Forums » Fantasy Roleplay » Just Another Day

A young girl of about 16 years silently stalked through the woods. She'd been tracking a herd of deer since early this morning. The morning mist was just starting to clear up now. She kneeled down by the tracks they left. They were quite fresh, headed towards a watering hole not far from here. There was a young doe with a pronounced limp that she was going to try to get. Jennine was surprised she'd lived this long without predators bringing her down. A hood covered her blond hair that would have otherwise given her away.

She quickly moved around to a direction that would downwind of the watering hole. If they caught her scent, they'd bolt. When she was close, she started climbing up tree, so she could have an unobstructed view. Once she climbed to a spot where she could see the herd, she straddled a branch, stinging her long bow. She quickly found the doe with the limp and drew an arrow. She sighted down the arrow. Her blood was pumping. This would be her first successful hunt by herself. She took in a deep breath to calm herself, releasing the arrow on the exhale. The herd bolted as the arrow flew true, dropping the doe.

Jennine jumped up with a whoop of jubilance, almost falling off the branch. She quickly unstrung her bow and hurried down the tree. She was super excited to get back and show off her skills. It had been a clean kill, one she was proud of.

The girl's protector was not actually back at camp. He left right after she did. Instead of waiting around the fire, Pieridae followed Jennine into the forest, watching her hunt. He stuck to the trees, leaping silently from branch to branch, his wings giving him extra distance in his leaps.

When the deer took the arrow and died, he heard the victory sound and knew it was a job well done. Pieridae dropped from the trees, his wings breaking his fall, and landed on the fallen leaves. His bow rest over his shoulder, along with his quiver, and he readjusted it as he walked over to Jennine. Nodding approval.

Jennine grinned when she saw Pieridae. He'd probably been watching the whole time. "Did you see that??" She could've started dancing right and there. She beamed at him with excitement. This had been her first kill by herself, without Pier's help. And it had gone well!

She walked over to the doe. She removed the arrow, cleaning it before replacing it in her quiver. Luckily, it hadn't hit bone and shattered. It would have to be skinned and cut into smaller pieces, but that could wait until they went back to camp.

Pieridae nodded twice and walked until he stood beside her, examining the carcass. "Nice shot," he said briefly. He was not a fae of many words, but now and again he spoke. Seven years with this girl and he had to talk every now and then. "Need help prepping?"

Jennine shook her head. She was proud of herself and the results of the hunt. She wanted to prove to that she could take care of her kill, and that she wasn't a dependent little girl anymore. She was determined to pull her own weight, rather than putting part of it on Pier. "I can do it. I've watched you and helped you do it often enough that I think I can."

Pieridae nodded. "See you at camp." Then he left the way he had came, minus the trees. When he arrived he prepared the fire for what was going to be a surprise feast. He saw Jennine was getting ready to make her first kill on her own and had started preparing for a small celebration. Pieridae had actually had them stay in that camp location for longer than usual so he could locate a fresh spring and fresh fruit. He found both, so while Jennine took care of the deer, Pieridae took care of fetching clean cold water and fresh, tasty mulberries.

Jennine set about carrying the deer back to camp. She made a litter and dragged it back. Once she got there, she would skin and gut the deer, burying the entrails. It took her longer than Pier to get back to the camp. She walked into the clearing, surprised to find a little feast awaiting her.

Pieridae, being a small little fae, sat criss-cross on a large rock with the food laid out before him. He nodded to the fire he had going, for her to start cooking her own catch. "For a job well done," he said. It wasn't much of an explanation, but he knew Jennine would know what he meant. He was a man of few words and she had spent years with him as such. She would know he was very proud.

((Sorry thought I replied to this one ))

Jennine grinned at his words. His pride in her achievement may not have been obvious to others but it was to her. She quickly set the deer down next to the fire then ran over and hugged him. "Thank you Pier!" She said, kissing him on the cheek before going back to the deer to get it cut and cooking.

((Lost the rp, just found it!))

Pieridae was slightly surprised by the hug. Although he was used to the company of the girl, he was still a reclusive creature. The fae tensed up until she girl let go, and relaxed back to his normal state, which still was hardly considered relaxed. Once she started cooking he jumped up and semi fluttered to his pack where his equipment was. From it he drew a knife and walked towards the girl. He cleared his throat and presented her with it. "Hunting was a right of passage in my family. This throwing knife is one of the three my father passed down to me before the fire. Now this one is yours." He held it out to her, holding the blade so the hilt was towards her. "Before I forgot," he added to give an excuse for the awkward timing. The truth was he really didn't know when to do any of this.

Jennine stopped halfway through gutting the deer when he came over to her with the knife. As she listened, she realized how much this knife must mean to him, and how much meaning giving it to her would have. She was touched by his gesture and her eyes started tearing up. "Stop it, you're making me tear up! And if I try wiping it away I'll just get blood all over my face." She said teasingly. He'd done so much just for her today. She wiped her hands off in the grass and took the knife by the hilt, thanking him.

Pier gave a half smile and sat back down in his spot, waiting patiently for the roast to be done. It was a big day today, but there were signs of storm, and they would have to prepare for it tomorrow. For now, however, he enjoyed the fire.

Jennine finished cutting the deer meat and set parts of it to be cooked over the fire or dried. She set aside the deer skin to be scraped after she was done eating. She wiped her hands of the blood and gore and sat next to Pier by the fire, watching the flames and keeping an eye on the meat. There wasn't much need for words.

Pieridae himself was thinking more than he was watching the food. He was mentally checking everything before the storm. He wasn't sure if Jennine could tell one was coming too, but he could feel it in his wings. If she didn't know, he would tell her in the morning.

Jennine was unaware of the coming storm. She was simply enjoying the flush of success and contentment that came from her hunt and Pier's pride in her. Once the food was done, she got some for herself and for Pier, holding it out for him until her took it. The venison seemed to taste a little better to her, but she reasoned she was probably just imagining things since this was the first she'd managed to kill, clean and cook all by herself. Once she was full, it became hard to fight the yawns and keep her eyes open. She hugged Pier and thanked him again before settling for bed.

He took the meat and ate it silently. His mind wandered onto the coming storm. He didn't like the feeling he had. As he munched on his meat he watched the fire cackle and pop, dancing its own dance of life. Eventually Jennine went to bed, after another hug and a thanks. This left Pieridae alone for a time. He look to the sky. It was a polka dotted midnight with not a cloud in sight. The storm was the last thing he thought about before he went to sleep. He had a bad feeling about it, a very bad one.

Jennine was startled awake with the distant sound of thunder. The morning sun, which had just started to peek over the horizon, was threatened by incoming clouds. She rolled up her pack and glanced over to see if Pier had been awoken by the coming storm too.

((So sorry >.< I came down with the flu and was just laying on the couch all week!))

Pieridae was already awake, and packing his gear rather quickly. The fae was in no way a fan of unfair weather, and his wings could feel the pressure change. Thunder cracked in the distance, and the smell or rain-to-be filled the air.

"I don't like this," he said to the girl. "It's too big of a storm. We need to seek shelter farther away from the storm." What showed through his voice was concern, something he usually held back. Lightening cracked again, illuminating the threatening black sky in the distance. A slight breeze had started up.