Logs:Candidate Camp Out - Stampede
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| RL Date: 15 February, 2014 |
| Who: Ali, Zhivka, Elise, E'ten, E'dre, Danya |
| Involves: Fort Weyr |
| Type: Log |
| What: Riders create a stampede of herdbeast for candidates-and-riders to hunt with. It mostly goes okay. |
| Where: Southern Continent |
| When: Day 4, Month 1, Turn 34 (Interval 10) |
| The last two days, though still filled with chores and classes, has definitely been different than those taught at Fort. In particular, yesterday there was a good deal of time set aside to practice with weapons - the bow and arrow and the spear - which many of the candidates were speculating was a pre-cursor to a hunt. Sure enough, this morning everyone's woken as soon as the sun's up, mounting up onto dragons after packing up nets and weapons. They've landed next to what looks to be a dried up riverbed that stretches off through a field dotted with unchecked vegetation. "Okay candidates, everyone choose a weapon. Spear, if you're comfortable getting close, or bow and arrow if not. Riders, too, unless you'd rather be part of the volunteers driving the herdbeasts in this direction." Ali, of course, doesn't select a weapon; it's not like she could keep Isyath from the skies even if she (obviously desperately) wants to. It's true that Elise has been uncharacteristically tense since they all started practicing with weapons. This is all seeming doom-y familiar. Except she doesn't have R'zi or N'dalis here this time, when they mount up and move off, and her hands are shaky when she chooses a spear once they're in their new location and directed to take up something. Still, the way she handles that is confident enough, her muscle memory taking over where her mind might be drawing blanks. Ometh's rider, Danya, is likewise within the pack of candidates and riders, with her blue lifemate no where in sight. Danya, for her part, has selected a sharp tipped spear for her weapon this day. As she settles the butt of the spear upon the ground, the rider will give a general smile to the assembled candidates, perhaps sensing the overall edge of nerves that seems to permeate the area. Surely Zhivka has /some/ skills hidden away somewhere. It's just that none of them have really come up this whole entire trip so far. Or... most of candidacy if we want to get technical. She's not really comfortable with either a spear /or/ a bow, she's proven that over the last couple days, but it's the latter she chooses to equip herself with now. Up close to things she might have to use a spear with isn't really her thing. It's not often that E'ten has the opportunities which allow him time to use both bow and arrow and with Adiulth's blessing. Unless they're traveling. Like they are now. Testing the strength of his own bow and opting to use his own set with a glance towards those candidates who may opt for distance over closeness, he passes close to Zhivka with a remark that's more question. "Have you used any weapons before?" Why /is/ E'dre here? From his sour expression, he doesn't seem pleased. But here he is. He's got his own spear in hand, using it as a walking stick of sorts as he walks around to inspect the candidates who have decided on that weapon. Kandan, too, has chosen a spear, and is hefting it. He's shown a bit of an aptitude over the past couple of days, even if he seems new to the weapon. Is that a pleased grin Ali's sending in E'dre's direction for his presence? It seems so! "Okay, we'll drive them your way, aiming to get them right down the middle of this riverbed. I'd suggest you set up on either side of the banks, so you don't get stampeded." The junior makes a brief tour, ensuring everyone's set, before she and a handful of other riders head for their dragons. The shadows of the dragons pass over the group as they angle south-west with the aim to circle around behind the herd that was spotted earlier. It goes deadly quiet. There's nothing casual about the way Elise handles that spear, how both hands tighten around the shaft as she takes a place on one side of the riverbed, gazing across at the others on the other side, then looking over at the candidates to her left and right. She turns outward again, staring down the way the beasts should come, drawing in a steadying breath through slightly parted lips. The tiny blonde looks sideways at E'ten, lips pursed and pushed to one side. "Of course. You know, the last couple days. I'm not, like, an expert or anything." But Zhivka hasn't accidentally killed anyone so that has to count for something, right? Even if she's trying to put on a tough face (no, really, that's her tough face), she doesn't look super comfortable with any weapons in her hands. As the Weyrwoman and the other riders leave to start the stampede, Danya will unconsciously run her hand through her hair, causing it to spike upwards more than normal. It's a slightly nervous gesture, though she turns with confidence towards the group. Holding her spear securely, Danya will shoo a few of the candidates back towards the bank, "A little further back, please." Then Danya is settling near the group at large, coming to rest close to Elise and the candidates around her. Glancing towards Elise, Danya will offer a quick smile, "You'll do fine." E'dre is one of those that remain behind, watching as the others mount their dragons and take to the skies. Wroth follows after, riderless, to bank in close to Isyath. One can flirt, can't they? E'dre notes Danya and Elise nearby and moves to stand guard in the opposite direction. He's there if any need him, otherwise he's silent. It's silent for a long while. Maybe this is all some big, elaborate prank, and the riders have just- no. They can feel it through their feet, first, like a slight tremor of the earth. The sound comes next, a rumbling that comes from the south, and a dust cloud is visible, distantly. Whatever it is, as promised, is heading directly for the group gathered around the riverbed. Isyath hasn't the flexibility of normal, not with her belly so distended, so she weaves back and forward at the rear of the group, while others fly on the flanks to keep the group tight. The roar becomes louder, almost a physical sound- the beating of hooves against the ground can now be identified. There's a buck in the lead, a big, intimidating creature that paints himself as a target for those with bows and arrows. Two shadows pass overhead, dragons steering them towards the riverbed - a couple swing wide though, stamping along the upper edge and likely to displace any who found haven there - such as Danya, Elise and E'dre. "Clearly," E'ten remarks, voice dry but in conflict with the twitching of his lips as he moves forward with one arrow pulled loosely in preparation for the beasts that will undoubtedly head towards them. "Is there anything you have against weapons or is it simply not something.. interesting," he asks, conversationally though his eyes are looking at the dust stirring up. "As long as you don't hit any of the others? It'll be considered a success." There's something strange in how Elise returns Danya's smile; hers is slightly sick looking. "I'm cursed," she tells the bluerider, casually, with a surety that comes with /knowing/. And then she returns her focus. Just in time, too for that rumbling to begin under her feet. And then in her feet, and then her legs. She looks down at them, eyes widened by alarm, and that's when it becomes sound and not just vibration and she stares at that cloud of dust billowing and blooming. And then the stampede becomes a reality, and it all happens so fast, and she has to get out of the way. Fast. No, faster. She's practically running backwards and her spear comes up almost more in self defense than any decisive aim for a kill. "You are cursed," E'dre tosses at Elise as he readies himself for the on coming beasts. He raises his spear and braces himself. "Or is it you?" he asks, looking at Danya with a smirk. Zhivka is watching the dust and her hands tighten on her bow, though she doesn't draw it, when the first glimpses of the source of the dust can be seen. "I, uh, just never had any reason to use them. Not anything against them." She shrugs stiffly, still watching the movement with big eyes even if it's without making any move to actually do anything with the weapon in her hands. Danya can't help but cant her head slightly to the side at ELise's smile and statement, but it's E'dre's words that cause the bludrider to snort. "We are not curse." And then, like Elise and E'dre, the bluerider turns her attention towards the rising dust cloud. Her eyes will quickly dart upward at the dragon shapes, but then Danya is once more focused on the riverbed. Just in time too, as a small group of herdbeasts runs towards her small group. Seeing Elise backpedaling, Danya will dart forward to grab one of the other girl's arms. "This way!" She can't help but shout, as she moves to yank the girl out of the beasts path. A sharp jab of her spear is offered to the nearest beast, to try and dissuade it from coming too close to them. The noise is loud, making low talk impossible, and dust rises everywhere, making it difficult to see. It is chaos. One of the herdbeasts on the edge of the bank immediately veers away when it senses the movement of those gathered on the bank, slipping down to join the rest in the riverbed. The other blindly stamps ahead, racing through inches away from where Elise was; with Danya yanking her out of the way just in time, the creature glances off the bluerider's spear, letting out a wild cry and rounding on the pair. Meanwhile, the bull keeps going, leading the group through the riverbed and right through the easy range of those with the bow and arrows. Kandan's one of those scrambling back, coughing and squinting through the dust as he clutches his spear. He darts forward to take stab at one of the herdbeasts, but misjudges, missing and losing his footing. It's impossible not to shout, and even as he shouts, much of E'dre's words are lost in the noise of the stampede. He falls to grabbing, pushing, and directing the candidates around him to readiness as they all move towards the task at hand. A startled cry spills from Elise's open mouth when Danya yanks her out of the way, her spear nearly flying from her grip. Her feet skid to a stop and she does everything she can to keep herself balanced while still trying to defend herself. Her spear aims at the beast now that it's coming to face them, ready for a lunge or a kick. Kandan is in her line of vision when he stumbles and she hesitates a beat before ducking away from the bluerider and racing in to get to him, and once she's there grabbing his arm to haul him up, her own feet trying to find purchase in all the loose gravel and dirt. "Really?" It's meant as a question but E'ten doesn't pause for long as there's no missing the herdbeasts that approach quickly. Tightening his hold on both bow and arrow, the latter is trained on one of the lead beasts before letting the arrow fly before reaching for a replacement in the span of a heartbeat. "What do you think of the bow then? Too cumbersome?" It's a question asked with all of the interest one might have in a non-pressured situation where there's the matter of food or hides. Or both. It's hard to see what her fellow candidates are doing, exactly. Especially when Zhivka is so focused on trying to see the herdbeasts through the dust, eyes squinted like that will help. She does finally lift the bow to draw the arrow like she's been taught the last few days. But that's about as far as she gets, particularly when E'ten has loosed an arrow, practically trembling as she holds the bow taut. "I... I dunno." He might be cool under pressure but Zhivka is having trouble thinking about two things at once right now. "You okay?" Shouts Danya to Elise, trying to be heard above the noise, but her words are a little too slow as Elise darts away to help Kandan. As for the herd beast that's turned towards them, yes, Danya has definitely seen it. With a faint baring of teeth, Ometh's rider lunges for the herdbeast that's threatening their small group. She aims a stab towards one of the beast's eyes. Quick and fast. If Ometh has taught her anything it's better to kill the beast quickly. A few of the other candidates begin to release arrows into the herd. Most go wide, but a few hit, including E'ten's- one beast goes stumbling to its knees before going down. Its fellows leap over or around it, continuing. More shadows overhead drive the creatures onwards. Those with the spears around E'dre stand their ground, mostly for more fear of the brownrider than the beasts - snagging at least two on their makeshift line of spears. Nearby, Danya's strike is true, quick and clean- the herdbeast dropping almost immediately. Kandan shakes off Elise's arm with a scowl, no quip or remark from him as he scrambles to his feet and looks quickly at the beast Danya's felled, then away. Elise's concerned expression shifts to bewildered once she sees the look on Kandan's face, her hand still hovering like she still has a hold on him. But there's no time to linger on that, her pause taking a turn towards action when she sees Danya's kill. She stares down at it, then at the bluerider, then around them at the chaos that the riverbed has become, stunned, her spear hanging by her side. More than one beast falls at E'dre's hand, his movements fast and fierce against the onslaught of panicked beasts. He moves through the melee, keeping his attention on those around him and though others may cheer the success of the candidates E'dre simply ignores it. Better they don't balk and flee. Then they'd hear him speak. "Are you both okay?" Shouts Danya to Kandan and Elise, "Lets take a few steps back. I'd rather not lose a candidate on my watch." It's meant as a joke, more or less, but she's still quite serious about it. The dead herdbeast is given a quick glance to make certain it's truly dead, before the bluerider focuses back on the two candidates. Her spear is still held tightly in hand as she keeps it ready for any other stray beasts that might stray towards them. E'ten's voice remains calm even as he glances to one side to take in Zhivka's failure to not fire, but rather intense focus on the creatures. "If it helps," he begins. "There's no pressure. It's only you, the bow and the target. Once you start taking up the stance, it's a matter of just keeping your eye on the herdbeast. Or wherry. I'd show you but then again, it wouldn't help much. I can't shoot for you." When Zhivka finally releases the arrow, it's a little hard to tell if she actually meant to do that or if it was an accident because she was holding the arrow for too long and got tired. The little squeak she makes is probably (hopefully) inaudible because of the noise of the stampede itself. "I told you to watch your spear," E'dre's voice rises over the remaining bleats of the beasts as he rounds on a younger candidate who is puking to the side of a dead beast. E'dre rips his spear out of its flesh and continues to shout at the candidate, "Do you realize you could've killed yourself or someone else? There's no room for fear in this!" The noise is starting to recede as the herd thins out, though the vibrations underfoot certainly haven't ceased. Kandan gives a little snort at Danya's words, like he's sure she's joking, then a moment later isn't so sure, shuffling further back as he grips his spear tightly. It looks like most of the danger is past those with the spears; with the bulk of the herd having passed the group, only a few stragglers now race through- the lack of dust perhaps making them easy pickings for those with the bow and arrow. Zhivka's arrow, however, goes slightly wide, thunking into the dirt on the other side of a quickly darting beast. One by one, the dragons spiral down to land in any available space in the open field. That candidate that E'dre starts yelling at stares at him, wide-eyed, then starts to cry. Which is no easy task when you're trying to bring up the contents of your stomach. All Elise can do is nod quickly, she's okay, though still looking very numb and maybe slightly in shock. It isn't every day she survives a stampede. Once the last of the beasts has thundered by, and the smoke has started to clear, she looks around at the carcasses that litter the ground, her spear arm still hanging limply. She lifts her other hand to push her hair out of her face and that's when that other candidate starts crying and also maybe throwing up. Her instinct is to go over there to comfort the poor thing, and so that's what she does. "Stop crying!" E'dre shouts at the boy, looking entirely uncomfortable. "You don't need to cry," he continues in a low voice, turning his head side to side to see who is witnessing this exchange. "It's over." Because by no means does it register the boy could be crying because of /E'dre/. Danya will offer a brief smile at Kandan and Elise, before her gaze flicks towards E'dre. "Oh for Faranth's sake." Mutters the bluerider, before she's stomping after Elise, though really her steps take her more towards E'dre. "Stop yelling at the youngling." The bluerider says, her voice quieted down and dipping more to a hiss, now that the majority of the stampede is over, and the noise level is back towards something approaching normal. "Yelling isn't going to help him. Leave him alone for a few minutes to calm down." Probably comforting the young candidate isn't a great idea right now, given he's still bringing up the contents of his stomach in between hiccuping-gulps of air. It doesn't seem like he's obeying the order not to cry, funnily enough. The riders who have landed are starting to co-opt candidates as they see them, getting them to put ropes around the herdbeasts they've managed to kill and dragging them out far enough for the dragons to hoist them. "Let's get these beasts trussed up and back to the camp; we're going to have a big feast to celebrate our last night here," Ali's saying, as she begins to walk up the riverbed. She hasn't noticed the drama over by E'dre yet, instead angling for Zhivka and E'ten. It might be gross, but Elise is going to tough it out. Sure at first, once she reaches that poor candidate with her hand out to rub his back she falters, but rub his back she does anyway, and maybe she gives E'dre a dark blue glare for his handywork. Elise's handIwork is duly noted, her glare met with a shrug by the brownrider. He lets the candidate and bluerider tend to the boy, giving Danya a passing by her with a defensive statement, "What do you expect me to do? He nearly killed himself and me." And that's all he'll say as he rounds around and begins to drag the beast towards Wroth who has landed during one round of hiccup-vomits of the boy. Casting a sidelong glance at Zhivka, E'ten turns then towards the approaching goldrider with a hand lifted in greeting with something of a frown. He may not have seen the event firsthand but Adiulth's tattling that something happened. What? Well. He's not sure yet. "How are you with trussing up herdbeasts?" Given that the weapons wasn't entirely positive, there's the next option at hand. More physical than the last. "And what happened down there?" Said with a hand lifting to shield his eyes, it's loud enough for candidate and junior weyrwoman alike. "Doesn't /look/ injured from this angle." "Yes, because he didn't realize that before you made him cry all the harder." And even as he turns his back to her, Danya still continues with, "There's a right and wrong way to impart that particular lesson." And it's clear which way Danya feels E'dre chose. Glowering at the receding back, Danya will turn away as well, from the other rider as she moves over to help Elise comfort the boy. "It's all right now." Zhivka doesn't look at E'ten even when he turns away. She's still got her bow lifted and she's staring in the direction she'd shot, breathing just a little too fast. Fortunately it's nothing so dramatic that she doesn't recover on her own after a few moments left without being spoken to. When she finally brings the bow down, she's straightening up and turning, looking a little startled by the flying riders' reappearance. "How did you two go?" Ali's asking Zhivka and E'ten, gaze flickering from one to the next. "Issy really wanted to dive down and just scoop them up. She couldn't understand why that wasn't helpful." E'ten's words draw her gaze and she squints over there- spotting E'dre walking away with a wince as if she can guess, "I, uh- don't know. I'm sure it's fine. Why don't you collect one of those bigger ones for Adiulth, before Issy tries to insist she should carry one? Are you-" she stops, and finally seems to note both Zhivka's silence and expression with a furrow of brow. "Is everything okay?" It takes a little while, but the boy finally calms down- it helps that E'dre has left, probably, and the soothing attentions of Elise and Danya ease the boys hiccups as he finally sits back, sniffling and rubbing his mouth on his sleeve. "It went well enough," E'ten remarks, turning back to Zhivka to evaluate her reaction with a fading of the easy going demeanor to be replaced with something thoughtful. "I think it's a matter of not being used to carrying weapons." An idle enough comment, he looks to Ali with a quick nod before the mentioned bronze begins to approach overhead as he kept an ear open all the same. "He'll drop it off with the others to be arranged for the feast or leftovers." That attention focused on her makes Zhivka smile. It's a weak, slightly pale smile but a smile all the same. "I'm great. Everything's fine." Her smile shifts briefly to E'ten, perhaps to convince him of her okay-ness, too, but she doesn't say anything in response to anything he says. Even Ali doesn't seem overly convinced, but she's not one to press- she exhales, then nods towards Zhivka. "Okay- well, good. We got more then enough food for tonight's feast, so we're in a good position. I'll see you both back at camp?" she says, with a glance at E'ten, before she heads over to go check on the group gathered around the young candidate. "We'll be there." It certainly sounds easy enough. Help and make sure that Zhivka is well before they turn and return to camp. Also to ensure that she's in good enough spirits in light of the flurry of activity. |
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