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 Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2005 11:38 am
((Please don't post here unless you're Glitterati (Nyxa), or you otherwise get an invite to join in. Thanks.))
Osero skirted around the edge of the village of Cetalu, a brace of silvery fish hanging from his cloth belt. The tall Aerandir had not long returned from a lengthy hunting excursion, and he just intended to leave his catch in the community kitchens. Before he entered the village proper, the hunter paused, eyeing the houses. Everything was so different to a few months ago. Before, the village was practically empty; now every house was full. Yet, the hunter had, in truth, met only a few of the inhabitants. Maybe he'd need to rectify that at some point.
Padding forward on silent paws, the wolf-eagle hybrid made his way towards the largest building in the village, propping the twin-pronged fish spear on his shoulder as he walked. The catch today had been fairly good - it should be enough for a little longer, in any case.
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Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2005 11:46 am
Everyday, it seemed, Lucius was patiently waiting on the stoop of the small cabin, always watching. It wasn't that he was waiting for anyone in particular, really. Just.. someone. Life wasn't meant to be such an utter bore, he was sure, and though he spent most of his time out of doors and mainly in the woods, any sort of interaction would be nice.
And it would seem that today would be his lucky day. He watched a silent figure pause before making his way towards the Centre, and despite having never met Osero, his little heart jumped when he realized that the moment he'd been waiting for was drawing near. As if fearing that any sudden movements would cause Osero to flee in terror, Luc skulked into the house and ran headfirst into Nyxa, who'd just been coming outside.
"'sero is here, I saw him, he was goin' in the big house." Looking more animated than he had been in quite some time, Luc was moving his arms about and fairly trembling with excitement. "S'go, s'go!!" He moved back towards the door and frowned at her the slightest before moving down the path, obviously expecting Nyxa to follow.
Stifling a grin, Nyxa moved along behind him, plastering an ever-so-serious expression on her face. "Alright, then, lets go."
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Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2005 11:58 am
Osero slipped into the community centre, allowing the door to close with a soft *click* behind him. He didn't want to disturb anyone who might be around already, so he made his way through to the kitchen quietly. The fish that he'd brought were already cleaned and gutted, so he didn't need to worry about doing that just now. Osero preferred to gut fish either on the spot where he caught them, or back at his own cabin. It could be rather messy work, afterall.
Leaving the spear propped up by the door, Osero went to work. Well-practiced at this by now, he quickly wrapped the fish at one of the kitchen counters, before moving through into the storeroom to pack them away. He had to be careful not to knock anything in the kitchen over as he turned - one of the disadvantages of being both tall and winged was that you had to watch everything around you, lest you knock it over or hit it.
When he was finally done storing the food away, he headed back over towards the kitchen door, lifting the spear that he'd left there. Idly, he wondered what to do now. Maybe he could finally get around to fixing that broken net..
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Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2005 12:04 pm
Satisfied that Nyxa would follow, Luc crept forward and reached for the doorknob. Pressing his skinny shoulder against the door, he gave a hearty pull and opened the door. His eyes gleamed as he gazed upon Osero. His expression almost reverent, he was effectively frozen in place. Despite them both being Aerandir, there was decidedly nothing more magnificent than seeing a fully-matured Aerandir. Luc was obviously in awe, clutching his bow to his chest.
Sneezing loudly, Nyxa moved up close to the door and shoved it open the rest of the way. A single brow raised as she glanced down at Luc before clearing her throat loudly, forcing the little tyke forward jerkily. Coming to a stop, she beamed at Osero. "Fancy meetin' you here!"
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Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2005 12:20 pm
Just as Osero was about to open the door leading outside, somebody else pulled it open. Stopping short, he gazed quizzically at the little figure standing in front of him. It was a young Aerandir, clutching what looked like a bow to his chest. Osero smiled faintly. He remembered seeing the first gryphons born on the island after Acia. The young ones really were growing up fast.
Glancing up as the door opened fully, he saw a woman behind the young one. He recognised her from a while back, but it had been some time since he had spoken to her. What was her name again..? Ah.. yes. Nyxa, wasn't it? He hoped it was. It would be embarassing to get her name wrong. He remembered the gryphon that had been with her that time - the cockerel and panther Aerandir. This must be him. Unfortunately, he couldn't remember for the life of him what the young Aerandir was called.
He smiled. "Hello there. It's been some time.. Nyxa, isn't it?" He looked down at the youngster, his smile warming. "You've grown a lot since I've last seen you."
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Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2005 12:28 pm
Nyxa nodded, pleased that Osero would remember her. "Yep. And this is Lucius. I think the last time you saw him, he was a gryphon." She chuckled briefly, the sound strangled swiftly when Luc seemed to shake out of his reverie, instantly shooting her a 'don't you DARE embarass me' glare. Miffed, Nyxa frowned slightly, clearing her throat as Luc found his voice.
"I'm Luc. S'my bow here, you got string?" He curled his hands into little fists and set them on his hips, his full attention now on Osero. "Can't do nothin' if I ain't got no string onnit, yeah?" He snorted accusingly before he grumbled softly, "Been waitin' for you. She," he jerked a thumb over his shoulder at Nyxa, "can't do it, said we 'gotta find 'Sero, Luc, jus' be patient.'" His voice took on a high-pitched tone as he mimicked Nyxa. She snorted but remained quiet as he continued on, "Gotta 'rowhead already, kay. Foundit in the woods."
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Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2005 12:44 pm
Osero nodded his head. "Yes, I remember." The hunter glanced quietly between Lucius and his guardian, simply listening for a moment. This little one seemed pretty headstrong.
"I take it that you're learning to be a hunter then, Lucius?" Osero asked, looking at the child thoughtfully. He seemed unfazed by Luc's impatient attitude. "I don't have anything that could be used for a bowstring on me right now. I was just delivering fish. Although, why don't we find somewhere a little better to talk, rather than at the door here?"
If Luc was going to be a hunter, then there was a few things that Osero could hopefully teach him beforehand. He had learned out the hard way - through much trial and error, and wasted days. Perhaps he could make things easier for the youngster.
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Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2005 12:50 pm
Huffing on exhaled breath, Luc peered around as if suddenly remembering where he was. Yeah, standing in the doorway wasn't the best place to have a conversation about life-changing things like bowstrings and arrowheads. And already he could sense that his sassy mouth and backtalking ways would get him nowhere with the older Aerandir. "Yeah. Huntin'. N'where you wanna go?" He peered over his shoulder at Nyxa, tossing her a dismissive look before turning his focus back to Osero.
With another snort, Nyxa waved her hands, "I suppose I'll leave you two alone so you can get in some time together. I'll be at the cabin, Luc." Chuckling wryly, she ruffled his red hair before moving out the door. It closed behind her with a soft click.
Luc paid her no heed, his eyes intent on Osero. "You th' only hunter on this place?" He hadn't really met the other Aerandir in depth since growing, just that one fleeting visit with Marli shortly after his return. "Whatcha know 'bout bows n' huntin' if you only fish?"
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Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2005 1:10 pm
"Why don't we head back to my cabin for now? There's some benches outside it that should do." Propping the fish spear back on his shoulder again, he began to walk, his steps silent.
At Luc's questions, the hunter smiled faintly. "Until you, yes. For a long time, there were only three of us - myself, Rahujo and Acia. And to answer your other question, I don't just fish, although I do most of the time. Not everyone likes to eat fish all the time. Where do you think the rabbits in the centre came from?
Bows, though, are a different matter. I'm afraid that you're the first to use a bow, so I won't be able to teach you much on that. There's much more to hunting than your weapon though. You've got to be able to find your prey first, not to mention getting close enough to it."
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Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2005 6:56 pm
Luc fell silent, a thoughtful expression creeping across his stubborn features. He merely followed Osero, ears perked to the older males words. It did make sense, he supposed, that Osero wouldn't only know about fishing. For one so young, Luc had a pretty good head on his shoulders.
He did his best to mimic his new role-model's actions, tiny furred feet making next to little sound as he moved along behind Osero. "More 'n the weapon, huh?" Those words, too, made perfect sense. "You gonna teach me all that stuff, yeah?" Luc's words took on a hopeful tone as he resettled his makeshift bowsling over his shoulder.
"Never met Acia, seen R'hujo though." That being said, he fell silent, intent on copy-catting Osero's fluid grace.
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Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2005 9:47 am
Osero smiled faintly as he walked, noting that the young one's steps had suddenly become considerably quieter than before.
"I can teach you what I know. But you'll need to be ready to work hard, and practice too. You can't just become a good hunter overnight." Pausing for a moment, he then went on to reply to Lucius' last comment.
"Acia is a little shy. I don't see her very often myself. She's a spellweaver - she can control the earth."
They were nearly at his cabin now. Approaching one of the outside benches, Osero pushed a tangled heap of netting off to the side and sat down. He'd fix it.. someday.
Looking to Lucius, who seemed to be trying his best to keep quiet, he smiled and motioned for him to sit on a bench.
"You've started on a part of it already, I see. A hunter must be as silent as a shadow when he searches for his prey. Also, he must not be detected by eyes or noses. Else, he will fail."
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Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2005 11:00 pm
Listening carefully to all of Osero's words, Luc nodded and hefted himself to perch on the bench. He carefully arranged his bow so as to not mar the surface: he had, after all, spent an obscene amount of time polishing and cleaning the beautifully carved wood.
"I want to be th' best hunter on th' island. I wanna be a hard worker and I will practice, I promise." The youth nodded again as his brows drew together in concentration, ears perked at attention. "See, I'm already doin' good, huh?" He straightened and repeated Osero's words, "Silent as a shadow." Studiously he nodded once more, brushing the shaggy red hair from his eyes. "So what kinda stuff 'm I gonna be after? My prey?" That question asked, his next comment was a little off-hand. "I like t'climb trees."
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Posted: Mon Oct 24, 2005 12:04 pm
Osero smiled faintly. The best hunter on the island, then? He was eager to learn, at least.
"Actual prey can be rather hard to actually catch. The first thing we'll do is practice moving quietly. Then, I'll show you how to read the ground and the plants so that you can find your prey. Then we'll hunt for real. Does that sound alright?"
Pausing, he looked at the bow. It was a beautifully intricate weapon, although without a string it was currently unusable. Osero would need to see about some sinew for the string. Maybe if Lucius learned quickly, he could accompany Osero to get it. It would be a learning experience for him at least. He wondered if Rahujo would be able to make arrows for him. Again, something he could have Luc accompany him with.
"In any case, I think we should start your training properly first thing tomorrow morning. We can go out into the woods to get some real practice instead of sitting in the village talking."
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Posted: Tue Oct 25, 2005 3:40 am
Luc slid down from the bench, eagerly nodding. Osero really did seem to know alot about hunting and stuff, and Luc wanted to know everything he had to teach. "Yeah, sounds good. I'll come back here in th' mornin'." And he would, no doubt, bright and early.
Uneasily he looked at the other Aerandir, a protective hand moving to rest over his bow, "Hunter is never without his weapon," he quoted studiously, "but maybe I can leave this at home tomorrow, yeah? Sling is gettin' dirty, need a new one. A real one, not socks." The last few words he mumbled to himself, his tail thrashing in irritation. Where in the heck a real sling could be found, he wasn't sure. And something to carry his arrows in would be nice, too.
"Seeya t'morrow, then, 'Sero."
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Posted: Tue Oct 25, 2005 2:31 pm
Osero nodded his head in reply to Lucius' first question. "You won't be needing your bow tomorrow, so you can leave it if you wish." He wouldn't have told him to leave it - afterall, Aerandir had a strong tie with their special objects - but if Lucius was happy to do so, then it would make things a bit easier. He smiled faintly as he glanced at the makeshift sling constructed of human socks, of all things. Maybe he could help with that too.
"See you tomorrow, Lucius. Nice and early, alright?" Osero stood up with the faintest rustle of feathers. He had a few things to consider tonight, at least.
(( Nyxa, feel free to post with Lucius returning the next day whenever you're ready. I'm just breaking things up time-wise for RP purposes ))
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