[Training] In My Sights (Open!)

The evening breeze from the sea ruffled Kellan’s tunic and hair as he stood motionless at the edge of the trees. The ramphire herd had finally returned to the meadow, though ash remained in clumps even on the side of the mountain away from the lava flows. The Leafchange rains had washed much of it away, however, and revealed the vibrant green beneath, and life was returning to the jungle above the ocean that sparkled below in the setting sun.

Slowly, gently, moving millimeter by millimeter as the wind stirred leaves and swirled ash, the hunter raised his bow. The arrow was already nocked to the string as the herd with its attendant birds and other creatures foraged through the grass and flowers that had survived. A young ram was drifting closer to Kel as he began to pull back the string, finding the draw far harder than it had been on his world – as so many things were. Still he persevered, taking his time until the trembling in his back and bicep warned him that he was pushing himself too far. He pulled swiftly back on the last few inches, just as the ram looked up towards the sudden motion.

Soft, dark eyes found Kellan as the arrow released, the twang of the bow spooking the herd into motion. The ram leapt back, rising so that the arrow took it in the chest instead of between the eyes, but whether through luck or design the steel head slipped betwixt ribs to pierce the beast’s heart and its pale yellow body fell to the ground, breath heaving in lungs that couldn’t seem to pull in enough air to fuel its flight. As the other ramphires fled in a mass of pastel plumage, Kel cautiously emerged from the trees to kneel beside the beast he’d felled, pressing his hand between its horns as its dewy eyes turned glassy and cold. The animal shuddered a final time and then its chest stilled, and after a few moments of quiet contemplation Kel reached for his arrow to work it free and wipe it off before unlimbering his hunting knife to begin cleaning the carcass for transport back to town.

zephyr

You've never been much for hunting, but as you watch the young man knock his arrow and send it flying from the bow you can't help feel some admiration for his triumph over nature. The ramphire falls to the ground with a thud; you wince, knowing the life is leaving it, knowing it'll be leaving the rest of its herd behind. Will they even notice? Do they feel loss?

Probably not. How nice, to be a beast.

Hopping to your feet you begin to meander your way down the rocky trail. You'd climbed Apopo to survey the damage from the eruption, and had been pleasantly surprised to find it rather minimal. Some of the old paths and trails would need to be carved back open, but it was nothing that couldn't be accomplished in a season with some dedicated hard work. You hadn't expected to see another soul up on the hillside; now you approach with your hands in your pocket, jutting your chin out at his kill.

"Good kill. You plannin' to sell?" you ask, looking over the slender man. "I'd be happy t'help ya carry it to the market. In exchange for a discount, a'course."

burn all the things you have to burn
save all the people you're supposed to save

He hadn't expected company - he rarely did - but at least the stranger wasn't trying to sneak up on him. Kel remained relaxed, the large knife in his hand sufficient deterrent for most as he watched the other man amble closer and at his words the young hunter nodded with cautious courtesy. Amber eyes were wary, almost skittish, and his voice was quiet as he went about removing the ramphire's offal to feed the smaller hunters of the jungle. "Thanks. I was hoping to, yes... What... what parts would you want a discount on?"

Meat and pelt were the largest items to be gained from the carcass, but he'd overheard something about the horns being valuable as well. Though he didn't see any weapons immediately visible on the sun-kissed stranger, he had learned to take nothing for granted on this dangerous coast, and his gaze flickered up from his work to watch the other man from time to time, not unlike a wild thing himself. "Were you coming up here to hunt, too?"

zephyr

He's about as skittish as the creature he's gutting, you notice with an arch of your brow. Which is entirely uncalled for - you're about as likely to fight anyone as you are to crack a grin. He doesn't need to know that, though.

"Hide or horn." Slowing down in your ambling approach, you take a minute to properly look at the fellow, taking measure of the man and his wickedly sharp hunting knife. He's taller than you by a fair bit (what is it with all these gods-damned giants?), but skinny as a twig compared to your wiry musculature.

You draw to a stop, hands still in your pocket, watching with interest as he dissects the thing. "Nah, never been a huntin' sort. More'uva gatherer." You squat down and reach forward, poking at the carcass.

burn all the things you have to burn
save all the people you're supposed to save

Hide was the most valuable item, and if the man wanted the horns then they were probably valuable as well - more than the meat, at least. Kel thought it over as he continued to work, emptying the carcass of unnecessary excess weight but keeping a sharp eye on the older man as he ambled closer and gave the feathered body a poke - far from the knife, but the young hunter was tense at the closing of distance between them, however casually slow. First the fanged stranger and now this one... and at the memory of that moonlit night he surreptitiously checked the other man's mouth for pointy teeth.

"What do you gather?" It was a cautiously curious question, Kel always on the lookout for ways to learn about what was edible and useful in the jungle he spent so much time in.

Even as he stripped the beast, it was clearly going to be hard for him to carry it all the way back to town on his own. He wasn't as strong as he used to be, and it was a long walk. He could use Zephyr's help...

But he was wary of being taken advantage of, as he'd already been in Haulani. "One horn," he offered firmly, hoping it was enough.

zephyr

"Bit'a this'n that." Either you're feeling particularly unhelpful or you know as much about gathering as you do hunting - at least, in the sense he speaks of it. Without asking you pkuck a feather from the breast of the ramphire, twirling it between your fingers thoughtfully as you wait for the stranger to decide.

One horn. It's more than a fair trade for your labors, and on most days you'd accept it without fighting. But money is tight with the Ark still in dock, and you know Jack will skin you if you don't at least try.

Almond eyes look the other fellow up and down a moment in thought. Then you grunt a little, shaking your head. "Throw in a yard'a hide and we'll call it a deal." You extend your hand, waiting for him to accept.

burn all the things you have to burn
save all the people you're supposed to save

'This'n that' didn't tell the young hunter anything, and he gave the stranger a glance of sheer exasperation as no more information was forthcoming. At least the man wasn't as chaotically cruel as the Ascended had been, but he was about as helpful as the majority of Torchliners Kel had met so far.

Amber eyes widened at the counter offer - nearly half the animal's worth - and he wiped his hands and the knife carefully before standing, holding the blade loosely but with ease. "No. I tracked it, shot it, and cleaned it. I'm not giving you half of the kill just to drag it." He ignored the hand, jaw set stubbornly as he stared the older man down, determined to protect what he had worked hard for if the stranger had no intention of playing fair.

zephyr

Ah, so he does know how to bargain. Well, sort of at least- he rejects your offer without a counter, leaving the ball in your court. Somewhat ludicrous, but you shrug easily, hands back in your pocket as you stand up. "Ain't half the kill- just the hide. Meat's all yours, an' y'get free labor."

You raise an eyebrow at the stubborn set to the jaw, the way he glares with such righteous ferocity. It's good to see a little fight in him, gives you more faith he'll survive his time here. "Tell ya' what, though. I'll earn it from ya- how about an arm wrestle? I win, I get the hide. You win, ya get free labor."

burn all the things you have to burn
save all the people you're supposed to save

Kaiholo's ways didn't come easily to the young hunter and he'd need friends to help him navigate the Port's finer points, but his own awkward wariness hadn't lent itself to making many. It struck again as he misunderstood Zephyr's casual bargaining, taking offense without realizing the high-ball haggling he had been invited to do.

His frown remained at the mention of 'free' labor, given how much of the kill he'd be handing over. Kel bit back a retort, still not sure who he was dealing with or how far the other man could be pushed, and not wanting to find himself in another situation like the one at the Rainbow Road again.

Before he could decide how best to respond the offer of sport to earn it took him by surprise, some of that righteous indignation fading to bewilderment as he opened his mouth and then closed it again, looking the stranger over with more cautious eyes. A man in his prime, but not as tall as Kel. The halfbreed had been proud of his strength before coming to Caido, and though he seemed to have lost some of it, it was by no means all gone. So maybe...

"If you win I'll give you half the hide, but I'll keep the horns," he countered cautiously, watching Zephyr's face closely to see if he was doing it right. "If I win, I'll still give you one of the horns for the labor, but I'll keep the whole hide. Deal?"

zephyr

Half the hide but neither of the horns? It's not ideal, but it's certainly fair, and it's clear the lad is learning a little. Good. Nodding your concession to the terms, you gesture with your chin to a nearby fallen tree.

Without waiting to see how the boy responds you stride toward the downed giant, finding a rock close enough to sit on. The rough wood barely bothers your skin as your elbow touches down on it; your skin is basically leather these days, tanned and treated by years of sun and salt.

When the young man joins you offer your hand, coffee eyes glinting playfully under your brows. "Aite, kid. Let's see watcha got."

burn all the things you have to burn
save all the people you're supposed to save

The lack of words didn't bother him, though he knew he'd have to trust the man not to be lying. It was a simple, straightforward sort of contest though, and Kel took the time to clean his hands off in a nearby bed of moss before joining the stranger at the tree. As luck would have it there was a stump on the other side of the log and Kellan settled onto it.

He wasn't quite as weathered (and not nearly as old) as the other man, but he was a forest child through and through, and he rested his elbow on the old jungle patriarch's body without flinching at the roughness or the bark or the insects that scattered at the disturbance. "I'm Kellan." Not 'kid', the lift of his chin seemed to say, but there was a light of competitive challenge in his eyes even as he gripped the callused hand that waited for him.

He didn't hesitate, bicep tensing as he tightened his muscles down to his core and heaved against the stranger's strength, seeking to push his hand back and pin it to the waiting bark below.

zephyr

There's defiance in the way he lifts his chin, in the way he gives his name. A flash of something - recognition, familiarity, loss - tenses your face a moment, and then you relax again, and it's like it was never there. "Zeph," you offer in return, lip twitching in quiet amusement. "On three, then?"

The boy is stronger than you expected, given that willowy frame, but he doesn't really stand much of a chance. Your own bicep bulges under your shirt as your muscles contract in anticipation, letting it linger a moment while he heaves against you to get a feel for what he's packing. More than you expected, but still not enough. Looks like you're going to do well for yourself tonight.

It's with no little difficulty that you bring down his hand, but no large difficulty, either. You can feel the moment his knuckles touch the bark and end your resistance accordingly, letting go and sitting back, the challenge now complete. With an appreciative grunt you stretch your fingers, rubbing your left hand over your right. "Not bad, kid," you allow with an almost-smile bright in your brown eyes. "Maybe next time, eh?"

burn all the things you have to burn
save all the people you're supposed to save

He wasn't sure if the other man's expression meant he was angry or not, but the flicker of tension was gone before Kel could decide what it meant. At least he had a name to give to the man now, one that had the young hunter's expression shifting in turn. Not tension but shock and perhaps a flicker of sadness before he focused on the contest at hand. "On three," he agreed quietly, focusing on the contest at hand.

There was a strength to the old man beneath his sunbrowned skin and greying hair, a core of steel that looked from a distance as though it might have rusted away at the edges, but up close was as solid as ever. Kel flexed and pressed, gathering his strength and trying to focus its flow from chest and pec to bicep, remembering how easily it had come before. Once, he could have overpowered a human with only a little strain. It had been harder to make it look like a contest, so no one would think it strange how much strength the young man had.

Once...

As Zeph's hand pushed against his he realized just how far from home he was all over again, and how much he had lost in the portal's curse. His struggle was all too real, and all too brief as his arm was inexorably twisted back and down; the further it went, the harder it became to resist until the brush of bark against his knuckles signaled his loss.

At least the other man didn't smash his hand flat, tearing it open against the tree's dead skin. Kel retrieved his arm and flexed his hand to regain full blood flow, ears burning at how easily he'd been overpowered. He'd been beaten fairly, but his pride still stung and when the greybeard called him 'kid' again he looked up, the spark back in his eyes. "Best two out of three, old man?" he challenged, setting his elbow back on the mark.

zephyr

He's defiant you note with some satisfied surprise, raising an eyebrow at the challenge, as well as the rude (but appropriate) epithet. "What, lookin' t'get beat again so soon?" There's a chorus of pops as you roll your head, then flex and open your fingers. "Aitr, but only if it's a fair fight. Let an old man teach ya some tricks."

Assuming he isn't too proud to reject you, you put your elbow on the old tree again, opening your hand for him to take. You won't start fighting unless he does; you were genuine in your offer to teach him some things, a paternal instinct stirring in your breast.

burn all the things you have to burn
save all the people you're supposed to save