Not Everyone Is a Hunter

Writers: Chelle, Heather
Date Posted: 3rd July 2014

Characters: E'rae, S'avn
Description: E'rae and S'avn do manly things together.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 7, day 17 of Turn 7

"S'avn...I really don't think that's going to fit in there exactly."
E'rae was watching the younger rider with a concerned expression. He
didn't stop him though. No, with everything he was dealing with, it
was good to relax and even better to have something to laugh over and
be interested in. Besides, the younger man was easy to get along with.
He was safe.

The younger bluerider sighed in frustration, but looked up at E'rae
with a grin, "Allright then, Master Hunter, why don't you show me how
it is done?"

"Well you turn it around and then put it in, but you have to feed it little
by little. Have you never set up a snare before?" He looked at the man askance.
Before the Pass, dragonriders hunted for their food.

"No I have never set up a snare, I am only twenty-two, Pops." S'avn
teased good-naturedly as he watched E'rae worked with skill, his hands
moving with ease that spoke of having set up a snare many times. Now
that he had seen how it was done, S'avn knew that he would remember
for the next time.

"Yeah and we've only had thread for eight turns. How in the world did you
eat hm?" He shrugged and went back to doing what he was doing. When he
was done, he nodded and gave him the signal to pull back to cover. "Let's
hope we catch the thing." If it was what they were hoping for, then so much
the better.

S'avn rolled his eyes, "Give me a break, I was fourteen, fresh out of
harper classes and just deciding to be a dragonhealer. We all can't be
manly men like you." He retreated with E'rae. There had been plenty of
tracks and recent droppings to show that whersport were in the area,
and S'avn would hate to come back from his first hunting escapade
empty handed.

"Ah psh. I could tie a snare when I was nine. Useful stuff you know. Useful."
He grinned and when they were in place, he became quiet. His eyes tracked
the movements and he could feel Leith, who was a ways off, sunning on a rock.

The younger bluerider had nearly dozed off by the time he heard a
rustle and then the snap of the snare triggering into place. His eyes
lit up as he glanced sideways at E'rae. Peering up over the bush,
S'avn whooped and jumped to his feet.

"A second later and you would have had to wake me up."

"Wait a moment. There may be more in the area." They travelled in packs. The
bluerider had his bow up and was ready to shoot, eyes trained on the bushes.
"Get your knife ready."

S'avn's eyes grew large, "You expect me to kill something... With my
knife?!" He had never used it for more than whittling on a stick or
cleaning the dirt out from under his fingernails. He didn't know if he
had it in him to actually _stab_ a living thing.

**Further proof that I really am supposed to be a boy-loving
bluerider.** He thought morosely.

"All weyrlings get self defense training so I know you know how to use it."
After some time passed, it was clear nothing else was coming. So E'rae walked
out from the bushes and hurriedly put the struggling animal out of its misery.

"Allright S'avn, do you want to learn how to dress it now or would you
rather take it to the Weyr and have them do it?" One of his brows rose
and he grinned, anticipating the young rider's reaction. As it was, he
had some blood on him but he was in good spirits since the whersport
they had bagged was sizeable.

S'avn grimaced when E'rae killed the animal and returned his knife to
his boot. "I wouldn't want to deprive the workers their chance to..."
He waved his hand toward the creature. "Dress it, as you say." He
liked spending time with E'rae, but he could easily cross hunting off
of his list.

"Allright then. The dragons can come on in and load up. I'll get the
snare weights and rope." He moved to gather the stuff before helping
S'avn with the animal.

After the whersport was loaded onto Mayfeth, the two men headed back
to the Weyr. As they flew S'avn wondered again why his wingmate had
been grounded. He didn't want to ask E'rae out right for fear of
bringing up something that the other man didn't want to talk about.

Landing near the entrance to the lower caverns, S'avn dismounted and
began loosening the rope that held the creature to Mayfeth's flank.

Several drudges saw the creature on the side the dragon and began to
whisper. It was clear the size of the creature had drawn attention.
E'rae grinned but didn't help S'avn, staying atop Leith instead. Some
of the drudges came forward to help the rider though. "This'll be
good meat sir!"

"Oh, but I -" he didn't even get a chance to tell the people that he
hadn't really caught the whersport, that it had been all E'rae's
handiwork. S'avn watched as the creature was drug off between the Weyr
workers to be skinned and butchered.

He turned and looked back at E'rae, "Why didn't you tell them you caught it?"

Shrugging, he looked back at S'avn. "It doesn't matter. And you did
take it down so you did some of the work besides helping me set the
snare."

"Well," S'avn didn't know what to say to the man's generosity so he
settled for, "thanks."

"Welcome. Besides we all need a little job well done sometimes."
He gave S'avn a playful jab on the shoulder. "I'm going to go get a bath
and get ready for evening meal. See you later?"

S'avn smiled, "Yeah, I'll see you later."

Last updated on the July 15th 2014

Welcome to Triad Weyrs!

Not Everyone Is a Hunter