Chaos-Two was out in Pegasus. It was the evening, now, and tomorrow they'd be heading off through the caves with Khavur. Now was the time to prepare and gather up some things for the journey, namely food.

They set their makeshift sack down, made from the salvaged skin of an animal with holes punctured into it and vine twined through it to make a handle. They set it up in a tree and grabbed their spear, twirling it around before making off into the forest.

Fruit was gathered, some eaten but most stashed in the bag, and larger leaves plucked off of plants to wrap meat in.

But now was the time for hunting.

Chaos-Two walked further into the woods, sensing nothing nearby. They were quiet, lurking in shadows, eyes open and watching, waiting for movement.

They hopped across a narrow stream, made by rainwater, the forest damp from the recent weather. They looked around, searching for tracks in the mud, occasionally looking up for movement.

Chaos-Two spotted tracks on the ground and sped up, eyes on the ground. They moved forward, finally looking up and stopping.

Deer. A whole herd of them.

They all seemed frozen, hunter staring at prey, but in the next instant they were gone, fleeing through the trees, a weak throw only spooking them further.

"Nice," they said dryly, "Now everything in this forests knows where I am."

What should have been an easy hunt had now become difficult. They could hear the deer's panicked cries in the distance and listened to birds flying away, warned by the herd.

Chaos-Two frowned and turned to their left instead, trying to go parallel to the field they'd come from. They'd find nothing where the deer had fled to.

Well, they were finding nothing in this direction, either, and as they jumped over a stream, tragedy struck.

Just past the stream was a slick patch of mud, hidden underneath green moss. Normally, such a thing wouldn't cause any grief at all, but when forward momentum and weight were added... then it became a problem.

With a startled bleat, Chaos-Two slipped, arms waving as they fell backwards, water and mud splashing as they landed on their back, winding themselves. They sat up quickly and wiped mud off of themselves, snarling in frustration. First they scared off their prey, now they'd fallen and... lost their spear.

They scrambled to find it, searching in bushes and through the mud before finding it downstream, the water having taken it away a little bit. They sighed in relief and sat back, thankful that it wasn't gone.

Using it to stand, they continued, walking more cautiously.

Chaos-Two trudged through the woods, more than a little annoyed at the turn of events. If they found prey they'd be surprised.

Red finally flickered in their vision, making them look up. Heart beats, far off. They were big and strong, suggesting deer of some kind.

Thankful that their luck was finally turning around, they headed towards them.

They came into hearing range of the deer (kooru, actually) and remained low, their muddy figure helping camouflage against the dim of the forest. They hid behind trees, aiming to do a bit of recon to find a deer that was weak, small, or sick.

Their foot crunched a stick and they froze, holding their breath. The deer were alerted, but weren't running yet, so they guessed as long as they remained still, Chaos-Two would not be seen.

Chaos-Two swallowed, afraid they'd messed up. The stags were herding their does away from the noise, attention drawn to where they were. If they could move to the other side, unseen, then they'd be able to catch a break.

Shadows were cast over their form, and they were able to swiftly make their way around without being noticed. The stags were unaware, still looking into the woods where the sound was, but the rest of the herd was on the other side of the clearing.

Arriving in their new spot, they spotted a doe with a weak leg, probably having injured it somehow. She was their target.

Chaos-Two raised their spear, preparing to throw it, licking their lips in anticipation. They threw the spear forward, the weapon sinking into flesh.

The doe flailed and fell to the ground, the rest of the herd fleeing, leaving her behind. Chaos-Two leapt from the woods and pinned the panicked deer's head down, yanking the spear loose before using it to put her out of her misery.

"Thank you," they mumbled, "For this meal, your body will become mine, your energy will become mine."

Chaos-Two started to carve off chunks of meat after they'd eaten their fill, using the skin to lay it on top of.

A blip of magic popped up, making them turn to peer at it. They withdrew a stone, a codierite, peering at it curiously. They'd save this for later, too.

They stood and stretched before picking up the skin full of meat, leaving a stripped carcass behind for scavengers to eat. Off they headed, back towards their bag, to gather up their stuff and find Khavur again.

Exit Chaos-Two