[html]  WORLDS WE HAVE NOT KNOWN
Hemming felt jittery. He stood in the tall grasses of Serena Reserve, his shoulders set back and one hand wrapped loosely around four supple spears, the tips of which were long enough to reach his chin. He had carved them out of a wood that was fairly light for it's strength and smoothed them down carefully so they flew straight and wouldn't hurt the hands that let them go. Two of them had flint arrowheads at their tips, wrapped on tightly with a string he had made out of coarse hairs and spun tightly so it would be strong, while the other two were simply carved to a point. The wolf wasn't sure which type would work better, so he figured that some experimentation was in order. Perhaps Ember would have an opinion.
He hoped that she would be happy with the location he had chosen. Fortuitously, he had practically stumbled upon a small herd of deer as he wandered. He stayed a good distance away and kept an eye on them, so he and Ember wouldn't have to track their prey down. They grazed quietly on the edge of a small forest, and as Hemming waited he watched them curiously. Deer were, in a plain sort of way, quite beautiful creatures. Their long legs were a sure aid to running in the tall grass and probably snow as well, and their leaf-shaped ears were sensitive. Hunting them would likely be difficult, and Hemming hoped that he would get some tips from his companion. Since he had never had anyone to share food with before, he had only ever hunted for small things like fish and rabbits. It was imaginable that deer would be even more tricky to kill, even working in a team. The reward, though, would be delicious.
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She hadn't hunted with someone else in a while, so this would be a good refresher course. She had hunted with Tayui for a little while, when they had both joined Aniwaya to begin with all those months ago...but since then she'd stuck to mostly solo-hunting. Her friend had been heavily pregnant and then she'd had her pups, and Ember hadn't expected her to do any hunting for a while. Not until she got back up on her feet. The dark wolf had brought home many rabbits back then, going outside of the territory to try and find more when she had felt like she'd hunted enough of Aniwaya's.
She slowly approached Hemming from behind, trying to creep around him so that she would be in his view and wouldn't make him jump or anything. She didn't want to scare nearby prey. She came at him from the side, trying not to make noise but trying to be noticed at the same time.
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WORLDS WE HAVE NOT KNOWN
Once Ember was quite close, the male could hear her footfalls fold the grass beneath her. He turned, gently, taking a cue from her silence, and smiled. Holding up the spears in his hand, he raised an eyebrow and looked at her, offering her one if she wanted to use it. Hemming had noticed in the stables that she carried a sword, and he wondered if she would use it for hunting. He'd never held one, but he would guess they were heavy, making them better for tackling strong opponents close up rather than quick prey over long distances.
Hemming didn't know how best to tackle the hunt; was it typical to target one of the creatures, or to chase the entire herd until one became vulnerable? The majority of his questions would likely be answered by nightfall, but if the hunt was successful his stomach would probably be too full to let him reflect before falling asleep anyways.
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"hey" She whispered, her voice almost inaudible against the sounds of the surrounding forest. Ember swallowed once, keeping her voice to a very low whisper. "What did you find?" She could smell deer really close by. "Any good ones in that herd?" She could remember a few things from her old hunting days, and she shared them with the other Aniwayan. "You want to go for the young ones or the really old ones. They're usually slower and don't put up too much of a fight"
But hunting with a spear...that was different from what she was used to. "Or...well, I guess if we're going to sneak-attack them we could pick whatever one we wanted. Our aim would just have to be really good." She looked at the length of the spears, biting her lip. "Do you want to go for a lot of meat and a medium chance that we'll actually catch somethin', or go for a little meat and a bigger chance?"
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WORLDS WE HAVE NOT KNOWN
Keeping his voice as quiet as hers, Hemming responded to her advice. "Alright. There's a little one there," he pointed at a young deer before moving his finger towards an older one, "And there's a big old guy there. I have to admit I'd feel bad killing the little guy." He cast a bashful glance to Ember.
The only thing Hemming had ever killed with a spear was fish, and they were much easier game than most once you got the hang of the way the image of the fish was bent in the water. It was probably a good idea to go with what his companion was used to, since his unexperienced opinions would hold little sway on their success. His eyes drifted to the side as she ran through their options and after a few quick moments of thought he looked back up to her, whispering, "It's up to you."
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"We could go for both" She suggested, looking back up at him. It was true that they would need to watch the deer population and not over-hunt...but it seemed like a good solution to their problem, getting both those two. It would have to be simultanious, though, because once there was any kind of a disturbance all of the deer would be out of there.
"He's young, but those taste pretty good too. And together we'd have more meat than we would have getting one of the big ones. Can I see those spears you've got? How heavy are they?" She questioned. All they would need to do would be to disable the animal. A spear through the skull, maybe the one with the stone tip...with enough force, they could get it through maybe. Or find a weak spot. Or maybe they could aim for the animal's eyes, and disable it in that way. She thought about this, frowning. "I could go for the little guy, and you the old one"
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The male nodded gently. The spears were a fair weight but not too heavy to be thrown far, the wood having been quite good for what he wanted to use it for. He handed one of each type over, thinking through the plan the female was laying out. Amber eyes wandering back to the herd, he observed. If they heard anything at all they would all scatter, so if the wolves were going for two Hemming would have to be able to synchronize himself with the other. His arms weren't all that strong, but the spears had flown far and true in testing and hopefully would here, as well.
"Okay." He kept his eyes on the lumbering male. Hemming figured that they'd have to get much closer to their prey to be effective, so he waited for Ember to finish inspecting the spears.
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With that much meat, the pair could have a small get-together if they wanted to. Hemming's cave wasn't too far away from Ember and Tayui's, and nice fresh meat would be a good treat for the puppies compared to what they were probably catching on their own. She could remember those days herself, the days when she had been young. She was only two years old, yes, but she'd experienced enough for a lifetime. Love, loss, sharing and friendship. It was all anybody needed.
She handed him back one of each kind of spear. "See what you like. Or maybe we could use both of them...and throw with both hands? Or is that a bad idea?" She'd never handled a spear before. How were they supposed to be thrown? Oh well. If this hunt didn't go well they could practice and use the hunt as an example for the next time.
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Holding a spear in each hand, Hemming pondered what it might be like to use both of them at the same time. In his case, with most of the force put into the spear from the motion of his body rather than the strength of his arm and shoulder, throwing both might end in complete failure. For now he wouldn't risk it, but it might be a viable method with a bit of practice. "I'm just going to use one of them," he said, "which would make it easier to make it go fast enough." He brought his eyes up from the spears towards the girl and added, "I guess it depends how strong you are and what technique you use." The male stuck the bottom of the spear with the stone tip in the ground so it stood straight up by itself and passed the sharpened one to his empty dominant hand.
He rested the spear on his hand horizontally, trying to find a balance point. It stayed flat when he held it about one third of the spear's length away from the tip, and he wrapped his hands around it. "So, as far as I know, you hold it where it balances, hold it up like this," he turned his body perpendicular to the girl's and held the spear so his hand was just behind his head, "turn a little bit sideways and twist your hips as you let it go. I don't think this method would work if you were to use two spears." Hemming feigned throwing it, twisting his hips back and forth as he repeated the motion.
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She nodded. What Hemming said made more sense than the various scenarios that had been running through her head. Just one of them. She would use the stone-tipped one this time, and the next time she hunted smaller prey she would use the carved one. More of a student in this situation the female continued to nod as he showed an example of how to throw it. Hemming had a lot of good ideas and was very wise; Aniwaya was lucky to have a wolf like him among their ranks.
She motioned for him to follow as she started off into the brush after practicing the twisting motions that he had demonstrated for a little while. They would have to be in sync to pull this off without getting caught, but she felt good about this hunt. They could do it! Ember got into place, crouched down in the grass beside the younger of the creatures. She looked across the clearing to where Hemming would be, waiting for him to get to his spot as well.
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The male recognized Ember's signal and followed her quietly, keeping his eyes on the old animal that he would, hopefully, be killing. He had a great respect for the creatures, especially the old ones, who had survived many winters. In a way, killing them was something he did regretfully. His life must go on, though, and he had a role as a predator.
When the female crouched, Hemming continued quietly, making an arc around his target. He held his spear with his hand above his shoulder, to avoid dragging it through the grass, and stepped softly to try to minimize the vibrations he sent through the ground. Reaching a good distance away from the beast, he chose a spot from which he could see Ember clearly. The two wolves would have to synchronize their attacks if they wanted to catch both of them, and visual communication was essential.
Hemming balanced the spear in his hand and wrapped his fingers around it carefully. The moment of truth was quickly approaching.
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[html] I'm back! <33 -loves on- also, innuendo in my first paragraph
The female looked across the clearing at him, readying herself. She could do this...he could do it too. They would do it together, like packmembers should. She lept from the brush and the spear shot from her hand in one combined motion, flying through the air and into the animal that stood a short distance away. It gave one bleat of pain before she cut off the sound with her other spear, the tip lodging itself in the animal's throat. It started to run but didn't get very far, the long spears catching in the bushes and bringing the creature to the ground.
She looked over to see how Hemming had done, approaching the deer and watching as it struggled for its last few breaths of air. As soon as it stopped breathing she yanked her spears from its throat and side, raising her hands in victory.
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[html] Yaaay! -glomp- Haha, I love it when that happens...
Hemming watched Ember with concentration, keeping both her and the old deer in his field of vision. Her green eyes flickered over to him, and he readied himself, the muscles in his legs flexed and ready to propel him forward. He held one spear over his shoulder and another one in his hand, just as she did. In the attack, he would be largely mimicking the female's actions, not experienced in the art himself.
Hemming could sense that she was about to leap out, and as soon as he saw that twitch of motion he did as well, spear launching from his hands with a quick, strong motion. It spun wildly as it hissed through the air, stopping abruptly in the flesh just above the old man's shoulder. The wolf continued to run forward, his gait fairly quick but a little clumsy, and as the deer stumbled he thrust the other spear into its neck as Ember had. Toppling to the ground shortly after the young deer that the female had targeted, the beast uttered a pained groan.
Perhaps it was a bit strange, but the experience was quite emotional for the wolf, and he had an odd bubbling sensation within his chest. Hemming bent down near the head of the creature had just killed and closed its bulging eyes before twisting the spears out of its side. "Thank you, and goodbye," he whispered, before standing up and raising a hand to Ember, the two spears dangling at his side in the other hand.
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She gave him a smile as she realized that he had succeeded as well, lowering her spears to look at the animals that they had brought down. They would provide good meat for the tribe, for the continuation of their family. It was great! She was caught up in the moment, and realized that she hadn't been showing the kind of respect that she ought to be showing to the animals and their spirits. They were helping the wolves live by dying and being consumed, and they did deserve thanks. She watched Hemming, then gave them a silent Thank You herself. It was humbling, to realize that a newer tribemember had known what to do to give the animal spirit respect. She had learned something today.
"You did really well, Hemming. You should train as a warrior, like me--you're very good with weapons." She wasn't sure what his path would be. Warrior was the right path for her, but each wolf was different. Whatever path he chose, though...she felt certain that he would succeed.
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