|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Thu Dec 17, 2015 7:04 pm
She couldn't help her snort. It wasn't quite a laugh, but a smirk did curl the edges of her mouth, and her eyes cut over to his hulking form appraisingly- exaggeratedly so. It was surprising that the mood had lightened so quickly, but Cetra found that she was starting to enjoy teasing him, and apparently Gen thought the same, if the slight jab back at her had been any indication. "What's the normal stature for a kalona? You are at least twice my weight."
She eyed his hair critically at his second comment, tossing her own practical, shorter mane deliberately and raising a brow again at the assertion. She did wonder why, when he seemed as concerned with appearances as she- which is to say, not at all- that he would keep such an extravagant burden. It couldn't be easy to care for... she inwardly shuddered at the memory of Avalee spending hours picking leaves and tangles out of her long, long mane.
At his own teasing reminder of her hygiene, she raised her nose snootily, this time more blatantly in jest. "Go make friends with oak trees often, do you? At least I have an excuse for smelling like a campfire."
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Dec 17, 2015 7:20 pm
"Good friends, Trees. More so when made into fire or slept under on hot day." He replied with amusement, catching up alongside her once the trail opened up. Flicking his unicorn tail, he purposefully brushed her side with it to remind her of his mixed heritage.
"Full kalona not nearly as hardy. You'll see." While this wasn't strictly true with respect to other crossbreeds, Gen did have empirical evidence showing that he was tougher than most soquili of any breed due to his self healing. Whether other unikalona faired as well wasn't something he knew personally. From what he'd heard, they tended to be insane... not a comforting thought.
Changing the subject, he zeroed in on the 'campfire' mention. "Sleep on embers, do you?" The flash of teeth was definitely a grin, though it disappeared rapidly. "Unwise, burns hard to heal."
Damn, he just couldn't get away from the unicorn mention. Nostrils flaring, he looked away from Cetra - noting the approaching smell of mountain lion. Guides, perhaps?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Dec 17, 2015 7:55 pm
Snorting again, this time she actually allowed herself a grin, though it was suppressed after a moment as well, but her golden eyes glittered with shared amusement at the joking. "Hm. At least they're not the type of friends who beat you bloody." She did wonder at the purpose behind the severity of his injuries- not that she hadn't had her own fair share of lumps and bruises from training and sparring in the past, but his were quite a bit more prevalent.
She didn't quite jump at the unexpected touch to her side, but there was a slight flinch at the contact, though its intention made sense with Gen's comment about breed differences. The reaction had less to do with him, or kalona at all, than it did with her unfamiliarity with friendly contact. Her family, broken as it was, was too reserved to be affectionate, and she wasn't exactly the most approachable soul in her herd. It made her slightly uneasy, though she shook it off to acknowledge his assurance. She was aware that he was part unicorn, but that fact was usually rather overshadowed by his more blatant resemblance to the breed she hated.
...Apparently, there might now be an exception to that statement.
His jab regarding her 'campfire' reference brought her back to their playful banter. "Builds character," she sniffed, noting the smile out of the corner of her eyes, but thought it better not to acknowledge it. "Harder to heal than bruises?" she poked pointedly at his injuries with a wing, but this time only with her feathers- her point had already been made, after all, no need for further discomfort. It was curious, if he possessed self-healing capabilities, that he hadn't taken care of them already, but there were no unicorns in Hakan, so she admittedly wasn't that familiar with their abilities.
As he looked away, the winged mare's ears perked in curiosity, noting the scent of mountain lion on the air as well, though obviously Gen had already detected it and was unconcerned. She knew he had companions of that nature in the area, so she dismissed it and didn't pause in her stride.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Dec 17, 2015 8:08 pm
An inherent wariness of his own stilled his initial prompt reply. Seres had taught him to be careful, but Sirian had drilled it into him that others in the Kawani lands would kill him without a thought. Giving his enemies sensitive information was foolish beyond belief, especially with regard to his abilities.
Pondering Cetra, he decided he didn't know her well enough to share the truth about his genetic inheritance, but he would share the basics out of necessity.
"Just bruises. Won't waste energy." While true, he did possess plenty of energy to heal his injuries and then some without breaking a sweat. As it was, they were already healing to the point that her pointed jab didn't register even a flicker of pain on his face. "Fallen trees problematic, can still leave you bloody." He went on, unaware of her probing regarding the reason behind Crous and Blais' treatment of him. Truthfully, he didn't know. From where he stood, they had always pushed him hard, it was training, and that was that.
"Feathers though. Feathers dangero--" His quip, meant to poke fun at the fact that she (a wind) and Crousader (also a wind) appeared to share similar injury-prodding hobbies was interrupted when the smell of mountain lion intensified, then coalesced around the twang of a bowstring and a stone-tipped arrow landing with a sickening thud directly into his shoulder.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Dec 17, 2015 8:26 pm
Though he did answer her veiled question, Cetra could tell Gen was holding something back, though her suspicion and paranoia of his intentions had dwindled into almost nothing, so she let the matter slide without much concern. The information was filed away for later reference, though- she wasn't one to let something useful go completely without further investigation, and this sounded as if it might be pertinent to their combined abilities.
She dismissed it without further thought, the edges of her mouth already curling up again at his reference to winds-
She froze abruptly at the whistle of an arrow cutting through the air, too late to prevent the sickening sound of an impact to her scouting companion's shoulder, but quickly enough to leap between him and the next possible projectile with a loud bray of warning. Onyx-feathered wings spread enough to hide the entirety of his form from view, though she wasn't foolish enough to believe that they would be enough of a shield to stop another arrow. The humans- wearing mountain lion skins, of course, how could she be so stupid- came into view, readying more weapons from what she could see, but she didn't move.
It was rare (at least in her experience) for humans to attack Soquili without provocation, and Cetra held out hope that they might simply have mistaken Gen for a predator- he certainly looked the part- and wouldn't harm her. Even if she was wrong, however... she did owe him a life debt, and it was something that she took incredibly seriously. If that meant being his shield, then so be it. She could easily outmaneuver them, but the hulking form behind her was undoubtedly limited in movement at the moment.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Dec 17, 2015 8:42 pm
If Cetra's first instinct was to shield him, then they were certainly going to discuss it. Later.
Right now, however, he wanted them both under cover. Preferably behind those trees they'd been joking about before these sickeningly clever humans had ambushed them. He'd caught a glimpse of the two-leggers before they tucked back into the trees, the pelts of his informants draped carelessly across pale shoulders.
That thought, more so than Cetra's needless ploy at martyrdom, angered him. To hunt familiars was bad enough, to wear their skins for their friends and family to see was just sadistic and cruel. He wondered if they'd gathered the pelts by simply waiting for those grief-stricken family members to seek revenge, or if the humans had hunted them.
The unfortunate side effect of his anger was that his only warning to Cetra was a curt "Cover!" With the shove he directed at Cetra to drive her into the brush and out of sight being a little rougher than he intended. Leaving the arrow shaft where it was for the moment, he quickly followed and sank down beside her. "Wait. We scout, not engage." He hissed, noting that the humans were converging on their approximate location. "Plan first. Quick." He'd come to terms with the fact that Cetra was leagues ahead of him when it came to tactics, and he was more than willing to cede it to her now. Throwing herself in front of him, however, was not up for debate. He wasn't going to allow it, not when he couldn't heal her but he could heal himself.
"Can't heal you, only myself. Don't do that." He amended, vocalizing his displeasure with curt stoicism.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Dec 17, 2015 9:14 pm
Her gaze was trained intently, unblinkingly on the humans before them, ready to make a move at a moment's notice... so being completely hyper-focused on the possibility of attack made her miss Gen's shouted warning and rough, stilted movements behind her until he impacted with her side. She grunted as the wind was briefly knocked out of her when he used his own weight to shove her into cover, and the landing was less than graceful, though her pride was probably more injured than her lungs.
She coughed for a moment to regain her breath from the rough collision, and although she acknowledged it as tactically sound, she glared at the black stallion and huffed. "We have no idea if they're hostile to non-predators!" There was some logic in the argument, as they had clearly been aiming for Gen instead of her with that first arrow, but Cetra had to admit that she was most likely grasping at straws- it was incredibly unlikely that those mountain lions whose skins the humans were wearing had posed them any threat. They tended to stay as far away from humans as possible, and the thought of them being hunted was saddening. She could tell that it bothered the dark male, and for a moment she commiserated with his anger and grief.
At the demand for a plan, however, the rosette mare's eyes sharpened, all irritations and distractions forgotten for the moment as she raised her head enough to survey the situation and landscape as best she could. Everything else faded to a dull white noise, golden gaze darting back and forth from one outcropping to another.
After a moment of absolute silence, she looked back at him, all traces of emotion absent as she spoke authoritatively. "Can you run? Fly?" Her eyes briefly alighted on his new injury before gesturing to one of the darker ridges where the barest hint of one animal-skinned human's head was poking out over the stone outcropping. He was some distance away from the others, but the position was ideal for an ambush, and the length of space between him and his companions would ensure that the rest of them were sufficiently occupied for at least the next several seconds after her distraction went into effect. If she misjudged the distance between them and the cover of forest, however, they would both be dead.
"You stay in cover, I can edge around the rest to surprise the one over there. He'll shout, the rest will come running, and you run for the thicket." Her wing spread towards a particularly dense cluster of trees. "Can't fire arrows in there. Too close."
At his demand, she paused in her frantic planning for contingencies and failures and scowled at him. "You can't heal death. Or stupid, apparently." Her insult was punctuated with a cuff to his head with her closest wing. "Life debt. Means life for a life, if necessary. Get used to it."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Dec 18, 2015 7:52 am
Listening, Gen followed her plan mentally and looked out across the battlefield. It would work, but he did not like the notion of taking cover while she acted as a diversion.
His shoulder burned, though. Glancing down at the protruding arrow shaft, he made a quick decision and grabbed it firmly in his teeth - yanking it out with only a slight hiss of pain and a spurt of blood. Turning to Cetra, the arrow still clenched in his sharp teeth, he snapped it in two and let it fall to the ground. The wound on his shoulder was already closing, though it would take a day or so to heal fully. The slow seep of blood would subside before they moved, he would be fine.
"Both. How will you escape?" He asked, ignoring her clarification about life debts. He disagreed with it, but now wasn't the time to argue with her.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Dec 18, 2015 5:10 pm
At the motion of his head towards the arrow still lodged in his shoulder, Cetra made a noise of protest and stepped forward, but he had already torn the weapon from his wound before she could intervene. She winced briefly at the sickening sound, then looked up to glare at him in irritation and disapproval.
"That was stupid. I could have removed it with less muscle damage," she grumbled, stepping forward to survey the severity, though she conceded that it wasn't too bad and already looked to be healing even as he stood. She found that she envied his self-healing skills, as she was still a bit sore and tender from her own encounter with the skinwalker Seethe from weeks ago, but the notion was self-defeating as she evaluated the trade-off between having those skills and being part predator.
She could tell from his tone that he wasn't happy with the plan she proposed, but to his credit, he didn't argue, and her opinion of him rose just a little bit in that moment. At his question, her ears perked, and her yellow gaze met emerald once more.
"Luck," she deadpanned, only half-joking as her eyes turned back towards the humans still actively scanning the brush where they had taken refuge. "And speed. If I can make it to the cover of those trees," she gestured to a less dense part of the forest, opposite the thicket she had pointed out to him earlier, "I can outmaneuver them, as long as I can get into the air before they make it over." Her skills in the air were unmatched- she'd been trained by Sukari, after all, and even surpassed her teacher in most respects. Her wing strength perhaps wasn't as powerful as Gen's, but she was lighter and quicker. She would need a running start, however, and that was the only aspect of the plan that worried her.
She didn't mention this out loud, though, and attempted to exude confidence. "I'll have to circle around and meet you further inward. We should rendezvous at the river we passed on the way here." Not waiting for a reply, she straightened, eyeing him seriously and flaring her wings as she prepared to put her strategy into effect.
"Are you ready?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 19, 2015 3:30 pm
Her protest at his dealing with the arrow was noted, but overruled. He did not like being doctored, and whatever damage he'd caused by ripping it out would soon heal itself. Plus, it was just faster to do it himself.
As for the rest ...
"No unnecessary risks." He rumbled, green eyes quite serious. "Back up will join. Annihilate these fools later." And they would annihilate them, one by one. The Kawani and European settlers that allied themselves with Gen's herd would not take kindly to humans like these encroaching on their lands. A few armed riders on soquili-back would take care of this nest swiftly.
Though Gen did wish he could rip and few of these humans himself, he tried not to let that show.
"Ready."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 19, 2015 4:02 pm
Her only reply was a sharp nod, eyes darting back and forth between him and the ever-encroaching threat behind him. Cetra was no fool- she might have been reckless on occasion when angered, but where another's life was concerned, she would take no chances.
She didn't much like the idea of participating in a human slaughter, even if there would be no blood on her hooves, but there was little choice at this point, and she would be remiss not to realize that these idiots had brought it on themselves. They were clearly strangers here and not at all familiar with the way things worked in these lands- she had come to accept the occasional killing of peaceful animals for food or warmth as a necessary evil, but this was different. This was malicious, and it wouldn't stand.
At his low murmur, she met his eyes, tucking her wings tightly against her sides. "Wait for my signal."
With that, she darted off, keeping low and out of sight as best she could, using the taller brush for cover. Cursing under her breath when her tail caught on some tall reeds and drew attention, she paused and bent her knees almost into a belly-crawl to avoid detection as a couple of the animal-skinned humans drew near. For a moment, she froze, using the dark of her wings to shield the more blatantly-colored parts of her from view, waiting for them to pass. She had always hated her coloring in matters of stealth- her family was notoriously poor at it for that very reason.
When the threat had moved on, she sped forward again, edging carefully through the dead leaves and branches that would no doubt give away her position, eyes fixed intently upon the lone human watching the rest from afar. He was unsuspecting, still scanning the brush where they no doubt believed Gen to be, and her wing feathers ruffled in anticipation as she continued to edge forward carefully. He had a weapon like the rest of them- she would need to avoid it. There was too much open space between them for her to simply charge- it would achieve the desired effect in getting the others' attention, but she would be wide open for attack. Biting the inside of her cheek in contemplation, the winged mare backed up slightly into the darker cover of the forest.
Split second decision made, she broke into a run and unfurled her wings, confident for the moment that there were no eyes on her as she flapped and left the ground behind in seconds, proud of the absolute silence in those movements- Sukari had once likened her to an owl, and she enjoyed the comparison. Ebony and red-tipped wings pumped vigorously, working hard to gain her altitude, and a smirk began to grow on her maw as she noted the position of the sun in the sky. Perfect.
A shadow from overhead drew the human's attention, but as he turned to look, he was blinded by the silhouette of a winged mare against the sun, diving straight towards him, and she was upon him in seconds with a threatening bray, quick enough to knock the bow from his hands with a well-aimed swipe of one wing.
A shout rang out in the still air, and every pair of human eyes in the clearing was suddenly drawn towards the commotion.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 04, 2016 4:16 pm
Time slowed to a near standstill for the black stallion, the passing moments measured in heartbeats rather than minutes. While this was hardly the first time Gen had been forced to watch a companion take the more dangerous role; times like these had grown few and far between since he'd come into his own as a scout and as a fully fledged warrior. He found that he disliked the feeling even more now that he'd grown accustomed to being the one in danger, and he chastised himself for the hypocrisy. Seres had always said that she worried for him when he went out on missions like these -- now, watching Cetra, he realized just how heavy the burden of worry was.
"Don't get hurt." He grumbled under his breath, still waiting for her signal. She was close, so close. His breath caught when she took wing, and he found himself fighting down the urge to join her attack when she dove out of the sunlight to take on the disgusting human.
So focused was he, in fact, that he forgot that the dive itself was probably the signal.
It took a another precious moment for him to realize his error, though he recovered quickly enough and took off from cover and charged for the safety of the dense treeline. One of the humans recovered as well, managing to send a bolt shooting after him, though it landed with a heavy thunk in a tree trunk far from him. Taking a sharp right, he circled back around and found himself a vantage point well out of sight. Once Cetra was clear, he would head off to their rendezvous point.
It was not in his nature to leave someone behind, ever.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Feb 13, 2016 8:44 pm
The initial step had been easy.
The human she surprised had fallen on his behind and scrambled away from her as she stalked towards him menacingly, wings unfurled and hackles raised in order to look as large and threatening as possible. The amount of noise both she and her adversary made had brought every two-legger in the vicinity running, and though this was part of the plan, it was a dangerous gamble- one with increased risk now that they were blocking every safe path towards the sparse forest she had sought to take shelter in. Taking to the air where she was right now would be asking for death, as every arrow within eyeshot would be trained upon her in seconds, and there was no way for her to gain enough altitude quickly enough to avoid them. She was counting on the surprise making them careless enough to cluster and leave gaps in their net, and calculating golden eyes were darting wildly back and forth in the hopes of identifying one such mistake.
The closer they got, the heavier the threat became, and her nerves were beginning to be sorely tested as the impending approach of dangerous weapons loomed, and still she had no way out. A darted glance behind her told her that there wasn't enough open space between her and the approaching scouts to gain enough speed for a takeoff, and whatever opening she had created for Gen was long past. Her attention wavered for a moment as she turned to check his escape route to ensure at least one facet of her plan had worked- and her lip curled to find him still standing near the thicket, not yet out of sight.
She considered shouting at him, irritated that he had disregarded his safety and even more irritated at the sudden, unwelcome concern that accompanied that thought, but just as she had drawn in a breath to do so, she saw an opening.
Without pause, she took off at a full sprint towards the gap in the humans' defenses, banking on them being caught unaware enough to not be able to reach for their weapons until after she had passed. The path took her dangerously close to two of them, but there was little choice if she hoped to escape this situation with her life. Her head lowered, the wind flowing freely through her mane, and the feathered wings at her sides began to pump air beneath her just as she saw one of her enemies finally disregard his surprise and reach for his bow. In a split second, she had veered to the left enough so that her wing struck him down, and though she felt a sharp pain in the feathered appendage, Cetra was exultant as she felt her hooves leave the ground. She lifted quickly on the wind that supported her and angled herself towards the forest, where it would be harder to aim through the trees, letting out a breath of sudden relief.
It was premature, evidently, as a stray arrow cut through the air, angled upwards as it struck her back right leg, near her hindquarters.
The impact jarred her more than the stabbing pain, and a hiss of air escaped through her teeth as she renewed her efforts to escape. More projectiles flew past her, but most of them were wild, blown off-course by the wind or without enough power to make an impact. Cetra could at least thank the higher powers that it hadn't struck her belly or something more vital- she could still fly with a bleeding wing and an arrow in her hindquarters.
One last glance back at Gen, hoping her threatening wrath for him to obey was conveyed through her distant glare, and she swooped down near the treetops to continue her escape out of sight.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
