This time there was no proud grin at the praise. Tal bit his lip and bobbed his head in acknowledgment, but there was still a tremor in his hands as he rubbed them together out of nervous habit. The spear was still sticking out of the bear's body, and he approached the awkward job of climbing up to retrieve it.
A hesitation was followed by a second nod at the question, the courier's grip tightening momentarily on the shaft before he began to pull at the weapon to free it. "Y-yeah. I didn't... The one that almost killed me an' took off my aunt's legs... she was the one that killed it." With a grunt and a forceful effort he jerked the spear out and almost stumbled as it suddenly lost its resistance. Sliding off the bear's flank he rejoined Deimos and fumbled his own knife out so they could begin to separate hide from meat. "...I don't think I could have done it alone this time, either," he admitted in a quieter voice, eyes focused determinedly on the section of skin he was removing and too self-conscious to look over at his friend.
A hesitation was followed by a second nod at the question, the courier's grip tightening momentarily on the shaft before he began to pull at the weapon to free it. "Y-yeah. I didn't... The one that almost killed me an' took off my aunt's legs... she was the one that killed it." With a grunt and a forceful effort he jerked the spear out and almost stumbled as it suddenly lost its resistance. Sliding off the bear's flank he rejoined Deimos and fumbled his own knife out so they could begin to separate hide from meat. "...I don't think I could have done it alone this time, either," he admitted in a quieter voice, eyes focused determinedly on the section of skin he was removing and too self-conscious to look over at his friend.
