Red Gypsy@Jangel13
The day had been very productive, so far. But, not all was ideal. Yet, the imperfections somehow brought an eerie smile to Skrik’s face as he crept through the shadows of the undergrowth to the best vantage point he could find without being detected by sight, sound, or scent. He had learned much about his immediate area and found several precious resources as well. The pond had fish and still water as well as something shining beneath the surface that incited his curiosity. The area between the pond and his tree camp was a popular spot with horned rabbits so his future hunting should prove far easier than before. And, above all else, there was a challenge before him.
The bear would be a formidable opponent. He couldn’t simply strike with stealth and expect to win. He would need better weapons and a superior strategy. He needed to claim this place, to make it his and secure its resources. He felt certain that what he had found here was a far from common occurrence. He didn’t dare delay too much, but there were obstacles. He was reminded again that he was alone. The others had all moved to other grounds and were probably advancing by leaps and bounds while he had lagged behind, first in the cave and now here in the forest. If he had help from at least one of the others he could probably kill this bear with minimal preparation. After all, his javelins were still poisoned and could at least dull the beast’s reaction time.
But he had no more sap and no way to store the sap without it drying out. Today was his last guaranteed chance to use his knife and javelins while the poison would help him. And, today… he couldn’t kill the bear.
He was certain that he could hurt it. He might even be able to drive it off. But, then the bear would be able to heal and come back. The last thing that Skrik needed was a bear stalking him. He had to make sure that the fight happened only once. For that, he had to make weapons that wouldn’t need poison to do their job well.
His javelins had only wooden points. They would be enough for horned rabbits but nothing with greater defense than they had. He needed something harder and sharper, stone perhaps. But the river had only rounded stones, long eroded by time. Though those would have their own uses. His stone knife had been the only sharp stone that he had found so far and it was in the cave where he was born.
That cave, maybe that would be the best place to search for better blades. Still, he wouldn’t be able to carry a lot of stones all the way from there back to his tree camp with his bare hands. He needed to make a better bag for carrying things, a bag that could withstand sharp and pointed cargo without being shredded. But, there were abundant horned rabbits in the area. Their hides and some grass stuffing could make a bag resistant to puncture and cutting from the inside at least. He had work to do, but there was one last item of business before he left.
He turned his full concentration on the bear, analyzing its movements and body structure to determine exactly what it could do. He needed to know if it could run, and how fast. Could it climb? Could it swim? How fast was its reaction time? Did it have any notable fighting experience to strengthen it or scars that could hinder its movements? Did it have any exploitable weaknesses other than its eyes and nose?
After finishing his observations, Skrik crept his way back through the undergrowth and shadows toward where he had seen the horned rabbits. He was looking for a rabbit that had strayed a bit farther away from the others. If he made his moves correctly, he might be able to get several rabbits before heading back. If he did, then he would have the satisfaction of knowing that his poisoned javelins had done good work before losing their full potency.
His plan was to stay out of sight and down wind to avoid being detected and then to throw with precision and power from concealment, aiming for the neck or vitals. If he failed to kill one with a single throw then it would hopefully serve to be a good distraction. In that event, his contingency plan was to pick two other targets that were distracted and focused on the first and get them before their attention could encompass their entire surroundings. If his first hit was a kill, then he would quietly proceed with targeting another rabbit in the same way.
He only had three poisoned javelins with him so he only had three chances to do this. His knife would serve well if one of them detected him and charged, so he kept it ready, but otherwise he planned to test his ability to hunt with the range and silent striking advantage that the javelins provided.
The day had been very productive, so far. But, not all was ideal. Yet, the imperfections somehow brought an eerie smile to Skrik’s face as he crept through the shadows of the undergrowth to the best vantage point he could find without being detected by sight, sound, or scent. He had learned much about his immediate area and found several precious resources as well. The pond had fish and still water as well as something shining beneath the surface that incited his curiosity. The area between the pond and his tree camp was a popular spot with horned rabbits so his future hunting should prove far easier than before. And, above all else, there was a challenge before him.
The bear would be a formidable opponent. He couldn’t simply strike with stealth and expect to win. He would need better weapons and a superior strategy. He needed to claim this place, to make it his and secure its resources. He felt certain that what he had found here was a far from common occurrence. He didn’t dare delay too much, but there were obstacles. He was reminded again that he was alone. The others had all moved to other grounds and were probably advancing by leaps and bounds while he had lagged behind, first in the cave and now here in the forest. If he had help from at least one of the others he could probably kill this bear with minimal preparation. After all, his javelins were still poisoned and could at least dull the beast’s reaction time.
But he had no more sap and no way to store the sap without it drying out. Today was his last guaranteed chance to use his knife and javelins while the poison would help him. And, today… he couldn’t kill the bear.
He was certain that he could hurt it. He might even be able to drive it off. But, then the bear would be able to heal and come back. The last thing that Skrik needed was a bear stalking him. He had to make sure that the fight happened only once. For that, he had to make weapons that wouldn’t need poison to do their job well.
His javelins had only wooden points. They would be enough for horned rabbits but nothing with greater defense than they had. He needed something harder and sharper, stone perhaps. But the river had only rounded stones, long eroded by time. Though those would have their own uses. His stone knife had been the only sharp stone that he had found so far and it was in the cave where he was born.
That cave, maybe that would be the best place to search for better blades. Still, he wouldn’t be able to carry a lot of stones all the way from there back to his tree camp with his bare hands. He needed to make a better bag for carrying things, a bag that could withstand sharp and pointed cargo without being shredded. But, there were abundant horned rabbits in the area. Their hides and some grass stuffing could make a bag resistant to puncture and cutting from the inside at least. He had work to do, but there was one last item of business before he left.
He turned his full concentration on the bear, analyzing its movements and body structure to determine exactly what it could do. He needed to know if it could run, and how fast. Could it climb? Could it swim? How fast was its reaction time? Did it have any notable fighting experience to strengthen it or scars that could hinder its movements? Did it have any exploitable weaknesses other than its eyes and nose?
After finishing his observations, Skrik crept his way back through the undergrowth and shadows toward where he had seen the horned rabbits. He was looking for a rabbit that had strayed a bit farther away from the others. If he made his moves correctly, he might be able to get several rabbits before heading back. If he did, then he would have the satisfaction of knowing that his poisoned javelins had done good work before losing their full potency.
His plan was to stay out of sight and down wind to avoid being detected and then to throw with precision and power from concealment, aiming for the neck or vitals. If he failed to kill one with a single throw then it would hopefully serve to be a good distraction. In that event, his contingency plan was to pick two other targets that were distracted and focused on the first and get them before their attention could encompass their entire surroundings. If his first hit was a kill, then he would quietly proceed with targeting another rabbit in the same way.
He only had three poisoned javelins with him so he only had three chances to do this. His knife would serve well if one of them detected him and charged, so he kept it ready, but otherwise he planned to test his ability to hunt with the range and silent striking advantage that the javelins provided.