I follow her after a moment; I have a long day of teaching her how to be a self-sufficient being.
I release the arrow, hitting the mark I carved into a tree, and it’s a perfect aim, as usual.
I toss her a smirk over my shoulder, but to my frustration, she’s not even watching.
Instead, she watches a murder of crows cawing in the trees, and I roll my eyes, beckoning her forward. “Ivy, come here.”
She glances up, cheeks rosy with the cold. When I raise a questioning brow, she rolls her own eyes, joining my side.
I help her with her posture, kicking her legs apart when she doesn’t move fast enough for my liking.
She huffs a breath. “I can move my own legs, you know.”
“I suppose you can, but you seem to be stuck in a world of your very own choosing right now, princess, so it’s the only way I can teach you.”
She regards the longbow. “So, does this mean I can finally hold the bow?”
“No. You will learn the proper steps before I give you my pride and joy.”
She crosses her arms. “Fine. So, what’s next,teacher?”
I grit my teeth at her snarky attitude. “Determining your dominant eye.”
Ivy puts her hands on her hips. “And how am I supposed to do that without holding the bow first?”
With a smirk, I form a triangle with my gloved fingers, moving it towards my eyes. “Whichever eye the triangle is most drawn to, that’s your dominant eye. Mine’s my left, see?”
She gives me a scathing look, then forms a triangle with her hands, bringing them to her eyes.
I chuckle, “Left eye dominant, like me. Lucky you.”
She perks up at that. “Does this mean I can finally hold the bow?”
I tap my chin. “Hm, all right. I guess you’re ready.”
Her grin widens, and I ignore the fluttering in my chest when I spy the childlike wonder in her eyes. She’s so green, it hurts.
Taking up my place behind her, I take an arrow from the quiver, then position her fingers around the bow.
“See the groove at the end of the arrow? That’s the nock. You attach it to the bowstring, just below the marker point, ensuring that the fletching is aligned correctly with the cock vane facing outward.”
She nods, following my instructions.
“Then, hold the arrow in place with your index finger above the arrow and two below.”
She adjusts her fingers around the arrow, turning to face me once again.
“Now, point the arrow at the target, keeping your elbow parallel to the ground. Can you see down the spine of the arrow?”
Ivy gives another nod.
“Now, pull the bowstring towards you.” I place my hand over hers, guiding her movements with my fingers. “Arms relaxed, elbow raised, and keep pulling until the bowstring is anchored against the side of your jaw.”
She follows my directions, tugging the bowstring until it presses against the side of her jaw.
“Is the target in sight?”
“Yes.”
