I'm not about to give thanks or apologize.

Ezekiel de le Poer · 02-22-2011, 07:48 PM

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The bow fit into his hand easily, a natural fit after so many years of use. Tristan had taught him how to use it, citing the difference between the oddly curved shape and others that Ezekiel recalled from books. He had learned quickly that it was far more powerful than he had thought. A distant smile crossed his face at her words, especially pleased that she wished to learn. Given her status as Gabriel’s daughter, it wouldn’t be all that surprising if she didn’t take an easy road in life. Likewise, after all she had suffered, to wish to be useful and not simply wilt away pleased her brother.

Smirking at her stance, he made his way out of the cave. “Well after Fatin went home and it was just me and Tristan, he showed me how to use a bow. It’s a lot easier than having to chase down dinner sometimes. You could probably learn to use one,” he went on, mentally noting he would need to make her a standard bow if that was the case. Her arms lacked the definition that he knew they would need in order to hold the weight of his own. “But first I’m gonna teach you how to flush out dinner.” A wink, a gesture for her to follow. They moved away from the caves and towards the open field that they overlooked. “When it gets warm out again we can use this to catch birds. You’d probably love duck, but I’m not jumping in a lake after them right now,” he babbled, excited to have someone else to talk to again. Not to mention that duck was fatty, and would probably help put some weight on his too-skinny sister. “Though there might be some geese nearby, maybe we could grab one of those.”

Talitha de le Poer · 02-24-2011, 07:16 PM

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3+

Their time outside of Inferni in their childhood had afforded Ezekiel many opportunities that she herself had given up by choosing war over safety. Gabriel had tried to teach her. She remembered that much. Anselm had met her at the border, and Gabriel had been so unhappy to see her. The imprinted memory of her father's 'attack' still left her ill. She could never hope to be Gabriel, or Hybrid, or even Halo, but she could try to be like her brother. Tristan taught him how to use the bow, after their godmother had left the two males. Ezekiel seemed to believe she could learn to use one.

"I don't know. It seems difficult. How do you know it's easier than using nothing?" In all of her hunts during more recent times, few and far between though they were, she hadn't used weapons. She hunted on four legs, able to catch the odd rabbit or squirrel to sate a gnawing stomach. Though she trusted his judgment, she wonder how smart he really was to just use something else. Of course, she had never seen Gabriel use one.

He motioned for her to follow and she quickly made her way along the same path he took, trying to stay close enough to pay attention. Her eyes scanned the field, ears alert to all of Ezekiel's comments, and a laugh broke free. "I'm not jumping in a lake after them right now." She turned her face toward him, eyes half-lidded in an expression commonly seen when she tried to wheedle something out of any other man. "Not even for me, Zekie? I don't think the lakes are that cold right now. It's almost springtime." Of course, it was simply a joke; she would never have let him subject himself to the torture of sub-zero water.

Geese seemed to be the target. With a nod of acceptance, she glanced across the field again. She didn't see any geese. 'Nearby' didn't leave many options for geese. "Are you sure we'll find geese? It has to be better than a chipmunk, right?" Her last remembered meal. A raw, slightly demolished chipmunk. And with that, she realized just how lost she would be without someone else.

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Ezekiel de le Poer · 02-25-2011, 07:06 PM

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“Well, it depends on what you hunt,” he explained. “For something small, you don’t really need a weapon. I like the bow because it lets me save some energy.” It afforded him that while costing patience, though the bronze coyote had begun to learn that still was needed. He had often sat for hours waiting for prey to make itself known, though found the exercise tedious. Her expression and comment were echoed by an equally charismatic smile, one that turned his eyes impish. Ezekiel laughed about it and shook his head.

The follow up question made his expression falter for a moment. A chipmunk? That was what she was eating? No wonder she was so skinny. Determined now to find them a meal the coyote pointed towards the stream that cut through the majority of the Waste. “Birds usually head to water. If we’ll find anything, it’ll be near there.”

Sure enough, as they gained distance towards the creek, he spotted movement. There was a flock picking at the exposed ground near the water, honking as they went. The coyote drew an arrow, judging the distance as he came to a halt. “Okay, this is where it gets fun. Your job is to get them in the air. Just make a lot of noise and spook them, and they should take off.”

Talitha de le Poer · 02-25-2011, 09:55 PM

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3+

His explanations weren't entirely over her understanding, but she still didn't really grasp the reason behind the bow. 'It saved energy' was simple enough, yet the russet woman couldn't comprehend the reason he picked up a bow in the first place. Her opinion, and confusion, stayed locked away and allowed for their moment together to continue without any other hiccups. And it did, passing through a moment of flirtation on the part of the female that was returned with impish eyes and a charismatic smile.

She tore her eyes from his face, following his hand as he pointed toward the stream that broke up the Waste, listening to Ezekiel's knowledge of animals and their habits. He seemed so right, a thought that was reinforced by the sight of honking birds waddling around and picking at the ground near the low banks of the stream. She watched, smiling gently at the small squabbles over nourishment and the overall amicability between the gaggle. The smile disappeared as her brother gave her directions.

Spook them, and it'd be fun. She'd chased birds before, on days when she felt manic rather than depressed, but she had never startled them to kill them. She gave a nod and considered how to best go about her work, deciding on a four-legged approach rather than one in her taller body. Muscles contracted, fur shortened and body changed in a fairly quick transformation. What was once the leggy and lovely Inferni princess had become a sickly quadruped with obvious heritage, mind falling blank on anything save the words of her brother. For a moment, she did nothing but stare, watching the prey.

She launched herself in the direction of the flock of birds, paws kicking up snow with each bounding step across the land. The sudden movement was accompanied by an awkward series of hyper barks and growls, sending the geese in several different directions before the coyote skidded to an inelegant halt. She turned quickly, hoping to catch her brother's use of the bow before it was over; it was why she'd been so willing to go hunting with him, and she was determined to see it in action.

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Ezekiel de le Poer · 03-01-2011, 07:45 PM

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Observation was the key to Ezekiel’s knowledge. He had watched his prey and studied it intensely. So he understood how the birds flocked, where they flew, and how best to kill them. While Talitha shifted to her lupus form, the bronze coyote studied the flow of the wind and judged how best to aim. His eyes darkened as he looked over his sister’s painfully skinny frame, hating to see how terrible she looked. It was as if she had been a lone coyote starving for years. Then she was off, reddish fur standing out against the snow as she went. He used this as a beacon.

Her movement and noise startled the geese. Several of them panicked, sending the flock into a frenzy. A few flew low, skimming over the water, but Ezekiel waited. One large goose flew up, away from the mad coyote on the ground, and away from the water. With that, his chance was made. Ezekiel’s arrow flew from the bow, a brown and red blur as it struck true. The bolt went deep into the breast of the goose, killing it long before it fell to the snow below.

The rest of the flock settled further away, as if oblivious to the death of one of their own. Ezekiel made his way through the snow, pulling the bowstring over his chest so the bow itself could rest against his back. It lay next to the quiver, a hand-made thing that bore several intricate designs amid a collection of fur and feathers and beads. He picked the bird up by the neck and ripped the arrow from its chest in one swift jerk.

Talitha de le Poer · 03-03-2011, 01:01 AM

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Easy ending. Ezekiel and Talitha get their chow on, because the skinny cow needs to freaking eat something.

It was a work of beauty. Watching Ezekiel's actions, his sister was left in awe. She had never been so efficient, or so skilled, even with her own two hands. The bird fell to the ground with one solid arrow to the feathered chest. The underweight coyote sniffed at the air, meandering her way to the fresh corpse. Her brother reached it first, gripping the neck of the bird and tearing the arrow from the body. His sister seemed impressed.

She worked her way through the snow, leading the way back to the den her brother had claimed. Even if she hated the idea, it was time to eat, for Ezekiel's benefit if not for her own. She heaved a sigh, turning to make sure the golden coyote was following before dashing ahead through the snow.

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