Announcement

**amaterasu** · 07-13-2020, 04:33 PM

Spike slung her boko bow across her back and grabbed the rope tightly with both hands, shimmying up as quick as she could. When she reached the top she showed her adoptive mother a toothy grin, then knelt next to her and knocked an arrow, peering down at the birds. "D'ya think I can hit one in mid flight, ma?" she asked excitedly, tracking a rainbow pigeon with the tip of her arrow and let one loose, the bolt soaring clear over the bird who glided away peacefully unaware of the target on its back. "Dang," Spike muttered, knocking another and choosing another target on the ground. "Hafta try again,"

**Peeps** · 07-13-2020, 06:05 PM

"You better," Jackie said. "We're not eating til you do." She said it in a way that almost sounded cheerful, yet she also fully meant it. She grinned as Spike missed. "Keep trying, you'll get it. Give me a shout when you've hit three." She gave Spike a smile, then proceeded to slide down the rope. Once she was back on the ground below, she tugged the rope down from the tree before Spike would realize she'd been stranded. It may have seemed harsh, but it was just her teaching style. She knew Spike would grow into a tougher woman because of it. It reminded her of when she herself was stranded in a tree hunting at the same age, though she was up against a full sized bear and not birds. She chuckled, walking a few paces back to where their tents were set up.
Though she saw Geno's sleeping in as quite wimpy, she didn't do anything to wake him up. He could enjoy his rest while Spike caught them breakfast. Jackie sat nearby and sharpened one of her knives loudly, facing the sun as it rose higher into the morning sky.

**amaterasu** · 07-13-2020, 06:53 PM

Much too preoccupied with hunting rainbow birds to worry about how she was going to get down from the tree, Spike continued aiming for birds on the ground, deciding that they were easier prey. She'd caught small lizards and the like before, but this was one of the first times Jackie was trusting her with a meal. She let loose an arrow and hit a pigeon in the center of it's wing, not killing it but grounding it for sure. "Ma look! I got one!" she called down to Jackie, hoping she would finish the job with one of her knives. Turning her attention back to the flock, Spike knocked another arrow and scanned for her prey.

**Z64** · 07-13-2020, 08:15 PM

A log cabin, sitting peacefully in a snowy mountain forest. Inside, a mother sat by a cozy fireplace, holding her young son in her arms. The woman looked both divine and wicked, her expression filled with love but her black hair miscolored in areas with blood red streaks. The child was his own oddity, made not of flesh but of wood, and having seven years of age but only being about a foot tall. Truly, they were a peculiar pair, and fittingly their lives were filled with peculiar events. They neither lamented nor cherished this in any way, because for them, that was just the way life worked. But in the next moment, they would experience something they would never forget!

"Mommmm!" the boy cried, wailing in his mother's arms. "I wanna get a sworrrrrd!"

"Sorry, O**n, but you can't," the woman said. "All the swords at the market were too heavy for you, remember?"

"But, b-but," the boy whimpered, clasping his hands together as he made a pleading face. The mother shook her head, which sent the child into full-out sobbing. The peace of the afternoon seemed all but lost, and then!

Out of nowhere, the front door burst open!

Standing in the doorway was a handsome young man with messy, short silver hair. He was dressed in an elegant silk beige robe, one that that looked like it might've been stolen from a royal wardrobe. The boy had since stopped crying and now stared in awe alongside his mother at the stranger.

"W-who are you, sir?" the boy asked, poking his head up off of his mother's lap.

"Isn't it obvious?" the stranger replied in a sly tone, sauntering over to the chair where his hosts sat. The stranger knelt down to be eye level with the boy, and then held his right palm out. In the air above it, a small wooden stick materialized. The stick's sudden appearance was already a shock to the cabin's residents, but they were even more shocked when it remained in the spot it appeared, somehow floating in the air. At first glance, the boy believed it to be a regular stick, but then he looked closer: the top end of the stick was slightly curved forward, and multiple small groves had been carved into it along its width.

"Is...is this...?!"

"Yes. It's a sword."

Gasping in excitement, the boy quickly took in the stick in his hands without asking. He waved it around a bit, surprised at how light it was compared to the other weapons he'd tried, despite the fact that it was nearly as tall as him. Only time would tell how strong it was in battle, but for now the child was satisfied that he'd found a weapon he could actually hold.

"Thanks so much, mister!" he cheered, holding the stick up into the air.

"Don't thank me yet!" the stranger quipped, putting his hands on his hips. "You haven't even used it correctly yet!"

The boy gasped again. "Huh? But I-?"

"You fool! That sword is not for attacking enemies in front of you, but for those who attack your back!"

The boy's eyes widened as he caught on to what the man was saying. Cautiously, he turned the stick downwards and began to scratch an area of his back that his hands couldn't reach.

"There you go!" the stranger encouraged the boy. "Now you are accessing the sword's true power!"

"I, I see!" the boy exclaimed, shocked at the capabilities of his new weapon.

"Oh, thank you so much, sir," the woman said to the stranger. "You've made my son so happy!"

"Oh, I need no thanks," the stranger replied, standing back up. "I'm always more than happy to help someone get an itch they can't scratch."

Suddenly, the world seemed to stop. Nearly everything froze in place and lost color, turning once vibrant and colorful life into a grey, sterile stillness. The only beings not affected were the stranger and the boy.

"What?!" the man cried, a panicked look taking his face. "What's happening?"

He turned back to the boy, who he found already staring directly at him. He jumped with fright, then tried to move out of the boy's sight, but the child's eyes tracked the stranger as he moved.

"Oh, looks like you drew the short end of the stick this time, Geno," the boy taunted, speaking in a much more menacing tone than before. "You were so, so close, but there's one thing you forgot."

The stranger could barely think over the sound of his heart pounding loudly and rapidly in his ears. "Wh-what?"

The boy giggled, and then settled into an evil grin. "I am made of wood, NOT flesh! Would the stick be able to properly scratch my back if I was real?"

---------

Geno let out a high-pitched scream as he jolted awake. He grabbed his knives from nearby and held them outward to fend off his attackers, allowing himself to drop his guard when he realized he wasn't under attack. The Sheikah put his knives down and placed his face in his hands.

"You're okay, you're okay," Geno whispered to himself between deep breaths. "Just another dumb dream."

After a quick change of clothes, Geno exited his tent and took in the view like he did every morning. The Scabland trees weren't the most attractive sight, but they had their own beauty as unique wonders of nature, especially in the rising sun's light. Looking to his left, he saw Jackie sitting on the ground sharpening her knives.

"Morning, Jackie," Geno greeted, leaning forward a little to watch her work. "Where's Spike?"

Geno got his answer almost instantly, hearing the girl's voice come from somewhere above. He tilted his head upward to search for her, and quickly located her atop a nearby tree.

"Hmm, what's she doing up there?" Geno asked. "Does she have a way to get down from there?"

**Peeps** · 07-13-2020, 09:12 PM

Hard to startle, but easy to annoy, Jackie wasn't affected in the slightest by Geno's waking scream. She simply cringed and gave him a ruthless side-eyed glare. "Pussy," she insulted under her breath, too quiet for him to hear. She rolled her eyes as he came to and got up.
When he asked where Spike was, she remained silent as Spike's voice rang from above. "Nope," she answered about the way down, ignoring the question about what she was doing. Her expression lightened when a bird dropped from the air. "'Adda girl... Get a fire ready, yea?" she asked Geno before walking over to the bird who flopped helplessly on the ground, careful to not get herself shot by her daughter. She picked the bird up and expertly snapped its neck between two fingers, bringing it back to the center of their base as the bird gave its final flaps.

**Z64** · 07-13-2020, 09:32 PM

Geno watched as Jackie killed the fallen bird, then went about his business. He was concerned about how Spike would make her way down from the tree but didn't bother saying anything.

Taking a short walk through the surrounding area, Geno was able to gather the materials needed to start the fire. Coming back to camp, he chose a spot out in front of the tents, properly spaced to avoid any safety concerns. Within a few moments the fire was successfully started.

Sitting near the flame, Geno crossed his legs and looked up to where Spike was. He was curious to see if how many more birds she would manage to hit. Secretly, he also wondered how many he'd be able to hit, given his high accuracy. He refrained from throwing anything, understanding Spike's situation was probably another one of Jackie's tests, but that didn't mean that he didn't want to.

**amaterasu** · 07-14-2020, 09:35 AM

Letting the knocked arrow fly free, Spike was able to pin down another pigeon, this one again by its wing as it was about to take off. She grinned and punched the air, excited to be doing so well. Reloading, she shifted in the tree to find another group of birds, the previous having dispersed. Crawling to the edge of the tree, she peered down at Jackie and Geno, sitting apart but still within the camp; Geno had started a fire and she could hear her stomach rumbling. Scooting back, she crossed to the opposite end of the tree and loaded up another arrow, peering down her bow at a single pigeon that had become separated from the flock. Smiling, she pulled back and let the bolt free, but cursed when it landed next to the bird instead of in it, spooking the pigeon. "Dang it," Spike muttered, watching the rainbow coloured bird take flight and bail. "That one looked really tasty, too."

**Peeps** · 07-14-2020, 01:17 PM

"Wow, another one," Jackie said amusedly as Spike pinned yet another bird by the wing. She retrieved it, snapping its neck just as she had done before.

Sitting back down at the campfire where she could watch Spike's progress, she took out a knife and got to work plucking and preparing the two birds for cooking. She let the brightly colored feathers drop to the dirt as she worked, not recognizing any beauty in their shades. Her favorite color was pitch black, like the black feathers dangling from her ears.

"Ya got any of that spice left?" she asked Geno, referring to a savory herbal spice they had been using on meats the past few days.

**Z64** · 07-15-2020, 03:41 PM

"Ummm, maybe?" Geno answered. "Lemme go check."

He quickly got off the ground and trotted over to his tent. Not wanting to bring dirt inside, he went down to his knees and leaned through the tent's entrance. After some digging through his share of the group's loot Geno was able to find the jar of spice Jackie had requested. However, taking a look at the amount of spice left, he saw that there was only enough for one person's meal.

"There's no way I can let Jackie know," he said quietly to himself. "She'll just hog all of it for herself."

Geno knew he would have to proceed carefully if he was going to get the last of the spice. He couldn't just say he'd lost it, because then Jackie might try to take a look for herself and find it. And as he already knew, revealing that there was some left would undoubtedly end with Jackie taking it, no matter how much he might try to plead with or convince her. It would seem that a more patient approach was necessary.

Currently, neither Jackie nor Spike could see what Geno was doing in the tent. The Sheikah decided to take advantage of this, lifting his headpiece by its brim so that he could place the jar on his head. Because of the headpiece's cone-like shape, nobody would be able to tell the jar was under there unless it somehow fell out.

Geno began to crawl out of the tent, but then stopped and went back in after realizing something. If he were to go to Jackie now and tell her the jar was empty, there was a good chance she'd ask to see the jar itself for proof. Geno cursed his own carelessness silently as he removed the jar from his head and began searching for another strategy.

Looking through the loot pile more, Geno spotted an empty bottle and got an idea. As quickly as he could, he transferred the last of the spice to the bottle, and then hid the bottle under his headpiece. He held onto the now-empty jar with a grin as he backed out of the tent, his plan now complete. With his initial mistake covered, all Geno had to worry about now was making sure his headpiece didn't get removed at the wrong time. In real-time, his "searching" for the spice had only taken a few moments, so it wouldn't be suspicious whatsoever. Coming out of the tent, Geno wiped the grin off his face and looked back to Jackie.

"Looks like we're out," Geno said, holding up the jar so his companion could see its lack of contents for herself. "Thought I just lost the darn thing, but nope. We might have some salt though."

Going inside the tent once more, Geno quietly giggled to himself as he traded the empty jar for a salt shaker from the loot pile. His resting lazy expression returned to his face as he exited the tent and went back over to the campfire, setting the salt down near Jackie as he sat back in his earlier spot.

Watching Spike try to hit her final target, Geno realized that he could've left the spice in the pile when he went back into the tent to get the salt. At first he got annoyed with himself, angry he'd made another slip-up, but then he realized he actually might've still made the right choice. By keeping it on him, he'd be able to use it at any moment without having to go back to his stuff. Thus, it would be easier to take any opportunities to use it should they arrive. It was unlikely he'd get to use any for breakfast since Jackie and Spike were around, but Jackie was likely also thinking of moving from the Scablands soon. Geno knew a moment would come where he'd be able to savor the last of the spice, and it was just a matter of waiting for it.

**Peeps** · 07-15-2020, 06:01 PM

"Damn it," Jackie grumbled when she heard they were all out of spice. She could have sworn there was some left, but surely Geno wasn't stupid enough to hide it from her. He must have used the remaining bit during their last meal, frustratingly. "Next sandies we see we're looting their spice," she announced to him. Gerudo spice was her favorite. She was fine having one unseasoned meal, but not too many as it was one of the only things she looked forward to in life, along with smashing heads. Now she was working on cleaning the second bird for cooking, and she had noticed something during this.
"Say, looks like a busy merchant day," she said once Geno sat down. She was gazing towards a caravan that went along the distant road on the way to the center of Hyrule. It was the third one she had seen in the last couple hours. None looked Gerudo, though she hoped somebody would pass by traveling from the Lake Kilsie/Sturnida Basin area, someone with good spices for them to steal.

**amaterasu** · 07-18-2020, 07:37 PM

Spike, oblivious to the passing caravan, continued to hunt for the third and final bird her mother had requested. Making her mom proud was one of the best things she could do, in her opinion, and she loved doing it as often as she could. Reaching behind her to grab another arrow, she found she had burned through almost all of her ammo and only had one arrow left. She could easily retrieve her other bolts from the ground, but getting down and back up the tree was a whole ordeal. For that matter, how was she going to get down, anyway? She peered over the side she had climbed up and saw Jackie had yanked down the rope, leaving spike more or less stranded up there. No matter though, she was nine which was basically a grown adult, and she could think her way out of any situation. She just had to ground one more bird. Scooting back from the edge, she knocked her final arrow and pulled the bowstring back, aiming for a small flock of rainbow pigeons that had settled in the grass. She let the arrow fly free, but was disappointed to see the arrow merely scattered the fowl, and had embedded itself into the ground. "Aw, man," she grumbled, punching the tree with one hand. "How how's Geno s'posed to eat breakfast?"

**Z64** · 07-22-2020, 09:18 PM

Geno sat quietly as he continued to watch Spike from below. Seeing her miss another shot, he began to wonder how many arrows the girl had left. He had already guessed that the test was hunting the group's breakfast, and he also knew Spike had hit two birds so far. Given the fact that she was still atop the tree, Geno could assume she was either looking for her next target or trying to figure out a way down. He hoped it was the former, suspecting that Jackie wouldn't let Spike eat if she didn't hit a third bird. The thought made him swallow his spit, which he did often when he was feeling nervous.

"Was that her last arrow?" Geno asked Jackie, not bothering to look her way when he did so.

**Peeps** · 07-23-2020, 01:36 PM

"Better not be," Jackie muttered. Whenever Spike failed at something, Jackie felt like a failure as well. Now finished cleaning the two birds, she placed them on a rack above the fire, knowing Geno would look after them and make sure they didn't burn. She walked over to the tree, collecting any arrows she saw off the ground. Whipping her roped knife up to a branch, she climbed up just as she had done before.

"Spike, what's takin' so long?" she asked. She tried to sound encouraging but it probably didn't come off that way. She handed the arrows to Spike.

**amaterasu** · 08-01-2020, 08:20 PM

She frowned and took the arrows, placing all but one of them back into her quiver. "These dang birds won't stay put, ma!" she complained, peering over the edge to try and track another rainbow pigeon. "They're jerk birds is what they are," she added, spitting at one of them. Like most of her arrows, the slime missed its target, the birds unphased. "I think I can get that one, though," she pointed at her desired target and knocked another arrow, peering down at her prey. "What do you think, ma?" she whispered.

Announcement

Scablands Bandit Camp

Scablands Bandit Camp

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