Today I'm On My Own (E'rro

[dragon]

It had been an awful long time since she'd used one of these things ... it had been an awful long time since she'd needed to use one of these things. Back in the day, she had been a decent shot. Now? Shards, it'd been some thirteen turns! Dorava felt she'd be lucky if she could hit the broad side of a barn from the inside! She tucked the end of the bow into the inside of her leg, grabbed the top, and heaved downward while holding the string in the other hand.

To her utmost surprise, it bent far easier than she expected. Quickly slipping the string over the end, she released it. That was something she had remembered being a rather difficult task ... but then she'd been a lot younger at the time, a lot smaller, and - arguably - not a dragonrider. Something had to be said for dragon riding making a body strong. Picking up the bow, she picked at the string with the other hand, testing the tautness. It was decent - decent enough to kill something, anyway.

Aonith was hungry. Again. And ever since getting torn up like she had, Dorava had taken to fetching her meals for her. Which had become a daily task. She almost felt like a weyrling again. Bringing in food, clearing away the resulting mess... all for a dragon who - again - couldn't fly. And this time was quite disinclined to even move. Dorava couldn't and wouldn't blame her. Aonith needed to rest until her backstrap healed.

So here she was, hunting again. Not quite hunting, but it was the same idea. The only good thing was that the animals were used to being stalked by flying dragons... not by women with bows. Well ... today she was using a bow. Before she'd simply walked up to them and stabbed a dirk into their heart. It was easy. Now ... the herd was more leery and wouldn't let her just waltz up to them anymore. So, thus the bow.

Picking the arrow out of the ground where she'd stood it moments before, Dorava felt it over. When she'd been young, she'd used a bow to defend her father's herds. Not to kill them. But ... if she could hit a running predator then, she could hit a standing goat now, right? Nocking the arrow to the string, she lifted the whole thing as she drew.

Her arms and back protested loudly - this was not something they were used to doing, for sure! Not anymore! She tried to steady her aim, but it was difficult with the wobbling she was doing. Finally, she released the string, only to have the arrow fly wild, dissapearing into a tree at the end.

Heaving a sigh, she grumped at the goats that were still just ... standing there.

If she were only strong enough to move a herdbeast, she'd only have to hunt for Aonith once a week. But carrying a goat or sheep was about as much as she could manage, trekking all the way to the infirmary! Picking up another arrow, she applied that to the string. This was going to take some practice, she could tell.

[Tashe]

The Brownrider had been standing there for a while, just watching Dorava fiddle with her bow. He shouldn't have been surprised that the woman knew how to handle a bow, a good few northerners did, but it was something he never put to her face. Crossing his arms E'rro rested one of his shoulders against his tree, his own bow causing a familiar pressure against his back. He had been called in to help with the Dayshifts at the Infirmary, but sometimes 'help' meant killing livestock for the Dragons and Whers who's Riders or Handlers where also in the Infirmary recovering. Since they couldn't do it, someone had to. He had actually volunteered since the Dayshift had some of the most experienced Healers and Dragonhealers on it, they often didn't need his help. At least, now they didn't. Not after a month, since he tended to be the most helpful with emergency triage.

As Dorava let her first arrow fly, the Wingleader watched as it missed the heard of goats by a good margin. He shook his head slightly, apparently the Greenrider hadn't been practicing. He had only recently finished hunting, in fact the only reason he happened to be standing where he was was because he had left his weapons stashed in a bush near by. When carrying dead animals to the infirmary, it helped to free yourself of any extra weight. For the trek he had borrowed two drudges, efficiently cutting his trips by two thirds. They had finished quickly, and E'rro had returned to the feeding grounds. And it was when he was collecting his weapons, he had spotted a familiar face.

Pushing off of the tree, he wiped his brow with his sleeveless yet blood stained shirt. It was hot out, but having lived at Selenitas for so many years one got used to the springs and summers. Climbing the fence that kept the livestock in, he perched at top it and crossed his boots at the ankles. "I think, you've wounded that tree. You were aiming for it, right?" He knew she hadn't, but it wouldn't be E'rro without his normal chill. Nuisance scurried out from in His humanpet's sharp stick holder to perch on his shoulder. Ohoh. Hihi Aonithpet! You make sharpstick fly?

[dragon]

Dorava shut down her bow so fast that it surprised her, despite already being surprised that someone had snuck up on her like that. She turned slightly, and looked back at E'rro. Seeing it was only him, she couldn't hide a smirk. "Of course. Didn't you see me slay it? It was running so fast, it was a hard shot, you know. Kinda amazing, after all these turns, that I can still shoot that good." She gave a sincere nod, before grinning. "What are you doing out here, O Master Hunter?" No, she hadn't missed the bloody smears or the bow on his own back.

Deciding to give up on the flinging arrows in the general direction of the goats for the time being, she ambled over toward the fence, to lean on it a few feet away from where he was perched on it. Quirking an eyebrow upward, she looked up at him. "I take it you actually practice with that sharding thing." She commented, more seriously. "I'm afraid I'm really ... really rusty."

Her gaze then flicked toward the little blue that was crawling around on him. It gave her a nasty pang in her gut, that. Val used to scamper around on her person, too. Now, he just sat wherever he was put, and occasionally flopped like a fish out of water. "Hello, you." She greeted.

[Tashe]

"Shoot that well." He corrected her. Hooking one of his boots behind one of the wooden slats, E'rro crossed his arms which made his quiver rattle slightly. "I was collecting my bow, before I had to stop and marvel at your shooting abilities. The healers on shift needed me to collect food for the beasts who's riders could not retrieve some, for various reasons." Tapping his free heel against the fence he watched as Dorava made her way over to him. He'd seen Aonith in the infirmary but in the whirlwind of commotion after the attack, he couldn't remember if he helped treat her or not. The only dragon he knew he had treated with one hundred percent certainty, was is own. Between his memories and that of Ismaroth's he remembered the Brown letting only him treat his wounds.

"Of course. A bow is useful, even if they aren't my first choice in weaponry." Reaching back he removed his bow from it's holster and held it lightly in his left hand. "Its logical to practice both long range and short range weapons." He flipped the handle so the tips swung back toward him and then let them fall back toward the ground, glancing back over at Dorava where she was leaning against the corral fence. "Really? I could not tell. Well, at least you still have enough strength to knock an arrow." He swiveled slightly to look in the direction of her last shot. "It flew far." Hopping down off of the fence, E'rro removed his bowstring from its pouch. He owned a recurve bow, easier to soot harder to string. Looping one end of the string into it's notch, he strung the other in a practiced motion.

Hellohello. Nuisance bounced slightly and nearly fell off of His human's shoulder. But he regained his balance in time to grab on when E'rro slipped down off of the wooden railing. Fun times, fun times!

[dragon]

Dorava stuck her tongue out at him. "Whatever. I herded beasts as a kid, not attended harperhall." She defended before grinning. Trust someone to nit pick! Not that it bothered her much at all ... she wasn't averse to friendly banter. Even if it was at her own expense. "You know, if I'd known I had an audience, I would have tried a little harder to put on a dramatic pose, too." She answered, grinning again. Dorava picked at the string a bit, listened to it tunk, and then heaved a sigh. "I've been so busy learning other things that I haven't practiced. I guess I should. What all are you good at?" She watched as he dismounted the fence and strung his own bow. Clearly, he'd done it so many times it wasn't funny any more. But at the same time, admirable. Determined, Dorava decided she needed to practice with one, get back in shape. Even if such things were a tad silly for a dragonrider to be using. Who used bows from adragonback?

"You think I got weak?!" She asked, taking on a mocked offended expression. "Heh. No - I used to shoot one of them there you have in your hand. I am pretty sure I could draw it still, but keeping it from removing my forearm? Not so sure. So I figured I'd better stick with something with a lighter draw for now." She thumped the end of her own bow off the top of her boot. It was pathetic, really. Embarassing, almost. No matter what she did, she failed. Utterly. It was hard to not get depressed, and stay that way. "Don't worry about the arrow. I'll send Mandyr to find it, then I'll retrieve it." She assured him. That was if it hadn't stuck itself in a limb and utterly shivered itself to pieces. Dorava didn't think it had - not after how far it'd gone. It was embarrassing, to have had the arrow go so badly awry from where she'd thought she'd pointed the sharding thing.

"As talented a healer as you are, and they send you a-hunting." She chewed her bottom lip, and bunched her brows together. It didn't make much sense to her - but if he was that good with a bow ... maybe that was why. But - if they were needing so much meat, why not just send a dragon down? Surely not all of the dragons were wounded!

"Don't fall." She warned the salamandyr as he hopped around. "Falling is bad - just as Valiant. He'll tell you all about it." He wouldn't really, his vocabulary wasn't that big. But - it still was not a good thing. Granted, falling from a shoulder was a whole other story than falling from a top-tier weyr all the way to the cayon floor. It was a miracle Val was even still alive, after that. Anyway - good idea to enter caution into the little cheep's mind.

[Tashe]

"Somethings are more important than practicing a weapon that has, for the most part, been excluded from Southern Rider training." Pulling back on his bow bow string to test its tauntness, E'rro used his waist clip to hold the bow while he strapped on an arm gaurd. Glancing over at Dorava as his hands found their way back to his bow, the Brownrider gave a small shrug. "I am proficient in most armed combat, though I specialize in throwing knives. It was rather... important to be handy with weapons. It was one criteria to ride on the Weyrling Wing." An arrow was drawn from his quiver, but he didn't knock it, in stead he twirled it between his fingers. He watched as she hit the tip of her bow against her boot. "Mandyr? I was not aware you had another pet other than Valient." Valval. Last see Val much long time 'go. Say hihi to Valval from Nuisance?

When she commented on why he was here, E'rro's arrow stopped rotating in a circle. Putting it between his teeth, the younger man tied some of his hair back from his face before resting the arrow in it's knoch. His face was turned away from Dorava when he responded, his gaze more focused on where he had his Bow pointed. "I was switched to the Night Shift. I am simply... volunteering at the moment." Nothing ever happened during the Night Shift. He had often considered the possibility that he was being punished for some reason, if only because it was stir crazy boring. But he never complained out loud, speaking only to Ismaroth about his concerns. "They needed food for the Dragons and Whers and I had finished helping Isma with his wing stretches, so I offered to go." A pause. "I get bored when I am grounded."

Shifting his weight he turned toward Dorava. "Would you like to do a little target practice before another magnificant attempt at taking down a tree... I mean, goat." The edges of his mouth twitched up in a barely contained smile.

[dragon]

"Oh, I know you are, E'rro. I know you are." Dorava agreed, with a nod. She had suffered through almost the same training as a youth that E'rro had. Not quite the same, as she'd been selected for something else... that and she was female. Which actually made a world of difference in a lot of different ways. She wasn't nearly so good at actual weapon use or fighting as she was at falling. Falling had been Dorava's specialty - leaping off of Aonith and landing on another dragon. Kill the rider, and leap off again, all before anyone knew she was there. To get caught once more by Aonith. Heights were something she was not scared of in the slightest, due to that.

But in all other areas? She was a bucket of fail. Clearly. Even in inter-human interaction. Socialization was apparently not a strong suit, now that she dared to open her mouth and speak. Which was ... disturbing.

"Mandyr is a flitter. A green, who doesn't do anything but sleep, and occassionally eat. She is so fat she'd be prime for rendering." Dorava shrugged. "I often forget I've got her as a pet, so it's no surprise that no one else knows I've got her, either." Mandyr was, thankfully, not a nuisance, however. Thank Faranth for that. Just ... had to look out to not step on her or land on her. Squish her flat! "Oh, hun. I'll definitely tell Val hi for you." She assured the little blue. It was interesting ... something with a memory as short lived as that remembered Valiant? It touched her, a bit, and then made her wonder what exactly it was that Val could remember and wasn't letting on to.

"Target practice." Dorava repeated thoughtfully, watching as he tinkered with his own bow and arrow. "Are you offering to teach me things, or are you betting that I can't hit you?" She asked. "I'd love to take you up on the first, but I'll think I'll pass on the second idea." Dorava did rather hope it was the first he was suggesting ... not only because she did rather want to get back in shape with the bow, but maybe she could talk him into teaching her other things, as well. Maybe maybe!

[Tashe]

"Ah. I see. At least she doesn't live up to her name like mine does." He prodded his Blue gently in the stomach. "I had to return a pair of Grey Pearl earrings the other day. It was, well, a nuisance." Although E'rro hated to admit it, the almost black Blue had grown on him through the years. Impressively so. The Brownrider loved his Mandyr almost as much as Ismaroth, which was saying something because he had gone through a lot more with his Dragon than he had ever gone through with his Salamandyr. Rubbing the side of Nuisance's head, E'rro nodded slightly as the Blue crooned happily at Dorava. Yes good. Thanks. Nui had a good memory for others of his species, especially the ones he had met multiple times. And because they worked in the infirmary he tended to meet a lot of new friends everyday.

"Although I would probably be a few marks richer... I do mean the former." Using his free hand, E'rro opened a small pouched that hung on his belt. He preferred to use chalkpowder when practicing because in gloves he felt restrained. This way he could get a more accurate feeling on the tension he was putting on the Bowstring. The Rider's thumb passed over the joints of two of his fingers, making sure the chalkpowder was spread evenly. He remembered when he first learned Archery, his fingers had stung like a thousand angry bees. It had taken him forever to develop the calluses, but when little Erron had, it had felt like a blessing. His father had been very adamant that his son become a well versed Rider and although he had loved his father, the child he once was disliked him for pushing so hard.

Snapping out of his reveille, E'rro wiped his other hand on his slacks before shifting his grip on the Bow. "Lets see." He turned in a complete circle, his eyes tracking the surroundings, looking for something that would work for their game. "There." The Wingsecond lifted his hand to point at a short, squat tree about a Dragon's length away from them. They had to move of course, just a little. "That will work. Don't you think?" Adjusting the strap to his quiver E'rro moved toward the tree, his long strides where smooth enough so that they didn't bother his Salamandyr from his perch on his head. Positioning himself the proper distance away for a long range shot, the he looked downward and exhaled before lifting upward and drawing the string back as he inhaled. He took aim and let it fly, lifting his hand to catch Nuisance who had begun to fall. "Nuisance. If you're going to stay up there, grab hair." To Dorava he said, "Lets see how you do on non-moving targets at a set range. I am moderately sure that tree will not move..." He gave the tree an unsure glance.

[dragon]

"Well ... that seems to be the theme. My pets not living up to their names, I mean. After all ... Valiant is still a shy little beast that hates to be seen, and Mandyr never did manage to get smaller. I swear if she gets much rounder I'll have to rent her out as a flying ball. Or ... maybe scratch the flying part..." She mused, before shrugging. "Oh well. I am very glad neither of them are pests." Dorava watched with interest as E'rro chalked up his fingers. That ... was never something she had needed to do. Even as a kid. Her fingers were usually tough from the beastherding work she'd done growing up. And then later as a dragonrider. Gloves and chalk were things that never crossed her mind. Even now, she doubted there was much room on her hands that weren't calloused. Granted - she'd never been a full time Healer, like he was, either. All that washing tended to destroy callouses in a hurry - even if one was a dragonrider!

"Oh, lovely. I probably just need a refresher and some practice ... I used to do this as a kid. But! Maybe I can learn something new, too. Who knows?" Dorava grinned at him for a brief moment before following him as he scoped out a suitable tree. She snatched up her bow again as she went, following him and then eyeing the range he'd set up - and the target. Something she'd been taught was to never shoot trees, if she could help it. They tended to completely destroy the arrow shaft, and completely swallow the head. For practice, that was a tad wasteful. For anything, that was a tad wasteful. But - E'rro was being the teacher, she the student. So she kept her mouth shut and just paid attention as he drew his bow. Dorava did try to not giggle at his comment of the tree maybe not moving terribly far.

Next thing they knew, there was going to be stories circulating the Weyr about walking trees!

Dorava watched the arrow fly, ignoring the diving mandyr that E'rro was having to catch directly after the shot. She did wonder how it had affected his aim, though ... where that arrow might have gone if he hadn't had to lurch after the tiny lizard. "Should I try?" She asked, just to be sure even as she placed an arrow to the string. Afterward, she glanced at him for verification.