Sedna and The Fawns

The Dragon's Head Tavern and Inn, Vorland, 1435 ATC

''So, you ready for camping?'' Venser asked lugging a big backpack out to the bar area of the Dragon’s Head Tavern and Inn, carrying a second, smaller bag with him. The soft leather of them both gently sliding across the wooden floor. ''I know just the perfect place, overlooking the lake. At night when the moon is out and reflects off the lake? Something you must witness, Sedna.''

"Venser, we've been planning this trip for weeks, of course I'm ready." From the left hallway where some of the rooms were, come a rough yet noble looking woman carrying a backpack of her own, Sedna dashed into the room struggling with her hunting dress. She was about the same height as him, five eleven. Her long straight hair was blacker than black. Like the void Itself lived upon her head, her eyes big blue and almond shaped, though the lids didn't fold as much as those with actual almond eyes. Added with high cheekbones, slightly pointed jaw, ending in a delicate chin, she was one beautiful huntress. An exiled princess turned huntress, but still. Such a beauty.

''Has it been weeks? I assumed it'd be overnight, but sure. Or…. Habababoobboptits.’’ Gibberish. ‘’What? I nearly forgot… With everything that’s been happening lately.'' He grumbled to himself not packing enough food. Then again, all he'd have to do was teleport into the tavern and done. When she came back wearing a hunting dress with a bow slung over her shoulder he raised a brow. ''Oh! Later...'' He thought forgetting his own bow. Of course, the bearded man had his wrist bow but that wasn’t really suited for hunting. It was, sort of, but a bigger bow or an actual crossbow would have been better to bring down game bigger than a rabbit.

‘’Never a dull day at the Dragon’s Head huh?’’ Putting her bag and weapons down, the noble huntress zipped up her dress and put her cloak on, hiding her raven hair. Opening small pockets within her dress, she packed most of the contents of her bag into her dress and slung her bag over her shoulders under her cloak and picked up her quiver and bow, checking that her arrows were still in good condition. "You don't need to worry about food, Venser. I've brought down deer for myself, often. You could say it’s my life now. It won't be a problem hunting for the both of us"

''Actually it’s been happening outside of work and home. Traveling as I do a lot… Yeah. Ahem. Right... Well, do you have everything?'' Venser asked watching her check her equipment. As usual, he wore his red rubber suit with no weapons on him whatsoever. Except for the metal wood thing he always kept holstered to his right thigh. Which he never took out.

Lifting her skirt to above her upper thigh, she strapped a small dagger to it, and hid another inside her boot. noticing Venser watch her, she replied."I have everything I need for travelling light, so I'm good. Do you have everything?"

''Everything except for my spearbow… Heh… Got a wristbow and a spearbow I got from serving some old kingdom but… Fuck me I really should use it. I can come back and get it soon.'' Venser said offering his left hand to her. ''Ready to teleport?''

Securing the pockets in her dress and dropping her skirt again, Sedna took his offered hand and squeezed it. "I'm more than ready, Venser."

''Hold on tight.'' Venser said grasping her hand and the reigns. They all disappeared in a puff of thick red smoke and reappeared right below a hill near a cliff overlooking the lake. ''We get a great view from up here. That's why I love this area.'' Venser said holding her hand, looking out at the great blue lake beneath the setting sun and orange colored sky. ''What a lovely day.'' Looking around and feeling a bit nauseous, she gasped in delight at the beauty of the area. "Venser.. I can't begin to describe how beautiful this place is… How have I never been up here?’’

''Yup. Lovely.'' Venser said letting go of her hand, walking over to the cliff and looking out with his arms crossed. His foot slipped and he suddenly fell over the edge of the cliff. ''Ahhhhhh!' And out of sight. Sedna’s bright blue eyes shot wide open as she ran to the cliff as Venser fell and began climbing down."Fuck, Venser.."

As soon as she said that, Venser poked his head over the edge of the top off the cliff, having teleported back up there. ''Gave ya a real scare didn't I?'' He asked with a laugh reaching his arm down. ''Come back up love.''

She scrambled up the cliff, tackled him and began pummeling him with her fists. "That wasn't funny!"

''Oof!'' He fell onto his back and blocked her punches, most of them at least. ''Alright! Alright! I'm sorry! Void, fuck my ass with a loaf of bread!''

Venser got up from the grass and brushed himself off after Sedna had repeatedly punched him for fake falling off the cliff. ''Why's your hair black and not some crazy color?'' He asked starting to unpack his things and set the tent up. Pausing for a moment to make odd, squeezing hand gestures.

After snapping her fingers, magical sparks flying from her fingers and starting a small fire, Sedna started bending some saplings over to create a frame for her shelter, still peeved at Venser for tricking her. "Black is easier to conceal when I'm hunting. It’s a rather interesting kind of magic I’ve always known… Just… To change my hair color. Why’d you let your hair and beard grow so scraggly? You almost look like a completely different person!’’

‘’I don’t want to talk about it.’’ As Venser set up the tent, accidently dropping one of the supports and causing the whole frame to collapse, he looked over to Sedna who seemed to be making her own. ''Hey, I thought we were sharing a tent. And a sleeping bag.''

Looking over her shoulder at Venser's collapsed tent, she smiled to in mirth. "This is just a shelter for the food. I'll dig a small pit and wrap all the meat that is hunted in leather and bury it. After it's buried, I'll pour a little water over it and that will keep it cool. I'll also put any other food we have in the shelter, out of the smell and reach of animals."

Blink blink. Venser gave her an odd look, ignorant of how people stored food like that. He figured they'd eat it fresh, but they had to do something about the leftovers. ''Right. Maybe we'll snag ourselves a big kill tonight, huh Sedna? Sednnnaa Roseriann.'' He asked going back to setting up the tent.

Blink blink blink. Why’d he say it like that? Venser was a bit strange at times, less than usual today but that’s why she liked him. Going over to the fire, she used a stick to stir up a little ash and using a blackened wooden spoon, ladled a little ash onto a small piece of leather, which she set down to cool. "Yes, hopefully the woods will be filled with game, and we will eat well"

''I brought some sau...'' He decided not to speak of the sausages he had brought to cook on the fire. And rather allowed both to have the thrill of the hunt later. Once he pitched the light brown tent he grabbed the bag of sausages from his bag. ''I'm running back to the tavern to grab my bow.'' He said before disappearing in a puff of thick red smoke.

Watching Venser disappear, Sedna began to smear the cooled ash on her hands, face and bow disguising her scent so as not to disturb the wild animals. Rummaging in her backpack, she pulled out an outfit that was more like a bush than clothes. It was just a simple dirt-brown tunic and leggings, but she had woven bits of grass into it and tied small switches of plants, so that she wouldn't stand out in the forest. Sitting down by the fire, she pulled out a small container that was full of grease and applied a small amount of it to her bowstring as she waited for her friend, the bearded bartender and traveling merc.

While still waiting Sedna watched as Venser disappeared in a thick cloud of red smoke and went to her pack, retrieving a fawn-coloured hunting outfit, with leaves attached to it, making it look like a small shrub. She quickly undressed and got into her hunting clothes, slipping her feet into a pair of dirt-stained foot coverings. Sitting down by the fire, she retrieved a blackened wooden ladle and a similarly blackened piece of leather and scooped out some of the ashes, leaving them to cool on the leather. Picking up her simple long bow, she began to smear a thin layer of grease over the string and frame, waterproofing it and lubricating the bowstring. Using the small amount in her hands, she smeared a little grease on her face before rubbing the cooled ashes onto her skin and hands.

Venser asked suddenly right behind her, holding a rather long crossbow, with three bolts knocked on top another, and each appeared to be at least two feet long. ''Nice make up. You look like you've been making out with a chocolate mousse moose. It’s… Well I don’t think you know what mousse is.’’

Snorting at Venser's remark, she crumbled up a small handful of dead leaves and tore strips from a small handful of green ones. Using her dagger as a mirror, she placed the pieces of brown and green leaf onto her mostly grey face, giving her the appearance of tree bark. Wiping her greasy hands on the grass, she took her raven locks in hand and swiftly braided it, sticking leaves amongst the hair and tying it with a small strip of leather. Picking up her bow, she nodded at Venser and melted into the forest. ‘’I’d recommend you do the same… You really stand out in that ridiculous thing Ven.’’

‘’Ermmmm… How about no? Or maybe another time. You know how much I love this outfit. And I know you do too...’’ Venser followed her wielding the long crossbow, crouching down and peaking glances at her ass as he followed, keeping an ear open for any quick noises or crunches.

Keeping her ears open for noises, she heard footfalls and slowed her pace. Crouching down and moving slowly, she looked around a tree and spied a deer, drinking from a small stream. Drawing her bow and nocking an arrow, she felled the deer. Smiling at Venser and drawing her dagger, she ran over to the deer's body, thanked it for giving its life and slit its throat, letting the blood drain into a large flask she had brought with her.

Venser applauded for her, walking over to Sedna and smacking her ass. ''Good kill! So, shall we...'' He paused and watched her collect it's blood in a flask. ''Uhhh... What are you doing? That’s not how you skin a deer! I think.’’

Sedna almost dropped the flask of blood when Venser smacked her ass, and quickly caught the last few drops. "I'm collecting the blood for two reasons. One is so that the blood doesn't spill all over the ground and lead wolves to our campsite, and the second reason is because I want to make a sauce with it." She looked over the body as she tightened the lid on her flask and noticed an abnormal swelling in the stomach area of the felled deer. Pulling out a small length of leather, she crouched down beside the body. "Venser, could you please hold this bit of leather? I think the deer we just killed was pregnant, and I want to see if the baby survived or not."

Venser nodded silently and took the bit of leather, looking to Sedna with a worried expression. ''Right... This is why people back home only kill the ones with horns… I… Ugh.’’

*Slitting the stomach open and moving the intestines out of the way, she finally found the womb of the deer, and found not one, but two deer fawns. They were moving a little, and were the right size for birth, so she carefully slit open the womb and amniotic fluid came rushing out, covering Sedna. Gently picking the fawns up and cutting their umbilical cords, she placed them in the bit of leather Venser was holding and swaddled them up, rubbing their fur to dry and warm them.

''Oh void.'' Venser almost vomited and looked away, dropping the leather.

Giggling at Venser's displeasure, she pulled out another bit of leather and began rubbing their faces, gently trying to get all the blood and gunk off them. As she wiped, one of the fawn's eyes opened and slowly blinked* "Come on Venser, it's not that bad. It's just blood and fluid. Surely this isn't your first delivery?" Snickering at Venser, she began to softly sing to the alert fawn, who began to sniff at her face and hands

''I didn't look when Soarin and Lucinda were born... You just cut them right out like you were stealing them. I know you’re not, just that sight. '' Venser was slightly disturbed looking at them. And he had seen a lot of fucked up things in his time. There was once such a time where he actually ate people. It wasn’t until two years ago, with the birth of his twins that he really started to regain his sanity and turn things around. Venser the Mad they always called him… Venser the Mad… No. He tried. He really did.

Wiping her hands on the scrap of leather, she turned to the bearded man. "Venser, if I didn't cut them out, they would have died a horrible death. They would have suffocated, as well as starved to death. If I can prevent death, I will, no matter how horrible it looks. I killed their mother, so I'm going to take care of them until they are weaned. Then I will let them go live in the forests of my home. But look at them. They're so cute and sweet, and they're alive. They get to have a future now. Doesn't that count for something?" She lifted the fawns and set them on her hip, using a long bandage to tie them to her. As she approached their mother, she placed another piece of leather over their heads, and gathered up the kill, wrapping it up in the biggest piece of leather she had, and lifting it onto her shoulder. Without looking at Venser, she set off in the direction of their camp, still crooning to the fawns on her hip.

And the bearded man followed, nodding his head in affirmation. ‘’Did a good thing… Two little fawns, yeah. They remind me of my own twins.’’

‘’I’ve only met them once, I think. They live with their mother?’’ Sedna asked. ‘’How often do you see them?’’

‘’Soarin and Lucinda live with Kari.’’ He confirmed. ‘’And they come to the tavern sometimes or I go visit them in this village a few miles away from the tavern when I can. When I'm you know, not out exploring adventuring or whoring or working… The last two can be considered the same thing.’’

The noble huntress giggled. ‘’It’s always good to go out and do something with you, Ven.’’