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 Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2012 8:24 am
Of course, Peri shrieked again at the snake when it lashed out, though neither familiar seemed ready to come to blows. Unfortunately, the snake...had a point. Peri hadn't assumed a thing about the raven, simply thinking it had been a follower he'd not met. Yoan, he trusted though. Not the snake. Sadly, this time the snake and Yoan were together on an issue. With a last glare, the falcon wheeled about, launching itself at the strange raven, meaning to crash bodily into it and pin it beneath his talons. Perhaps, if no one stepped up to claim it, they'd let him kill it once he caught it. Take some of his frustration with the snake out on it.
Saoi of course was a little startled with the snake's venomous tone, but there was no time now. "The bird!" He cried, barely keeping from crashing into his own falcon as he wheeled about and it shot past. "Well snake, if you knew, why didn't YOU go after it? Bite it, twist it up! Someone grab it! Yoan and the snake think it's bad! Nergui! A spy or something!"
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Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2012 8:57 am
In a flash, the red lion moved. His aim was the ruffle-headed raven, claws out and a snarl on his face. It was working with the Nergui... And it had to either be injured or killed. Break a wing, and they'd have it at their beck and call. Kill it... And that'd be less worry of being ousted. As he closed in, something heavy suddenly landed on his back as a large hard beak began hitting him in the ear. "OW! WHAT ON ME?!" He twisted and swatted with a roar, only to confront a death-green vulture. Well that didn't help...
Vunde could claim no loyalties. Or rather, very few. The only gods he answered to were Hestia herself, first and foremost, and Xavier, though the latter was more to irritate him. Few things got the vulture in an attacking mood, though, and on that list were threats of harm to his fellow birds by non-birds. If two birds were going to fight, so be it, but if a lion was going after an avian, may Hestia spare their soul. The vulture, having wandered into the northern reaches alone without his master, had opted to follow the raven. After all, part of the raven was related to the vulture's own chicks, so why not extend the term 'family' to him, too? And he wasn't about to let family get hurt. "Paws!" Peck. "Off!" Peck peck. "The RAVEN!" Though his beak wasn't designed for tearing living flesh, he did his best on the lion's ear.
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Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2012 9:27 am
Hrafn probably hadn't done his best thinking when he'd opened his beak like that. Some things you know, was best if your enemies didn't know, he pondered as Yoan apparently alerted everyone else. The lions didn't worry him on their own, because he could simply fly out of reach. The other avians on their own were also hardly a threat. Aerial battles were safe for no one, as movement was hardly the most precise. The most threatening bird here was a falcon, but those were hardly the biggest birds of prey around. Hrafn didn't even doubt he was the largest bird here; ravens were hardly small, and he had some... genetic advantages, you could say. He was also armed with a very strong beak! His only real concern would be getting knocked down for the lions to finish off.
Still, he hardly wanted to sit around as the falcon tried to tear him apart, and was quick to take off once he realized it was heading for him. Peri hadn't the advantage of surprise, and Hrafn managed to get high enough to avoid the attack just in time, shrieking loudly at the bird as it passed beneath him.
And oh crap, there was a lion coming at him too– oh wait. Was that... "Fancy seeing you here!" He cawed, amused. His... something-in-law was here to save the day! He did honestly appreciate the help, though. Perhaps he should worry about his family. For someone who now looked like a very desirable target, Hrafn sure didn't seem worried as he wheeled about out of reach of lions. He just had to keep an eye on that stupid falcon. And maybe the other two birds. "What're you lot so worried about?" He asked the lions in general. "It's not like you'll fool anyone covered up in junk, anyways! Besides, I haven't even decided if I'll tell anyone." Trying to kill him was hardly a way to persuade Hrafn to keep his beak shut!
But Hrafn was well aware of the fact that he was not immortal, and should probably get out of here sometime soon. "Say we get out of here now?" He looked at Vunde, who hopefully hadn't gotten himself caught by a lion. Then Hrafn would be morally obliged to help him, or something. And this sort of flying wasn't even the most relaxed, where he could glide and rest. This was the mad-flapping-around sort, and the raven could hardly say he enjoyed that.
-
Normally Azulon would have gone for the raven as well, but it hard landed far enough away that he knew he couldn't effectively reach it in time. Not to mention, they were climbing on more or less irregular terrain, which meant going about, jumping at flying enemies was hardly the smartest thing to be done. Though he did sort of want to crush the stupid black bird now. It was taunting them?! "Great." He laid his ears back as he heard the call to leave. That was hardly an ideal development!
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Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2012 10:32 am
This was going from bad to worse. While the bones of the baboon graveyard hadn't entirely put her off -- they were rare but weren't entirely unheard of -- things were getting out of paw fast. Some of them were digging at the bones, pulling up skulls to wear or hides to cover their shoulders. While this was all well and fine, the point of this was to not be spotted. And what if the reasoning for wearing such things were specific? They might draw more attention to themselves before they fully understood what reasoning was to wear such things.
Still, as she picked her head over the bones, she had to agree with the serpent. He was right in that they weren't thinking with their heads; they were bumbling around, and it was frustrating. Speed and stealth should be the name of the game -- if they were lucky they wouldn't get spotted at all, and certainly they needed to be alert!
Why weren't they guarding the rear and front? Why weren't they looking out for more suspicious activity? It just seemed like a godawful mess, and if the fiasco getting past the guard post was any test on how the rest of this investigation was going to go, they were screwed.
And. . . to make matters worse. . there was a foreign avian among them. As soon as the call went out, her teeth bared and Nyimak whirled to investigate the who and the what. It was difficult to discern who was on their side, and who wasn't; but she DID hear the cry of the other to escape. Damnit, damnit, damnit. This was a catastrophe, completely and utterly.
It had to be birds. . .
"Someone get it!" She snarled. Though they were walking on precarious land, it would do no one any good if they got away. If their cover wasn't already blown, why were they just standing around like fools!? Thankfully, unlike Azulon, she wasn't terribly far. Even as she spoke, the huntress in her pounced after the same raven Serkan had almost caught -- until a vulture had landed on him. If they couldn't get both, they might at least get one if they could. . .
((This is under the assumption he hasn't caught the thing. :3 Since he's distracted by a vulture at this point, I figured a second set of eyes and claws might be helpful.))
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Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2012 11:06 am
By the time Elcca realized what was going on, chaos had already ensnared the group. The raven who had made them was soaring off, and some other bird was keeping the others distracted. Ravens. It made her blood turn to ice. She knew all too well what they brought. Or who.
"Yoan!" She yelled out, her voice breaking into a frantic yelp. But the little crow was already off into the air, continuing a sharp arc around their foe. She couldn't watch him die again. "Yoan be careful!"
But to his credit, the crow seemed to know full well he wasn't about to take down a bird of Hrafn's size. He simply kept himself near, occasionally dodging past and wheeling back up. When the raven started to taunt, he was quick to retort. "I doubt you flew all the way here to do nothing," he said. "If not for the Nergui, then someone else."
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Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2012 12:21 pm
Morag turned as she heard a commotion break out behind her, her teeth bared as she searched for whatever enemy had discovered them. It took a bit to realize the trouble had come from the large black bird that was wheeling above them. Ignoring the others, who seemed to be dealing with a vulture, she went for the two black birds, loping under them.
"Hey! Wait!" She called up to the pair. "I have a question for you! Please, no one will hurt you if you'll come down for a moment to speak with me!"
They had to get this situation under control... they had nothing that flew that could catch a raven in flight and nothing the land-bound could do to reach it. But... maybe if she could distract it, find out why it had come down to talk to them versus flying off right away to give away their mission...
"You're so large and powerful... you know we don't pose a threat to you!" She mentally prayed as she ran after the birds, hoping an unusual tactic might provide unusual results.
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Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2012 2:17 pm
Azulon scowled at what he was witnessing. A lion, getting bested by a vulture? That was really rather shameful, but he decided it was best not to spend too much time watching such a sorry scene. The ravens where far more important, and he had to keep alert in case it ever got in a position where he could slap it out of the air. He'd probably be doing everyone a favor. And yet, there was that black lioness, trying to deal with it.
-
"I may be related to the Nergui," Hrafn admitted casually as he changed direction. It didn't look like the crow was trying to get at him, and personally the raven had no interest in attacking anyone, but he still had to keep his movements dodgy, in case the falcon came at him again. Or any of the other birds. "I did come here on my own accord, though." Spending some time away form the murder. Like a little miniature vacation!
Then a lion was talking to him, rather than simply calling for his death. He tilted his head briefly downwards, to look at the black lioness, before seeking out the other avians again. "A question? Eh, you might as well ask it! But I ain't stopping for anyone." And he continued to noisily flap his great wings about, making messy shapes around the group, briefly peeking at each of them to remember their faces. "How stupid to you think I am– HAH! What's that supposed to be, flattery?" Of course they posed a threat to him! Particularly if he hung around too long! "Just ask your question already!" Of course, Hrafn couldn't promise an answer, let alone an honest one.
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Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2012 2:57 pm
A low, dangerous growl rumbled from Mkazo's chest when he heard they'd been recognized. That could mean very few things, and the most likely of those was that the bird was with the Nergui. Another growl, louder, at the taunts. If only he could jump high enough to swat the gods-damned thing out of the sky...he'd talk with a claw or two at his throat, all right. "How do we know you won't just tell the Nergui about us if you go?" It wasn't a chance he was willing to take without a damn good reason, and he wished the ones that could reach the raven would go back to trying to drive him down. "You say you weren't sent here. Why are you here? And try not to bother fooling us with 'sightseeing,' we're not that ******** stupid." He snorted at the thought.
Sightseeing? Hah. Right.
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Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2012 3:22 pm
Morag nodded respectfully up to the raven, feeling a little more confident when he paused rather than flying away.
"Why did you hang around, rather than flying straight back to your masters to tell them of us?" She said, trying to draw him into conversation. Force was probably not going to work this time, but... maybe they could strike some kind of deal. If he'd been that loyal to their enemy, she wasn't sure he'd be acting quite like this. She could be wrong, but it was a chance.
"And of course its flattery. Is it not working? I could go on about your impressive wingspan and bright yellow eyes."
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Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2012 5:51 pm
Finally swatting the vulture away, Serkan looked up at the raven, glaring at it. "Nergui servant, come down so we interrogate!" He paced, watching the bird, waiting for it to come closer. It wouldn't get back to the Nergui because he'd make SURE it didn't get back!
Flapping up into the air, Vunde clacked his beak at the lions. "If you stop attacking the bird, I stop attacking you!" He beat his wings, circling somewhat lazily. "Wouldn't it be wise to tell his masters what you're up to, so they can know what to look for?" It seemed logical to the vulture, then the fake Nergui would be easy to pinpoint in a crowd. Especially if they didn't speak a lick of the northern dialects, but it was easy to feign being unable to talk. The vulture circled again, then clacked his beak at the snake. "Vile little worm... Go crawl back in your hole!" Turning his head, he called to the raven. "Hrafn, I think it's time to go! The wandering natives are getting hostile..." And the snake rather unnerved him. Something about it was... Off.
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Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2012 8:00 pm
He considered flying down and pecking at the stupid rude lion, but knew better. "You're not that stupid, really? Then what do you hope those feathers in your mane will accomplish?" He cawed, irritably, and looked about for a safe place to land. Sadly, since he was being followed at this point, he gave up quickly. The raven was forced to make somewhat wider, less erratic circles, to allow his wings some rest. Hrafn would not be hanging around much longer.
"What I’m doing here is none of your business. You don’t even know how to ask nicely!" Besides, it was hardly important. “I would like to know the same about you lot, though. Got sick of the Hongshan, so you’re returning them? Or just feeling particularly daring?” He didn't think he would get an answer for that, and didn't look like he would press the matter. By all means, it was a throwaway question.
He liked the black lioness more, because she was trying to be reasonable, aside from just all fearful and stuff. "You're not a threat. To me, or the nergui. But you are amusing to look at!" Hrafn knew that, perhaps, the firekin as a whole might be troubling. But this group he was confident wouldn't do any harm. It was too large to successfully infiltrate anything, too small to overpower the Nergui. "No, it isn't working. You just look stupid." Hrafn liked praise, when it didn’t so obviously have ulterior motives.
He snapped his attention to Vunde, and nodded in agreement. Yes, it really was time to get out of there! “Now, if you’ll excuse me, it is time for me and my pal here to go. Fret not, I haven’t yet decided if I’ll sing a song about you! I am my own raven, you know.” Meaning he did what was convenient to him. Or what his mother told him to, but honestly, she could be rather creepy. Hrafn had few attachments with the nergui themselves, and in fact knew little in depth about them aside from some language and enemies, his main interest was the murder. “If you leave some food behind for me and Vunde here, perhaps I’ll be swayed in your favor! But don’t try anything funny.” He cawed, because he would appreciate a snack after all this flapping about! And who knows, if he followed these firekin for a while he might get a few more gratuitous meals, without needing to share with dozens of little crows and other ravens. But first he needed distance. “Good-bye, firekin! A pleasure!” Not really, unless they left him some food. With that he widened the circle one last time, and sped off to find a safe place to roost, certain Vunde would follow.
-
Azulon laid his ears back as he watched the pair of birds fly away. It was rather irritating to think they should be blackmailed by a bird, but, unfortunately, they had no means to catch the creature. If they had, they had blown their chance. He growled as their shapes vanished over the rocky hill, and wondered just how truthful the raven had been. He glanced at the black snake, briefly considering leaving that as a meal for the two birds, but dropped the thought soon enough.
“… I don’t supposed anyone saw any prey around here?” Azulon asked no one in particular. If they left food for the raven and it was good on its word, they spared themselves premature discovery. If the raven wasn’t truthful, or they didn’t leave something behind, well… it would hardly be a stealthy mission.
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Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2012 8:27 pm
"It wouldn't matter if we did," Yoan said as he landed, watching the raven drift away. Even as he folded his wings, they still trembled with tension. As though he was still unsure if he should speed off behind them. "Leave food, don't leave food. I wouldn't expect a creature like that to have any honor. It may just encourage them to double cross us."
"And waste time in the process," Elcca said, coming up from behind. She dropped her head, knocking it affectionately against the small bird's frame. She might have done it with gentle intent, but it was still enough to push him to the side.
Once he got his footing back, the blackbird made a further assessment. "That we might send spies should be no news to the nergui. He may know we're coming, but if we are careful they won't know from where. But we'll need to change our route. And we should avoid daylight if we can."
Elcca sat, trying to reroute the path in her mind. There weren't a lot of options for them. "This was the safe way," she reminded. "All the others are pretty much the opposite of that. And by opposite I mean they are suicidal. And not suicidal in the way that might be used to our advantage, I mean straight up suicidal."
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Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2012 8:33 pm
The dark lioness let out a gusty sigh as the birds took off, though she was pleased that at least they weren't making a bee-line straight for their enemies.
"A chance is better than an all out failure." She said softly as she looked back at the others, rolling her shoulders. "It could have been worse... but perhaps we need to be more careful from now on. Less interaction with the locals and more information gathering. Unless the group wants to take the time to catch something for the raven now, I suggest we move on. We might get lucky and catch something as we go."
Looking around, she gave each member of the group a once over, thoughts turning over in her mind. "Perhaps... if anyone isn't sure about this mission any more, they should turn back. The danger is only going to increase from here... and if you're worried about the 'omens' we've encountered so far, then this isn't the place for you. Let those who are fully committed take the risk." Her words were pointed, but sincere. They couldn't afford anyone with them who might break at the wrong moment.
She glanced over at Elcca, nodding at her. "I'm willing to take the risk, if you think it worth it... Along this path or another."
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Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2012 8:46 pm
Aithne was sitting in the back of the group quietly listening to what was going on. And watching, she was watching and inside of her mind getting mad at all of them. She was so frustrated and couldn't really believe the things that they were doing. Weren't they on a mission?! They should have just started moving and kept moving and she honestly didn't understand why they didn't keep moving. The frustration was building up but she didn't understand why they didn't just start moving to begin with. She honestly didn't and it was getting more and more frustrating as she thought about. She watched the antics of the lions and the birds before she had finally had enough as she watched them fly away she couldn't believe it.
"This is nonsense. We need to move and we need to get away from here now." She half snarled, shaking her head. She was getting more frustrated by the minute she felt like they were going in reverse. "How do we know this Raven just isn't tricking us into getting what he wants?" She asked curiously, they were all on guard.
(Sorry if my post is a little out of place I wanted to get a reply in and I'm tired and half skimmed so ;-; if it is ignore me, tomorrow I'll be more with it, super sorry ;-; )
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Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2012 9:04 pm
Mkazo growled again, flattening his ears. Why that filthy little corpse-picking piece of...! His tail lashed behind him as he took half a step forward without realizing it, eyes blazing with fury. His claws scraped against pebbles as they sank into the earth, and--what was that? He looked aside to give the vulture a scathing glance. "Coward. Peck at someone like me and I'll take your damn head off." Just try it, his eyes warned. He might not be able to reach the raven, but he'd be happy to shred the vulture in his place. He was rather disappointed when it didn't take him up on his offer.
His anger subsided somewhat when they fled, although his tension stayed. "Don't want to feed him. Don't know if we have a choice." If they didn't, then the Nergui would be expecting them. If they did, they'd be feeding an insufferable bundle of bones and feathers. It rankled.
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