Fool me once shame on you

Eclipse Soulstorm · 07-07-2012, 10:46 AM

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WC: 325 OOC: Of course in optime, has a purple scarf holding up her hair and of course has her bow an arrow. Smile

Eclipse had been bandaged up and told how to properly care for a wound by the white mand Taliesin. Though it still pained her and she was suppose to really stay off it, the whole thing gave her an idea.... she needed to hunt. That was a must, she couldn’t not hunt and without the use of her foot, it would be useless entirely... so what if she hunted on the back of a horse? Thinking this, she took Grace out and tacked her. The woman was not comfortable to be riding the mare without it. She had been trying every once in a while because she had seen Frodo do it, but other than that she didn’t trust herself to shoot and stay on without a saddle. So after the horse was ready she brought her out to an open field. THe colt stayed in the stables. Eclipse didn’t want to risk his life.

When she got there, she set up a “target” and then trotted Grace to one side of the field. Though her foot hurt, it was a dull pain and she was still able to walk on it, it was bandaged well enough. Getting up on grace she pulled out her bow and squeezed her legs for the mare to walk. Then pulled her bow back and aimed at the target. Unfortunately Grace was not trained to not be scared of things like an arrow whisking past her face and the horse spooked and threw Eclipse off once again, dumbing her to the ground. Yet again Eclipse curled up in a ball for a second trying to get the breath back in her lungs and will herself to stop hurting. She looked to see the horse staring at her, her ears perked telling Eclipse she should have known better. She flicked her tail and started nibbling at the grass. Eclipse sighed and dropped her head down with a groan.

Skye Collins · 07-08-2012, 11:25 AM

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The alpha female had been walking through the territory, getting accustomed to the idea of the circumstance that had arisen from her night in Ethereal Eclipse with Jazper. She didn't want to admit it to herself, not yet, but she knew deep inside that it was true. Attempting to take her mind off of it, she walked deeper into the woods, away from Thornbury and the rest of the pack.

The day was nice - it was a bit hot, as summer was upon them at the worst time, making prey scarcer than in the winter. However, she had good hunters and fighters - Jace and Aylu came to mind - and she did not worry for her pack. They had a stock of meat that they had acquired during the winter in the stables as well, preserved by salt - even if times became difficult, they would still have that private stock, she thought as she walked through the tall grass, deeper into the forested territory.

Suddenly, she heard a thump, as if something heavy had hit the ground. Making her way to the sound, she was surprised to see Grace, Eclipse's horse, standing in the clearing. Moving a bit to the left, she realized that Eclipse herself was lying on the ground, seeming to be in a lot of pain. She had heard of her injury from Taliesin, and wondered if Grace threw her off of the horse.

Skye made her way to Eclipse's side - she shouldn't have been trying to ride Grace in her condition, and she knew it. Skye knelt down beside her; "Do you need help?" she asked softly. If she couldn't get up on her own, Skye would be able to help her onto Grace and then get her back to Thornbury, where she was supposed to be resting.

Eclipse Soulstorm · 07-08-2012, 11:38 AM

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WC: 338 OOC: forgot to mention the bandage on her foot Tongue

She groaned the pain out of her. The second time really wasn’t so bad after all. She knew what to feel and had her body tucked, neck protected and braced for impact. Though it still hurt terribly. When she opened her eyes Skye was there and looking worried as she asked Eclipse if she needed help. She let out a deep breath of exaspiration.

“No, no I’m good. Just got the wind knocked out of me is all.”

The girl opened her eyes again and sat up to rub her chest, telling her lungs it was all good and her heart started slowing down. Eclipse looked at the horse who now ignored her entirely and shot her a dirty look.

“I WAS trying something new, but I suppose I spooked her a bit. She just dumped me is all.”

Eclipse got to her feet, and noticed her bow still in her hand. She looked for the arrow she had loosed but it was gone somewhere in the long grasses. She’d find it soon enough. For now she would just have to figure out how a horseman could shoot from the back of a horse.

“Actually, you might be able to help. I was trying to see if I could shoot an arrow from the back of a horse, like you see in some of those books where those humans were shooting buffalo down in the south. I figured I could too, but I guess it spooked her.”

She said and breathed in and out slowly once more. The pain finally receding and she started feeling like normal again. She would try again soon, but not now, she had to figure out why the horse tossed her like that. Grace knew Eclipse better than that and Eclipse had no idea about horse’s line of sight nor that still being a prey animal she’d have to learn how to not be afraid of things passing by her.

Skye Collins · 07-13-2012, 07:12 PM

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Although she admired the integrity of her newest member, she did not entirely approve of her getting thrown off horses when she was already injured - that could cause an even worse injury, and make Eclipse in even worse shape than she already was. She then looked at Grace, who apparently had been spooked by whatever Eclipse was trying - and that something was revealed sooner than Skye thought.

"An arrow, off the back of a horse?" Skye asked, slightly incredulous. "It's no wonder Grace was spooked - such a fast thing rushing by her face, and a loud noise accompanying it - it's a good thing she didn't just run away," she said. She looked at Eclipse, and then back at Grace, and then to the quiver of arrows in Eclipse's grasp.

"I don't know much about shooting arrows," the alpha female said, "but I do know quite a bit about horses - my first horse was a stallion. They're quite a bit more aggressive than mares - I had gotten him from Liliana," she finished, thinking of the spotted horse Jack. It had been tough breaking him in and taming him, but once it had been done, it was quite a reward within of itself. Although he was still wary in new places and around new people, it was a large improvement from when they had begun.

"Although Grace is tamed," she said, "she is still scared by unexpected things, like any horse would be. She might think it's a predator, like a bear, or a mountain lion," she continued. She thought for a minute - the only way for her to get used to loud noises was for her to experience them.

"Before you shoot arrows from her back, she needs to get used to the loud noise and movement," she said finally. "Try shooting arrows near her - but not at her, of course," she added hastily.

Eclipse Soulstorm · 07-16-2012, 05:20 PM

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WC: 345 OOC: Bwahahahaha "big puppy dog eyes!!!"

It seemed to Eclipse that Skye disapproved of her shooting from the back of the horse but Eclipse didn’t know much about horses to know how they worked. She was a predator after all. Little scared her and she had peripheral vision which the horse did not. Eclipse listened as her leader explained about how she knew horses and her first horse was given to her by Liliana, and Eclipse felt a pang in her heart and wondered how Skye felt. She gave her the news of the woman’s death a while ago but she tried to give the other woman her space after she gave her the news. She thought as Skye continued on and it made Eclipse think more. She nodded thinking that was probably what Grace had thought and though wasn’t spooked because Eclipse was around.

Eclipse then grinned as the woman gave her the idea and nodded though as she was fully on her feet she was holding the bow and an arrow out to her leader. She already practiced on the ground not today but the day before, and she would eventually practice again in the evening, she wanted to keep a routine though and it seemed Skye was willing to help Eclipse train the horse to carry her while she shoots. She smiled, though her ears pulled back a little to show her questioning with great need.

“If you want you can try, I know it is good to learn to use these. I can fell a deer on my own, usually doe, but I’ve gotten a buck once with it, though it took many shots and lots of running to get him. Perhaps you would like to learn?

She asked her eyes hopeful. She never taught anyone to use a bow and arrow before but as she had been taught by someone and she learned quickly it shouldn’t be too hard for her to teach someone else. She wouldn’t force her though, but the pleading in her eyes was sure close to it.

Skye Collins · 07-25-2012, 06:00 PM

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Skye cocked her head as Eclipse suddenly gave her a large grin, springing to her feet as though she was not injured at all. What was the Artist thinking now...? She was caught off guard as her pack member held out her bow and arrow to the Alpha female, the large grin still stuck on her face, her ears now pulling back slightly, almost giving off the appearance of a puppy.

She listened as Eclipse gave her her proposition, and she cocked her head, scratching behind her ear. She lightly touched the dagger, which was still tied to her leather brown belt as always; she could fight with it, she could fight well. However, if for whatever reason she found herself without it, and only had another weapon such as this to her disposal.. what could be the harm in learning something new, even though she was likely to never use it?

"Why not," she said, taking the bow and quiver that Eclipse had held out to her. "I have shot a bow and arrow once or twice before, but I'm not good at it by any means," she warned the younger wolf before slinging the quiver behind her back and waiting for the girl's instruction.

Eclipse Soulstorm · 08-06-2012, 07:16 PM

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WC: 250 OOC: sorry about the wait!!! ; ;

“Come on it will be fun!! You don’t even have to use it against others, and it’s good to work your upper body!” She said as the woman gave a glance at the bow and looked quite unsure, she did see her hand go to the knife but she said nothing of it, knives were good and all, but they didn’t require the strength and precision this did.

“Oh don’t worry about being good, that’s what practice is for, so, this bow probably has a harder draw than you are use to, so if you just try to draw it back and get use to how it feels you won’t miss the mark by much i’m sure, and I can show you the correct way.” Then she remembered and pulled off the arm bracer she had on her own wrist to protect her, she was good enough not to have it but slapping her arm still smarted once in a while; “Here, this way if the string wants to swipe at you it won’t hurt so much.” She said, and stood back to get a good look at the woman, while grabbing the horse’s halter and pulling her about six feet from Skye so she can get the idea of the woman drawing, and know what it looked like. Perhaps this would help the horse feel better about the arrows coming off her back if she knew exactly what was going on.

Skye Collins · 08-12-2012, 10:15 PM

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ooc: i apologize for the wait!

She was glad to see Eclipse excited by the prospect of teaching someone how to shoot a bow and arrow, and Skye was glad to learn - it was good to know a myriad of skills, even if one was likely to never use it again in their life. Hesitantly yet, she took the bow and arrow gently in her hands, and then yet again took the bracer, and attempted to remember what little she knew about bows and arrows and how to shoot them.

She began to draw back the bow, attempting to aim for a spot on a tree where the bark has curved into itself, creating a sort of knot on the tree. She knew her form was far from perfect, but she attempted to straighten it as well as she could - her arm was straight out with a slight bend in it so the wire would not snap her arm, but that was the extent of her knowledge. She was sure that to Eclipse's trained eye, she was a bit crooked.

"How is this?" she asked, glancing at Eclipse. She was glad to give the girl a chance to demonstrate and share her knowledge, knowing that she herself enjoyed doing such things when she was younger.

Eclipse Soulstorm · 08-20-2012, 05:06 PM

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WC: 271 OOC:

Eclipse watched as Skye clumsily worked the bow, well it seemed she had some training or she wouldn’t get this far. She didn’t move to correct her position at all until after Skye spoke, wanting to see her work what she could out. Eclipse moved towards the woman and spoke; “You want yourself to be pivoted so that you are standing strong. The stronger you stand the better your bow will be. It is now a part of you so, move your hips like this” Eclipse said she stood, not straight but her legs were apart enough that her balance was there, “Then you want your shoulders to be square,” She didn’t try to force the woman in to position, but she wanted to give her a bit of a nudge as she made to help the woman straighten out; “I know it feels uncomfortable, but it’s the best way to shoot, and then you want your bow hand to grip firmly just below where the arrow is, keep it relaxed.” She said, the woman had much of this already but it wasn’t bad to be reminded about it; “Now when you pull back you want to use your three inner fingers and pull back to your cheek. Make sure your shoulders are straight and not high” She said, “Now aim and release!” She said, she was eager to see where Skye would hit and if she would make the target in front of her, usually new timers didn’t then again some did even if it wasn’t the bulls eye.

Skye Collins · 08-25-2012, 02:36 PM

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Skye moved her hips like Eclipse, copying the woman's stance so that she felt a bit more stretched out, but undoubtedly having a better posture for releasing the arrow into the wind. It was strange how anti-intuitive the stance and posture was, and she wondered how Eclipse or any other canines first figured it out - from humans, she supposed, but even then, how did the humans figure out exactly how to stand in this strange way? She lifted her arm up higher as Eclipse did, angling her elbow in a way that allowed her to move the arrow more comfortably.

At Eclipse's cue, she closed one eye, aiming for the center of the tree in front of them. Ensuring that the point of the arrow was exactly aimed there, she carefully drew back the bow even more, finally letting it loose. It flew through the air, creating a whooshing sound as the string whipped back into place. Skye's eyes were trained on the arrow - however, it did not go quite where intended, and landed in a bush, five feet from her mark.

She grinned sheepishly at Eclipse. "I suppose practice makes perfect," she said with a small laugh. She had not expected her first shot to be perfect, or even good - far from it - so she wasn't upset in the least, and walked over to the bush to retrieve the arrow.

Eclipse Soulstorm · 08-27-2012, 08:30 PM

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(253) OOC: Dun dun duuuuunnnn <3

Everything Skye was doing was almost perfect, she stood at the perfect stance, mimicked Eclipse in every way which was what she was aiming for, even if Eclipse had an imaginary bow, she was so used to it she could go through the motions in her sleep. Once the arrow let loose Eclipse saw it go in the brush nearby. Grace nickered and threw her head at the sight, her ears went back. Eclipse had to console the horse some before showing Skye what she did wrong

Eclipse could see exactly the thing Skye did wrong to make it go the way it did. “To see the target you must use both eyes. I know it’s hard to think about aiming such a flat thing as a bow with two eyes. You think that one is good for flat side, but what’s all around you is for two, so you need to aim with both eyes and what you need to do is watch where you want that arrow to be, see it in your minds eye before you see it, then you aim and let loose.” she said a smile on her lips she was proud that Skye got this far, at least instead of falling too short like most would do it actually went too far which was far better than anything, especially if one was just trying to shoot to kill a whole army... though Eclipse didn’t think they would have to worry about such a thing happening but sitll it was a very good start.

Skye Collins · 09-02-2012, 12:22 PM

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The cream alpha dug through the bushes, finally finding the arrow and grasping it in her hands, returning to where Eclipse was. The horse seemed a bit spooked - but it hadn't bucked or moved much from its position, which was good; it may get used to the snap of an arrow yet. She smiled at Eclipse as she told her that she had to use both eyes, but could see that she had done well - at least, as well as a beginner could have.

Skye then took the arrow and opened both eyes, concentrating on the spot in the bark before letting the arrow fly. It was closer to her mark this time, but still was off by a metre or so. Landing in the ground next to the tree, it was not quite her target, but it was closer than before.

As she went to retrieve it and to try again, her mind wandered to idle thoughts. "Where did you learn to shoot?" she asked curiously.

Eclipse Soulstorm · 09-03-2012, 12:12 PM

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(243) OOC: close soon?

Eclipse wasn’t one to just give out praise for praise sake, she knew it was used as a tool rather than a social interaction. She praised often but for the right reasons. She soothed the horse as Skye went to retrieve the arrow and tried again. She watched as Skye threw again. The snort from the horse reminded she was a bit annoyed and Eclipse patted her nose.

“That was much better, with practice you could actually hit it.” Skye then asked her a question a good few people asked. Eclipse smiled and looked southward; “A traveling companion showed me. He was very good at what he did and showed me exactly what I showed you. It got easier the more I did it even though I only stayed with him a month.” She said. There was a bit of sadness in her voice. The young man who taught her was a good one, a great companion, but she didn’t love him more than a friend but it was still hard to lose a friend even if he was not dead. He went further south while she headed back up north being called back to her home. “But if you want to take a few more shots, if not we can be finished Grace is getting annoyed anyway.” She said patting at the horse’ nose. She felt better being able to stand and teach something. The pain in her foot was growing too but she wasn’t going to complain about that.

Skye Collins · 09-03-2012, 05:45 PM

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Skye nodded as Eclipse said that Grace was getting restless; it was true, the mare seemed quite antsy at the snapping sound of the arrows. It had been a productive day, she thought - at least, she had attempted to learn a new skill. Although she probably wouldn't use it any time soon, skills were important to know if one was in a tight situation with no way out.

Although Eclipse hadn't mentioned it, Skye did not forget the pain in her foot, so she indicated that they return to Thornbury; she was appreciative of Eclipse's teaching, but she didn't want her foot to get swollen, particularly when Taliesin had told her to rest rather than walk around and about. Gently nudging the frightened mare along, Eclipse and Skye traveled back to Thornbury to carry on with their lives.

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