[SRP - North] Another Game [Thrain & Kito]

[Quaji]

Several moon cycles had passed since he had met one of the few hunters of the North and been challenged to a hunting game in which he had lost. Quite badly too. Once again, Thrain found himself standing in a familiar spot. It was same location he had participated in a game against Mo Zhao. It was an unremarkable place, with only a few dotted rock formations to separate it from the rest of the landscape around it. It was also a place he trained frequently at as it the rocks made good pedestals for him to leap from.

The sun was high and the winds were cool. It was time for yet another hunting game.

Three days ago, the captain had been challenged by duke Shan, proclaiming that since he had been beaten in one game, perhaps he would have better luck trying a different sort. At least this time maybe the two would be on equal footing. Thrain had hunted for his young adult life as a profession in the Pridelands, but it was second-nature for them to hunt and it was uncommon to find members that did not hunt. Excluding the royal family of course. Duke Shan had lived a life of luxury so hopefully he had not been trained too well by his teachers.

So once again, the captain found himself sitting, waiting, with a skin containing the proof of his hunt.  

[Quaji]

Oh his lovely wife never would have allowed him to participate in such a game after knowing that the lion he was to face was the same one that put him into place with a proper duel. Still, he had managed to sneak away, find time to hunt, all without telling his wife about a word of the entire going-on. She'd probably find out though, somehow. Maybe she had eyes and ears in with the guards and hunters to keep an eye on him, or maybe the duke just wished that she'd snoop on him for the fun he could have with it. Either way, he'd probably tell her over dinner one night of how he and Thrain competed again.

Hopefully this wouldn't be the last time either as he had grown fond of the captain's company and the fact they were fairly close in rank left the air easier to bear than when he was with anyone of lower rank. It all just seemed so...formal. Something that he could only bear for so long.

Making his way to the spot that Thrain had decided out, skin bag in mouth, the duke was on the look out for really anyone who didn't belong. In the distance, a hunting making chance on possibly his dinner could be seen, but they were little more than a speck in the mountainside. The bag fell from his mouth as he loosened his jaw. Not far off, sat the captain.

"Ah, Thrain!" Quickly Kito picked his part of the game back up and made his way over. Hopping over rocks, carefully of course. Once again, the folded skin dropped to the ground but this time it would stay until their little hunting competition was complete. "So, how many did you get?" He asked, genuinely curious how his competition fared.  

[Quaji]

How many kills did Thrain catch? One. Again.

The captain let out a sigh of relief as he saw the duke approach from over the hill. His new friend was a welcome sight but the large skin bag that Shan held in his mouth and let fall to the ground worried him. Swallowing his nervousness, Thrain replied to the duke's question as to how many he had managed to catch during the time allotted to them both to hunt, kill and bring back as many heads as possible as proof of their deeds.

Surely Thrain was beginning to realize why his father had stressed his hunting lessons as a young adult.

"One." He replied.  

[Quaji]

And how many kills did Kito get? Five.

"Just one?" Kito echoed back with a hearty laugh afterwards. He didn't mean to laugh, but the fact he knew he was going to win this competition was too grand. Especially after his defeat against the captain in their duel. As the laughter faded into just a faint chuckle and then finally subsided all-together, he stated how many he had managed to catch. "I took down five of my own."

The North was a rugged terrain, something he had grown up traversing. Perhaps it was these lands, combined with the skillful teaching from his tutors, that had lent him the knowledge to actually come out ahead this time. Though...maybe Thrain had downed something of immense size, something that even his five kills could not beat. It was a thought that Kito did not like.

"So, show me."  

[Quaji]

Thrain's roll for kind of prey caught. #1
Rolled 1, small prey.

It was embarrassing to show his only kill in this entire competition but there was nothing he could do now. Thrain turned to grab something from behind his back. Rotating back around, the captain dropped what appeared to be the remains, though still fresh, of a giant mole rat.

"It put up a fight..." He commented on it's appearance before Kito had a chance to. Gold eyes shifted to look off to the side, avoiding all contact with the duke's. "What about your first catch?"  

[Quaji]

Kito's roll for kind of prey caught. #1
Rolled 1, small prey.

The mole rat, though small in size, was still impressive to Kito. Everything truly impressed him if it took any amount of skill to accomplish. With a wide smile, he pulled the first of five from the skin-sack that sat a little ways behind him. It was just a bird of...some sort. He wasn't quite sure what it was, but it had been just sitting in a bush. Easy game as far he was concerned since it apparently hadn't heard him approach.

Raising his head, he hoped to see a positive reaction to the bird from Thrain. The captain's approval meant something to him. What exactly, he wasn't sure, but it definitely was something.  

[Quaji]

Thrain's response.

He gave exactly the sign that he hoped the duke was looking for. A simple little nod of his head. "A fine specimen you caught, Shan." It seemed odd to Thrain, being on such casual terms with one of the dukes of the North, but after their duel against one another, a friendship had bloomed. Regardless of how odd it was, it was nice to actually have a good friend within the North, especially now that Xuen was stationed in the West and Han had fully recovered from his attack.  

[Quaji]

Kito's roll for kind of prey caught. #2
Rolled 2, medium prey.

It was an aardvark's head that he rolled out to sit between the two of them. Something that Kito had never dealt with hunting before, but he was always up for an interesting challenge. Really, he still didn't know what it was. It wasn't something he usually had served to him, but some of the cubs seemed to be happy enough to take everything but the head from him so that was good enough for him.  

[Quaji]

Thrain's response.

That was one...interesting looking creature. It was also something Thrain had never encountered, though it was because the Pridelands scarcely hunted anything beside larger game if only because the pride was so large or now, in the Tianxia, Thrain's hunting skills were sub-par to even keep himself fed it seemed like. The captain nodded though. "If you'd like, you may just show me the rest without interruption." There was no need for him to comment on every single one when it was clear to both of them who the victor of this game was.  

[Quaji]

Kito's roll for kind of prey caught. #3
Rolled 4, medium prey.

The duke nodded. Perhaps the captain's silence would be best and the two could get on with their day together. There were several things planned that Kito would love to do and the captain's company would be appreciated. The last thing he wanted was to waste this perfectly lovely day sitting in the fields comparing the heads of last night's dinner.

An ibex of impressive size, but it was still smaller than some of the game he had seen while out hunting. Some of the larger game was what he dreamed of being able to take down, but for now, this was the best he could manage without a hunting party of his own or some luck from the gods.  

[Quaji]

Kito's roll for kind of prey caught. #4
Rolled 3, medium prey.

A doe bushbuck was the second to last beast that Kito had caught.

There was a sense of pride that the duke felt as he neared the end of what he had caught. His fives kills would feed part of the North for a time and would alleviate some of the burden the hunters felt on a daily basis. The few that made their residence in the North were some of the finest hunters he had ever seen and their work was unparalleled, especially in such a harsh environment as the North was.  

[Quaji]

Kito's roll for kind of prey caught. #5
Rolled 3, medium prey.

It was yet another small antelope, likely a youngling mistaken for a smaller species' adult. Most hunters stayed away from the young and it was obvious it was an accident by the distress that came over the duke's face as he displayed the head of his final kill. There was no honor in it, at least none that he felt, but even without it he was clearly the victor in this little competition between the two of them.

The mood had turned sour, the air tense as the two sat silently for one minute, two mintutes....each second seemed to drag on before Shan finally broke it. "I do believe we're done, are we not?"  

[Quaji]

The captain nodded silently as he watched Kito, who was quickly becoming a close friend of his, get up and leave without another word. Golden eyes strayed to the five heads left behind and then his one. They would be left to the buzzards as few would want them for anything beside the horns, but there was no way Thrain would move them from where they sat. Not now and now ever. If some hunter came along and wanted to trade them, that was on them as they did not see the hurt in the duke's eyes. He held honor in such a high regard that even something that was supposed to be a fun challenge was serious to him.

The events would be their own as Thrain would never speak ill of Kito, and if Kito claimed himself the victor, as he rightfully deserved, there were none who would deny him. Smiling faintly, he rose onto his paws and left. There were other things he had to tend to now that that was done.