry. The wolf had already decided that he would take advantage of the situation at hand. He stripped off his clothes and removed his weapons as quickly as he could, and then placed them neatly next to the pelts beside the trunk of a tree.

In a swirl of lights, a large grey wolf with blue eyes and white-blond streaks of fur stood where Jace had only a moment ago. A throaty howl escaped from his muzzle, echoing for some distance throughout the jungle. His mouth watering and stomach growling, the wolf sunk his teeth into the skinless animal and started to devour his kill. The blood was still warm in his mouth as he ate, the fresh meat satiating his hunger rather quickly. By the time he had finished, most of the meat was gone and all that was really left was a bony carcass. His stomach full and body re-energized, he shifted back to to his human form and re-dressed himself. He took his time making sure he had all of his things, cleaning off his weapons and refilling his watersking before finally strapping the pelts to his back and starting to make his way back through the jungle toward the settlement. Maybe Nya could make fresh leathers for him, or if not he might be able to sell them somewhere in town. Either way, it had been a productive trip.

word count: 712

[Okara]

Grades and Awards Jace Experience Planning 1 Land Navigation 1 Observation 4 Wilderness Survival 2 Hunting 2 Stealth 1 Tracking 1 Short Bow 1 Leatherworking 1 Lores Land Navigation: Cutting Trees to Mark Your Path Stealth: Using Trees for Cover Tracking: Tapirs, Scent and Appearance Wilderness Survival: Field Dressing a Tapir Wilderness Survival: Stay Aware of Attracting Predators Around a Carcass Leatherworking: Skinning a Tapir Misc Rewards or Injuries ( + ) Tapir pelt Notes This was a great thread, I enjoyed reading it! I appreciated that even though Jace was the hunter he was constantly aware of the possible danger around him. Please let me know if I missed anything or if you were hoping for particular lores. Please edit your post in your grade request to reflect that it has been graded. PM me with any questions.