Four highly competent recruits

Morgon hopped from one branch to another, carefully choosing his next landing on a high bough that inclined steeply, grabbing onto its side to support his weight while anchoring his feet into the exposed bark. From there, he spotted a young female prospect far below who seemed to be busy picking some form of root from the base of the foliage. He knew immediately what her intention was. The Ushanti root was one of the best lures for attracting Sabinine Blue mouse deer. He approved of her knowledge of herbcraft. Most juveniles her age would eschew the details of even the most basic of herbalism skills in favor of all day frolicking, or pursue more martial pursuits. Considering the sticks and netting on her belt, it was likely her plan to set up a trap. It would not be an easy task for a successful capture. The deer were known to be able to chew threw most thin netting fairly quickly, so he assumed that she had something in mind to counter that particular problem. It was then when he spotted a vial among her personal items attached to her belt, one containing just the right amount of a certain viscous green liquid. Upon seeing this, he removed all manner of doubt that she would fail. He committed a description of her to memory so that he could find out her name and background from the elders later.

Just as he left the area, his elven ears picked up the distinct bleating sounds of a mouse deer in distress. Leaping through the air to perch onto a tree, he observed the animal darting through the forest floor, followed closely by the fleeting shadow of a person giving chase from branch to branch. He followed them for a short distance, wondering what manner of youngster could almost outrun an infamously swift animal the size of a loaf of bread. It was nearly impressive to see, for he had known few who possessed such speed and agility among all the rangers he had trained. No movement was wasted while maintaining a steady pace behind his prey, with each acrobatic leap being well timed and well aimed. Before long, the blur had caught up to swoop down at the fleeing creature, tumbling towards its flank to take it by surprise, before scooping it up into a bag in one smooth movement. Morgon surmised that what he had just seen was not even his fastest, leaving him with thoughts on how to test the recruit's true abilities further. He quickly reserved his judgement when he caught sight of the smug grin on his face, one that he disapprovingly recognized as hubris. Nonetheless, he memorized the details of his stature before stealthily taking his leave. Such talent should not be wasted, and he was hopeful that the harsh training regimes to come would mellow out his conceited attitude.

Within an hour, Morgon had observed many of the more ordinary recruits who arrived late to the challenge. Many made numerous failed attempts to outwit, outrun or outsmart their prey. Some even committed to the use of ranged weaponry, leaving a number of those who attempted thus without a live mouse deer to return with. He was about to decide that he had inspected enough, until he caught sight of a male prospect attempting a chase. He was not as fast as the one he had seen earlier, but something about the way he was moving made him cease to review the scene before him. It appeared too deliberate and slow paced. The recruit had no intention of catching up to the tiny animal. He was instead herding it somewhere ahead. Adjusting his view, he predicted where their paths would take them, moving forth to discover what matter of design the youngster had in mind. True enough, the deer was suddenly sent up several feet in the air, wrapped in a thick sack attached to a rope that laid hidden in a layer of leaves. A female recruit appeared to secure the sack, and the pair exchanged a brief moment of triumph. When they were done, they began resetting their trap, likely with the intention of catching a second query for the other. There was little else to imagine them doing. The simplicity of their plan was worth noting for judgement. There were no elegantly executed tricks. Neither were there any exceptional displays of skill or prowess. All it took for these two to complete their challenge was simple cooperation, a key element in the makings of good warrior rangers. If the prospects today had behaved the way these two have done, many more of them would have passed without difficulty. Having had his interest piqued, he too committed them to memory before finding his way back to the elders.