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 Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2008 1:52 pm
Somewhere in the darkness behind Arbutus, there is a slight stirring. In no time at all, the slight stirring has grown to a mightily surging noise, and in the next moment the darkness seems to come alive, erupting into the cave on what seems like thousands of tiny leather wings, and screams in about a hundred painfully shrill voices.
The onslaught of bats is compact, confusing and frightening. Protect your eyes!!
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Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2008 3:23 pm
Bristletuft watches Dune go and grunts her approval. Obedient and-- best of all-- quiet. Excellent. The big female flicks an eartuft and returns her attention to the storm. "He may come here, or he may have come to ground. He had no orders, so he'll do what he thinks is best." Hallux is intelligent enough to act autonomously, at least... although his decision process is sometimes questionable. "If he d--"
Just then, the commotion at the back of the cave becomes louder, and then abruptly distinguishable as the leathery flapping of a hoard of tiny bat wings. Bristletuft swivels her head backwards, flattens her tufts in dismay, and then barks one order that none of them probably need:
"Get down!"
The Elite flattens herself to the cave floor, eyes closed to protect them from the frantic passing of the bats.
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Jaeger Erdarastrix Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2008 6:20 pm
While the sentinels conversed, Dune stood attentively on the wall crevice, watching the area in which Arbutus had disappeared to find Ename. Things were going fairly uneventful, until he felt a vibration on the cavern wall. It was very faint at first, but it continued to grow heavier and heavier until he could see the mass of flying bodies heading their way.
He screeched out a warning before swiftly hopping off and darting underneath Sandstorm. The aberrant only had a few seconds to register Bristletuft's command and Dune's warning. Immediately, she crouched as low as she could without crushing the lani, and spread her wings to shield him and her face, her body ready for the plummeting that is sure to follow.
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Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2008 7:58 pm
Ename could have flown to the moon itself on the surge of elation she felt at successfully frightening Arbutus. It really was not that she was cruel, but rather she simply enjoyed a little fun now and then. Of course a swarm of bats bursting from the cave was more than enough of a shock, and as the first flitted past, shrieking and wheeling, she dove for the male, attempting to use her bulk to press him to the ground. Tugging her mask securely on, rotating the gap so it showed her cheek more than her eye, she cried out to him, "Keep your head down, Sonny! They wouldn't usually be trouble I know, but like this if you get hit in the face you can be really hurt! And be still now, no worries!" With a grunt of effort Ename Willed the pebbles she'd gathered from her feathers. She held them in the air around her and the male, and slowly, then a little faster, they began to weave and bob in the air. They were nothing like some great shield of whirling stones, but the sharp impacts on some of the more wild bats did seem to keep a few at bay. Anything to help, really.
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Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2008 8:10 pm
Fortunately for those within the cave, the eruption of bats is over as quickly as it began. Unfortunately for the bats, the storm is still raging - many of them are cut down as soon as they exit the cave, laid out by hailstones as large as they are. The rest are swept away by the whipping winds, their shrieks dying away in the wet dark night.
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Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2008 2:28 am
Arbutus is just beginning to reconsider taking Bristletuft’s advice, when the hushed sounds of the awakening hoard reach his ears. The noise sounds vaguely familiar; a vision of mushrooms comes to mind…
As the noise rapidly grows louder, Arbutus blurts out a frantic warning to Ename “Get back!” He whirls about to face the sound, readying himself for the fight of his life-- only to be shoved from behind. The ear splitting screeches of the bats fill the air.
As the realization of what Ename’s trying to do strikes him, he is like-wise sideswiped by the fluttering mass of bats. He takes two bats to the side of his head before he ducks to the ground, eyes closed.
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Jaeger Erdarastrix Vice Captain
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Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2008 6:22 am
While the last rush of bats whips overhead, Bristletuft suddenly explodes from her crouch. Snapping left and right-- and then executing an awkward looking flip that brings her cruel talons to bear on the onslaught-- she grabs and snatches here and there until a small pile of crushed bodies litter the ground by her feet. Satisfied, she shakes herself out and hops closer to the mouth of the cave to survey the carnage the storm had wrought on the bats. Any downed bats close to the cave are collected in darting motions... and rather quickly, Bristletuft is back on her rock as though she'd never left, methodically dividing the bats into piles.
"Food," she grunts to Sandstorm, explaining. "Who knows how long we'll be here?" The big female twists her head towards the back of the cave. "That fool Artisan! Even a fledgling knows not to poke a talon into a beehive."
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Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2008 11:57 am
When she no longer felt small bodies colliding against her wings, Sandstorm slowly parted them to see what was going on. Instead of seeing the thick onslaught of bats flying around chaotically, she spotted Bristletuft bringing in a couple of dark, limp figures to toss into a growing a pile from just outside of the cave.
With a quick stretch of her wings, she then folded them neatly by her side and stepped towards the Elite. Dune, on the other wing [so to speak], felt the threat of danger recede and quickly went back to his spot on the cavern wall to continue his original task: keep an eye out for anything come from inside of the cave.
Sandstorm eyed the pile of food. Somehow, it didn't occur to her to hunt any of the bats, let alone thinking that they would be here for more than a single night. "Good thinking." She glanced over to the outside of the cave. "You think there might be some more outside to gather? Maybe some fallen nuts and fruits as well."
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Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2008 1:03 pm
Ename grunted as she lurched back to her feet. It seemed thestorm was passed, and rather quickly too. Neaby she spotted Arbutus, crouched over, eyes tightly shut. "Alright there sonny? They didn't go nibbling your eyes out now, did they?" She waddled over and nudged at him, wondering if indeed they had dome some damage. It would be a shame to have had anything bad happen to him, or any of them. She looked over her shoulder, wondering how the other two had fared. "Best not be too hurt, sonny, I don't think any of us here are particularly good at healing. Might be able to, might, might, but better to not be hurt!"
OOC: Gak, really, really sorry. I've honestly never had trouble with GMing tendencies before. I guess I'm rustier than I thought. I promise from here out I'll be extra careful to reread to see if there's anything that might be construed at GM/PPing. I really am sorry! I would never want to take liberties away from anyone's character!
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Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2008 11:38 pm
In the moments after the colony’s departure, Arbutus’ eyes remain closed as he mentally checks himself over. The area around his right eye is feeling a little sore- and Ename’s voice sounds slightly muffled, his ears are still ringing from the extreme proximity to the bat’s shrieks.
At a nudge from the Artisan, Arbutus stands back up and opens his eyes. Blinking profusely, he can feel a few scratches criss-crossing the right side of his head. “I’ll live.” he grunts in reply, his own voice sounding a bit muted in his skull.
After taking a moment to collect himself, he begins to hop back towards the entrance. “We shouldn’t linger here,” he says, a little louder then usual, but notably kinder. “Come on.”
He can only hope this condition isn’t going to be permanent.
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Jaeger Erdarastrix Vice Captain
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Posted: Fri Apr 11, 2008 6:39 am
"Yes," The Elite nods to Sandstorm, although she casts a sideways glance at the storm. "Although it'd be a Bard's folly to go too far from the entrance. We have enough bats to manage for now, but keep an eye on the storm-- if there's a break in it, we can make a quick foraging run."
So saying, Bristletuft reaches down, picks up one of the bats in her beak, and swallows the little thing whole. This is followed in quick succession by two more, before the big female glances again at Sandstorm. "Help yourself." She rouses her feathers briefly, and again looks towards the back of the cave for any sign of Arbutus or Ename. Perhaps food will settle the Artisan.
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Posted: Fri Apr 11, 2008 9:18 pm
Ename bobs her head at Arbutus' oddly loud voice. True, he wasn't yelling, but she had to wonder if he realized he was talking louder. Ah, perhaps he was still shaken from the bats. "For you, sonny. You're no Eyebrows, but you seem a nice enough sport." Yes, it seemed the odd older bird was finally calming. With no one left to startle or alarm, she shifted easily back to her more common attitude, one of quiet and ancient sensibility. She hadn't gotten to be so old just by scaring people off with her antics, of course.
She eyed the pile of fallen bats as she came wobbling back towards the lip of the cave. "Seems the bats got Sonny, but you've got the bats." She chirruped to the females.
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Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 2:08 am
Ename having wobbled ahead, Arbutus follows behind as they return to the mouth of the cave. He glowers a little at her last remark, mumbling something about a “senile old bird” under his breath.
Upon spotting the newcomer, Arbutus bobs his head politely to the Aberrant and shuffles up towards the mound of bats. “Can't hear so good out my right side...” he comments darkly, still speaking with the slightly increased volume. “Everyone alright?”
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Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 7:38 am
Sandstorm nodded her head in agreement. She'll just have to keep her eye out on the storm, then. Once it dies down a little, she'll go out there and gather some extra food to add on to the meat pile. With Brindletuft's permission, she reached down, snapped at a wing and tossed it into her mouth, swallowing it full. She did this a second time, and may have done it a third if it weren't for Dune's screech.
The lani had spotted the two sentinels making their way to the front of the cave, and sounded his alarm. This screech wasn't quite as loud or urgent as the one from the bats, and used to his different pitches, Sandstorm merely swiveled around to take a look behind her. Dune, felt that his job was done for now, hopped off of the wall and glided to land next to the aberrant. He eyed the pile of bats hungrily, though he didn't make an attempt; he knew that if he wasn't allowed to eat one, there would be punishment to deal with.
When Sandstorm could finally clearly make out who were coming, a slight twitch of a smirk appeared on the side by her beak, but only for a second. "Ah, so you two are still alive."
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Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 2:41 pm
The rain and storm made the grass and undergrowth dance outside, hiding the movements of the monster whose cave the Sentinels had so rudely occupied. It stopped abruptly, squinting at the pale Sentinel in the mouth of its cave.
Sniff, sniff, snuffle. Intruders. Strangers. Wet feathers, dead bats and fear. Tree dwellers on the ground. Bad. Go away!
A low growl was rising in the throat of the creature and it lunged towards the intruders, intent on driving them from his home.
Suddenly everything was a flurry of yellow fangs, stinking wet fur and long vicious claws. Everything happened so quickly, it was hard to get any decent impression of the snarling beast, but the small evil eye and the other one - missing and scarred over - was enough to scar any fledgling for life.
OOC Note: The Herald is now part of the post order.
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