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Post by The Author. on Feb 27, 2012 20:18:19 GMT -5
"Ash, shut up." Soren said, and his annoying companion once again reminded him about falling into the lake, and just a few minutes ago. Instead of being sensible and waiting around and drying off (Asher was wet from dragging Soren out of the leake to keep him from drowning) The two boys had taken off as soon as they got out of the water. Though, both Asher and Soren considered the other brave, Soren had only fallen in because Asher had dared him to jump in from a branch, and instead had pushed the unsuspecting boy in. Asher jumped in after him because Soren didn't come up after around ten seconds. The reason Asher was brave was because where Soren had fallen, and Asher jumped in was at least over the boys heads, and Asher was paranoid about drowning.
"I saved your life, I should get some cre--"
"I said SHUT. UP!" Soren shouted, scaring a robin out of a tree. Both were shivering, and soaked through, so that didn't improve either boys mood. Asher made a face, but didn't say anything else. They were about a half-mile from the lake when they decided they were too tired to keep walking, or crawling for that matter which is was Asher had been doing, in mock agony, hoping to get Soren to slow down.
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Post by Bog on Mar 21, 2012 6:52:46 GMT -5
Every muscle in Starling's body was tense, coiled tight like a spring, waiting for the young deer to come more completely into view. The small beast could only be about a year old but it was plenty large enough to provide meat for his company. If only it would graze its way forward a couple more steps, so he could have a clear shot at it. His musket was balanced across a low tree branch, to help keep his aim steady, and he had long since lost the feeling in his feet from standing so motionless for so long. Only a few more seconds though, he judged. Then the yearling would be in view.
That was until an echoing shout rang out through the trees, startling the animal from its casual, unhurried grazing. The deer brought its head up sharply, ears pricked, then a moment later it was bounding off, its white tail held up in alarm. Starling let out a long breath and finally stirred, jerking the musket back from its perch with a heartfelt oath. This was the second time in two days he had been denied an easy hunt because of some bumbling idiot. He'd had quite enough of it.
He stamped his feet a few times to restore the blood flow, then turned in the direction the shout had seemed to come from. Whichever bumbling idiot had cost him that deer was shortly going to pay for being so eternally stupid. The big, bearded Vermonter gripped his musket and set off, uncaring now how much sound he made since his hunt had been so rudely interrupted.
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Post by The Author. on Mar 21, 2012 9:40:47 GMT -5
Soren was draped over a rock, his dark hair now completely black from being wet. Asher's hair was only dark brown from the water, but it sent tiny trickles down his neck, and keeping his shirt from dying out. He was leaning against a tree, almost asleep, when he heard Starling coming. He jumped up, and Soren did as well. Living alone for so long with only each other and Bellatrix to keep them company put them on alert for years. Asher appeared relaxed, but Soren knew he was really quite tense, like a tiger that appeared to relax before he sprang. Actually, Soren didn't know if tigers were real, he had to take someones word for many things. He had heard some slaves talking about tigers... But he was letting himself distracted. The thin boy grabbed a sharp rock from the ground, and held it tightly.
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Post by Bog on Mar 23, 2012 6:10:06 GMT -5
It did not take much effort to find the careless fool who'd cost him that deer. Or the two careless fools, as it turned out. And mere boys at that. Starling scowled. These two scamps were responsible for him losing a prize that would have fed his company.
"Put that down," he snapped irritably. Did that skinny turd think a little rock would be much use? Even if Starling's musket was unloaded, it was still twice as useful as a weapon, but if this scamp had a notion to try attacking with that rock, Starling would be perfectly happy to oblige him. It would help soothe his annoyance, anyway.
"Ain't you worms s'posed to be still sucklin' off yer mammy, or somethin'?"
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Post by The Author. on Mar 23, 2012 9:07:29 GMT -5
"We're both fifteen, thank you very much." Asher said, glaring. He was dripping wet, so he looked less menacing than he intended to be. "And both out parents are dead." Soren added, and dropped the rock. It hit his foot, but he didn't seem to mind. "Asher, shut up." He said, as his companion opened his mouth to say something, probably to insult Starling.
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Post by Bog on Mar 24, 2012 6:10:02 GMT -5
"Me heart breaks fer that," said Starling. Fifteen, were they? Of course they were. Just old enough then to be suckling babes of another sort entirely. "Shuttin' up sounds just the thing, too. Seein's that it's yer loud mouths what just spoilt me day."
He might do well to drag these two back to the regiment's bivouac and see that they got put to work in some capacity, even if that would be a poor answer to returning with food.
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Post by The Author. on Mar 24, 2012 11:36:49 GMT -5
"It was his fault" Asher said, and Soren glared at him. "If you hadn't pushed me in the lake, none of this would've happened." He said, stepping down hard on Asher's foot. Asher shrugged.
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Post by Bog on Mar 26, 2012 10:28:23 GMT -5
At this, Starling rolled his eyes. He didn't care a damn who had pushed whom or anything of the like. Already, these two and their voices were grating on his nerves.
"Ain't a lick of 'portance who done what," he snapped, very sorely tempted to box both boys' ears. " 'Less you're wantin' another dunkin' in that lake."
Drowning the pair was tempting, too.
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Post by The Author. on Mar 26, 2012 15:56:43 GMT -5
Soren and Asher didn't say anything else, but Asher kicked Soren back.
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Post by Bog on Mar 29, 2012 9:30:38 GMT -5
"Right." A dunking for both it was. Starling slung his musket from one shoulder, then reached out with both hands to grab at each boy's collar. A firm grip on these ruffians' shirts would give him the necessary leverage to drag them in any direction he wished. They'd get a dunking first, and if they were lucky enough, he'd haul them ashore again.
Who had the ill grace to die and leave these two brainless turds running free about the country, anyway?
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Post by The Author. on Mar 29, 2012 19:26:57 GMT -5
They both dodged rather easily, and Asher gave Starling a grin. "Not going to get us that easily." He said, then he and Soren turned, and ran. They were a few hundred feet away when the found a hollow tree, facing away from the direction the had come from. They both slipped inside, hoping he wasn't going to find them.
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Post by Bog on Mar 30, 2012 6:10:43 GMT -5
Sod these two, then, Starling thought. He swung his musket off his shoulder and brought it quickly up to bear. The crack of exploding powder echoed sharply through the trees. There was no chance of hitting anything except empty air but he reckoned his meaning had just been made clear. He probably should have just shot them and had done with it from the start.
Scowling, Starling reached into his cartridge box so he could reload his musket. He'd be damned if he chased the pair like some sort of mother hen. With the echoes of the shot now quite faded, he called after the little snots to let them know what pathetic wastes of flesh and bone they were, in decidedly coarser terms. Then, feeling as though the world had turned against him lately, he shouldered his newly-reloaded musket and turned away to head back into the woods. Like as not one or both of those worthless heathens would cross somebody more ill-tempered even than Starling, and then they'd get what was coming to them.
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Post by The Author. on Mar 31, 2012 13:50:20 GMT -5
Asher would've shrieked with victorious air, had Starling not fired his gun. "What the hell?" He whispered. Soren glared. Was he the ONLY one who had any sense at all. A few minutes later, he decided it was safe to tumble out of the hollow tree, Asher following in suit.
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Post by Bog on Apr 9, 2012 13:15:42 GMT -5
There was no point in glancing back, so Starling didn't. Instead, he was alert for any sign of deer or any other four-legged beast. If he could spot the barest trail, he could follow it and hopefully have a successful hunt after all. Whatever those two snots got up to now was none of his concern, unless they took it into their heads to try following him.
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Post by The Author. on Apr 9, 2012 20:48:00 GMT -5
Asher sighed with relief. "Okay, I might have been a bit of an ass, but did he really need to fire the stupid gun?" He asked. Soren didn't answer.
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Post by Bog on Apr 15, 2012 6:24:59 GMT -5
If he had no further luck hunting, Starling supposed he could settle for laying some wire snares. Shame those two brainless nippers hadn't seen fit to drown themselves and thus avoid ruining his day. Perhaps when he got back to his company's bivouac, he'd gather some of the lads for a different sort of hunting. After all, for all he knew, the two were Loyalist spies. That was more than cause enough to track them down and kill them.
With this thought in mind, Starling nearly smiled. It was a very comforting thought.
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Post by The Author. on Apr 17, 2012 17:39:04 GMT -5
OOC: That should be interesting.... XD Asher will be very, very insulted if you say that though.
IC:
Soren sighed. This was not the best day he'd ever had. He decided to go look for a few small rocks to throw in Starling's direction. Asher looked at him weirdly. "What are you doing?" He asked.
"Looking for rocks. Then I'm going to look for HIM and throw them at him." Soren said, with an annoyed, but slightly satisfied look on his face.
"He's gonna shoot you."
"It will be worth it."
"What about Bellatrix?"
Soren paused.
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Post by Bog on Apr 22, 2012 16:35:16 GMT -5
Some ways behind him, he could hear voices. Those two turds were following him? They must be simpletons. Not that Starling had any reservations about shooting them. Anyone who presented this sort of a nuisance was better off dead. At least in his opinion, which was of course the only one that counted.
The big Vermonter stopped his slow and careful walk and turned, his bare feet silent in the dirt. There was a good place to lie up and wait for those two idiots to get close. They were no sorts of woodsmen. That much had been clear from the start. It would be child's play to get the drop on them. If he was quick, he could get them both.
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Post by The Author. on Apr 22, 2012 20:56:31 GMT -5
"Why would Bellatrix be worried about me?" Soren asked, sounding strangely bitter. "You are, after all, the only one she would let see her necklace." He added. Asher blinked. "I thought she showed it to you..." He said. "Oh, who gives a damn!?" Soren said, throwing the rocks into the woods listening as they bounced off trees, or landed in the grass with a soft thump. "What's wrong with you!?" Asher asked. Soren flinched. "Just leave me alone, Asher!" He said, running into the forest, not caring where he is going.
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Post by Bog on Apr 28, 2012 15:41:07 GMT -5
The little brats were making enough noise for the dead to hear, thought Starling with an inward grimace. He shifted very slightly to settle his musket more securely against a small rock and pulled slowly at the doghead. Not that there was very great danger of these two hearing the two light metal clicks of the flint coming back to full cock.
He could get the first one, perhaps, but the second would no doubt take to his heels. One out of two would still be a fine outcome. The shaggy-haired hunter slipped his finger around the trigger and waited. Judging by the thunderous crashing, at least one of the buggers was coming straight at him.
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