Post by Ferobbcious Beast on Feb 14, 2019 21:36:43 GMT
“Eiii jennnte stooood pa fjelllllltopp, og sag neeed deeen djuuuupe daaaaaaaalen...”
Even the chieftains of Colossian villages enjoyed their break time every now and then.
Stepping through the snowy pine forest with strides that seemed far too at ease for someone who could not see at all, the co-chieftain of Kollagskar, a blind arbalist known as Usken, strolled just besides a small stream. The shallow water rippled with the heavy impacts of her footsteps.
“Derrr sag'a et skiiiiip kom seiiiilandessss, kom seiiilandesss tre greverrr varrr ommm booooooooord...”
Twirling her fishing harpoon around her pointer finger with practiced dexterity, Usken deftly evaded a few traps placed there by the hunters of Kollagskar. Before her nose had gotten this sensitive, to a point where she could detect the traps through their metallic scent, Usken had the misfortune of stepping directly onto one. Her leg had been irreparably damaged, leaving her with a slight limp to her walk that was apparent to any animal watching her stroll around. She was fortunate to even have her foot still attached to her.
“Dennn alllller yngste greeeeeven, som vaaaaarrrr pa skiiiipet deeeeeeerrrr... Han viiillllle seeeg truloooova, trulooooova, med huuu saaa uuunnng’aaa vaaaaarrrrrr...”
She remembered how her mate, Nor, had felt so guilty over that injury. The fisherman had been at her side when she stepped on that bear trap. In his eyes back then, he was responsible for keeping her from barging into danger. It was the only time he had made her feel like a burden to him. Usken had to point out that she was not his responsibility; she was her own person. That injury had been nobody’s fault but her own for not being careful. The limp that Usken had to put up with daily was a constant reminder of the hazards she faced every day as someone who lacked eyesight.
“Sa drooog’n toooorrrrr fingen sin en rrring av gull saaa rrrooodt... Ta dennnnn, ta dennn du veeeenen min, veeenen miiin, taaa den og bliiii saaaa miiiinnnnn...”
Usken flung the fishing harpoon attached to her crossbow upwards and seized the makeshift bolt as it fell back down.
She noticed there was blood on some of the traps. Judging from the amount present, she could tell this had been a predator - probably a Stenhud or a Skoggr. The Stribolg were excessively rare around these parts. A Colossian would have pried the traps open so as to not rip the trapped animal further. Scavenging predators merely pulled the prey clean off. Usken, though disappointed that the sustenance that normally would have gone to her people was whisked away, felt relieved that this had been an animal and not a Skallbor stealing the prey. They were dangerous, and she preferred them to stay away from Kollagskar’s direct vicinity.
“Men da greeeven varrrrr borrrrrrrtrest, kom en aaaannen kaaaarrrrrr... Som heeennes hjerrrte sku viiiiiiinne, sku viiiiiinne, og dom kom sa vaaaael overennnnnsss...”
She did not get moments to herself very often. Overseeing Kollagskar alongside Nor left her very busy. Taking walks alongside the cold beaches and around the pine forest near the village allowed her to relax and reflect a little.
As she came up besides a tall pine, Usken brought up her hand and felt around the trunk, gauging how wide it was. Feeling it was large enough to lean against, she settled down and sat with her back up against the trunk, setting her crossbow in the snow besides her.
There, she closed her eyes — if only out of reflex and habit — and simply listened to her surroundings; the gentle ripples of the nearby stream, the arctic wind blowing among the branches, the chirping of the birds... They were like colors painting a scenery of sound. Usken did not require eyes to appreciate the beauty of the land. Nature was beautiful in far more ways than appearance.
As the Colossian with the blue coat lay there in the snow, listening to the gentle lullaby of the wintry forest sounds, she found herself feeling sleepier and sleepier. The arbalist would simply enjoy a brief nap and go back to the village afterwards.
---
The footsteps and breathing of a Stenhud startled her awake. Quickly unfurling the rope that was wrapped around her shoulder, Usken reached for her crossbow and armed it, paying attention to the Stenhud’s movements. She did not need hearing this sharp to be able to perceive the rumbling of the creature’s stomach. Regrettably for him, Usken was not in the mood to serve as meal.
“Hoj!” she hollered to the creature without at all turning around to face it. “Back!”
In one fluid and decisive motion, she raised up her crossbow and fired it. The sound startled the animal, but it only snarled in response...
... until the fishing harpoon launched by the ranged weapon planted itself in the snow only a few inches away from its body, narrowly missing its muzzle by a hair. The fur of its snout ruffled as the metallic object whizzed past. Rearing back in surprise, the Stenhud growled. A Skoggr would have ran away, but the Stenhud were stubborn and not easily frightened.
When she heard the animal charge, Usken rolled to the side and leaped to her feet. The Stenhud smashed against the trunk of the tree she was previously leaning up against, toppling the great pine over. The neighboring pines’ branches rustled as the tumbling tree fell against them and finally hit the ground. As the Stenhud shook its head and turned around, Usken wrenched her harpoon out of the snow and primed it in her crossbow, threatening the horned predator with it.
“So, Stenhud,” Usken muttered as she tracked the Stenhud encircling her. “You are who took them trapped prey, ej?”
The Stenhud snorted and batted the snow with his mighty paw, kicking up a cloud of frost. He jerked his head and aimed his skull down, though that particular display of intimidation was lost, considering who he faced.
The Stenhud charged. Usken pressed the trigger.
Soon, the pained roars of the furious animal filled the forest. The fishing harpoon delivered by Usken’s crossbow found itself in one of his eye sockets. The Stenhud’s armored head was remarkably tough; it was better to aim for its softer parts, such as the eyes. And the mouth.
Reaching inside an inner pocket of her coat, Usken chucked her axe with a flick of her wrist. The skeggox wheeled in the air before lodging itself firmly between the raging creature’s jaws. Groaning in pain and outrage, the Stenhud swayed his head and tried to break the weapon by biting down.
Usken, meanwhile, reached for her knife. It was time to end the beast’s suffering. In one calculated motion, she flung the hunting knife into the roof of the Stenhud’s mouth. The predator was dead before he even hit the ground. Usken was made aware of this fact when she ceased hearing the animal’s beating heart. Placing the bloodied axe and the knife back inside her coat’s pocket, she offered the downed beast a respectful nod.
However, as Usken pulled her harpoon out of the Stenhud’s skull and turned around with the intention to head back to the village and notify the hunters of her kill, so that they may carry it home and process it for the Colossians’ use, she realized something was off.
The traps were gone. Even the fallen tree had disappeared somehow. The entire layout of the forest had changed. Nothing was familiar anymore. It was as if she had been yanked to an entirely different area...
Usken frowned in concern.
She was lost.
Even the chieftains of Colossian villages enjoyed their break time every now and then.
Stepping through the snowy pine forest with strides that seemed far too at ease for someone who could not see at all, the co-chieftain of Kollagskar, a blind arbalist known as Usken, strolled just besides a small stream. The shallow water rippled with the heavy impacts of her footsteps.
“Derrr sag'a et skiiiiip kom seiiiilandessss, kom seiiilandesss tre greverrr varrr ommm booooooooord...”
Twirling her fishing harpoon around her pointer finger with practiced dexterity, Usken deftly evaded a few traps placed there by the hunters of Kollagskar. Before her nose had gotten this sensitive, to a point where she could detect the traps through their metallic scent, Usken had the misfortune of stepping directly onto one. Her leg had been irreparably damaged, leaving her with a slight limp to her walk that was apparent to any animal watching her stroll around. She was fortunate to even have her foot still attached to her.
“Dennn alllller yngste greeeeeven, som vaaaaarrrr pa skiiiipet deeeeeeerrrr... Han viiillllle seeeg truloooova, trulooooova, med huuu saaa uuunnng’aaa vaaaaarrrrrr...”
She remembered how her mate, Nor, had felt so guilty over that injury. The fisherman had been at her side when she stepped on that bear trap. In his eyes back then, he was responsible for keeping her from barging into danger. It was the only time he had made her feel like a burden to him. Usken had to point out that she was not his responsibility; she was her own person. That injury had been nobody’s fault but her own for not being careful. The limp that Usken had to put up with daily was a constant reminder of the hazards she faced every day as someone who lacked eyesight.
“Sa drooog’n toooorrrrr fingen sin en rrring av gull saaa rrrooodt... Ta dennnnn, ta dennn du veeeenen min, veeenen miiin, taaa den og bliiii saaaa miiiinnnnn...”
Usken flung the fishing harpoon attached to her crossbow upwards and seized the makeshift bolt as it fell back down.
She noticed there was blood on some of the traps. Judging from the amount present, she could tell this had been a predator - probably a Stenhud or a Skoggr. The Stribolg were excessively rare around these parts. A Colossian would have pried the traps open so as to not rip the trapped animal further. Scavenging predators merely pulled the prey clean off. Usken, though disappointed that the sustenance that normally would have gone to her people was whisked away, felt relieved that this had been an animal and not a Skallbor stealing the prey. They were dangerous, and she preferred them to stay away from Kollagskar’s direct vicinity.
“Men da greeeven varrrrr borrrrrrrtrest, kom en aaaannen kaaaarrrrrr... Som heeennes hjerrrte sku viiiiiiinne, sku viiiiiinne, og dom kom sa vaaaael overennnnnsss...”
She did not get moments to herself very often. Overseeing Kollagskar alongside Nor left her very busy. Taking walks alongside the cold beaches and around the pine forest near the village allowed her to relax and reflect a little.
As she came up besides a tall pine, Usken brought up her hand and felt around the trunk, gauging how wide it was. Feeling it was large enough to lean against, she settled down and sat with her back up against the trunk, setting her crossbow in the snow besides her.
There, she closed her eyes — if only out of reflex and habit — and simply listened to her surroundings; the gentle ripples of the nearby stream, the arctic wind blowing among the branches, the chirping of the birds... They were like colors painting a scenery of sound. Usken did not require eyes to appreciate the beauty of the land. Nature was beautiful in far more ways than appearance.
As the Colossian with the blue coat lay there in the snow, listening to the gentle lullaby of the wintry forest sounds, she found herself feeling sleepier and sleepier. The arbalist would simply enjoy a brief nap and go back to the village afterwards.
---
The footsteps and breathing of a Stenhud startled her awake. Quickly unfurling the rope that was wrapped around her shoulder, Usken reached for her crossbow and armed it, paying attention to the Stenhud’s movements. She did not need hearing this sharp to be able to perceive the rumbling of the creature’s stomach. Regrettably for him, Usken was not in the mood to serve as meal.
“Hoj!” she hollered to the creature without at all turning around to face it. “Back!”
In one fluid and decisive motion, she raised up her crossbow and fired it. The sound startled the animal, but it only snarled in response...
... until the fishing harpoon launched by the ranged weapon planted itself in the snow only a few inches away from its body, narrowly missing its muzzle by a hair. The fur of its snout ruffled as the metallic object whizzed past. Rearing back in surprise, the Stenhud growled. A Skoggr would have ran away, but the Stenhud were stubborn and not easily frightened.
When she heard the animal charge, Usken rolled to the side and leaped to her feet. The Stenhud smashed against the trunk of the tree she was previously leaning up against, toppling the great pine over. The neighboring pines’ branches rustled as the tumbling tree fell against them and finally hit the ground. As the Stenhud shook its head and turned around, Usken wrenched her harpoon out of the snow and primed it in her crossbow, threatening the horned predator with it.
“So, Stenhud,” Usken muttered as she tracked the Stenhud encircling her. “You are who took them trapped prey, ej?”
The Stenhud snorted and batted the snow with his mighty paw, kicking up a cloud of frost. He jerked his head and aimed his skull down, though that particular display of intimidation was lost, considering who he faced.
The Stenhud charged. Usken pressed the trigger.
Soon, the pained roars of the furious animal filled the forest. The fishing harpoon delivered by Usken’s crossbow found itself in one of his eye sockets. The Stenhud’s armored head was remarkably tough; it was better to aim for its softer parts, such as the eyes. And the mouth.
Reaching inside an inner pocket of her coat, Usken chucked her axe with a flick of her wrist. The skeggox wheeled in the air before lodging itself firmly between the raging creature’s jaws. Groaning in pain and outrage, the Stenhud swayed his head and tried to break the weapon by biting down.
Usken, meanwhile, reached for her knife. It was time to end the beast’s suffering. In one calculated motion, she flung the hunting knife into the roof of the Stenhud’s mouth. The predator was dead before he even hit the ground. Usken was made aware of this fact when she ceased hearing the animal’s beating heart. Placing the bloodied axe and the knife back inside her coat’s pocket, she offered the downed beast a respectful nod.
However, as Usken pulled her harpoon out of the Stenhud’s skull and turned around with the intention to head back to the village and notify the hunters of her kill, so that they may carry it home and process it for the Colossians’ use, she realized something was off.
The traps were gone. Even the fallen tree had disappeared somehow. The entire layout of the forest had changed. Nothing was familiar anymore. It was as if she had been yanked to an entirely different area...
Usken frowned in concern.
She was lost.