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 Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2012 6:49 am
Elcca looked down at the small golden object in the bird's mouth. Were the two related? Why would they have been so far out in the desert, if they were ceremony objects? Surely they didn't just carry them around. Or... maybe... "Perhaps identification? You carry with you a marker, so if the mission isn't completed there's something left behind."
She observed the one she had ousted from inside the lion, glinting in the grass. Her brow furrowed. But why place it inside of him? Unless he'd swallowed it. "Perhaps they aren't nergui at all. Some other pride that was run out of here. They made it as far as the desert, but didn't get past the mountains and the Motoujamii."
Or it was Nergui setting up territory ambushes. Perhaps, the initial group that had followed the Hongshan? The firekin who had been with Nur'yu when he died swore that they had taken one of the monsters down. But the body vanished by the time the guards had gotten there. "Or maybe the Nergui doubled back after the attack on the pride, and were themselves unprepared for the return trip. Especially with an injured or dying lion among them."
It was worth further investigation she supposed. "I think we can remember what this one looks like without dragging it with us," she grimaced. At least she wasn't carrying it. She'd already done her job birthing it out of him. To Kooka, however: "You'd better keep that one safe though. Just in case."
With all the birds around, Elcca had almost forgotten that her own companion was still missing. So when his voice returned, she jumped a little.
"The patrol group has stopped moving," Yoan reported, landing on one of the rocks. He seemed non-pulsed by the gaggle of birds surrounding him.
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Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2012 7:42 am
Morag glanced up as Yoan returned, her gaze sharpening at the reminder of why they were all here in the first place.
"I think its time we got back to our mission." She said quietly, glancing around at the others.
Kivu puffed up more as her father preened her, before shaking all over. It left her feathers puffed out and comical looking, but she didn't notice. "We don't know anything about the food. It was here when we got here. It was how we found it! We dreamed it." She shifted from foot to foot as she preened her chest feathers. "Mother is busy. She's always busy."
Oh? They were leaving now? Sensing the change in mood as another black bird joined them, she flitted over to land on Morag's back. Kivu was feeling rather attached now to this lioness who had given her her name. "We will help you!" She said as she shifted on her uncertain perch, her wings half open for balance. "Take us with!"
The black lioness shifted as she glanced back at her burden, but made no move to shake her off. "Alright, but you need to be very quiet. If we're discovered, it could go very badly." After crossing the stream and trying not to think about what she was stepping in, Morag climbed the far bank and took a cautious look around.
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Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2012 10:34 am
Aithne's attention turned toward the bird as he flew back with the news. The group had stopped? Aithne thought that this was the perfect chance to go and find out more information. Her ear's perked up and she turned toward the others. "Lets go." She said almost with a grin coming out on her face. This was excited to get to learn more and get done what they were here to get done. She stretched her limbs out preparing herself to get going. She was hoping that everyone was on the same page of getting moving to find out what was going on. Her tail flicked behind her. This is what she had been looking forward to.
She paused as a thought grew across her mind. She stopped as a paw lifted into the ear and she then turned back to look at the others. "Wait." she paused, normally Aithne was the one to want to get moving and going and see what is going on. But there was something that crossed her mind. "We need to watch out, or get those birds to or something." She motioned toward them before speaking once again. "What if they're changing guards, and new ones are going to be coming?" That was the least of what they needed. As they were watching the patrol group for another group to come along and spot them and call for others before the rag-tag group of firekin could even notice.
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Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2012 12:34 pm
Seeing as his siblings had gone and attached themselves to the firekin, Hrafn was all the more interested in what they were doing on a far more personal level. Now turning them in would potentially be hazardous to family, and as such it was hardly something he was looking forward to do. As the lions began to cross the bank, he hopped to the side to let them pass, hopefully without paying too much mind to him.
He pondered over Elcca's theories, and frowned slightly. "These haven't all been here the same time, so I don't think it was the ambush group. At least not only them. Some are more decayed then others, only a few look like they're from around the same time. Looks to me like a regular dumping ground." Azulon hmm'd. "Maybe it's sacrificial." The nergui already looked pretty superstitious, why not go ahead with sacrifice? Maybe that was one of the reasons they kept slaves, so they could kill them off, rather than their own.
"I think getting these birds to watch out is a good idea." Azulon agreed with Aithne as he made his way across to the other bank, the filthy water apparently not bothering him at all. "They can go keep an eye on the patrols and come back if they start coming our way. Meanwhile, we can keep going." He suggested.
"Oooo," Hraelsveg chirped. "I can do that! It sounds fun!" She cleared the stream with a few beats of her wings, landing and hopping a few times on the other side. "Should I go now?"
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Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2012 4:46 pm
Serkan let out a huff. "Patrol stop, that problem..." He started to take a seat, then thought better of it. He didn't want to be sitting THAT close to those putrid things. He then wrinkled his nose at Elcca's paw. "Best clean that off... Not know what in bodies..." And they didn't need the stink to give them away.
"So quick to hurry away..." He walked off the corpse, then looked up at the lions. "You know, if you'd listened to me earlier.. I DID say there was a dead animal this way..." He did his best to flap his wings to fly, then gave up when lift wasn't achieved. He instead walked over to Serkan - A comical sight as much as it was - and attempted to climb on the lion's back, only to be rebuked. "What? What is it NOW?!"
The tri-colored lion leaned down, scowling at the vulture. "You stink of dead corpse... You WALK."
The vulture ruffled his feathers. "And you do realize my name means, rather roughly, 'tainted food'... And I'm a vulture. Of COURSE I stink of dead corpses!" The INDIGNITY of this lion thinking he'd smell otherwise!
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Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2012 5:37 pm
They had found a river of death . . . Nothing these Nergui did appeared to make sense, and nothing seemed to bode well when it came to their presence. Death was a common factor here, from the killing of the Hongshan, to the death of her brother, to the graveyard they found earlier, the dead tree, and now this river of death. Life didn't appear to last long when it came to the Nergui.
Everything they learned while in these lands was a stepping stone; one piece might help unravel the mystery for the Nergui, but thus far everything seemed scattered. How did it tie together? They were pulling at strings, speculating an unmeasurable amounts of 'what ifs' and 'whys' . . . . . For now, all they could was speculate and continue.
When word came back that the patrol group had stopped, Nyimak pricked her years and stifled a grimace. "Yes, let's continue on. . . We can speculate the reasoning of the jewels later, when we're not so pressed to track and stay stealthy." She did flash her fangs ever so slightly in irritation at Serkan's vulture.
The damned thing was loud. . . it never seemed to shut up. And while she appreciated it help -- if it was even granting them such a thing -- this was supposed to be a mission of stealth and quickness. Thus far she still felt as if they were bumbling around like idiots. A vulture, and now baby birds. . . .granted, any help in this land could be needed. And if these birds were young, they seemed to at least want to help.
"Extra eyes are always a good thing," provided they were looking out for them. How quick the situation could deteriorate if Nergui eyes found them. Gritting her teeth, the lioness quickly did her best to cross the water. The sooner she reached the other side of shore, the better.
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Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2012 6:44 pm
Kooka held tight to the coin trinket he had, but knew if needed, he would let it fall into whomevers paws wished for it if it meant their mission would be a success. He, himself, wished to prove himself. Not only to the firekin, to his companion, Mwako,'damu, but to his own feathery self. He had been lost away from his flock when young, unable to return because of his antics. He wished to show he could do well how he was, regardless of his perhaps silly actions of tendencies.
"Kooka will keep it tight, Kooka shall," Kooka held it within his talons and went back to rest on Mwako'damu's shoulder, but looked to the other birds wishing to take flight.
"If any are to get close, Kooka thinks, it should be those that look native to the nergui places, like the young ones, but they should have a companion, one that looks native, Kooka thinks," he said with a nod, then clicking his beak gently against his coin.
"The birds may wish to help, but Kooka is right, even the young should have a guardian, one pair of our own eyes, to watch them, and keep an eye on all," truth be told, Mwako'damu knew, these small birds were nergui born..so to speak.
"Whatever the chosen move, we must be wary and cautious, but press onward." All of these things, fallen creatures, death, it made Mwako'damu long for home, to see his family still lingering their, his sister, Naar, his mother, those faces he recognized. He only hoped his siblings that had left the lands never crossed this way.
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Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2012 9:01 pm
Mkazo wasn't about to argue with leaving the...trinket, necklace, whatever it was...where it lay. He had enough of a faint aroma of corpse clinging to his fur, he didn't think he needed (well, wanted) to be carting around something that had been marinating in one. Besides, something had come up that had handily wrenched his attention away from the thing--the halting of the patrol. His ears went back against his head at the news, and a low rumble escaped him. "Whether by bird or by our own eyes, we need to keep a watch on that patrol--and the area around it. Won't do us any good to follow them if we let our asses get caught napping."
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Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2012 6:07 am
At the words 'sacrificial', a twitch inched its way up Elcca's spine. Like something forgotten. Then it was gone, the aftershocks of a missed fate. "Anything is possible. The Hongshan said nothing to indicate it. But they were forced to do strange tasks." Could they have been ritualistic? It was certainly possible. But there was something... more intentful about the Nergui. They didn't seem like the sort of be constrained by religious practices. They moved like someone intent on finding something.
But what?
As she crossed the bank, she gave a heaving sigh of the indignity of it all, and quickly rolled as best she could in the grass. It wasn't going to purge her of the stench, but it was better than the water. She thrashed around for a few moments before popping back up, eyes sour, looking like she'd rather just forget the whole thing had ever happened.
Seeing an opening, Yoan settled back down onto her shoulder. "They've stopped at another group of lions. But I don't think they are Nergui or slaves."
"What makes you say that?"
"They seemed surprised when the patrol group showed up. Its just a small family," the crow reported. "But they're not under attack either, more like... being forced to entertain guests. It looked like some of the group went off to hunt."
"Could be strong arming families," Elcca pondered. But why enslave some and just ignore others? "What did the Nergui look like they were doing?"
"Relaxing, my guess. They've been walking as long as we have. They sort of just swarmed the place and started lounging. The other group went to work without even much words said," he continued. "Its possible we could track down one of the lions from that group."
"They might not want to help if their family is in trouble," she said. But it was worth considering. Perhaps one of these rogues could help them? Or maybe they'd simply sell them out to their masters.
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Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2012 6:56 am
Morag glanced back at Elcca, pondering the conversation she had with Yoan.
"Maybe its a group with a standing agreement with the Nergui... The family doesn't have anything about them that makes the Nergui want to enslave them, so in return for letting them roam free, they provide them with resources when approached. It would be useful to not have to spend time hunting while on patrol." She said, keeping her voice low. It seemed like a logical arrangement and with the terror the Nergui seemed to invoke in those that had met them, it was not surprising that anything living in their lands would be quick to serve them.
"If we can catch one of the family off alone, we could possibly get more direct information than just overheard conversation. There is always the chance, but I doubt the patrol is going to just talk about sensitive matters out in the open... Of course, there is also the chance that this family knows as little as that wild dog did, and exposing ourselves to one would endanger our cover. I would still be willing to take that chance though."
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Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2012 1:35 pm
The male watched Elcca roll, one eyebrow up. "Does nothing for stink... Roll in flowers, maybe cover up stink and hide approach..." He then listened to Yoan and Morag, becoming pensive. After a moment, Serkan looked to the birds. Interesting little allies... "Perhaps send baby birds? Nergui recognize, think nothing of birds, yes? They listen, bring back information..."
Pecking at some grass and other things laying around, Vunde soon held out his torn up wing, now containing various feathers and grass bits stuck where his feathers had been ripped out. They promptly fell after a moment of hanging on, making the vulture rather angry. He let out a huff, then tried flying. With just a bit of effort... He started rising, only to have to come back down. Well, it was a start, at least.
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Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2012 7:17 pm
"The small ones might be seen as snack to those that do not know. If the oma did not come for them, who else might know of them?" Kooka said from atop Mwako'damu's shoulder. "Baby birds too risky to go alone, must have escort if they go."
"It'd be too peculiar to have a small flock of birds approach those without food as well, unless they've fallen prey already," Mwako said, trying to think of what might be best. "If the group broke off, we could try to have a bird or two figure out how many are on their own, scout the area, and then perhaps we can approach. We need to be wary, we don't know how many there are exactly, do we?" Mwako asked for confirmation. With so much happening, it was easy to lose a detail such as numbers.
And that was key.
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Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2012 8:51 pm
Though talk of getting mistaken for food should be very troublesome, Hraelsveg did not seem worried. "Nooo, no no. Not one of the Nergui would dare eat us! We are gifts for the Graos Oma." She nodded vigorously. "Chosen by a Visionary!" Perhaps she was a little too confident, but surely that meant something. It wasn't like they hadn't been seen about, and angering a Visionary could get you killed!
"Besides, we can fly. They can't do much about that. Can I go now?" The only reason the young vulture hadn't taken off was in case they wanted to ask for something more specific! But she was getting impatient. If she was going to help them, they better stop being big goofs and start letting them! "And, we can take Hra–!" A pointed glare from the raven, still standing somewhat nearby, made her stop. He did not want her to keep bringing their attention to him. "–elsveg. Me. I can take care of everyone."
–––––
He sighed lightly, because all this was just too much talk. "The fledgelings can handle themselves. They don't know anything about us aside from us being here, and if they wanted to fly off and warn someone they already can." It's not like anyone was trying very hard to catch him. Neither did Azulon think it was necessary. The birds seemed to be taking to this alliance like kids to a game. Naive, perhaps, but useful for them.
"It does seem like this family is involved with the Nergui, probably unwillingly. If the Nergui have one of them hostage they probably won't want to help us." He agreed with Morag and Elcca. "But it might still be worth trying to catch one of them on their own. I imagine they wouldn't be able to take action, but possibly willing to dole out some useful information." In the hope that, perhaps, the Firekin would somehow turn out to be their saviors. Or something along those lines. "Then there is the risk of being turned in by them, of course." Azulon shrugged.
"...Frankly, I think it's a risk we need to take. I find it unlikely we will stay secret for much longer, if we even still are one." Perhaps an unpleasant bit of information, but realistic. It was likely some other Nergui-allied avians would fly by, some not as willing to switch sides. And if they were heading closer to the enemy, it was only more likely that someone would stumble upon them, at some point. And it was better for them to happen after they got some useful facts, rather than before. "We're here to learn. We should get what we can and leave, before we are found and overpowered." Discovery wasn't an immediate thread, because so far no group was large enough to overpower them. But if the Nergui were given time to group up, then there would be trouble.
If they weren't already grouping up, anyways.
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Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2012 9:55 pm
[[Just a little OC post: I'm going out town soonish because I'm going to see my boyfriend soon and the next few days I'm going to be uber busy. Assume Aithne is in the back muttering about how dumb everyone is and how she hates everything. I'm gonna try to get one or two posts in before. <33]]
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Posted: Wed Aug 01, 2012 6:41 am
It was risky all right, but maybe it was the sort they should take. The birds were handy, but she imagined sending them in might be like sending in a drove of hyperactive cubs as their information brokers. Trying to decipher excited gibberish was not on her list of things she wanted to ever do. And Azulon had a point. They weren't going to be a secret for much longer. They needed the info, and they needed it an hour ago.
"Alright. We'll find one of the rogues," she said, nodding her head. "But I suggest we keep a close eye on it. Desperate times make people do stupid things. And if family is in trouble, the stupidity gets even worse."
Elcca had never been much on family.
Sensing it was his cue, Yoan hopped off his perch and skimmed the air around them. "Three lions left the troop. It should not be difficult to find them. One of them might be promising- looked like an elderly lioness. Perhaps age has granted her some wisdom to help."
He wheeled around. "Desperate times make victims dream of heroes. I suggest you not replace one cruel paw for another."
Elcca scowled. Did he always have to expect the worst of people? Of course they were the good guys! It wasn't like she'd ever done anything to suggest otherwise. Recently. In this past month.
"I'll fly overhead, but it may be hard to spot them. They looked like they were headed off to the east. There is a large patch of brush there, and a few prongheads grazing," he said.
arrow Time to start searching!
Roll a dice, 1-5:
1. Grass
2. More grass
3. An elderly lioness stalking prey
4. A cub hiding.
5. One of the nergui begins loudly yelling about something.
If 3, 4, or 5 roll, you may stop!
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