Honing the Skill - {Open}, {Season: Winter}

[Cornwall]

What to do, what to do? Antoni was being told to be quiet. That wasn't like him to ever be quiet or obey orders. But he had to give it to the leader, the plan was sound to be quiet. But what were they to do? There was something in the trees. Iron was sure of it. Iron's hair was raised on his neck and he wasn't attacking. Well, that just went to show that Antoni's training with him was paying off still.

It was time to analyze the situation Antoni thought. The mystery beast was too far away to be hit by so Antoni's tool wasn't that useful. Silas's bow and arrow on the other hand would possibly do it. He noted the leader was moving slowly to try and get a better look. Maybe Iron could help. Antoni waved to Silas to get his attention.

"What if Iron startled the beast? Do you think you could get a shot off? If it attacks, Iron and I can defend us. If it flees, can you get it with your arrow?" Antoni whispered. He made sure that he was only loud enough so Silas could hear. Iron was waiting stockstill waiting for his instructions.

[Purnip]

Silas would have preferred a clearer shot, but if Iron was jumping about in his way or the creature started running through the trees, his arrows could hit anything but the target. That could end pretty badly. The last thing they needed was to lose another hound, let alone on a hunting trip that wasn't even necessary. This was practically for fun.

"Save it for when it sees us. I don't want to risk hitting Iron. Still targets are easy, but the fleeing ones are a challenge, especially when friendly fire is possible."

This would prove to be a challenge in itself. To get a better view of his target without getting seen would require smooth, slow movements--Silas wasn't all that graceful. A twig might have snapped while he was trying to get around. He came to a complete halt whenever he made sound just in case. As soon as he could see its head he'd make an attempt to shoot it. If it spotted him, Iron could try herding him closer--or chasing it off if it was a wild cat or something of that sort.

[Cornwall]

Of course not that way. Antoni rolled his eyes so hard he hoped Silas could actually feel it. To sick his hound on an unknown creature wasn't smart.

"I meant to have Iron spook it by barking. I wouldn't sick Iron on something I didn't know. I need to see it to get a proper plan. Iron will just bark to startle the animal. Not charge. I am not THAT foolish enough to do that to my hound!" Antoni whispered aggressively. Seriously, did he have to scold Silas some more?

Antoni looked at Iron. He was still pointing directly at the mysterious animal and not moving. Fur on end you could hear his faint growl. If the situation wasn't so intense, Antoni would praise Iron. That would be for later.

[Purnip]

"You'll have to forgive me for expecting the worst," Silas grumbled, finally holding still. There was no way he could get a clear shot where that animal was lodged. "So far I haven't been given much of a reason to raise my expectations."

He sighed and held his weapon steady, keeping it trained on the brown mess of fur. "Fine. Startle it. I've got an arrow trained on it."

[Cornwall]

Oh, Silas expected the worst from Antoni. He hasn't seen his worst. But that wasn't here or now. Antoni will remember to show Silas his worst at a later date. But for now, the beast was their concern.

"Iron, Speak," Antoni commanded. Iron made two loud barks. As Antoni hoped, the noise startled the beast. It finally moved out of the trees. Sadly it seemed to have ran away.

"Huh, well that didn't work as planned..." Antoni was saying until the beast decided to come back and jumped out from where it was hiding.

"Oh, so that's what it was," Antoni said when the animal finally showed itself. It was still a fair distance away. "You're up Leader"

[Purnip]

A wild cat.

Silas would have cursed if he found the strength in him to do so. Instead it was being routed to his dexterity, which he would need to be using if he wished to get through this without a scratch.

He identified it as it took off, lost it for a moment, and when it came back around at them he shifted his aim immediately. The creature hunkered low and bared its fangs before roaring at the three. Her primary focus was Iron, as he seemed to be just the sort of prey she was after. The moment he made a move, she'd be upon him.

Silas wasn't going to give her that opportunity.

He fired an arrow her way and it got caught on the edge of her flank. She staggered somewhat and then lunged forward, changing her target to the man who just shot her. Silas fumbled for another arrow, but chances were, he wouldn't reach it on time unless someone distracted the livid cat.

[Cornwall]

Oh geez, that wasn't good to find. Wild cat's weren't one of the things that Antoni hoped to find. Especially one that seemed to have taken an interest in Iron. The handler was worried for his hound until an arrow sprouted from the cat. He saw that it had came from Silas. Silas saved Iron from the cat. The only reason Iron hadn't lunged forward was because Antoni had trained the dog so well not to move unless commanded. Now Silas was endanger. Antoni quickly looked down at his spear. He wasn't going to trust his aim with it yet. He just wasn't good enough. But Silas wasn't going to be able to load his bow in time.

Iron's handler came to a very unpleasant realization. He was about to do something that wasn't intelligent or heroic at all. One might say that it would be beyond stupid. But Antoni wasn't going to allow Silas's blood on his hands.

Antoni turned to Iron, "Speak". And Iron Barked at the Cat. This caused the cat to actually turn away from Silas.

"Come over here CAT! Get away from Ebon's Leader! You piece of filth! Take a chance on me!" Antoni said while throwing dirt and stones at the cat. This annoyed the animal greatly. It didn't seem to like the other human and changed course again towards Antoni and Iron.

"Silas, SHOOT IT! If you can hit the Hares you can get this cat! Don't worry about us!" Antoni shouted towards his leader. He had the spear ready and Iron was right next to him. He just hoped that he gave Silas enough time to reload and kill the cat before it got close enough that Antoni would have to rely on his spear and Iron.

[Purnip]

If Antoni hadn't distracted the cat, Silas would have been cat food. It was but a foot away from pouncing upon him when it decided to go after the others instead. Silas wasn't going to waste another second; he was going to make this all count for something.

He finished loading his bow as the cat growled and stalked closer. She was about to leap upon Iron to take down what she believed was the most dangerous of the two--that or she missed the spear completely. Most humans were frail at this distance. Hounds were almost always a problem.

Silas exhaled and shot.

The arrow caught the cat right at the base of her neck, and she gargled a short growl in response. She staggered under the force of the hit and stumbled over, but she was still much alive. The arrow missed her spine, but it might have severed an artery. She was having a lot of trouble breathing, but her body still worked as long as she willed it to.

She tried getting herself together and haphazardly lunged for Antoni, then she took a posture of self-defense as she tried to breath. Silas shot another arrow, hitting her just above the thigh. The cat's bottom collapse as she sat there panting and bleeding. She wasn't long for this world.

[Cornwall]

Antoni was scared when he saw the cat got closer. He heard the thunk of the second arrow entering the cat's body. The cat tried to lung but it was quite flimbsy and had no power. Didn't even make it to Antoni. Then Silas's third arrow hit the beast. It didn't take Antoni long to realize that the cat would soon be dead. It was bleeding pretty bad. Antoni stepped towards the cat. It tried to hiss at him but it only came as a gurgle/snarl mix. The animal that scared Antoni a few seconds ago made him quite sad. Taking his spear he pierced the animal where its heart should be. The cat stopped moving and collapsed. Antoni removed his spear and looked upon the dead animal. Three arrows and a hole in its chest. It was a sad sight to see.

Antoni turned away to wipe a tear from his face. If Silas commented about it, Antoni would cause so much grief, he would forever regret it. Antoni hoped that Silas was as decent a person as he thought he was.

Turning back he looked at the cat and sighed. His mask of confidence was back on.

"So, I don't suppose you wish to bring it back with us? I doubt that its meat is any good from all the loss of blood. What do you wish to do?" Antoni asked, not feeling up to any sarcasm at the moment.

[Purnip]

It wasn't as if Silas thought Antoni was actually crying for the sake of the cat. That didn't even cross his mind for a second. He always had trouble sympathizing, so he often made the mistake of judging these sorts of things under his own bias. For instance, if he were to cry after being in Antoni's shoes during this entire debacle, it would be out of relief. Silas was nearly doing just that, though it could have been sweat too--he didn't pay it any mind either. For now he stood admiring the kill--and criticizing it. Way too sloppy for his taste. He would have preferred one, clean shot. Now they had a mess here that precious little could be salvaged from. Maybe if he were a proper hunter and had the delicate finesse for this sort of thing, he'd be able to skin it.

"Well...at least that's one less monster the neophytes have to worry about," he said with a sigh, wiping the sweat off his brow.

Silas felt comfortable stooping down a bit closer to the beast, checking at first if any of his arrows were salvageable. "Wild cat's no good for consumption...and the hide might be a little too damaged for any of our tanners to make use of..." He wasn't keen on letting the cat go to waste, but something out here would make a meal out of it. The circle of life and all that. "I'll let it be your call. I'd prefer not to drag it along, but if you know anybody who can do something useful with it, I'll help you carry it in."

[Cornwall]

"Nah, I am not friends with that many who would know what to do with this. I say we leave it for the scavengers," Antoni answered Silas. Iron was sniffing the carcass and growled. Even in death the cat bothered Antoni's Iron.

"It's ok boy, it won't attack us anymore," Antoni said comforting the hound. The look of the carcass was bothering the handler so he moved away to stand next to Silas telling Iron to follow. Making sure his back was to the cat, Antoni looked at his leader.

"So since we're leaving it, where to next OH FEARLESS LEADER? Antoni said the last bit with a broad smile on his face. He didn't say it out of insult to Silas. He needed to re-insert his mask of confidence upon his demeanor. He didn't wish for Silas to acknowledge any weakness Antoni might have shown. While Antoni asked, Iron also looked at Silas expectantly

[Purnip]

"Not sure yet," Silas muttered, his eyes scanning the horizon as he contemplated the question. "We would have to put this cat far behind us first, and Rukbat's due to set within the hour. It looks like we're going back empty handed tonight."

He wasn't going to risk these woods at night without Darkness by his side. It mattered not what sort of achievements Iron had under his belt; Silas couldn't trust anybody else with his life in such a delicate situation. He put his bow away, looked back at the dead cat, and shrugged. "On second thought, we ought to take the cat. We'll come back with something. Maybe we'll get a pair of gloves out of her hide," he thought aloud.

[Cornwall]

Antoni looked around for some fallen branches and bendable twigs. After finding them he used the bendable twigs to tie the paws together. Then with the large branch, he pulled it through the legs so that one person could carry one end of the branch over their shoulder while the other could do the same so both could share the load of the creature. after he accepted that he did good work, he took the end. Usually he would take the front but Silas might know where they were going to bring it better than he did.

"Do you have any tanning friends who could use the material? I honestly don't but if you do, better lead the way," Antoni motioned towards the general direction of the Ruins. Then looking at Silas's belt he raised an eyebrow.

"When you say going home empty handed, did you not remember the hares you have strapped to your side? Or do you not think those would make a grand stew for some lucky soul?" Antoni inquired with a smirk.

[Purnip]

"Eying my rabbits, are you Antoni?" Silas joked casually, picking up his end of the contraption. While the other handler was tying the cat up, Silas was taking his arrows out of the animal and cleaning them with rags and snow. He let Antoni do the work this time and was ready to pitch in once the deed was done. But no, he hadn't forgotten about the hares. He just knew they wouldn't provide enough sustenance for a hungry squad, so he had yet to decide on their fate.

"Rabbit stew for two it is then. Maybe three if Terryna hasn't eaten yet." This hunt did him good. Silas was in a better mood, even though the burnt husks of trees that caught fire during the raid served as constant reminders of the horrors that unfolded here. It was a bittersweet afternoon.

"I'm sure someone's honed the craft back at the Ruins. There's no way a cat like this will go to waste," he said. It was better to take it along than to leave it here to attract more predators. Sometimes they tended to creep in to replace those dead and gone, two in the place where one stood. It was better to remove any evidence of the cat's expiration. Maybe other cats will continue to keep away for another week or so.