Play by Post - View Single Post - Loaded for Bear...or not. (Basic Wilderness Training for Philyra Nye)

Desmodus · February 29, 2008, 11:50 AM

Kesiryl smiled at Philyra's answers. They were good answers, and the ranger would have smiled even if his student hadn't been the Flame of Acumin. "Yes, very good," he said. "If there's water in the area, usually other plants and animals will have found it already. Of course, you have to know a bit about the plants in the area, as well as have some ability to track animals, to use those clues effectively.

"There's lots of other things you can do, of course. One is simply to look for low ground. Water flows downhill, after all, so any surface water will tend to run into low beds or holes. After a good rainfall, it will also for a while be in little holes, or even cupped in the leaves of plants for a while.

"Another thing to look for is bugs. Bugs tend to congregate around water, and congregations of them are often fairly easy to pick out even without tracking skills."

Kesiryl stood up. "We're going to find us some water. No, not back in town, although, of course, following signs of human activity is also a perfectly good way to search for water. We're going northwest." He pointed. "I'll let you lead the way a bit, where we'll come to a fairly large clearing. You won't miss it, and I suspect you may even know it. Once we get there, I'll let you look for some water."

Philyra would have no trouble finding the place, as her teacher had said. It was an old clearing, made shortly before the Pox outbreak, and intended for pasturage. Shrubs and weeds had begun to encroach, however. "Here we are," said Kesiryl. He seemed far more at ease walking out in the open country than he had been earlier. "Now, I want you to look around and tell me how to find some water."

There would seem actually to be very little that would tell Philyra anything. There didn't seem to be much that promised water in the immediate vicinity, although the moss on the old trees just past the edge of the clearing looked cool and damp. The land seemed mostly flat, although it sloped ever so slightly as one went east, and a small hill rose nearby, also partly cleared. Somewhere farther off and a bit to the east of that rise there were birds on the wing. Large, black birds, circling in a leisurely way with their broad wings spread. She probably knew from past familiarity with the countryside that she could find a creek simply by walking far enough north, but Kesiryl probably meant for her to use her skills to find something closer at hand.

February 29, 2008, 11:50 AM	#9 (permalink)
Desmodus Luminary Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Acumin & Herozzal Posts: 939	Kesiryl smiled at Philyra's answers. They were good answers, and the ranger would have smiled even if his student hadn't been the Flame of Acumin. "Yes, very good," he said. "If there's water in the area, usually other plants and animals will have found it already. Of course, you have to know a bit about the plants in the area, as well as have some ability to track animals, to use those clues effectively. "There's lots of other things you can do, of course. One is simply to look for low ground. Water flows downhill, after all, so any surface water will tend to run into low beds or holes. After a good rainfall, it will also for a while be in little holes, or even cupped in the leaves of plants for a while. "Another thing to look for is bugs. Bugs tend to congregate around water, and congregations of them are often fairly easy to pick out even without tracking skills." Kesiryl stood up. "We're going to find us some water. No, not back in town, although, of course, following signs of human activity is also a perfectly good way to search for water. We're going northwest." He pointed. "I'll let you lead the way a bit, where we'll come to a fairly large clearing. You won't miss it, and I suspect you may even know it. Once we get there, I'll let you look for some water." Philyra would have no trouble finding the place, as her teacher had said. It was an old clearing, made shortly before the Pox outbreak, and intended for pasturage. Shrubs and weeds had begun to encroach, however. "Here we are," said Kesiryl. He seemed far more at ease walking out in the open country than he had been earlier. "Now, I want you to look around and tell me how to find some water." There would seem actually to be very little that would tell Philyra anything. There didn't seem to be much that promised water in the immediate vicinity, although the moss on the old trees just past the edge of the clearing looked cool and damp. The land seemed mostly flat, although it sloped ever so slightly as one went east, and a small hill rose nearby, also partly cleared. Somewhere farther off and a bit to the east of that rise there were birds on the wing. Large, black birds, circling in a leisurely way with their broad wings spread. She probably knew from past familiarity with the countryside that she could find a creek simply by walking far enough north, but Kesiryl probably meant for her to use her skills to find something closer at hand.