Another short for FB. Harking back to the establsihment of the Animal management Unit at the AG School. inspired by a short of a hidden tarantula coming out of concealment to clobber what is in itself a large - but inattentive and overconfident - beetle. well, a gogga of some sort.
A short, scribbled in between doing all the other irksome things of life currently occupying my time, like getting some sort of paying gig somewhere.
Eyebrows were raised concerning the massive investment made by the Assassins' Guild School in significantly expanding its Natural History and Zoology department. This happened shortly after the Guild recruited and trained Doctor Johanna Smith-Rhodes, a native of the Howondalandian Veldt, to be its principal teacher in zoology and Animal Behavioural Studies. Older Assassins who were trained in a previous age were heard to ask if the investment was strictly necessary, and to inquire as to what possible purpose could be served by educating young Assassins in the doings of mere animals. Good Gods, we'll be sending them out on nature trails next to ramble aimlessly in the countryside and collect insects to keep in jars! Uselessly wasting time that could be spent productively on stealthy movement, combat skills, hunting, stalking and inhuming with precision and style!
Doctor Smith-Rhodes was seen to smile slightly. She then invited selected professional peers on a Nature Trail of her own devising, and was at pains to demonstrate that Nature is indeed a thing of majesty and wonder, and that the wise Assassin should be observant and respectful of Nature, whilst retaining an awareness of how easy it is to become over-confident. Many Guild students have indeed benefited from her specialised and well-planned Nature Trails, and have learnt valid lessons of transferable use to the working Assassin. It is notable that after being taken on a nature ramble by Doctor Smith-Rhodes, objections to the investment made in her ideas have diminished considerably. as has any suggestion that this is "indulging" or "mollycoddling" young School students. She is keen to point out the dangers of inattentiveness, inability to recognise clear signs of imminent danger, and over-confidence amongst denizens of the animal kingdom, together with some very clear lessons the Assassin may draw from Nature's rich bounty. She is currently hoping to take a selected group of students of all ages to her native Rimwards Howondaland for practical field training during the long School holiday. Insurance companies are currently quibbling over the cost of the premiums, but it is hoped this administrative niggle can be cleared up to the satisfaction of all concerned.
Students wishing to go on the Howondalandian Nature Trail have been directed to read up on the habits of the wildlife they will be seeing, which definitely includes lions, leopards, hyenas, rhinoceroses, hippos, soldier baboons, Great Apes, honey-badgers, Howondalandian Bees, baboon spiders, orb spiders, yellow spiders, green-tailed scorpions, button spiders, tropical botflies, impatient corpse-flies, impondulo birds, eagles, vultures, aggressive butterflies, and biting Emperor Beetles. (This list is representative and not exhaustive). She is also hoping to witness the mating flight of an Osibisi Queen, accompanied by her retinue of male drones. Students may well learn an additional lesson from observing this, which is not to observe it from directly underneath.
Additional comment featuring Miss Alice Band:
That semicircle of paler whitish earth (around the tarantula's otherwise impeccably concealed lair) should be a dead giveaway too, as no doubt Johanna Smith-Rhodes would point out to her students when discussing inattentiveness, over-confidence and a complete lack of pattern recognition. And if planning such a trap - as her colleague Miss Alice Band would point out in a Traps, Ambush and Concealment lesson - leave no sign at all that you've dug a pit-trap. That white semi-circle is as good as putting a flashing neon sign up to say "Attention - Assassin inside" ,and an invitation to the would-be victim to either avoid or to drop a large bomb on top. " A good idea as the unwary will see no web and assume no spider is present. always innovate in your approach and be unexpected. however, do not assume your client has the brains and the attention span of an insect. that, ladies and gentlemen, is also over-confident."