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Thornbury, about noon, Hotaru is sitting on a boulder.
Word Count → 393
Every stroke moved down the wood with a practiced grace. The wood rasp felt heavy in Hotaru's cat like paws. The large file moved down the bows shaft, guided by feel and memory. The monotonous movement brought a sense of peace and tranquility to the otherwise disturbed female. It had been a long time since Hotaru had been truly happy. Carving had always given Hotaru a sense of purpose and made her feel special. Now the act made her feel normal, a sensation she had longed for since the day her eyes stopped working.
Several weeks ago, Hotaru had ventured out into the woods with Fawkes and a hatchet. Using the bird as a guide, Hotaru had been able to locate a fine, young osage orange tree. Despite her inability to see, the grey wolf had managed to chop down the tree without too much trouble. She had placed the felled branch in her house and allowed it to dry before beginning her work. Hotaru's goal was to turn the osage into a hunting bow. The blind woman wasn't sure why she was making a hunting bow, but the desire to carve something had compelled her to action.
Before her 'accident,' Hotaru had been a skilled woodworker who specialized in making works of art. Tools such as bows or staves were not out of her realm of expertise, but they never seemed to be much of a challenge for her. Now, Hotaru was not sure she could even make something as simple as a hunting bow. But she had to try.
Hotaru had spent a long time making this bow. She had shaped it with great care. The more Hotaru worked on the bow, the more confident she became. Hotaru could hear the sound of the wood, it's different growth rings apparent in their texture and clarity. The once large branch had been carved into the familiar shape of a bow. Hotaru had thinned the arms of the bow enough so she could begin working on the bows handle. Using the wood rasp, Hotaru began to shape the sides of the handle so that it would fit comfortably in her paws. The idea of making a bow conform her grip almost saddened Hotaru. The blind woman would never be able to hunt with the bow, so her creation would go unused and forgotten.
Table by Aly, code by the Mentors!
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</style>
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[html]
Word Count → 323
The soft sound of wood against metal was in a way, hypnotic. The simple movements completely absorbed Hotaru's attention, and her focus was absolute. For once, Hotaru barely took notice of the world beyond her work. It seemed as is the universe shrank to encompass only Hotaru, the bolder, and the bow. Each stroke of her file lifted the scent of osage orange into air, masking all other smells. The bolder beneath Hotaru was sturdy, but rocked ever so slightly as she shifted her weight. Her bag of carving supplies lay at the rocks base and was open to reveal her precious tools. Even Fawkes, who was out on a hunting trip, disappeared from her universe.
The blind woman placed her wood wrasp on the ground beside her large paws. She lifted the bow in the air, and used her hand to trace the length of the bow. Hotaru focused on the handle which she was working on, her large paws feeling the dimensions of the wood. There was still a lot of work to be done. The handle needed to be narrowed and shaped.
The sound of approaching footsteps caught Hotaru's attention. She lifted her grey head and her red tipped ears twitched. Already the stranger had managed to come very close to her. A second later the voice of an unknown female could be heard. Hotaru blinked once in surprise. Orin, smelled strongly of Shawchert as well as the pack. The grey wolf could not see Orin's gesture so she made no move to respond. Instead, Hotaru simply said, "Hotaru. Does this look even to you?" She held the bow-to-be up for Orin to inspect. So far, Hotaru had done a fairly good job. Although one arm was slightly bigger than the other, and she had two growth rings on the back as apposed to one, the bow had been shaped properly and was well on its way to being done.
Table by Aly, code by the Mentors!
<style>
.hotaru-purplefireflies { background-image:url( http://i.imgur.com/RhX5n.png); background-repeat:no-repeat; background-position:bottom center; background-color:#805d7e; width:500px; margin:0px auto; text-align: left; padding:10px 0px 225px 0px; color:#; font-family:georgia, serif; font-size:12px; line-height:18px; border:1px solid #FFFFFF; outline:1px solid #000000;}
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</style>
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[html]
Word Count → 236
It was obvious from Orin's response that she knew nothing about making a bow. Hotaru brought the bow back to her lap and frowned. She felt along the bow trying to pick up what Orin had said. True to her word, the right arm was in fact larger than the left. An easy fix. Hotaru ran the wood rasp down the right arm a few times and brought the bow back up for inspection. She repeated this process three times before she was content that both sides were even. "There. That should be even. Thank you. As for my eyes, yes I am blind. I had an... accident. Did Shawchert not tell you how we met?"
Hotaru was reluctant to mention her circumstances. Although she had stopped denying the fact that Cain had abandoned her, the idea still left a bad taste in her mouth. A frown crept across the grey wolf's face as the bitter memories coming back to her all at once. Hotaru didn't wait for Orin to answer her question before she started talking again. "Well to answer you question, I had a friend bring me here."
The blind woman was eager to change the topic. She didn't like remembering her past, and it had put her in a foul mood. "Say, do you want this bow? I can't use it and it would be a shame if the bow never got used."
Table by Aly, code by the Mentors!
<style>
.hotaru-purplefireflies { background-image:url( http://i.imgur.com/RhX5n.png); background-repeat:no-repeat; background-position:bottom center; background-color:#805d7e; width:500px; margin:0px auto; text-align: left; padding:10px 0px 225px 0px; color:#; font-family:georgia, serif; font-size:12px; line-height:18px; border:1px solid #FFFFFF; outline:1px solid #000000;}
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[/html]
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</style>
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Word Count → 359
It wasn't that Hotaru didn't like Orin. Orin seemed nice, and was fairly polite when she talked. She tried to help answer Hotaru's questions despite her lack of experience and her questions were reasonable. The problem was the subject that her questions broached. With each new inquiry, Hotaru's mood soured even more. The memories stung like a thousand bees and ripped at her heart in the most unpleasant ways. The grey wolf did her best to hide her displeasure, but she was not able to mask her feelings completely. A small frown and a twitch of her tail betrayed her mood, if only just a little.
An almost inaudible growl escaped from Hotaru's lips when Orin mentioned her "friend." Cain, was not her friend. Not by any stretch of the imagination. Cain, who had once been Hotaru's savior, was now a dark figure of her past. Cain had simply up and left Hotaru at the pack boarders. Hotaru doubted Cain even knew the pack whom he had entrusted her to. In fact, the male had left Hotaru inside the pack boarders turning the poor blind wolf into a trespasser. It was not lost on her how delicate her situation had been, which only fueled her hatred for Cain. "A friend indeed..." Hotaru said in an icy tone.
Working on the bow had managed to cool Hotaru off a little. Her mood was further improved at Orin's evident surprise. The blind woman had offered the bow on a whim, and the whim was bearing some sweet fruit. Hotaru gently pulled the bow away from Orin's touch and chuckled lightly. "It's not done yet. There is still a lot of work that needs to go into the bow. The arms need to be thinner, the bow needs to be strung, and the handle needs to be shaped. However, if you would lend me your paw I can have this done by the end of the day." Hotaru held the bow out again for Orin to take. "I shape my handles to the wolf. If you can tell me where improvements need to be made, I can shape it your grip. "
Table by Aly, code by the Mentors!
<style>
.hotaru-purplefireflies { background-image:url( http://i.imgur.com/RhX5n.png); background-repeat:no-repeat; background-position:bottom center; background-color:#805d7e; width:500px; margin:0px auto; text-align: left; padding:10px 0px 225px 0px; color:#; font-family:georgia, serif; font-size:12px; line-height:18px; border:1px solid #FFFFFF; outline:1px solid #000000;}
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