camp half-blood 1x1 - Harper. and helkenway

[Nunavik]

noble's grip on the reins tightened slightly as the two began to climb the hill. the pegasus's head tossed backwards, letting out a loud nicker of excitement as they finally reached the top of the hill. the sound of spencer's comment ripped a chuckle from his throat. "you should hear the nicknames the hermes' camp calls this place." with the rockpile within arms reach, noble slowed his pegasus into a brisk walk. he let go of one of the reins, turning the equine around to face the other. "is it just me or is this place rather quiet for being light out already?" he inquired more to himself. noble's blue eyes searched around the clearing's hill. he let out a soft mhm in question then threw his leg over the pegasus's back, dismounting with ease. "here, hold him while i set up some targets to practice on."

[notactive]

spencer snorted. "i'm waiting for the day zeus overhears them and sets their cabin on fire with lightning." knowing the hermes cabin, it was somewhat surprising something of that sort hadn't already happened. the camp itself was rather insignificant to the gods, but they couldn't deny they were as petty as humans. noble's comment on the silence pulled him out of his thoughts. "it is kinda quiet, and i'm not entirely a big fan," he agreed, giving the surrounding area a vaguely wary glance as he took hold of noble's pegasus.

[Nunavik]

there was no evidence that said the great lord of the sky didn't already know. the son of apollo moved away from the pegasi and his brother. his muscular figure disappeared behind a large pile of rocks and appeared a few moments later. a large target was tucked underneath his arm. his bow and quiver clinged lightly against the legs of the target as he walked. noble walked up and down a few paces, searching for a good spot where the pegasi could run yet far enough for spencer and him to be somewhat challenged to hit a bullseye. finally, noble settled the target on a flat pair of rocks about horse's height. he took a step back then returned to spencer. "i'm sure it's nothing." noble affirmed. he grabbed the reins again and pulled himself back onto the pegasus's back. a gleam of amusement passed over his face. "you first?"

[notactive]

spencer was doubtful, but getting worked up over something that would probably just end up being some roaming monster that spooked them would be pointless and a little embarrassing. target practice had overthrown his paranoia, and he grinned at noble. "yeah, why not." his pegasus whinnied, excitement dancing in her eyes. a gentle kick and the pegasus went into a slow gallop, spencer nocked an arrow and drew the string, waiting for a clear shot. two minutes and there it was, though his fight for balance jerked him ever so slightly, and the arrow landed centimeters away from the bullseye. balance wasn't particularly his strong suit, and being on the back of a pegasus having his hands occupied didn't help. he shot a second arrow on the way back, maybe a tad closer to the bullseye? and stopped just beside his brother. "you're up, noble."

[Nunavik]

noble had leaned his chest against the pegasus's long neck. his hands entwined in the white-and-black hair and his head rested on his own hands as he watched spencer nearly land on the bullseye. for someone who didn't think he was all that great at archery, noble had to admit, he was pretty good. he managed to get a bit closer on his way back and the son of apollo gave a small nod of approval, accompanied with a shrug of his broad shoulders. "alright." noble replied, "my turn!" letting go of the reins, noble gave the pegasus a gentle kick. the stallion started off, his hooves collecting overturnt grass as the pair zipped down the path. noble reached over his back, grabbed his bow and then an arrow. he notched it, pulling the string and taking aim. the pegasus's hooves thundered loudly as the target grew near.

noble's blue gaze watched intently. blood soared within his ears. the target was nearly there. with a single breath coaxed from his lips, noble closed an eye and released the arrow. it whirred ahead and hit too high on the target. noble let out a curse in ancient greek. he and the pegasus galloped onward, coming to the edge of the path before whipping around to return to spencer. noble quickly came to a stop, pulled another arrow, then gave the signal to move. the pegasus shot forward. noble felt himself slipping somewhat but his balance was nearly perfect as they galloped back. his shot, however, not so much. noble notched the arrow again. this time, noble released the arrow just before the pegasus thundered past. it soared through the arrow, hitting just beside spencer's first.

noble pulled his bow back over his back then collected the reins. the pegasus skidded to a stop and turned around, tossing his head up and over the wing of spencer's own. noble blew harshly out of his nose in contempt. "man am i out of practice"

[notactive]

spencer shrugged. "that's what we're here for." admittedly, his first year consisted mostly of archery and instruments when he got the chance. his first entire summer spent away from yelling and daily arguments made for one of his best summers, yet was equally overwhelming in that he was in a camp full of people he'd never met before, with the exception of the satyr that'd brought him here. spencer urged his pegasus to gallop, a little faster then the first time. he readied an arrow, aimed, and waited. somewhere along the line he got distracted, fixating just a little too closely on the silence, the lack of movement aside from the two practicing archery. except, there was other movement, much farther out, yet apparently aggressive enough for him to notice. the target was close now, in fact too close.

thwock. the arrow landed close to the edge of the target, leaving spencer with a flushed face. leave it to him to get distracted like that. he allowed himself more momentum for the second shot, the wind undoing the vague amount of effort he put into his hair before leaving. this time concentrated on the target, his arrow, his bow. the arrow landed not far off from the center, he collected his arrows, and briefly thought; i hope my face still isn't too red, before stopping back beside noble.

[Nunavik]

the wind seemed to come to a standstill. the lack of sounds from nature were eerie as noble watched his brother take off and shoot another arrow. only the sound of the pegasus's galloping hooves and the sound of the arrow whizzing to its mark filled his ears. it was too quiet. spencer returned to noble's side shortly enough. noble's pegasus tossed its head, picking up on the unease of noble's body language. the son of apollo glanced around, his hand patting the equine's neck reassuringly. "this place feels so off." noble commented. his grip on his reins tightened as his pegasus moved around in a semi-circle, obviously unnerved. suddenly, the loud squeal of a mouse beneath the pegasus's hooves sent a chill down the pair's spine. the pegasus reared up onto his hindleg. his nostrils bellowed with fear. noble let out a loud cry, being thrown back into the grass. his pegasus took off, leaving noble laying in the grass. he rubbed his head tenderly. he was bound to have a headache later.

[notactive]

upon noble's comment, spencer was about to bring up the movement he'd seen in the distance, when noble's pegasus had spooked and sent him flying into the grass. spencer quickly slid off the brown pegasus to his brother's side. "alright, i understand humans getting paranoid, but animals don't. we're checking this out." spencer reached for the pegasus's reins to avoid having two spooked pegasi running amok. he looked around the landscape uneasily, to find the only movement miles around was in the meadow, the rustling among flowers and plants. "thats what i saw," he said, pointing. "whatever it is the source is probably there."

[Nunavik]

noble tenderly rubbed the back of his head. he shot his brother an annoyed look. the viciousness behind it hadn't been directed to spencer but noble couldn't help but feel slightly bitter with the loss of his pegasus. upon the statement, noble turned his blue gaze to the meadow miles away and down the hill where spencer's gaze was. winds swayed the grass and its flowers. everything around it seemed to be still. how strange, noble thought to himself. noble let out a huff of breath. he picked himself back up to his feet. the seventeen year old wiped down his pants and orange camp half-blood shirt. he adjusted his bow and quiver along his back then wiped his hands together to rid them of collected dirt. "let's go" he then replied.

[notactive]

spencer nodded in agreement, guiding the pegasus with him. as much as it'd be faster to ride on the pegasus, as noble's pegasus had demonstrated, she was bound to be equally jumpy, and spencer wasn't looking to knock his brain around. the three of them descended down the hill, passing zeus's fist, then the target. walking across the fields felt as eerie as walking back to your cabin at night, except there was more noise; the campers talking. at some point, as though the pegasus had suddenly realized where spencer and noble were going, she whinnied and frantically attempted to escape, just about yanking spencer's shoulder out of its socket. they stopped to calm her down, managing to get her to a point where she was no longer trying to escape. "maybe we should tie her somewhere close by, try to avoid losing a limb." he said, rubbing his shoulder, maybe exaggerating the pain ever so slightly. they weren't far from the meadow now, just a few lengths away.