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 Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2012 12:39 pm
In the shadows of the night, Samsara stalked through the undergrowth. She moved swiftly but quietly. Over the time she had spent being a skinwalker, some of the aspects of her panther form had begun to bleed into her soquili body. A cat's grace and ability to move silently was one of the gifts she now carried with her in all forms. The pupil of her one remaining eye was dilated so she could capture all of the meager light that remained. Her ruined eye, a parting gift from her father, was a dead void beneath the fur of the panther pelt.
She could smell the scent of her target. She was drawing close. The one she was after she had come to know as Douglas. He was a stallion, some sort of halfbreed cerynei. His scent smelled of fetid blood and even his markings were splotches of red, as if he was returning from a kill. She couldn't have cared less about his markings. What she wanted was his viciousness. He was going to be the next member of Mahapadma whether he liked it or not. He would thrive within her nest of murderers and fiends, if only she could get him there first.
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Posted: Sat Mar 10, 2012 2:52 am
 Douglas was pacing under the moonlight. He had been doing this for hours now....since the sun went down. His mind was actually quiet for once. His pacing was almost methodical and robot like and his gaze was void of emotion and staring straight ahead. If one watched for long they might wonder if he was possessed by something. He paid no attention to his surroundings. For him this was the most peaceful state he found himself in other than sleep.
Though it was hard to tell, him and his bunny suit had a few new cuts and scraps from recent fight with a feisty mare he had run across. He had stayed in the same area that the fight had taken place. Around him lay several mutilated carcasses of smaller animals from the past couple days. His ax lay in the middle of them.
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High-functioning Counselor
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Posted: Sat Mar 10, 2012 3:05 pm
Samsara caught a whiff of rotting meat and her ears flicked back in disgust. The stench of decay was thick in this place. Once she had the stallion for Mahapadma, she'd have to train him into more cleanliness. She could hear movement. She paused and waited, listening to see where he was going. Strangely enough, he didn't seem to be going anywhere.
Sneaking closer, Samsara was able to finally see him. He paced around in a circle. She could see his weapon lying on the ground nearby several animals that had been probably killed by it. A marking on his neck caught her eye, a red crescent moon. That was strange. She stared at it from her hidden position. Bushkin, another member of Mahapadma, had a marking that looked similar to it. Samsara had never felt the need to ask her about it, but it seemed like this stallion might be connected in some way to her. Interesting.
Bored of watching, Samsara decided to take action. She sprung from her hiding place and in two bounds was standing with one hoof pinning the axe to the ground. She wasn't about to let him use it against her.
"Stand down if you want to live!" she snarled at him.
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Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2012 2:37 am
Douglas continued pacing at his contented speed. It was not until his eyes caught the movement of Samsara that he snapped too. At that awaking his emotions and thoughts entered his head and his peace of mind was broken.
His rage filled him quicker than ever before without thinking he charged at the skinwalker. He stopped just in front of her and glared into her eyes. All of his rage came to the surface and out of his eyes. He stood still and strong.
His head started race again. "Why disturbed, Who is this, what is this creature, must leave or will kill" Douglas had never seen a skinwalker before though he had heard tales of their destruction. However none of these came to mind has he stared, to him it was just another trespasser, another fight. He barely noticed her stange looks, accept to take in the fangs and horns for a brief second. But even their danger didn't deter his rage.
His rage overwhelmed him and he had more trouble thinking than Normal. "Trespasser!"He screamed at her "You Threaten Me?" He was confused as he had never been on this end of a fight. He usually made the first threats.
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High-functioning Counselor
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Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2012 8:21 am
Samsara didn't budge an inch as the angry stallion charged at her. She bared her teeth and snarled aggressively. Her wings lifted off her back, giving her a larger appearance. With one sharp hoof she kicked the axe backwards. It went spinning off to land in a tangle of thorns. If he tried to retrieve it he'd leave himself completely vulnerable to her attack. With or without his weapon, Samsara had no fear. She had fought other skinwalkers, kalonas, an elder. One such as this couldn't hope to hurt her.
"You will not kill me!" She took a step closer to him but did not attack. She would see whether she could cow this one with mere words first. "I do threaten you, and you will obey!" Her bared teeth gave threat to the potential consequences. "Either heed me now, or wait until after I've mauled you." She smiled sharply. "Your choice." She stared at him, both her good eye and her empty socket balefully regarding him. One front hoof edged forward again. She was prepared to either spin out of the way in case of an attack or step forward again if not.
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Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2012 6:55 pm
Douglas watched as is weapon flew back. He was getting more angry that this mare wasn't backing down in the slightest and now he didn't have his weapon. She was giving him more threats and his blood boiled. "Leave now! Not obey anyone! My turf!" Douglas tried to match the mares intensity. He bared his large buck teeth and tried to snarl but it was more just blowing hot air. An outsider might have laughed at him.
Done talking and upset at the disruption his rage filled him and clouded his judgement. He bucked up on his hind legs and than jumped forward at the mare's face with all his weight, his hand cuffs spinning around his leg at the sudden change in directions. If she wanted a fight he would fight, He would not give in to mere threats.
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High-functioning Counselor
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Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2012 12:05 pm
So, this was his choice. She respected that more than if he had given in. She wouldn't have much use in a subordinate that could be bullied into bending to someone's wishes. Mahapadma needed fighters, and here one was. He might not be all there mentally but few of his kind were. The black calling seldom came to those without a few tears in their mental state.
Prepared for his attack, she ducked. Her small size had originally been a disadvantage, but now it benefited her in combat. It let her duck down beneath his attack and evade it. She slipped off to one side and tried to give him a kick of her own. She would try to beat him down with hooves and use her teeth or claws if she had to. She didn't want to damage him too much, after all. She didn't want a corpse.
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Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2012 8:11 pm
Douglas came down hard on the ground, missing the skinwalker. He could feel the anger in him body still but after making the first attack his mind cleared. One of the reasons he liked fighting. His anger and thoughts washed from his mind and all he knew was the fight.
Having missed he quickly wheeled his body around, and prepared for his next attack. As he did he saw her hooves come towards him. Being not quite as fast as the mare he felt her hooves graze and scrape his hind quarters. This did not stop him in his next attack though. He was use to taking hits like that.
As soon as his body was perpendicular he charged towards her side head down.
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High-functioning Counselor
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Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2012 10:27 am
She admired his determination even if it was foolishly guided. The pain didn't slow him down, which was more than some of her other members could say. The next move he made was to run at her head-first. It was a move she had seen before. Just as his head knocked against her chest she leaped from the ground with two beats of her shimmering wings. The pain in her chest stung but she flapped over the brunt of his attack. She took herself over him and landed again on the opposite side.
"Surrender any time you like!" From her new position she attacked with her hooves again. For each time he hit her she'd hurt him all the more. She wasn't forgiving of those that dealt her pain.
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Posted: Mon Mar 19, 2012 2:20 am
Douglas practically ran under the mare, he felt himself make contact with her chest, just grazing it. It wasn't what he wanted. She was quick, much quicker than his bulk. And she could fly. This was frustrating....and now she wanted him to surrender. Who surrender's...except for the weak, he thought to himself.
"Why Surrender?" He said with less anger and more frustration than he had shown before.
He whipped around towards her just as he saw her hooves in his face. She landed and good blow to his mouth. He spit the blood towards her good eye. He still had some momentum in his backside so he used that to kick with his back legs towards her at the same time, as spitting.
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High-functioning Counselor
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Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2012 6:19 pm
Spitting was a clever move, she gave him that. It was normally an action her opponents were too dignified or frightened to use. She recoiled but didn't manage to escape it. Her vision was suddenly shrouded in red and she blinked furiously to try to clear his blood from it. "You-!" She didn't finish her threat before he kicked her. Hissing in pain and snarling furiously, she staggered backward and away from him. She was getting annoyed with this one. It was time to get more serious.
"You'll surrender, because I'll rip you to shreds otherwise!" In her panther form, Samsara was long and low-slung to the ground. It would be a different fight now. Had this stallion fought many panthers in his blood-splattered life? She thought not. The advantage was hers, and she was getting less interested in preserving him by the moment.
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Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2012 3:27 am
Douglas was pleased with himself, seeing that his blood had managed to stumble the mare and he was able to get a good kick in. He took a second to take a breather and than was taken aback by the mares transformation.
He had never seen anything like it, and it was definitely not something he expected. His mind started chattering again with all the tidbits he had heard about skinwalkers. "Skinwalker" He said as the realization finally hit him.
To him he now saw himself looking at another fight with a different creature. He looked again for his ax...he would need something sharp to match her claws. But it seemed too risky to go for it. He knew she had a power that he did not and could not match.
Her words echoed in his head now...She seemed to want something from him. His head was swimming with confusion. "There alternative to shredding?" He said...not quite ready to stand down, but knowing he would lose this fight if he continued.
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High-functioning Counselor
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Posted: Mon Mar 26, 2012 7:52 am
As long as they were talking, she wouldn't attack. She'd give him the benefit of the doubt. Though she still bristled with claws and fangs, Samsara held her ground and spoke with her target. "Yes. There is an alternative. You can join me and become part of my Mahapadma... or you can have your meat ripped from your bones." Her voice was now changed to the coarse growl of a feline.
"It may be the last decision you ever make... so choose wisely." Her single golden cat eye watched him closely. She saw him eying the axe. He was in for an unpleasant surprise if he went for it. He wouldn't make it there without turning his back on her, which would grant her a deadly opportunity. She stood lightly on her paws and waited. No matter what his decision, she was ready.
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Posted: Thu Mar 29, 2012 4:46 am
Douglas was still confused at what she was saying, but seemed to be slowly coming to an understanding. He was no longer concerned with his ax, but curious as to what she was saying. "Mahapadma is herd?" His mind started flickering deadly images of what a herd led by a skinwalker would be like, and he grinned. He did not like others that much but he did like the idea of the power such a herd would have and the destruction the would bring.
He looked again at the skinwalker in front of him and took in everything a skinwalker is. "You powerful, Mahapadma powerful, Douglas powerful. I follow. No need to shred" and with that Douglas relaxed more ready to follow where this Skinwalker would lead him.
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High-functioning Counselor
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Posted: Thu Mar 29, 2012 7:57 am
It was over. His relaxation was evidence that she had won. She let herself wind down too. Her claws returned to their sheaths and she no longer looked prepared to spring. He was able to detect when he was outmatched. That was a good quality in a servant. A more overconfident soquili might have kept fighting even to the point of death. Some of her other Mahapadma members had attempted that with her and were lucky to still be alive after.
"Good. You will be highly valued there. We are all powerful, and I collect powerful people." She felt the familiar feeling of triumph. She had one more fiend to add to her collection. Their capabilities grew with each new member. She'd have to start thinking on a much larger scale soon. "And don't worry, I'll give you plenty of soquili to stick that axe into." She gestured at where the axe lay. "Go and pick it up... as a new member of the Mahapadma."
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