Hunting for Luck

[Hu'yana Gray]

106 Ashan, Arc 716

Hu’yana woke up at the crack of dawn, ready for yet another day of foraging and hunting. The days were scorching hot and nights cool, not requiring the use of a fire, which she was immensely grateful for, as trees were a rare sight in the desert, and often yielded little wood. There was hardly little else to do out here in the Hotlands, and hunting was also her only source of income.

She would need to save up what money she could for her future travels. The adventuring heart of hers was still unsatiated and for now, all she could do was to prepare for what came next. It was best that she started early while the air was still cool, which would hopefully allow her more sighting of animals who have similarly decided to take advantage of the cool air before the sun rose to its peak.

Disassembling the tent before continuing to pack the rest of her items onto the wagon, her gaze soon caught the sight of Che’veyo gazing out into the horizon, as if watching the slow and steady rise of the sun. Done packing, Hu’yana moved off to caress Ka’teri’s neck and mane, showing some form of affection for her horse. The mare nickered in approval and caught the attention of the hound which came bounding over to her side, expecting a similar caress of his own. The lass smiled and gave him what he wanted, rubbing his head as she said “There you go, boy, now let’s get going!”

Hitching her wagon onto her horse, she mounted and started to make her way to the city looming not too far away. A frequent visitor, the guards at the entrance waved her through without any hassle. Her goal was now to head towards the Hunter’s Guild, where she would be able to store her wagon with her tent and other assorted paraphernalia. Half a break later, she was wagon-free and riding on Ka’teri with Che’veyo heading out in front, taking point and watching out for any potential prey to hunt on. The Sight hound played a crucial role in her hunting efforts, and Hu’yana loved him dearly for that. Traversing through arid plains with little to no vegetation, to endless hills of sandy dunes.

It has been almost two breaks since they had left Nashaki, and any form of animals had been absent today. Crossing into an area with more desert vegetation she had seen so far, she could hear the buzzing of gathered Saun beetles somewhere among the plants, sunning themselves. All of a sudden, the hound stuck his head into the air, and burst into a sprint, as a small cloud of beetles flew into the air.

He must have found something. Urging Ka’teri along with a slight kick on her sides moved off into a canter, attempting to keep pace with the sprinting dog. The moment she could hardly see what he was chasing after, she knew what it was. When groups of beetles gather like that under the sun, they would seem like a really great snack for their natural predator, the Hopping Mouse.

The lass could see the mice scampering away in separate directions, scattering the resting places of the beetles, sending them flying up and away into the air in agitation. With came shortly behind was the lean and mean form of her hunting hound, his long legs covering the distance the mice couldn’t hope to increase before he caught up. Barks sounded, the sounds rippling through the warm desert air as Che’v did what he did best. Hunt. If luck favoured them, they would get their first kill of the day.

[Hu'yana Gray]

The mare’s hooves clopped into the sandy ground as Hu’yana urged her forward with a slight kick along her sides. Following but yet remaining a close distance to see, the lass soon saw him making a pounce, leaping towards the hopping mice, swiping at one with his paws and snapping the other mice’s frail little body in his jaws. Dumping both mice on the ground in front of him, he looked up proudly at his mistress as she approached on her horse. Quickly dismounting, her boots landed onto the sandy ground, as she walked over expectantly. The lass’s visage spread into a smile as she found that he had killed not one but two hopping mice. Moving over, Hu’yana petted and caressed Chev’s forehead as both a sign of affection and a job well done. The mare have her a nicker in response.

Congratulating him of a job well done, she said “Ibiti chiea'zu, syam yeye!” She often spoke to him in a combination of both Common and Xanthea, and she had no clue if he understood her words or not, but she was certain that he understood her gesture and intentions. One of the two mice was more managed that the other, with a long gash running through the length of his furry hide. Both their springy legs were intact and that was what mattered, as it was the most important part to sell.

Their long sinewy legs are one of the best materials used to make the twine in the bows in the desert, and two would be a decent number for a start. She did think she would be able to fetch a good sum of coins for this. Placing the two carcasses in an empty rucksack, the first catch of the day and hopefully not the last. By now, the sun had just about reached its peak in the sky, and the coolness of the air had gone breaks ago. Occasionally when a breeze kicked in, the wind would whip sands up into the air, and she was glad for the headscarf she wore which protected the majority of her face from the sand.

Sand in your eyes or mouth is not a pleasant thing to experience, and she’ll like to stay away from that as much as possible. Squinting her eyes as she gazed at the surrounding desert plains, Hu’yana wondered if she would be able to bag anything larger than mice today. An Axebone Antelope would be nice.

Very nice indeed. Like most hunters in the desert by now, the lass was highly familiar with hunting the antelope, the beast having been the same creature that got her accepted into the Hunter’s guild in the first place. Fond of feeding on the thorn bush, a prickly and toxic plant, it is also known to feed on the hotland grass which spread around her in various clumps in the surrounding sandy landscape. Moving back to mount Ka’teri once more, Hu’yana resumed her journey in search of the Axebone antelope. But first, she needed to find the prickly and toxic bush known as the thorn bush. Thankfully, it was one of the most common flora out here in the desert, and when there’s thorn bush, there’s antelopes.

[Hu'yana Gray]

There wasn’t much of anything to see or do in the desert, and with no trees to block one’s vision, any figures that stood out against the horizon would most definitely be highly visible to anyone and everyone that could see. Now that she had two mice in the bag, literally, Hu’yana was looking for bigger prey to hunt. The Axebone Antelope Being the only real meaty option bigger than a mouse that was easy to prey on, it was a common hunter’s favourite, be it man or wolf. As she journeyed through the sandy plains of the Hotlands, the terrain soon changed as the plains gave way to valleys and canyons, where old rivers once stood. The water had all but gone ages ago, and the only evidence that a river once stood between the canyons and valleys was the shape of the river winding its way through, shaping the edges of the rocks as it went by.

The river had gone but the the shape the water once took remained a permanent feature on the mountains of rock and sand. The canyons soon gave way to plateaus and these would be where she would find a large group of animals that would frequent the area, especially the most frightening and deadly of them all, the Sand Lion. You wouldn’t want to have the opportunity to face a Sand Lion. You would consider yourself extremely lucky to not ever have the chance to meet one in the flesh. They were no joke.

The plains that surrounded the plateaus were dotted with sparse vegetation, Hu’yana was certain that this was where she had seen clusters of thornbushes previously. Soon enough, she was rewarded for her efforts as the huntress spotted a group of antelopes off in the distance. She was the only one who had spotted them nor was she the first. Chev had spotted them bits before her and his body had already gotten stiff and alert, ready to charge forward at a moment’s notice. Lying low to avoid any form of detection, she remained in a prone position while keeping an eye out on the group. Her hound mirrored her gesture, going as low as he could. Several bits later, she was done watching them and was ready to begin the hunt.

Chev wouldn’t wait to get started either. A light pat on the back later, the hound was off. His paws bounded off into the air and raced towards the group of axebone antelopes, who had by now, began to scamper away, their natural survival instincts kicking into action. Hu’yana rose from her prone position and ran back to Ka’teri and quickly mounted the mare, giving her swift kick into her sides to urge her into action.

Trot turned into canter which progressed into gallop as both horse and rider tried to keep pace with the hunting dog and his prey. As the group began to disperse, the hound had already picked out his target in mind and had began isolating it from the rest. The antelope could really run, but so were the Saluki desert hounds, who were bred for both speed and stamina. He would catch his prey. He always did.

[Hu'yana Gray]

After about fifteen bits of chasing the antelope around, Chev working together with her and Ka’teri managed to corner their prey with nowhere else for it to escape. It was done, they had it in the bag now. With her hound’s attention and aggression keeping her prey busy, the lass quickly got to work. She had to be quick before the antelope tried to escape their grasp, which it most certainly would do in a bit.

With the animal’s back facing towards her, Hu’yana drew an arrow from the quiver on her back, nocking it before drawing back the bowstring of her of shortbow. With her mare remaining completely still, and the short distance her target was it, it was an easy shot. As soon as she aimed, she let loose, and the arrow zoomed towards the base of the neck where she had aimed for. As soon as the arrow struck its target, the antelope body turned limp and lifeless as it dropped to the ground, the projectile robbing it of it’s life.

While she did not relish in killing animals, hunting was something that was necessary for survival, and if she didn’t kill the antelope, a wolf or some other predator would anyway. Her hound drew close, standing guard over the corpse and it kept a wary eye out for any scavengers.

It would not be wise to stay in the blistering desert, dissecting and skinning the animal. That would put her into the unnecessary mercy of the sun, and they’ve all been out for quite some time already. Dismounting from her horse, Hu’yana hefted the antelope’s carcass onto the mare, before securing it with some rope she brought along in her pack. Ka’teri snorted at the extra weight on her back, and the lass went around and gave her a soft caress, this time speaking apologetically in Common.

“I’m sorry my dear, please bear with this until we get back.” The mare eyed her, but said nothing. Next up, was Chev. Kneeling down to give him an affectionate pat, she said “Speed like a wolf, courage of a lion. Good job boy.” With the compliments over and done with, the trio could now begin the journey back. A break later, Hu’yana finally approached the city with Chev alongside.

Making her way towards the hunter’s guild, she tied her mare to a wooden post outside, she removed the antelope carcass from Ka’teri before heading over to a grisly wooden table where the hunters usually did their skinning and separation of meats and organs. Hu’yana took the antelope apart, keeping it’s hide away from the rest as she began to separate the organs from the meat.

The whole process took her just over forty-five bits. When she was done, she went over to work on the mice. Placing the assorted meat and organs in the hide, she proceeded over to the butchery to sell both the meat and organs, before heading over to the leatherworkers to get her some coin for the hide. This had been a good hunt, and hopefully her catch of both the animals would net her some good coin.

[Malcolm]

[columns=2]

Skills:

Hunting: 3
Animal Training: 2
Mount: 2
Detection: 3
Stealth: 1
Endurance: 1
Ranged, Shortbow: 1
Fieldcraft: 1
Tanning: 1

Knowledge:

Basic
Desert: Cold nights, hot days
Mount, House: Hitching a wagon
Animal Training: Praise and reward
Organisation: The Hunter’s Guild
Location: The Hunter’s Guild
Specialised
Hotland Thorn Bush: Toxic
Fauna: The Sand Lion
Stealth: Prone position
Mount, Horse: From walk to canter
Ranged, Shortbow: Nocking an arrow
Tanning: Skinning an Antelope[/columns]

Review:

Nice thread (job thread?), I didn't reward any meat or pelt as I assumed this was a job thread, please inform me if I am wrong and I will make the appropriate changes. Well written, good flow, easy to read.