Closed The Okomo Rescue Squad [Rae]

[Zach Grasswind]

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34, Fall, 518 AV
"Speech"

Syna was barely awake, weak golden rays starting to filter through the thin clouds that lined the skies. Zach was striding through the streets of Lhavit, bow slung over his back as he made his way towards the Jugged Hare. The morning air was definitely getting persistently chillier as the season went on, and he had finally resorted to going shopping for more suitable clothing. Today he was wearing a thick woollen shirt instead of the thinner ones he so favoured.

Entering the Jugged Hare, Zach immediately spotted Lomki, and the butcher nodded in greeting. "Zach," The hunter approached him to listen to what the man had to say. Perhaps there was a specific meat he was after today. "Before you head out today you should go over to the Hunter's Guild." Zach raised an eyebrow curiously. "Hunter's Guild?" Lomki nodded again. "Aye, it's not long been established. Might be good for you to see the men there, they have a lot of experience between them." A corner of the Drykas' mouth twitched upwards. He knew that he needed to improve his skill if he wanted to be a reliable help. "Hunter's Guild. Okay, thanks Lomki."

Zach headed out and then retraced his steps back in the direction he had come from. Lomki had told him that the Guild was located back over near the Amaranthine Gate - thankfully a location he knew how to get to. After a short walk the Guild was easily found. He paused for a moment, taking in the exterior before heading inside and through the huge oak doors. The warmth was welcome, and his eyes drifted over to the fireplace, and then roamed up the wall where numerous animal heads were displayed. He was definitely in the right place.

The Guild was fairly empty at this particular moment. Zach assumed that most were either seeking breakfast somewhere or were already out on a hunt to try and get the early morning prey. He noticed a pair speaking over near the bar, so the Drykas drifted over slowly so as not to intrude. The men exchanged farewells, one heading for the door and out into the streets, and the other fixed his eyes on Zach. The man had long red hair and an air of command about him. Zach cleared his throat.

"Lomki from the Hare directed me here, I've been hunting for them for a bit now and he suggested I come over." Zach paused and swept the room with a quick glance. "He neglected to tell me much, although I assume there is a process to join up? I don't suppose you know who I would need to speak to?" The man raised an eyebrow at him. "What's your name?" "Sorry, it's Zach." A stiff nod and then, "Wait here." The man turned and headed out of a door and Zach thought he heard footsteps heading up some stairs. Not really knowing what to do with himself, Zach perched on one of the stools lining the bar, and waited for the man to return with whoever it was he needed to see.

Boxcode by Allassanachassanya

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[Raeyn]

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Raeyn had stopped the night at the dorm of the Hunter's Guild after a particularly long lesson in building animals traps with Tess that took place just before the morning break. And so tiered afterwards, was he, that he snoozed like a red haired angel, well past the time the break was over.

A slam of the door awoke him and groggy eyes came to rest on the silhouette of his father before a shirt came flying at his face, taking his vision. "Good morning to you too." he murmured with a heavy yawn before pulling the shirt over his chest. "What..."

"So you wanted your first test?" Orim asked, cutting his son off before the question could even be asked. "Theres a lad, waiting downstairs for you. His name is Zach. You'll recognise him because he looks like a lost puppy in an Okomo field. I trust you can guess what I'm asking of you?"

"Wait, what?" Raeyn breathed. Honestly the request took him a bit by surprise. He'd grown used to being the baby pigeon in the nest that everybody fussed over. He wasn't really prepared to be thrust into the role of mama bird right out of bed. Orim had already turned his back and been half way out the door by the time Raeyn yelled after him. "Wait, why me?"

"Wakey, wakey. Make yourself useful." the words lingered as the elder redhead disappeared into the corridor.

It took Raeyn a few moments to get dressed and brush though his hair, just to make sure he was at least presentable before he made his appearance downstairs. A fiendishly handsome hunter, His hair let loose, draped over his shoulders with a single strand of white gracing his crown. Freckles covered his skin like constellations. Snow white hands grasped a darkwood bow by his side. Eyes scanned the half empty building before settling on exactly the lost puppy his father has spoke of.

"You must be Zach." he said approaching the young man with the jubilent blue eyes and handsome face. "Name's Raeyn. Welcome."

There was a self assurance about Raeyn from the way he spoke to the way he stretched out his ivory hand for a handshake. A commanding presence, distorted a little by purple shadows beneath the eyes, suggesting the man had just been brutally ripped out of a deep sleep. Still he smiled a polite smile, spoke softly. "I assume it's your intention to join us? Or am I completely mistaken in my assumptions?"

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[Zach Grasswind]

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"Speech"

After the man had disappeared out of the main room, Zach cast his gaze over the space once again. He watched the flames flickering in the huge stone fireplace for a moment, grateful for the warmth it was throwing round the dimly lit space. A few hunters, members of the Guild he presumed, were gathered in front of it conversing in quiet voices that he couldn't pick up.

His eyes drifted upwards to the wall adorned with evidence of the Guild members previous exploits. A particularly large bear head stood out to him. In the times he had ventured out to hunt, Zach had thankfully not yet come across any sort of predator. The steely gaze of the bear was intimidating, even while stuffed.

The Drykas wondered what sort of thing he might have to do to become a member of the Hunter's Guild. He assumed there might be some sort of test in order for him to prove his worth as an adequate hunter. Perhaps he would be sent out with a request to bring pack a particular animal, similar to how he would hunt for the Jugged Hare. Maybe he would be given an accuracy test where they set up targets for him to hit with his arrows. He was watching the hunters near the fire as he pondered, and noticed that one of them had some sort of spear strapped to his back. Maybe they personalised the test depending on what equipment you used?

Footsteps sounded off to one side and Zach looked round expecting to see the man returning. Instead his eyes fell on a much younger man, though this one also possessed long red hair, shot through with a curious streak of white. Zach slid off the bar stool as the man approached, and offered a nod at his words.
"Yes, thank you. Nice to meet you Raeyn." He shook the proffered hand, his own tanned skin a stark contrast to that of his fellows paler hue.

There was a similarity between Raeyn and the man he had seen before, but Zach put it down to the hair. Though he was definitely younger, Raeyn still held himself with the same sort of authoritative air that the other had. Zach on the other hand, definitely did not. He was a little scruffier, and spoke with a much more casual tone.

Zach offered the hunter a smile and shook his head. "Ah, no, you are correct. Lomki suggested I come and see you. I've been hunting for the Jugged Hare for a bit you see. I don't actually know anything about the Guild though, sorry." An apologetic smile quirked at the corner of the Drykas' mouth. "Do I need to do a test?"

He found that he was actually looking forward to whatever Raeyn might decide his trial might be. Zach though that the man seemed young to be in charge of such a Guild, but what did Zach know really? He would follow wherever Raeyn would decide to take him and get on with the job he was told to do.

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[Raeyn]

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Raeyn smiled softly, listening to Zach introduction. "Well, I'm rather new my self. Got here just a few days ago so they really did a number on you. Uh. This will be an interesting endeavour." Raeyn chuckled. He wasn't entirely sure whether it was faith or spite the others bore towards him that landed him in this situation but it was a little too late to turn back now. "There is indeed a test. But before that let me show you around and introduce you. Better now than never."

Raeyn Waved his hand for Zach to follow as he continued. "So the man you've already met is Orim. He's my father and one of the founders of the guild.The other founder is that guy over there." A slender finger pointed to a man by the fireplace with the spear strapped to his back. "Stannis Sunwalker."

Raeyn quirked an eyebrow as Stan turned around to them and gave a slight wave. He was almost certain his voice didn't carry that far. By the moment he was becoming more and more convinced the whole thing was an elaborate ploy of the elders against him. Perhaps... perhaps another one of the tests he would have to go though. Surely shooting at a target wasn't enough to show off his hunter's prowess. Now that he was coming to think of it, the whole thing made a lot of sense in Raeyn's mind and as the rebel that he was, he decided to use the perceived system in his own nefarious ways.

In that moment Raeyn came to the conclusion he wouldn't make Zach go though the same gruelling, boring test he himself had to. There was a lot more fun to be had out there than inside.

"So this is our main and indeed only headquarters. And don't get me wrong, the ale here is great, but the Guild is more than just a building. We're a community. An 'I'll scratch your back, you scratch mine' type deal. We look out for each other and if you wanna last any amount of time here, I'd suggest you get to know the others too."

The Inarta lead Zach upstairs, gesturing his hands accordingly as he explained. "In there are the barracks, on the other side of the corridor is the office. Nobody ever uses it. And at the end of the corridor is the room of shyke as I like to call it."

An ivory white hand turned the door knob and gently creaked the door open. Beyond a whole slew of equipment for both training and hunting lay about in disarray. And at the centre of it all, an elderly woman with grey hair sat on the floor, crosslegged, tinkering with rope. "Hi Tess. This is Zach, our newest recruit. Zach, this is Tess Aleheim." said Raeyn, giving a polite, formal introduction.

"Oh my goodness. What a cutie. What a pleasure to meet you, son." Tess frolicked over to chake Zach's hand before disappearing out the door. "You boys have fun."

Raeyn nodded a polite farewell to the woman, before turning back to Zach. "You can help yourself to whatever you need from here provided you bring it back in the same condition you found it. You must be wondering what your test will be by now. I decided to make it simple. We'll go out for a quick hunt today, nothing major but I want to see what you can do. Impress me and you're in. Does that sound good to you?"

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[Zach Grasswind]

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"Speech"

Raeyn's comments gave Zach pause, as the redhead admitted that he was new to the Guild himself. He wondered why this man had been chosen to be the one to induct him, and supposed that perhaps the newer members got stuck with the ones who had yet to prove themselves able on any sort of hunt. Zach inclined his head with a slight smile as Raeyn offered the tour, stepping after the other into the room a little.

The smile widened as Raeyn informed him that the man he had met previously was his father, his earlier suspicion of similarity confirmed. Zach wondered if that was in some way the reason the hunter had been lumbered with the new guy. His eyes followed the direction of his fellow's pointing, falling once more on the man with the long spear on his back. Zach raised his hand in greeting as the stocky man noted them. So now he knew the two founders. Stannis definitely appeared to be much more approachable that Orim.

There was a pause as the redhead appeared to loose his mind to thought, and Zach idly flicked his eyes up to the trophies on the wall again. He returned his attentions to Raeyn again as he spoke, and offered another nod. "Sure, makes sense." The Drykas wasn't the best at names, but he'd make a particular effort to remember the Guild members as he met them.

He followed Raeyn up the stairs, taking in the various rooms he pointed out. Zach raised an eyebrow, smirking a little at the redheads Room of Shyke, and he peered through the door into the space ahead. The clutter, while all appearing to be related to hunting, was astounding. A bemused expression settled on his face as Raeyn introduced the woman seated in the centre of the disarray, and that expression only grew as she practically bounded forwards to grab his hand.

As she hurried past the pair, Zach turned to Raeyn, the corners of his mouth twitching in a grin. That grin stretched a little wider as the other man spoke. At last it seemed they would be moving onto the more exciting task at hand. "Sounds great to me!" He gestured to Raeyn to lead the way down the stairs and out off to whatever place he had in mind - Zach would hazard a guess at somewhere outside of the city.

"It's probably best for me to tell you now, I'm still getting used to the forest..." He reached up and sub-consciously ruffed the hair at the nape of his neck. "I was a cracking shot on the grasslands but trees... they're a bit of a nuisance." He chuckled lightly, stepping after the redhead. "Although I'm pretty sure I'm somewhat decent by now..."

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[Raeyn]

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Raeyn was already rummaging though the equipment for a spare spear and some rope once the confession came at which he pulled himself from his task for a second to quirk an eyebrow at the odd statement. "A nuisance, you say? Do you mean to say there are no trees where you're from?" The thought to him was unthinkable. A born and bread Lhavitian knew nothing but the smell of pine, the feel of shrubbery brushing past his ankles and the smell of thin mountain air. If the case was such, Zach would have quite the feat ahead of him. For his new acquaintance's sake, Raeyn hoped his assurance of his own competence would prove to be true.

Before they had come to depart for the adventure ahead, Raeyn grabbed one more thing. A brass and cord bracelet, one to match his own, with the insignia of a bird in flight etched upon it. He stuffed it in his pocket and put it out of his mind for the time being. Zach would have to earn it. He was going to see to that. After all part of Raeyn's pride now rested on Zach's shoulders. He hoped to see the man join their ranks if only to rub his father's face in his own perceived leadership skills.

Soon enough the two hunters would come to find themselves crossing the threshold of the city gates with the eyes of the Shinya on their backs. Ahead of them, the long winding road snaked down the mountain towards Port Tranquil. In high spirits they were, with gear a plenty inside of their backpacks, weapons at their sides and Raeyn's dog leading the way of the decent.

"So, do tell me a little about yourself Zach. What brings you to Lhavit?" spoke Raeyn in an attempt to make some semblance of small talk. "And where have you come from. What land in the whole of Mizahar has no trees, I wonder?

As of late he had found himself engaging in such more and more frequently. In fact since he'd met Sasha his aberration for human contact seemed to lessen to a degree. Once or twice in fact he'd even come to seek it out himself, to his own surprise even more so than that of others.

As they came to the first ledge, the height of a man, around which the road snaked, Raeyn crouched to the ground and getting a tight grip on the exposed rock, he kicked his feet in front of him, commencing a very short fall though the air before landing on the balls of his feet. His knees bent beneath him a little, absorbing the impact. Of course he'd happily wait for Zach to walk around where the road came to a sharp slope, rather than jump down to the stretch of road beneath. But Raeyn himself had walked down here so many times that whatever he could do to entertain himself, he would. In truth he wasn't at all planning to restrain himself from showing off should the situation allow.

"Do you have much family, back home?" It was a pressing question for him. Perhaps not for many others but to the hunter, he couldn't imagine moving so far away from home without Mara. She was as much a part of him as djed itself was.

*Boxcode by Allassanachassanya

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[Zach Grasswind]

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"Speech"

Zach watched with curiosity as Raeyn retrieved a spear among other things from the clutter that surrounded the pair. Were spears the customary weapon here? The hunters eyes flicked back the bow that remained at the redhead's side. Perhaps they were required to learn a secondary weapon? Another chuckle rose in his throat at Raeyn's words and he gave a light, one-shouldered shrug.
"Well, there were a few, but we never had any need to enter them. At least I didn't anyway. Grasslands are just what they sound like. A huge expanse of grass."

The Drykas moved aside from the door to let Raeyn pass, and he followed the man down the stairs and through the entrance to the Guild. Zach sensed the leader by the fire, Stannis, watching them leave. He wondered again why the redhead in particular had been chosen to take him out today.

As they crossed the threshold of the city, entering the untamed land that surrounded Lhavit, the mood around the two men seemed to change. It seemed they both enjoyed spending time outside of the hustle and bustle of a busy street, and Raeyn's pretty little dog trotting ahead of the pair lifted the spirits a little further.

He flicked his eyes briefly over to Raeyn as the redhead spoke. "Ahah..." Zach made a noise that was sort of a chuckle, but there wasn't any humour behind it. ]"What brings me here indeed... that is a question." The hunter decided to start with the last question, for that was easier for him to answer. "Well, I come from a city called Endrykas, if you can call it a city. It's basically a moving settlement of tents. Although they're really, really big tents. You can fit like, 30 people in one easy."

The Drykas adjusted his bow, scanning the ground ahead for uneven stones. If he was going to revert to the clumsiness of his first trip out back in the Summer, it would be when he had company. "I don't know if you've heard of the Drykas at all? I know that a lot refer to us as the Horse Clans, since we live with horses. There's probably at least three horses to a person."

Zach shoved his hands in his pockets while he momentarily paused, eyes following the zig-zagging movements of the dog up ahead. He'd have to get over it sometime, so he might as well try and start properly now. "As for why I'm here and not there... Horses are the most important thing to a Drykas. We have a breed called a Strider. You can't be a true Drykas unless a Strider has chosen you. My Strider... he was killed on a hunt. We bond with our Striders in a way that connects us much deeper than anything ordinary. When Wirren was lost it felt like I'd had a limb severed."

Still watching the dog, Zach's mouth tilted downward in a sad frown. "I lost my Strider and my identity in one go. Eventually it got too much for me and I had to leave. I couldn't stand the daily reminders all around me. I didn't actually choose to come here, this is just where I sort of ended up." He flicked his gaze back to Raeyn briefly, blinking himself out of his thoughts.

Zach cleared his throat. "Sorry, that was heavy... Hah, I didn't mean to unload it all on a stranger. I've never spoken about it before so it sort of came out." There was a pause in the, admittedly one-sided, conversation as the redhead proceeded to leap of an overhang. Zach eyed it for a moment before turning and heading along the path that ran around it. He definitely didn't need to be breaking an ankle today.

The hunter was about to ask his own question when another came to his from Raeyn. "Ah, I do. Drykas have big families. My father is the head of our family and I have a brother and sister from my mother, and then two more siblings so far from his second wife. At least one of my brothers is married, they probably have a child by now..." Zach paused for a second to think. "I think there was...17 of us in the Pavilion when I left."

"What about you Raeyn? Have you lived here your whole life? Do you have more family here besides your father?" Zach eyes the forest ahead, the trees drawing ever closer. "What's the plan, by the way?"

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[Raeyn]

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"

Raeyn's mind was quick to commit all the little details that Zach spoke of to memory. Though he was far from an expert on Endrykas, knowing about as much as Rhemy and now Zach had been willing to share, his knowledge of the place span the intricacy of his incredibly vivid imagination. And indeed did the city puzzle him. The idea of living in a tent with 30 others was the very idea of Raeyn's own personal hell. He much rather enjoyed the quiet seclusion of cobble stone, brick and skyglass. The solitude between the pillars that were trucks of trees was second on his list of favourites. From the tales Raeyn could only imagine the chatter of large families permitting every day activities, denying one the ability to hear their own thoughts... the horror. Then again from Narifa's stories, Wind Reach, where his own his were from, didn't sound all that different.

"Sounds like a mighty lot of Horses, Zach." Raeyn nodded along, listening to the man's stories. His expression was a little disgruntled at the vivid pictures painted in his mind with those words. But so very unexpectedly did small talk turn to a tale of loss and heart break at which Raeyn's brows pulled together in a manner of pity as his eyes met Zach's.

He didn't really understand why Zach was apologising. In a moment of almost intrusive empathy Raeyn imagined what he would do if he lost his beloved bondmate. How he would feel. Crushed? As if air was permanently removed from his lungs and his heart had turned to a gong. I the bond between a Strider and their rider was anything like a bond between a man and a Kelvic, Raeyn had nothing but empathy for Zach.

"I... I'm so very sorry this happened Zach. You have nothing to apologise for, my friend." he said solemnly. Every word was so very genuine.

The two hunters continued down the path as Raeyn's keen eyes met an imprint of an okomo foot in the dirt. A few steps later another followed. Nothing unusual. The pastel creatures came down this path often, and with the warmer fall Port Tranquil seemed to still be in working order. Thus Raeyn thought nothing of it as they followed the tracks down the path, continuing in their conversation.

"17 family members. My, my how ever did you manage to keep track of them all." he chuckled. "Other than my dad I have one, my twin sister, Mara. Although people always comment on how, other than the red hair we look absolutely nothing alike. I'm the only one of them with.. well, this." Raeyn's left hand grasped the sleeve of his right, yanking it down to his elbow where a sharp, crips line separated sun kissed, freckly skin from alabaster white. A hand that looked like the artist that painted it ran out of paint half way though the job.

A moment of hesitation passed as Raeyn let his sleeve fall once again. He wasn't entirely sure of the outlander's reaction but then again Sasha followed the Inarta hunter like a shadow. If Zach was to spend any time around him he'd soon enough meet the Kelvic too. And Raeyn wasn't one for keeping his affection well hidden. The kind of love in his heart was that of a teenaged having fallen head over heels for the very first time.

"I'm not sure if he'd be considered family per se, but well, my... boyfriend lives with us too. Still two people in a house seems far more reasonable to me than thirty in a tent. Is it part of the culture in Endrykas to not require privacy?"

Another clear okomo toe print came to pass them as the two hunters walked. "So the plan is for you to show me what you're capable of. I don't care what you hunt or how long it will take you as long as we don't come back empty handed. From here on I'm following your lead Zach. I'll be backup. Impress me and you'll be one of us, a guilds'man..."

There for a moment his voice cut off as a curios sight befell him. There in the very centre of the path was a very small yes very distinct puddle of scarlet red blood. Fresh it was, still liquid against pale dirt and rock. The hunter's eyes narrowed. Blood on the path, beside okomo tracks never bode well. "Do you see what I'm seeing?" Raeyn asked, coming closer to investigate, realising soon enough that his eyes were not deceiving him. Concern was apparent in his expression as he looked up to Zach questioningly.

*Boxcode by Allassanachassanya

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[Zach Grasswind]

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"Speech"

Zach chuckled, the warm sound bubbling up from his throat. "It is a lot of horses indeed. We sort of depend on them so... " He smiled. "The horses are family."

He flicked his gaze to that of Raeyn's, just as the man looked over to him. Zach could see the pity in the other man's eyes, and the Drykas half raised a shoulder in response to his words. Raeyn was thinking about something, and Zach sincerely hoped that he hadn't caused the redhead to remember something sad from his own past. The hunter never understood why people apologised when they heard bad news. It wasn't as if they had caused the thing to happen, but all the same he appreciated the sentiment. "Thank you..."

He followed his fellow hunters gaze downward, to spot a fairly clear imprint in the ground. It was one he didn't recognise, but from the hoofed shape he could at least tell it wasn't a predator. Raeyn at least didn't seem particularly interested in it and they passed by without pause.

Zach's mouth twitched in a smile at Raeyn's response to his family. "Sometimes you don't!" He laughed lightly, thankful for happier turn in conversation. "Everyone on the grasslands has a big family, I guess you just get used to it. There's probably more of us by now, I've been gone a while."

Just as Raeyn was surprised by Zach's extensive family, the Drykas was similarly curious about the redhead's tiny one. "It sounds... quiet." To Zach, families were meant to be noisy and chaotic. Eyes flicked to where Raeyn pushed his sleeve up his arm, noting how his skin changed from the pale, snow-kissed hue to that more similar to his own tanned skin. It was a curious thing, something the Drykas had never seen before on a person. The closet thing he could assume was how horses might sometimes have two colours.

He gave Raeyn a smile as the hunter re-covered his arm, and Zach returned his gaze to the path ahead. He sensed the slight hesitation in Raeyn's voice as he started to speak again, and something flickered behind Zach's eyes at the words. The Drykas culture frowned upon same-sex relationships, and he was glad that the redhead couldn't see his eyes. Zach was learning to accept different world-views since leaving his family, but old lessons were hard to forget. He managed to replace any judgemental look with one of indifference, and he smiled over at his fellow hunter before responding.

"I mean, I guess not? We do everything as a family unit, there isn't much you'd want to do alone." Zach much preferred having company, and he was especially excited to finally have another person to hunt with. "To be honest, we don't always live for very long... So we spend as much time together as we can. Besides, there's not a lot of things you can do in Endrykas alone. It's just the nature of the city." He could sense that in this respect at least, Raeyn was the total opposite of himself. Well, almost. Nowadays Zach sometimes needed time to clear his head. "Have you never wanted for any more people around you?"

He nodded excitedly as Raeyn began to explain the plan for the day. He was pleased that there was no specific target - hopefully that would mean he had more chance of being successful. However, as his fellow hunter let his voice die, Zach followed the redheads gaze down to the ground. He paused next to Raeyn. Standing out starkly against the rough dirt, the shining blood was almost a beacon to the hunters.

He stepped up beside Raeyn to investigate closer, seeing more of those hoof prints around the small pool. Zach gave him a curt nod before squinting along the path ahead. Eyes narrowed as he spotted some more of the bright blood splashed on a rock not too far away. He motioned to Raeyn. "I do, and there's more over there." He moved over to look, noting that something had clearly struggled nearby, the dirt disturbed and kicked up. "What is it that made the tracks? I don't recognise them."

Ahead, scuffs and more blood trail awaited the pair, the shining droplets easy enough to pick out against the pale dirt of the winding track. "Should we follow?" Half of Zach's mind was still on his task for today - perform a successful hunt to join the Guild. The other half was focused on the grisly trail the pair had found. It was fresh and the creature was clearly moving, which meant it was likely very hurt and in trouble.

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[Raeyn]

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This was one thing the two men could agree on. Animals were family. And though Raeyn had never met a strider in person he could empathise twith the importance the creatures had to the Drykas society. Glancing to Zach he smiled with a nod of affirmation to the statement.

As the two hunters followed the tracks without much hesitation, Raeyn listened intently to Zach’s stories of his homeland, growing only more and more puzzled by it all. “Quiet is good. It allows you to focus. I can hardly immagine its all your brothers and sisters you’ve ever managed to do so, unless by some miracle they were all asleep at the same time. How long has it been since you last saw them?”

There for a brief moment Raeyn thought he saw something flicker though Zachks expression like a matchstick in the forest. Lit up only to be snuffed out again. Something clearly intended to avert the keen eyes of a hunter. Something hidden need behind a veil of jubilation that was the demeanour of this delightful fellow. But what was it? Scorn, thought Raeyn. Was it judgement he saw? A poison which had rendered the Inarta a hermit inside his shell for so many years, only now daring to come out and smell the fresh air. Or perhaps he was just projecting his own insecurities onto a stranger? Yes! In absence of further evidence that was the conclusion Raeyn came to in a desperate attempt of introspection.

“More people? More than the guild?” His voice echoed. A quiet smirk beneath his breath as his eyes followed the road once more. “Yes, perhaps there is room for one more.” He hinted.

The two hunters grew alert ever so quickly for the sight of blood outside city walls never bode well. If they had sense in their heads then perhaps they would have turned back. That was not the case for Raeyn and his new acquaintance however for soon enough Zach spotted yet more blood leading off the path.


As Raeyn walked over to investigate the tracks began to lead off the path and disperse. How many animals had fled? That Raeyn had lacked the skill to determine. But logic prompted him to make one educated guess. Whatever animal had left these it was no longer leisurely strolling. It was in full gallop.

There was urgency in Raeyn’s voice as he looked back to Zach, a little paler beneath the freckles. His hand already reaching for the arrow in his quiver, knocking it onto his bow string and pointing it at the ground. Fingers ready to draw if need be. “They’re Okomo tracks... I don’t think we have a choice.”

The air around them grew ominous and the wind woodshed through branches. Dread filled Raeynks heart for he feared the worst, that whatever animal left these tracks had died doing so only to become wolf food. Still he’d show no such cowardice as to assume such only for reasons of departure. His foot took a step off the path as he looked for Zach to follow.

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