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 Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2013 7:53 am
XXXXXXX[Resynn]
"What weaponry do they have?" Resynn added on an additional question to Tempest's queries, leaning back on his hind-legs as he continued to observe Sylph. Now he could appreciate why the stallion had brought them all here, if it had been one or two Kalona then it wouldn't have been worth much a mention, one or two could be handled by scouts individually, but a whole herd was quite a different matter. Granted, the stallion had indicated that the herd was unaware of their existence as of yet, but it only took one individual whisper or a bout of hearsay to inspire interest. After all, an 'impenetrable' fortress on the slopes would be something of great value to any war borne herd, would it not?
...There was a time when he would have shed ample amounts of blood to claim such a strong hold.
With this in mind, he had already noted how close his home was to the borders - alongside Farsiris's home and Cinnamon's, they were the ones that would undoubtedly be hit first if curiosity did turn this way. Resynn had noted that Cinnamon was not currently in attendance, he'd always been the kind to do as he pleased since he came home, but the stallion made a mental note to advise him of the concerns. After all, like Resynn, he was going to need to know whether or not these creatures had vulnerabilities and what particular weapons they had at their disposal.
...It was the only way to kill them.
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Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2013 8:06 am
XXXXXXX[Esper]
He was unbelievably late, but he had already warned his uncle that he might be. Once he had caught sight of the herd in the valley he had made attempts to uncover more information. As a consequence he had covered considerable distance back and forth, yet much to his frustration, he had been able to come close enough to gather enough information to satisfy him. All he had been able to confirm was that a large number of Kalona had amassed in the valley - they weren't near the main regions of the Kawani yet but they were on their way.
He had attempted to descend a number of times, but each time he had swooned by he had been immediately detected. On the third or fourth attempt he had noted that there was a possibility that his blood had betrayed him. For all the corruption that had coursed through his body as a child, he was still an angeni, and one who had been birthed from the Angeni of Love's line no less. Though he may have been a number of generations down, there were still remnants of holy power in him that occasionally caused that familiar and yet troublesome holy aura to flare up.
...Could they sense it? He had heard that Kalona had the ability to detect such things, in a similar vein they also seemed to have dark gifts of their own. Regardless of however they may have managed to discover him, it was clear that descent was not possible and as such, the more specific details he sought were out of his grasp. It seemed that his persistence had also ruffled a few feathers as he had been unable to circle fully the last few times.
Consequently he had been forced to make a swift exit, deliberately flying in the opposite direction of his home. It was only when he was hidden by the mountains that he swung round and headed in the correct direction. Hours of travel passed until he eventually sighted the precipice he was meant to be upon. Ah, but he shouldn't have been surprised that the stallions had already gathered at the instruction of his uncle, and by the tension in the air, none were overly impressed with the news he had given.
Esper circled again over head, landing just in time to catch the queries voiced by Resynn and Tempest. Rather than have Sylph flounder for answers he didn't have, Esper elected to speak up on this rare occasion.
"Their numbers are large but I have not been able to confirm how many there really are," he replied, turning his gaze directly to his disgruntled uncle. "They come and go, it has been impossible for me to identify their numbers, particularly now they know I have been watching," he gave his wings a rustle and released a small sigh. "As to their weaponry, they all appear to have much the same as any pure-blood - horns, tail, spiked wings... I have yet to catch sight of any that are cause for considerable concern," he continued.
"However they are amassing far to the north, a considerable distance away from the valley at this time...But given the fact they can fly, they will close that distance quickly when they choose to move."
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Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2013 8:13 am
XXXXXXX[Lil Tut]
"So what you're saying is that we don't really know anything," the stallion remarked, electing not to mince words as he raised a brow at his cousin. Esper had flown a long way by the state of his feathers and the breathlessness of his voice, however despite the great distance he had travelled, it seemed he hadn't been able to provide any information that could be considered 'useful' on a long term basis. He knew of location, he knew of generic appearance but he knew nothing of numbers or intentions. It was most unlikely Esper to be devoid of such information as well, particularly when he was such a perfection. Tut couldn't help but wonder how and why he hadn't managed to locate any more information.
...And he just said that they knew he'd been watching? Surely that wasn't possible, Esper had always been extremely good at remaining unnoticed.
"With the exception of location, we don't even know when they're going to move, where they're going to move or why they're doing it," Tut shook his head and grimaced. He was no strategist but even he could appreciate the issues caused by such gaping holes in someone's knowledge - without that information there was no way any of them could begin to work out how to defend themselves, or hell, even if they needed to!
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Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2013 8:20 am
XXXXXXX[Penance]
Esper's 'failures' were relatively unheard of since his son had taken up the position of scout. Esper had settled rather comfortably into the role and with his perfectionist tendencies he often refused to return until he had enough information to act on. Yet here his son now stood, breathless and devoid of the information that he knew he needed to acquire. Penance wasn't surprised to see the veiled shock and uncertainty on a number of faces as Esper spoke, yet when Esper had indicated that the Kalona had 'known' that he had been watching, something tweaked in the back of Penance's mind.
Something important for that matter...
"Your mother," he said at last as he addressed his son and shook his head. "Holy blood runs through your veins, you are in essence the polar opposite to Kalona who possess a darker nature," he explained and heaved a sigh. He hadn't thought that Esper's blood would have been quite so effective, but now that he thought about it, hadn't Azzinoth explained that due to Esper's rather tremulous heritage, he had been protected from the brunt of that spirit?
How ironic that the blood once again stood in the way of something dark, yet another threat.
"They can sense you, just as you no doubt can sense them in some way or another," Penance concluded and cast his attention back to the rest of the group. "Tut is right, without the necessary information we can do absolutely nothing - we need more," he continued and pursed his lips.
"With that in mind it's going to have to be gathered by those who are not as easily detected; those with darker blood, or those without a 'presence' at all," he advised.
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Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2013 8:26 am
XXXXXXX[Ambroise]
"So we're going to need a Kalona," Ambroise stated in a rather flat tone, mostly due to the difficulty he thought he would have in acquiring those type of individuals. "Or at least those who are quiet enough on foot not to be seen or heard," he mused. Glancing at the vast majority of those gathered he noted that they were at a considerable disadvantage in that respect - the vast majority of Azumoth's line sounded like stampeding rhinos when they walked... while his own line tended to glow in the dark which wasn't helpful in the slightest...
"Short of abusing the hospitality and good nature of our neighbours, I am at a loss for individuals who would suit," he confessed and then narrowed his eyes. "And under no circumstances will I entertain suggestions that we send mares in to such a precarious position - while I am aware that some are more than capable of defending themselves, it is something I would prefer to avoid," he advised. This didn't necessarily mean that the others had concerned this a possibility, but in times of desperation, suggestions that otherwise wouldn't have been tolerated tended to crop up.
"Short of my nephew's estranged beau, I know of no other kalona that might assist us."
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Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2013 8:42 am
XXXXXXX[Sylph Forcas]
It wasn't with hesitation, so much as concern, that Sylph spoke up after Penance's advice. He had only had a rough understanding of how Angeni blood factored into the equation, but once it had been confirmed it was apparent that there was nothing they could do to avoid it. Esper's position had been compromised simply by his blood, so simply and yet so significant. While Sylph would never claim that his angelic blood was a curse, on the contrary it was a blessing, it had certainly thrown a spanner into the works.
"That beau being female," Sylph pointed out, a hint of amusement in his voice as he watched Ambroise mentally kick himself for forgetting that minor detail. "There is also my daughter," he continued, his grimace deepening into a much thinner line. While Suppi was indeed Kalona by blood, she was the least ferocious creature in existence, if he were to place her in harms way he wasn't sure how she'd fair...that being said, she was also renowned for her ability to hide in the most obvious of places.
"While I cannot vouch for the abilities of Chetan's beau, I can vouch for Suppi's," he mused and shook his head. "Her ability to hide or go completely unnoticed is without compare," he then flicked his gaze towards Tut and raised his brows. "As is my son's..."
He lapsed into silence for a time, closing his eyes as he gathered his thoughts and considered just how painful it would be to send both of his 'offspring' into the line of fire, yet it was an unfortunate necessity.
"At the very least Tut and Suppi will be able to get in and out unnoticed, if we find anyone else who can provide assistance in the matter then we can recruit them, but for the time being..." he shook his head, his eyes still fixed on Tut. "We only have two 'scouts' at our disposal, at least until we confirm whether or not Chetan's beau is of any use, and more importantly, willing..."
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Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2013 8:46 am
XXXXXXX[Azumoth]
"Can they get themselves out of trouble?" Azumoth interjected. There would have been a time when he would have been more than happy to sacrifice Suppi given his initial dislike of her heritage, but he had grown to love her as one of his own family and he was not about to thrust her into harm's way. She was extremely shy, timid and while she might have the potential to be ferocious her had never seen it. The mare might be relatively tall, but she had never received proper training or instruction... Suffice it to say that bulk, teeth and instinct weren't always enough to win against someone who did know how to fight.
...As for Tut, well he was well aware of how interested Tut had been in the subject!
"We can't simply assume that they will get in and out without being detected; if they are found, can they get out?" he pointed out and pressed his lips into a thin line. Even he could see that they were left with limited options, but the former patriarch of the line was not prepared to leave the pair without some form of assistance. Whether it be some form of trap they could run their pursuers into, or an escort that remained airborne and at a distance until they were required.
"They can't be left alone."
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Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2013 8:56 am
XXXXXXX[Lil Tut]
"I can get out without an issue," Tut replied with a shake of his head, offering a wry smile to Azumoth. Tut had made no secret of being a horrible student when it came to combat, but if there was one thing he was good at, it was escaping. Given that Tut wasn't very tall, lacked horns and wings, he could enter very small spaces at great speed while his opponent was left behind - if that opponent was a Kalona then they wouldn't be able to catch him while grounded. However, the stallion did recognise that the promise that he could run 'very fast' wouldn't be enough to reassure Azumoth, in fact, his grandfather's unamused expression spoke volumes.
"Having an airborne scouting party would make sense," he said at last with a sigh of defeat. He may not have been a strategist, but when a plan began to form he could spot elements that would benefit him. "Especially if one of the party is Esper -" he shook his head again as multiple individuals sought to interrupt him, though surprisingly, one of them wasn't Penance. "No, hear me out on this one okay?"
"They already know he's watching them, if we added additional and very noticeable soquili to that scouting party, they would be a visible distraction," he tilted his head to the side and motioned to Grencia and his glimmering feathers, he was making a point rather than suggesting that the stallion make up a part of that party. "They would spend more time looking up than looking at what was in front of them - in fact with Esper's blood presence, it might even cloud their senses... not by much, but enough for them to ignore temporary scents," he pointed out.
He really shouldn't have been surprised that they were all staring at him in astonishment when he had finished.
"What?" he asked. "I was only being logical."
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Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2013 9:10 am
XXXXXXX[Grencia]
"What he says makes sense," Grencia gave a warm smile, and as one of the few who hadn't been surprised, seemed to find Tut's plan perfectly agreeable. What he had come up with would in theory provide a disadvantage to the Kalona while ensuring those on the ground were safe. In addition if they were caught, then those who were airborne had the ability to swoop in and offer assistance. A tiny part of him almost wanted to suggest that the scouts learn some form of synchronised dance for giggles, but that was going a step too far and he doubted that his highly stressed son could have coped with the suggestion.
...Although a volcanic Ambroise would also have been rather funny.
"Taking into consideration their nature, our behaviour and their potential awareness of Esper, that should give sufficient cover to both Suppression and Tut if they are to try and get closer to this herd," he continued. Clearing his throat, the male brushed his mane out of his eyes with a wing. "Even if they don't necessarily remember Esper by the time we arrive, his blood will still prove to be of some use," he added and glanced towards the rest of the soquili gathered.
"For now we will work with what we have, Tut and Suppression will attempt to gain closer access to the Kalona herd so that we can identify their motives; anyone who wishes to assist in being an aerial distraction should let us know as soon as possible," he hadn't meant to take charge, but knowing Ambroise and Sylph they would become clouded by technicalities, or worse, emotions. Fortunately, he noted that Azumoth had given a nod of approval when he had given the 'orders'.
...The others soon nodded in agreement as well.
"Then it is settle," he acknowledged the votes and pursed his lips. "We will give it two days, during that time those who wish to protect the borders may state their purpose and those who wish to be a distraction may also state their's," he glanced at Tut, his smile returning. "After that, you will then move towards the target location and see what information you can acquire regarding this threat."
He paused to let this sink in.
"If you have any further questions feel free to ask them, but I would say that for the time being this meeting is adjourned; we will reconvene when we have acquired any further information," he added. With that he raised both wings and made a series of shooing motions, indicating that the soquili around him had been dismissed... alas, not all of them received the message.
"Adjourned, adjourned!" he raised his voice and gave another shoo of his wings. "Go back to where it's warmer rather than up here where there are still icicles, for goodness sake," he tutted in such a similar fashion to Yei that even his son couldn't avoid smiling a little...
Ah, but with permission to disperse, it wasn't long before the precipice returned to its original form, without only a select few soquili remaining to discuss the finer details of the plans they might have.
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