[ORP] Retribution [Metaplot - Nergui/Firekin] OPEN

[Motoujamii Lands]

::Setting the Scene::

For the Firekin:
W o r d has started to spread through the pride; rumours of a winged lion seen close to the heart of the Firekin's homeland. Supsicious that this could be another trick sent to them by the savage northerners - The Nergui - the regents have deployed a small force to join Corporal Azar'bijan and his trusted 'second-in-command' Shula in the hunt. None truly know what they expect to find out there, but one thing is for certain, if it is the Nergui, the Firekin will make them live to regret their meddling.

For the Nergui:
R e v e l i n g in the success of their god hunt, the Nergui are marching home, safe in the knowledge that the rainbow-winged goddess has been slain. Unbeknownst to them, however, the goddess had also been spotted by the Firekin and now it is only a matter of time before the hunters become the hunted. (Even if you did not actively take part in the hunt, you may still RP in this thread as if you had been there).



::The Rules::

- Open to adult Firekin members and to all Nergui members.
- Those without either a suitable Firekin/Nergui may use familiars only (either existing ones or non-lined species).
- Please note that no hostages/prisoners will be taken during this RP. If your character chooses not to flee, then you agree that they will be killed during the clash.
- The RP can sometimes move fast. To help people keep up, quote those your character is directly interacting with.
- Haven't joined us for one of these ORPs before? If you want to get an idea of the format you may feel free to take a look at this old RP event: xxx
- You may win a maximum of one prize in this thread.
- Always remember to respect other people in RP, even if your characters do not get along!



::Additional Note::
The following characters are not able to be present in this RP due to IC reasons:
- Tomorbaatar [Kimaria]
- Koka [Kolina]
- Mawasii [Kimaria]


 

[Motoujamii Lands]

::The Prizes::
As usual, there are prizes up for grabs. And of course, posting here earns you prizes! Each post will earn you one ticket for a raffle that will be drawn at the end of this RP. Some (or all) of these cubs will be included as prizes depending on how the plot goes.

Below are two lovely Firekin girls (donated kindly by ShinosBee and Mimsey) and two Nergui boys (donated by Kimaria).

 

[Motoujamii Lands]

They marched and they hunted, though for what, the corporal was not entirely sure. Spies. Nergui. Nergui spies. Or maybe they chased ghosts. Sometimes Azar'bijan wondered whether this was what life was about. Long days of suffering to which an end came either peaceful or violent. In his line of work he reckoned on the latter, and perhaps he would even be a little disappointed if that was not the case.

Dying of old age with grey in your mane and faded vision did not seem half as glorious as meeting your end in a battle of epic proportions. He pictured such an image on the Firekin's history stones and smiled, despite the agitation.

He turned his head, eyes seeking Shula amongst the crowd that had followed them.

"Keep your eyes open," he barked, the order needless, for surely the Firekin who had chosen to come were doing just that. "We don't know what we'll bump into out here." They were upon the borders now, too, the sand breached by tufts of dry, yellowing grass.  

[Mimsey]

Hraga rolled his shoulders, gazing out over the seemingly endless stretch of sand and shrub grass. So far they hadn't found anything except sand and a couple of scattered gazelle groups. Unlike his mentor, the young lion was not jumping to any conclusions just yet.

But he was hesitant.

"My eyes are open," he said curiously as he scanned the terrain. "But not finding much of interest. How far do you suppose a creature with wings could get?"

He hadn't been the one to see the unusual sighting- but he had to admit, he was quite enthralled with the idea of finding a winged lion. Not out of a desire for religion, but more to satisfy an almost cub-like curiosity.  

[SilverLutz]

Kasoro had felt his stomach sink when he heard tell of a lioness with rainbow wings flying over the pride. He hadn't seen her himself, but he knew without a doubt that it was a goddess. His mother was a goddess as well, although it wasn't known among his pride mates for obvious reasons. The Firekin didn't hold gods in high regard, and he didn't want to start any trouble. Thankfully it had been a bit of a blessing for him, since he was much larger than the average rouge, and even a bit bigger than the average Firekin. It made others think he had some Firekin in his blood and that he was returning to his roots, which was more than enough for him.

The thought that the Nergui were playing a trick could be debunked by the lion, but he kept his mouth shut. He didn't want to seem that he knew more than he did. So he plodded along with there rest of the lions, staying silent as they walked.



Mate'moto on the other hand seemed to be positive that it was Nergui scum behind the flying lioness. How else could something like that happen? Surely it wasn't some kind of magical being, but rather their there-and-gone again enemies. The fur on her back bristled nearly the whole time they were walking, ears twisting this way and that to try to pick up the sound of any of the evil lions and their henchmen. This was her first outing as an adult and, while she had been on a few in her youth, she finally felt as though she'd be able to contribute in this.

She glanced up as Azar'bijan spoke, nodding to let him know she'd heard what he had to say. Hraga voiced what she herself had been thinking, as it seemed like they'd been walking for ages. Of course, that was probably her youth and her excitement speaking.  

[Princess_Feylin]

Keeping his mouth shut had never been one of Ro Vasuva's strong suits. It wasn't entirely that he was fond of the sound of his own voice. Not per se. He was just something of a compulsive chatterer. Without consciously reminding himself to be silent, he would talk. It didn't matter if he was talking with someone else, or just talking to himself. His mouth was almost always running.

At the moment, he was pretty much speaking to himself as he responded to what the hunt leaders said. "Probably a creature with wings could either get pretty far, or not far at all, depending on how effectively their wings could lift them and the direction of the wind. A lion with wings probably shouldn't be able to fly at all, unless they were a...a very unusual specimen."

He only barely remembered that the Firekin were not a pride to place much importance on divine or demonic things, and so he changed what he was saying before he pointed out that gods were sometimes winged. Instead of pursuing that useless vein of thought, he looked over at Mate'moto and grinned.

"Isn't this fun?"

SilverLutz

 

[mouselet]

There were some who were probably wondering what on earth was going on in Eish's head. The young Huntress had never shown interest in warfare, or even the Nergui enemy before. Even now her green eyes gazed about dreamily as she walked, seemingly not focusing on anything around her.

She hadn't offered any explanation when volunteering for this hunt. To be fair, the white lioness couldn't truly place words to the feeling that she should come. Yes, the rumors of the winged lioness had intrigued her, and yes, she was somewhat curious about this group, these Nergui, who had become bitter enemies for some reason.

On a totally unrelated note, it was good to leave the Firekin lands for once.

"I wonder," the young female mused aloud, "if a winged lion is the offspring of a lion and a very large bird."  

[Andranis]

P'leimis trailed behind his uncle, ears back as he scoffed. "I don't think there was even a lion with wings... How do we know it wasn't made up, or somebody wasn't just SEEING things? Open eyes may have little to do with HEAT STROKE or sand in the eyes..." He glanced at Ro, frowning at his words. He was about to say something else, he swore it... But whatever the striped lion had been PREPARED to say, he had held it back, probably because it would have enflamed some of the present company. The white lion decided, though, to not ask what he was about to say instead of 'unusual specimen.'

Where P'leimis held no obvious belief in gods, Leek did. Of course, he had the sense the gods gave a tree and didn't talk about it unless asked about his background... Which was rare. But he had no qualms talking about Mama Asali if somebody asked. Unfortunately, there were random moments where his brain-to-mouth filter failed in a most spectacular manner. As he glanced at Eish, words spilled out before he could stop them. "It sounds less like a union of lion and bird and more like a GOD to me! Only lions with wings that I know of, and.." His words were cut off by a look from P'leimis. "Oh, right..."  

[Zosie]

Pele huffed and puffed a little impatiently as she walked on with the others. Like many others in the pride, she had a temper, and was trying to keep it under wraps as they walked without any sign of anything. As a soldier she had made sure she knew everything she could about this hunt of sorts. She considered it her job to do so, especially as she was the grand-daughter of the Corporal. As much as she liked fighting, Pele could feel a sense of unease burying itself in the pit of her stomach. She had never seen a god or goddess, but had heard several things about them. Some of the others were in doubt as to whether they existed, perhaps they were a trick? Wariness began to cloud her thoughts. Listening to P'leimis and Leek she began to see just how divided opinions could be on such matters.

Pele turned to her grandfather. "So, what exactly is the plan, then?" She had always looked up to him and admired his pride and dedication to duty. Ending her question with a wide grin, she made to move alongside him and Shula. Rude, Pele was not, but cheeky, yes, though she meant well. She paired her smile with a more serious look, though. She did not want others to think she believed the situation to be a joke. A lover of tricks as a cub, she had soon learnt the value of tact, timing and what was a serious matter and what wasn't.

Kimaria

 

[Kimaria]

Just ahead of them was the shape of a bird; dark against the azure sky. A bird, though. Not a god. Still not what they were looking for.

"It didn't look like the most graceful of flyers..." Azar'bijan ground out, not quite willing to admit that he could very well be leading the host on a fruitless chase across the sands. Around him, voices both soft and loud, bartered with the idea of a lion with wings. It was true that the Firekin followed no gods and bore no beliefs. Past experiences of such creatures had left many with a sour taste and they had since decided to rely only on their own mortal qualities to get them through ordeals.

And, judging by how the pride was doing, it had only served them well.

He growled, sinking his claws into the grainy, dry earth, and wondered how much further they would have to go...or whether they would have to return as failures.

The bird, with a loud screech, wheeled overhead.

A raven.

"We find what we're looking for. That's what." His stern eyes turned to his granddaughter. "Then maybe we'll get a chance to shed a little blood. How would that be for your first expedition?"








We hear him call down in the deep, a dreamer that dreams but does not sleep.

The latest chant had reached its end, giving the troupe's ears a moment of respite. Out ahead of them, the warlord Muunokhoi walked tirelessly, the wound on his hind leg crusted and barely a bother at all. At his side, a single pace behind, was the ugly female, Gren gra-Groul. In her mouth she carried the rarec stolen from the goddess. It made him feel uneasy, truth be told, but she had her orders to deliver them to the Xakaav Oma and so it would be done. Even he was in no place to question that and he knew better than to ever do so.

"Will you stay long?" he asked the female in the northern tongue.

"No."

If the warlord was disappointed he did not let on. Well, it would have been too much to ask for in any case. His mate was back at home, fat with his cubs. Sons, if he was lucky. Big, strong sons to earn a high rank of their own and all baring the title of the Founders that would give them an advantage.

And then the three-eyed raven was circling above them, cawing with amusement. "Death! Death! Death!" it shrieked, sounding more than a little amused. "Death comes from the sands."

The Nergui exchanged looks and a moment later, the warlord turned to address his people, "quiet yourselves. We may no longer be alone out here."

 

[SilverLutz]

Kasoro listened to the conversations around him, keeping his mouth shut even when one of the joining members claimed it to be a god. He got a few odd looks from his companions, Kasoro included, but for different reasons than most. It was true that there were those with wing markings that bore no relation to gods, but the way Leek had spoken...perhaps he too was a descendant of a god? It wasn't impossible...still. Better to let the question stay in his head than be voiced aloud. He didn't want any trouble.

Mat's ear flicked back as she heard the familiar voice of Ro prattle on and turned to grin at him as he addressed her. It was fun, her first real expedition. She wanted to taste blood and her claws itched to sink into flesh, be it prey or this 'god' a few of the other lions were whispering about.

"It'll be more fun when we're doing something other than walking," she returned, dropping back for a moment to walk beside the dark lion. "But this is my first time out in a while, and definitely the first time I've been big enough to do more than just get in everyone else's way and cause problems. This time I can be of use."



Kriegerisch walked with her pride mates, a vicious grin on her face, her muzzle darker than normal thanks to the dried blood that remained. She would let it come off as it would rather than washing it off, as it was the blood of a goddess. Such marks were to be worn with glory and honor. She had played a rather large part in bringing the goddess down and she sang loudly with the others in joy. It had been a great victory for them with only a few sustaining injuries, and now they had something to bring back to the Xakaav Oma. The cries from above and the warning from Muunokhoi silenced their songs though, and Krieg lifted her head to try to hear any potential danger.



Los was in a similar state of delight as his daughter. He had helped bring the goddess down as well and, although he bore a few wounds of his own, he acted as though they weren't there. Pain only fueled him, made him want to hurt and be hurt more. He was a dangerous tool the Nergui had, but from looking at him (and ignoring his wounds) it would be hard to guess. He looked like a puppy with a new bone, tongue lolling happily from his mouth, a bounce in his step. That soon stopped, though, as the warning came from the warlord. He tilted his nose to the air to breathe in the light wind, but if something was coming, it was not upwind of them.  

[Princess_Feylin]

SilverLutz

Ro had not failed to overhear another lion mention the possibility that they were pursuing a god, but in an uncharacteristic display of common sense, he didn't remark on it. He just sent his fellow striped lion a conspiratorial wink. They were lions of the world. They had seen more, perhaps, than their pridemates.

"What sort of use, do you think?" Ro asked without actually pausing to let her answer. "I mean, are we going to attack this winged lion, make a pet out of it? Or if it's one of the Nergui, I suppose we'll kill it, and it's pretty obvious how we'll be useful there. But what if it's a...something else? I'm not sure how useful any of us would be in that case."

A god. If it was a god, Ro had seriously doubts that the Firekin, with their belief system that was basically atheistic, would be very helpful. It might fall to him and the other joiner to deal with the maybe-god. The thought was not the least bit sobering. If anything, it made him grin more widely.

"But it definitely flew," he noted, changing subject without warning, as he was wont to do. "Our leader just said so."

This was so cool.  

[Zosie]

Pele grinned at her grandfather in answer, his stern eyes bore the opposite expression to hers at that precise moment. Though a serious situation, her eyes glittered with anticipation and excitement. Shedding blood would be interesting indeed, regardless of the precise enemy, and she believed no blood would be shed without reason. If they were a threat she would not hesitate to fight. She was a soldier, a good fighter and had trained well to be fit for her position.

She did however, have mixed feelings about these supposed God like creatures, they were a new idea to her and she didn't know exactly how she felt about them. They could possibly possess great strength, and that could be a concern. And immortality? Well, that could be an even bigger problem.

Pele felt more inclined to agree with P'leimis, but whether that was because she had no belief or refused to admit there could be something with immense strength out there was undecided.

"Perhaps someone was just seeing things, the desert can play tricks on the mind I've heard." Pele mumbled and moved to follow the two males for a moment - she didn't exactly want her grandfather. She was a trickster when she was younger, so knew all about the nature of trickery, or so she thought. It was something she had grown out of, but it left her with the thought that others could easily fool some of the weaker minded or gullible lions, but admittedly, that wasn't usually a trait found in most of the Firekin.

"You know how some can get, paranoid or delusional in extreme cases." She shot P'leimis a wry smile. The exchange of looks between him and Leek told her that they had opposing views, so she glanced to him with a cheeky smile too, wondering if he would give any thoughts against her theory. "Or maybe you think we are in the presence of a giant raven-lion?" She joked.

She had a horrible feeling that it was the Nergui indeed, and if so this would be her first encounter with them. Pele had heard tales of them, and would definitely savour the smell and taste of any of their blood spilt.

The lioness could feel her blood boiling in anticipation.

Andranis

 

[mouselet]

It...wasn't exactly necessary for the Warlord to tell Tesak in particular to be quiet. He was still horribly embarrassed by his failure to even touch the goddess before she was struck down and slain. Yes, some would excuse him for falling victim to her attack, but he couldn't excuse himself. The young Nohoi was eager for a chance to prove himself and as the raven called out his message, the hyena's ears perked up in anticipation.

Death from the sands might give him a new chance to prove his strength, his skill, and his courage. He remained as quiet as before, but now there was a tension and anticipation as Tesak kept one eye and ear on the Warlord, using the others to try and spot the new challenge.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eish was accustomed to people giving her strange looks, particularly after she opened her mouth. Not that she cared what they thought of her. However, it was strange that the grey-maned male would call a winged lion a god. The white lioness did not see how the addition of wings to a lion could make them such a strange and fictional being, but she wasn't going to quarrel with the older lion. Most Firekin would, but it was all sand in the desert to Eish.

"If we capture it, we can see what it truly is," she mused quietly, though loud enough to be heard by those nearby. The white lioness wasn't certain if the raven was a separate creature from the winged lion, but accepted the possibility that it might be. This did promise to be an interesting day.  

[Mimsey]

Hraga nodded, listening to Azar speak. Even if the bulk of it was for his granddaughter's benefit, he still cared a great deal about what his mentor's thoughts were on the situation. Picking up the pace, he started down a small slope of rocks and sand.

"If there's a chance that it hasn't been flying well, we might want to fan out a bit more. See if there's any hiding places for a creature such as this to hide," he instructed. "It might have wings, but surely it still thinks like us."

As to its parentage- he wasn't sure. He rather liked Eish's idea. "That seems logical," he said, even though it wasn't. "My mother always used to say that other lions worship the winged ones as gods because they have gifts we don't understand."

A particularly hot puff of wind caught his face. He angled his head to shield it from any flying dust. "I think that's true. But we should still be on guard. There's a reason they've been worshipped, and I doubt its because they are as timid as hatchlings."