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 Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2016 11:27 am
No, You Can't Mess With That!
Gahiji was sitting on the floor of the seaside home that he lived in with the two fishermen that had raised him, a grouchy sort of look on his face as he clicked the piercing in his tongue against his teeth. This was the worst! They had ruined everything! Why was it that they were getting underfoot, taking away the fun that he wanted to be a part of? Shouldn't it be up to him what it was that he was going to battle next? It shouldn't matter that he didn't have a weapon of his own yet, not when the lack of a specific weapon didn't mean that h wasn't a hunter or a fighter. It just meant that he hadn't been lucky enough to be given a weapon that was all his. He stole them on occasion and that was enough for him. A temporary weapon allowed him to fight in the manner that he wanted after all. The only problem was that they didn't seem to think the same.
Instead they had taken away the fillet knife that he'd taken and dragged him back home and all because he'd gotten a lead on a giant beast, a yaotl, being in the area. It would seem that they didn't like the idea of him of him taking on such a large beast with a little knife but what else was he supposed to do? They'd locked up all the good weapons! If he'd been able to get one of those fishing spears then he'd of really been ready to take on the massive beast! Just imagine the glory that would come along with being able to take on something like that? If he'd actually taken it out it would be even more amazing and the praise that would have been heaped upon him... not that it was as important as the sheer fun that would have been fighting such a beast. Just imagine what he'd of been able to get out of it too! Every bit of the beast would have been something he could have made into something useful. Weapons, armor, clothing, accessories, a lot of it would have been meaty and could have been cooked up. Such a shame.
His sigh got him a look from the two men that had lead him back home and away from the yaotl. He glanced their way, meeting the gaze of one of them, his bright pink eyes narrowing, "What? I'd of been fine! You can't just drag me away from every hunt I want to go on!" He said, teeth barred slightly. A claim that got him a thump on his head that drew a little growl from Gahiji as he lifted his hands up, rubbing them against the top of his head. He was tempted to start something with the fishermen and would have if he hadn't had a tussle with him recently. He knew that the man was still stronger then he was and there was no point in starting something with him again. Not that he wouldn't be trying again fairly soon just to make sure. It was an almost biweekly thing with Gahiji as a means to test his growing strength. He was still just a teenager at the moment but he would get stronger and stronger with time.
Giving another grumbling sound he lifted a hand to scratch it against the underside of his chin, watching as the two fishermen moved to sit down in the chairs at the table. Gahiji stayed where he was, sitting cross legged on the floor, "So how long are you planning to keep me inside today?" He found himself asking, wanting nothing more then to sneak away again because he knew that there was still a chance that the yaotl was still around. He would still be able to go after it if he moved fast enough, attempt to take it on. That was what he really, really wanted to do at least but given the serious look that he was being given he knew that he wasn't going to be going anywhere anytime soon.
Giving a little groan he flopped over onto his back, arms crossed behind his head, starring up at the ceiling, "What about if I promise to go after something smaller then the yaotl? Can I have a weapon then?" It was a hopeful sort of question though he knew that they knew that wouldn't fly with Gahiji. Knowing that something powerful was waiting out there nearby made him want nothing more then to find that exactly creature to fight it. The idea of Gahiji then abandoning a good hunt for a mediocre one wouldn't happen. Not even if it was the 'smart' choice that might allow him to leave the house sooner then later. If he had to guess he'd say that he would end up getting released from house arrest come tomorrow because it was unlikely that a yaotl would stick around so long. Not to mention that someone might very well go chase the creature off just to make sure that Gahiji wouldn't go after it. He knew that he should be happy with that, with the fact that those in their fishing group wanted to protect him, but at the same time it was thoroughly frustrating! Didn't they know going against something powerful that could easily kill him was what he saw as fun?
Not that he wanted to die or anything, if anything it was just the opposite, he wanted to fight against things that were strong, to beat them, to show that he was very much alive. He didn't want to be weak and being trapped inside was making him weak! He gave another grumbling sound, rolling over from side to side, obviously frustrated as well as bored. Being locked inside, even for the short time that he was locked up thus far, was already killing him! This was the worst!
One of the two fishermen, the older one named Kinte who had silver throughout his dark green hair, looked his way before giving a chuckle, "Gahiji... we all know that we can just let you out assuming that you're just going to go around trying to catch bugs or little fish. The only thing that you'd do if you got out is go after the yaotl. We aren't going to allow that to happen, to when that particular beast is far, far too much of a threat for one your age. Hells, it's difficult for even the most powerful people to take them on. As such you should turn your mind to hunting something much smaller?"
Gahiji sat up, starring at Kinte, then blew out a breath to blow his bangs out of his eyes, "Fighting weak creatures is going to cause me to grow up weak. I need to fight powerful creatures if I want to become powerful myself!" He said, his fingers curling against the floor. Was it the fact that they were fishermen first that they didn't understand why he was so eager to fight with powerful beasts? Surely even as fishermen they must understand? It had to be the same for them, they couldn't go out fishing looking for weak, piddly little fish, right? No, they went out looking for big monsters that they could either cook up or sell.
The other fisherman, younger then Kinte but still older then Gahiji, gave a chuckle, "How about you start smaller so that you can build up to fighting with something like a yaotl? Something like a alol first?" He gave a toothy grin at the suggestion because it caused an instantly horrified look to appear on Gahiji's face. As though the suggestion of him going after such a tiny creature was in fact the most horrible thing that could ever happen.
Pushing up to his feet Gahiji set to shaking his head, "You can be serious?! An alol? Those tiny little things? Those are nothing compared to a yaotl, they aren't even the size of one of their feet I bet! How could I ever be bothered with fighting with something that is so tiny and insignificant? That would be the worst thing... to... You're mocking me aren't you?" He asked in a demanding manner, crossing his arms over his chest as the pair of fishermen started to laugh at his expense. Apparently the fact that he didn't want to fight with a puny little alol was funny... or maybe it was his outburst over the whole thing that was really funny to them? Either was he wasn't pleased in the least bit as he plopped back down on the floor.
"I am not going to fight with an alol... if I were to do that I am just admitting that I am nothing more then a little whelp." He would never become a powerful hunter and warrior if he were to hunt down such things. No, he meant to take on something much bigger then that and given that the yaotl would likely be long gone by the time he was allowed to escape the house then it would have to be something else. He supposed that he could go a size smaller if the yaotl bailed on him, he could hunt a bushi or a snaptrotter, perhaps? Not nearly as glorious as if he were able to take on the giant yaotl but it would still be something... and it would definitely be better then a thrice damned alol.
After a moment of thought he finally said, "Since I doubt I will be getting out of the house any time soon and that the yaotl will be long gone by the time that I do I guess I will have to stick to hunting for something smaller. What about a bushi or snaptrotter? Those aren't on the same level as a yaotl and not nearly as good an opponent, but at least it's a challenge. That and it's not an alol which I refuse to fight again as though I am some sort of weakling child. Words that had the two fishermen laughing again, with Meint nearly falling out of his chair over how up in arms he was. It was kind of fun, picking a fight with the little prentice because he was so damn serious when it came to what he wanted to fight and when despite his age.
"Relax, Gahiji." Kinte said, giving him a smile before he said, "How about we bring you with us when we go fishing tomorrow? At least that will give you something to do, right? You will also be able to practice using a weapon in the form of a fishing spear... though you definitely won't be able to keep it." While bringing him along to help out with the fishing was fine by Kinte he wasn't so foolish as to leave Gahiji with the fishing spear because more then likely he'd go after another massive beast that he didn't have the experience to fight with. He really would prefer that the boy build himself up to where he could take on such monsters but it wasn't exactly the way that Gahiji did things. He'd been like this ever since he'd started to grow up and become closer to manhood then childhood, it was as though there was something not quite right in the boy's head that caused him to seek out danger. A reason that the two fishermen knew full well, though how much the boy recalled was unknown to them because he never talked about he past.
"Fishing... fishing..." Gahiji seemed to rock from side to side for a moment, seemingly thinking about it for a moment, before he gave a slow nod of his head, "Yeah, sure! There is always a chance that a snaptrotter will show up while we are fishing!" That had his bright pink eyes alight as he clapped his hands together in delight. Yes, yes! Fishing sounded as though it would be a grand way for him to possibly fine himself something to hunt and if not at least he could practice with the fishing spear? That way he could get really proficient with the weapon. While he doubted very highly that he'd be able to sneak off with it given that Kinte said he couldn't keep it the practice would be grand! Not to mention that if he showed that he knew how to use the weapon then maybe they would trust him with keeping one instead of keeping them all locked up and out of his hands? Going fishing had many merits, not just the fact that he could catch something delicious.
Giving a nod of his head he said, "Alright, fishing it is then!" He said, clapping his hands together in a very pleased so of manner. There was a moment where Kinte and Meint exchanged looks, as though questioning if it would really be a good idea, but since it put Gahiji in a good mood and it got his mind off the yaotl it was win win in the end. They just had to keep a good eye on him to make sure that he didn't try absconding with the weapon was all.
"Alright, let's see about making dinner and then we will head to bed. We want to get up early after all." Kinte said, getting to his feet, motioning to the other two to come along and aid him preparing the evening meal.
(( Word Count: 2144 ))
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Posted: Sat Sep 24, 2016 7:43 am
Reserved for: Gone Fishing
The sun was barely up when Gahiji woke up and started to pace around the house. It was time to go fishing, right? He wanted to get out there, get his hands on a fishing spear, prove himself by catching a dozen or two of them. Once that was done then surely Kinte and Meint would believe that he was ready to actually keep a weapon, right? That was what he was hoping for at least. He wanted nothing more then to have a weapon all his own. No matter what the weapon was, he would be happy no matter what one he was able to get his hands on. So long as it was considered his then that was all that mattered in his mind. Before any of that happened though he would need to get the others up, to get them moving, and to otherwise enjoy himself. He wanted to fish! Now!
Leaving his perpetually messy room he headed down the hall, knocking on Kinte's door, "Is it time to go fishing yet, Kinte?" He called through the door, getting a grumbling reponse followed by something heavy hitting the other side of the door with a dull 'thud'. It was what he would guess was a boot and it said that Kinte wasn't quite ready to get up yet. Giving a little grumble he turned on his heel so tha the could knock on the door across the way, "Meint! It's time go fishing! Come on!"
There was a long silence from Meint's room before the door swung open a ways, allowing Meint to look out at him. There was another long silence before he lifted a hand to push his messy hair out of his eyes before starring at Gahiji, "Fishing... yeah..." He looked across the way at Kinte's closed door before he asked, "He's not up yet? Lazy old man... look I will get ready then wake him up. How about you get ready to go yourself." He waved a hand at Gahiji to get him to to go away while he ducked back into his room, off to get himself ready to go
Gahiji opened his mouth, about to tell Meint that he was already ready... but Meint was already gone. Giving a little sigh he turned on his heel, walking across hall again he knocked once more, "Come on, Kinte! Get up!" He called through the door before he headed toward the kitchen area, to dig around for some rations. While he hated to admit he knew that he was going to be waiting for a while, which meant he had plenty of time to eat. It wasn't nearly as fun as he felt fishing would be but at least it was a way to pass time. Walking into the room he grabbed some dried fish, a piece of fruit, and a water skin before plopping down on the floor where he could look down the hall way, waiting for the doors to open up to reveal Kinte and Meint. After a moment of waiting he turned his attention toward his food, eating it bit by bit.
He wasn't sure how long it was time wise but after his breakfast was finished Meint finally appeared, going across the hall to knock on the door, then stepped into Kinte's door. Said closed behind the man leaving Gahiji to wait again, leaving him bored out of his mind. Flopping over onto his back he lay there, starring up at the ceiling before giving a sigh, "Come on! This isn't fishing, this is boring!" How was he supposed to stay entertained when Kinte didn't even want to get up? Damned old man he wanted to go now! Just as he was thinking that the door to Kinte's room swung open, revealing first Meint and then Kinte, the both of them dressed and ready to go from the looks of them.
Hopping to his feet Gahiji said in an exciting manner, "Can we go then?" As he asked that he was all but bouncing from foot to foot before he moved to go the water skin he'd been drinking out to, tucking it into the pouch at his side. Turning to look at the pair of Matorian men, his eyes filled with hope that they were going.
Kinte starred at him for a long moment before giving a slow nod of his head, "Yes, yes, but let me at least get something eat first. We can't very well fish on empty stomachs, Gahiji. After breakfast we will head out. Don't worry, it's going to be a lot day and you will have plenty to do as far as fishing goes. Keep in mind that you're to give the weapon back when it's all over though." Something that caused Gahiji to give a little grumble.
"I will need a weapon eventually! I mean how else will I fight with the giant beasts that live in Matori? I need the weapon! I need to fight them! So why not let me keep something? Even if it's just a knife." No matter what weapon he got he wanted it! He wanted to be able to take out things like bushi, snaptrotters, and yaotl! It would be a ton of fun! Of course that meant getting them to actually allow him to have a weapon. He kind of knew why they didn't want him to carry a weapon at all times but at the same time it was, to Gahiji at least, a travesty! He could be out hunting down anything and everything with sharp teeth and claws but that wouldn't happen until they let him keep a weapon... or at least it wouldn't happen in a manner that was as efficient that was.
The rest of Gahiji's day was filled with him fishing alongside his two guardians with a fishing spear, one whose 'blade' was made of bone instead of metal. It was a grand weapon, one he wanted to keep... but for the time being he had to give it back. He meant to try to talk them into allowing him to keep it. In fact that was what he meant to spend his time doing until they finally gave in and allowed him to have the spear.
(( Word Count: 1041 ))
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Posted: Sat Sep 24, 2016 7:45 am
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Posted: Wed Oct 05, 2016 9:26 pm
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Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2016 12:04 am
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Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2016 5:34 am
A Rainy Day
Gahiji walked over to the window of his room, hands resting on the sil, and his pink eyes went rather wide as he saw what had to be the worst possible thing, the thing that could actually destroy his day completely. It was raining. He paced for a moment back and forth in front of the window before squatting down in front of it, starring out the window once more, "Oh... come on! I want to go out!" He said, as though raging out the window was actually going to change the fact that it was raining so hard, "Why, Drach? I was go out today!" No reason not to demand an answer of the God of Storms and Rain... and his response was a flash of really close lightning and a crash of thunder.
Giving a little gasp he ducked down, under the window, staying there for a moment before he peeked out once more. It would appear as though the God of Storms and Rain wasn't going to have any of his complaining. Best that he didn't do anything else that might draw the ire of Drach, meaning that he would need to figure out something else to do. He supposed that he could always go out hunting in the rain? He'd never done it before, it would be a new sort of challenge, and one that he might find enjoyable. At the same time though he felt that given the response that he got from Drach when he said that he was going to go outside he felt that maybe, just maybe, he wasn't welcome out in the storm. The storm didn't seem at all inviting so maybe Drach didn't want company in his storm today?
Giving a grumbling sound he pushed up to his feet, stretching out all over, before he started to look around his room. Already he was feeling restless and he'd barely been awake all that long... so it was going to be one of those days. He prowled around his room, staying inside of it long enough to get dressed, before he was on his way out of his room. Were Kinte and Meint up yet? It was hard to tell exactly what time of day it was given how dark the storm clouds were at the moment which left him lost as far as time went. He would just have to look around and see if he could find someone else that was awake and maybe he could figure out something to do as far as bothering them went? A thought that brought a bit of a grin to his face as he walked forward, eyes scanning the main open area of the house. Upon doing so he spotted Meint and his entire body seemed to go tense with delight.
Hunching over just a bit he started forward slowly at first before rushing forward at the fisherman, lunging at him. Their bodies collided and a tussle ensued, one that was a battle for supremacy. He would soon find himself on his back, with Meint pinning him down, glaring at him, before he said, "Really, Gahiji? This really isn't how you should go about saying 'good morning' to those who take care of you." Shifting so that he was sitting on Gahiji's midsection, starring down at him before he reached out catch hold of one of his fin ears, giving it a little tug, "Don't be a brat, Gahiji. Go get some breakfast and sit down."
Meint got up, allowing Gahiji to roll away before he moved to crawl along to his normal seat at the table. He starred at what was there before him, which was the usual fair of fish that was both dried and freshly cooked, fruit, various nuts, some bread, and milk that was likely obtained from a quhar. Getting himself a plate he loaded it up before he settled down, eating his food quickly with his hands, "How long do you think the rain will last? I wanted to go out today." Meint was a fisherman which meant that he was good at reading the weather, maybe he could tell if the storm was going to pass or not?
Glancing his way Meint gave him a long look before he started to laugh, "Have you looked out the window? Drach'ti is kicking up quite the fuss out there. I doubt that the storm is going to end for a day or so." Something that meant that Gahiji would either be stuck inside that long or else he was going to have to go out in to the rain. Not something that Kinte was likely to allow if he even knew that he was going to go out. Kinte was rather over protective of Gahiji because he had to be. The prentice wasn't exactly the best when it came to self preservation meaning that others needed to really look after him instead. It was Kinte that was the most serious about it thought Meint also tried his best just to keep Kinte happy.
"Don't do anything stupid that will worry Kinte, you know that he cares about you." Meint said as he watched Gahiji digging into his food like a starved beast. Giving a shake of his head he said with a long suffering sigh, "You know that it wouldn't kill you to use a fork, Gahiji..."
Gahiji jerked his head up, a piece of fish half hanging out of his mouth, before sucking it into his mouth, "What?" He looked from side to side, down at his plate, then gave a shrug of his shoulders, "Eh... takes too long to eat that way." With that he just continued to eat with his hands, finishing up his food pretty quickly. Once he was done he sat there starring at his plate, realizing the momentary distraction was over, before he flopped over on his back. That was one way to spend a bit of time but now he was without anything to do again!
He rolled from side to side for a moment before he said, "I swear, Drach really has it out for me! Why would he keep me in today? I heard a rumor that... that..." He sat up right, glancing over at Meint, then gave a toothy grin and said, "Ah! Nothing, nothing." Best that he didn't actually say out loud what the rumors were saying because if he did then there would be zero chance of him going outside even if the rain was finally to stop. He flopped over again, arms crossing behind his head, one foot tapping against the floor.
It was as he did so that Kinte walked into the room, standing over him, starring down at him for a long moment before he gave a smile, "We are well aware of the rumors, Gahiji, but we also know them to be false. There have been no sightings of the pair of yaotl that you're hoping are coming through the area. It's just the raving of a local drunk, nothing more. You must know that someone that drinks that much isn't a reliable source, right?" Squatting down he gave Gahiji's hair a gentle ruffle before he said, "How about you focus on something else for now? Something that doesn't risk you going out in the rain where you will catch a cold instead of a yaotl."
Sitting up Gahiji went about fixing up is hair before he said, "I... he's a drunk...?" He actually sounded a bit shocked about the idea. Sure, the guy was a bit weird but he hadn't really thought that much on it. All that mattered to him was the information about the yaotl pair... but the idea that the man was just a drunk that was seeing things left him a bit miffed. That was just... just... frustrating! The damn guy had probably seen some snaptrotters or a giant fish and his drunken mind told him that it was something bigger and grander! Giving a little flail of his arms he said, "That really sucks! I thought there would be two of them I could tussle with! Why won't they come and fight with me!"
A bit of a fit that had both Kinte and Meint laughing before Kinte said, "It's because it's not time yet. Ome Essd doesn't want you to do, she wants you to live, Gahiji, even if that means working together with Drach'ti to keep you inside the beasts at bay." He gave a shake of his head before adding, "How about you turn your prayers to Len and focus for a while instead on your fishing? In fact we have some materials on hand, how about you spend the rainy day working on making your own spear?" An offer that turned Gahiji from a grumpy teen to a rather excited and amiable one once again.
Pushing to his feet he motioned to him, "Come on. I will show you where everything is kept and you can start to work on it. If it looks like something that is sturdy and wiill actually work for you then I will allow you to carry it, keep it, and use it against whatever you want... though I would prefer that you focus on fish for a while so that you don't get eaten day one."
Gahiji nodded his head, following along after Kinte like a puppy, eager to get to work on the spear, wanting to make it perfect so that he'd be allowed to keep it! Once he had a spear he would be ready to fight with... well, everything, and maybe if he was armed then Essd would believe him ready to fight? Here was to hoping he thought to himself as he was given all the needed materials, digging through them, looking for all the bits that he wanted for himself, ready to get to work! It wasn't hunting or anything that involved running around but it was still something that caught his full attention. There was just something about creating things that he'd always loved, so he didn't even notice all the time that was passing as he worked on his spear. A good thing since the rains weren't letting up any time soon.
There was a lot of fiddling on Gahiji's part, putting the spear together, taking it apart, then putting it together again. He tried out different types of wood for the haft of the spear, different spear heads, different types of sinew to tie it all together, even just different colors for things. There were so many things that he could fiddle with to make the spear feel more and more as though it belonged in his hands. It was when he was a few hours in that Meint walked by, tossing something to him that he actually found the missing piece that would bring it all together. A yaotl tooth that would be used as the spear head and with that his masterpiece was ready for inspection!
(( Word Count: 1829 ))
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Posted: Sun Nov 20, 2016 9:18 pm
Growth Solo: Missed Opportunity
(( Gahiji heads out early to seek out a massive beat to fight with... only to stumble across some younglings that are playing on the beach. They are able to become food for a shadowy form in the water and Gahiji is left with the choice of using them as bait or chasing off the shadowy creature. Much to his displeasure and disappointment he does the latter, deciding to sacrifice his hunt to help the pair. ))
Today was the day and Gahiji just knew it! He'd pieced his weapon together with his own two hands using the pieces provided to him by Kinte and Meint. It had taken a bit of fiddling around too really get the weapon to work the way that he wanted it to, and finally topped it off with a 'blade' made from a piece of a yaotl. It was, in his mind, the most perfect weapon there was! As such he was ready to head out and go on a real hunt, one that involved him taking down a giant beast with the weapon that he'd built himself.
The hardest part about his hunt had been slipping out with his weapon but without being noticed by Kinte or Meint, the both of them seeming to have their eyes on Gahiji. He wasn't at all surprised though as they did know him well and given he now had a weapon everyone knew what he would want to do with it. He knew full well that the two of them likely wanted to try to tame Gahiji even more then they had presently, to get him to become a fisherman, but that wasn't want he wanted. Gahiji wanted to be out in the world hunting down the most giant and dangerous of beasts! He wanted to fight with them, then use what he gathered from them to make himself various things. Weapons, armor, accessories, food... there was so much that could be had from every beast if one used every last piece of them! It was something that he wanted to do sooner then later.
Gahiji knew that he wouldn't be a fisherman. Sure, he might go fishing, but that was never meant to be his calling in life. He was going to be a hunter! Not just a regular hunter but he meant to be a hunter of some renown, one known for his ability to tussle with big beasts, not to mention the fact that he would be well known for his skills at making use of the pieces that he got from them. The second thing was... secondary though, far behind the desire that he had within him to hunt. It was as though Jonal had created him by hand to fight anyone or anything... but Gahiji was born in the wrong era, the one in which all of the wars seemed to be over, and therefore the God of War had pointed him toward fighting giant beasts instead. It was something that he was only too happy to do as well... though others seemed to want to hold him back. Such a pain really. How he'd love another go at that giant woman... or even Xewai... not today though, today he was going to take down his first big beast!
He would go out there, slay himself something massive, and then his guardians would have to acknowledge the fact that he was meant to be a slayer or monsters, not fish. This thought in mind he headed on his way toward the beach. The things that he wanted to fight the most were located near the water, likely because there was such plentiful food within the ocean. It wasn't just fishermen like Kinte and Meint that were able to prosper by staying near to the water, it was the same with large beasts like snaptrotters and yaotl... and he'd be happy to get his hands on either of those two beasts. There was so much that could be gained by taking down either species, so either of those two beasts were what he was going to aim for. He wanted nothing more then to take down a yaotl of his own but he was sure that a snaptrotter would due, if only because it was a good first step in moving toward hunting down a yaotl.
He was really good either way though he thought to himself as he walked along, his eyes scanning the area around himself, making sure that his guardians were following him. It seemed as though he'd slipped out earlier enough that he was free to do whatever he'd like... which was really only the one thing at the moment. Knowing he was in the clear allowed him to rush forward as quickly as possible. He was so excited! To the point that his heart was racing by the time he reached the water's edge. The moment his feet hit the sand he was scanning the area, seeking out the giant beasts that he was looking for. They had to be here... they had to be here... he didn't mind if it wasn't the yaotl that he wanted to fight!
It was a while of walking down the beach, scanning for the beasts, when he heard a squealing sound. It was that of... younglings? Something that made his nose wrinkle a little, finding that they were the last thing that he wanted to deal with. He hadn't come to deal with brats, he was here for a good hunt! If there were kids about then surely that meant that there weren't any powerful beasts around, right? After all what parent would let their kids play in such a dangerous place? Parents were supposed to be protective, supposed to try to keep their kids out of the line of fire, and not let them just wander about like that or else bad things happened! To be fair though maybe these brats weren't the same as Gahiji as far as dangerous childhoods went?
Bah, it wasn't his business, nor was it the reason that he'd come here. He was here so that he could hunt great beasts, not so that he could think back on a part of his life better left in shadow. Just thinking on it, even for a moment, gave him flashes of fragmented memories, which just lead to the scar that marred him from his forehead to his abdomen ache. No, he wouldn't think about it, nor would he think about the looming monsters that had attacked his family when he was younger either. He was here on a mission, damn it, and that didn't involve him thinking about things that made him hurt. He wanted to fight, to indulge in a hunt, he didn't want to think about that stuff!
Gahiji turned around, taking a few steps in a direction that was the exact opposite of where the younglings were located. He'd head this way and continue his hunt for giant beasts when he heard the squeals of the younglings turn to shrieks. He turned slowly, spotting a shadow in the water, which seemed to have the brats making such noise as they pointed at the water. Gahiji squatted down, his eyes going wide, as he watched said shadow creeping ever closer to the sand and toward the gawking younglings. He glanced between them, realizing that he just wanted here whatever it was would likely surface to make a lung at the brats. He could wait, use them as bait, and that giant shadow would come out of the water. It had to be something grand, perhaps even a massive alpha yaotl! Could he risk the younglings though? He had no love for them, finding the to be rather loud beings. Even when he was that age he didn't know how to deal with other younglings... but he couldn't exactly allow them to be eaten just because their parents were slacking off, right?
Giving a hissing sound between his teeth he slammed the butt of his spear into the ground, leaving it standing up on its own, as he charged forward. As he went he grabbed up some random debris, that being one rock and one pointy shell, and set them flying toward the shadow in the water. The shell fell short given it didn't have the weight to really be thrown well, while the rock seemed to hit dead on. The creature reacted by flailing about in place before diving deeper into the waters, heading away from the beach now instead of toward it. He'd succeeded in chasing the thing off... which was the most painful thing that he'd ever done! To drive off a beast that looked so promising was the opposite of what he wanted to do but he hadn't really had a choice in the matter, the brats had forced his hand.
He heard the kids thanking him for 'chasing the monster off' but Gahiji didn't respond much, only saying, "Go home to your parents." Before he turned on his heel and headed toward where he'd left his spear. He was going to have to start all over now that he'd driven off what could have proven to be interesting prey. Those brats and their parents had better be grateful he was walking by or else they'd have been eaten. Really, why was it up to him to ruin his afternoon like that? It had to be a test set upon him by Nerad, perhaps? It wasn't something that he appreciated when surely Jonal wanted him to fight that thing. Bah! Next time for sure! He just had to head down the beach and hope that the thing came back with time was all. At least that was what he was praying to On'os for, that he would have such good fortune as far as the creature returning was concerned.
(( Word Count: 1564 ))
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Posted: Mon Jan 23, 2017 5:35 am
Excess Energy
Gahiji had spent some time roaming around the beach near his home, moving up and down the way, seeking out anything to fight with... but found himself without much in the way of luck. It was as though the beast in the territory that he prowled the most were nonexistent, as though they knew that he was out to get them or something. It left him with a lot of pent up energy and nothing to really point it at. That resulted in a lot of him pacing around the area around the house he shared with the fishermen Kinte and Meint, to the point he was wearing a path in the sand. He was bored, painfully so, and it was really starting to grate on his nerves! He had to do something about it, anything about it, even if that meant picking a fight with which ever of the two came out of the house first.
Squatting down in the sand he watched the door, his tongue piercing clicking against his teeth, as he waited for movement to be see within. He knew that they were around and because he knew that they were around he knew he'd be able to get a good fight out of whoever was unlucky enough to come out first! They would face Gahiji and all of his pent up energy!
The door to the front of the house swung open and the moment that it did he went racing forward, lunging toward the opening... only to realize too late nobody was standing there. A moment later Meint was sticking out a foot from alongside the door and Gahiji was hit by it, sent tumbling. After rolling a few times over he lunged back to his feet, starring at Meint with wide, pink eyes before he started to laugh, "Woah! I wasn't expecting that." He said, lifting a hand to scratch it against his head, starring at the fisherman that was standing before him. He really seemed more impressed then angry over the fact that Meint had gotten the drop on him.
Once he was back on his feet he lifted his hand up, motioning at Meint with it, "Come on, Meint, let's have another go!" He said, challenging the other man to a fight. Surely the man wouldn't see the one little trip as being the end of it all, right? Surely he would want to go for a better, more meaningful, time consuming battle, right? That was what he hoped at least... though those hopes were dashed as Meint tossed a fishing spear his way, "Eh? Eh?"
"We are to go out fishing today, Gahiji. We can't play wrestle with you every day you know, especially when you're always losing. Perhaps if you provided a better match then the fish that Kinte and I pull out of the ocean every day then I might be more inclined." He said, giving a toothy grin when Gahiji's hackles seemed to raise at such words. It were as though he was doing it on purpose or something, just to get a rise out of Gahiji... which he probably was. If there was one thing that Meint really enjoyed it was teasing Gahiji. The way that the little whelp seemed to rise to every challenge as though it were the most important one of his life was amusing. Just as he was about to continue to tease him more there was the sound of a throat clearing, a sound that drew the attention of Gahiji and Meint both.
Standing off to the side was Kinte who was starring the pair down before he said, "If you have time to argue then you have time to fish. Both of you get ready, we are heading out shortly. Honestly, I leave the two of you on your own for a moment and you're already butting heads like a couple of foolish bushi fighting over a fish." The older man gave a wave of one hand that went the pair scrambling toward their respective rooms to get ready.
As he went Gahiji turned to Meint and said, "I'll prove to you soon that I am a good match for you, Meint, then I will beat you!" With that he went into his room, scrambling to get ready for fishing in a rush. Getting to beat Meint would need to wait until later. For the moment he would need to focus on fishing. If he didn't, if he appeared as though he was slacking off in any way, then Kinte would be displease. The last thing he wanted was to upset his older guardian. Kinte was a good man but the look on his face when he was disappointed... it was far worse then if the man was shaking with anger. It might be the most terrible thing in the world in fact to have Kinte disappointed in him. As such he'd just have to excel at fishing today... and then maybe Kinte would spar with him in Meint's place!
With that wonderful idea in his head he hurried out of his room, slamming his door closed behind him due to his enthusiasm, and rushed to join the others. The sooner they got out there the sooner that he would be able to burn some of his excess energy through fishing. He'd get a whole pile of fish, more then Meint, and he'd prove that he was amazing at more then just rough housing!
(( Word Count: 911 ))
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Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2017 7:43 am
The Yaotl Mask
Gahiji was sitting in the sand on the beach near to where he lived, cross legged, working hard on a project that he'd been rather eager to get done. He'd had to do a lot of traveling around, searching, trading, and otherwise to get the various items that he needed to make the piece... that being a mask. Not only a regular, boring mask but instead an amazing one that was based on Gahiji favorite beast. Lifting the wooden part of the mask up that he was carefully carving, giving a grin as he looked it over. It was looking rather good, wasn't it? Giving a grin he turned it around, holding it up to his face so that he could look through the holes that he was carving. He could fairly well though maybe it could use a bit more work?
Lowering it back down he continued to carve the mask a bit more, wanting to perfect the two eye holes especially since he would be wearing this mask soon. It would help as far as adding a bit of intimidation factor to Gahiji. He knew that he wasn't exactly intimidating yet since he was still on the young side but he was certain that this was going to help! Between this amazing mask and the amazing weapon that he'd made of the Yaotl fang he was going to be the best hunter ever! Everyone up to and including the Earthlings, the Alkidike, and the beasts, they would all see him as being an intimidating sight to behold!
Once the carving was done he was going to have to paint it up, add some feathers to represent the yaotl's crest, and some leather straps so that he could tie it in place. He had to admit that he was rather excited to get the piece done so that he would be able to wear it around. The first ones he'd show it to would of course be Kinte and Meint... via him trying to pounce them while wearing his mask. It would be great to see their reactions because that would tell him exactly how well the mask might work on the general populace.
Humming to himself, a look of delight on his face, the young Gahiji continued on with his work. It wasn't all that often that he was able to sit still, as though his body was fully incapable of such a thing, but when he was creating something it was different. It might be due to the fact that he was still using his hands but Gahiji had never really dwelled on it, nor had his guardians. Instead there were days when he was younger that they would give him projects to work on just to make sure that he wasn't running around willy nilly while they were hard at work. It didn't always work since Gahiji was still Gahiji and a good hunt always took priority over a project in his mind. This particular project was important though since it went had in hand with hunting. The mask was meant to turn Gahiji into exactly what he wanted to be, which was a predator. A mask would cover his face, hide his features, make him appear as less human, and that was what he wanted. Soon, soon it would come to pass, and he would appear as the very beast that he was the most obsessed with hunting... though tales of other great beasts from distant lands were starting to reach his ears.
It seemed almost as though each area of the world was home to one great beast or another and it made him actually consider the idea of leaving his territory so that he could hunt for such monsters. It was so very tempting but he knew that before he could travel forth hunt random beasts that he should at least be able to fight and kill the ones within his own territory first. How could he think to take on foreign beasts when he had yet to really take on the ones that he wanted to fight in Matori and the borderlands of Oba after all? Soon though, once this mask was finished up, he would be heading out to get into his first real fight! One that would involve him, a beast of his choice, his hand crafted spear, and a lot of blood no doubt! it was something that had his heart thudding in his chest just thinking about it and it took everything that Gahiji had to keep from lunging to his feet in anticipation.
No, no... not yet, not quite yet... but soon he told himself, forced to take a small break in his carving as his hands were shaking from excitement. Just thinking about getting to take on some powerful beasts with sharp teeth having gotten him in a rather excited mood almost instantly. Shaking his head to try to clear the excitement he resumed his work on the mask.
It was some time later that he was finally finished with the first step of the mask, getting it carved in the manner that he wanted it, and was climbing up to his feet, "Time to get this thing painted." Once he laid down the paint he could leave it out to dry in the Matori sun while he went to fetch himself something delicious to eat. Given those that he lived with that meant some sort of fish... which gave him all the more reason to start hunting. While he didn't mind the food that came out of the ocean Gahiji meant to bring home meat, real meat, from the various beasts that roamed far and wide. He'd had such meals before though only when visiting various villages with Kinte and Meint. The meat of a snaptrotter for instance was delicious when cooked in chunks over a fire and was something he wanted a lot more of in his life.
To be able to bring home food and help ease the burdens of his guardians was something that he looked forward to. If he did that then they were sure to loosen his leash a bit. If he showed that he was acting responsible, or at least his version of responsible, that should make them happy. He hoped... especially since he would probably go on the hunts any way even if they weren't pleased with his offerings of meat. Here was to hoping that they would be though.
All but purring to himself the young man headed back toward home, mask in hand, and was quick to run inside to his room. After a bit of digging around in the mess that was the floor of his room he gathered up the various supplies he'd need to paint his mask. From there he was heading back outside again, pausing for only a moment, to take a quick shot at Meint who's back was to him. When he failed at that, finding himself flipped over onto his back in the middle of the main room, he was once more on his way, laughing all the while. Even after he was outside the door he could hear Meint yelling at him, telling him that he needed to 'learn to behaving in the house' and that he 'wasn't a wild animal'. All things that Gahiji chose to ignore as he plopped down and started working on painting his mask in two shades of green, sticking as close to a yaotl as he could with the colors that he had on hand.
It wouldn't be long now he thought to himself, his excitement building with every stroke of his paint brush.
(( Word Count: 1276 ))
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Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2017 9:17 am
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Posted: Thu Apr 13, 2017 11:51 pm
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Posted: Thu Apr 13, 2017 11:52 pm
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Posted: Fri May 05, 2017 4:24 pm
Getting Home and Getting to Work
It had taken a bit of work on Gahiji's part but he was finally able to get his janarim home. They were both of rather nice looking hides, tough too, meaning that they would make for great armor if he did his work right. Before he was able to even think about making things out of the hides he actually had to get the hides prepared. That meant he would have to skin them, scrap and salt the hides, before he staked them out to dry. He would also need to get the oils that he'd gathered to rub the hides down with to make them that much nicer. While He didn't care at all about his armor being 'beautiful' he wanted it to be as tough and as functional as possible. The armor was going to be protecting his very life and limb after all, that meant it needed to be well made.
The work that would be put into preparing both the hides and the armor from them would be vast. Not to mention that it would involve a lot of down time that he felt would be rather... dull. At least there would be that point between preparing the hides and waiting for the preparations to be finalized that he could mess around. He could always go hunting for other things while the hides were laying out in the sun just as he'd done with the drow hides that he prepared before he went out to face off against the janarim. That gave him two different sorts of hides of two different sorts of toughness to use in his future armor. Now, the only thing he needed to go after to really perfect this set would be some snaptrotters! That would be a nice addition. He couldn't wait to get to work on everything, couldn't wait for his next hunt, couldn't wait to challenge the next powerful warrior that crossed his path. There was so much fun to have... but he had to do the work first.
The janarim were left outside the house while he went racing inside to get his various tools and supplies that he would need to get to work. As he did so he skidded to a halt, spotting both Kinte and Meint standing there talking quietly about... well, Gahiji had no idea, fishing stuff, maybe? He took a couple of steps toward them, looking as though he was preparing to pounce... when Kinte held a hand out in front of himself to halt him.
"Not while you're covered in blood, Gahiji." The man said before he turned to look Gahiji over, lifting an eyebrow, and then stepped closer, "How much of it is your blood, Gahiji?" He looked concerned as he set about examining his adopted son, wanting to make sure that he wasn't terribly wounded after whatever it was that he'd been doing that put him in such a state.
Giving a shake of his head Gahiji said, "Naw, it's mostly the blood of the beasts I killed. I had to field dress them to get them home after all. I will look even worse after I get them skinned out and the meat processed I'd wager." Something that had him laughing a bit, as if such a thing was quite amusing to him. In his mind at least what was a little blood when it meant that they would have janarim meat to eat and Gahiji himself would have a bunch of hides to create armor with?
Kinte gave a bit of a sighing sound, lifting a hand to pat Gahiji on the head as that was the only place that wasn't blood speckled, "Once you're done with your work I would like you to clean yourself up, got it? Not in the ocean either, it's likely that you will just draw in hungry predators if you do."
Meint gave a hiss between his teeth before he said, "Don't tell him that, Kinte! You know that if he thinks he can bait large beasts in that he will try." Pointing a finger at Gahiji the younger of the two fishermen said, "No. No bathing in the ocean. No using yourself as bait. Just behave yourself for once since you already fought something dangerous today." He hoped that ordering him in a very serious tone of voice would get him to actually obey. It was fairly unlikely now that Kinte had given him the ideas but Meint could hope against hope.
Gahiji seemed in fact to be starring into the middle distance at the moment, as though he was considering doing the exact opposite of what of what Kinte and Meint wanted him to do. They wanted him to behave, to not get himself into trouble, and to just clean up without also throwing himself to the ocean beasts. Going to toss himself in the ocean while covered in blood might very well bring forth something like the Maybe even a yaotl! A thought that made his eyes light up before he shook his head, "Ah! Yeah, not yet..." He wanted his armor before he took on a yaotl. As much as he wanted that battle he knew that getting eaten by one wasn't how he wanted to go out. He wanted to take on all the giant beasts of the world and make armor out of them all.
Giving a smile he said, "Alright, this one time I won't throw myself into the ocean. Not until my armor is done at least." As powerfully tempting as it was to do just that he wanted his armor first so that he had a better chance to take on such massive beasts. While he wasn't a big fan of putting so much thought into his battles he knew that the armor was extremely important to his future. Giving a nod of his head he added, "I will try the 'diving into the ocean while cover in blood' strategy once I have my armor prepared." With that he turned and continued on his way toward his room.
As he left the pair of Matorian Fishermen merely starred after him, eyes wide, as though they had no idea what had just happened. The fact that Gahiji had actually seen reason was really new to him, which had them both wondering if it was just a lie made to distract them. As such the pair exchanged glances before chasing after Gahiji. It seemed it might be best for them to help him with the current task that he was working on just to make sure that he wasn't up to something.
Gahiji seemed to be surprised by the appearance of the pair of them within his room. The fact that they wanted to help him to skin and butcher the janarim, also offering their help to him. It was something that had him smiling a little bit before he nodded his head, holding up the various tools that he had in hand, "I have everything I need gathered other then the oils for the hides. If you want to grab those we can start right away!" He was quite excited now. The two of them helping him out would be great! It meant that he would only have to do a third of the work and he could get to his next battle or hunt that much sooner! With a sound of delight he ran ahead, leading the way toward where he'd left the janarim.
(( Word Count: 1242 ))
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Posted: Tue May 23, 2017 10:14 am
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