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 Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2008 3:15 pm
A pair of foxes have been spotted southeast of Deep Woods, a little too close to the densely-populated areas for comfort, and while they aren’t a threat yet they could pose a problem if they establish themselves in this territory. In short, it’s not a big enough problem for the Elites to tackle it just yet, but teams of Watchers are taking turns monitoring all activity in the area. That is why Foxfeather is currently sitting in a maple tree, watching the ground where he last saw his namesakes.
He spots movement, but not on the ground. A young Sentinel, on the brink of adulthood, is approaching through the forest. She shouldn’t be here since it could be dangerous. Just as Foxfeather is about to call out to the unwary youngster he notices something odd about her. Aberrant. The worst kind too.
Specific details: There is a risk of injury in this scenario, but the foxes will not be able to attack unless one of the Sentinels is very close to the ground.
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Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2008 8:07 am
Almost. It's almost time for her to graduate, she's so close. Nobody will be able to stop her now, not with Hawthorn as her teacher for these past seasons. And sure, she's practically an adult already... but in the eyes of everyone else she knows that she's little better than a patchy freak. He doesn't see that though. He doesn't care. And tonight, in her solitary hunt, she's going to bring back something amazing to show him just how much she's learned.
Earlier in the summer Hawthorn had taken her out this way, to show her some of the areas south of the Deep Woods. And when they'd been here, he flushed a rabbit. But, surprisingly enough, he hadn't taken it down! Instead, the Shadow male had led Dodger in silent pursuit of the delicious morsel - to find her burrow, where the mother was raising her young. So that night she learned the value of sparing the mother to allow the young to grow. But now... now it's been long enough for those kittens to become independent young adults. And, eager to prove herself and show that the lesson was well-learned, Dodger plans to bring back a few of them tonight.
Moving with silent efficiency, the almost-adult descends from the canopy to the lower reaches of the forest, approaching her goal. Focused as she is on the burrow, she does not notice the silent Watcher... nor does she notice the foxes he is watching.
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Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2008 11:30 am
There.
Foxfeather's golden eyes came to rest on a dense cluster of bushes. He was sure he had glimpsed something shift below and it had to of been the red furred creature for which he had been named. He was sure of it.
His eartufts shifted upwards slowly as he honed his attention on the cluster and a smooth smile played at the edges of his beak. Foxes were not exactly a good thing for the Clan, hence his current assignment, but he had to admire their finesse and beauty. They were so similar to him, at least in his own mind, anyhow.
Suddenly, he caught movement in the corner of his eyes. He shifted his gaze from the forest floor and pinned them on the flying figure. The area was not fit for hunting or gathering, he was sure such news was widespread in Deep Woods at the moment. A flush of annoyance crossed his features as he parted his beak to let out a hoot of warning for this female, who clearly was...
Oh, it was her.
His beak clacked closed and his golden orbs narrowed.
It was Dodger. He had never spoken with her, but he knew of her. She was an aberrant of the worst kind. She was inexplicable.
At first he wanted to keep silent, to keep watching. Maybe she would dive down and maybe that fox would take her...
No one would miss her, save for that cracked in the head teacher of hers. He still could not fathom how any self respecting teacher would willingly take on a student who is obviously developing the white sickness. The thought soured his stomach and he continued to observe.
But...
He is the WoD, the Watcher on Duty, a missing fledgling in these parts would indicate to the community that he was not fit to serve the clan well enough. It was that fleeting thought that caused him to issue a hoot to the oblivious Dodger.
He did not relish the idea of possibly communicating with her, but other ideas were churning in his mind, now.
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Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2008 12:29 pm
There it is! Just beyond that bush, the burrow should be hiding in the undergrowth. Her keen blue eyes pink out the evidence of the rabbit's continued presence nearby, evaluating the area as she comes in to wait for an opportunity. And then--
Hoo whoo hooo~
She catches herself neatly on the nearest branch, eartufts flicking back in annoyance, her surprise at being addressed evident only in the somewhat over-hasty movements of her wings and head as she settles herself and looks around. Exasperated, the young almost-adult finally catches Foxfeather's gaze. And with a final glance down towards the hidden burrow, she begins to make her way closer to the nosy Watcher. Hopping from branch to branch, wings tucked neatly except for when she needs to span a larger distance, the patchy aberrant approaches.
In her journey towards the Deep Woods male she glances around for tell-tale signs of this area being part of another Sentinel's territory... and she finds none. So what in Noctua is his problem, then? It's not like she's invading his territory, and he wasn't even looking towards the rabbits...
When she does finally speak, her voice is low and terse. "You're going to scare them off if you keep calling out like that."
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Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2008 5:49 pm
Foxfeather's reddish plumage begins to rise in almost an aggressive manner and his eartufts flicked back, but he hastily smoothed himself out in an attempt to hide his disgust for the patchy little almost adult that was approaching him.
The small Deep Woods male regarded her with an indifferent, cool gaze before glancing down below.
"Scare them off? I wish it would be that easy, but I don't think it will work quite that way."
Clearly, he did not realize that she had come here for the rabbits. Instead, he had been more preoccupied with the threat of the foxes in the immediate area.
"What do you plan to do, take them on all by yourself?" He scoffed with a light chuckle.
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Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2008 6:48 am
The reddish male's disgust and attempt to hide it is noted, and ignored. A lifetime of seeing that expression has taught Dodger how to recognize it, after all, and a few seasons with Hawthorn has taught her the appropriate response - nothing.
Instead, she watches him calmly as he scoffs. He doesn't think she can do it. Of course he doesn't. Nobody believes in her, nobody but Hawthorn... but she watches Foxfeather calmly, tilting her head a little to the side and then glancing down towards the burrow. Something isn't quite right, she realizes, and instead of answering the Deep Woods right away she pauses to think. Scare them off... Why would he think it wouldn't be easy to scare rabbits? That doesn't make any sense. Nor does his suggestion that she wouldn't be able to handle it, if she ignores his prejudice.
No, there must be something else. Curious now, Dodger shifts her stance so she can look in the same direction as the Watcher. His question is ignored, in favour of her own. "What are you watching?"
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Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2008 6:57 pm
"You mean you haven't heard?" He tilted his head to the side as he watched the strange, patchy freak with an air of self proclaimed superiority. Of course she hadn't heard. Who would make it a point to chat with her, anyways.
"Foxes. Two of them have been here, so it is dangerous to hunt." His explanation was brief and to the point. "There is good hunting in this area, so it's not a surprise. Unfortunate, too, because I'm sure there is a hungry beak or two back at the minder's Enclave."
His eyes did not remain on her long and quickly went back to searching for those red furred beasts that could possibly cause so much trouble. His talons clutched the bark of his perch as he struggled to remain civil with the aberrant.
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Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 8:40 am
The tiniest hint of a smile plays at the edge of her beak when Foxfeather puts on his superior airs. Once, seasons past, that sort of thing would have upset her. Now the aberrant watches him in silence, her gaze unwavering, her mild interest and amusement plain - but reserved.
"I see," she responds simply, following his gaze to see if she can catch a glimpse of them. "Thank you for your time, Watcher." Because a Watcher he must be, if he's here to keep an eye on the foxes. Unlike her own dubious fame, tales of Foxfeather and his reddish plumage haven't travelled far enough for the young almost-adult to have heard of him. But she can put two and two together. And she can also tell when she is not wanted, so without wasting any more of his time the patchy one begins to depart.
Unfortunately, she's not leaving the area entirely. Instead, Dodger makes her way back towards the perch she'd vacated earlier. Low to the ground, and situated so that she has a good view of the burrow. Fox or no fox, she came here for those rabbits. And there's not much more danger to her, knowing that there are fox around - better the danger she knows, right?
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Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 3:32 pm
He was about to bid her farewell, as it was at least partially decent...
But she wasn't leaving. This became obvious quickly as she retraced her wingbeats and landed on the perch where she once sat.
"Are you're brains addled?" He hooted, slightly more loudly than he would of liked. Hers had to of been, to take up watching for the plump rabbits that she had decided she would hunt for. His golden eyes narrowed as he watched her settle down.
Deep under his feathers, he did hope she pressed forward and that the foxes would find her. But this would still appear bad for his own image if others knew of where she was headed. He couldn't just let her do this. At the same time, he did not want to get close enough to her to force her away.
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Posted: Sat Sep 27, 2008 8:48 am
"Shush," hisses the aberrant, sparing an irritated glance back at the Watcher. Her attention quickly returns to the hidden burrow, but now she's keeping a careful eye and ear on the surrounding area as well. Her perch is high enough that she shouldn't be in immediate danger, but she'd like to know where the foxes are before she goes to ground after a rabbit. "Unless you want to bring them closer and scare my prey away?"
Her voice is low, and just barely loud enough to reach his keen ears. It's clear that she intends to go through with her hunt, foxes be damned. Sure, they would be a danger if they caught her on the ground... but she doesn't plan to be on the ground long enough for that to be an issue. Find a rabbit, drift in silently and snatch it before it knows she is even there, and then back home to bring her prize to her Teacher. It all makes perfect sense, by her reasoning.
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Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2008 8:30 am
"Yes, sure. Why not?" Foxfeather hissed in reply and fluffed his reddish feathers, but his eyes were not on the aberrant. They were on the ground, where he was sure he had witnessed one of the foxes earlier, disappearing into the dense foliage of the forest floor.
"You're going to get yourself killed, anyways, why not make it a little quicker?"
His talons clutched the bark of his perch and his eartufts flattened as he spoke to the almost graduate. "Real smart, fledgling."
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Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2008 10:58 am
"Unless you have something helpful to add, could you please keep your beak closed and out of my business?" she asks bluntly - her tone is polite enough, but a little bit of irritation is creeping in past her calm demeanor. Determined to ignore the meddling Watcher, the aberrant shifts her position and leaps into the air. Silently, moving with as much economy and grace as she can, she glides to a lower branch to get a new perspective on the hidden burrow.
There. A trace of movement in the underbrush, and her gaze pins upon it. A young rabbit, one of the new adults, is beginning to leave the safety of his den. She watches in silence, absolutely still, in hopes of seeing another of his littermates. Two for the price of one?
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Posted: Tue Sep 30, 2008 3:30 pm
"Trying to convince you not to kill yourself is not something helpful to add?" He hooted with a hint of annoyance to his tone. He really did not see a reason, other than to protect his own tailfeathers, to try and talk this freak out of flying feet first into a spot where foxes had been lurking.
His frustration seemed to evaporate slightly as a new approach entered his mind.
If he harassed her enough, she might leave. If she still insisted on going down there, the forest would at least be rid of one of the many parasites that were now growing and breeding within it.
"I'm not leaving. It is my duty to watch this area and to help keep it safe. And you're putting yourself in danger, so I am not going to sit back and watch." He moved to another limb, with silent wingbeats, but did not dare get too close to the little aberrant.
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Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2008 1:29 pm
"It's your duty to watch, so you're not going to sit back and watch?" she asks primly, eartufts slicked down in annoyance. His continued speech and approach had startled the nervous young rabbit - it has frozen in place, and is no longer venturing forth. Worse yet, if that rabbit deems the outside to be too hazardous then none of its littermates will emerge either. Still, Dodger doesn't allow much of her frustration with the situation to show in her body language. She's still watching the rabbit with her intent blue gaze, still waiting for her opportunity to strike.
"What are you going to do, then?"
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Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2008 3:17 pm
Foxfeather snapped his beak tight and glowered for a moment. He had blundered in his words and the little freak had caught it. Worse yet, he was sure this silence was only encouraging her.
"I'm going to try and keep you from being an idiot, so I can go back to my duties." He shot haughtily as he tried to regain some of the dignity he felt he had lost. Of course he couldn't do this without heaving some put down at the aberrant, as he would of done to any other, to make himself feel a little better. She was beneath him, after all.
"You're making it all the more harder to keep this place safe. You need to leave."
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