the task ....

How I push new recruits to prove their ability to survive in wild woods (Sonia)

Shuneeka felt the tightness and burning within her lungs as she ran feverishly through the thicket and heavy brush that tore away from the rags that was once the respectful village work tunic and apron worn by the free women of her village. As she ran she could hear the thundering of her heart beat franticly as fear from the unknown sounds seemed to close in behind her. Such fear seemed to painfully tighten the muscles which slowed her down as she pressed forwards trying to escape the pending doom that swiftly followed her ever deeper in darker thicker part of the forest.

She glancing back over her shoulders as her dirty tawny strands of her hair,that naturally faded to golden blond ends cause from the countless hours she toiled at the dry mountain soil that made up area of her uncle's farm. Images of that farm and face of her uncle that mixed with disgust that reflected in the dark creases of the man's leathery skin. It was the fear as she felt now pumping into every part of her being that drove her on even now to escape whatever it was now after her. Not focusing on where she was going as she turned her head quickly before she missed the broken branch that had embedded into the ground for some time covered with plant life, hooking her foot into it and felling with a heavy thud face down into the forest floor, almost knocking the wind from her and making her head reel.

She franticly hands searched out stretched before her digging at the dirt and undergrowth to get a toe hold onto something to aid her to get back onto her feet. Yet as she does so, a point of something sharp pressed into her ragged garments and into the sensitive area between her shoulders of her back. She heard the voice what sounded like a woman screeching in her ears as this person was calling to those now coming closer.

/me gasping painfully for the rush of air that felt like fire scorching her lungs as she tried to move, but it was the painful tip of something sharp that kept her at bay fearing to go even deeper into her flesh, and the fist that had reached into the soiled tresses of her tangled mane, twist painfully and quickly jerked hard as if the sudden movement would have snapped her neck if it had more force behind it than what it had.

Shuneeka kept her forehead pressed against the coolness of the forest carpet that made of decaying leaves, and other pant life not to say for countless insects the crawled along the floor of the woods. Women...her mind raced these were women that seemed to circle her. She labored to slow her breathing but the fear of what to come next crippled her she dare not speak or move or even take a glance up at the sound of the string of gibberish encircled her. The tones became more lest excitable and begin to soften but the hand that entwined in her hair seemed not to loosing it's strong grip.

The women heard her own moan naturally escaping from her lips when the hand tighten more pulling her head back even more painfully as she winced feeling as if her hair would be pulled from the crown of her head, causing a bone to pop in answer to the force that held her head up and now her face exposed to the one that held her at bay. Slowly she raised her eyes up at the frighting face the loomed near her own, covered in dirt and grim and with frighting pigments of some kind of face paint that surrounded the eyes in black that smeared into area of the cheekbones that in all account may have been high if it were not for the red color that gave the illusion of blood stain and seemed to blend lower to that around the mouth.

Shuneeka gasped beside her self at such a gruesome face, long hair wildly snaked out that framed the face and piercing eyes, cold and harsh seemed to boar into her own. The buzzing of the voices continued, then the welcome released from the pain as the hand let go of her own tawny blond hair. Yet this was only short live for no longer was the hand released there was sudden grip of fingers painfully digging into the flesh of arms into her soften skin with cuts and bruises from her escape days earlier and the escaping these women.. these.. Panthers! She was found by them, but not knowing this was a good thing or bad, after hearing the stories of these women Outlaws that stayed hidden withing the forest, and how they treated unwanted visitors into their domain. The chances of her own survival among them was very bleak.

She feel the painful stinging of the leather thong tied incredibly tight around her wrists seemed to bit into her silken tender flesh. She bit at her lower lip enough that she swore she could taste her own blood upon her tongue but she held back any cry, or pleas. She was roughly heft up by both arms. A leather braided cord now was secured around her neck snug yet not enough to choke her, with an end of rope made of plant fiber running roughly up and around then tied into knot at her throat, she was then was forced to follow in silence behind the one that had first came upon her, and now leashed to that same woman.

Her crystal blue eyes, carefully scanned the woods to the left and right of her in hopes of finding a way to escape them. However, it would be foolish, Panthers from her understanding walked single file, not only to make there numbers look greater, but from her understanding, to make less noise when tramping through the heavy plant life and thickest along the paths not easily seen by others who were not familiar. These women, these panthers seemed to know every path and narrow well hidden trails by memory.

Instinctively each time she would slow, she would feel either the quick tug of the leash from the woman who lead her or the quick poke rude-fully by fingers or at times the end part of the shaft of the spear of the woman behind her. No one spoke, but she could feel the some how the tension in the air as they continued on. It seemed to her that the panthers never once let down their guard even in the heavy denseness of this great forest. As if they new any moment danger would suddenly present it's self and the girls who worked would respond in a signal deadly unit to war off their attacker. It was frighting yet amazingly as she felt this intense power flowing from one girl to the other, as if they were were able to somehow communicate with out speaking a single word.

Tired and sore she stumbled trying her best not to for she would at times see the reflection of annoyance from the woman who led her own each time she slowed to no fault of her own. The woman glared but did not uttered a single sound, just the harsh jerk now and then to remind her captive to keep moving. Not being familiar with the paths or surefooted in the woods like theses women were, it wasn't easy to keep such pace, but she tried. This time of the day now the sun seemed to have shifted and was moving down past most of the tree tops, causing the shadows to play about under the dense canopy of the huge Evergreen and spruce trees that made much of the forest of the north. The sun's rays streamed through casing the shadows to dance and move in closer as if a shadowy fog that ate up the forest in darkness. The path seemed to gradually change becoming sharper and more dreading as if they were climbing, and for what bit of ray of sunlight manage to filter through she could see that they were in a hilly and rocky. They were making their way deeper into the foothills that blended into the rugged mountains. The trail was becoming more dangerous, so narrow in spots often crossing narrow crudely made wooden bridges and paths along the steeper sides of the hills that if one slipped would take them over 100 ft. below. She tired to panic but even with her hands bound at her back she could not help notice her own palms sweating and her face beading with sweat, even the air was becoming noticeably much colder.

Shuneeka stopped as the woman before her did, seeing the woman now turning towards her she jerked at the leash but gently to come closer. She stood proud and strong as she watched the others girls coming closer, it seemed once all was accounted for it is then the woman that was leading the party opened the well hidden entrance to what looked like a cave. Then another tug of the leash was led inside.

She could not see it was a darkness worse than anything she had ever experienced, causing her to take shallow breaths, and using the tip of her tongue to lick at the dryness to help moisten her lips. She stood for a moment feeling the body of the woman before her pressing close. She did not bother to move for doing she feared would put her in worse graces with these women than she already had. Torches was lit, that caused her to bat her eyes, a shudder ran down her back as their own shadows cast upon the wall of the cave was like disfigured creatures, moving and flickering about. She sucked in her breath when she found out it was not a cave like before the woman that lead them and her, but a series of caves that naturally made up at maze of tunnels. It was only then the feeling of tension faded and the women begin to speak in soft yet lighter tones.

Was thrown before one of the larger campfire. A woman stood up and move counter clockwise to greet the one that had been leading the small group and who held the leash. The woman doing the greeting turned now to step closer. The flames from the fire that reflected off her eye glowed like polished gems and fire dancing within their depths. The woman was dressed much like the others with furs and garments that covered most of the torso with leathers or skins. The feet were covered with leather boot like shoes, and lower part of the leg up to the knees in fur. It was the time of cycle of the Gorean calendar year when it was becoming colder, and no doubt soon snow would be seen falling, but for now the days were warm and the night cold. She spoke in soft tones to the others. Laughter and soft chuckling resonated around. She leered near gazing deeply, then spoke to the one that had held the leash stepped in back and with the swiftness, cut the bindings free.

Stood still unsure what to make of this the woman then order something. The clothes suddenly was ripped free. Gasping in horror and yelped a sound that caused the others to laugh and in their own way poke fun it seemed the woman conducting the action was in charge and judging the way the others seemed to respond to her. She was the leader of this group not the one that had led the party through the forest.

Stood naked and confused, feeling the coldness of air swirl about her naked warm flesh, feeling the every inch of her being on display before all eyes of the wild women of this camp. She stood straight keeping her head upright instinctively the first action was to cover her self and make a run for it. Yet, seeing there was to many and the fact she was still leashed would be foolish. The Chief or leader of this band of panthers eyed her, as if to dare her to make a sudden move.

Shuneeka did her best to hide the fear, staying stone face as the leader of the tribe gazed hard at her in all angles and circled her. She felt her chest tighten the dread and much thoughts flooded her mind. The butterflies in the bit of her belly, and fear of being brought into slavery or worse death. She would not be used as a slave, she would rather die. Squaring her shoulders back, she stood as proud as she could pushing the fears that gripped at her body like a iron hand and did it's best to cloud her mine, she waited in silence.

She felt the Leader move in closer, with a most wicked sneer.. then reaching quickly she removed the knife that was tucked in the leather belt of her own tunic that came down to the mid thighs, spoke. "let us see seleen, how well you fair in the woods. Fail this task and your fate will be decided instantly." she hissed.

Looked uncertain at the leader, she was given the knife made from a bone of a seleen, her instructions were to go into the forest, naked, with only the use of the knife, she had three moons to prove her worth. She would have to kill animals, make something to cover herself, to make some sort of weapon such as a bow, and arrows to hunt with. If she failed, her fate will be determined by the women of the band. The leash was removed but the leather woven collar remained around her neck, perhaps as a reminder.

Was laid next to the fire, wondering why now she was given a knife she could have easily rushed anyone of them and fought her way to freedom, but in all seriousness, she would be slitting her own throat. Reminding her self theses women were experienced hunters, they fought everyday for survival, they knew the hidden paths and trails through the forest as if it were veins of their own hands. She would not last against such odds. She laid weak, tired, frighten, and hungry. They had only offered water and scraps of food as if she were but a mere animal herself. Finally sleep took her, and her dreams became nightmares of the past.

Stood before them the smoke of the campfire not yet fanned into a flame, only faint of the dawn's first light crept, changing the night to a bluish huge of daybreak. She stood shivering, her skin prickled with bumps, her lips trembling, her feet still stinging and raw, even her tips of her fingers raw, and the nails torn and at times bled from the days before when she first entered the woods. The leader spoke to the first girl who had lead her and the party last night to the camp. The same woman now roughly lead with an aid of another pushed and guided to where the starting of the task were to begin.

Shoved free of the hidden entrance of the caves that honeycomb around, she was forced out. She didn't waste time but ran down the narrow path to try to get as much distance from the two women. She stopped to look up and seen they had disappeared from sight, possibly to go back into the hidden entrance to the camp. Either way she was on her own now. She flopped down to tired and weak to cry, and to the point of feeling the despair flooding into her body through the very pores of her being. She flopped back against the base of a tree and sat there with her head hung low.

Shuneeka woke with a start. Heart hammering in her chest, as the sound of it echoed in her ears. She panted wiping the sweat from her around her face from the back of her hand, the knife held firmly within her tight grasp, so tight that made her knuckles turn white for the tense hold. She cursed under her breath at the nightmares that awoken her, and the sound of a woman's voice from some distant time. That voice was her aunt who had passed on to the City of Dust, as one would say. Shaking her head she slowly rose to her feet. She walked along the trail stopping ever so often to make tiny little signs only she would know as she went along to find her way back. These signs, she learned from her aunt, the same that came to her in her sleep. She would find a small branch and break in half to place it in an unnatural way crossing it with the other into the ground. She did this along with breaking leaves that framed the pathway. After a while of doing this she begin to see something unusual unfolding before her own bluish eyes. The path she walked on had indeed markers of their own! She now started to understand and read the markers that the panthers used for those still learning the ways of the tribe. She smiled to her self it was a start.

/me landed hard on her backside causing the icy cold water from the brook wash over her naked flesh. She became even more frustrated as the fish escaped her hands, now burning from the intense ice cold water. She had attempted her best to catch fish by hand. She had seen a trapper who hunted for food and furs do this as a little girl, it looked simple enough but she seemed to lack the skill and speed needed to do so. She sighed, looking around the bank that edge the wide babbling brook, it wasn't deep but it did have fish small ones but still it was food. She raised her eyes to the sky, the sun was still setting good but that did not help her stomach she had time yet to make a camp for her self, and she knew she would need something to help shield her from the cold. The knife was only her source of life. Gazing at the blade, as the sun flashed off of the sharp edge a plan was forming. She quickly sprung to put the plan in action.

Smiled to her self as she looked at the small cluster of fish on the rocky bank. She would have food to eat, but the task of keeping warm and having a place for shelter was another issue. She had managed to find a green small branch that was flexible yet strong, taking the knife she managed to cut from the base and then shaving the small twig like branches from it to construct a pole the size smaller around than her own wrist. She then shaved the end to make a sharp but sturdy point. Slightly up from the point she had cut into it making a deeper grove and continued to whittle until she made a curved wooden hook, crude as it was, it would help keep the fish she would stab into from falling away. She had found out the hard way when she first fashioned the fishing spear with just a sharp point the fish managed to wiggle and fall from the point only fall into the brook and float down stream. Yet once the hook grove was made. The fish stayed on and she had her dinner. Now she needed to make a fire and shelter.

She satisfied having her belly full of fish she harvested and cooked. The fire small enough, she had noticed from the panther camp the night before. It was for her own safety as to not be seen, and also more practical to be able to stay close to keep warm, otherwise large fires only brought attention and also force one to stand back further from the heat, and be cold. Yet there was this issue of staying warm all night for she still had no outer garments or covering to cover her freezing flesh. She gazed into the fire, thinking on this problem, her eyes and ears alert for dangers.

Shivered as the night was closing in. No matter how close she was able to get to the small campfire, it was still not warm enough from her shivering body. She would have to do something but what? She looked around the area she had found a nice little secluded place, amongst an out cropping of rocks, a portion of it hung over to naturally from a makeshift roof, or in a way of speaking a small indentation to make a one person cave-let. She nestled deep against the back part of the rock so that way the heat from the fire would warm the rocks, and it did help but the night breeze helped cool down the rock and offered only a scant bit of warmth. It just wasn't enough.

Moved to out stretch her body laying down now as she thought of ways to help warm her. Cut branches offered little help, and one had to be careful so the pine pitch wouldn't catch easily if too close to the fire, and very prickly against the skin. As she laid there she kept thinking while her hands played with the soft dirt under her body. Soft dirt.. ! Plan two now was forming.. Bed of coals.. soft dirt!

She sat with a most rather pleased expression on her face. She had spent a bit of time doing it but she managed to carefully as to not damage the knife, digging a spot deep enough to rake using a green branch of coals into the small trough that covered a layer over small stones she found. Next she layered green branches over the coals checking for heat and fire, hoping not to suffocate the coals then a thin layer of soft dirt over that, followed by a layer of grasses that worked as a mat over dirt. She laid upon it and then kept the fire going it was not really enough to keep her warm and toasty as she had hoped, maybe if she had more time to find materials and something better and stronger to dig with, it may have but achieved the purpose she had been after, at least this kept her from freezing to death

.

She awaken to the first rays of warm sunlight. She did her morning toiletries, next to the brook, washing her face and hands, braiding her wayward hair after using her fingers to untangle the snarls and free of plant matter embedded the thickness of her untamed mane. She used her fingers to scrub at her teeth, and picked at the knot at her collar frowning at the way the knot was made, the roughness of the leather collar rubbing against her neck made the softness of her skin raw and tender. Feeling much alone and unsure she could not let doubt sink in. She had to fight her fears and replace doubt with confidence or she would fail. She sat back thinking on the reason behind the task. It came clear they were giving her a chance to be possibly one of them. If she manage to complete this first task then maybe they may not make her a slave or even kill her. She might have a chance yet! She rose and begin to think on the next part of this task. She had manage to fish for food, she had learned from her aunt about wild berries, but now it was to late in the season to really find any edible berries, but nuts was one thing she could find if in the right area, but the northern woods offered little in the way of wild nuts. She would have to find more suitable food than just fish. She had to prove she could hunt. Bows, bows were fashioned with flexible but very strong woods, the bow string was usually fashioned with sinew dried and stretched and twisted. Bone marrow and fat cooked down with that of hoof of a northern tabuk would make excellent glue to help secure the woods together and reinforcing with a wrapping of sinew, and splitting the sinew into fine threads once dried and stretched would help tie the fletchings of the arrows into place. The other part would have to find the right type of stone to make the arrows. She sighed sounds easy but the first problem was to locate such animals here in this forest, and with her not being so knowledgeable as to hoe yo hunt, the question was how to get the things she needed to hunt with. She had remembered as a child growing up in a northern village by watching how the men in the village made such things. Also knowing deep down this part of the task wasn't going to be easy.

Looked around she only had until the third moon to complete this task. She lifted her hand to shield her eyes from the sun light bleeding through the trees once she stood in the clearing she was keeping the brook close by and off to her left so that way she wasn't venturing too far into unfamiliar areas and still be close to camp. Glancing at the knife she kept clutched into her hand she had to make a make shift lance to use to hunt with, again she pulled at the collar rubbing at her neck becoming even more tender. Wait the collar? She can use the leather of the collar to help fashion something to use to hunt with.

She huffed a bit again wiping the sweat that formed like beads glistening the the glow of the sun against her slightly golden skin. Hands now blistered, tender with sores, she used the knife hacking at a small sapling, skimming the smaller branches from the main part. She reached up to carefully cut at the knot of the collar mindful as to not cut herself doing so, and if she done this right she would have good amount of length to work with, once she undone the braid strands of the leather lacing that had originally formed to make the collar. She bend down toiling at the work, when she froze. There was a noise in the distant a slow rumble at first. She didn't bother to look up but her body was on full alert, even her own senses became keener, she titled her head as she worked franticly with shaken hands and fingers with a will of their own, to bad was not under her own command. She did manage to complete tying the knife into place with the leather lacing at the very end of the newly but very crudely fashioned lance. Tilting her head to side so that she could listen as well as slowly moving her eyes carefully not to make any fast or sudden moves. The sound was coming from her right side but off to the back some distance away. Her blind side of view. Ever so slowly she turned her head and to her surprise and fearful shock of what she saw was not as far off as she first thought but much closer in fact so close to the large animal she could have easily spit at it. It growled and for the first time in her life she realized what real fear really was.

She laid there upon the roughness of the ground, feeling every rock and pebble that seemed to etch into her skin. Her eyes cloudy at first slowly begin to focus, at first nothing seemed to register in her mind. She blanked with blue eyes dull, and empty. Her breathing was shallow more like soft pants and when she did try to inhale a deeper breath she almost cried out in pain. The memory of what took place alluded her. She was not dead, not yet. But what had happen? She begin to move her right hand to discover great amount of pain shooting up her right arm, and a wet coolness trickling down from her wrist to her elbow. She groaned softly clenching her teeth to keep from screaming out. Finally she moved her hand to lay across her body, but instead was fur. She began to wiggle and move her body yet she lacked the strength and discovered to her horror, she was held down from some unforeseen weight. She moved her right hand again to examine to lightly examen the feel of fur, the thick and coarseness of it. Discovering more the coldness of moister was trickling down over her right side. She tried moving her left hand but it was also painful and stiff. She had lift her left hand discover her hand was coated with dry blood. Pain shot through her head as she closed her eyes as soft moans easily escaped from her own lips. Praying to any Gods that may hear her as she laid there with flashes of images that formed while the buzzing of insects flutter about her ears. She again opened her eyes wide with terror as the last image came into mind. She tried to wiggle and move but her body refused at first but slowly she calmed her racing heart and forced the workings of her foggy brain to consternate enough to raise her throbbing head up to see the death-mask of the furry face with its mouth gaped open with huge fangs. It's large head was had been resting lifelessly across her own chest, its fur was soaked in blood, but who's blood?

Listened intently for sound if any coming from the huge beast, yet there was nothing. She wiggled and moved pushing at the dead weight that had pinned her down restricting her movements. Until at last she was able to drag her self from under the dead weight of the large fury beast. She gasped at seeing the lance she had fashion had been broken and the end with the knife she had used as the makeshift spearhead had been thrusted deeply into the left ear of the beast's head, only a small bit of the shaft that had been broken off was seen sticking out of the skull, with blood caked within its fur. Looked down at her own body she had been clawed with deep furrows that was made by the massive claws, areas while others not as bad, at least she had faired much better than the beast, she was alive! She would have to attend to her wounds and find the medicine herbs that crew wild here in this part of the great forest.

Shuneeka looked up at the three moons of Gor. They had shown brightly through the haze of the clouds that were drifting across their faces. She had slipped and fell, tumbled and bumbled her way that last couple of days to finish this task. Half starved at times half crazy with fear, getting lost, from ghosts of her past, and a close brush with death. She stood in silence with the torch to lit her way through the darkness of the tunnel with it's twists and turns until she came out into the open and walking not as quiet as the most experienced of hunters that could move silently through the woods without being detected. A cry came out from nowhere but she did not jump nor raised a spear she fashioned earlier that day. She kept walking while feeling the eyes wide and alarmed with curiosity and puzzlement. The tension high that it filled the air as every women of the band held firmly to their weapons as she stepped before the great fires and the Leader of the tribe. She threw down at the Leader's feet. A bundle of freshly hunted meat, wrapped in fur to help keep it clean, then a much smaller bundle she held out with great care to present to the Leader. She stood before the leader dressed in the rich furs, and soft green tanned hide that covered her once naked body. Her hair smoothed out and flowing in the cold breeze as the smoke of the fire encompassed her slender form. Her body marred but was healing where she had been clawed, her body bruised. She had forced her body to stand proudly before the Leader the Panther Chief of the Tribe. When she slowly pulled from her own newly made leather belt that was tied about her her small waist and presented the knife back to the Leader whom had given to her three moons ago. What the leader found as she unwrapped the small bundle presented to her was a heart.. the heart of the Larl.