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Post by Guan Yu on Sept 28, 2014 15:13:31 GMT -5
The nighttime temperature was cool, though the harsh grip of winter had yet grasped the region. The hillside landscape was bathed in moonlight. The woodlands which so thickly covered the steep cliff sides of the Fjord took on an almost serene atmosphere as the moonlight danced playfully across the forest floor. These forests were not to say silent, though they may seem to be so to an untrained ear. The soft and somber babbling of a stream could be heard, or perhaps the occasional hoot of an owl, or far cry of a wolf. A young man had finished constructing a fire shortly before night had fallen, and he relaxed by it, reclining against a moss-covered trunk of some long-since fallen tree. A bow and quiver lay at either side of him, they were the tools of the boys's trade, a hunter as he was. Upon closer inspection, one would find a youth, who at most appeared around the age of seventeen or so. He had short, blonde hair and light blue eyes and wore a cloak, rugged tunic, pants, and a pair of thick boots. It'd seem the young man almost lived in the woods. His eyes slowly began to close as he drifted to sleep...
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Post by Aquarius on Sept 28, 2014 17:18:52 GMT -5
The light of the full moon cast shadows across the ground as a light breeze shifted the tree branches above. A deer stood next to a small stream, looking around for predators before drinking from the cool waters. In the nearby brush, a pair of eyes watched the deer intently.
She had been stalking the deer for hours now. Always it had been just out of her reach. But now, the deer was still and within her grasp. She had to remain patient and still - this was not the time to get excited. She must wait for the perfect moment.
The deer sensed safety and bent its head to lap from the stream. Now was her chance! The girl raised her bow, and breathed two words as she loosed a softly glowing, blue arrow.
The arrow found its target and the deer stumbled. Immediately the girl leaped from her hiding spot and was upon her prey. The animal was in obvious pain but not yet dead. She drew her knife, mumbled words of thanks to the deer and sliced its throat. The deer fell limp. The hunt was over. Her stomach growled and she longed to stop, rest and eat. But she knew that would have to wait. It was not her place to take the first bite of the hunt.
Instead, she strung the deer up over a tall tree and sat down, feeling the exhaustion setting in over her body. Within minutes, the red-headed girl was asleep.
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Post by Guan Yu on Sept 28, 2014 17:42:37 GMT -5
A noise, an ever so familiar noise, awoke the young man. The sound a deer makes as it draws it's last breath, was what he heard. He was certain in this. He grabbed up his bow, slinging his quiver over his shoulder as he pushed himself up. He crept, slowly, stealthily toward where he'd heard the sound. An arrow now at the ready. He crouched low, hiding behind a shrub of sizable height. He'd peer into the moonlight, catching sight of the girl who'd just slew the beast. He took time to observe her from the shadows, taking care to avoid making his presence known. It was a dangerous world he lived in, and the distinction between friend and foe was a dull haze. After a moment he decided to take a risk, he'd reveal himself to her. The boy emerged from the brush, stepping out into the moonlight downstream from the girl and her prey. He'd cough before speaking, as if to make his presence known. "Quite the kill you've got yourself there, eh?" He'd stride towards her, stopping just outside of her reach. His arrow was still kept at the ready. "You're going to have to forgive me, but lest you prove otherwise I've got to assume you could be hostile." He gestured vaguely to the bow in his hand.
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Post by Aquarius on Sept 28, 2014 17:59:12 GMT -5
The girl's rest was short-lived, however, when she felt a presence approaching and heard the noise of footsteps through brush. She was pulled back to consciousness when a voice broke the silence. Her green eyes snapped open and she saw a young, blonde boy standing before her. He looked to be about the same age as her. Embarrassed that she was caught off guard, she simply responded, "I assure you, I mean no harm. I understand your precaution though."
She eyed him for a moment. He didn't look all that dangerous. What tribe was he from, she wondered. Standing to her feet, she dusted the snow off her dark cloak and stamped her feet slightly, getting the blood moving to them again. "My name's Ylva."
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Post by Guan Yu on Sept 28, 2014 18:11:51 GMT -5
"Well i'm glad you're no foe," he'd offer a nod, continuing, "It'd be a shame to kill you. I've never been one for killing folk, father says I'm a disgrace, but what can be done." He waved a dismissive hand, lowering his bow. "Anyhow, Ylva, it's nice to meet you. I can see we share a common enough trade," he'd nod to the strung up deer over yonder. "I'm Calder," he'd pause looking her over as if in a vain attempt to ascertain some form of information from her appearance. "What tribe are you from, if you don't mind my asking," he'd pause again, "Surely not Winter's Claw, and definitely not a Thunderhelm." He'd raise a brow, "Raven's Beak?.. No, that's not right either." He'd shake his head, offering a slight shrug.
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Post by Aquarius on Sept 28, 2014 19:21:34 GMT -5
Ylva shrugged, "To each their own, I suppose." She paused and then answered his question, shifting in place as she felt his gaze, "I am from the River Fang tribe...yourself?" She inquired.
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Post by Guan Yu on Sept 28, 2014 19:31:41 GMT -5
"A Frostguard," he'd gesture vaguely toward the mountains to the south. The Frostguard weren't the most politically powerful tribe-- nor were they were the largest. They along with the Thunderhelm Tribe populated the mountainous southern region of the area. Calder looked her over, raising a brow. "So what brings a River Fang to these parts? Don't see many of you valley folk up in the mountains." [ Frostguard Keep. ]
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Post by Aquarius on Sept 28, 2014 20:18:34 GMT -5
"Frostguard..." she mumbled under her breath, nodding slightly. Before addressing his question, she let out a breath. "The river has not been plentiful, and game has been scarce. I've been out for many moons, tracking prey, and trying to find the cause of the decline." River Fang was primarily an aquatic tribe with a focus on fishing. But recently the stocks have been poor and many have been going hungry. [ River Fang Wharf ]
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Post by Guan Yu on Sept 28, 2014 21:29:34 GMT -5
"We are many, and the game are few," he gestured toward the wilderness surrounding them. "It's a sad truth. Our tribe's council has been deliberating whether or not to declare war on the Thunderhelm. We share these woods with them, and there's simply not enough for the two of us." He offered a sigh. "I don't care for the concept of war, really. It wouldn't solve our issues, only cause more." He sat down, glancing up over at Ylva. "Sometimes I think it'd be easier to just leave here, you know? In hopes of maybe finding a more suitable place to call home." Calder placed a finger on his chin. "People in my tribe don't want to listen to me, though. They argue that the south is too hostile, with it's treacherous peaks and winding mountain trails. Not to mention the trolls that call the peaks home." He'd continue, "So I suggest, what about the east? In reply I get laughter. 'It's your head, Calder,' they tell me." He offered a slight chuckle-- "And so, foolishly, I ask, what of the north? and again they laugh. 'If you want to freeze to death, go ahead!'" He'd recline slightly, "And so I conclude by asking, what of the west? Nobody argues with me, for who knows what lies beyond the vast uncertainty that is the ocean." Calder looked dreamily to the west.
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Post by Aquarius on Sept 29, 2014 8:40:59 GMT -5
Ylva nodded solemnly as she listened to Calder go on, agreeing with some of his points here and there. She was not entirely fond of mindless war either, but understood that there was usually more to tribe politics than either of them understood. "Growing populations need space...food." She said at last when he finished and sat down, her back against the tree again. "The West...the ocean, has always been of interest to our tribe," To me she added to herself. "Its mysteries hold much potential, and much death. It is argued traversing the ocean is as foolish as moving North. But as you have said: no one really knows."
She sighed and listened to the night's silence. It had been days since she had had a conversation with another and it felt almost strange to hear herself speak aloud. "Everyone knows the lands grow barren this time of year, but each year it gets harder to provide for each hungry mouth. I do not believe the land was meant to sustain so many of us..." She trailed off, feeling her gut churn as she voiced concerns she had kept to herself for so long.
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