LotS: Hunting Party

[Sreeya]

Theo considered herself beyond lucky to have escaped getting mauled or injured by the attacks from not only wolves, but also a bear. Others that she ran into didn’t do so well, and they were loaded up on the caravan which now moved slower due to the injured that lined it. The journey to the Shire would take them a long while, and even Tinnudir seemed quite far away.

She walked along with the group for a while before she felt the familiar pangs of hunger in her stomach. Theo glanced up, catching sight of the poor injured folk and the rangers that needed to stay the course to ensure everyone got to their next rendezvous point on time. Making up her mind, she called out to the group, “I’m going to break off to do some huntin’,” She drew out her bow again, “If anyone not injured wants to join, I’d ‘ppreciate it bunches.”

With that, Theo turned away from the group and began to plod along the snow towards the woods. She decided she would keep her eyes on the caravan, but delve deeper in to look for deer or other animals they could bring back. Theo was more nervous than ever about wolves, and she hoped others in the party would join her.

Thick fog escaped between her lips as she traversed through the slushy ground, the wetness soaking through her boots and shivering her to the core. Theo wasn’t as quiet as an elf, but she had gone hunting enough times to manage her footing enough to not spook animals. She kept an arrow nocked, ready to fire upon any creature she saw.

 

[Orbit]

Kept close with the caravan, his green eyes scanning the snowy forest around them as he remained on vigilant watch. With the fortress not well kept and barely fit to be even called a fortress, supplies were low and in order to make this trip to the shire they would need them. They all knew it and even Vorian's own stomach grumbled softly at the thought of food. That's when one of the rangers spoke up, Vorian trying to recall his name before placing it as Theo. It seemed he had the same idea and with the recent run-in with the wolves and bear, it was best if they stuck together before one of them turned into the hunted instead of the hunter.

Hopping off of the caravan and landing in the snow lightly, Vorian glanced at the injured before returning his gaze back to the ranger, "I will join you, Dunedain." It was easy for him to catch up, effortlessly traveling across it as he pulled up his hood and the small mask to cover his nose and mouth. Vorian walked side by side with her a few moments, his bow still not drawn as they continued deeper and deeper into the forest. The cold was bothersome but he seemed to handle it better then what Theo did as he glanced over to the ranger for a few seconds before returning his gaze back out front.

Vorian glanced down at the ground before back to the caravan, thinking to himself for a few moments before starting out into the expansive forest. "We will have to go farther in, the caravan would have spooked them enough to keep their distance." Fog escaped from his mouth too, reiterating how cold it was. Even though he didn't have his bow drawn, Vorian still had his hands on his knives underneath his cloak in case another pack of predators decided to descend on them. It best to remain within sight of the traveling party but if they wanted actually game instead of just hares or other small creatures, they would need to venture further. "It will be easy to follow the lights from it in case we lose our direction."

Vorian gave a quick glance to Theo, waiting for his objection before then looking to the caravan, doing a quick assessment of how much food they would need to bring back to make sure everyone had a full stomach for this trip. "At least a couple of deer will be needed, so we won't be slowed down by hunger."

 

[Sreeya]

Theo was happy to have the company of an elf for hunting. She had only heard stories of them and had observed them from a distance. Her ancestors spoke highly of them, and they were always regarded with wonder. As she watched the elf move, she could begin to see why they got their reputation. The elf’s feet barely seemed to touch the ground and he seemingly left little to no footsteps behind, where she left heavy plodded holes in the ground.

Theo felt more than a little embarrassed at all the ruckus she must have been making compared to how well the elf could do on his own. However, as he didn’t complain about her noise, she didn’t figure he minded. She nodded in agreement to his words, going further away from the group. A glance up at the sky showed that the sun would disappear entirely within the next hour or so.

“I haven’t met too many elves,” She muttered, hoping to make some conversation as they made their way further into the forest, “Where ye from?” She glanced over at him, not entirely sure what nearby region he could have heralded from. Theo spotted the silhouette of a deer in the distance and she slowed down her walking.

Theo said nothing for a moment, crouching down next to a tree as she eyed the deer quietly. She drew back the arrow but didn’t fire yet, controlling her breathing and aiming carefully. Before she could fire, growling ensued up ahead. The deer bolted off into a run and a small pack of wolves came rushing by to chase after it. Theo hoped they would continue to give chase, but the pack only moved a short distance away before one of the wolves slowed down and slowly glanced backwards.

 

[Phoenix]

Surprising rolls and the last of my luck probably​

Adathar had moved off slightly deeper into the forest on one side of the caravan to provide something of a deeper protection, and so he'd nearly missed it when Theo and Vorian broke off to go into the woods on the opposite side. He didn't say anything as he attempted to catch up, not wanting to scare away any deer. His footsteps were surprisingly quiet as he plodded through the snow, managing to stay mostly on rocks and stones rather than sinking waist deep.

He saw his partners ahead pause and saw why. More of those cursed wolves that had chased off the deer. He grabbed an arrow from his quiver and quickly brought it up, pulling back and releasing with surprising accuracy as it buried into the throat of the wolf, sending blood pouring out as it flopped to the snow.

He moved quickly after the arrow, dropping into a low crouch in the snow near his companions. We're not like to catch any deer with this pack roving about, he said. It was risky, but the prospect of hunting down the pack felt more and more necessary by the second. What say we hunt them down before they chase off all our deer or worse yet, make a meal of the caravan and the wounded? he asked. At least now, they might have the element of surprise hunting down the remaining dogs. @Orbit @Sreeya

 

[Orbit]

Vorian glanced at Theo when he asked where he was from, not really seeing anything against telling her where he was from. They were traveling together in this caravan and it would be stupid not to make friends you were stuck with. He already knew one ranger in the party might as well get friendly with the rest. "To your people, they are called The Grey Havens and to mine, it is called Mithlond." Vorian remembered his home fondly, missing it from time to time. It was a place of pure beauty and it was through everything, the architecture, the people. His home was one of a kind and Vorian would have loved to see it one last time.

Vorian spotted the deer when Theo did, dropping low into a crouch and barely making a sound. Slipping the bow off silently, he went onto the other side of the tree before pulling an arrow from his quiver and resting it against the string. He spotted Theo readying himself for a shot and he waited to let the Dunedain take his shot. But growling soon erupted around the deer and it spooked, causing Theo's shot to miss as now the pack chased off their prey. When one of the wolves turned around, Vorian raised his bow and aimed to take his shot against the stationary target.

But that's when another arrow came in and Vorian released the tension from his bow and lowered his weapon after he saw the arrow penetrate the wolf's throat. Turning slightly, he saw Adathar now join the two and Vorian wondered how long it would have taken for him to join. "Glad to see you Adathar," The elf gave him a nod before giving another after his words, "Our wounded will attract the pack if we don't take care of them. If we follow the wolves were closer to the deer either way, at least we should have one more chance to take some down."

Vorian then stood up before approaching where the wolves and deer were, crouching down and examining the obvious tracks they left behind. "We better get moving, the longer we tally the farther they get away." With that, Vorian stood back up before beginning to follow after the tracks, his arrow nocked and at the ready if the pack stayed behind.

@Phoenix @Sreeya