Sage chuckled and tossed her knife back to her. "I'll be back soon. Probably in about an hour or so." He started walking away backwards, and yelled back "you'll get plenty fit soon enough" and then he turned and ran through the trees until he came down to the valley and settled in a tree waiting for the herd to come settle in for bed

Madrigal caught the knife, staggering slightly under the weight of the deer. She glared into Sage's retreating back, mumbling unpleasantries under her breath.

Holding the knives in her hands, which probably wasn't the safest thing to do whilst carrying a large animal across her shoulders, she made her way to the other side of the bank. Madrigal found that it was harder to wade through the currents with the extra weight. At one point, her foot slipped and she almost fell. But she didn't, and made it to the other side without any more issues. She lay the deer on the ground by the rocks and sat.

She tried to go through her breathing exercises, slowing her breaths and steadying her mind. It lasted all of ten minutes before the feeling of eyes got too much. Damn it all to hell, she thought as she picked up the deer and started doing squats. She found a rhythm, and soon, the burn through her legs was enough to distract her from the non-existent, yet invasive stares.

Sage crouched on the tree limb and played with his dagger while he waited for the deer. About half an hour later, he heard the rustle of the deer as they made their way back into the clearing. He crouched on the tree branch, watching them and scanning each one, slowly picking out deer as he scenes them all. He looked for size, weight, height, and bulk, as well as any signs of injury or disease. He also didn't want to kill any young deer or old ones, more the lead buck that walked around the herd, looking for danger. Sage would have to be careful if he went down there ..the buck had quite a temper and it could get dangerous. He waited a few more minutes before sending a dagger into the heart of a good sized buck that wasnt too young or too old. The rest of the deer ran and he dropped down to the dead deer. He reached down to pluck his dagger out of the deers side when something hard collided with his rib cage and he went flying. He sat up with a groan and rolled out of the way as the buck charged him again. He ran to the deer and scooped it up, throwing it over his shoulders and sprinting away. The buck eventually left him alone once he was out of his territory. He burst out of the tree line and skidded to a stop next to Madrigal, dropping the deer as he bent over, trying to catch his breath as he put a hand on his side. "I forgot...that herd had the agressive buck," he muttered. "Oops..."

Madrigal had done an array of leg exercises with the dead deer on her shoulders. Squats with variations, lunges with variations, calf exercises. She had long since gone numb. Sweat ran down her face and dripped down her back uncomfortably. But it was the only way to keep the horrible sensation of being watched away.

By the time Sage came tearing through the brush, she was lowering herself into another squat. Her legs shook as she pushed herself back up, eyebrows raised. "You know the herd well?" She asked, dropping her deer by their feet. She moved to the river-bank to take a drink and wash her face.

He nodded breathlessly and got up and stretched his back and walked around, knowing if he stood still for too long he would get sore. "I have been hunting here my entire life," he pointed out. "They all have certain places they sleep at or graze at or drink at or whatever." He walked down to the river and got a drink himself and washed the sweat off the back of his neck. Then he got a sky grin and splashed Madrigal lightly, figuring she was already wet and they were both gross so why not have some fun while running off? He was in a mischievous mood and could be quite cheeky when he got to know people well.

"Makes sense," she said, before shrieking at being splashed. She splashed back, wanting to wipe that grin off Sage's face. "Damn you, boy," she growled and then laughed. She shoved into Sage with every intention of knocking him down, but of course, he was too tall and she was too small. She splashed into the river and kicked some water at her friend. Then she promptly sat down in the currents, the water flowing at the top of her chest. The water flowed, but not fast enough to take her with it.

Madrigal sighed in contentment, loving the feel of the cold water on her hot skin. "It's so lovely," she groaned. She realised that they, or she, would have to dry off before they walked to prevent chaffing, but in that moment she didn't quite care. What was another half an hour, really?

Sage let out a shriek of his own when she tried to push him over. She almost succeeded, him being so light, but he managed to keep his balance. He laughed and held his arms over his face when she kicked water at him and then waded into the river to sit down next to her.

(I won't be on much for about a week....sorry!)

(All good! Thanks for letting me know!)

Madrigal sank into the moment of silence between them. The surrounding forest was so peaceful, and the flowing sounds of the water could've lulled her to sleep. She felt her body and mind relaxing, taking in some deep breaths. "Take it in, my dear Sage, for we will soon be cursing our existences in this world. I fully believe that our future will have us questioning our sanity." She leaned back, dunking the rest of her body into the river, and for a second, she looked up at the sky through the surface of the water. When she came up, she grinned. "We are going to have such an adventure."

(of course!)

Sage burst into laughter at that. "My dear Madrigal, what makes you think I have any sanity left," he chuckled. He grinned back at her. "But yes, we are. Well have fun on this." He was excited, and happy to have someone he could have fun with

(of course!)

Sage burst into laughter at that. "My dear Madrigal, what makes you think I have any sanity left," he chuckled. He grinned back at her. "But yes, we are. Well have fun on this." He was excited, and happy to have someone he could have fun with