[aw] there fell a great star from heaven

Ithiel de le Poer · 08-11-2012, 06:16 AM

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Setting	Location	Form	NPCs
Location: Forest of Nod, IF Date: 03 Aug* (Backdated) Weather: Clear, warm Time: Midday

(381)

(Prompt) Young birds are preparing to take their first flights. Many of these birds do not survive these, and the shock of the fall can kill them or leave them vulnerable to predators. Either observe a successful flight or find a downed bird--while not particularly good eating, feathers are extremely useful for other projects. Note: The prompt says "eagles" but I can only find three extremely rare eagles in NS, so I changed it to "birds." Will update on the prompts themselves. XD

Ithiel is by me!

It was the scream that drew Ithiel first. The cry was almost like the cry of a pained Luperci, although too shrill and too loud. He had been guiding Lystra around the borders when it drew his attention. Stiff in his saddle, he'd directed the horse toward the cry, moving her as slowly and quietly as he could stand. His ears pricked as another cry echoed through the quiet afternoon. The heat had given many creatures over to sloth and shelter, and Ithiel himself was regrettably hot. This never stood in the way of duty, however.

Zedekiah, too, seemed happy enough in the summer warmth -- the bird circled high above in the sky, Ithiel knew, a black dot against the overcast sky. It had stormed the last two afternoons, and the western horizon seemed darker than the rest. Perhaps another was due for this afternoon. Rain or unbearable heat, Ithiel must do his duty. As he drew near the woods, a floundering sound caused him to pull his horse to a stop. Lystra snorted her annoyance and impatience and glowered at the earth. There, a hawk hopped about on the ground. One wing was twisted at a cruel angle. The bird squealed its fury at Ithiel, and Lystra began pawing at the ground.

The hybrid steadied her with a few pats on the neck and shoulder and a murmured word, though he dismounted to inspect the bird. Lystra took a few steps back and settled, apparently calmed once out of the reach of the talons and beak of the avian. Ithiel bent down to the earth near the bird. It drew back against the trunk of a tree and began a series of whistles, almost like squealing. Its eyes were more intimidating than any Luperci's gaze, but Ithiel reached out and grabbed it by the neck all the same.

Drawing the flailing bird up as he stood, Ithiel reached with his other hands for the bird's legs, and -- after receiving a brurtal scratch to the arm -- eventually caught both of them. It was a small bird -- gray-brown in coloration, with a pale chest. As Ithiel stretched it out, the wing closest to him hung limp and useless while the other beat furiously and uselessly at the air.

Willam la Chemin · 08-12-2012, 03:09 PM

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Word Count → 549 :: If you don't want then feel free to delete.

Willam had taken to haunting the forest since she had first came to be in Inferni. She was still trying to work up the courage in order to meet with the leadership in order to get her assignments. The large female had no doubt that it would count against her for taking so long. Still, she was used to leadership calling upon her rather than her having to seek them out. Actually, she was used to getting messages passed down through someone else from leadership. She wasn't used to any sort of one on one meetings. the only time she had set in the presence of leadership was at Mass and Communion as they would lead the services. But to spend time alone with them was unheard of for someone like her. Willam was simply another body that learned and lived their message. So to actually go to the leadership herself frightened her. She was prepared for double penance, if not triple, from delaying this meeting, disrupting the leadership from whatever they might be doing, and well, even thinking herself worthy to actually see leadership and speak with who was in charge. But she had no idea who the go in between was so that she could deliver her message without ever actually speaking to the leader.

The cry that resounded through the trees drew Willam's attention but it didn't seem as if she were the only one that was summoned to the creature's plight. Someone else had gotten there first, a someone that she actually recognized. She smiled as she stared at Ithiel's back, leaving Châtiment near Lystra. "Did you get whatever it was done that you needed to take care of?" As she approached she referenced Ithiel's quick departure from their previous meeting. Willam moved up behind Ithiel in order to peer over his shoulder at what he held in his hands.

She stared down at the bird with the limp wing. "You should kill it and put it out of its suffering." The remake probably sounded odd coming from her since she believed in suffering for the betterment. But there was a difference between suffering to be able to enjoy the pleasures of life and suffering while waiting for the end of life. She classified the bird into the latter category. If it couldn't use its wing then there was no way it could feed itself and would spend days starving to death. That meant that it would be better to end its life now then making it wait. It was what Willam would want if she ever became invalid. She'd rather someone show her mercy and end her life than force her to suffer needlessly until the end.

"Just snap its neck and it should pass swiftly enough." At least that is what Willam would want offered to her. A quick and painless as possible death. It would be the same that she would offer any other. Even when hunting, she didn't want prey to suffer and so she tried to make sure that its life was snuffed as quickly as possible. Of course this same graciousness wasn't offered to those whose intent it was to cause harm, such as the wolves that burnt la Chemin. Those Willam would rather watch suffer for their crimes.

Ithiel de le Poer · 08-13-2012, 04:06 AM

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(353)

Ithiel is by Raze!

The dusky hybrid struggled to retain his grip on the flailing animal, all while trying to inspect the wing of the creature. Perhaps it could be rehabilitated -- perhaps it would eventually even come to speak, as Zedekiah could? The vulture only murmured words, repeating them and interspersing his few clear words with grunts and little wheezing noises. Most of what he said was unintelligible -- but when there was something important enough, Ithiel learned to truly listen, and the bird seemed to strain to be understood.

The hawk -- Ithiel assumed that was its species, anyway -- seemed to possess none of the civility of the huge black bird, and Ithiel glowered down at it with frustration as he tried to look at the twisted wing at a better angle. He did not hear the coyote behind him, so great was their struggle. As she spoke, he jerked a little. His spinning around was quick, though he nearly lost the bird in the process. Ithiel was lucky to have possessed relatively good control of his face and features, then -- a coyote with less strength in this area might have looked disappointed or perhaps even a little afraid.

And it was fear, Ithiel knew. It was not a foreign emotion to the hybrid, though it might have seemed so at times. He was afraid of this woman and his body's reaction to her -- disgusted by his body's reaction, really. Yet, as much as he wanted to shout and stamp that it was her fault, her fault for being a harlot and temptress, he knew this was false. She was true in faith, truer than even Ithiel. That, at least, was apparent to him now, and he mourned the loss of this easy defense and knew the fault was his own.

I did, he said, evenly and without elaboration. I was trying to see if its wing might be saved. Bound up for a few weeks, maybe. You don't think it can be saved? If he could only speak on normal conversation, and keep his eyes level with her shoulders, he would not be tempted.

Willam la Chemin · 08-14-2012, 12:27 AM

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Word Count → 561 :: Out of Character text

Willam hadn't meant to startle the other. It wasn't as if she had been looking to sneak up on him or anything. She hadn't been trying to mask or conceal her approach in the slightest. So when he had spun about so quickly Willam bowed her head and apologized. "I'm sorry. If I'm interrupting anything then I can leave." She really hadn't meant to cause him any sort of alarm and felt bad if she had done so. She had simply been curious as to what the noise had been and it seemed as if Ithiel had been the first to find out.

The large female had no clue about the male's internal debate. She didn't know the first thing about hormones or attraction. To her sex was only meant for procreation, and that only came from the leadership's approval of the pairing. She hadn't seen Ithiel's physical reaction at their first meeting, and even if she had she would have never understood what it was all about. Becaus of this she didn't know of the dilemma that she caused him with just her presence. Of course all he ever had to do was to tell her to leave him be and Willam wouldn't bother him further.

"I'm glad. I apologize if I held you up from your task." She didn't ask for elaboration but simply thought it a duty to the clan that she had distracted him from. After all he had went out of his way to meet with her and answer her questions and then even had the mind to invite her to stay as well as to lead her to where food and rest could be found. "I never really got to thank you for your kindness so if there is any way that I can repay you then please don't hesitate to let me know." Willam felt that it was the least she could do after all that he had done for her already.

Willam stared at the predatory avian for a long moment as her opinion was asked for. "I'm not certain. It isn't moving it. Will binding it give it back movement in its wing? Will it be able to have the freedom of use of the wing so that it will be able to hunt successfully? If not then it is better to kill it now rather than forcing it to remain in pain for weeks for something that may not benefit it in the end." Willam had no medical knowledge so she couldn't say if it would work or not. All she was going on was what she had immediately observed. The animal was in pain and its wing looked useless as first glance. If it wasn't able to use the wing then it wouldn't be able to hunt which meant that it would starve, or if released then it would make for easy prey for whatever other predatory came along. "If you believe that it can be saved and live a competent life then I trust your judgement. I simply believe that if it is going to remain an invalid then its suffering should be ended now." Which would give reason to why Willam had reacted so strongly at their first meeting and made certain that it was known that she wasn't an invalid, she didn't want to be put down.

Ithiel de le Poer · 08-14-2012, 02:42 PM

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(411)

Ithiel is by Raze!

The dusky hybrid shook his head in response to her statement about being unwanted. It was not that her presence was not unwanted -- but he was truly perplexed and shamed by the things he'd felt. Like the thoughts of the coyote Alma had left to wander in the city, he found his last meeting with Willam, too, perseverating in his mind. And yet, despite this perverse insistence in his mind, Ithiel was a creature of near-infinite self-control. His impulses, expressions, and interactions could be scrubbed clean of any of these influences -- but biology was biology, and he could not stave off that physical reaction. This was his only fear, but even that was not so all-consuming as to control him. The Duplicarius was confident in his ability to retain face and keep from shaming himself or Willam.

Serve Inferni well, and it's all the thanks I need, he said. Though the words themselves were gruff, his tone was almost kindly: this was a simple truth for Ithiel. He had admitted her to the clan, on his own judgement -- the only thing he could ask for was a satisfactory performance in Inferni's ranks. And yet -- he did not think she needed to be told this. Her shared spirituality with him gave Ithiel over to believing her obedience and ability to follow command needed no reinforcement. Perhaps this was a friendly bias toward her, but she had also demonstrated loyalty -- at least to her beliefs -- in a rather deep way, too.

The bird had ceased to struggle, and seemed to have gone into a state of shock. There was little pity within Ithiel -- creatures such as this died each and every day, along with Luperci. They were not things to be mourned and wept over. Life was celebratory enough, and in death, the best he and the rest could hope for was that they'd accomplished something in life or some use might come from their death. With a nod, Ithiel twisted the animal's neck. It cracked softly beneath his fingers, and the animal gave a jerk, then went limp. You're right, he said, softly. Needless suffering should be ended, where possible. It would never have flown right. He kept his eyes steady with her face until he looked down at the bird.

Its feathers might be used for arrows, its flesh for food. It did not die completely in vain, at least, he said.

Willam la Chemin · 08-15-2012, 04:37 AM

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Word Count → 511 :: Out of Character text

Willam already had every intention to do as he had commanded of her. Inferni had been kind enough to take her in so it was the least that she could. And since it was Ithiel that had accepted her she wanted to make him proud above all others. She wanted him to never regret his decision in offering her a place to stay. Willam would never say that her performance would be flawless but she would so her best and submit to the consequences each and every time that she failed. Willam had already proven just how easily she could accept punishment with her even going as far as to suggest it for what she had believed to be a shortcoming.

"I will. Do you know where I might find leadership, as well as the proper time to try to contact them, so that I might get my assignments?" And there she had just given away that she had put off speaking with leadership for so long. If Ithiel suggested that she needed to be punished for dallying then she would comply. But on the other hand, where she had come from leadership weren't to be bothered by the likes of her. Any messages that had to be given directly to her were passed along by a go in between. that was why she had hesitated for so long because she had been waiting for the go in between. "Also, do you know who might be the one that speaks directly to leadership and delivers the messages passed down from leadership and where they might be found?" If there was one like that she she would speak to them instead though she would still enjoy knowing exactly where to find leadership so that she could avoid the area entirely. She didn't want to be thought treasonous for traipsing through the leader's personal domain.

Willam continued to watch Ithiel and the bird in his hands. Eventually he took her advice and put the creature out of its misery. The large female nodded along with his words and lifted a hand in order to try and gently clasp his shoulder to deliver a light squeeze. "You did the right thing. It would have been of no further use in life but in death it now has a purpose." She shared in Ithiel's belief. Everyone spent their lives, or so Willam imagined, trying to be remembered for at least one thing. Willam wanted to prove that she was an asset and that the kindness of Inferni hadn't been squandered on her.

"Would you require, or simply appreciate, some help in stripping the bird of its feathers?" Willam wasn't certain what else to offer. Actually she didn't even know if there was a certain way to complete the job that she had offered to help out with. Still, she just wanted to be of some sort of use no matter what the task might be. Plus she was willing to learn things that she didn't already know, which was a lot of things to learn.

Ithiel de le Poer · 08-15-2012, 06:29 PM

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Ithiel is by me!

Although her questions were strange to Ithiel, he answered them all the same, ruminating on his answer before he chose to spoke, as was his custom. He also recalled each of her questions in turn and answered them completely, as was also his custom. Ithiel did not like to leave such things undone, and he always strove to provide the most complete and correct information when requested -- even if, in this case, he didn't believe there was a right answer to at least part of her questions. Myrika lives in the Great Village. Vesper lives in the caves, he said. I don't think there's any right time, though -- just go when you'd like. Neither of them are really strict or snappish.

As for messengers -- there's Sparrow, who serves as our Tribunus, but you needn't speak through her. Go to them yourself, he said, unaware of Sparrow's reduction in duty as of yet. Her touch at his shoulder was strange, but he did not wish to be impolite and flinch away, so he held himself together and even attempted the faintest touch of a smile for her. Women were the more emotional creatures, and it was their wont to touch and make contact and ascertain all was well. Perhaps if he had been a different coyote, he might have felt something at the bird's death -- but there was only resounding agreement for her words within Ithiel. If you'd like to help, it'd be welcome. He looked around, shrugging. We can go to the mansion or stay here. Either is acceptable. We'll leave the corpse for the carrion birds and cats, he suggested.

Willam la Chemin · 08-16-2012, 02:58 PM

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Word Count → 316 :: Out of Character text

Willam hated the prospect that she actually had to go herself and take care of things. She didn't like the thought of actually having to speak for herself in front of leadership. How was she meant to act? What were the proper things to say and what should end up being avoided? The large female knew none of these things. It caused her more worry and anxiety because there were so many ways that she could mess up. There were far too many uncertainties. Still, Ithiel had told her to do it herself and so she would. She nodded her head as she assented to his command.

Willam dropped her hand from his shoulder, not realizing that he didn't appreciate the touch. If she had known so then she would have never been so bold as to do such a thing. But it was impossible to take it back now. She had only done such a thing because the male had seemed uncertain of whether or not to actually end the bird's life or not. Willam had figured that death was the best course of action to take and so she wanted him to know as much.

"It matters not to me where you choose to do this." She was fine with wherever he wanted to go. She had never plucked a bird before and so she didn't know if there were certain things needed in the task or not. "Do you make the arrows?" Willam was curious if his arrows were anything similar to the ones that she used. of course she used a kestros rather than a bow to launch the arrows. Actually Willam had never attempted to use a box before. The weapons that she used to required a bit of twirling before being thrown. There were only three weapons that she used, though none with the hundred percent accuracy that she wished.

Ithiel de le Poer · 08-17-2012, 02:45 AM

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Ithiel is by me!

The dusky hybrid glanced toward Lystra. Her saddlebags were empty, and while he ran the risk of damaging the feathers... perhaps it would be better to remain out in the open with Willam. He could trust himself to avoid giving in to temptation; he knew there was no chance of him breaking his chasteness, but there was always the chance of his body betraying even his own wishes. At least here he could again escape easily. There was a nervousness within Ithiel that the dusky man did not like -- a keyed-up, tautly-drawn sort of feeling. He was entirely unused to it, though his skill in concealment of his feelings allowed him to keep evidence of it from his face.

His actions, however, were another matter entirely -- he was more awkward than usual, keeping his eyes steadily on her shoulders or averting them entirely. Perhaps she would not known the strangeness of this, for she'd only met him once before, but it was not Ithiel's custom to be so... intimidated, perhaps, was the right word, by another canine -- much less a woman! The only feeling he'd experienced akin to this had been in Scintilla, with his like-aged female trainee. Perhaps they could have been together, but then she began to exceed Ithiel in all her endeavors. He'd never been able to shake the feeling of near-fear (he knew now it was intimidation) and inadequacy around her.

There was no inadequacy around Willam, though -- she had yet to demonstrate skill to exceed his own, and his comfortably high rank allowed him to avoid this feeling with her as of yet. I make them, yes, he said. Turning abruptly toward Lystra, he withdrew an arrow from the quiver hanging on the far side of her saddle and held it out to to Willam. Although his bow was also strapped to the saddle, unstrung, he wouldn't allow that to her -- she might practice with one of the other bows he had, but that was his bow from Scintilla, and the best of his arsenal. Wordlessly, the dust-colored hybrid settled to the floor, putting the eagle in front of him. He extended the broken wing, feeling the bones. Dirty break, he commented. You were right.

Willam la Chemin · 08-17-2012, 08:09 PM

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Word Count → 513 :: Out of Character text

Willam felt the opposite of what Ithiel did. She found herself at ease around Ithiel. But then again she didn't feel the pressure to curb her tongue as he was a practitioner of religion as well. because of that she felt she could speak freely around him and didn't worry whether her beliefs showed through or not. Not that it was hard to guess that she was religious with the accessories that she always wore. Still, she felt like Ithiel would be the only one to not prosecute her since he shared in the same beliefs.

But no, she didn't recognize his awkwardness as she had never seen him interact with anyone else before so she had no idea that he was treating her differently. She would have never guessed that he didn't feel the exact same ease and peace of mind that she felt in his presence. Had she known then she would have most likely kept her distance but so far she saw no reason to. She trusted Ithiel completely, not that such was hard for her to do. She always gave everyone the benefit of the doubt. She had to for in her version of religion that she had been taught her coyote God had been crucified by the heretic wolves when all her God had wanted was to unite them all. So she treated even wolves pleasantly simply because it was what her God would have done. At least until they showed that they meant harm, that was when Willam's graciousness ran out.

The large coyote female examined the arrow that was handed to her. "These are longer than the ones I use." She remarked before she moved over to her pack that was still slung across Châtiment's back since she had yet to take up residence in any certain place but just slept wherever she happened to be at the time. Willam pulled out the shorter dart from her pack, the shaft only being about a foot long. She brought the dart over to show it to Ithiel, as well as to pass back his arrow.

Willam couldn't help looking relieved, and even a bit happy as she was told that she was right. She wasn't used to hearing such praise all that often. Her own mind sought to always penalize her for any small wrongdoing so it felt good to hear someone else say that she had done something correctly. "I had only assumed so because it was unable to move it." Already she was downplaying her correct judgment by saying it was nothing more than a lucky guess.

Willam knelt down next to Ithiel with her hands rested lightly on her thighs. "Where do we begin?" She made it even more obvious that she was waiting on him for further instruction. He had come across the bird first and so she saw this as being his project and she was only there to offer help. That meant it was up to him to take the lead and tell her exactly what he wanted her to do.

Ithiel de le Poer · 08-18-2012, 06:26 AM

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(727) tl;dr sorry >< can skip first and most of last paragraph, tbh

Ithiel is by me!

The dust-colored coyote was not the best arrow-maker he'd ever known, but his arrows were at least passable. Lathes made the whole thing easier by far, but Ithiel did not know where to obtain such a machine, nor how to work it. He had seen one in Scintilla, an old beast worked with the feet of a Luperci, but it was large, too, and difficult to move. In any case, he got a passable enough shaft by carving knots and bumps from suitable wood, and sanding it down to a fine smoothness and near-perfect straightness. It was a difficult process, hence why he never had an overstock of arrows -- many were broken, lost, or otherwise made unusable. At least the heads could be recycled, and Ithiel had amassed a decent collection of both stone and the rarer metal tips.

He preferred the metal, hence why it was his accustomed inventory when he traveled. His eyes flicked up toward Willam as she moved toward the horse. He gave this moment over to studying her. Her body type was well-muscled and athletic, lacking the femininity and curves in other coyotes. She was, though, unmistakably heavily coyote in blood: he could not be certain there was even any hybridization in her. His gaze avoided the cilice strapped around her leg entirely, and only lingered on her shoulders a moment before returning to the bird. Most of its adult feathering had come in, but there were still downy patches where it had yet to grow in -- probably owing to the cause of its failed flight and broken wing.

He looked up at the dart offered, and reached out to take it. The dusky hybrid was careful of the tip, owing not only to its sharpness but his wariness of poison. How do you shoot it? he asked. If you'd show me sometime. He set his arrow down beside his thigh and passed the shorter one back to Willam, his eyes watching her with curiosity. He was interested in all kinds of weapons, and the ranged bow happened to be his favorite. He was therefore interested in other kinds of ranged weapons, as well. The spear was not to his liking -- while it could be used for jabbing, it was not as effective as a sword, and once thrown, it was difficult to retrieve. One either needed a supply (and therefore a fixed position) or to ornament themselves with several heavy spears (or a few more lighter spears) -- in either case, a bulky and large burden to bear for a warrior.

The longest feathers are best for the arrows, he said, indicating those along the bird's wing and tail. The rest should be plucked if the bird is to be eaten. You can eat through the feathers as our ancestors did, but... it's messy and distasteful to spit out down and feathers after each bite, he said. Unclean methods were not preferred by Ithiel: hence his preference for the Optime form. Hands made neatness possible. He could not recall the last time he had even shifted. Take them close to the base. Pull on the ends and the feather may snap in the middle, and even if it doesn't, it's better to avoid touching as much of the feather as possible.

He demonstrated by using one hand to brush aside some of the shorter feathers in order to clutch a large wing-feather by the thick vein in its center. With a yank, he removed it. A red spot remained behind, already coagulating due to the bird's death. Twisting the bird around thereafter so she might access one wing and he the other, Ithiel glanced at her and readied himself to receive her questions, if necessary. Some of his anxiety was fading: she showed no indication she'd understood or seen what had happened during their last meeting, and more clearly able to evaluate her body, he decided he enjoyed Alma's form more (though perhaps this was simply an attempt at rationalizing away whatever lingering attraction remained). Her piety appealed to him more than Alma's seeming indifference to spirituality, or even indulgence in belief of demons, but he knew nothing of Willam, either, beyond her beliefs. He had spent time with Alma, and thought he knew her rather well.

Willam la Chemin · 08-18-2012, 12:02 PM

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Word Count → 793 :: It's okay, I like your posts and we know I gave you enough in the Myri thread. And for the kusarigama instruction: here is a pretty good instructional one those its supposed to be a sickle and not a knife while here it show it with the sickle and how its used in combat, just the video is kinda small and not sure if you could see it well which is why I gave the other one since the second one is more accurate to what Willam has. And here is what is basically looks like.

The things that Willam made by hand were rough but they worked well enough for their purpose. There was still a lot of room left for improvement as Willam had worked on them without proper training. She had only watched someone else and tried to mimic it herself so as to not be a burden by constantly asking for something. It had never bothered Willam that the things that she made often looked more like a craft project rather than something fitting a purpose as she was typically the only one to see such things and she wasn't looking to impress herself. It was why she had made sure to bring her best dart to show to Ithiel, one not made by her own hands.

There was a quarter amount of wolf in her but she had no idea of it. It was something that had never been spoken of before. Both of her parents were mixes. Her mother had been a coywolf mix while her father was a mix of two coyote subspecies. So for all she knew she was a mix of coyote and nothing more than that. But then again genetics had never particularly interested her. Willam was able to accept anyone as long they didn't mean to cause harm.

"With a kestros." The question prompted her to return back to her pack and pull out the sling with the uneven loops that was used to propel the weapon. She started back towards Ithiel but on second thought she went back over to her pack and removed it from Châtiment's back to bring over. She placed the pack on the ground at her side and handed over the kestros sling for Ithiel to see it. "You just fit it in the loops and give it a twirl then release one of the sides." A brief overview of how it worked was given as she was looking through her pack to pull out her other sling to lay out on the ground. "This one is used pretty much the same way except with a stone. You just put the stone here, twirl it, and release one end." As she spoke she laid her fingers on the worn leather cradle. But she wasn't done there and pulled out her final weapon, a sickle on a chain.

"I'm still getting used to this one. A friend gave it to me for my birthday and was teaching me how to use it in his free time." She lightly ran her fingers over the blade of the sickle before carefully working out any kinks in the chain. "He got it from a trader and was told it was called a kusarigama." She glanced up at Ithiel before looking back down at the weapon on the ground. "You keep this part in your hand and hold it." She touched the sickle, picking it up to clutch the handle tightly before passing it off to Ithiel in case he wanted to hold it. "Then this part you twirl and throw it at whatever you are after. It is a bit tricky to do since you have to make sure the chain hits itself so that it will loop around the object so that you can pull it close and then you strike with the sickle."

After she finished explaining she looked back up to Ithiel again. "These are all I have. I can give you a demonstration whenever you want but I'm not very good at any of them yet. I still can't hit what I am aiming for every single time." And Willam would never think herself any good until she was able to do so. It didn't matter if she had gotten to where she could hit what she was aiming for most of the time for it was still those misses that ate away at her and showed exactly how imperfect she was. Because she still messed up she didn't deserve any amount of praise for what she might do right.

She listened to what Ithiel said about the feathers and watched how he did it so that she could mimic the movements. "Why don't you want to touch the feathers?" But of course she wouldn't go against his instruction. Once she had been presented with her wing she fell silent and focused intently on the task placed before her. Since the whole thing had to be plucked she didn't go after certain feathers but started with was first reached and grabbed them by their base as she had been show and yanked them out. But even though she wasn't looking to pluck in any certain order she did make certain to separate them by size as they were laid out on the ground.

Ithiel de le Poer · 08-18-2012, 01:44 PM

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(526) That... is wicked awesome. o___o

Ithiel is by Raze!

Ithiel's own wolf side was denied by omission or derided, depending on the dusky-furred hybrid's mood. He did not lie if directly asked, but did everything in his power to indicate otherwise. The only display of wolf in him, anyway, was his size -- and he was not alone in this. Myrika's lupus form and secui both, when she deigned to take them, were wolfish in their entirety. Ithiel, on the other hand, certainly resembled more of a coyote in his four-legged forms, albeit an oversized one. His features, too, were all coyote, though his ears did not possess quite the same largeness of Myrika's -- a fact he knew better than to propose to her directly, owing to her sensitivity. He understood women were not keen on commentary regarding their appearance, and thus strove to avoid it after a painful lesson from Myrika and a chiding from Kaena.

The dusky hybrid paused in his plucking to survey the weapons she retrieved from her pack. His crimson eyes roved over the two projectile weapons. They were simple, but simplicity could be deadly effective. His bow was not so complex a weapon -- and yet he preferred it to the crossbow. This latter was heavy, slower to reload, and altogether more clumsy a weapon. Though he had used them a time or two in Scintilla, the dust-colored canine certainly did not prefer them to his bow and arrow. The last weapon was taken from her with a widening of his eyes and a lifting of his brows. Ithiel ran a finger over the sharp blade of the sickle part and grunted his approval, handing the weapon back to her. He would very much like to see that last in action, especially -- it was an exotic sort of weapon, to be sure, and Ithiel thought thos weapons which were most widely used the most tested and true, but it was still a worthwhile pursuit if deadly.

He did not immediately return to his plucking but gazed thoughtfully at Willam, his head cocked to one side. That's a mean looking one, the last, he said. I would see them all in action. He'd seen a sling before, of course, but the dust-colored hybrid wanted to see just how skillful she was. Thus far, in his estimation, Willam undervalued herself and did not think highly enough of the skills she did possess. The moment of compliment and his interest over, he returned to the plucking, both ears pricking upward at her question. The bird has... oil, I guess, on the feathers. This helps the feathers fly, and keeps them in good order, I suppose. Once it's dead and the feathers separated, no more is produced. One has to touch them, of course, to cut and attach them to the arrow -- but it's best to minimize that touching as much as possible. He was glad to answer the question, for it was a sensible one -- it hadn't occurred to him not to touch the delicate parts of the feathers, and such had earned him a well-deserved rap on the hand.

Willam la Chemin · 08-18-2012, 02:33 PM

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Word Count → 517 :: Thanks, I blame Ninja Assassin for peaking my interest, of course his was wrong as well and had a knife rather than the traditional scythe. And totally off topic but the wiki confuses me so much. How do I make a new page cause I eventually want to work on la Chemin?

Willam had harbored no prejudices against any particular species, only against certain personality traits. She didn't understand the feuds between coyotes and wolves but knew that there was a deeply engrained violent history between the two. Willam only gave into that when someone was seeking to cause harm to her home and those within it. Other than that she could turn the other cheek if an attack hadn't been made. Perhaps that made her an oddity among those around her, and if not then certainly her self discipline did.

Willam smiled slightly as her favored weapon was spoken of. She had the least amount of experience with it but cherished it because it was the only gift that she had received. "I like it. It is different from my others. It's heavier and it took a bit of getting used to so as not to throw the wrong part." But she had picked it up after having been admonished for handling it wrong. And perhaps it was a bit prideful but she also enjoyed the weapon as she saw it as being special since she hadn't witnessed any others with one in their possession. She could never recreate the item on her own and that made it even more dear to her.

"I will demonstrate them all whenever you have the time and desire to do so. Just allow me to know when and where and I will make myself available. If you want you can attempt them yourself." She didn't have a replacement for any of her weapons but that didn't stop her from offering to let him use them as well. She trusted that he would take care of them and cherish them just as she did. Actually that was her automatic assumption with everyone. She didn't think anyone would set out to destroy something belonging to another.

Willam listened to the explanation of why the feathers should not be touched, giving a nod of her head to show that she was paying attention and listening even if she didn't look up from her work. Of course it was a practical answer but she didn't expect any less. She had never known that the feathers were coated in oil and such is what caused them to fly. "Is there a way to reproduce the oil to put on them?" After all she didn't want to accidentally mess the feathers up, and if she did then she wanted to be able to fix them. Of course fixing would only take place after penance had been administered first. And even if she wasn't the one to damage them she figured that they could use some repair after being used numerous times. Or at least she was speculating about that and so she wanted to know a way to fix up the older arrows. After all constant maintenance meant you didn't always have to replace every little thing each time one went to use it. Willam rarely changed out anything in her possession as she kept her items well cared for so that they could have continued use.

Ithiel de le Poer · 08-18-2012, 02:47 PM

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(326) You can edit a current page and include a link, which you can then click on to create the page, or just change the URL while you're editing another page under the same category (e.g., while editing World Territories page, you'd replace "WorldTerritories" in the URL with "LaChemin" instead. Big Grin

Ithiel is by me!

You'd need a strong arm to throw that, the dusty-furred coyote observed. It was perhaps a weapon best suited for a man, the sex with the better upper body strength, but who was Ithiel to question Willam's judgement? The dust-colored hybrid was pleased with her offer, and nodded his assent. I have bows, myself -- spare ones. Would you like one? I should bring it along so you might try it, as well. It was a spur-of-the-moment offer, but Ithiel could spare one of his three: the only one he truly cherished was the doubly-curved bow from Scintilla, the one he used on horseback. It was shorter than a longbow by far, but possessed similar strength due to the added curve in the wood. Whenever's convenient. I don't do much other than scout and pace the borders, Ithiel admitted. He was either out checking out the foreign packs, scouting Inferni's borders, or bathing himself -- body or soul, either one. The sea was a favored place for him to bathe and cleanse himself daily, while the cave was the only place he read his book.

The hybrid considered her question with a frown, and shrugged. Probably, but it might not work the same. It's best to leave them in their natural state -- God made them to be able to fly, and we are merely harnessing this power of theirs. It was also a question of overcoating the feathers with whatever substitute was chosen -- a sure way to make an arrow fly off-kilter, if Ithiel's thoughts were correct. The dusky hybrid's hands moved deftly over the bird's wing, plucking here and there and setting the feathers aside. He was almost gentle with handling the bird, despite its quite clear state of death. As Ithiel saw it, there was no sense defiling a creature after death -- it was still deserving of respect, at least.

Willam la Chemin · 08-18-2012, 03:39 PM

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Word Count → 573 :: And editing the URL won't break the page and cause it to no longer work?

"I know. If you hadn't noticed I'm not exactly small." She knew she was bulkier than other females and she was fine with that. She was as God had made her. And the way he made her gave her an advantage in hunting larger game. She had learned early on that she wasn't a dainty thing but that mad her an asset in a hunt because she could throw her weight around. But then again she did her hunting in lupus form so her bulk aided her in the take down rather than the chase. She might not possess the upper body strength of a male but she fared far better than those delicate females did.

Willam glanced up at Ithiel in surprise as he offered her one of his bows. She quickly looked away again and spoke quietly. "I have nothing to give in return." Just like praise and compliments she had difficulty with accepting gifts as well. "I have never used a bow before but I know they take skill and precision." Areas where she would say that she was still lacking even if she had gotten to a point where her successes outweighed her failures.

"I rise early in the morning to take care of devotion and it leaves my day free until I take evening devotion before retiring for the night." Her habit of rising early in the morning and retiring late was an unhealthy one but it was all that she had known for so long. It was what her body was accustomed to. And because of how she scheduled herself she had the daylight hours to herself to take care of whatever else needed to be done. And so far it seemed the others were active during the daylight hours so it gave her time to interact rather than being hidden away to keep up with the daily routine that stuck with her even if la Chemin was no more.

Willam only touched the carcass where it was necessary to do so in order to remove the feathers. She only used as much force as she absolutely had to in order to get the feathers out. Though once they feathers were extracted they were placed lightly and gently upon the ground in their separate piles. "So there is no way to fix those that may become messed up by accident or a way to maintain the older ones that have seen numerous previous uses?" Willam showed that her only concern was really for preservation and continued usability. She wanted a way to ensure that they would last for a long time. And if that wasn't to be so then she could deal with that. She would still care for them the best that she possibly could in order to get as much use as possible from them before they had to inevitably be replaced. Of course these were skills she was trying to harness for the feathering on her own darts as she had no intention of taking these feathers. Ithiel had found and killed the bird so she saw the entirety of what was gained as belonging to Ithiel. She wouldn't dream of taking what he had earned from him. If she wanted feathers then she would hunt for herself and do all of the work herself, for if she had help she would most likely end up giving everything away to whomever had assisted her.

Ithiel de le Poer · 08-18-2012, 03:55 PM

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(--) It shouldn't, nope. Just no spaces or anything. Big Grin Just make sure, of course, you're all saved up on the original page, since you'd be navigating away without a save. ^^

Ithiel is by me!

The dust-colored hybrid nodded, but did not comment on her size. He had learned from Myrika to avoid commenting on such. Instead, he shrugged and only smiled faintly as she professed to have nothing to give in return. Gift, not trade, he corrected, although it was a gentle sort of correction. You needn't give me anything in return. It does take skill, but perhaps you'll like it. If not, return it to me and I will find another warrior to wield it. It was little matter to Ithiel, either way -- if he could find a strong hand to string and shoot the bow, all the better. If not, he would always have a back-up. My schedule is much the same. No night scouting for me, Ithiel said. He did so on rare occasions, rising when sleep was refused him.

With the talk of the arrows, Ithiel paused in his plucking and stretched his fingers briefly, shaking them out. They're durable enough -- eventually, yes, all arrows need refletching, he said, wondering. Maybe there is a way to restore them, and I am simply ignorant. He grew thoughtful and contemplative, glancing at Willam. Perhaps I should read a book, he suggested, shrugging a birch-dusted shoulder. Myrika tells me there is much information in them, and that I wrong myself by reading only the one book. Ithiel rarely, if ever, read stories other than the ones he found in the bible. Fiction was a pursuit of leisure, and little of Ithiel's time was occupied by that.

Willam la Chemin · 08-18-2012, 06:05 PM

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Word Count → 349 :: I did it! Yay! *Feels all accomplished even if nothing more than copying and pasting has been done to the new page yet* Also, you don't take cash do you as I've only got $50 in cash as I haven't been paid... and starting to think it was a scam which is weird cause they paid out hundred in shipping and custom fees, do you?

Her size didn't bother her. She knew that she would never compare to other females and she was fine with that. She could accept herself just the way that she was, at least on a physical appearance level, and if others couldn't then that was their problem. After all there was nothing that she could do to change the way she looked or the size that she was so that meant there was no use fretting over it.

She wanted to argue and say that they didn't know each other well enough, or even long enough, for her to be giving her a gift. She thought that only close friends were given gifts and she knew that there was no way that they could be considered close already. Instead she just nodded her head, accepting his gift. "I will cherish it and keep it safe." Just as she did with everything else that she owned. She valued and treasured each and every one of the limited belongings that she had. Of course she treated what she was given from another much more carefully and tenderly than anything that she had gotten by her own hand.

"We could wait until it starts to grow cooler in the evening unless you figure that it would be best to have the full light of day." Willam didn't exactly mind the heat of the day herself as it was all she had known since she had always lived within a Canadian province, actually just a couple over from where Inferni was located. So she was used to the climate of the area.

Willam offered up a slight smile as she spoke. "Then I must be wrong as well. I have only the one as well. I have only touched my own and the one that I had to copy to have my own." Actually she never knew that any other books existed. She didn't know that there books on nearly every single subject that someone could possibly imagine. Still Willam hadn't heard of any book besides the Bible and had never seen another.

Ithiel de le Poer · 08-21-2012, 01:16 PM

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(324) Pshh, dude, it's a start! I... dunno, what happened exactly? Sad If you've worked and you have not been paid, I would probably try to contact your state's employment board -- it is aaabsolutely 100% illegal to not pay someone for their hours worked, even if it's something like making them sweep the store for 5 minutes without being clocked in. Sad

Ithiel is by Kitty!

To Ithiel, gifts were shared freely between friends and clanmates. There was no particular status of relations a pair of canines needed to achieve before offering a gift -- though it was certainly not Ithiel's typical custom to offer such things. He'd only leapt to offer the bow due to his own overstock, and due to the knowledge that such a gift given to a skilled warrior would serve all of Inferni better. It was not simply for Willam he'd offered, though perhaps if she had irritated him or proven to be a brainless fool or craven wolf-lover, he would not have been so quick to offer. And perhaps, too, he was making up for his indiscretion during their last meeting.

The dusky coyote shrugged his shoulder as he gave a pull on a tailfeather. Even as he held this feather up to inspect its length, Ithiel spoke. In battle, we don't get to choose whether it is hot or cold. Best to be prepared for any weather, Ithiel said. His homeland, mountains and deserts and sprawling wilderness, was rather like this place, but with more extremes, Ithiel thought. With the daytime and sun came great heat; with the moon and stars came shivering cold and howling winds. If preparedness meant training in adverse conditions, Ithiel understood perfectly well what they must do.

There is poison in some books, he said. Go and look in the library for yourself. Things written by the wolves who attacked us -- it was some months before you came. Blasphemy, written in ink. He turned his head and spat on the ground, unable to keep this sign of fury from his face. Should have burned the paper or thrown it into the sea. The feathers suitable for fletching all but plucked, Ithiel now moved to pull the smaller feathers. These he pulled and yanked carelessly, as they would not be used for stabilizing any arrows.

Willam la Chemin · 08-25-2012, 08:20 PM

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Word Count → 315 :: I dunno what to do. I tried contacting the company and they said that people have been using their company name but don't actually work for their company. So basically it sounds like I'm SOL.

Willam wasn't used to receiving gifts. Actually it made her feel bad to take something from someone else. Sure, it might have been an extra but still Willam fretted that he might end up needing it at some point and he would find himself short. So it wasn't that she didn't want the gift but there was just the worry that it might end up being needed at some future point in time. Even so she didn't feel right denying what was being offered to her for she didn't want to appear ungrateful.

"Well then I can meet you back out here in a couple of weeks then?" She figured that would be enough to not make her want to seem too eager as well as not trying to put it off either. Plus she could use the time to practice some more. She had never shown of for anyone before and so the prospect of it made her nervous. Besides that the time would allow for her to construct a mini range. Or not really construct it but to mainly mark off trees to be used as targets. Though there would be the need for minor construction where the kuraigama was concerned since she needed something that could be moved.

Willam hung her head and spoke softly. "I am sorry." She couldn't help but to feel at fault to some extent even if it had nothing to do with her. She hadn't been around at the time and had still been in la Chemin. Still she couldn't help but to wonder if the wolves that had attacked here had any sort of attachment to those that had formed the attack on la Chemin. Willam finished plucking the feathers from the wing and moved on to the side of the body that was close to her and started to remove the feathers from there next.

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