“How can you tell which way to nock it?” Kre asked noting that the feathers were all black, unlike the other two arrows which had an odd colored key feather.
Kersath grinned and flipped the arrow around. “Look closer,” he advised.
Taking the deadly missile in hand, Kre looked carefully at the feathers. Aside from one being slightly shinier than the other two, he could tell no difference. He gave it back with a shrug.
“Ah,” Kersath said with a chuckle, “you cannot see with your wasiqa eyes. To me, this feather shines like the new moon.”
Kre shook his head and raised a finger, “You mean the full moon, right? That’s the bright one.”
“For you, perhaps,” Kersath said, using the tone he seemed to reserve for sarcastic comments. “For my brethren Ylveryan tribes as well. They cannot see with the eyes of night as my tribe can.”
Kre felt slightly uncomfortable with the turn that the conversation seemed to be taking, unsure as he was with any topic related to the Ylveryan people. Possibly, it was that he was afraid to show more of his ignorance as potentially unconscious racism. “What about the other two arrows then? What are they for?”
The Ylveryan slid the man-killer arrow somewhere behind his back, much to Kre’s relief, and held the other two out for Kre’s closer inspection.
Immediately, he could tell that one was much heavier than the other despite their similar size. “It’s a different wood,” he murmured softly, verbalizing his thoughts on each arrow’s construction. “Stronger wood, heavier… while this one blue one is much lighter and more flexible.”
“The blue and yellow arrow is meant for lesser creatures, prey such as turkey or deer. The black and white arrow is weighted much heavier, with a segmented steel core that allows it to bend as it flies, but still strike with such force that a massive predator beast can be slowed or even stopped fully in its tracks. It is used for wild boar and large cats.”
Both arrows were returned and placed in their respective quivers. Kersath looked over and gestured to Kre. “Why do you suppose it is important for you to know the difference in these arrows?”
Kre was about to shrug and admit defeat when the glint in Kersath’s eyes told him that it would not an acceptable answer. So, he pondered it for a few minutes while they continued to ride.
“Maybe,” he said finally, “so that I can supply you or the rest of the company with the right equipment at the right time?”
Kersath harumphed, “Maybe you could provide an answer and not a question.”
Another mental curse faded from his mind as Kre remembered his friend Cootsman saying something similar at times. “Be confident,” he would say, “if you don’t believe in yourself then why should anyone else?” Of course, he usually said this after asking if Kre’s most recent move in Tehynji was what he really wanted to do and was usually followed up by a weak, “Maybe?”
Kre took a deep breath and expelled it all at once in a rapid response, “So I can be a useful member of the company and ensure you all have the right equipment when you need it.”