[T] Episode Six-> Reborn In The Jungle Rain [P]

[Shahin]

"Kid! Run!" Avani's voice cracked like a whip. Years of training came into action in those few seconds, Iluq didn't even notice that he was running until he could no longer smell the campfire, or hear the rustle of intruders in the branches above.

They descended on the camp quickly with katanas drawn, like raindrops in a sudden storm. He would almost certainly be dead right now if Avani hadn't woken up the second their feet touched soil, cut-throats wearing porcelain masks with the mist village symbol carved between their eyes.

Iluq looked up, straining his eyes to try and peer between the long branches and the hanging leaves that were ticker than his outstretched hands. A crackle came from the sky, followed by raindrops which began soft before becoming intense under the black sky. Iluq shivered. Well this is just fucking brilliant...

Flailing through the dark, lluq gave up trying to find the camp again within a couple of minutes, it was pretty obvious that all he'd do would tramp further and further away, his clothes becoming increasingly saturated as he did so. Wiping a small layer of watery film from his goggles, Iluq perched beside a tree, discarding his shoes and rubbing his toes with his hands. Make sure your feet are dry Avani had said to him.
"When you're this far out, trenchfoot is just as treacherous as a snake bite... don't forget it."

The looming branches of the tree at his back kept most of the water off his head, but that didn't calm his thoughts. It wasn't until the early hours of the morning, when the rain and stopped and the wind began, that Iluq stopped twitching at every sound in the jungle... it wasn't until he saw the sun rise that he succumbed to sleep.

[Shahin]

Open Stance
Rank: "E"
Skill: TaiJutsu/Supplementary
Effect: Gives stable support base, reduces tendency to lean back from the target.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: One of the four stances a user may learn as they are able to learn just one if they wish. Tends to make upper body twist towards target. Tends to use arm muscles more than back muscles to draw. Open stance is recommended for the beginning Marksman during their initial learning period. In this stance, the feet should be shoulder-width apart. It is recommended that the Marksman should distribute his/her body weight evenly on both feet.
Limit: Must be a Marksman.

[Ping] Iluq was trying to forget. [Thunk]. There was a stillness in the air, a quiet. The bolt shot free from his crossbow and missed the can, burying itself into the tree behind it. [Thunk] It had been two months since the caravan was free of the plague. [Thunk] It had only been a month since Avani had cured most of the troupe from the fever. [Thunk] Iluq was trying to forget.

“I don’t remember giving you permission to use my crossbow…” called a voice behind him. Iluq turned his head by a fraction, it was Avani the caravan guard, dressed in armoured robes with her hair tied into a tight bun. Iluq shrugged and went back to his shooting.
“Look… I know that your father had his funeral yesterday… and I know you’re upset about it…ehm…” she took a deep breath.
“Look, ehm..Hey! You’re shooting wrong.” she seemed to give up trying to comfort him. [Thunk].

Iluq sighed and turned around with the weapon held loosely in his hands. However Avani was smirking when he turned, a crossbow of her own taken out and aimed at the cans lined up in front of them.
“The open stance is probably the best way to show you how to shoot… It’s all about how you stand, the slant of your back, the tension in your arms…”

Iluq took note of how she stood, her feet planted firmly on the ground, slightly less then a shoulder apart. Her back was straight, turned away from the crossbow slightly. With that same smirk on her face, she pulled the trigger, the can was swept off the fence with a high ping.
Avani nodded, inviting him to take a place beside her. Breathing deeply he lined out the crossbow straight, rubbing his feet against the soil, testing the friction between the soles of his feet and the earth under him. He hunched his arms and held his breath, grasping the trigger.

”You’re forgetting something” Avani chuckled.
Iluq blinked, noticed and blushed. Oh yeah…the bolt
Pulling back the bow string, he winced as it bit into his fingers, setting it behind the latch. Taking a bolt from his pocket, he placed it gently on the latch, breathing in softly, letting it out as he fired. With a nod from his instructor he lined the shot, took aim and squeezed the trigger, closing his eyes as the bowstring snapped.

[Draven]

+5 -learned-