Challenges

[HoudiniDerek]

Kimara watched Sarora try to pretty herself up in anticipation of Saira's return. If the path was similar, they would be there sometime the next evening. Kimara wondered how well it would go...especially with Sarora meeting someone who was with Saira...not the least of which since he was a Dragoon.

Kimara finished eating and packed up the camp. Sarora's excitement at the prospect of Saira returning was overwhelming her good sense it would seem. Sighing, Kimara put the satchel by a tree and lay the ancient head on it, hoping to get some sleep. It would be a long trip back to the Blaze Mountain after this.

"Goodnight, Sarora. Remember: Do not interact with her until she gets back. You don't want her to think that you do not trust her." With that, Kimara dropped off to sleep.

[Omio]

Len nodded, and had jumped into the trees, searching around for either small fodder in large numbers, or something somewhat big. He searched for some time until he found the perfect thing - and something he had talked about before. An Egg Bear. He jumped to the right branch, and waited for the right timing, and when it came, he came down in one jump, with his clean knife in hand. With a single, back-handed smash against the top of the bear's head, and with the dagger going deep within the head, the bear fell in an instant death, not even knowing it had been killed.

Now came the trickier part - lugging it all the way back to camp. He took at least 3 minutes getting here, and lugging this thing was going to wake a while. At least a half-hour. He began to drag the large bear back, and arrived WAY after Saira was finished. "I didn't expect to land one THIS big..." The knife was still stuck in the head of the bear, though not for long as Len pulled it out. "I'll have to wash off now, too. Skinning and whatnot else is easy enough when the only thing that's a mess is the head, and the only thing that CAN make a mess..."

[WolfEnchantress]

Sarora didn't react to the advice given by Kimara, but she did listen to it. Calling to her now would ruin the whole test. She sat stone still, staring into the forest like a statue. She wouldn't sleep tonight, which was fine. She'd spent far too much time sleeping lately.

**

Saira gaped when Len returned with the bear.
"There's no way we can eat that entire thing!" She said, "But nice hunting. I probably would have ended up as bear food." She took out a knife.
"If you want, you can go wash up while I start skinning it. I know how to do at least that much." Furs were essential in the Ridge.

[Omio]

Len smiled. "So you know how to skin? Great, thank you. As to the majority of it, I'm probably going to - overnight, mind you - make jerky and rations out of it." He avoided the subject of Saira dying; it was like a thorn in his side, and one he'd rather not think about. He set things down, and removed the vials and bags from his belt and crib. He also had to unstrap the crib, because wood and water didn't blend too well. "And unless you feel like joining me, try not to make a mess on yourself." And he walked away to the lake.

This was when he was vaguely uncertain. He had swam before, sure, but they said that the water they swam in was thinner than regular water. He had no clue what that meant, but that did scare him until he took his shoes off and placed it in the water. There was resistance. Lots of resistance. The rest of his gear could be soaked. He ran in up to his waist, and felt the difference - as if to be nearly weightless already. Once he got up to his shoulders, swimming was easily done. Thicker means it floats easier, of course! God, I'm such a moron...

The swim rolled its course, and a somewhat long one, as he enjoyed trying (and failing, surprisingly) to dive, and swim among the surface easily. After at least half an hour, but no more than half a bell, (roughly an hour, but not exact) he got out of the water, picking up his shoes and walking barefoot. Walking barefoot was a part of training, in some parts.

[WolfEnchantress]

Saria nodded and knelt by the bear. She pierced the knife into it's chest shallowly and made a long cut all the way down, then a few more along it's sides. From there she pulled back the skin so it's fat and muscle were showing. After about thirty five or forty minutes, she'd finished getting the skin off and had it draped over a tree branch, unsure of what len wanted done with it.

Stretching, she stood, inspecting herself. Only her hands had gotten bloody, and a bit up her arms, which was cleaned easily enough. Again she knelt down and contemplated the rest of the bear, stil holding it's shape due to the muscles. She began hacking off the fatty chunks of the bear and set them on a mat of leaves before stopping. Len was going to make jerky, but she didn't know how think of strips he'd want or how many. Shrugging, she sat back against a tree to wait for his return.

[Omio]

(( LoZ reference accident! XDDDD ))

Len came back with all his worn gear soaked - though clean. He noticed the bear, completely skinned. And with the fat cut off, too. "Perfect, you've even prepared it." And then he went to the bear, and grabbed the knife that was also used for skinning the bear. He made rather thick slabs, and while he was still beginning. "Mind getting me about sixteen straight, forearm-length sticks, please? I'll need them in order to finish the process overnight."

[WolfEnchantress]

She nodded and rose, slipping into th forest to find the sticks needed. It didn't take too long, the forest was littered with them. She tried to find the smoothest ones she could, without and insects or dirt on them. Once they were gathered, she returned and set them down next to Len, who'd started choping off rather large strips of meat from the bear.

"Are these okay?" She asked, kneeling again. "Is there anything else I can do?" Granted, she didn't quite know how to make Egg bear jerky, but it couldn't be too different than making it form other animals. Which she didn't have much experience doing, either, but could probably manage.

[Omio]

"Just weave them so they're in a sort of grid, so I can put these chunks on." Len smiled. "Thanks, Saira." And he resumed cutting the pieces. "After that, I can also cook our dinner with what's left. I'll just need two large forked sticks, and one long, semi-thick stick for that, along with wood for a fire."

[WolfEnchantress]

Nodding, she set to work weaving the sticks together into kind of a grid. Once that was done, she stood and again stepped into the forest, finding an abundance of dry wood that would do well for a fire and the forked sticks requested. She returned a few moments later and delivered them to Len.

"No problem," She replied. "I like helping when I can." She sat back and started a fire, glad that it wasn't raining this time. Once that was done, she sat back and idly picked at a thread on her cloak, watching him skin the meat from the Eggbear. She could feel the connection with Sarora now, even though both of them had closed each other out of their minds. They were very close. Only a day away, if everything went right.

Then she thought a moment, watching the clouds drift lazily by. "Len?" She asked. "What was it that you were making when I first saw you in the forest?" She'd no idea why she suddenly thought of that, but now, seeing as she wasn't completely in the dark about Alchemy, she was rather curious.

[Omio]

He blinked, barely hearing the question due to his focus. He stopped for a moment. "It's a healing salve my father had written in his book. He had written it within his book. Obviously, I'd inherit such a thing, but he actually had someone else hand it to me later on, because of the way things were. Not only with me, but with him - though he had reason to be chased everywhere." And then he sighed. "I'd rather not go into detail; I'm doing something else, and I'd rather not go into detail with this matter at the immediate moment." It sounded as if someone had plucked a bad string. He sounded half-depressed through his speech after the sigh - the first half somewhat monotone.

He placed the slabs on the grid of sticks, and then grabbed the stray, semi-thick one as he stuck a bunch of other semi-hunks of meat onto the stick, making a very large skewer of sorts - then he positioned things so they could have a flame-broiled (If that's what you could call it, anyways.) chunk of bear. Eggbear meat was known for taste and size. "I'll get the rations ready to be dried. You'll have to rotate the large stick now and again." And then he let down his backpack, taking out a pouch of white powder as he sprinkled said white powder upon the slabs on the grid.

[WolfEnchantress]

Saria listened, but didn't answer when he finished his explanation. It seemed it wasn't a subject he was very willing to talk about, so she dropped it altogether.

She watched him preparing the Eggbear with interest. She'd never made bear before. Nor had she ever heard of something drying out in only one night. Occasionally, she'd turn the stick when it seemed appropriate, but mostly she was quiet, thinking about, well, everything, her mine not really able to stay in one place. She watched the clouds drifting by above her through the trees and waited for the bear to finish cooking.

[Omio]

Upon having salted the meat properly, he set it somewhere that was somewhat open. "Salt the meats, and leave them to be moon-dried, and a little bit of sun-drying, too." Len nodded. "Looks kinda good this round, too." Other than that, he seemed to idle, letting Saira do some work for experience.

(( Bleh, I can't really do much. ))

[WolfEnchantress]

Sarora blinked. Other than that one movement, she'd been rather still for a long while, except for the occasional comment to Kimara about something or another. She showed no anticipation, only a relaxed calm, but she was as alert as if she'd just woken from a nap to find herself surrounded. Blinking again, she waited.

**

Saira nodded. She'd never heard of moon-drying meats. It was rather interesting. Then again, she'd never heard of an Eggbear either. All in all, she was learning a lot from this trip.

For a while she sat idle, turning the meat occasionally, before stretching and standing.
"Do you want to spar?" She asked. "I still want to teach you some of what I know. But first, I have to see what you know. Now is as good a time as any, and we can eat after, which would make sense than waiting until right after eating."

[Omio]

Len looked at Saira, and blinked, thinking it over. "...We'd have to go a little distance away from this little camp-out before we spar." And then he checked the meat. It was done, so he heaved the stick off, and the one tip into the ground a little, which stood it up like a pole. The meat stuck in position. "And I don't intend on using any knives, or other tools." And he undid his tool belt, placing it down. He was unarmed. "That way, if I do get too agitated, things don't turn sour - even if by accident."
I'll have to make sure not to jump high, or hit those weak points unless she hits me in two of them.

[WolfEnchantress]

She nodded.
"That's fine, no weapons then, or tools" She took off her shoes and set them by her cloak, finding it easier to fight barefoot when you knew what you were standing on.

She went a little ways off from the campsite- still within sight, but far enough away as well. It was relatively open, with a few logs and rocks, and tall grass about to her knees.

"Okay, here should be good." she sighed and closed her eyes, letting her body relax and ready itself. There was almost a physical change in how she stood, held herself, even breathed. She slid her legs slightly apart from each other and held one arm down, bent horizontally across her stomach, and the other in a fist in front of her lower face/upper body. It was a stance not used in any recognized martial arts-Sarora had taught her as they practiced, developing the way to stand they thought was best.

"You can have the first strike," She said, opening her eyes, a light smile on her face.