[D5 LM] Bounty of the Swamp

[Taochusu]

Swamps were great. Wonderful place to collect food and supplies. Everything they had to offer, they had in abundance. When he found an ideal location for doing so, he found a reasonably solid spot under a tree and leaned there, wondering if any other hunters would join him.

[Makime Mineko]

Mineko was still acclimating herself to this strange swamp that seemed to appear from nowhere. She read the maps and it bothered her that this terrain was not on the maps. Still, she decided to try to make the most of it. To clear her mind, she decided to go hunting. Mineko took notice of the rather large man up against the tree and greeted him.

"Good morning." she said with a proper bow and in her usual polite soldier-like tone.

[Taochusu]

"Morning. Up for a hunt? Best not to run around alone in places like this. Poisonous creatures and dangerous terrain," he replies, moving to greet her with a wave.

[Miyako]

After her morning breakfast and a few prayers, Miyako packed up her tent, strung her bow, and went away from the main campsite in order to venture onto the edge of the swamplands and see what she might obtain of wild game and sprouting herbs. As she walked around looking for solid and dry ground, she saw a very large and familiar figure standing with another person near a tree; she waved her hand to make herself known before she walked over to say hello.

"A good morning to you, Taochusu - and to you as well," Miyako said in warm greeting to the large man as well as to the lady unfamiliar to her, giving each of them a nod in turn. "I imagine you have a similar idea as I to go hunting about this area too? It is good if so. From what chatter I have heard from the quartermasters back at camp the provisions are well and good, but while it can still be obtained I think both fresh meat and leaf might supplement us well."

[Taochusu]

"Yeah, I went out and got some pheasant the other day. Collected some herbs while we were traveling yesterday. Supplementing with such a large group is going to be helpful. Then we can keep the food that lasts in reserve."

[Makime Mineko]

"Morning. Up for a hunt? Best not to run around alone in places like this. Poisonous creatures and dangerous terrain," he replies, moving to greet her with a wave.

"Yes. I would be up for a hunt...in this strange swamp." She took notice of the new woman who arrived. "Greetings. I am Makime Mineko. Welcome to the hunt."

[Miyako]

"I am Miyako of the Chinsei - greetings and good morning," Miyako responded, giving another nod to the woman. "I am a bit surprised that those leading the wagons have us marching through this area. Where we camped last night was dry and solid enough, but even on my way over here I noticed under my foot some softer grounds..." she trailed off and pushed her leg down on the ground a couple times with a slightly bent knee to emphasize the point.

"There are spots I think where we might tread carefully if we are light, but those same spots might give way to the weight of the wagons. It might be good for us to be aware of those if we come across them so that we might report it on return to the wagons, and I hope that others might do the same throughout the day. In any case, however, these grounds will hopefully prove fruitful today. I already saw a couple of shrubs from which to collect from, but I hope to stretch the legs with a good hunt before getting the easier task out of the way," she added with a smile as she looked over her bow, checking that it was properly strung.

[Taochusu]

Having not told Mineko his own name yet, he introduces himself. "I'm Taochusu."

Since everyone seemed good to go, Taochusu readied his bow. "Let's see what we can find then?"

[Miyako]

"Just a moment," the tribeswoman said as she checked and make sure her quiver of arrows was set in place that she could easily reach across herself to pull out the next arrow. She tested that with a simple arm motion and, satisfied, she nodded her head.

"Alright, that should be good. Anywhere in particular you wanted to start looking? There I think was a stream that cut through to... the north-west, I think? Maybe about a few minutes of walking from here. There was also a small clearing near to there, but then on the edge of it the trees are really thick and I'm not sure how muddy that open space might be compared to the more forested parts," she outlined as she pointed in the direction where she had first appeared. "I didn't see anything all that large worth shooting at when I walked through that area, but I wasn't trying to stay quiet through there either, mostly just keeping my footing as I got a look around. We could try there and see if anything might be looking to drink from the stream, but maybe one of you might know of a better spot?" she asked as she looked between them.

[Taochusu]

"It's a whole new place. Gotta just look for trails and signs of passing. Could be animals in here that aren't from farther north too," he replies. "Maybe southern swamps have bigger frogs, turtles or snakes. I usually worry less about the type of terrain and more about the trail signs."

[Makime Mineko]

"The stream would be better to start. Most animals would gather there."

[Miyako]

"Alright then, we can try the stream first," she responded, turning to face where she had first appeared. "If we go that way, there's an uncovered path of dry ground that heads to the left, and if we follow that back there should be this really big aged oak, and from there a little bit to the right past that for a few minutes and the stream should be there," the tribeswoman recalled of her steps from earlier. She motioned with a hand for them to follow her as she attempted to backtrack to the stream.

"Has the journey been well for you both thus far?" she asked the two of them.

[Taochusu]

"It's been fine. I got no complaints," Taochusu replied, following along. "Nothing spectacularly different from what I've seen before. Except for the big group of people."

[Miyako]

"Yeah... now that it's been a few days I've really gotten to see not just how many people are coming along but where they're all from. A lot of people have come from those clan-tribes, which makes sense, but I was surprised by how many from the tribe-tribes have come on this journey too," she described of her observations as she pointed out ahead the first bend that they would follow.

"And all sorts of tribes in all sorts of places near and far. People of the mountains, the rivers, the shore of the seas, people like me from the forests, those of the open plains... think I've ran into enough that I might soon be able to say I've ran into someone from every part of the known world very soon! The call really traveled a lot further than I would have imagined."

[Taochusu]

"Probably took a more direct path than me too. I've traveled a lot, but never really had a destination. Just ended up in the right place at the right time to come along for this."

[Reo]

A familiar sounding "brush-thump" warns Miyako and Tao of a familiar presence approaching. Reo has his bow readied in one hand.

"Are you all looking to hunt as well?"

[Makime Mineko]

"Alright then, we can try the stream first," she responded, turning to face where she had first appeared. "If we go that way, there's an uncovered path of dry ground that heads to the left, and if we follow that back there should be this really big aged oak, and from there a little bit to the right past that for a few minutes and the stream should be there," the tribeswoman recalled of her steps from earlier. She motioned with a hand for them to follow her as she attempted to backtrack to the stream.

"Has the journey been well for you both thus far?" she asked the two of them.

"The journey has been most interesting. It has been quite a learning experience seeing the rest of the lands and becoming familiar with the terrains."

Mineko nodded at the Kakita newcomer.

[Taochusu]

"Yeah. That's the plan," he said with a nod and a wave to the new arrival. "Gonna join us?"

[Miyako]

Miyako slowed down a bit as the rustling in the brush occurred but she was not too surprised or troubled, her calm validated as a familiar face soon emerged onto the path.

"Ah! Hello again, Reo, hope the morning as treated you well," she greeted with a wave of the hand, recalling the man's name and face from the big tribal hunting trip when they were still near the city. "It is as he says. We are working our way back to near the stream to see if any of the larger game may have come later in the morning for a drink from the waters. You are more than welcome to join us," she said.

[Reo]

"It's not bad. The abundance of game is a nice touch." Reo shrugs a little