Living off the Land Who: Tegwaret and Leland What: Teg and Leland reconnect and prepare for the journey ahead. Where: Northeast Borderlands of the Sapphire Domain When: Early Evening Rating: PG
A rustling sound, some brush or reeds being shifted aside, caught Tegwaret's attention as he crouched against the base of a tall oak. His eyes locked as his head turned to the source of the sound. A plain-marked, brown mallard had flippered out of the river, jostling the tall nest of cattails against their surrounding leaves, it's bill poking out from the ruffage as the stalks resettled against it's impression. There was a good 20 yards between the man and his prey, but the bird's eyes had not exited it's leafy shelter enough to see the man, although Tegwaret's dusty brown and cracked leather jerkin blended smoothly against the tree's bark.
As he slowly raised his fletched bow, Tegwaret pulled steady and firm back on the string, bringing the arrow to nestle in the crook of his nose and left eye. At this angle, staring to his right, he wasn't using his strongest hand, but it would take more than a simple shaft shot to throw off his strength. One arrow, a stone's throw away, and Tegwaret would be able to pierce it's oiled flesh without blinking an eye. He waited, arrow drawn as the mallard's bill dipped and shifted against it's protection for a moment, until finally, the bird stepped forth and Tegwaret seized the opportunity.
Sfft.
One could kill a bird many ways, often it wasn't even important how. But even the simplest croak of this mallard's death rattle could draw unwanted attention. Tegwaret needed no attention, it would only be harm until he could grow familiar with this new environment. He was still a foreigner to this domain, and with Rancelmen on his tail, however off their path they seemed to be, Tegwaret was sure that anyone would point him out as a new threat.
Glancing around towards the distance on both sides of the river and beyond, Tegwaret rolled his feet silent, but quickly towards the mallard. The arrow had meant to silence the bird in it's death, and as planned, it's head had done just that, piercing the base of the neck and following through the heart and out it's lower stomach. Tegwaret would eat for another evening, perhaps two with the size of this, assuming he could get it back to the cave undetected.