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 Posted: Thu Apr 03, 2008 3:33 pm
In a normal situation, no Sentinel in their right mind would go to ground for shelter. Of course, this isn't a normal situation - and with the vicious storm on your tailfeathers even a cave on the ground seems like a good place to hide. It's dark, damp, smelly, and seems to have been used as a lair by some fell ground-dwelling beast. At least it's sheltered from the wind, and there's no risk of falling debris!
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Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2008 5:17 pm
 After spotting the cave only moments before, Arbutus had landed a short distance away on the gnarled, blackened branch of a long-dead tree. The view from his pitiful perch wasn't very reassuring.
“Blasted caves...” he thought to himself.
He'd had only the briefest of encounters with caves before... but that cave had belonged to a particularly generous chirop keeper who had allowed him to collect the mushrooms that grew just inside. He had no idea what might be inside this time.
*CRACK!*
The Thunderbird's “wings” beat up above, causing Arbutus to shudder. Already a full day's journey from home as it was, there would be no more traveling tonight. This cave would have to do.edit: forgot cert.
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Jaeger Erdarastrix Vice Captain
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Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2008 5:55 pm
With the next bolt of lightning, the cave-- and the area directly surrounding it-- is briefly illuminated. It's enough to show the cold, driving rain. It's enough to show the bushes and small saplings whipping in wind so strong that not even the windbreak provided by the ancient trees of the forest can slow it down. It's also enough to show the large form, buffeted in all directions, careening down towards the cave in a barely-controlled break-neck dive.
The huge Sentinel hits the soggy ground outside the cave with a sharp 'whoof!', and pushes her way directly inside without pausing to ask first. She shoves past Arbutus abruptly, her feathers spiked and tousled from the rain-- but one thing is fairly visible; the chevron of the Elite is branded in ink on her wing.
Bristletuft barely glances at Arbutus, except to grunt. Damn this weather!
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Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2008 7:39 pm
“Umph!”
Standing just inside the cave entrance, Arbutus had barely shaken the chilling rain from his feathers when he was promptly bowled over by the larger female.
Extricating himself from the cave floor, he quickly turns towards his new neighbor. “Mind where you're- ah...” upon noticing her rank, the quip dies in his throat.
“Pardon me, didn't see you coming in just then” he says with a slight chuckle, bowing his head.
A heavy gust of wind sends more rain showering onto Arb's back. Shaking out his feathers once again, he retreats further into the cave. Present company was doing little to calm his nervousness.
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Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2008 7:43 pm
 Ename, shivering partly from cold and partly from the bitter wetness of the rain still clinging to her feathers, fluttered down into the maw of the cave. She came with no attempt to conceal herself, and set about piping and twittering, scattering any small insects or rodents that had not already fled at the entrance of the others from beneath the crags into the safety of more healthy clefts. She paused in the lip of the cavern, tumbling into a sudden fit of movement after a time, feathers puffing and spraying out the offending wetness.
A while it seemed and the old bird took note of the other forms crouched low in the unusual area, perched on branches or rocks, leering out at the storm with quiet contempt. Taking what seemed a quite ponderous pose, she said, "The mus went down the crevice in the wall. That's why he's alive. Do you know where that crevice is? I do. Sometimes, if I shut my eyes fast enough, I can actually catch a sight of his tail. He's made of leaves you know-" She went on, hopping on one foot to a slick rock, taking purchase in it's mossy coat. "It's a bad world for insects, including the caterpillars you just ate."
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Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2008 8:20 pm
Bristletuft does not reply to the male-- at least, not at first. Narrow blue eyes glare out into the storm, darting here and there over part of the forest visible from the mouth of the cave. Hallux is out there somewhere, but she's not sure where the lepus went-- not that it matters. He's smart enough to go to ground somewhere, and she'll find him later. But oh Noctus, this weather. The cold ice water trickling down her back does nothing to improve her foul mood.
Upon seeing the incoming Ename, the Elite sidesteps out of the way to allow the other female entrance, but does little else until the oddly masked Shadow begins to babble. Then, she twists in place, her large frame made larger when her damp feathers fluff threateningly.
"Enough talk! Keep your eyes open and your ears on the storm. Are you addled?" The big female's head swivels back to the cave entrance, and her bedraggled plumage sticks out further. She ends up looking something like a demonic feathered sphere. "We're on the ground. There could be something out there."
Bristletuft's eartufts twitch. "Or in here."
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Jaeger Erdarastrix Vice Captain
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Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2008 9:27 pm
Arbutus winces at the Elite's last comment. The reality of their situation was readily present in his mind, but hearing it stated so plainly...
“Yes sir.” The male takes one quick glance back outside, then shuffles and hops up the opposite side of the cave from the Shadow. It smelled terrible here, the reek was only more indicative that something had lived here at one point. He sighs quietly and begins to settle himself amongst the mossy wall ledge, all the while keeping an eye on further in. If something was still here, he wanted to see it coming, at least.
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Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 10:14 am
"Do pardon, do pardon!" Ename chattered, rolling off the rock, sliding down to bump against the ground on her back. "Just the flies in my head." She added, righting herself. "In here, I mean. Nothing in here but flies, and you, and the mus." Too old to be rightly frightened by Bristletuft, elite or not, she set to calmly preening herself, lifting her signature mask only just enough to let her beak at her feathers, keeping her features obscured.
"And that'd be ma'am, I do think, sonny." She added, peering up at Arbutus. "Elite or not, she's a lady you know." With a shrug she fluttered into the air and made her way deeper into the cave. She flew just over the male on her way, landing on a rocky outcropping nearby. "Helloooo~! Are you hoooome~?"
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Jaeger Erdarastrix Vice Captain
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Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 3:47 pm
Bristletuft continues to squint out into the driving rain. There may well be something-- or someone-- out there, but the sheets of icy water driven from the sky are obscuring the details. Hallux could be at the base of a tree twenty feet away from the cave and she still wouldn't be able to tell. The huge female grunts in irritation, finally turning from her post to take stock of the other two Sentinels in the cave. For all her warnings about a nebulous 'something' that could be out there, Bristletuft seems remarkably unconcerned about being on the ground.
Arbutus receives a quick glance, and a vague look of approval. He seems a sensible Sentinel-- no fancy dyes, good head on his shoulders, responsive. Thank Noctus. But as for the other one...
"Give me your names," she says sharply, staring all the while at Ename-- who (as far as Bristletuft is concerned) is either stupid... or else wants to be flattened by an large and irate elite.
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Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 5:45 pm
After ducking out of the way from the masked strangers approach, Arbutus grunts “Yes, thank you. I'm fine”. He scowls briefly, not quite sure how to deal with this one. Whatever could have caused her to wear such a mask? Never mind all this nonsense about insects and leafy mus...
His view of the cave interior now obscured, he hops down the cave wall a level to resume his vigil. At the question from the Elite, his expression brightens some.
“Arbutus, sir- uh, ma'am.” he replies, awkwardly settling himself amongst his new rocky roost. “Gatherer.”
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Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2008 10:52 am
[invasion! ....not really. but if you wanna see what she's been up to, click here! also edited for spelling errors Dx]
The descent from the fir trees' tops to the ground was a difficult one, though not something that Sandstorm couldn't manage from her experience as a ranger. After leaping from her branch, the aberrant fanned out her wings and tail feathers and, as slowly as she could, glided her way down to where she saw the cave, and most importantly, the figure just outside of it.
That was actually the more difficult part of her short journey. While avoiding stray branches and occasionally having to grasp at them with her talons through a particularly strong gust, it was almost impossible to tell where she was going through the pelting rain. Perhaps she should have stayed..?
No. No no, no. She'd rather be found dead than have to tolerate Noctus knows how long she'd have to stay in the company of the other two sentinels. Dangerous and as reckless as this may be, she had made up her mind and she will stick with it.
Noticing the trunks of the trees around her were becoming thicker, Sandstorm quickly grasped a branch and perched by the base. Dune was not by her, but she wasn't worried: the lani will take his own time to get to their destination, and she was confident that he'll find her in due course.
-crack!-
The lightning lit the area up in time for her to quickly survey her surroundings and find herself just above the cave she was looking for. Bracing herself, she plunged the few feet leftover and landed on solid ground. With little hesitation, she stepped into the mouth of the cave, eyes wide and ready to fly out if danger meets her way.
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Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2008 5:23 pm
"Bristletuft," the big female replies, and the snap in her tone lessens somewhat. She, too, used to be a Gatherer-- if the situation were less dire, the coincidence may have earned the male some casual conversation. But now is not the time. She nods to Arbutus, then jerks her head at the back of the cave. "Keep watch." There's something in her tone that suggests 'keep watch' refers to both the rear of the cave and the strange masked Shadow female.
Without waiting for a reply (although she'll acknowledge it with a grunt if it's given), Bristletuft turns and hops heavily back to the entrance of the cave; her talons grip the slippery rock beneath her with a skritching noise. For a split second, there is silence except for the howling outside.
And then, abruptly, Bristletuft's wings spread-- all of her feathers spike out again, and startled female has time to hiss sharply before lunging to one side in a haphazard way to avoid a rapidly incoming Aberrant.
Annoyed at being startled-- or perhaps simply territorial about the number of Sentinels now present-- Bristletuft doesn't give Sandstorm much of a chance to settle before the Elite advances on the newcomer briskly, clacking her beak. "You! What's your name?"
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Jaeger Erdarastrix Vice Captain
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Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2008 5:32 pm
A convenient (and startling) crack of thunder punctuates Bristletuft's sharp demands of the newly-arrived Aberrant, heralding the increase in driving rain. A little bit of snow and hail is mixed in with the fat droplets, as winter makes one last attempt to maintain its clawhold on the forest.
((Post order is now Bristletuft - Arbutus - Sandstorm, and Ename can post when Shinos returns.))
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Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2008 6:20 pm
((Bwak! Sorry for the delay guys!))
Ename started awake at the increase in the storm. How anyone could sleep in these conditions was surely a question, though it did seem that she was the least upset by the weather of the lot. "The mus is back! He's run down the gully to the drain in the back!" She crowed, hopping to the ground and staggering about in the general direction of the others. In a 180 of personality, she shudders to a stop, settling calmly. "Ename, my dears. I am...artisan, crafter...And a goony old lark!" Alas the sanity was not to last, and the female was off again, wings flapping wildly as she seemed to hobble after something invisible. "Follow the mus to safety, yes!"
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Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2008 6:38 pm
“Of course,” came Arbutus’ reply. The present… “economic” vocabulary of the Elite is greatly appreciated by the male. Though not usually one to shy away from conversation, the bizarre company and eerie nature of their surroundings have set his nerves at edge.
Ignoring his neighbor’s ranting and hopping about, he returns his attention back to his previous charge. His gaze wonders about the cavern depths- only to snap back to the cave mouth moments later at the sound of hissing! What now?! Instinctively crouching low to the cave ledge, he readies to fly should his worst fears be confirmed.
“Dammit,” he spits, inwardly chastising himself for startling so easily yet again. It’s no fiend, just another soggy interloper. He straightens back up, ashamed of himself in his frazzled state. Sighing heavily, he quickly preens his tussled chest feathers and again resumes his watch.
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