The Hunter's Forest

[Sparky]

[Refs]

    Thwok! An arrow pierced deep into it's target, followed by two other repeated thwok's of two others, all clustered tight around the bulls-eye. So close, that that they almost hit one another. Standing a good distance away, was the young Hunter, his green hair flowing in the chilling wind. Winter had finally come to his little slice of the world, and a fine layer of snow dusted itself on the ground. Those few small game animals that didn't hibernate left tracks for the young man to follow, helping make sure he would remain fed through the colder season. 
   
    However, he wasn't a complete isolationist, and he didn't want to over hunt either. Should he need to, he could always head to the closest village and trade valuable pelts for meat. But, for the time being, Horus was content continuing as normal. A thick cloak made out of bear-pelt was wrapped around his shoulders, while a banana made of dense cloth hung around his neck- simultaneously a scarf and a face cover to protect his lung from the sheering cold on a hunt. His attire wasn't changed up too much, but he did wear heavier boots with another layer of fur. That's all he needed, really. 

    As an adopted member of a clan of Dryads, the young man was trained extensively to be in true harmony with the natural world. The cold didn't bother him as much as other's. His endurance could rival a members of the harsh northern clans and armies of the tundras. 

    Not to say he wasn't cold. He could just bear it better.

    Snow crunched below his feet as he approached the bulls-eye and yanked the arrows out. Sturdily maid, and beautiful to behold in a sense. These arrows were not like their common and simply made brethren. They were masterfully crafted, a lot of time and passion put into their construction. An hunter by trade, archer by profession, Horus knew the ins and outs of the art. The way Arrows swayed and wobbled when launched. Firmer materials, and a design based around accuracy helped mitigate the affect, and allowed his arrows to fly further, faster, and more accurately. 

    Calloused fingers brushed along the shaft of the projectiles, checking them over to gauge their wear. While the first two were fine, the third's shaft was battered and unsightly. It's fins were frayed and the head was beginning to dull. Horus nodded, presented his knife, and cut free the head. The shaft could be used for kindling, but the head could be resharpened and reused on a newer shaft. The young man would have to recheck its weighting, to make sure the finely tuned projectile wouldn't loose too much from the process, but otherwise it was a simple fix.

    The remaining two arrows returned to the quiver, the head was dropped into his pocket, and the new kindling was taken to a pile of scrap wood. Horus let out a sigh. This time of year always seemed to intensify his loneliness. Golden eyes wandered the outside of his humble home. Two stories, sturdy construction, designed to weather all seasons. Snow sat heavy and silent upon it's roof.

    Hands dug into a secondary pocket and pulled out a piece of venison jerkey. Spiced for flavor. The young hunter bit into it, chewing thoughtfully as he began to wander the perimeter of his property. A small glass hut stood behind his house, snow cleaned off it's roof and a multitude of plants filling it's single room with a flourish of green. The snow outside was undisturbed, allowing Horus to be content in the knowledge that nothing has tried getting inside it yet. Pests were always a problem, but especially so this time of year where every bit of food was needed. 

    Further around the periphery were some small tracks. Those of a rabbit, likely scouring for food. I'll have to keep track of where his burrow is. The hunter noted. He wouldn't hunt it immediately, but keeping knowledge of it's wear abouts could make tracking easier. Should the winter get harsher, the man could set up a trap to snare his prey. His teeth tore into the jerky again as he continued to trek around his property. Nothing was out of order. Nothing unusual out of place. The green haired man let out a sigh and ventured back towards his home. 

    About halfway there he stopped. His instincts picked up something, told him to listen. Horus's mind thought, know, knew for certain that it heard something close by. The young man obeyed his instincts like his elders had taught. He shut his eyes. Slowed his breath. Focused. He could hear the world around him, the settling of snow, the shifting of branches in the wind. The chattering of a small animal against the bark of a tree. But most importantly- Footsteps. The distinct sound of feet meeting snow. It was larger than a prey animal, but it's steps weren't like that of a deer. No, it was more... flat-footed. A wolf, perhaps? Horus pondered. No. No that couldn't be it. The wolves rarely come this close, and they travel together. Besides, the feet still sounded... larger than a wolf's steps. Couldn't be a bear either, still sounded too small. Wait... closer... listen closer... 

    That's the sound of only two feet. Not four. A person? But why here? Horus listened more intently to the breathing. It was irregular. Not the type that suggested ill-intent. Poachers and bounty hunters knew how to control their breathing. Even a novice wasn't dumb enough to break that bubble. They were getting closer. Horus pulled the cloak further around his shoulders, masking his arms. His right hand rested upon the handle of his dagger, while his golden Gaze looked in the direction the person was coming. Whoever they were, he was about to find out soon.

[Misty]

Adeline grew up in the cold. Her dad, a single father who believed in self sufficiency, had taught her most of what she knew. That's all she was thinking about, right now, as she stepped through the snow. She liked to try and balance on it before it broke, but there just wasn't that much of it yet. It was soft, too, and she left pretty distinct foot prints behind wherever she went right now. Just comes with the territory, walking through snow like she was. This was her first winter on her own. She'd gone through the end of Spring and through Fall by herself, wandering around and seeing new places and things. She'd come back to the forest because she had been overwhelmed by another crowded city. It was so much easier to be alone out here, with no one to worry about beside herself.

The air was crisp, and her ears were facing outward, listening to every sound there was to hear. She had heard a thump a little while ago, followed by a couple more. It sounded familiar, but she couldn't put her finger on it. So, she had headed in that direction. She wasn't in any hurry, taking her time and walking along. Right now she had on a sweater, and some cargo shorts that stopped above the knee. Luckily for her, her coat was insulated so she could maintain a pretty regular temperature. During the cold months her coat was a little longer than normal, giving her a slightly softer appearance. 

Shifting her shoulders, she slipped one strap of her backpack down her arm, bringing the bag in front of herself to rummage through it, feeling around until she found yarn. She, a total odd ball, had two spools of yarn in her bag. She liked to make scarves, and threaded the yarn between her fingers while she walked, starting to do a finger weaving. It helped pass the time, and one hand was free, so she could still do what she needed and what she wanted to, while she did her thing. 

Every now and then, her ears would twitch. It was different out here than where she lived, with her dad. Sea foam eyes peered up, scanning the branches above for life, smiling at the squirrels skittering around and in the trees. Her fingers looped through the yarn as she looked around, walking through the tall trees. It was nice here- her own home was much more spread out, less dense than here, and it felt like she was actually in the woods for the first time ever, with how much more foliage there was here. 

However, her ears twitched to the side some, hearing something shifting near her. But it had been faint, and she couldn't track just where it was. Her ears flicked slightly, eyes bright and tail perking straight up while she looked around. It didn't make her feel too comfortable, her pleasant happiness with her surroundings turning into a mild panic and worry. She turned in place, but slowly move forward some more, hands drawn up slightly towards her chest. She had the scarf at about a half foot, dangling from her hand while she looked desperately for the source. Whoever, or whatever, was near her, was obviously used to their environment. She had absolutely no idea where they were. 

Adeline looked nothing like a hunter or poacher. Bright eyes with no ill will, her features perked and drawn up in worry and looking around while she moved. She was a novice explorer, and by no means had learned to control her breathing. Soft puffs of breath came from her, brows pinched together. Hopefully whoever was out there was friendly. If they weren't, she was fast. She knew that she could probably book it and be gone before whatever it was could catch her, but she was still uneasy with the whole situation. Leaning forward a bit as she walked, she tucked her hair back just a little, gulping and trying to peer between the trees as she came right towards Horus without knowing it. 

[Sparky]

[Refs]

    The first thing the young woman would be able to see as she peered past the trees would be the quaint little home, smoke rising out of its chimney and an assortment of different resources set about it. A stack of firewood, multiple archery targets, a well, and a small pond with a snow covered bench overlooking it's frozen surface. Horus had long seen Adeline before the girl even had a chance to know he even existed, but his presence was no where to be seen. Of course, his foot prints from when he wandered the perimeter of his property were still there, but it was hard to trace what prints led where. 

    The hunter would not be found so easily. 

    Horus knew how to place his weight, how to quiet his breathing and lower the amount of noise he made to a minimum. Careful steps and slow, slow, calm breaths made him hard to trace. And just like the young half-faunus had suspected, the hunter knew his territory well. Of course, the young man had been born in this type of world. Raised and taught how to master the wilderness and shape it to his advantage. Vanishing in such a manner was child's play.

    So here's the breakdown. 

    After getting a read on where Adeline was coming from and how close, the young hunter backtracked- literally- stepping backwards in his own tracks and working back towards the outside of his property. With a well timed jump, he clambered the trees, keeping silent, and taking advantage of a person's lack of verticality. It was well known that most people, unless trained, didn't think to ever look up. Especially when their focus was directed towards one point. Of course, Horus didn't lean on that concept, and did his best to keep out of line of sight when able, then jumping to the next tree when fully out of view. 

    Admittedly, his jumps and clambers were... amateur at best. But the man's ability to control himself and his weight distribution still did well to keep the noise level low. Besides, he wasn't in the trees for very long, either. It took maybe three or four of the awkward jumps before the young man was in the position he wanted to be in. With careful focus, he climbed down off the tree, eyes stuck to the young woman's back, as he settled in walking in her own footsteps. He made sure to place the heels of his feet down first, and slowly rolled them forwards with each step. The man's steps were calculated, keeping to the edges of his footwear as much as possible, and keeping inside her tracks as much as possible. 

    With larger feet, it was certainly a challenge, but as long as Horus timed his steps in tune with hers, the minimal amount of sound he made would be overshadowed not only by nature itself, but by her own steps. Obviously, the hunter wouldn't gain much ground all too quickly doing this, and in a hunt he wouldn't mind. But the young man had an idea imprinted on his brain, and it required him to get closer. 

    It certainly was a struggle to keep his feet inside the lines, but with well placed caution and a little bit of determination, Horus crept up upon the girl as she began to slow more and more. The young forest mage kept his breath held, not making a single peep or sigh. Closer, closer, until his chin was almost over the young woman's shoulder. A gloved hand pulled down the cloth that covered his mouth and slowly fell to his side. His golden Gaze followed her teal eyes, trying to see what she saw, a mischievous grin playing at his lips. 

    "What're ya' doin'?" He quipped in a sudden, playful tone. And let's be completely honest with ourselves. If the poor girl was terrified that easily over just a few sounds that normally would have filled Horus's territory (i.e. the routine training he always went through) she was not going to have a very good time with this playful little jest. That was exactly what Horus intended, of course, the jerk, but he still continued on.

    "You know, I've hunted deer before, but I don't quite think it's ever been to this level." He stated with a laugh, calmly walking past the girl's side as he started back towards his home. "I don't really see many visitors in my territory, especially this time of year and none like you. If you're lost and looking for the village, you'll want to head west for a mile or so. Once you break the tree line, head a bit further and you'll come across a path. Follow that southwest for another mile or two, cross the river,and you'll find the village. Hard to miss, 'specially with all the chimney's goin' off in the cold."

    Horus's body language was collected, confident. He knew his territory and much of the outside. Hell, this was his home, why shouldn't he be confident? The young hunter showed no ill-intent, and his voice was steady and firm, with hint of the same playful nature that brought his earlier prank to life. "If you want to make it before nightfall, you'll want to start heading out soon. You might make it before the sun goes down depending on how fast you are. And it's not like I see any camping supplies on your person."

    The man spoke while he pulled free some logs from the pile, checking them over and setting them by the front door. Not only would he need to keep the fire going to keep the home warm, he'd need a bit so he could cook dinner for the night. The old shaft the man tossed for kindling would definitely come in handy, now that he thought about it. It was a bit dryer than the other's, given it's recent acquisition. But just like that, the hunter had set back to his own cycle, seemingly unfazed by the presence of another. 

[Misty]

As she laid eyes on the small home, she seemed to perk up curiously. Entirely unaware that he had both spotted her, and started hunting her, she glanced about one more time before smiling some to herself. Cool! She'd always wondered about finding a cottage in the woods. Her own with her dad was a little smaller, but still. Seeing it reminded her of home, and she knew she wanted to get closer, see what there was to see. She wasn't going to invade his home or anything, but it was a quaint little home and how could she not be curious?

Her walking slowed down until she was only shuffling, and then soon came to a stop, tilting her head as she examined everything. The firewood that was out front, the gentle billowing of smoke coming from the chimney, the archery targets, and oh-! A pond! Her ears perked up, entirely unaware of him as he crept up right behind her, moving a little closer before stopping. There were footsteps in front of her, and she turned her head, following them off to the side with her eyes. Okay, so she knew the owner of the home was around here somewhere. She just had to find out where, and maybe she could ask him some questions... She knew nothing about archery, but she did quite yearn to know more about hunting. She could only make snare traps and pit fall traps. She'd always wondered about hunting bigger game, but she had no idea where to start.

A soft hum came from her, blind to the fact that there was literally a man in a bear pelt sneaking up behind her, walking in her footsteps so smoothly that even her heightened senses wouldn't be able to hear. She hadn't even thought it was him when he was jumping around in the trees, far too distracted by staring at the little home. The soft sound of her own footsteps in crunchy snow, the rustling of leaves in the wind. Her ears even picked up on scurrying in the trees, but she didn't even think to look up. It was just a squirrel or something, right?

Not right. Suddenly he was right beside her while she stood there, staring at his home. She had her head tilted slightly, teal locks brushing over her shoulders a little while she worked on her scarf some more, idle and calming herself down. It seemed to her like he must be out and about... Or, so she thought, because suddenly someone was speaking up behind her, right by her ear, and she let out a shriek. She scrambled forward, arching away from him and bending slightly, fingers scraping into the snow for a moment before she turned herself around, arms up and held out towards him like she knew karate- she didn't.

"Cheese and berries!" She gasped, looking at him with wide eyes and her ears facing forward. Before she'd scurried from him, her tail had poofed up nice and fat and puffy, shocked and scared. Her heart was beating out of her chest, and her cheeks felt hot. As she looked at him, her brows pinched up together, but she stayed in her defensive position, unwilling to let herself calm down just yet. No one ever snuck up on her! She was a deer, deer could hear a pebble drop from a mile away and be running off quicker than shit, and here she was, a literal deer in the headlights.

"Don't say things like that, that's so crude!" Adeline huffed, finally settling down enough to relax her stance. Not like she'd been that threatening, soft scarf dangling from her kung-fu hand and her coat all raised, like someone had touched her with an electric prod. She frowned a little as he started telling her directions to town, and she crossed her arms over her chest. She glanced herself over when he mentioned not seeing many of her kind, "yeah, okay, not that I'm going to town anyways.." She rolled her eyes, trailing along after him after glancing back. Only one set of footprints. She shuddered a little, awkwardly walking in his steps as she followed him, a bit off balance.

It was obvious that she wasn't as confident in her environment, not being all too talkative with him. But, she was certainly curious still, even through the shock. Her coat hadn't calmed, and her tail was still a puff of fluff, with her ears turned towards him constantly to keep a read on him. But, instead of going to the wood, she went to the pond, squating down like a mom in a supermarket. "Wait, what-" She looked back over her shoulder, like she'd just realized she didn't have her bed roll or her supplies. Her eyes went wide, a soft pink rising on her cheeks, visible to him, even if just a little. "I mean, no, I don't need camping supplies. I don't get cold like you fleshies do, so I'll be just fine." She was lying. She needed her stuff, but it was back at the town before the one she was closest to, about five hours away. By the time she got there, it'd be dark, and cold, and she'd likely get lost.

Her demeanor didn't take on much change other than her tail drooping slightly, the end of it ghosting over the snow and twitching a bit, and her lips pulled into a slight frown. She didn't say anything about wanting to stay, or anything like that. She didn't know him, or trust him. But, she should probably start heading back if she were to get her things. It was already getting cloudy, prepared for another snow, and she frowned a little more. She'd need to really book it... So, standing up, she cleared her throat slightly, glancing over to where they'd just been. "In any case, thank you for directions.. Ought to get going now." She stood up from by the pond, starting to work on that scarf again. She'd seriously need it tonight.

[Sparky]

[Refs]

    It was a difficult challenge keeping a straight face at that kung-fu pose, but Horus managed with a little grin. The girl was an oddball, which was a welcome change. The young hunter didn't get many visitors, and those few that did come into his woods were either lost or came with ill-intent. The latter were always left without the earth mother's blessing. Horus listened to the few things the girl stated, and watched her as she stared at the frozen pond.  While she gazed off, he worked with his hands, summoning greenery and forming it into a shape.

    "I apologize for assuming, not many people come out this way." As Adeline turned her head back, a light object fell upon her. A flower crown. The hunter smiled and chuckled. "Also, I'd like to think that unless you're a secret machine, I'm going to say you're also a "fleshie" as you so eloquently put it." 

    His golden gaze followed her as she wandered away from her original position. A pang of guilt shot through him. Of course he didn't know she wasn't actually lost, it was just a miscommunication based off of experience. But still. The young man turned and opened the door, letting a wash of warm air and the sweet scent of spring to flow out into the world. It was almost like a different world had been summoned forth. From what Adeline could catch, she would see a cozy little home, a crackling  fire, a big couch, and a variety of different exotic flowers and herbs set about. 

    "I don't normally offer this, but if you'd like you can stay for dinner, I can set you up with supplies to take, and you can venture out once you've warmed up with a full belly. I already have a stew brewing if that's to your preference?" Horus placed a hand on his hip, quirking a brow in the girl's direction. She seemed genuinely lost, but not in the physical sense. More mentally than anything. Snow crunched underfoot as the young man approached the girl and draped the heavy cloak around her shoulders. It was soft and warm, embracing her like an artificial hug. Horus lowered his head in a bow. "My name is Horus Alestair of the Silver Yarrow Clan. Protector of the Vervaine Forest. I apologize for my lackluster hospitality before."

    With each word, the snow around him melted and a blossom of flora sprung to life underfoot. A cold wind brushed past as the man lifted his head again, warm smile gracing his features. He seemed unhindered by the cold, even without his cloak. Introduction complete, the man held his hands up, showing the girl his palms. 

    "Of course if you don't wish to hang around for too long, I won't press any further. You can keep the cloak at least, it serves as good a blanket as it does a cloak." The man turned back towards his home, allowing her to choose whether she wanted to follow or not. "I'll still pack you up some supplies if you'd like. Free of charge, of course." 

    The hunter started setting the firewood and kindling inside, covering the rest with a thick leather tarp to keep it all moderately dry, especially if a heavy snow decided to come along. "As the protector of this forest, part of my duty is to give guidance to weary travelers. And I'd definitely say you're the weariest I've seen in a long while."

    When he laughed, it was a sound like warm honey. It was a sweet, heart filled sound full of warmth and life. He held his hands up once more, patting the air in an attempt to ease the tension. "I'm only kidding of course. But if you do choose to continue on, just make sure to travel carefully. Wolves don't typically come this close to my property, but during the winter they can get desperate. I don't mean this to scare you, of course. I just want to make sure you don't head out unprepared."