03.09.10 - Scut Sitting

Location: Salamandastron Training Room

Characters Involved: Tyree, Sephora

• TWANG!* *CLACK!* "Blast it!" Tyree spits as his arrow misses the mark and instead collides with the wall behind. He had been going for a headshot... smaller targets require more practice to hit, after all. But only can only yank back on the string so many times before fatigue begins to set in. No wonder archers get such large forearms, doing this day in and day out. He sighs and looks down at his paws. "Nothin' for it... just gotta try again."

Sephora enters with the same thing in mind as Tyree, evidenced by the bow she carries in her hand, the string of it being unwrapped as she enters. It's not her longbow, but her normal bow. Who needs that much range while practicing inside? As the lieutenant heads toward the targets she gives Tyree a nod in greeting, and a brief smile. "Hey, Ty, how's it goin'?"

"Neh," is Tyree's answer as he strings another arrow and fires. It crashes right into the torso of the target dummy, making him smile rather viciously. "Better," he adds. "Came in 'ere ta' blow off some steam. Seems many things are afoot outside the mountain, but we've done aught ta' correct it."

Sephora grabs up a handful of arrows from the bin of them, and steps over to where Tyree stands opposite the archery targets. "You? Blowin' off steam? Never," she says wryly, stashing the arrows in one of those handy stands at this side of the range. She rests one end of the bow against the floor, keeping it in place with her foot, and leans her weight onto the bow to bend it enough to slip the string onto the other end. ".. gotta wax th' line, huh," she mutters, then glances at Tyree. "Which 'things afoot' are you particularly bothered by?"

"Taye's lost use of his arm. Tameus was mugged an' had his bloomin' paw chopped off. Not out on patrol, but right near the mountain," Tyree huffs, drawing back another arrow. "We're the ones who're supposed ta' make the shores /safe,/ not be victims of... petty assault."

Sephora selects an arrow and tips the fletching up toward her muzzle, considering Tyree for a moment. "You know, sometimes. Us - Patrollers - being around the shore and Halyard, it makes us the targets. But better for /us/ to be targeted, than the defenseless beasts we try to protect. 'cause we can take it. Taye's still shoutin' orders and Tameus is learnin' to fight with a hook. Sometimes this job just means gettin' hurt."

"It's not... just... that..." Tyree mutters, gritting his teeth as he holds the bowstring in place. "I mean..." He lets fly. Another solid hit on the right arm of the dummy. Boom, there goes your weapon, vermin. "Why aren't we goin' /after/ the ones who did this? A place like Halyard should be as safe as here, an'..." He sighs. "Shouldn't /be/ that way when we're around. Whoever did these things needs ta' learn respect for the Patrol..." He draws again. "Or /stay/ out of its way."

"Halyard's not an exclusively woodlander village," Seph points out, and draws her tongue carefully along the edge of the three bites of fletching, wetting the feathers. Then she notches the arrow to her bowstring, standing with her feet shoulder-width apart, facing the wall to the right of the line of targets. "Where there are vermin, things like this do sometimes happen. The Long Patrol didn't earn respect sittin' on our scuts 'cause th' vermin are all gone from our territory - that isn't realistic. The Patrol is /resilient/. As an army, and every individual. But you know.. sooner or later, those beasts /will/ learn respect for the Patrol, or /will/ go runnin' scared. Just won't happen all in one fell swoop."

"Humpf." If there's one thing Tyree can be, it's stubborn when he thinks he's right. If he were in charge he'd have every door kicked in and every stone overturned to find the perps. Dirty Harey would have /nothing/ on him. He looses one final arrow and turns to watch Sephora. "Just... wish I could teach 'em it /personally,/" he mutters. "Rather than /actually/ sittin' on my scut like I'm doin' now."

"Looks like you're arrow-shootin', not scut-sittin'," Seph responds, lifting her eyebrows at the buck. Then, her eyes turn to the target in front of her. In one smooth movement she lifts the bow so the arm holding it is straight in front of her, and with two fingertips lightly hooked against the bowstring, holding her arrow in place, she sights along the shaft of it with her eyes both open and focused. And, then she releases, and the arrow pegs the dummy right in the middle of the throat.

Tyree's eyes widen at the hit. "Most excellent," he praises her, resting his paws by grasping the bow and putting it tip down to the floor. "M' jus' sayin'... rather be arrow-shootin' at troublesome vermin."

Sephora grins at Tyree as she selects the next arrow. "Can't make that shot at longbow range. 've just been doing this a while." She glances at the door. "You wanna go find some vermin t' shoot at?"

Tyree stiffens his back and looks out the door. "Now?" he asks. "But... we've been given no orders. Major Rahier would 'ave my head if he found out we were goin' vigilante."

Sephora shruuuuugs. "I didn't say /vigilante/. I mean, go hang around Halyard long 'nough, and we're bound t' run int' some vermin up t' no good. Then it's not vigilante, it's /duty/, ey?" Grin. XD

Tyree, apparently, is mostly just talk. Sure, he'd complain about the lack of activity, but only through the proper channels! Going against orders? That's like trying to ask him to tear his own ears off. He shuffles ponderously. "I... well... I /suppose/ that would make sense, but... under the noses of our superiors?" he gapes. "It just isn't done."

".. two things." Seph gives the arrow in her hand a swish for each point she makes. "/I/.. am your superior. And. 'm datin' /my/ superior."

"... An' mine," Tyree reminds himself in a muttered tone. He sighs and shakes his head. "Well. M' not afraid or anythin'. But if anythin' goes wrong I'm tellin' 'em it was all your idea. Cause it was."

"Officers take th' heat for anythin' goin' wrong, haven't you figured that out yet, Ty?" Seph responds with a grin. She nods toward the door. "Let's get going, if we're gonna."

Tyree takes one last look around before he puts the bow down. "Lemme get some weapons, at least," he says at last.