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 Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2012 6:23 am
The crow continued to dodge and duck, but he was no magical creature. However odd his origins might have been, the thrum of his wings was tiring him out, and he'd lost more than a few key feathers over the long trip. A particularly hard peck at the top of his head sent a sickly shockwave through his small body, and he had to extend his wings awkwardly to keep from tumbling.
Luckily, a lot of the ravens were now distracted by the far more massive battle going on overhead with the eagles. Through the sting, Yoan faintly remembered he'd shouted a warning- but with all the yelling, he couldn't recall if anyone had made any recognition of it. He faltered for a moment, like he was considering flying back upwards. Maybe it would be possible to attract the huge raven's attention again and off of the others.
But by then, Moma was already on top of him.
Up above, the monstrous raven continued to grapple with Shumusi. The eagle was making a wild effort of slashing her talons, something that was clearly wearing on the dark bird's patience. With a distinctly unavian-like snort, the raven slashed out- the edge of her wing suddenly and unnaturally sharp. But just as she was about to do a followup, Amaka slammed into her.
The two birds collided with a loud crack. The sharpness of it was enough to make the huge bird scream with shock, as though ice water had suddenly been poured on her. It was not the sound of teasing or caution- but genuine surprise. She did not wait around. As Amaka continued to plow through her, the giant raven evaporated into smoke and ash. The cloud rather effortlessly fazed upward and into the air.
A few of the other mindless ravens, as shocked as they were, took this moment to scream a retaliation. Overhead, a sudden pop echoed as air displaced itself. The raven reformed from the ash, screeching a very unnatural warning. Her wings beat twice- becoming more solid with each pump.
Then, she dove down towards the other two like an ugly black comet.
----
Elsewhere, Elcca found herself waking up from a particularly sharp nightmare. Her eyes squinted as her vision cleared, a dull migraine pulsing in her head.
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Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2012 7:48 am
Shumusi's wings burned as she twisted to avoid getting nailed by the monstrous bird. A couple feathers were lost, but nothing vital, thankfully. As she twisted around again, she spied Amaka slamming into the giant raven, and then the raven... Vanishing..? Only to, moments later, reform higher up. "WHAT KIND OF BIRD IS THAT?!" It only served to fuel her anger, though, as she strained to rise high and attack again. Determination was her fire now, determination to bring this foe down. She was no Firekin lion, but the bird had learned much about the fierce warrior tribe of lions in her time amid them on Shula's shoulder. She aimed to make them proud.
The loud crack had Kenta momentarily stunned as he looked up, watching as his queen seemed to defeat the huge bird... Only for it to reform. His wings flared, he paused to watch, then turned back to look for the blue-eyed crow. What he spotted had him soon diving, claws aiming at Moma. The wind whistled past his face, eyes narrow and on the target. Hopefully, he'd be able to at least stun the attacking raven. It was just a matter of SURPRISING her...
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Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2012 10:38 am
Amaka managed to keep herself silent even as she slammed into the monster but when it disappeared she was left fumbling from an already awkward position in the sky. Her only option was to descend and reorient herself with an aggressive shriek so there was no doubt she was not out of this yet. Now she was positive what she was up against, it wasn't a bird. Not just a bird.
She was grateful she was not alone in this fight, having put distance between her and the eagle just from the necessary fall, Amaka was confident she was safe though no second could be spared to look back until she was ready to turn and fight. Changing the angle of her descent quickly, she pulled out from beneath the other pair and positioned herself to join them when their fight brought them the few feet down to her level.
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Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2012 11:05 am
Moma pushed harder, determined to reach him before any other. Determined to be the one - out of all the stupid horde - who managed to bring him down. The rest of the world was blotted out. She did not see the huge raven disappear into thin air. Did not see it reappear a moment later. Even the shrieks and the angry cries had faded into the background.
She could hear the pounding of her own wings, though, and the sound of her breath as she prepared to drop down and secure her catch. So close now...so close...
And then she was struck sharply from behind by Kenta and the force of the attack buckled her wings and sent her spinning down towards the sand. The world turned about her, the blare of frightened and angry cries painful in her head.
She struck the sand a moment later, sent tumbling across the gold. Stunned and in pain from a wound on her back where the bird of prey had struck her, she tried to stand and failed. She collapsed on her front in the gold and fell quite still.
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Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2012 11:43 am
Yoan felt the light grazing of Moma's talons before she was viciously ripped from the sky. Although the eagle had struck with the intent to help, the sheer power of such a larger bird dragging the two blackbirds apart hit Yoan like a shockwave. Once again he went tumbling, smacking into a few of the other errant birds before finally feeling open sky beneath his wings.
What ravens that remained were rallying back around the giant one, seemingly forgetting the object at hand.
Winded, the crow had no choice to land, skittering onto the sand a few lengths away from where the eagle had knocked Moma out of the sky. He had a thought to go thank the rescuer- but instead spread his wings and lay panting. At least from down below, he now had a better view of the battle still going on up ahead. And from the looks of things, it was far from over.
The giant raven was far from the teasing sort she had been moments earlier. Clearly the three were brave- and if anything agitated her more than disrespect, it was bravery. Although it had been the hawk-queen's attack that had disheveled her, the eagle was the closest. Like a black streak she pushed aside the other chaotic swell of birds, banking her wings back just seconds before colliding with Shumusi. A few smokey tendrils still struggled to reform back in place.
Then, she locked talons with the bird, intent on dragging the eagle down with her in a wild spin. Which, unconsciously, would drop them down to Amaka's level.
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Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2012 12:13 pm
The feeling of sand was at once both shocking and relieving. The brown eagle tumbled, before scrambling to his feet, wings spread out and beak open as he panted. Green eyes scanned, before he spied the crow that had been the object of attack, also on the sand. His attack on the attacking crow had dragged the attacked crow down, too. Hopping over much like some small seed birds did, Kenta eyed the blue-eyed crow. "Finally, the object of obsession for that horde! What gives, and what is THAT thing?!" He turned, pointing with a wing at the monstrous raven, only to feel his stomach and heart drop from his chest as the beastly raven attacked Shumusi. This time, when his beak opened, it was the closest approximation a bird could get to a 'jaw drop.'
All at once, pain erupted in Shumusi. For a moment, she was dizzied by the pain, and then she became aware of the sensation of falling... And she wasn't alone in the free-fall. As her vision cleared, she looked around and found herself in the claws of the monstrous raven. While her first reaction was to panic, the logic side of her brain had her start pecking at the large bird's feet. After all, why have a sharp beak in a fight like this and not use it? A larger bird meant meatier toes, and meatier toes meant more blood to spill, right?
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Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2012 12:33 pm
Startled by the whirling drop the raven and Shumusi fell into, Amaka had to dart out of the way before she was thrown off balance by any stray wings. She let them fall below her but she didn't wait any longer than to get a feel for where exactly to strike to avoid Shumusi and get another direct shot at the raven. As much as she wanted to aim for the eyes, her best bet of staying in a fight was to get nearer the link between the two other birds.
This time she gave a single sharp warning before diving into the fight, far steadier and with much better aim than before. She had no idea how a forceful dive would impact the dynamic between the other two but she was ready to stick with it this time. Teleporting target be damned.
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Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2012 3:35 pm
Yoan continued panting, hearing the large eagle's voice but unable to respond just yet. The heat certainly didn't help. At least being in the sky, the wind all the birds generated had kept his small form cool. Now, the sand cooked his underside in an uncomfortable way. Perhaps too uncomfortable, so he did his best to fold his wings slowly to his side and stand on shaky legs. So different from four.
"I'm sorry," the crow finally said, his voice raw. "I didn't mean to involve anyone else." It was partially true, at least.
Up above, the monstrous bird was still exchanging blows, raining down strange smokey feathers. The golden thing was biting at her feet, and she retaliated against the pain with her own sharp bill raps. A raven wasn't exactly constructed for combat. While her strength was unquestionable, there was nothing overt that she could use to simply tear or shred. At least beyond those smokey tendrils- which while quite threatening looking, had yet to really form back into something solid.
Still, her grip was cold. Cold like death.
As she grappled with the other eagle, the black creature saw flashes of the hawk reeling towards them. She was a quick thing, and the initial slam had made Terama a bit more apprehensive of engaging directly with the ambitious hawk. Stuck in a chaotic free-fall complicated things. She couldn't exactly dislodge herself, so she did the best she could muster: she swung Shumusi in front of her like a shield. Her black wings stretched behind her to brace herself.
A feather landed besides Yoan, vanishing as it did. His tail feathers bounced nervously up and down. What was she, the other had sad? "No creature that should be here," he explained.
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Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2012 6:28 pm
The pecking wasn't helping, especially since she herself was being pecked. Shumusi let out a shrill scream , trying to get free still. She suddenly gave up pecking, instead simply chomping down on a huge black toe, intent on tearing flesh out... As best she could, anyway. It had turned from pain, to cold, and she didn't like this cold. It wasn't like the chill of night, but more... Disturbing. She beat her wings, still trying to get herself free.
Kenta shrugged, then gave the crow a pat with his wing. "It's alright, we saw you were in trouble and flew in on our own." His gaze returned to the ones in the sky, and he then realized the free-fall tumble going on. His feathers began to stand as his eyes widened. "I don't think that thing's gonna let go of Shumusi..." He started to spread his wings to fly up to intervene, only for a pain to shoot up the left wing. Tucking it back, he let out a hiss. "I think I landed on my wing funny with that last crow I took down..." He looked back up, worried. "She'll have to get out of that either on her own, or with Amaka's help..."
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Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2012 9:03 pm
In the chaos it was impossible to tell exactly how but despite Shumusi being used as a shield, Amaka found her way to the middle of them. Her talons extended, she grasped into the fighting cluster of feathers, aiming more to pry Terama's face and feet from Shumusi's but apparently indifferent to the possibility of harming the eagle.
Amaka didn't think the monster was concerned about hitting the sand but it was apparent in the bright eagle's movements that she was determined to get away before it happened. The hawk's primary advantage was that her connection to the rapidly descending fight was still in her control but she was far from being cautious when she reached in with her hook beak, aiming for dark feathers and bright eyes though apparently unwilling to commit to a strike while she wasn't sure what she would catch.
Everything was happening very fast.
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Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2012 1:40 am
(sorry for typos - on my phone)
Moma was still lying prone on the sand, ringing in her ears blocking out the voices of the two close by. For a long time she stayed very still, afraid to move in case she attracted further attention. Now that she was out of the sky the exhaustion had truly set in and she thought, grimly, that she was no different from her brother. She had risked her life for that lioness though perhaps the difference was that if she had known the danger she would have opted out. Even still, she did not miss the irony.
A long moment later and she dared to open her smoky-green eyes; peering around the too-bright landscape. She could see Yoan and the other one - Kenta - close by and then she looked up.
The battle might have been over for her but up above it still raged. Most of the other ravens seemed to have dispersed now; those that lingered rallying around the huge bird.
Perhaps she could use the distraction to make a get away, or at least pull herself over to some shade...
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Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2012 9:50 am
[/impressed with Kim's epic phone posting abilities]
Terama hissed with a kind of vile rage as Amaka wedged between them, suddenly turning the duo into a trio of chaotic spiraling wings and talons. It was enough that even she couldn't keep herself balanced well enough to slow the descent: at this point, they were flat out falling. If bravery was at the top of Terama's list of things she did not appreciate- very shortly on its heels would have been 'using her own plan against her'.
Now there was only one option: pull away before they all slammed into the sand below.
But she seemed reluctant to just let go. With the eagle's feet still locked with hers, it seemed very tempting just to drag them all down with her. The monstrosity surely had her own share of tricks, and perhaps she felt she could even survive the fall or simply vanish back into smoke before they hit. But Amaka complicated things- with Shumusi biting at her feet, and the hawk-queen striking for her eyes the only thing she could do was hang on. She couldn't even see the ground below to know when to brace herself.
Finally, Terama made a truly foul noise and released the eagle's feet, yanking her neck back to avoid another strike at her face. Her own wounded feet seemed to drip dark, oily blood. Something that did not suit well with her. The raven banked its wings backwards and coasted in the air, riding one of the errant thermals back to a more safe height. She sounded another monstrous cry of protest, but seemed slow to go on the attack again. Floating in the clear sky, she seemed a marked target.
Below, Yoan seemed less confident in the victory. Nervous, would have been the right word. Nervous of an unseen danger that beast was capable of. He skipped across the sand, watching as the oily feathers fell. One of them he plucked out of the sky before it could hit the ground. It solidified in his grasp. "We'll just have to hope she remains madder at me than she is of you," he said with a chirrup, grabbing another falling feather. This one seemed to be an actual raven feather- and he tossed it aside. "Catch a few of these, will you? I doubt she will like that much. Can't return back to her if we've got them."
Out of the corner of his eye, Yoan did notice Moma still alive on the sands. He made an effort to lock eyes, before turning around and busying himself grabbing a few more of the errant things.
It seemed the crow was not looking for revenge.
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Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2012 1:51 pm
As soon as her claws were free, Shumusi twisted and darted away, almost suicidally angling down into a dive before spreading her wings to shoot back up with less effort than previously made. She wasn't wasting time just flapping now, she was out for blood. And the oily black blood seemed to only encourage her.... And deeply disturb her. Blood wasn't supposed to look like that... Not at all. The golden bird beat her wings to help her ascent, before diving at the raven again. She'd make that ugly monstrosity PAY.
Kenta looked up, spotting the feathers. "So that's the secret, isn't it...?" He hopped around, snatching feathers here and there. Each one felt like a small victory, little by little. "Think if we catch enough of these, it'll make her weaker...?" He grabbed another feather, letting it solidify before dropping it. He'd have to see about making something out of them... Maybe Kosuke'd like them in his mane... No, wait, they'd vanish. Black on black didn't do well to pop out.
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Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2012 3:12 pm
While it was necessary for Shumusi to take the opportunity to back off and get reoriented, Amaka grasped at the raven's bleeding feet even as she moved away. Unfortunately, once Terama changed position, Amaka could only hope to throw her off balance from where she was and even that would be a feeble attempt as the raven moved to gain ground over them again. The hawk released her grip and let herself drop a short distance more before catching herself with her wings spread wide- and she saw, from the corner her eye, Shumusi draw up out of her dive and start back towards the monster.
Had the raven not begun to show signs of defeat- the blood, the cries of protest, the delayed attempt to strike back - Amaka might have reconsidered their options. Instead, she hoped Shumusi's attack would keep Terama distracted and she instead aimed to get above the fight, paying little attention to the other ravens about as she pushed her way past them.
Perhaps she expected one more advantage might be all it took to finish this.. or perhaps she was expecting something more spectacular and wanted a better view. Flapping her wings and taking advantage of thermals, she focused primarily on gaining height.
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Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2012 2:59 am
She met Yoan's eyes with some degree of nervousness though it quickly became apparent that he was going to say nothing about her trying to escape. It confused her, somewhat. After all, she had been chasing him only moments before. Moma turned away, throwing her gaze across the landscape. There was a small collection of rocks a short distance away which would offer some shade. And gathering her strength she began to drag herself towards it, using her wings to balance her.
In truth Moma held no great dislike for Yoan. It was simply a matter of survival. She could not leave because she was on her own mission. But to stay and remain safe meant playing the game.
Unfortunately for Yoan, this game had labelled him as the target.
It took a great deal of effort but, thanks to the distraction being caused by the battle above her head there was no need to rush. She threw herself down in the shade and, with a low caw, dropped into unconsciousness.
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