One hot day

"Oh uh, sure," Seresana commented as she held out the weapon for Iku to take, and drew out an arrow, notably not the one that sported some of Iku's blood. No, this arrow was just like the majority of her arrows, and it too was handed over to Iku. The weapon itself was rough, barely even able to qualify as a training tool, but training bows weren't exactly sold at the market, so this might as well have been the next best thing. The smoothed handle had undergone a bit of knife work to remove some of the rougher bark and create something at least slightly more comfortable to hold, that is before the wrap of leather had been fastened around it to not only serve as a more appropriate handle, but also to give a small shelf for the arrows to more properly rest on. The rest of the bow however showed no such amount of extra care given to it, as the limbs still sported their thin layers of bark, or at least in the places where the wood didn't bend as much or as often. The string however wasn't like the rest of the weapon. It was a strong piece, well made and out of decent material that proved it would hold up under greater stress than the current bow could even hope to provide. The arrow that Seresana handed over however was more similar to the bow itself than the string. It's crude wooden shaft was only mostly straight, and still had a few rough spot's along it, though the fletching feathers at the end were fairly nice, well attached, and showed only a minimal amount of damage despite being shot.

"If you ne-" Seresana started, but then thought about how Iku was and thought differently as she bit off the statement and decided to just try a different approach. "Why don't you just try to hit my target over on the stump. It might be a little messed up, but it'll work for now, though I've got to get a new one up there sometime soon," Seresana said with a point towards the mentioned stump and paper target upon it that as was noted previously, sported many holes about it. A clear indication that Seresana had spent quite some time out here shooting, likely for hours on end.

Word Count: 393
Total: 10175

Iku took the piece of stick that this Seresana girl claimed was a bow. Then she retrieved the arrow that was handed to her. Listening to Seresana, Iku walked a distance away; back to around where Seresana had stood.

The Uchiha girl had never held a bow before, so she wasn't exactly sure if her stance was correct. Still, she held the haft of the bow at its center, took a wide stance with her legs, and held her arm out. Taking the arrow, she placed it above her thumb, and against the string, and began to pull back. For a moment she paused, realizing a mistake. Taking the time to fix it, she ripped off a part of her already-torn cloak, and wrapped it around her forearm. This was the same arm that had been cut by an arrow previously. So now she had two wrappings around her left arm. Though the second wrapping was for protection from the string. After reprising her stance, she pulled back the string, and aimed. Admittedly, Iku had no idea what she was doing. Yet she still aimed, and fired, releasing the string with the arrow knocked.

Surprisingly, the arrow flew and sunk into the right-hand side of the paper target on the stump. Iku, slightly shocked, turned to Seresana. "Beginner's luck," she announced, before reaching for a second arrow. After it was handed to her, she fired again. This time a sharp pain went through her arm, and the arrow flew way left-field, into the bushes at the edge of the clearing. Lowering the bow, Iku glanced at Seresana. "That's more what I expected."

{270 words}

Seresana watched curiously as the first shot managed to hit the stump, and then cringed sharply when the string clipped Iku on the second one. She quickly moved to Iku's side to take a glance at the wound, not even seeming to care about the arrow for the moment. "It does take some practice to get the hang of, and then when you get to a more powerful bow, it changes a little," Seresana started but then glanced towards the wrapped arm. "And I know about that experience all to well myself," Seresana said as she lifted her own left arm. The limb had been coated in bandages running from the palm all the way up to the point where the short sleeve from her shirt covered it. While Seresana had always worn the bandages, the reason for them was finally revealed. "I'd be glad if I were you though that it only happened with this weaker bow. I remember the first time the string caught me when I tried shooting my dad's proper hunting bow. It about took the skin off completely, even with the bandages," Seresana admitted with a light smile, choosing to treat such a painful memory as something to chuckle about now that it was well past her. "Course that was also when I was first learning how to shoot too."

"Do you want to try some more shooting, or would you want to try something else?" Seresana asked but right after, she looked to what parts of the sky she could see through the trees. She noted how the blue color was just starting to darken, and when she looked towards the horizon, she could see just the faintest bits of the setting sun's colors. They were also a little way out of the village since Seresana's own home was already outside the proper village itself. "Or do you need to start heading home soon," Seresana asked, sounding a little down.

Word Count: 325
Total: 10500

Iku handed the bow back, and rubbed her sore arm. She would definitely need to attend to her arm before she attempted any more extensive training with it. While she was focused on it, she hardly listened to Seresana at all. With a quick glance overhead, it was obvious time was quickly disappearing, as the sun disappeared beyond the treeline. They honestly, should probably call it, and head to their homes.

She turned to Seresana, only realizing that she was speaking. "No, I think we should probably call it. I just wanted to try using a bow. I have concluded it is most likely not for me," she stated simply, informing Seresana. The bow string snapping against her arm wasn't the most pleasant experience. She'd rather use a weapon that didn't debilitate herself when used. Still feeling the pain through her arm, she turned to go. "We had a good day of training," Iku went on, stepping towards the path that lead back the way they had came. "Honestly, I did not expect today to end like it did. I figured my day would be training alone as usual. It was very nice to share a day of training with another... - I suppose."

{203 words}

"Hehe, I had fun today too Iku," Seresana replied with a little smile and chuckle as well while she accepted the bow back. Seresana quickly ran over to collect up the two arrows that Iku had shot. The first one was easy enough as it was still sticking out of the stump, but the second arrow took a bit more effort as she pulled it from the underbrush after a few moments of digging and searching. When both arrows were once more in her quiver, Seresana turned back to Iku and grinned again. "If you want, we could pla- err I mean train again some other day," Seresana said, catching herself on one of the words that would likely make the difference between whether Iku chose to take up the offer or not.

When it came to departing though, Seresana pointed Iku in a different direction as the way they had come to reach this clearing had come from Seresana's house, not the village. "If you're wanting to get back to the village, go straight that way. It's not too far to reach the main road, and that route is much quicker than going back the way we came," Seresana explained while she turned back to the way they'd come and in turn, her own home. With another wave, Seresana bid goodbye to Iku and began to wander off into the woods, pausing long enough to make sure Iku had a chance to bid her goodbyes if she had any.

Word Count: 250
Total: 10750
(Thread exit/end on my part)

Iku's brow momentarily furled, as Seresana just hinted at them childishly having 'fun'. After she had gathered the last couple arrows, she went on to hint that they had 'played'. Which was basically insulting to Iku. She seemed to correct herself on that at the end, balancing out Iku's emotions on the overall day's going-on's. With a nod, she answered simply, as they began walking away from the clearing, her brow sleek with sweat from the heat of the day, they had spent training. "I suppose so. If a day presents itself to train together, there is probably not a reason to not do so." If there was a reason to not train with Seresana, Iku currently did not know it.

Iku's ears were assaulted, with yet more insulting words, from the other girl. After a single abrupt step, she turned towards Seresana, with a glare. "You have been rather condescending on this manner the entire time. You seem to think I have never stepped foot in the forest. I know where I am, and how to return to where I wish to return to. Iku Uchiha does not need to be lead around like a dog on a leash." Besides, she wasn't headed into the center of town. She was headed to the Uchiha side of town, which to her left currently. With that sour bit of words, Iku waved once, and departed from Seresana, the companion she had spent a day's training with. Her foot falls were heavy, and her arm ached, as she headed back to her single shack in the Uchiha compound. Weary, she was ready to reach home and tend to her fatigue.

{277 words}
total words: 8750
(Thread done)