Post by The Stranger on Apr 18, 2008 15:15:27 GMT -5
Mag eyed the bird. It was a small bird, completely black; the Skagosi called them Mordors, no doubt a corruption of the common tongue word of murder. Thought very small, the birds sometimes travel in large flocks and have been known to surround people and animals in hundreds, pecking out their eyes and brains. The only thing they were useful for was the hunting and killing of snakes and rodents. The Skagosi hated them.
Ryk, oblivious, kept walking, crunching on twigs. With a glaring look, Mag quieted him. Turning back to the bird, Mag readied his sling shot, methodically lining up his shot. Finally, after being frozen for several minutes, he was ready to let loose.... when simultaenously a loud bellow of a voice was heard from behind. "MAGNAR! And my PRINCE!" Maez Stonehead said, happy as could be. He stalked through the bushes and trees like a giant. The bird flew away just before the stone reached it, but even with the distraction Mag managed to hit it on its wing, injuring it. Mag's mirrakai, Burk, sprang forth to feast on the bird.
Mag turned to Maez and slapped him across the head, smiling. "You big ogre." Maez smiled, as if he had been praised, and knew to remain quiet this time. They continued to stalk through the woods. "Halt," Ryk ordered. The men halted. Mag scanned the woods to look for what Ryk might see, but count find it. Suddenly another Mordor flew into the sky in front of them. Ryk's stone flew fast and true, bringing it down. This time Burk was denied the treat. They would eat it later themselves.
They turned to return back to Kingshouse, where they had begun their hunting trip. Suddenly, out of seemingly nowhere, a small girl jumped out of a bush. Maez lifted his club in caution, which caused Ryk and Mag to laugh to no end. "Still worried about your enemy, Maez?" Ryk laughed. "You're safe this time, she is not holding a rock in her hand." Maez frowned and pushed into the woods back to Kingshouse by himself. "What you doing out here, Stoneknife? You follow us?" The girl, unsure of herself, hesitated, then nodded. "How do ya do that?" she asked, pointing to the slingshot and the dead bird, her curiosity obvious. She was obvious more at ease around Mag and Ryk than around the huge warrior they called Maez Stonehead. "Do not mind Maez Stonehead, girl," Mag said in the common tongue. "You stole his pride with your rock knife. I wish I could have seen." He smiled at the thought of it. He took her hand gently and began to tell her of the sling shot.
For three hours they sat in the woods, after Ryk had gone ahead. He spoke to her calmly, growing more fond of the small girl they called Stoneknife every moment. Finally, he had taught the girl how to use the weapon well enough so that she could hit a tree consisently from ten yards. "Very good, Stoneknife," he said, laughing. At the beginning, the girl could barely draw the weapon back, but that was because she was not gripping it correctly. A sling shot really takes very little strength, Mag explained, so even a child could wield it much better than the greatest knight if he had been properly taught.
On their way home, walking through the stone mountains of Skagos, they must have looked an odd pair; a savagely attractive, muscular prince, and a small, frail girl from the south. "I love this island," Mag said, more to himself than Finny Stoneknife. They were approaching Kingshouse's stone halls in the distance, when suddenly a brown rabbit, oblivious to their approach, bounced into their path, not twenty feet ahead. They both stopped, holding their breath, trying to be quiet. Burk moved to chase after it but Mag held him back with a soft whisper and a calming hand on the neck. Handing his sling shot to Finny, he also gave her a circular grey stone. "This rabbit is yours, Finny Stoneknife," he said, still talking in a low whisper. "See if I am good teacher, or lousy." The girl's face rolled up into a ball of concentration and determination. The rabbit turned and looked at them, sitting frozen. Finny eyed him for a long moment before letting the rock fly, when right at that moment... A huge figure burst from the trees, shouting "PRINCE!". Suddenly, the figure went down, moaning. Mag laughed so hard his stomach hurt, he could not breath. Even the girl was laughing, nearly in tears, as Maez Stonehead lay writing on the ground, clutching his face and his most likely broken nose.
"Old gods," Mag said in his own tongue, "I love this island."
Results:
Mag improves to expert sling shot.
Ryk improves to apprentice sling shot.
Finny improves to expert hiding.
Finny gains beginner sling shot.
Ryk, oblivious, kept walking, crunching on twigs. With a glaring look, Mag quieted him. Turning back to the bird, Mag readied his sling shot, methodically lining up his shot. Finally, after being frozen for several minutes, he was ready to let loose.... when simultaenously a loud bellow of a voice was heard from behind. "MAGNAR! And my PRINCE!" Maez Stonehead said, happy as could be. He stalked through the bushes and trees like a giant. The bird flew away just before the stone reached it, but even with the distraction Mag managed to hit it on its wing, injuring it. Mag's mirrakai, Burk, sprang forth to feast on the bird.
Mag turned to Maez and slapped him across the head, smiling. "You big ogre." Maez smiled, as if he had been praised, and knew to remain quiet this time. They continued to stalk through the woods. "Halt," Ryk ordered. The men halted. Mag scanned the woods to look for what Ryk might see, but count find it. Suddenly another Mordor flew into the sky in front of them. Ryk's stone flew fast and true, bringing it down. This time Burk was denied the treat. They would eat it later themselves.
They turned to return back to Kingshouse, where they had begun their hunting trip. Suddenly, out of seemingly nowhere, a small girl jumped out of a bush. Maez lifted his club in caution, which caused Ryk and Mag to laugh to no end. "Still worried about your enemy, Maez?" Ryk laughed. "You're safe this time, she is not holding a rock in her hand." Maez frowned and pushed into the woods back to Kingshouse by himself. "What you doing out here, Stoneknife? You follow us?" The girl, unsure of herself, hesitated, then nodded. "How do ya do that?" she asked, pointing to the slingshot and the dead bird, her curiosity obvious. She was obvious more at ease around Mag and Ryk than around the huge warrior they called Maez Stonehead. "Do not mind Maez Stonehead, girl," Mag said in the common tongue. "You stole his pride with your rock knife. I wish I could have seen." He smiled at the thought of it. He took her hand gently and began to tell her of the sling shot.
For three hours they sat in the woods, after Ryk had gone ahead. He spoke to her calmly, growing more fond of the small girl they called Stoneknife every moment. Finally, he had taught the girl how to use the weapon well enough so that she could hit a tree consisently from ten yards. "Very good, Stoneknife," he said, laughing. At the beginning, the girl could barely draw the weapon back, but that was because she was not gripping it correctly. A sling shot really takes very little strength, Mag explained, so even a child could wield it much better than the greatest knight if he had been properly taught.
On their way home, walking through the stone mountains of Skagos, they must have looked an odd pair; a savagely attractive, muscular prince, and a small, frail girl from the south. "I love this island," Mag said, more to himself than Finny Stoneknife. They were approaching Kingshouse's stone halls in the distance, when suddenly a brown rabbit, oblivious to their approach, bounced into their path, not twenty feet ahead. They both stopped, holding their breath, trying to be quiet. Burk moved to chase after it but Mag held him back with a soft whisper and a calming hand on the neck. Handing his sling shot to Finny, he also gave her a circular grey stone. "This rabbit is yours, Finny Stoneknife," he said, still talking in a low whisper. "See if I am good teacher, or lousy." The girl's face rolled up into a ball of concentration and determination. The rabbit turned and looked at them, sitting frozen. Finny eyed him for a long moment before letting the rock fly, when right at that moment... A huge figure burst from the trees, shouting "PRINCE!". Suddenly, the figure went down, moaning. Mag laughed so hard his stomach hurt, he could not breath. Even the girl was laughing, nearly in tears, as Maez Stonehead lay writing on the ground, clutching his face and his most likely broken nose.
"Old gods," Mag said in his own tongue, "I love this island."
Results:
Mag improves to expert sling shot.
Ryk improves to apprentice sling shot.
Finny improves to expert hiding.
Finny gains beginner sling shot.