Over the Hills and Far Away

[Crim]

Outpost Dorn, Ciryc'yaim
Garshjakalfr Continent
​

A light dusting of snow fell as the winter storm began to subside. The sun slowly rose in the skies of Ciryc'yaim, obscured by a cloud or two. The layers of ice that blanketed most of the planet stared back at Inga from the window, a crest of newfallen snow reflecting the orange morning sun. The inside of Outpost Dorn was oddly cozy; the cramped, metal structure contained wooden parts; floors, cabinets, walls. It wasn't meant to be rustic by any means. Trees surrounded the fort and mining for metal for the entire base was too expensive. Timber was what was on hand. Still, the architects didn't even try to make it look pretty. Golden and silver sheets of insulation were laid bare along the walls.

Steam rose from Inga's coffee. She sipped it and brushed a lock of red hair out of her eyes. Her crimson bathrobe, hugging her waist in a warm embrace, draped loosely around her arms. The heating system hummed to life again as a gust shook the base. Inga closed her eyes. She took in the warmth of the base and smiled a little. It'd be a while before she got to enjoy the warmth again. The next few days would entail hunting beasts, gathering food, setting up camp, and generally being cold. One of her favorite pastimes. Of course, she'd be doing one of her favorite things with her favorite people.

@Ral Aran

 

[Ral]

There was something beautifully primal about the snow of Ciryc'yaim. Ral wasn't sure what it was exactly, but he enjoyed watching it fall onto the white ground nonetheless. The Mandalorian couldn't wait to enjoy being out in those woods, even though he knew it would be anything but comfortable. At the very least he would be able to do it with someone he enjoyed the company of. Doing painfully uncomfortable things with someone you like, someone you cared about, always made it seem a little less unbearable. Thankfully, he would be doing something he had grown up doing; something he loved doing: hunting. It had been a good long while since Ral had been able to get out into the field and do something outdoorsy that wasn't strictly speaking war or battle or some other type of military thing.

Sitting on the large bed, its red sheets kicked back to the end, Ral pulled on some simple, yet very warm clothes; fitting for the location. Standing up, Ral walked his way around the bed to where Inga was standing with her cup of coffee. Wrapping his arms around her waist he pulled the tall woman close to him. Resting his head on her shoulder he smiled before giving him a gentle peck on her neck. "Sleep well? How does it look out there?" He asked giving her a light pat before taking a step back over to where she had the pot of coffee brewing so he could pour himself a cup. Bringing it up to his mouth, he smelled the steam and grinned, "You always pick the good stuff, ya know that?" He chuckled as he took a sip.

Walking up next to her, Ral looked out the window at the snow and the rising sun. "So," he asked as he wrapped a hand around her waist again and held her while he continued to speak. "When will we leave?"

@Crim

 

[Crim]

Feeling Ral's warm embrace, Inga gently leaned into him and rested her head on the Mandalorian's chest. "It was nice, but someone kept me up late," Inga said, smirking at the last bit and looking at Ral before fixing her eyes back on the falling snow outside. "Forecast calls for the storm to let up for a few days, believe it or not. We'll have a day or two of actual sunlight, so looking forward to that," she said, looking at the sky. "After that, of course, we have a snow-blinding blizzard to worry about, but that's a normal Tuesday on Ciryc'yaim. Luckily, that means the native life will be at a disadvantage if we were to hunt them. They don't have helmets with thermal displays. We do."

Inga laughed at Ral's comment. "Life's too short for crappy coffee," she said, wrinkling her nose a little as she laughed. She put the almost irresistible urge to joke about how her coffee choice correlated with her taste in men, but coffee in a beskar mug wasn't a good idea. The metal tended to alter the taste of coffee and Inga preferred not tasting coins when she had coffee. Men in beskar, however...

Ral's arm wrapped around Inga's. She grabbed his hand with her hand and held it. "I was going to leave within the hour. We have some swoop bikes in the garage downstairs with tents and supplies. Camping near the outpost is no fun.

 

[Ral]

Ral chuckled at Inga when she made the comment about him keeping her up last night, returning her smirk as they stood there watching the snow fall for a few seconds. Listening to the tall, attractive redhead speak about the breaking of the storm for a few days, Ral nodded his understanding following Inga's gaze upward to the sky. Hearing her describe the blinding snowstorm as a Tuesday on Ciryc'yaim he smiled for a moment before speaking. "Sounds like it will be a lovely time out there then. Can't wait to get out there and hunt something. It's been far too long since I've had a proper hunt. Thank you for suggesting this, it's a wonderful idea." Ral leaned in and planted a light kiss on Inga's cheek to show his gratitude.

As she grabbed his hand, Ral looked at Inga and smiled warmly at her. "I guess that's a good point. Might as well drink what you enjoy." Ral tapped his cup against hers in a sort of toast before taking another sip of the dark coffee inside. As Inga explained that she intended to leave soon, Ral hummed. "Alright, sounds good. But first, I'm making you breakfast. C'mon now! Let's get dressed!"

 

[Crim]

Reciprocating the kiss, Inga looked at Ral and said, "Any excuse to see you." She smiled and sipped her coffee as Ral proposed breakfast. Pretending to groan out of hunger, Inga said, "I could eat the kriff out of some breakfast right now." She looked at her packed bags and said, "While you're cooking, I'm going to double-check our equipment. Don't want any surprises." She moved over to the packed bags and rummaged through them, doing a checklist in her head. She knew that if they forgot something, it cold put them at risk of suffering in the wastes of Ciryc'yaim. They'd become another story. Another statistic. One of the many people who had gone hunting in the untamed wilderness. Their frozen bodies never recovered.

Energy rations, spare clothes, rope, tents, bedrolls, torch, knives, emergency radios, heating units. Everything was present and accounted for. Resting near the packs were two sets of Mandalorian armor; a modern one and an older looking set. The modern one belonged to Ral while the older one belonged to Inga. The beskaid mask stared back at her as the scent of the breakfast Ral was cooking hit her nose. She took a deep breath, taking the aroma in, and went into the kitchen.

 

[Ral]

Grinning in response to what the redhead had said about having an excuse to see him, Ral gave the younger woman a gentle squeeze. "After last night I can only imagine what you'd do for some good Mandalorian breakfast." He teased her with a carefree wink. As she looked to their gear, Ral followed her gaze and nodded at what she had to say about double checking what they were bringing with them. "That sounds like an amazing idea. I don't know about you, but I plan on having a lot more late nights. So, it'd be nice not to become some ice bear's midnight snack because one of us forgot to pack some flint and steel. Plus, I think there are some things you and I still have to do before one of us can bite it," He gave Inga a firm pat on her backside as he walked towards the kitchen, looking back only briefly to watch Inga start to go through their things.

In the kitchen Ral went to work making their breakfast. To the surprise of some, Ral would appear to be right at home as he cracked eggs and beat them before adding some flower in. The Mandalorian was making an old family recipe he had known for years. The name wasn't Mandalorian, and it was almost impossible to pronounce, but the closest thing would be scrambled flapjacks, heavy flapjacks. After pouring a surprising amount of oil into a saucepan with high sides and turning up the heat, Ral started cooking some bacon and sausages. He then added the thick batter into the oil-filled pan. Doing his best to multitask, Ral cooked up the batter until it looked the appropriate shade of golden-brown, and had the right look and consistency. Turning around he saw Inga watching him from the doorway. "Hey you " He smiled as he motioned her over. "I hope you like this, it's an old recipe, been in my family for generations. Would you like some eggs as well? Or toast? Maybe something to drink?" He asked as he finished up making the main dish.

 

[Crim]

Jabbing a finger in Ral's direction, Inga said, "Watch yourself, Aran. Only one place remarks like that'll get you." As she checked the packs, she said, "Oh you have no idea. The locals of this planet? They're sentient. I've heard horror stories about what those things do to people they capture. Not to put a dampener of things." Wiping some hair out of her eyes, she continued, "Just be glad there are less... dragons on the planet thanks to yours truly."

Breakfast smelled great. More than great. Walking into the kitchen, Inga muttered, Oh kriff yes." She then looked at Ral and said, "No thanks. This looks plenty."

Inga grabbed a plate and took a bite. "Ral, your family's a bunch of geniuses. This is really good."

 

[Ral]

Ral chortled as Inga jabbed her finger at him. "Oh really, cyar'ika? Well please enlighten me what sort of place that is! I'm dying to find out you know!" The man smirked for a moment as his woman continued to speak of the planet's indigenous population before mentioning a lack of dragons due to a particular redhead's actions. Giving an amused laugh, Ral nodded. "Aye, I guess that is a good thing to be glad about."

Smiling as Inga declined additional food, Ral nodded as be finished up. Grabbin some syrup that was stored in the pantry, the Mandalorian moved the food to a nearby table where he set it down. Ral felt quite proud to be complimented by Inga on the cooking and so he looked somewhat flushed to get the praise. "Thank you! I appreciate it. Here," He said, "It's better with some syrup. This stuff is great, high in calories from being fried, plus since it's heavy it'll stay in our stomachs longer so we won't feel the need to eat as often. Perfect for going out on a hunting expedition into the freezing cold don't you think?" He smiled as he poured some of Ciryc'yaim's brand of syrup on her breakfast. Before digging into his own meal.

Between the two of them they ate a surprising amount. When they were done, Ral took Inga's dishes and started to clean them. "I made the mess I'll clean it up. You just get ready." He said. When he was done he approached Inga and asked. "Time to suit up?"

 

[Crim]

Inga shoveled the last bits of food into her mouth and washed it down with the rest of her coffee. The hot drink warmed her body on the way down. She wiped her mouth with a napkin and said, "You thought of everything." She smiled and stood up. Approaching Ral, she put her hand on his cheek and said, "That was, by far, the best breakfast I've had in a long time." A breeze shook the outpost and the metal groaned ever-so-slightly. The wood under her feet groaned as she took each step. The kitchen was warm from all the cooking that was going on. Hell, it was downright hot. It was strange to think that this flimsy outpost was all that stood between the two Mandalorians and certain death by exposure in the wilderness of Ciryc'yaim. Ral stood up and began collecting her plate.

"Oi, visitors never clean," she said with a smile. She hovered behind him as he cleaned the dish. Before long, he asked if she was ready to suit up.

______
The thermosuit came first. It could protect against space, though heat loss was a little different in space. To add to that, it was very comfortable. The suit covered everything but the head. Next came the armor. Boots, torso armor, pauldrons, codpiece, thigh plates, belt, and thermal coif in that order. The powered joints allowed her to carry much more than she could without the armor. As she lowered the helmet onto her head, she started the MUNIN package. If she or Ral became seriously injured or they were in any situation in which evacuation was required, she could order a pickup at any moment. She didn't expect to have to use it, but it was always a danger. Once the MUNIN package started, a chime played in her ear. All systems go. She turned to see how Ral was doing.

(Sorry for the late responses. Crazy week.)

 

[Ral]

Chuckling quietly to himself, Ral nodded, "Thank you, cyar'ika." He smiled as he looked at her, grabbing the hand she had placed on his cheek in his and giving it a little bit of a squeeze. "I'm glad I could brighten your morning just a little bit more." As the outpost groaned from the wind outside, Ral finished up. Moving the dirty dishes to the sink where he began to wash them he chortled at Inga's declaration. "Well then, consider me no longer a visitor," he turned around and winked at her before leaning in for a peck on her cheek. He went back to washing the dishes, feeling her still hovering behind him he figured he'd bring up something he's been meaning to ask her. "Speaking of which... I've been thinking of making a small cabin out here for when I need time alone, or for after the war and I can finally take some time for myself. What do you think? A small place just for me... and you?" He turned to look into her green eyes to see how she would respond or what she would say to him.

Once he was done they went on to gearing up. Ral followed Inga's lead with the thermosuit, and then layering that with other insulating fabrics before placing a modified armorweave flightsuit and blast vest over it all which his armor would fit onto. Placing his own helmet over his thermal balaclava, Ral grabbed a large animal pelt and draped it over Inga's shoulders. "There, now you look the part." He smiled behind his helmet as he grabbed the other one for himself. "Alright I think I'm ready to go," he remarked as he grabbed his weapons. "I'll follow your lead, Inga dear."

 

[Crim]

Inga smiled in her helmet. No way for Ral to see, but there wasn't anything stopping her. "Can't believe I almost forgot that. Thanks," she said. She heaved a backpack over her shoulders and walked to the staircase to the rest of the base. The outpost had three levels. The living area, the survey area, and the garage. The living area was sandwiched in between the survey area and the garage. In the garage, there were four swoop bikes, two of which were already loaded with other essentials. Inga straddled one of the swoop bikes and turned the ignition. The bike hummed to life as she put her backpack on the back of the swoop bike. It lifted off the ground, whining with anticipation. Swoop bikes were designed to go forward - and fast. Not hover in one place. Inga looked at Ral and nodded. Once he nodded, the door to the garage began to open. A gust of wind shook the garage as the warm air collided with cold air.

Inga pulled back on the throttle and the swoop bike shot forth. The animal pelt on Inga's shoulders flapped in the wind as Inga's swoop bike carved through the wind, hovering just above the surface of Ciryc'yaim. The compass on the swoop bike pointed east. If they rode for an hour or two, they'd clear the forest and reach a vast ice plain along a cliff overlooking the sea. The wildlife of the forests would clash with plains animals. And, if they really wanted to travel down the rock coast, they could hunt shore animals. Inga and Ral stood a good chance of seeing Fenrik Wolves, snow hares, maybe even a tribe of Jotunmer. While there weren't any documented tribes in the area, the Jotunmer were migratory; it was entirely possible that one moved into the area.

After about twenty minutes of driving, Inga called Ral on her comlink. "How are you holding up?" she asked.

 

[Ral]

With a little smirk on his face, Ral nodded to the armored redhead. "Don't worry, I've always got your back, cyar'ika," The man responded as they grabbed their packs and gear and pulled it onto themselves. Following her down to the garage, Ral looked at the swoop bikes present. Two were already loaded with gear that clearly indicated they were the ones that the pair of Mandalorian hunters would be taking on this little vacation excursion with them. Walking besides Inga at this point, Ral stepped up to the other swoop next to the one she had just mounted and swung his leg over the body. Flipping a few switches the bike whined to life and it began hovering off the ground. Seeing the woman look at him and nod, Ral returned the nod. The garage door opened before them and the snow laden wind blew in from the outside. Had Ral not been wearing layers of thermal coverings and metal plates he would have most likely been frozen to the bone!

As Inga punched the throttle of her swoop bike, Ral did the same and together their bikes shot forward into the chilling wind and white snow. Ral did his best to stay with Inga, but she was leading so he had to give her some room to turn and brake. The scenery was beautiful and stunning, definitely the kind Ral could get used to on a more permanent basis. He figured he'd bring the subject of making a cabin with Inga later that day after they had set up a camp and were cuddling by the fire. It would make it hard for her to get distracted then. After riding for a while, Ral heard his comlink crackle to life and Inga's sweet voice fill his helmet causing him to smile a bit.

"Oh, I'm fine, Inga. Loving the view. This reminds me of Fenris a bit, well, the snow does I guess, everything else not so much," he chuckled a little as he maneuvered himself around a tree. "The thermals are keeping me fairly warm, hard to completely block out that biting wind, but the armor plating helps with that I s'ppose. What about you? Doing good?" He paused, waiting for her to answer before continuing on. "So, where are we going, this is your home, I figure you know all the good places to go hunt."

 

[Crim]

"I have skin of iron," Inga said. "I'll be fine." In truth, her skin was far from iron. In fact, she had constant pain almost everywhere on her body. Symptoms common with fibromyalgia or other degenerative diseases of the nerves, but the causes could definitely be traced back to a singular incident. During Clan Kelborn's escape from Mandalore, Inga and her father were on a cruiser that suffered atmosphere loss due to a Separatist attack. Inga had been violently sucked into space. In an instant, almost the entirety of the surface her skin snap froze. Her nerves were damaged and her eyes were ruined. Her eyesight could be fixed with corrective surgery. Her skin could heal. The nerve damage was there to stay. Every waking moment felt like she was on fire. While that distracted her from the cold and could be a source of untapped rage when she needed it, it was draining at times. No one, not even Ral, knew about this. Inga wasn't ashamed of it. She just didn't find it relevant. If it somehow became relevant, she'd tell Ral.

"An ice plain overlooking the coast of Garshjakalfr. The Jotunmer who live on this continent believe the whole coast is a holy site. They seem to be both afraid and awestruck of the coast. No tribes settle there, for fear of angering something supernatural. Other tribes are known to drive tribes that settle here out of the region, probably in an effort to keep from angering their gods. This means one of two things. One: We won't run into any tribes living here on a continent that's otherwise swarming with the Jotunmer. Two: IF we come across any Jotunmer, we don't exactly know what to expect. Fight or flight?" Inga banked to the left to avoid hitting a tree.

"Without the Jotunmer, these hunting grounds are untapped. And better, if they fear something here, it must be for a good reason. Something terrifying must live there. My natural inclination as a Mandalorian? Find the terrifying thing and assert my dominance over it."

 

[Ral]

"Good," Ral chuckled somewhat at Inga's response. Far be it to for Ral accuse his lady of lying, but he had seen just about everything there was go see and he had yet spotted iron skin on Inga's body. If anything she seemed the opposite to him, especially when they were together at night when he guard was down when she thought he wasn't paying attention. He wasn't sure what it eas, but it was in those quiet moments together that she seemed, exposed, tender, feminine in a non Mandalorian way. Not that Ral minded how she was when they were alone together, he just thought the contrast between how Inga was out here in the wilderness and how she was alone with him to be fascinating. He'd let her have the skin of iron remark, if there was anything he was certain, she was one tough redhead. As he followed her, Ral realized she was answering the question he had asked her earlier and started to pay attention to what she was saying.

Ral loved Ciryc'yaim, he loved everything about it, the terrain, the people, the animals. They were perfect for him. For the kind of person who he was, and in a way, he felt that Inga might be the just as perfect for him as her home was. Listening, Ral nodded in response once his guide had finished explaining their destination to him. Ral had never met a Jotunmer, but he had heard stories from Inga, seen paintings of them on the walls of Fort Kelborn. "Sounds like it will be perfect for us then. I can't wait to see what we find." He laughed lightly to himself as he imagined then fighting some massive beast out of some caveman's mythology. "I can only imagine what ever it is that is out here. Must be something big an scary. I hope it provides a fun challenge for us."

After riding for a few more minutes finally Ral asked his question, "So, Inga. How was it growing up on Ciryc'yaim? How long has the clan been here again? Since around the time of the Core Blitz or there's abouts? We're you born here? Or do you have memories of being on other planets?" He chuckled at all of his other questions, he was just being curious of course, wanting to get to know her better. "Sorry, I'm just curious, I feel like we haven't really talked about our pasts all that much."

 

[Crim]

"Growing up here was interesting. We only came here a little over a decade ago, so growing up here involved a lot of building and setting things up. Everybody had a hydrospanner in their hands. First few years were the hardest. We had to deal with the challenge of growing food and making our own resources once the cruisers' supplies ran out. That said, it really was a good way to build character. Everybody helps out, no matter who you are or who they are. And, of course, getting adjusted to the planet's climate tends to make one tough. I think it turned me into who I am today, which is good, but I kind of... I kind of wish I'd had a childhood, you know? And my father was always on edge. The war never ended for him. Never ended for most of us. We were all told that we were the last Mandalorians and that anyone approaching the planet meant harm. Breaking out of that attitude isn't easy."

"I was little when the Mandalorian Civil War started. We were all living in Kelborn territories with our vassals and fiefs when it began and we took our sweet time leaving. It wasn't until we were unable to stop our grounds from being glassed that we left." Looking over at Ral, she said, "That's all for Behind the Cantina Band today. What about you? I've never really asked about your past either. Guess I was waiting for you to ask first."

 

[Ral]

As Inga spoke of her past, Ral listened to her recount attentively, hanging on to every word and doing his best to imagine the little redhead that was Inga trying to grow up on Ciryc'yaim. Imagine without crashing into a tree or rock or snowdrift that is. When she mentioned how the struggle of trying to create food and resources for themselves built character the man chuckled a little. He knew that story all too well and couldn't agree more with the old proverb. When she remarked how she wished she had a childhood he nodded and replied, "Yeah, I know what you mean, sorta anyways. Fair portion of my teenage years were spent on Roon, or on Fenris or..." He trailed off for a moment. Letting Inga finish, Ral continued to give her his attention, as much as he could while not crashing. "What do you remember of the Civil War? Or Mandalore from back then?"

Pausing as she inquired of him, he thought for a moment before chuckling a little to himself. "Well, here I am, asking. Feel free to ask away, I-I want us to... to know more about you." Then very casually added, "If we're going to keep this up we should at least know the worst about each other." Ral chortled a bit. There was more he wanted to say, but felt right at that moment it would be unwise. "Anyways, I was born on Concord Dawn, my parents were farmers, my father also hunted with my grandfather. I grew up learning the value of working the fields and earning everything by the sweat of your brow. Of course by the time I was fifteen we had to leave Mandalorian space because of the Jedi, the Alliance, and the Sith. Then there was the Kushari and Roon, and after that the first Civil War, do you remember all that? My parents were separatists. I did what I could to help out, but as someone who was barely a full adult I was mostly relegated to menial labor, mostly at my parents insistence. After that and when we returned to our homes, I started farming again, and that's where I stayed, even when my parents went to the war and never returned. My helmet was my grandfather's, it's an ancient family heirloom, beskar alloy."

With a bit of a chuckle as he thought back to his childhood he continued, "I loved that man, he used to tell me all these great sorts of stories. I miss him the most I think. Anyways, I stayed on Concord Dawn staying out of the Civil War that followed, I farmed, and then something happened and I fled, just as the Sith started their blockade. After that I wondered looking for work. Smuggling, hunting, mercenary work, honest labor, I did it all, until I found the Rebellion anyways. And then I found Sisk, and then you."

 

[Crim]

She had to think for a second about that. She hadn't ever met Mandalore, but she'd heard about him from her father. "Not much. I never actually saw him, but my father followed him. While he fought for him out of honor, he did not fight out of friendship. He believed Corden Vencu's path would lead to the destruction of the Mandalorians while Mandalore's path, while foolish, could be reversed." Looking around, Inga said, "Right about Vencu as he was, he did not like the old Mandalore. Not one bit. And from what I've read of both Vencu and the old Mandalore, neither deserved to be followed." She then turned to listen to Ral's story about his childhood. It was always pleasant hearing any Mandalorian speak of home. Mandalore, Concord Dawn, most of the Mandalorian homeworlds weren't pretty or beautiful by any means. Still, they always told their stories with twinkles in their eyes.

"I'm glad you found us," she said, verbally dancing around that 'something' that forced him off the planet. If he was ready to tell her what it was, he'd have said it outright. No sense in asking about it."[/color]

After a few minutes, tree cover began to dissipate and a large ice plain extended for as far as the eye could see. To the south was a steep drop off and then the sea. Rolling waves crashed into an unseen coast while the deep blue ocean rippled with a strong coastal wind. Inga eased off the acceleration and held the brake. "Here we are," she said as her bike came to a stop. She swung her leg off the bike and grabbed a bag off the back.

 

[Ral]

Humming quietly to himself as Inga recalled the past, her past, and what she remembered of it. Her father's opinions were interesting, Ral wasn't sure who else would have entirely agreed with her, at least on the Council. Ral couldn't say one way or the other whether he thought she was right, but he didn't see a reason to disagree. If Vencu hadn't gotten into bed with the Sith he wouldn't have died and the Claimant Wars would have never occured. A lot of the death that the Mandalorians experienced in the last decade and a half could be directly attributed to the course Vencu put them on. Frowning to himself, Ral shook his head, contemplating the past wouldn't change the present, so he went on with his own story. When he finished he smiled when Inga told him that she was happy he found them. "Yeah, me too, dear, me too."

Eventually, the pair came to a place where the trees gave way to an open plain covered in snow and ice. As Inga slowed down, Ral followed suit and hit the brakes of his swoop bike. After a few seconds he came to a stop right next to his redheaded companion. As Inga declared that they had arrived, Ral swung his leg over the speeder bike, placing his feet into the untouched snow, his feet crushing as he stood. Taking his pack and slinging over his shoulders, he looked to the woman. "Alright, now where to?" He asked as he approached her. "So, got any interesting hunting stories to tell?"

 

[Crim]

Heaving a heavy sack over her shoulders, Inga set the pack on the ground and unrolled it. "Now, we set up camp." Inside the pack were some stakes, poles, and a tent. She unrolled the tent and found a nice, flat area to set it down. "If you want to get started on a fire, I'll work on the tent." She grabbed a few stakes and went to work. She rubbed the top of her helmet in thought, saying, "Most of my stories are about horrific hunting incidents." She laughed and said, "Let's see. There's that time I was stranded in the wilderness of Ciryc'yaim when I was 12. That wasn't fun."

She pushed a stake into the ground and went about recounting her story. She talked about how, when she was 12, she fell from a hunting skiff and had to heal a broken leg by herself in the wilderness. After a day, she began walking to Kurzbesk with said broken leg. She didn't have much of an option. It was that or starve. After a few days, she made it to the city and her father said that she was left behind as a test of her strength. That surely caused some form of lingering resentment that would arise only after years of therapy down the road.

After a while, the tent was coming together nicely. Inga turned and said, "What about you? Have you got any hunting stories to share?"

 

[Ral]

"Excellent," he smiled as he looked around the selected campsite. It would make for a very good home base while they hunted, assuming that's what the plan was. If not they would at least have a decent spot for the next day or two. He watched as her tall form unrolled her pack and started getting the things out needed to set up camp. Pulling on the straps of his pack he continued, "So, what can I do to help out?" When she answered with the fire he nodded, "Fire. Right. Sounds like an excellent place for me to get started."

Ral frowned as he looked around. He started by grabbing some rocks for a ring for the firepit. He chuckled at the mention if her stories having horrific hunting incidents. When she began to recount she was 12 years old and stranded, he listened attentively imagining little Inga plowing her way through the snow. He could see how she might have been resentful when she got back to Kurzbesk. Ral could see how she had become such a strong woman now after having endure an experience like that or other similar experiences.

Finding good wood to use was a little hard, but Ral was managing. When Inga asked about his hunting stories he smiled, giving a few laughs as he recalled all the different stories. "Well, I've got a few, none are particularly exciting or as horrid as yours, I'm sure. But I think the most exciting time happened during my own verd'goten. I had to go find something on Concord Dawn, and kill it. My dad didn't specify what, just that it had to be difficult. Well, it was. They sent me out into the jungles and told me to survive for a month on my own before going out searching for kill. Well after that month I wasn't doing too well, being thirteen and still not quite ready for everything, but I wasn't going to give up. I went out and found myself the biggest wolf, an Alpha, and I killed it with a wooden spear and my own two hands."

Looking at the firepit it looked ready. Glancing over to Inga he asked, "How's our yaim coming?"