Fanfic:Bow Training

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Bow Training
Author(s)
  • Katy
  • Marit
  • Mim
  • Storm (player)
Character(s)
Harp-icon.png This is a piece of fanfiction.
Only the original author(s) or Librarian(s) should make content changes to this page.




Bow training (Attn: Yani, Jip, Sarkaska)

Storm Ananke

OOC: I'm just going to jump into the training pretty quickly, but go ahead and write your arrivals etc. as you like. :)

Storm had set up the training session outside of tower walls and Hama Valon at the edge of the forest. Partially it was to get away from the constant bothers that always interrupted training inside the Warder Yards. But more importantly, Storm did not want three bow students riding around on horses shooting arrows through the Yards. It was bound to end in disaster. However, it was an uncharacteristically warm day and the First Selector hadn't been out in much too long. Two Sa'ji were busy unloading targets and dummies and setting them up whilst the Representative looked pensively toward the direction of the Tower for two gaidin who should be arriving escorting a drin'far'ji any moment now.

Once the three objects of her training were assembled with the necessary gear, Storm began. "By now you all know the mechanics, care, and general uses of your bow. Today you will be learning more specifics; how to shoot particularly specific areas of a target, mounted shooting, things of that nature. Obviously for these things we will be using composite bows, so your additional longbow training will have to wait until another day."

The Sa'ji had finished with the dummies and moved to the side. One dummy clearly showed its back to the assembled group, and the other his front. There were colored amorphous shapes drawn in chalk on both. "We will first discuss these different highlighted areas as potential targets before I let you try shooting them."

Storm walked up to the frontal dummy and pointed to a small circle-like shape on the dummy's upper chest. "This is clearly the most obvious, specific target on a person: the heart. The area is small, but as we all know a puncture there has immediate and devastating effects."

The Blue moved down slightly to two mirror images on the chest. "These are the lungs. I would not recommend sighting the lungs as a target unless it is impossible to get a shot in at another fatal area. First, the lungs are protected by the ribcage. Should the arrow even manage to strike between the ribs and into the lung, it may still take your target quite some time to die. Should you hit a rib, your best chance of killing your target would be that the rib punctured your opponent's own lung."

Storm moved down again just past the middle of the ribcage to another figure that was largely on the dummy's right side. "This is the liver. A shot here will be fatal, but you have to hit directly below the ribcage, as it also protects a large part of the liver. This is also not one of the more recommended shots should you have another option."

The First Selector moved down to the lower stomach where a larger circle was drawn. "Should your shot land here, it will most likely just puncture the intestine unless it goes unnaturally deep and you are using a bodkin arrowhead. However, the intestines are generally easier to hit than other specific bodily targets, and is still almost always fatal."

Finally, Storm moved to the backward dummy where two smaller, bean-shaped figures were drawn. "If your target's back is to you, this is the only shot I would recommend taking if you are looking for a kill shot. However, this is a very difficult shot to make, and may require more skill than you presently have available, which is why practice and repetition are so important. These are the kidneys. Should you land a successful shot here, it is very likely that your target will die, though as with most shots it will take longer than if you hit your opponent in the heart, for example. Even if this shot does not kill, it will cause your target excruciating and debilitating pain, making them easy to take down after the fact."

Turning and regarding the three figures who had been watching, Storm set them to work. "Try all these different shots, at least one to three times. Do not be discouraged should you not hit any of them. These shots are very practiced and take many hours of training to master."

Target Practice

Sarkaska Jinlo

He'd been seeing a lot of the same people lately. For a minute, he saw the slender Drin'far'ji waiting with Jip, and thought she was Corsedai, but alas, that was not the case. Smiling at Amayani, who really looked nothing like his lover this close up, he followed Jip through the gates and into the forest that fringed the Tower. Cueran Ayende followed him on her lead, bringing up the van behind Amayani and her rangy gelding and Jip's sturdy horse. Ayende was by far the most attractive bit of horseflesh, but then again, he was biased - he did love the horse.

Taking a compound bow from Storm Sedai with interest, Sarkaska inspected it as he leaned against Ayende's flanks, her tail swishing flies away as she shifted, dancing slightly. Anticipation, he was sure: he felt it, too. Soothing her with a well placed scratch, he straightened, getting a better look at the odd designs chalked on the mannequins that the Aes Sedai had set up before them. Precise shooting, a talent he longed to acquire, would require him to learn those areas intimately and practice many times.

Best to start now. Stepping on the stave, Sarkaska strung the bow in a smooth, practiced motion. The recurved portions made it look predatory, something he quite enjoyed. Rather eagerly, he took a quiver of arrows and walked to the furthest target setup. Amayani should stay where she could be supervised, and Jip should be beside her, in the central setup, so Sarkaska logically took the end. Pushing his thoughts away, letting the Void descend, Sarkaska studied the target.

Right. First shot first: he centered and drew on the heart. His first two shots were lungs: the third would have taken out the throat, perhaps pierced the aorta. Not good enough, but it was his first try: he might do better as he warmed up. Aiming on the lungs, he snorted as his second shot clipped the area marked "heart," reflecting that nothing worked when you expected it to. Of course you could hit that tiny fist when you were aiming just to the side of it...!

Surprised by how much his near-constant practice had improved him, he drew confidently on the liver, and missed miserably all three times. If he had had more arrows, he would have demanded he try again, but as it was, he had only twenty. He had hit the intestines once, he noted, but that circle was nearly as large as the four central rings of the target! Hitting them twice more was easy. With his two "free" arrows, he drew on the liver again, and managed to score a glancing blow across the top.

Feeling a little better, he turned the quintain and eyed its back. Two helpful small beans were chalked on its back, but he laughed mirthlessly. He'd be proud if he got within a hand of those tiny marks!

He didn't. Glowering, he considered pulling his arrows and starting over.

Re: Target Practice

Jip

Jip rode with Amayani drin'far'ji and Sarkaska Gaidin as they went to meet Storm Sedai. They rode in silence til just outside the Tower, because they were going to be learning how to shoot from horseback. They arrived and Jip reigned in Cuendillar.

He took the bow and looked around at the targets, they were to learn how to shoot accuratly and precisely at the targets. Jip listened to the Aes Sedai carefully as she described and explained the targets and the organs that they represented. Once a lesson like this would have left Jip upset and trembling, but now he listened almost passively. Violence still saddened him but there was not much he could do about it.

They took their positions, Jip next to Amyani, since the girl was still a drin'far'ji and needed to be supervised and in a position where they could all protect her if needed.

He enetered the void. He took a shot aiming at the heart first, he managed to make a circle of four arrows around the where the heart was marked and yet none actually hit.

The next was the lungs though Storm Sedai had told them that this was a hard target to hit, because they were protected by the ribs. He did not hit them anyways, one hit the stomach even which was quite a large mistake.

Next were in intestines and liver, the first of which he managed to hit twice without problem, the second was harder but he hit once.

The kidneys were near inpossible to hit, he seemed to hit anywhere but the two marks that showed the kidneys.

He ran out of arrows and signed, he had not done well at all.

Small Targets

Amayani do Ciresh a’Sorene

The sun shone down upon her from her position on top of the tall gelding she was trying to control. Luckily the horse the stable hands had given her was easy to handle, but she wasn't the best rider. And it was sure to pick up her nervousness, as she rode between the two Gaidin out of the Tower grounds. She couldn't quite understand how she, being a Drin'far'ji, had gotten this opportunity, but she was not one to complain when good things happened. And certainly not one to pass on an opportunity to become a better archer.

When they arrived at the provisional range that had been put up at the edge of the forest, Yani picked up the composite bow and took a moment to inspect it. Nodding satisfied to herself, she pushed a few strands of copper hair that's gotten loose from her braid behind her air and looked over at the targets.

She watched the colored shapes on the two targets as Storm Sedai described them. They each resembled an organ in the human body, and the Aes Sedai described how difficult and how lethal a hit to each spot would be.

When the time came for them to practice these shots, the tall Gaidin, Sarkaska she thought she remembered his name was, walked over to the targets furtherest away, and the Master of Training took the center one, leaving the closest one for her. It made sense though, seeing as she was only a Drin' she should be in the place where she could be best supervised.

Stringing her bow and testing the bowstring with a light tug, she took her stance in front of her target and nocked the first arrow. Facing the frontal dummy, she aimed at the heart. The first two arrows hit off to the right, one glancing the right lung, and the third almost hit the left shoulder as she over-compensated her aim. The fourth arrow almost hit, glancing the target on the left.

Her next target was the lungs, marked by mirroring oval shapes. These targets were larger then the heart, but they were also protected by the ribcage. She fired off two arrows at each, one of them actually hitting, though on the wrong lung.

The liver looked like an easier target, but as the Aes Sedai had described, she would have to hit the lower part of the chalked shape. She fired off three arrows, one coming close to the lower part, but still missing by a bit.

Blowing away another loose strand of hair, she aimed for the intestines next, which already contained a hit from earlier. This area was easier to hit, being a lot larger then the rest, and two of her three arrows were marked hits.

Looking at the few arrows left in her quiver, she moved over to the dummy facing away from her, and looked at the tiny, bean-shaped markings with resign. She'd be very lucky if she even got close to hitting those on purpose. Releasing the last arrows in her quiver, she eyed the punctured back and untouched markings and sighed.

(Part 2: Pre-horse drawing)

Storm Ananke

For the most part the gaidin and drin'far'ji looked disappointed at their success. Or lack of it, as it were. Storm was getting better at understanding social conventions, and realized that as a teacher it was the appropriate time for her to alleviate some of their discouragement.

They really weren't very good. But that was to be expected. Storm motioned to the Sa'ji to begin removing the arrows from the dummies as she talked. The Blue cleared her throat uncomfortably, not quite sure of what to say. "That was a very difficult exercise," she stated first. "It not only requires a lot of skill with the bow, but also practice in this specific area of archery. Your training is by no means complete, so do not be dissuaded from your practice by failure, as you know is the case with any weapon training."

Storm turned around to one of the Sa'ji and motioned for him to throw her a pouch on the ground. It jingled as she caught it and she motioned the little group to gather around her. "As you can imagine, shooting a bow from a mount is extremely difficult. We are going to take it in different stages. First, merely showing you how it's done. Second, you will try mounted but without moving, then at a walk. If by then you find it probable that you will be capable of trying, you will attempt shooting at a canter or a run."

Storm opened the pouch as she continued talking. "Do not be disappointed at a lack of success in this particular area either. These are difficult archery concepts mastered only after many years. But as you have chosen to be introduced to them now, you will be able to pick them up again more swiftly in the future."

The Blue pulled out one of what was obviously a myriad of silver rings from the leather pouch. "The mounted draw I am going to show you is not very conventional. The basics are the same, but I will show you the draw I prefer. As you continue your study, you may choose the more common approach or find what suits you best. But for what I will be showing you today, you will need to find a ring. You will likely have to try a few different ones after we being shooting to get the right size, because it is imperative that you find one that fits perfectly."

Storm slipped the silver ring onto her right thumb. "These are thumb rings, to be worn on your string hand." Storm picked up her bow and an arrow, demonstrating as she talked. "The arrow is set at a perfect right angle, and you hold the combination of the string and the arrow much as if you were grasping to quill to write with. The thumb goes around the string at the bottom of the ring.

"The ring obviously helps keep injury from the thumb, but your finger will swell after a short time so it is imperative to find a ring that still fits when this begins to happen."

Storm lowered the bow, turning back around and picking up the pouch. She passed it to to her newly acquired students. "Try some on, and figure out which you think will work best. As you finger swells, change rings if you need to. For right now I want you to try shooting on the ground as normal, but with this draw. It is very different than what you are used to, and I want you to at least be able to make a few shots before I put you on a horse with it."

OOC: I hope that picture helps some, it's the best I could find as it's a hard to describe without seeing. Go ahead and have your characters go through as many arrows as they need to feel at least slightly comfortable with it, and then we'll move onto the other technical differences between infantry and mounted shooting.

Rings and Things

Sarkaska Jinlo

He approached the Aes Sedai cautiously, retaining his bow in his off hand. He understood more of the concept of mounted combat than most, as he was training a warhorse, but he had never before tried archery from Cueran Ayende. Swords, yes: she was very used to blades. Bows, never. He knew she would take to it well, though: she was bright and quick and young. In a way, she was his favorite female, but somehow he didn't think Ysolde would be all that delighted to hear that she competed with his horse in his affections. Corsedai either, for that matter.

She opened her hand to display a collection of rings: not wanting to be impolite, he waited while Amayani and then Jip chose rings that he doubted would fit on his smallest finger, much less his thumb. Jip was truly a dainty man, and Amayani was not much larger than the Master of Training. Sarkaska was far larger, and it made him feel fumble-fingered and stupid. Choosing a ring from the far side of her palm, where they were quite large, he found one that fit comfortably and would give a small amount of space for expansion without popping off his thumb at the pressure of the draw.

When they were all outfitted, Sarkaska took his bow and a quiver and headed back to his target. The new hold described was more than a bit awkward, but his hand was steadier, and as he worked his way up to firing rapidly, his thumb and first finger wrapped around each other in a delicate circle, his fingers fisted, he tried to judge his current lack of success against his past lack of success. Well, the best test was to aim at particular targets: he began with the heart. Comparing the arrows to the holes that littered the mannequin's surface, he snorted softly.

He needed a great deal more practice. And there was no time like the present. By the time he had shot his quiver clear, he had hit the heart three times.

New ways of drawing

Jip

Jip looked at the rings, not quite understanding what they were for, protecting the thumb Storm had said and since Jip had no idea about shooting a bow from horseback he just took Storm Sedai's word that they would need these.

He found one, that was big enough that there was space if his thumb swelt but was not so big that it would fall off.

He placed it on his thumb and took his bow once again as he tried to figure out the new hold Storm had just described.

It felt strange, his fingers wrapped round his thumb were awkward and he was pretty sure he was doing it wrong. He moved his fingers around a little until they felt more comfertable and put the arrow in at a right angle like Storm Sedai had said.

He missed the target, not so much of a surprise probably since this was a totaly new concept for him. It took quite a few shots before he got the hand of aiming like this.

He kept practicing trying to shoot like he had before, trying to aim at more specific parts of the body. Hitting the target at all was a sucess though and he had used a lot of arrows, most lay in between him and the target. By the end of his practice though the new hold seemed a little less strange to him though he knew it would take a lot of practice for him to be as accurate and as quick as he was with the bow when holding it the way he was used to.

Thumb draw

Amayani do Ciresh a’Sorene

Amayani cast a side glance at the rangy horse she'd ridden out here when Storm Sedai mentioned horseback shooting. She enjoyed riding, she just wasn't that good at it, and she would probably have more problems steering the horse than the actually firing.

Then the Aes Sedai mentioned another type of drawing, and Yani frowned a bit as she listened, idly cracking her fingers. The frown was still mildly present as she looked at the rings, but this time for from mere thought. She tried on a couple and checked out more before she found one that fit her thumb well without being too tight.

Picking up her bow again, checking the quiver at her hip with an off-hand move of her hand, and walked back to her target. She fell into her stance and took a moment to look at the thumb ring on her finger, and how she was supposed to hold the string. Holding her bow up in front of her, she pinched her thumb and index finger, the string placed behind the ring. No, that's not right, she thought. Her thumb was too straight that way, and the string would only slip out between her fingers. Trying again, she curled her thumb more around the string. The rest of her fingers she curled up in a loose fist, with the index finger over the thumb. The string itself still rested behind the ring, at the inner part of her thumb. This way she could pull with more force, and the index finger held the thumb in its place so that the string didn't slip. Tugging the string back slightly, not fully as no arrow rested on it, she released her hold with a snap of her thumb.

Pulling an arrow from her quiver, she placed in on the string, so it rested on top of her thumb. She then drew the bow, much like she would've normally, her right hand resting by her chin as she aimed. Her first arrow fell loose from the string as she drew, and she picked it up, trying again. Thwang, and the arrow was off, the string making more noise then usual against the thumb ring. The target was still the same as before, and for practice she aimed at the heart. The arrow landed a bit short of the target, and she knew she had to increase the draw a bit, as well as releasing in a quicker snap.

The second arrow went far enough, but it went far to the right, barely grazing the shoulder. As the next followed the same pattern, she realized that this draw send the arrows to the right instead of slightly to the left as the normal draw did. She'd been compensating the wrong way.

The next arrows she fired she aimed more to the left, and she quickly noticed the difference in her aim. It also didn't take many arrows for her thumb to start hurting. It wasn't used to this kind of strain, but she knew that would improve over time. Her index and middle finger had been terrible after her first tries with the bow, but now they'd both increased in strength and toughness. If she started practicing this draw, however weird it felt now, her thumb would grow stronger as well.

Yani continued firing off one arrow after another, adjusting her aim, and increasing her aim. After shooting through half her quiver, she had to stop for a moment, as the ring on her thumb was getting dangerously tight. She held her right hand up and wiggled her thumb, trying to force some of the swelling away. She twisted on the ring as she blew on her finger, feeling the bliss of a bit of cool air on it. Casting a glance at her quiver and then up at the target, she decided to go through a few more shots.

By the time she'd fired off four more arrows, her thumb was thumbing quite a lot, and if she was to continue this she had to stop now. She looked down towards the target, and saw that several shots had landed quite close to her target, and a few had even it it. The last arrows she'd fired hadn't gone anywhere near, her aim faltering as she'd grown tired and sore in her finger.

(Part 3: Pre-horse aiming)

Storm Ananke

Storm watched as the trio practiced with the new and unusual draw. It was awkward at first, but by the end they had all at least managed to make a few shots. That was good enough to try aiming as far as she was concerned.

"Well enough done, but there is still one thing we will try grounded before I put you on a horse. Now that you are used to the feeling of the draw, we are going to change it even more."

Storm raised her bow, ring still on her thumb. She sighted hastily, brought the bow up, then up again as she corrected, and then let it fly toward the target. She turned back to the gaidin and the trainee. "As you can see, aiming while mounted is going to be the opposite of when you are grounded. Instead of lowering your bow to make your corrections, you raise it. Then you come down to shoot rather than up."

Storm considered the three for a moment before deciding to explain further. "As you know when you fire a composite bow, you sight down the arrow briefly as you draw, but lower it again and make your corrections before quickly raising and loosing.

"When mounted, it is obviously impossible to do this since when you lower your bow you will merely hit your horse with it. Not to state the obvious, but never aim or sight by bringing your bow up close toward your face or eye. This would obviously be a very foolish idea while on a moving horse. You would have a much better chance of harming yourself than anyone you were trying to shoot.

"Also, you are not going to be able to hold your bow perfectly vertically. You will be in movement, plus your target isn't always going to be to the side of you -- your horse can get in the way and you will have to angle your bow any way you can to make the shot.

"Inhale and you bring your bow up to make corrections, and then of course exhale when you loose. Try shots with your bow at different varying angles between horizontal and vertical so you can get used to the way it feels. Practice this aiming together with the new draw, and then we will get on the horses."

Aim High

Sarkaska Jinlo

His thumb had swollen, surely enough, and the edge of his leading finger, the index, was a bit raw. He had thought his swordsman's calluses would be enough to protect his finger, but he had been wrong. Not the first time, of course. Nor, he supposed, would it be the last. He wasn't dead yet, nor was it too likely he'd die today. Pity, really, he mused, swinging his tired arm at his side to ease the ache of tortured muscles. He was probably going to wish he'd been shot at or worse later tonight.

So, he thought, rephrasing the lesson in his head, she wants us to learn a new form of aiming, from the top down rather than the bottom up, wants us to watch the angle of our draw with relation to our eyes and faces, and wants us to become accustomed to angling the bow for convenience and to refrain from wounding the horses. He was rather sure that was all she had said, and so, Sarkaska pulled his arrows as he thought of the best way to practice all of those goals without mounting Cueran Ayende.

Sarkaska pondered that a few moments as he discarded broken or unacceptably bent arrows, refilling his quiver. Then, he smiled, returned to the mark in the grass, and tilted the bow sideways, using it as its own crosshair. At a strong diagonal, it would fit across his own thighs when mounted, and the nock and guide would be well above Ayende's ears. He knew her gait well, as he should, since he had bred and trained her to saddle himself. She would not be too challenging to his aim.

Indeed, aiming would be his problem. He had not yet taken a single shot. Holding the bow in the first position he had tried, its long axis slicing diametrically across the round axis of the mannequin, Sarkaska slipped the ring back over his thumb automatically. Plucking the string as a musician might a harp's, he sent an arrow into the air - and missed, of course. Only a more skilled archer would have hit such a narrow target on the first try, and Sarkaska's specialty was not the bow.

But even a miss told you a lot.

He adjusted the bow's angle to be flatter, yet kept the nock well under his chin. The guide laid in his opposite hand, as it had to with any bow, and as his arm flexed, he narrowed his gaze. If his aim was true, he should hit the target's upper chest: if it was off, he would still be learning. Even if he hit, he couldn't be sure it was luck rather than skill, and so he would be firing his quiver empty yet another time.

It still did not feel natural when his quiver was empty, but their instructor seemed to approve of his increasing skill.

Shooting at angles

Amayani do Ciresh a’Sorene

Amayani let out a silent sigh as Storm Sedai told them they had one more thing to try out before mounting up. She wasn't quite sure if it was a tired sigh - her arms were getting weary, as well as her fingers - or one of relief that she wouldn't have to get up on the tall gelding she'd ridden out here. She didn't exactly look forward to mounting that beast, in all honesty. It wasn't that horses frightened her, not much at least, though she wasn't a very good rider yet and the horses sensed this. She was certain they did, and that they thus could have their way with her. So, most likely the sigh was both.

It certainly was partly a tired one. As she listened to the explanation of the Aes Sedai, she slipped the thumb ring off her finger; with a tug as the thumb itself had swollen a bit. She idly cracked her fingers and wiggled her thumb as the Sedai spoke of their - yet again - new way to draw. It wasn't exactly a different draw this time, only a different approach at the aiming routine. She tried to picture in her mind how adjusting up instead of down would affect her shooting. It would take some shots to get used to it, as always with new things. And she thought she might end up firing lower then normal, as she brought it down to fire instead of up.

The mention of having to angle the bow also sent her mind thinking. Most of her firing so far had been with a nearly vertical bow, as was the way most were taught to shoot. She had tried angling her bow a few times, during the Bow Wargames that had been hosted; sometimes there she had to angle it to get past obstacles. But those times her aim hadn't exactly been true, and she hadn't connected the two good enough. She should have recognized why her aim had been so off at those shots, and practiced it more. But now was her chance at least.

Such thoughts kept swirling in her head as she listened to Storm Sedai, and she was eager to try it out once the Aes Sedai finished talking. She was, at least, until she remembered she had to put on the thumb ring again. Resting the bow up against her own leg, she rubbed the right thumb a bit before she put the thumb ring back on again, twisting it a bit until it fit somewhat comfortable. Picking up the bow again, she checked her quiver, adding a few more arrows to replace some that had got lost or broken, and took her place in front of the target again.

Wiggling her thumb a bit, she tested her grip and the draw of the bow once again, wincing slightly as she felt the strain on her already worn thumb. The look on her face quickly changed to a determined one as she let go of the string and pulled an arrow from her quiver. Laying the arrow across the bow and the nock to the string, she eyed the target, her blue-green eyes taking in the marked areas on the doll and settling on her mark. Lifting her bow up, she started with the least change. Her bow held more or less vertically, she aimed and pulled the string to partially drawn, lifting it up to adjust her aim, and then drew it fully as she brought it down. Snapping her thumb away from the index finger, her right arm followed the motion backwards as the arrow flew towards the target. And missed.

But a miss wasn't something she was unfamiliar with, and another arrow appeared in her hand as she mentally went over how the previous had gone compared to her aim. Nocking the second arrow, she fired once more, and twice, and thrice, each time adjusting her aim according to where the arrow landed. At the fourth arrow, she had adjusted for the change the up-then-down motion offered, and she started twisting the bow to different angles as she shot.

At first she tried to shoot at the different angles a couple of times each before turning the bow another way, to get used to how the angles affected her aim. But she stopped after only a few tries. If she did this by trying and adjusting, she could only run out of arrows and strain her thumb before she got it. Instead she took a bit longer at each shot, trying to analyze where the bow would go, and take a mental note of the shots that went way off.

As the quiver neared empty again, her shots were getting closer to where she aimed, and there was starting to be a consistency to her aiming again. She still had a lot of work to do, to actually hit where she aimed, but she was getting closer. And she did feel a certain satisfaction as one of her last arrows grazed the tiny marking, though she felt it was more luck than skill.

(Part 4: Horses)

Storm Ananke

After they had finished practicing their new aims with the new draw, Storm reluctantly walked over and took her horse's reins from one of the Sa'ji. She led him over in front of the targets as well as Jip, Sarkaska, and Amayani.

"You will likely fail very badly at this," Storm told them bluntly by way of preamble. It will be easy enough when you first get on the horse to make a few shots, but don't expect to hit anything today once the horses really get moving. It will take hundreds of tries for you to be able to hit a target consistently while your horse it at a canter or a run."

Storm's sidled up to Palomino's left, putting her foot in the stirrup and swinging her right leg around to settle in the other one. "There are so many things to think about when trying mounted archery that you are likely to forget one or more of them nearly every time you shoot. Until you have practiced for untold hours, expect to make obvious mistakes fairly regularly.

"Now, in addition to everything you just learned about the mounted aim and draw, you now have your horse to contend with, as well as numerous arrows you have to keep in your bow hand while you do it all." Storm reached back and took out six arrows from her quiver. She held five in her left and and nocked the sixth. "As you have learned when you studied speed shooting, you have to get used to holding numerous arrows in your bow hand for fast access. You do not have time to reach back and pull an arrow out of your quiver with every shot."

The Blue stood up in the stirrups, raising the bow but not yet drawing. "Your position on the horse is not an exact science. I will give you guidelines, but as you progress in your training and practice, you decide what is best for you.

"Obviously, you have to be standing, you can not just sit on the saddle. You can also not have your legs fully extended. Keep them bent and make sure you do not touch the saddle with your backside, but otherwise within reason you can choose how low or tall to ride against your horse. I prefer taller so I don't have to angle the bow as much, but it's personal preference."

Storm drew up and loosed the arrow with her bow at a slight angle, hitting the target. "As you know from your riding training, keep your knees squeezed against the saddle to keep yourself secure and reduce movement. Keep your upper body as still as possible. The more you are able to, the better your shot will be."

The Aes Sedai dismounted, handing her reins to the Sa'ji again. "Try a quiver with your horse at a standstill. Then move your horse into a walk and try another quiver there. Try up to a canter, but you not need to try a running pass at the targets. It is unlikely you will even hit the target at that speed. I am assuming, of course, that all of your horses are trained for reinless riding and not to be spooked by an arrow flying between their ears. If not, you may use mine for now."

OOC: That's all she wrote. Once you've replied you can either get Precise Shot, Mounted Combat, or another point in bow. I'll give you an email or a post after you've replied so you can get one of 'em.

All Together Now

Sarkaska Jinlo

His spirits rose a little at the sight of his own bay mare. She was his favorite female most days, and she repaid his affections amply. Rubbing her muzzle in greeting, Sarkaska mounted in a smooth and natural motion. This he was familiar with: he and the mare had spent several years now training with one another. She had taken well to reinless instruction, and although he'd never fired an arrow from her back, he was confident that she was steady. She had certainly learned well enough how to deal with mounted swordplay and even polearms, where the risk to the mount was quite high.

If he was careful, there was no reason why they couldn't learn archery together, as well.

He paid attention to the instructor's comments, reviewing them in his head as he prepared for emptying the first quiver at a standstill. Ayende had trotted willingly enough toward the target, and as he reined her in, she presented at a three-quarter angle: neither perfectly sideways, which would be easiest, nor head-on, which would be more difficult. It was, he was certain, a good angle for practice: neither impossibly easy nor irritatingly hard. Rising in his saddle, he clenched Cueran Ayende's barrel between his thighs, and sighted down the bow, being certain to keep it far from his eyes. He wasn't even yet that good at the multiple arrow-hold, but he grimly practiced that, too. He could hold three arrows and shoot one without dropping things.

He crouched a bit against Ayende's neck, trying to minimize his ridiculous height. There was enough time for the bow at an angle, and as Ayende danced, unused to the unfamiliar weight, he soothed her with a low clucking noise. She answered by tossing her head, which skewed his aim. But as they worked forward through the quiver, he made a few adjustments to his position and his shooting style, and Ayende quit dancing nervously. He didn't hit the target well at all - perhaps four times in the entire quiver, and none of them in a target area.

He adjusted his aim upward, noting that his hits had all been lower, except one rather precariously perched in the shoulder. Then, he kneed Ayende into a walk, following Jip's shaggy Cuendillar as Jip followed Amayani on her steed. Taking care, he managed perhaps twenty shots in the time it took her to slowly travel the line, and he considered himself lucky that three had stuck in targets. One was a respectable gut shot, to his surprise, but he was not banking on his skill. Not yet.

He would be practicing, though, and in time, he might become more skilled. Well, he may as well pretend confidence: he would become more skilled.

At a trot, he did abysmally, and Ayende's canter was nowhere near as smooth as he had assumed it was when he held a bow in his hand. He managed only four shots, all wild of the targets. Yet, the sun was beginning to sink in the west: there was not much more useful light this day. He would have to improve on his own time.

A Brewing Disaster

Amayani do Ciresh a’Sorene

Amayani stood quiet and listened to the Aes Sedai, trying to absorb the information, and trying not to look too frightened. This was the part she dreaded the most. She wasn't a skilled rider, or even a good one, barely mediocre at that. What riding training she'd had was only the basics, and the rest was self-taught through trying and failing. She'd learned enough to keep herself on the horse, to steer it, and not make a complete fool out of herself while doing so.

But what she'd learned wouldn't do much good today. How was she supposed to control the beast when both her hands were on the bow? She knew there were ways to control a horse with your legs, but she had yet to learn how. She kept eying the big gelding out of the corner of her eye while the Aes Sedai spoke, trying desperately to calm down and get rid of the nervousness her body held. One of the things she'd learned about horses was that they could sense if you were nervous, which would make them harder to control. So she tried to calm down, to focus on the task ahead, to clear her mind of all else. And she almost succeed.

The last comment from Storm Sedai sent her eying the horse more nervously again. She honestly didn't know if the horse was trained thus - it was one of the Tower's horses, and the stable boy who handed it to her knew what she needed it for - but she wasn't sure. She didn't want to be on a horse that got spooked if she tried to do her task. But neither did she want to approach Storm Sedai more then necessary.

So, choosing the lesser of two evils, she checked that her quiver was full and approached the horse. The rangy gelding twitched his ears as she got close, butting his nose against the hand she held out. She continued stroking him down the neck until she came to the reins. Grabbing hold of them with her left hand, which also held the bow, she put one foot in the stirrup and the other hand on the back of the saddle, to help push herself up. As she kicked off from the ground to swing up, the horse stepped sideways, sending her hopping on one foot after it, cursing under her breath for it to stand still. Another try when he stopped again, and she was up, arranging herself in the saddle further above the ground than was comfortable.

Arranging the bow across her lap, she grabbed the reins with both hands and steered the horse towards the targets. She really wanted to just wait her turn, or even longer, preferably doing this without anyone watching. But that would be out of the question, most likely, and so she moved the horse towards her target. Actually getting him to stand where she wanted him to, proved quite the problem, as the horse seemed to be wanting to move opposite of what she wanted. He danced light on his feet sideways when she wanted him back, and backwards when she wanted him closer. After several tries she almost wanted to give up, and jump down to steer him, when he finally stopped and stood just perfectly at an angle, just like the other two. Muttering under her breath, she was certain the horse was grinning at her, the mischievous beast.

With a huge hope that the horse would behave, she let go of the reins and pulled out four arrows, grabbing them with her bow hand and arranging them so she still had a good grip on the bow and so they wouldn't get in the way of firing. Pulling out a fifth arrow, which she nocked and held in place with her left hand, she used her right hand for support and rose up in the stirrups. Her legs shook as the horse shifted slightly, and she squeezed her knees against the saddle to regain her balance while making soothing sounds to calm the horse. Or maybe to calm herself; she probably needed calming much more then the horse.

Finally having gained some kind of balance in her half-crouched stance, she released her right hand's firm grip on the saddle and moved it to the string. Lifting the bow, she straightened her back and aimed towards the target. She pulled the string about half and lifted it up to adjust the aim, drawing it fully as she brought it down. With a snap of her thumb and index finger, the arrow flew from the bow.

And went way off target as the horse shifted slightly, causing her to loose balance just as she released. She cursed under her breath as she regained her balance, squeezing her knees tighter now as she put another arrow on the string. This time she managed to keep almost still on top of the horse, or so she thought, but the arrow still flew past the target without even being close.

As she worked her way through the quiver, her aim improved somewhat. But every time she thought she got it, every time she got confident, the horse shifted, or her aim was completely off, sending her almost back to square one. And each time she grumbled and cursed herself. She was a better archer then this, she knew she was. Or at least she had before she'd mounted this beast. But, however much she wanted to, she didn't blame the horse. She just needed more practice, again, and always.

By the time she'd finished the quiver, she had hit the target several times, but only two were somewhat close to where she aimed at. As she got down to refill her quiver, her legs wobbled from the struggle to maintain balance. She could feel her knees shaking, and dreaded getting up on the horse again and setting him into motion.

But that part actually went well, despite her fears. The horse was once again the calm, easy-handled one she'd ridden out here, and he walked down the line at an easy pace in front of the other two. Yani half-stood in the saddle as she tried to follow the movements of the horse, staying as still as she could when she released each arrow. By the end of the line, she'd fired off a good part of her quiver. Some of the arrows had hit the target, and a few were close to a marked spot. Though those few were mostly more luck then skill, she thought as she looked back at them.

As she got back to the start of the line, she readied two arrows in her bow hand and another on the string, and nudged the horse into a canter. The horse responded quickly enough, and the motion of the canter sent her bouncing in the saddle, fighting to get into the rhythm. She managed to get somewhat steady and sent the first arrow off. Shifting to ready the next arrow, she squeezed her legs tighter to steady herself. The horse immediately responded by jerking forward, sending her flying out of the saddle.

The ground found her, hard and flat.