7th of Vhalar, 717.
The Sweetvine Woods. Everyone seemed to talk about the place like it was the holy grail of hunting grounds and after so much talk, he really couldn't pass up the opportunity to at least give it a visit while he was hanging around. From Scalvoris Town, it would have been an entire day to walk, but from Traveller's back he could cover the same distance in three breaks. For now, Jasper was left with the rest of his belongings at Cally's, a nice fat trout to keep him placated and a fairly warm blanket for him to cuddle into in case they were held up. He'd brought not only all his hunting gear with him, but whatever supplies he could pick up to last a full day out in the wilderness, including a bedroll strapped to Traveller's back. If the hunting was as good as they said, he intended to camp there overnight and start hunting fresh in the morning. Heck, he wished he had more mounts at this point! With any luck, Traveller would struggle to haul back all the prey they'd catch in just one flight!
The moment they landed and Nir'wei dismounted, Greyhide materialised. "Don't get so cocky," he chuckled. "It'll kill you." He waved off the warnings with a dismissive gesture. He'd heard some pretty scary stories about dangerous creatures lurking all over Scalvoris, but the truth was, those things were all so rare that he highly doubted he'd just walk across their path in the middle of a casual hunting venture... and if he did, well, at that point there'd be nothing he could do about it. Some people were unlucky enough to be caught at the wrong place at the wrong time, and if that happened to him, all the humble pie in the world wouldn't make a lick of difference.
In the end, he just rolled his eyes as he drew his bow and quiver from the loop in the side of Traveller's saddle. "Why don't you do something useful like start searching the area for scent trails or other markings? Anything that's been here a week ago, I want to know about it." He wished that he had more than just one wolf out searching, but for all the talk of the rich ecosystem of the Sweetvine Woods, for some reason he doubted there'd be any wolves roaming. He would have heard their howls at night, Greyhide would have found traces of them by now, and besides, there were plenty of other pack animals rife through these parts. Screeching Hounds and such. Hopefully he wouldn't stumble across any of them - a lone creature wasn't a problem, especially since he knew he could focus it down with sheer force of will, but packs worked differently... he'd have to find the alpha and focus that one specifically to get the others to back down.
Instead of throwing the quiver of arrows over his shoulder, he tightened it around his waist, keeping the arrowshafts poking out from his right hip. He didn't know why some people decided to wear it from such an awkward angle - he supposed they were moving around so often that holding it upright was the only way to stop the arrows from tumbling everywhere - but for him, just keeping the quiver at a slight incline was enough to push the arrows into place, and keeping the arrows close to his lower back instead of his shoulder meant they were easier to grab, since moving his arm down to his side was a more natural position than craning it back over his shoulder in an awkward pose. Just as he'd finished, Greyhide's head shot up. "I've got something." He looked at the wolf questioningly. "I don't know what it is. Smells like deer, but..."
He was about to say Hafrein, but the wolf interjected, already aware of his suspicions through their mental connection. "No. I've smelled Hafrein before. This is something different. It's like deer, but it's definitely not. There's something... really different about it. It's like trying to compare a shark to a starfish." Now that really was a find. "The trail is spotty, but it leads into the woods, over here."
The Sweetvine Woods. Everyone seemed to talk about the place like it was the holy grail of hunting grounds and after so much talk, he really couldn't pass up the opportunity to at least give it a visit while he was hanging around. From Scalvoris Town, it would have been an entire day to walk, but from Traveller's back he could cover the same distance in three breaks. For now, Jasper was left with the rest of his belongings at Cally's, a nice fat trout to keep him placated and a fairly warm blanket for him to cuddle into in case they were held up. He'd brought not only all his hunting gear with him, but whatever supplies he could pick up to last a full day out in the wilderness, including a bedroll strapped to Traveller's back. If the hunting was as good as they said, he intended to camp there overnight and start hunting fresh in the morning. Heck, he wished he had more mounts at this point! With any luck, Traveller would struggle to haul back all the prey they'd catch in just one flight!
The moment they landed and Nir'wei dismounted, Greyhide materialised. "Don't get so cocky," he chuckled. "It'll kill you." He waved off the warnings with a dismissive gesture. He'd heard some pretty scary stories about dangerous creatures lurking all over Scalvoris, but the truth was, those things were all so rare that he highly doubted he'd just walk across their path in the middle of a casual hunting venture... and if he did, well, at that point there'd be nothing he could do about it. Some people were unlucky enough to be caught at the wrong place at the wrong time, and if that happened to him, all the humble pie in the world wouldn't make a lick of difference.
In the end, he just rolled his eyes as he drew his bow and quiver from the loop in the side of Traveller's saddle. "Why don't you do something useful like start searching the area for scent trails or other markings? Anything that's been here a week ago, I want to know about it." He wished that he had more than just one wolf out searching, but for all the talk of the rich ecosystem of the Sweetvine Woods, for some reason he doubted there'd be any wolves roaming. He would have heard their howls at night, Greyhide would have found traces of them by now, and besides, there were plenty of other pack animals rife through these parts. Screeching Hounds and such. Hopefully he wouldn't stumble across any of them - a lone creature wasn't a problem, especially since he knew he could focus it down with sheer force of will, but packs worked differently... he'd have to find the alpha and focus that one specifically to get the others to back down.
Instead of throwing the quiver of arrows over his shoulder, he tightened it around his waist, keeping the arrowshafts poking out from his right hip. He didn't know why some people decided to wear it from such an awkward angle - he supposed they were moving around so often that holding it upright was the only way to stop the arrows from tumbling everywhere - but for him, just keeping the quiver at a slight incline was enough to push the arrows into place, and keeping the arrows close to his lower back instead of his shoulder meant they were easier to grab, since moving his arm down to his side was a more natural position than craning it back over his shoulder in an awkward pose. Just as he'd finished, Greyhide's head shot up. "I've got something." He looked at the wolf questioningly. "I don't know what it is. Smells like deer, but..."
He was about to say Hafrein, but the wolf interjected, already aware of his suspicions through their mental connection. "No. I've smelled Hafrein before. This is something different. It's like deer, but it's definitely not. There's something... really different about it. It's like trying to compare a shark to a starfish." Now that really was a find. "The trail is spotty, but it leads into the woods, over here."
