[PRP] Thrill of the hunt (Vanrui x Demadria)

[Faithofthefallen]

Demadria took a deep breath of fresh air and sighed happily. The air was rich with the smells of spring, green growing things, the heady thick scent of flowers blossoming. Winter was too long, it felt like the world was coming alive again, and her with it. The young harpy wrinkled her nose as she accidentally jostled a young sapling, causing it to spray her with droplets from the previous nights rain. The piled up leaves that crunched beneath her claws were slippery and barely crunched with each footstep. Demadria knew the rain was what was bringing the forest to life along with the sunlight, but it was hard to bear that in mind when the musty smelling, slimy leaves and shoots of grass stuck between her claws. She wanted to leap through the tree tops but she knew the branches would be slick as well and she didn't want to ruin what she was sure would be an interesting day by falling, and potentially injuring herself just to avoid a little discomfort.

Dema tilted her head and squinted her eyes as she craned to see the position of the sun through the treetops. She stepped to the side a bit and groaned, a blush mantling her cheeks. She was going to be late to meet Vanrui! She shook her head and increased her pace, that's what she got for dawdling. She was nervous, she only knew her lovely older cousin from afar but when her mother had suggested she accompany her on this expedition she had agreed. Her cousin was somewhat... intimidating, but she wasn't sure if that was simply because she didn't know her very well. Regardless she was happy for this chance to get to know another family member. In the flock, every harpy was a sister, her own family was large and although she knew everyone she was related to at least by sight, it was different then being able to develop relationships with each and every one. There were only so many hours in a day after all...

She was sure she was drawing closer but she couldn't see or hear anyone up ahead, had Vanrui forgotten, or left without her? Demadria bit her cheek nervously as she crept closer. "Vanrui?" She called softly, nervously as her gaze swept the surrounding area. She was still in harpy territory but they were quite close to the border and she nervously tried to recall if they were close to skinwalker territory. Demadria was swift and against a larger opponent, she might be able to emerge victorious because of her speed and agility but she was neither strong nor battle minded. She hadn't paid much attention in the lessons where she learned to defend herself she was ashamed to admit, her mind flitting from ideas for different patterns, or different ingredients she might try to make different dyes for cloth. She was not proud of it, but there it was. If attacked by a stronger, cunning opponent, she didn't stand much of a chance without a running head start.

Was that something moving up ahead?
"Vanrui??" she called again hesitantly.

techabyte

 

[techabyte]

The Foresthowl Harpy hated the rain. Why? It made the earth soft and the trees make noise; which hindered her hunting. Yesterday she had tried; tried hard. She had even tracked a buffalo down. Through trees and brush. And then it down poured, and she had to find some form of shelter. Needless to say, she lost that animal, and it frustrated her beyond belief. Now she needed to find something else to bring back to the Flock; something to feed them and help pull her weight. Her fur fluffed slightly as she tried to get her paws to work properly. Every time she took a quick step, she'd slip or her paw would get stuck in mud; and it took twice as long to pull her paw back out. Her tail flicked slightly, a motion like the tail of her father. She dropped her head slightly to sniff at the damp ground, before sighing and shook her head back and forth. No point in trying that method of hunting.

And then she heard something. Vanrui lifted her head, ears snapping up and swiveling. She turned her head slowly toward where it was the noise came from. Her name, called by a somewhat familiar voice. She hadn't spent much time with anyone but her mother and Kamunyak; so she was still learning and memorizing the sounds of all the other Sister's; specifically those related to her. She trotted through the forest, pausing at one point to try and get her paw uncaught from some mud. She snarled down at the sticky substance, before shaking her head and moving forward and through more dense trees. After a moment, she saw the clawed Sister not far ahead. Her tail flicked again, and her head cocked to the side, very wolf like in nature, before she pondered approaching. But maybe a small prank would due better...

Nah.

Vanrui laughed to herself, shaking her head as she moved through some bushes and trees to approach Demandria. Her eyes flickered over the female, before she stopped near her. She smiled politely and then glanced around, her eyes flickering from one spot to another, and then back toward the harpy. "Good afternoon, Demadria." She greeted lightly. She smiled again, before looking around. After a second, she took a slow step forward and sniffed at the air, her paws spreading a bit to feel the mud and grass between her toes. "What is it you're wanting to do? Hunt or gather material for your silks?" She asked curiously, her tail flicking. She liked going out; gathering material and hunting. If Demadria needed furs, Vanrui could do it easy. She was an expert hunter; often bringing plenty of food for the Flock in by herself.

Faithofthefallen

 

[Faithofthefallen]

Movement in the trees caught her eye and made her suck in a breath, but it was indeed her cousin who stepped into view.

"Hello, Vanrui," Demadria smiled at the mare in genuine welcome, hovering a little, unsure whether it would be appropriate or awkward to embrace her in greeting. She ended up rocking foreword on her claws and then settling back, too shy for now, wishing that comfortable connection she had with her immediate family could just form itself between her and her exotic cousin and hoping Vanrui hadn't misunderstood or taken offense at her uncertainty.

Her wide blue eyes took in the stunning sight of the mare before her, she was not just beautiful but strong, she moved with a predatory grace that made Dema a bit envious, she still felt unsure in her skin, newly grown she was rather bemused to find herself so lanky and tended to feel more coltish and clumsy than lovely.

She shot Vanrui an 'unsure but game' smile, "We could try hunting? I doubt I'm any good at it, but perhaps you could teach me a few tricks, give me some tips on tracking?" She tilted her head appraisingly, her eyes beginning to take on an odd light as she sized up her cousin with a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth, she would love to make something for Vanrui, but she could broach that topic later. "I don't forsee the need to track anything down, but it never hurts to learn something new."

Her eyes were warm but she fluttered a bit nervously near Vanrui "So, how do we start?" She wasn't squeamish but the thought of taking down a living creature definitely made her nervous, there was a reason she was a gatherer and an artisan. She was feeling rather stifled with her routine though, and something about Vanrui made her feel a tad rebellious, quite suddenly she realized she had grown a bit bored of her typical workday and she found herself yearning to do something so out of her comfort zone, that when she was done, settling back into her daily routine would be both a blessing and a relief.

With that in mind, Demadria still felt nervous, but she also felt a surge of excitement. She would try something new and she would get to know her older cousin. Eyeing Vanrui with good natured interest, Demadria wondered aloud the question that had been tugging at the edges of her mind. "Vanrui, our mothers are sisters, but we seem to have grown up so differently," not wanting to give offense, she rushed to add, "I don't mean that thats a bad thing, but, when I asked, mother and grandmother always said it wasn't their place to tell me your story. You don't have to tell me, of course, I don't mean to intrude on your privacy if its difficult to talk about, but you are different, something... More. I feel as though I have been sheltered and you have seen the world, what is it like?" She stopped, suddenly feeling a bit shy, she wasn't much for small talk. Her brother liked to jest that they could never have a simple conversation, she always had to dig deep into his heart. Demadria was curious about people, what made them who they were. She knew it was a very personal question, nevertheless it was something she wouldn't hesitate to ask of those she had grown up with. That was the thing, though. She hadn't grown up with Vanrui and to Demadria's mind, it was strange that they were only now just beginning to tentatively forge a relationship when they were so closely related.

techabyte

Sorry about the time lapse n_n, I started a phlebotomy class at the beginning of this month and days ran away with me!

 

[techabyte]

Vanrui shifted a bit, her eyes flickering along the mare. She tilted her head some, and her tail gave a small flick, almost wolf like. Her paws seemed to shift along the ground, as if itching to go out and hunt something. Shew as wolf, predator, bloodthirsty. But on the other hand, she was harpy, grace and beauty, skilled and agile. Her head tilted some, large ears flipping up some before they shifted and slowly moved to face Demadria. She seemed to be uncertain herself about what was going on, and it didn’t really bother Vanrui much. She was used to some of the Sisters wanting to go hunting with her. To see how the mare hunted. She was different than the other sisters; different in how she hunted. Her head tilted toward the boarder, staring with piercing eyes toward the trees before she heard the words. So Demadria wanted to learn how a wolf hunted as well. Well they were adept predators for a reason…

”Sure. Hunting is what I’m best at anyways.” She paused to let out a light laugh, turning toward the border and heading that way, her paws light under her form. ”Never was very good at dancing, though my mother tried to teach me. Learning from claws is hard.” She stated softly. She’d even learned her hunting skills from a pack of wolves when her father left. Her ears pinned irritably behind her head when she thought about it, a snarl almost ripping from her throat. She quickly pushed back the sour taste in her mouth, letting her ears flip back up. No. She had to focus; she was here with Demadria, and it wouldn’t do them any good if she was in a foul mood. Her head tilted slightly, and she glanced toward the mare, before moving slowly forward, and pausing to dip her head down toward the ground, sniffing slightly. Her eyes flickered up, and she glanced around the area, her eyes lingering on some bushes before she lifted her head and swiveled to look at Demadria.

”Hunting is… easy to me. It comes natural. When you’re trying to track something, silence is key; being unseen is key. You don’t want to scare it away. I track by smell; but I have learned that the Sister’s do not have the sense of smell I do. So, I teach by prints. Such as over here.” She said. She moved over to where she had been before, dipping her head some to point toward the ground. In the brush and dirt there were clear hoof prints; too small to be Soquili. Her head tilted some, sniffing at the ground a moment before she lifted her head again and nodded for Demadria to come and inspect it. Probably pronghorn or some other small deer. Which meant there would be more than one. If she could bring back a couple of kills for food and leather…

And then she was distracted. Demadria was talking, and her sharp eyes locked on the mare. So much for learning to hunt. She tilted her head some and listened as the other rambled, her paws shifting in the dirt, before she turned to face the Harpy, eyes locked. ”How about this; if you can take down a kill, no matter what the animal, I’ll tell you. You can ask me anything, and I’ll let you know all that I’m willing to share. Deal?” She asked smoothly, her eyes bright. She liked a challenge; liked challenging people.

Faithofthefallen

 

[Faithofthefallen]

Demadria glanced down at Vanrui's elegant paws. Perhaps her feet were different than the average harpy but Dema thought they weren't that different. Vanrui's claws were just smaller. In fact, Demadria thought they looked a sight easier to maneuver than the long harpy claws. She often futiley wished her claws were shorter when she was working on a particularly complicated piece. She often needed to ask one of the cashmere twins for help, their small paws were simply better suited to finely detailed work.

"But... everyone can dance! There's no right way," she exclaimed, "You don't have to learn, you just do." She, like most of her family was deeply entrenched within the arts. One could not grow up in the same cave as Vanya and not spend much of one's childhood dancing and she felt appalled that Vanrui couldn't escape from herself within the music. She wavered a bit at the grimace on her cousin's face, had she upset her? Vanrui was so hard to read, but certainly interesting to talk to. Demadria felt a surge of affection.

She listened to Vanrui with the rapt attention of a good student, nodding at her advice and examining the print with interest. It took her a few moments to distinguish it from the rest of the terrain, she quinted and tilted her head a little. Little by little the edges of the small hoof print became clear. Demadria laughed in delight, "I see it!" she cried loudly, and then guiltily remembering Vanrui's advice on remaining quiet, glanced at her cousin guiltily and closed her mouth once more.

She was worried that Vanrui was angry, her eyes were lit with a fire that Demadria associated with mastering a new stitch or combining the right ingredients to get the perfect shade for a new dye. "Hunt? Me?" she squeaked. She hadn't expected to be anything more than a quiet observer. Demadria shifted nervously from claw to claw as she considered this proposition, she was frightened but excited at the prospect. She worried about if she would actually be able to kill something if the opportunity arose, but she could see in Vanrui's eyes that this was the way to connect with her. This was what Vanrui was passionate about. Demadria thought about it and decided that the best way to understand her cousin would be to try to take part in a bit of her world. So with a shaky smile and a not, Demadria steeled herself for what was to come. She carefully removed her jingling adornments and let her long crow black hair flow freely over her shoulders.
Carefully, lovingly, she tucked her clothing safely into her gathering bag and left it by the meeting tree where it would be safe and easily found again.

She felt strangely free and excited, "What do we do? How do we start?" she breathed nervously.

techabyte

 

[techabyte]

Vanrui watched her cousin with interest, her tail flicking behind her. She grinned though, when the mare seemed to understand. So it wasn’t going to be that hard to get her on the side of hunting. Or at least to get her to try it. Vanrui wouldn’t push the mare to hunt if her heart was truly locked in art. But, probably because of the wolf blood, Vanrui didn’t find an interest in art. She liked to listen to her mother sing, and enjoyed watching the ceremonies and how the Sisters celebrated successful hunts. She enjoyed watching the way that foals seemed to learn to dance and sing and have fun. But it wasn’t for her. Her head tilted some as she glanced down at the print again. After a moment, she tucked her head down and sniffed curiously at the print, picking up the scent of the pronghorn easily.

When Demadria burst out that she saw the print, it took Vanrui a moment not to snarl her way. She had to bite back the noise, and looked away, over toward the direction the smell was. Hopefully the girl would understand. If they were loud, they wouldn’t be able to hunt anything. Her paws moved her slowly forward, and she was easily moving through the brush and farther into the forest. Her tail flicked behind her, and her paws were soft against the ground, making barely a noise. She dropped her head down to the ground, sniffing lightly at the trail that she could pick out easily despite the leaves and sticks that covered the ground. She had been trained for this. Hell, she was born for this.

”We have to be quiet. It looks like we are hunting a pronghorn, and though they travel primarily in herds, they are often easily flighty. If you make a sudden movement or a loud noise, they’ll run before you even get close enough to chase. So being quiet is key.” She explained in a hushed voice. She glanced toward her cousin, sending her a wolfish smile, before moving quietly forward. She slunk from one hidden spot to another, her paws quick under her feet. It didn’t take them long to find their way toward a clearing where a few pronghorn were grazing. Vanrui stopped suddenly, her ears perking up and her eyes locking on the creatures in front of her. She shook out her hair some, and took a slow step forward, her paw pressing against the ground for a moment, as if testing if there was anything that would make a loud noise if she put her entire weight on her paw. She glanced toward her cousin, staring at her for a moment, before nodding her head toward some bushes that would easily hide the Harpy.

Faithofthefallen

 

[Faithofthefallen]

Dema clamped her lips together tightly, casting a small embarrassed smile Vanrui's way, she was not a hunter, but she knew the basic principles, she didn't want her cousin to think she was a fool. Vanrui's sureness of self and confidence had already entranced the young Demadria, and she found herself yearning for approval in her cousin's eyes.

Demadria watched her cousin sniff at the print curiously. She wondered what it would be like to have senses so acute. Demadria's sense of smell was keen, but Vanrui had wolf blood, and she was sure a wolf nose had more capabilities than an equine one.

When Vanrui started creeping foreword, Demadria followed, hunched down a bit in a 'sneaking' posture, the first few times she set a foot down, the dry mast of old dead leaves and dried twigs snapped and crunched beneath her claws. She winced, "Sorry," she breathed, focusing attention to her footsteps until she had, if not mastered the art of walking quietly on the forest floor, at least made significant improvement in the area. It was so much easier for her to move through the trees, she could move through the canopy with barely a sound to announce her presence, but she felt awkward down here.

Dema swallowed, hard, her wide eyes affixed to Vanrui's as the mare finally put a name to their quarry. A pronghorn. She had seen them alive, flitting through the forest on their slender stilt like legs, she had also seen them when the hunters brought them in to be broken down into useful parts. She had plenty of their skins draped around in her cave back home. Even though she knew where those hides came from, it was difficult to imagine what it had taken to get them there, she broke out in a sweat, could she do this?
She didn't think she was squeamish, but she had never really tested the theory, it would be embarrassing to vomit at some critical step. That's what she got for stepping out of her comfort zone, she had committed to this, and she was going to follow it through, whatever the outcome.

Demadria copied Vanrui, setting her claws down carefully, mindful of any potential noise, following her cousin's direction, she crept into the bushes Vanrui had indicated. Peeking her head out she raised a brow in Vanrui's direction. She wondered if Vanrui actually wanted her to kill the pronghorn herself, or simply to participate in the hunt. She opened her mouth to ask just that and then snapped in closed again, she had to be quiet. Seething a little in irritation at her enforced silence she began to scan the forest, looking for signs of the pronghorns.

There A flash of movement, but was it the animal they were after? She squinted trying to see, and glanced at Vanrui. Indicating the movement she raised one brow questioningly.

Is that it? she mouthed. She tensed, did they run now? Should they try to catch whatever it was? Her muscles were tensed as if to leap from the bushes, but she was wise enough to hold off until Vanrui told her what to do next.

techabyte