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 Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2012 8:03 am
"More than likely," Elcca said, watching as the murky water flowed through the stones. "Water doesn't get that fouled from a distance. Whatever is is, its close."
The seeress seemed to have a bit of a morbid curiosity herself. She stood still for a moment, wincing at the general grossness of the slippery stones. Trying, in vein, to pretend it was just mud that made them slick. Then, with a short sigh pressed forward along the bank. It wasn't a large flow of water at all, and some of the grasses obscured the path before them. As she did, she followed Morag's train of thought.
"Scattering is not a good idea. But if we do get separated, head west the best you can. Or back south to the desert," she made a face as her paw sunk into the murk. "I can't say for certain how far the nergui have spread, but there were several strong kingdoms in the west. With hope, some of those remain and would help out single travelers."
"Just ah, don't mention me," she added with a frown. She hadn't exactly endeared herself to every pride she'd ever stayed in, after all.
There was another thought too. "These Nergui don't always kill who they capture. They hunt for strange markings? Those are who will be the most at risk. Or perhaps, the most advantage for escaping if the nergui are unwilling to use force."
The grasses were dipped in front of her now. She made a face, and slipped through, following the bank upward and out of sight. There was silence, and then: "Uck!"
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Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2012 8:12 am
"I think everyone is aware of the particular tree I'm talking about." Morag said softly to Serkan before she padded after Elcca, firmly ignoring the squish under her paws. She did a better job of it than the red lioness, being less fastidious, but it was still rather gross.
Hearing the 'uck', she ducked around the grass, pausing to glance around for the other lioness.
"What is it?" She said as she continued forward.
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Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2012 8:20 am
He was pleased with the choice of moving on, and continued along with Elcca and Morag. He quirked a brow curiously at the conversation. Not mention her? He'd say the same about himself, but Azulon's haunts had been more... south of the desert. The Nergui sought strange markings? He considered the strange sequence of spots on his sides and wondered if those qualified, before concluding it didn't matter. The enemy wasn't going to catch him.
He was a few steps behind the lioness when she slipped through the grass, and didn't hesitate to follow. Especially after the 'uck', which just made him more curious.
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Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2012 9:02 am
What lay before them was a grizzly sight. Several bodies of animals, mostly lions, had been laid out to rot in the water. It was almost enough to clog the stream entirely- but the water was slowly working its way through. Any predator could tell this wasn't a singular instance of dumping: some of the bodies were much further decayed than the rest. A few looked fresh. In total there must have been about eight.
Elcca neither looked surprised, nor particularly pleased at this development. The stench and muck had been bad enough. Now she was forced to wonder what, or who, she was standing in. In effort to distract herself, she defaulted to logic. "Must be doing it deliberately. Foul up the water with the dead is a pretty strong message."
A few of the bodies, at least the ones that were intact enough to do much inspection on, had warpaint and mud drawn on them in designs. A rival tribe, or other Nergui? She scrunched her nose. She wasn't sure what they could learn from the bodies, but maybe it was worth a quick going over.
"If they are slaves, maybe a troop isn't far," she added.
But death wasn't the only thing that lurked there in the grave. After a few moments of pawing through the bodies, a series of excited chirps could be heard further down the bank. Sitting on top of one of the freasher corpses, seemed to be a trio of fledglings. Two ravens and a vulture.
They seemed to be talking amongst themselves.
"That's them," the first said. "What were we supposed to do?"
"Mom wanted them gone," the second said. "We'd better tell someone."
"Nah uh!" said the third. "Mom said we should help them. She said it would be funny!"
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Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2012 9:30 am
Morag made a face as she caught sight of the pile of bodies, trying not to breathe too deeply. Some of the group had been disturbed by the baboon remains they had found, but this was much worse than that. She shifted on her paws, unwilling to go closer.
"I don't care to go poking around in that... if someone else cares to, feel free. If they were deliberately dumped to ruin the water, then I doubt we'll find much of anything." Giving the bodies a bit of distance, she climbed up the bank and circled around, moving upstream to see if the water was fresher there.
It was then that she caught sight of the fledglings perched on the corpse, talking to each other. This could be a problem... if they were part of the Nergui, their cover could be blown with a single cry. Clearing her throat, she edged forward, hoping to distract the trio from the rest of her group.
"Greetings, friends... What are you doing out here alone? Enjoying a bite to eat, I suppose..." She said, trying to keep her voice light.
(( I think I'm posting too much >3> making up for that day I was gone. xD; I'll slow down now))
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Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2012 9:42 am
Rather unceremoniously, Serkan tossed the vulture over the stream before doing his best to jump over it. He didn't make it fully, his back paws squelching in the... Well, he didn't want to know what it was, but all his fur stood up on end, mane included. In front of him, the vulture was clacking his beak in some form of laughter. The lion only glared, before following to see what was going on. Let the damn thing walk... He was surprised, then, to see three chicks amid the dead. Who or what had left THOSE? He felt an unsettling sensation, noting to himself how they looked somewhat... Familiar.
Vunde knew EXACTLY who and what had left the chicks, as he merrily hopped over and jumped on the carcass. After a moment, he counted the fledgelings before acting none the wiser, pecking at the dead lion. This was all golden entertainment for him!
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Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2012 9:43 am
This wasn't the sort of thing that bothered Azulon. Bodies never were something that grossed him out or upset him, even as a child. Even when they were fellow lions. Still, it earned a wrinkle of his nose, mostly because of the smell. They had never emotionally gotten to him. "A strong, smelly message." He agreed.
He gave them a quick glance over, and stretched out a paw to prod at one of the heads. But there wasn't much point in fussing with the corpses, and he rather soon lost interest and moved along, practically stepping over an outstretched limb.
The living were always much more interesting than the dead, even if they were fledgelings. Oh, how interesting. He followed Morag closer, but didn't bother speaking. Azulon briefly glanced back to see if anyone else was coming to investigate, perhaps because he might be amused by some of the reactions, but ultimately concluded the exchange between Morag and the birds would be more important.
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Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2012 1:02 pm
Aithne decided to follow behind Morag and Azulon as they approached the water. She thought that this was one of the oddest things that they came across, not only came across but also ran into. She had a feeling that they were going to run into odd things, she had a feeling that she was going to run into things that they weren't going to be used to. She kind of expected something like the tree, she wasn't too surprised about that. This, this was something that she was surprised about on the other hand. This was strange on so many levels. She flicked her tail around her as she got closer to investigate. She took a breath in and caught the sent. That was something that she didn't want to smell. She made a small face but then took a few seconds and decided that it would be better to breath out of her mouth and she was pretty sure that it was her best bet.
She began to breath in and out of her mouth as quietly as she could. She looked at the other two in front of her and as politely and gently as she could she pushed her way closer to the water to investigate. It as her first time seeing a dead body. She wasn't exactly bothered by it. The smell was annoying but again it didn't really bother her too much. If anything the smell was annoying, however she though it was weird and wrong the way the bodies were just there. She stared before turning toward the others. "Okay so now what?" She laughed and then commented. "Maybe we should have studied the religion of he Nergui." She half laughed and then the three birds caught her attentions as it caught the attention of the others. Now for the first time she as suspicious of the birds.
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Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2012 1:58 pm
It seemed there were certain ones who were vying for leadership, but what was most important was agreement, and working together. As voices were able to be used, Mwako peered to his back.
"Kooka."
"Yes, I here," Kooka said tiredly, boredl,y, opking his head from underneath the pelt.
"Keep visible, there are children, like yourself," not exactly, perhaps a different breed, but bird none the less.
Kooka immediately perked up, still clutching the coin in talon.
"LIttle Kooka birds?" he peered about, yes, indeed there were. "Do not be afraid young ones! Why not speak to us, or to Kooka hmm? Why are you here alone, where are the others?" Perhaps Kooka could get information, use his voice again to aid those here.
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Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2012 3:05 pm
Kero had still kept silent, merely following along, letting others speak up or make decisions. She wasn't here to lead, she was here to be useful. It was somewhat to her dismay she was realizing just how much of this mission was stealthy and how little was combat. She was not terribly thrilled with skulking and hiding. But this atrocity of a graveyard was unto itself nearly too much to bear. Such death, such waste. But when three hatchlings appeared unexpectedly amongst the carnage, she licked her chops. Despite the sickening scent of death, here were three nice little morsels.
She knew others of the Firekin had birds as companions, and even she had to admit that they were quite useful. However, to Kero's thinking, they made nearly equally useful snacks, especially young ones such as these. She paced in a circle around the chick's location, eyeing them hungrily. "Mmm... if they don't talk, that means we could have a few mouthfuls of delightfully tasty bird." She flashed fangs in a feral grin. She wasn't a bad or evil female, truly, but her spirit was still dark with her trials, and now she had the Nergui to tangle with. There was so little room for cheerfulness or happiness in her life, it tended to leak out with a lack of sympathy or kindness. Particularly when it involved something edible.
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Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2012 4:26 pm
Oh, that was just wrong.
Wrong, and dishonorable on a level that bared Mkazo's teeth in a fearsome snarl. Seeking information, however stealthily, was not dishonor--it was the way of war. But this? This was a cheap, underhanded tactic, employed specifically to weaken those the fouler wished to defeat. It reeked of fear. Well, and death, but also fear. The cowardly, dishonorable sort, not the wise, keeps-you-alive sort.
"Damn cowards. They don't want to fight their enemies at full strength...or at all, if they can help it," he growled in a low voice as he crossed the stream. It made his skin crawl beneath his dark pelt, but he wouldn't risk slipping and injuring himself over those that were already dead.
He cast a critical eye over the hatchlings. "Enjoying your snack?" His voice was flat, and held the faintest trace of sarcasm.
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Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2012 4:54 pm
Elcca scowled. More birds! The nergui certainly had an affinity for those that followed death. Or maybe it was the other way around, the friendship born from the carnage the nergui left in its wake. "I see there's no honor among scavengers," she muttered mostly to herself. Someone had to clear the dead, but this felt different. There was nothing natural about the death here.
While the others troubled themselves with the little birds, Elcca decided to tend to the bodies. The muck was already up to her ankles. It couldn't possibly get much worse.
"The Nergui are smart in their ruthlessness," she replied to Mkazo. "A pride could have lived here, relied on this stream. And they ruin it just because they don't need it. Any pit could have sustained bodies, they wanted to go two steps further."
---
The birds, however, were delighted to be spoken to. So delighted that one of the ravens took to the air and started flying excited circles around the group. The other two watched with the same enthusiastic intent. Maybe a little too enthusiastic. "Mom told us to keep guard!" The first said.
"She did!" the other two replied, almost peculiarly in sync. "We had a dream and she said we had to do what it said."
"She did!" the one flying around replied. Then, it landed just in front of Morag and the others. "But we can't remember if we were supposed to help you or if we were supposed to stop you."
"I told you we should have planned this out better!" the little vulture sighed.
"Are you Graos Oma? Lady Rapha Oma says we are to be a gift for him!" the second one asked, her wide eyes blinking. "We've never seen him though."
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Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2012 5:06 pm
Well, at least now they had established Graos Oma was definitely a 'someone', not just a religious figure. (He may very well have been, seeing how superstitious the Nergui were turning out to be).
At the question, Azulon shrugged. "Maybe I am." He might have been more affirmative about it, but who knows in what ways that could backfire. "If you were going to help us, how would you do it?" He wasn't entirely sure how these chicks could really help them.
–
Having most certainly beat the firekin here, Hrafn was very pleased to be through the desert. He was also very amused to find the firekin once again, as he flew about. The raven also wondered whether or not he should be concerned for the safety of his little siblings once he spotted them, so close to the enemy. But... eh, they'd be alright. Their father was already there, apparently. Really, he was more interested in watching!
Which was why he landed nearby, with a few precautions. On the other side of the stream, and a bit further upstream. He wondered if he would be noticed and recognized, or if he'd be able to just observe, nice and quietly.
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Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2012 6:29 pm
"Still a coward's tactic," Mkazo muttered, shooting the pile of bodies a murderous glare--as though he could kill them again on the spot just by staring at them. Or maybe he was imagining the Nergui in their place. Assuming the bodies weren't Nergui...the idea that they would use their own kind for such a purpose was beyond disgusting. It was desecration of the dead, plain and simple--something one could expect from the enemy, but not from their own pride.
Ignoring the birds for now--he'd given them as much attention as he cared to, for the moment--he stepped closer to the bodies, peering at them before glancing at Elcca. "Don't know if these are Nergui or not. Should I move them around and let you do the looking?" His bulk would probably let him have an easier time of shoving the...carcasses...around. Maybe it would let Elcca get a better look at markings and such.
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Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2012 8:50 pm
Elcca wasn't going to pass up the chance to have someone else push around dead bodies for her! She hid her delight with a cool, scientific facade. "That would be a great help. We might not be able to tell much from the bodies, but its worth checking."
It certainly wasn't going to waste anymore time than keeping the birds from ratting out on them. Some of the lions seemed to have odd trinkets here and there. Were they wearing them, and they simply fell to decay? Or was it apart of some ritual?
"Yeah, just...just push that one over," she winced. "There's something uh... inside of him. I can see something shiny."
----
Almost all at once, all three little birds gazed up at Azulon with wide eyes. "Oooh..." they hummed. "Graos Omaaa..."
Then one of them thought better of it. "...that can't be right, he's far away."
The birds all hummed, and then joined back together on the dead lion's corpse. They started to whisper amongst themselves. Finally, they turned around. "We have a deal for red lions!"
"Yes!" the other two said.
"Mother said to be smart. We are smart. We don't want to be anyone's gift. We can help you, just like our dream! If you take us with you, mommy won't get mad at all. And Nergui won't even notice us. But you have to do something for us in return!"
The little birds all nodded. "Yes! Its not a fair trade otherwise."
"We want names! Everyone else has them. We are tired of waiting for Graos Oma to give us them!"
arrow Do you accept this strange proposition?
If you do, type a name and a meaning in bold!
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