RTYY 109 – Bow and Arrow
219 0 7
X
Reading Options
Font Size
A- 15px A+
Width
Reset
X
Table of Contents
Loading... please wait.

Snow picked up another piece of dry wood and peered once more in MenTar1Literally men (lake) + tar (wind)’s direction. As it had become usual, he’d invited him to tag along, which Snow had gladly accepted.

MenTar had been teaching him the sacred language, using every opportunity they got when they left the camp on one of those daily errands, and he had learned a lot from his explanations. At first all those words, like Jundai2Literally jun (work / worker) + dai (light). Or Workers of Light, or in service of the Light. Name given to the priests and priestesses of the Temple. or even daitai3Literally dai (light) + tai (mark), or Holy Markings, considered Heavenly Blessings. They’re the source of power., or even people’s names, had sounded just too weird. But now he knew that they all actually had a meaning, similar to any common word.

This time, however, what had captured his curiosity wasn’t any new word he’d heard, but the bow MenTar carried across his back, over his long sword. He’d noticed it the day before, but still hadn’t had the chance to inquire about it.

“Is that a new weapon?” he finally asked, and MenTar looked back at him to understand what he meant.

“Oh, you mean my bow? I guess you could say that. I made it while we were staying at the village. Everyone in my Clan is trained in sword fighting since the day they learn how to walk. And we’re considered the best among the best. To have our swordsmanship recognized in such a way is our greatest pride,” he declared with a smile on his face, gently patting the handle of his sword sticking out over his right shoulder. “However, sword fighting always entails a certain proximity to your adversary. And so I made this bow, in case we come across more of those feimao4Literally fei (raging / furious) + mao (beast / monster). Raving beasts that appear in unbalanced, ungoverned lands. They possess destructive markings that in turn corrupt the land even further. Hard to explain in just 2 lines -_-; Anyway. Bad, vicious things that need to be killed.. This way I’ll be able to kill them from afar.”

Snow studied the bow for a moment. It looked rather simple and rudimentary. An arch made of flexible wood and a strong-looking string stretched between both ends.

“What will you shoot them with?” he wondered, noticing that there weren't any arrows in sight, and MenTar gave him a bright smile.

“I can create my own arrows with my daitai. But I was never very good at directing them. Believe it or not, I’m much better at archery than at daitai control, and so using a bow will solve that problem.”

Snow looked at the bow again and stepped closer to him, looking up to face him.

“Can you teach me?”

MenTar raised and inquisitive eyebrow.

“Teach you?”

“How to use a bow.”

“You want to learn how to shoot?” he wanted to make sure and Snow simply nodded. “Well, I guess there’s no problem in letting you try it. But it’s as you’ve pointed out. I have no arrows.”

“Can’t we make some?”

MenTar sighed. It was extremely hard to resist those hopeful, pale eyes.

“I guess we can try. In the worst case scenario our arrows simply won’t fly in a straight line. Even though it may look easy, making a good, well balanced arrow is a hard task better left to the professionals. But if all you want to do give it a try, I guess that won’t be a problem. Do you want to hold it?” MenTar asked, already taking it off his back, and Snow nodded, placing all the pieces of dry wood he’d collected on the ground, at his feet.

MenTar passed him the bow and Snow turned it in his hands, feeling its weight, trying to decide how he was suppose to hold it.

“Hold it with you’re left hand,” MenTar instructed. “Straighten your back, raise your arm. Keep your elbow straight,” he kept adding, holding Snow's arm in the right position, at the right height. “Now pull the string with your right hand, until your hand is right next to your face. Raise your elbow. Relax you shoulders. Put your left foot in front of your right one. That’s it. Here, you can pretend this an arrow,” he told him, handing him a relatively straight piece of wood, and Snow accepted it, holding it in place with his help. “Let the arrow rest on your left index finger. Align your vision with your finger and with your target. Once all three are aligned, steady your arm, hold your breath, and release the string.”

He did as he was told and the thin twig actually jumped forward, but it didn’t fly very far, quickly falling on the ground.

“Well, that wasn’t bad.”

Snow looked dejectedly at the piece of wood just a few steps away from his feet. That had been terrible.

“Like I said, without a proper arrow it's nearly impossible to make a good shoot,” MenTar declared, trying to cheer him up since he was still looking at his flying twig with a desolated expression on his face.

“But why the sudden interest? I hear your doing great with your daitai practice. What you did back at the village was proof enough of that. Why do you want to learn how to use a weapon?”

“I want to be able to defend myself,” Snow replied, back to observing the bow in his hand, testing the tension of the string. It wasn’t easy pulling it back as far as MenTar had instructed him.

“Won’t learning to control your daitai allow you to do just that? You even destroyed all those feimao on your own.”

Snow froze for an instant at the sound of those words.

That’s right. He had done that. At the time he hadn’t really thought about it, or about how he’d done it. He had just acted according to what was needed, and according to what he knew deep inside was the right thing to do.

“Once you’re able to control all your daitai, you’ll probably be stronger than all of us.” MenTar was still saying, and Snow knew he meant the red array he had used back at the Fortress.

Snow, however, didn’t even want to think about that. It was true he’d agreed to learn about his daitai, and that he recognized the need to be able to control them. But, even though he still hadn’t said anything to ZaiWin5Literally zai (blade) + win (chaos). about that, he had also decided that he’d never use those daitai again, even if it was only to practice.

“You also have them, right? And yet you know how to fight.”

MenTar sighed, scratching his head with an unfortunate expression on his face.

“That’s because my Clan is just like that, obsessed with everything military, with honor and fighting to the death, that kind of stuff,” he confessed.

“Normally, people blessed with daitai will only learn a bit of sword fighting, according to the imperial decree. And that's mainly because it is considerably beneficial to one’s mind balance and discipline. Those who know more than that, do so out of personal interest.

"In my Clan, however, no matter if we’re noble born or not, we’re all treated like common folk, where learning how to fight is concerned. We are not allowed to use our daitai and everyone has to attend the daily practices. Sword, axe, spear, bow and arrow, hand-to-hand, fighting on foot and fighting on horseback, we have to learn it all. It gets so ingrained into our development as we grow up that, even after we get older, we still feel kind of naked if we’re not carrying a weapon of some kind on our backs, no matter if we actually need it to defend ourselves or not.

"It is our Clan’s philosophy that a man’s worth is to be measured by what he can do with his own two hands. Daitai are not to be used lightly. Even though they were granted to us by the Heavens, they are still a way to disrupt nature’s balance. And so, even though they are a blessing to be used in times of need or emergency, they are not something a person should lean on on a daily basis.”

“Disrupt nature’s balance …” Snow repeated in a whisper. He too had felt it, the first time he’d willingly used them.

“But please don’t mind what I just said. This just my Clan’s way of seeing things. Everyone else basically thinks we’re just being silly, refusing to take advantage of what has clearly and rightfully been bestowed upon us. The reason why they don’t openly ridicule us more often is because, with all our fighting obsession, we’re probably one of the largest armed forces of the Empire. And that always gives people some pause, when they’re considering badmouthing one of the most powerful Clans.”

Being MenTar's older brother, ZenTar6Literally zen (silent) + tar (wind) had most certainly been raised the same way, Snow gathered. And, from what he understood, he had somehow raised ZaiWin in return. And yet, unlike the two brothers, ZaiWin didn’t usually carry a sword or any kind of weapon. In fact, he had only seen him wield a real sword once, when they’d been attacked back in Weiin7Literally wei (crystal / precious stone) + suffix in (center), meaning the center of the Province of Wei, in other words, Wei’s Capital. All Capitals of all Provinces are named as such.. But now he understood why he had chosen that form for his daitai’s expression.

“I don’t think it’s wrong,” Snow finally declared, raising his head to face MenTar. “That way of thinking. I don’t think it’s wrong.”

MenTar laughed, clearly amused.

“You’d be the first one. Even I think it’s kind of silly some times. On the other hand, I’m glad I had the opportunity to learn all I know. So even though I may not fully agree with our Clan’s philosophies, I’m still very proud to have been born into their bloodline. That being said, if you really want to learn how to use a bow, I don’t mind teaching you. But I’m not sure our Calzai will be too thrilled about it,” he added with a doubtful expression that immediately erased Snow’s enthusiasm. “But, if you agree to keep it a secret until you’re good enough to impress him, then maybe he won’t mind it so much.”

The mere suggestion of that was enough to return the hopeful expression to Snow’s face.

“I won’t say a word!”

MenTar smiled and patted his shoulder.

“Sometimes others will only recognize us after we’ve shown them what we’re able to do. And you’ll do just fine, Snow!” he added with a confident smile that didn’t last long. “On the other hand, aren’t you a bit too thin?” he wondered, squeezing his way down Snow's arm, making him instinctively shrink away from his touch. “If you were any other kid I’d tell you to go and eat a stack of meat,” he sighed, which immediately left a nauseated expression on Snow’s face.

“We’ll have to build you some muscle, if you’re to hold a real bow and arrow. This one is much lighter than normal bows, since I made it to serve one single purpose. You have to be able to hold it completely motionless until the opportunity to release the arrow presents itself. If you’re already struggling just to keep it still because of its weight, you’ll never be able to hit your target.”

Snow nodded, understanding.

“I’ll do whatever is needed.”

MenTar laughed again and ruffled his hair, making him recoil again.

“Now that’s the spirit. But I must warn you. I may look like this, but I’m actually a very rigorous teacher.”

“I don’t mind,” Snow replied, straightening his disheveled hair.

“Good, good. We can start right now, then. Pick up all the wood you’ve dropped.”

Snow immediately returned the bow to him and obeyed.

“Now stretch your arms in front of you. That’s right. Straighten your back, no slouching! Now make sure all the branches remain balanced over your arms. Don’t move. Just stand like that until I tell you.”

Snow nodded, arms stretched in front of his chest, a bunch of dry wood weighing on them. It didn’t take long for his shoulders to start aching, then his back, then his arms started shaking. Droplets of sweat slid down his forehead, and he clenched his teeth, focusing on breathing, trying to forget the pain. But he still stood there, refusing to give up. He’ll do whatever he could, take whatever he was offered, if that meant that his chances of surviving could increase if only a bit.

Bahhh! I can't say anything! Can't say anything! Hush! Hold your tongue! ?

7