RP:I Just Need A Rabbit, Okay?

Part of the Lunar Tides and Silver Linings Arc

Synopsis: Tiber is just trying to hunt a rabbit for some fur, okay? But a stinkin' bird gets in the way which makes for a playful game for Aira. The two archers dance about each other until they begin bickering with their hot-headed personalities. Eventually, the two give into each other, and make a deal for the future.

Southern Sage Forest

Tiber had been sitting in a tree while watching below. Within the balance of his grip had been a recurve bow and a wooden arrow. One eye is closed as he looks through the sight window of the bow. The arrow is stretched back on the nocking point as the Catalian man pulses the arrow slightly before holding it completely still. Through that window had been one goal. A goal with a shaded multi-colored coat with beady eyes. The blonde holds still before a bird comes to swarm past him which rocks him to the side making the tree limb shake and creek. The arrow unleashes, and before a blink, the rabbit is dashing through to the bushes. “You’re kidding me! Damnit!” His voice echoes through the forest out of frustration. Of course Lanara sent him to hunt a rabbit. The most pathetic task for a cloaking spell. It would have been easier to just walk up to Alastor Ambers and rip a throat out instantly when Lanara and Tiberius meet him for the first time. Then, all problems would be solved right? Who needs the rabbit?! It would have, also, been easier if Tiberius just gave into his lycan senses, but he preferred to keep that part of him kept in a vault--besides the temper tantrums.

Aira :: Perched in a tree not too far from Tiber, Aira sat hidden amongst the foliage and barely moving a muscle. She had seen the man come into the clearing, had watched as he climbed the tree and sat laying in wait. The huntress had left her frozen lodge in favor of pursuing some live game down in Sage and she had a game bag full of the benefits she had reaped from her trip thus far. At this point she was more curious as to what the Catalian was waiting for, copper eyes unblinking as she scrutinized his form and the way in which he sighted. Aira, likewise, had a bow in hand, arrow already knocked into place; however, she merely held it slightly taught, ready in case she needed it, but not straining her arms with a full draw. Her primal senses track the movement on the forrest floor while her vulpine ones pick up the scent of a rabbit. Is that what he was after? She is distracted from the critter by another movement to her left, a feather fluttering in her periphery. Just as Tiber misses his shot from being startled by the avian and yells in protest, Aira ticks her arm up, draws her bow, and after barely sighting, shoots the bird clear through the eye, pinning it to an adjacent tree. With a satisfied smirk she lowers her arm, reaching behind her head to retrieve another arrow from the quiver on her back

Tiber heard the ‘whoosh’ while in the midst of his swearing fit, and the man shifted to pin himself against the base of the tree before a step shifted to a different branch. His body hiding from the vision of Aira as he hid behind the trunk. Eyes lock on the bird that is now pinned to an opposite tree, twitching it’s last breath before life is sucked out of it. The man listens carefully for any false movement in the forest. Was that arrow meant for him? Instinctively he reaches for another arrow himself. Steadily placing the arrowhead on the shelf of his bow. He holds steady as he talks from behind the tree trunk. “You’ve really messed with the wrong dude, dude,” of course Tiber assumed it was a male who shot the bird. “Don’t pull any crap on me,” that was a true threat--perhaps Aira did not want to know the ‘or else’ bit. He was not the nicest man, nor the most trusting either.

Aira grins all the more wide when Tiber shuffles to protect himself behind the shield of the tree trunk, clearly taken aback by the impaling of the bird near him. She remains in the shadows of the dense branches and leaves, watching the lycan as he presumedly searches for the source of the arrow. When he calls out his warning, the huntress has to stifle her laugher; she was clearly amused and not at all concerned about her safety and well being. She should probably make herself known, ease his anxiety about whether or not the arrow was meant for him. But that would be too easy. And she was having too much fun. Silently, she stands on her bough, and draws the bowstring back once more. She squints one eye shut and lets her second arrow fly. Thwack. It sticks in the tree trunk in front of where Tiber was hiding. The huntress is not idle though, for she began moving before the arrow even stuck. Assuming the Catalian is planning to retaliate, she doesn't want to stay stagnate. She slips behind the trunk of her own tree and scales up the branches another couple of feet, resembling a scurrying squirrel as opposed to the vixen she was. If Tiberius is paying close attention, he might see a shift of color within the branches and leaves, a hint of russet amongst the green.

Tiber had been waiting after that threat. Waiting patiently for a call, another round, something. Ears were engaged for his opponent’s next move. This was not Tiberius Lowell’s first rodeo, for he was required to track people down for a living--a hitman. Animals however, had been a tad different to adjust to since they had enhanced senses. Yes, he was scrappy, yet with immediate danger came adaptive skills. Instincts from the animal he was. The arrow hits in the tree in front of him, and the depths of his eardrums and quick sights with his stealth kicks into gear. The lycan is, in fact, paying close attention. He let’s go of the arrow drawn back, and in less than a blink, he hits the tree that the feline is climbing up to cause a startle with a loud ‘thunk’. To prove he should not be messed with, for he was decent with an arrow when he needed to be. He fought dragons hungover for Sven’s sake. If he could do that, he could keep up with the huntress--hopefully. While Aira was having fun, Tiber had a mind of blame and regret that he even came to these forests, for he was still stuck on the ‘why do I have to kill a rabbit, anyway?’. If anything, the Catalian was hoping that Aira was a giant, walking; talking rabbit. What a prize that would be for Lanara. Then again, he might have gotten scolded by the animal lover, if that be the case. Tiber is here just having a mental battle. Quickly, Tiberius jumps down a level to the next branch down, and to an angle while hiding behind leaves. From the lush greenery twigs, amber eyes stare to above to silently watch the next move from the huntress above.

Aira 's vulpine ear twitches, catching the swooshing sound of Tiber's arrow as he shoots it in the exact spot she was previously standing in. She hated to admit that he was a decent shot, but he was. As she had expected it, she wasn't startled per se, more so pleasantly surprised. The huntress takes advantage of lycan's movement to shift in the tree again, only this time she isn't climbing higher--no, she is hopping from tree to tree! She had perfected this skill in Frostmaw, being able to hunt game from a decent height was an advantage. And being able to efficiently move from tree to tree (instead of climbing down and up multiple times) saved her lots of time (and allowed her to kill more game). It was a bit more difficult in Sage where leaves rustled more loudly than the coniferous ones up north, but she does her best to double back and more closer to Tiber. She strips acorns from the branches and when the silence falls she throws one in the opposite direction of her, hoping the sound would command the Catalian's attention so she could creep closer without him noticing.

Tiber’s eyes linger on the acorns that fall from above and the trees rustle. She was bouncing to different trees, and with each bounce came a fall, and Tiberius was inching towards the trunk again. The lycan was impressed with the speed of which the huntress was moving, so much that the lycan had to channel his hearing to see where she was moving to. The arrow, however, interrupts his sense of hearing with another loud hit, and eyes instantly move to where the arrow is which loses his sense of track momentarily. This gives enough time for Aira to reach closer, yet Tiber’s guard is still up. By the time Aira creeps towards him, Tiber will come back face-to-face with where he is hearing the noises with another wooden arrow pulled back on his recurve bow again. He would not know how close the feline would be, but this would give her enough time to do what she was planning to.

Aira continues to move through the trees, using her arrows and acorns as distractions to the Catalian until she is merely two trees away, the one where the bird remains impaled. She stills then, standing slightly above Tiber and watches as he turns in her direction. She allows the silence to stretch out between them, long enough to allow it to hang heavily between them and become uncomfortable. Only then does Aira drop down to a bough level with Tiber and she affords him a cheshire grin before leaning her shoulder casually against the trunk of the tree. "Hey there Backstreet Bard," she calls out. The huntress is well aware that he is not Nick, the stalkerish boyband member who was obsessed with her frenemy Lanara. However, she knew it needled the lycan when she feigned ignorance in this so it only seemed appropriate to keep up the rouse. "You can't allow for distractions," she chastises with a click of her tongue, Aira reaching up to yank her arrow, and thusly the bird, free from the thick bark.

Tiber turns with his arrow pointing in her direction. His eyes squint as he stares at the familiar feline with his bow still drawn with the arrow still pointing towards her. A woman. One that knew exactly how to get under his skin, and most likely reflected his same attitude in life. The satisfaction right now of just letting the wooden arrow go and picturing her fall amused him internally. Then again, she was skillful, and it would be one risk to take against her. He keeps the weapon up even when she jumps to the next branch lingers against the base. The ‘Backstreet Bard’ comment makes him seethe. His brows furrow as he scrutinizes her, “You want me to prove that I’m a slimeball? Because I will,” meaning, he will let that arrow go at any moment. He knows, however, the comment would not phase her. She was way smarter in the forests than he was. He was a city man, although with animalistic qualities. He could learn a thing or two from her, but he would not admit it. “Then again, you must be a fangirl, considering you are on the same level of stalk like that moron,” he meant Nick. He -hated- Nick. “Maybe if you wouldn’t make so much noise, I’d have a dead rabbit by now,” finally, he lowers his bow. Clearly, he was having some sensory issues, for Tiberius never learned to control his animalistic qualities--they just tamed over time, but he still had work to do.

Aira can be quick to anger, and she normally has one hell of a temper on her. But Tiber's agitation was more amusing to her than anything else and she did not bristle at his threats. In fact, she adopts a bored demeanor as she yanks the arrow free from the avian and wipes the gore from the arrowhead off on the thigh of her leggings. She then plops down on the branch, letting her legs swing freely as she begins to pluck the feathers from the bird, letting them rain down on the forest floor. "Go ahead. Shoot me," she challenges the lycan without even lifting her eyes to him, proving further that she doesn't view him as a threat. The comment about being a stalker like Nick is met with a slight shake of her head. "Stalking it a part of being a predator," she reminds him with a shake of the half-plucked bird in his direction. "And if you had been -concentrating- and not so easily distracted, you would have had a dead rabbit before I even made my presence known." Considering this, she flicks her metallic gaze up at Tiber and squints. "Why exactly are you trying to shoot a rabbit anyway? I always got the impression that you city dwellers just bought your meat from a butcher."

Tiber frowns before stepping a few feet back. Her comments go over his head, for there were bigger issues on his hands, and he had dealt with worse personalities. It seemed as if Tiber had been staring into a mirror with the one before him, for he knew she would have killed him if she wanted to, and the Catalian had been the same way. He decides to sit too, but only for the fact he was looking out for those pesky bunnies again. The wolf is hunting a bunny. Really? “Well, I’m not the best at this hunter, forestry crap, okay? Who died and made you the queen of hunting? Besides, what’s it to you questioning me? Don’t you have other things to do?” He watches the same bush from before. He knew the rabbit was still in there. “This city dweller isn’t buying from a butcher.” He rolls his eyes and then glares at her with an annoyed look. “Just so you know, Ms. Call-Of-The-Wild, I’m not looking for meat. I need the fur,” he looks down again at the same bush. “I need it for a spell. Long story short, which, I would normally not be telling -you-, but since you’re so nosy and obnoxious, I’ll tell you anyway.” Odd wording. Maybe he was telling her due to seeing her face in the adventures from the past. Or maybe the fact that she had not killed him. “Some moron is infecting children with the venom of a lycan, and I’m trying to end it, but in order for me to get in, I need to not appear to have the qualities.” It was no secret. She would not know who the man was hunting down, anyway. There was no way telling her would screw anything up, would it?

Aira snorts in amusement when Tiber admits he's not the best forest hunter, a sound that clearly translates to 'no sheet'. "Well, he's not dead but I would say Orikahn bestowed that title upon me." The saber cat had never once referred to her as the queen of hunting, but as he was Frostmaw's prime hunter and and she was his self proclaimed second in command it seemed like it pretty much meant the same thing. Aira halts her plucking and arches a brow in Tiber's direction as he claims she is obnoxiously nosy but keeps plowing on in his story without her prompting. "I didn't need the full story, just the abridged version was fine," she says snottily but follows his gaze to the bush below where the rabbit lay hidden. "How many pelts do you need?" she inquires with a little less venom in her tone. The need for a rabbit didn't really matter to her, but hunting was something that piqued her interest.

Tiber gives the woman a sidelong gaze. “Am I supposed to know who the what this ‘Orikahn’ is?” Tiber has a crinkle in his nose at this moment before shaking his head and moving it towards the direction of the rabbit who had it’s bunny butt poking out of the tangle of bushes below. Tiber had been in his own city world of Cenril. “What did you think I just told you? You’re lucky you didn’t get the novel,” he retorts automatically as if she was the most irksome woman on the planet. “You’d be sitting here for an hour or so,” he shakes his head as if she is unbelievable. Obviously the two had little patience for each other. The two are looking at the bushes below and his tone begins to even out as she asks her question. “I think just one. I guess two to be safe in case someone screws up. It’s for Lanara,” he glances Aira’s way briefly, and stoicness comes to his face in case the saber changes her mind due to the witch. The man then draws his arrow again when the bun-butt wiggles out. He is silent in that moment before launching an arrow forward, and sadly, it strikes the rabbit in the spine; impaling it. Fully capable of doing so without the distractions. With a motion, Tiber relieves his shoulders before scratching his head. “Now to just find one more.” The man then jumps down the branches to the forest floor to retrieve his first prize.

Aira doesn't say much, not bothering to answer Tiber's questions. Despite not being a Frostmaw native, it seemed incomprehensible that the Catalian didn't know who Orikahn was--after all, how many saber tigers were roaming around Lithrydel? The huntress continues to pluck the remaining feathers on the small, albeit plump bird before stuffing it into her game bag. The mention of Lanara doesn't garner much of a reaction from Aira. The pair had a complicated relationship. The vixen would protect Lana if she were in danger, and would harm anyone who wished to do the same to the witch, but she likewise annoyed Aira to no end and there were moments when all she wanted to do was strangle the woman. She watches the lycan as he knocks an arrow into place and shoots at the bunny, connecting with its spine. She waits until he is near the bush before sliding from her tree as well and approaching the man. "If you need the pelt, you she be aiming higher towards the base of the neck at least. The brain, is just below the ears, behind the eye," she explains, pointing at the exact location she speaks about on the rabbit Tiber shot. "Hitting the brain would allow ultimate usage of the hide."

Tiberius walks near the rabbit which is paralyzed, but making noises. There is a guilt, for he knew that if Lanara was here, he would be in a battle of morality. Strange considering his line of work. How humans can be easier to kill than an animal. He walks near before listening to the words of Aira behind him. He should be ‘aiming higher’. Instead of glowering, or acting as if he is higher than her with his snarky remarks, he nods. The man reaches for another arrow again before aiming it towards the neck of the creature. A very gruesome death, but one that had to be done, before he unleashes the arrow knocking the rabbit with another thud--killing it instantly. “I see what you mean,” he is short with his words. The man then listens for other critters to see if they are in the bushes, and he reaches a hand to ruffle the leaves to see if any mammals scurry out. One does, and hops along the way to dash fast. “Show me,” he automatically says, and he pulls out another arrow just in case Aira opposes his matter-of-fact command.

Aira watches as Tiber shoots the second arrow, putting the rabbit out of its misery. The huntress never felt particularly guilty about her kills, although it had less to do with her hard heart and more so out of respect for her prey and the knowledge that it would not go to waste. She wrinkles her nose slightly as she examines the corpse, privately thinking how the pelt wasn't in an ideal condition. Still, she didn't know how much of it was needed for a spell, or if the quality needed to be impeccable. Aira scowls at Tiber when he orders her to kill the rabbit he just rustled out of the bush--torn between refusing his command out of principle and using the opportunity to show him the proper technique in the hunt. With a huff she pulls an arrow from her quiver and draws her bowstring back. She sights for a moment, allowing the rabbit to hop a bit further ahead until she has the proper angle, before she lets her arrow fly. It connects right above the neck, below the ears, and behind the eyes. The rabbit was dead before it even hit the ground.

Tiber reaches out to pull the limp rabbit he struck. He holds it steadily, not exactly knowing what to do with such a creature. Normally, he would leave a corpse to rot. As the woman scowls, he smirks, and inside, he is amused like her before the hunt. Although he wanted to make a snarky comment, he watches her form, her gaze, before turning his honey one onto the rabbit hopping forth. An instant hit. “Impressive,” he says hesitantly. Only because helping her ego was one he did not want to. He walks towards the rabbit before observing to see if the animal is actually laying there deceased. A tick of his head and he is looking back at the vixen. There was a hesitance in his gaze. “Look, I’m not the best at this.” Obviously. “I could use some tips… Especially because I’m thinking of.. moving. “ Moving from city life? Tiberius Lowell? That was another thought. “Look, I’m not trying to be grossly sentimental--this is not one of those theater plays, but… we can practice sometime. With our bows. Dumb, I know, but… I don’t think it would hurt either.” Was Tiber trying to… bond? Well, that was new.

Aira, surprisingly, doesn't gloat when Tiber compliments her kill (if one could even call it that). Instead she simply lowers her arm and watches as he approaches the creature, pulling her bow over her body before approaching the lycan. Aira was not raised as a hunter, the exact opposite in fact. But she had some natural raw talent when it came to using a bow and her tenacious stubbornness meant she obsessively honed that skill until she was slaying critters left and right. She wasn't perfect, she made mistakes and missed shots, but under Orikahn's tutelage she thrived. She arches a pale brow when the Catalian mentions moving (no surprise given his vagabond lover) and suggests that they practice shooting with bows sometime. She makes a show of consideration, shifting from one foot to the other and scrunching up her face in a show of contemplation. "I suppose that would be alright," she agrees with a nod. "It would be embarrassing to Lanara if her Pretty Boy couldn't even properly fell her a rabbit, so I suppose I owe her that much." Aira is grinning, though, and it seems genuine as if her comment was meant as more of a friendly jest rather than an insult. "Do you need to skin these things, too?"

Tiber stares down at the rabbit who was struck. Then his neck rolls, so his yellow gaze is on the woman before him in a lazy way. The consideration is the one that almost loses his patience. He had to be patient, considering the witch he pursued, but Aira’s stepping of thought had him flat in his gaze until she said it would be ‘alright’. Good enough for him until she mentions the embarrassment for Lanara. “Oh shut up,” he scowls, but in a way that is not threatening, nor too sour. His response bounces off Aira’s grin, as if his response was just as light-hearted, but only stained with a frown. Eventually, the frown melts, and he shakes his head with a furrow. “Yes, but no. No, as in, I could do it. I can at least easily do that right. I’ll, uh, let you go. That way I can get these skinned quickly and get back to Cenril as soon as I can.” He would nod to secure the vixen. He could at least do that.

Aira is so amused when Tiber tells her to shut up that she tilts her head back and lets out a bark of laughter, her hand coming up to press against her sternum. When he assures the huntress that he is able to skin the rabbits on his own she gives him a little salute. While much easier than the frostmares she learned on, she wasn't too keen to give a skinning and gutting lesson today. Aira dips her head in a nod when Tiber says he'll let her go and she moves to walk away. Something gives her pause though and she approaches the lycan once more, opening the game bag at her hip and revealing the interior--which was stuffed full of dead rabbits, all shot in the base of the skull. She pulls out two and hands them over to the Catalian, with a knowing smirk--she could have easily given them to him when she first learned that was what he was after! "Just in case you mess up the skinning." Turning on her booted heel, Aira begins to make her way out of the clearing but lifts her hand in a wave, wiggling her fingers. "See you around Nick!" she calls out in a singsong voice before she's swallowed up by the dense forest.

Tiber wants to roll his eyes at Aira’s laughter, but he remains like stone. Once she moves to walk away, Tiber reaches in his pocket to pull out a pocket-knife, and the moment Aira approaches once more has him thrown. The bag at her hip is opened and the deceased rabbits are offered to the Catalian. He parts his lips with a furrow in his brow. Aira was… something else. The amount of consistent kills… he definitely had something to learn from the vixen before him. He does not say his thanks, instead, he just stares at the woman walking away… until she wiggles her fingers in a snarky goodbye. “It’s -Tiber-!” He calls back aggressively. The thought of Nick drives him up the wall, and when the feline disappears, Tiber moves to skin the rabbits in a less open area.