[EVENT] Something Dark in the Woods

[Mimsey]

Miramar listened calmly as the others began to ask questions. It took him a few seconds to respond, as though he were considering his answers carefully. "There were a few puncture marks, yes. But nothing I have seen before. They were sharp, precise, and dragged across his body. Whatever it was had strength behind it to make such wounds; but I cannot say if claws or fangs caused them. I saw no small indentations to suggest a claw. But it could have easily been the claws of a creature that needs no points."

"Poison, no. The only risk he has is infection caused by the attack," he continued, this time regarding Shari. "As to size, its hard to say. I believe the attack happened from above, as most of the severe wounds were to the back and sides. It could be the animal who has done this was large...or, he simply had the advantage of terrain."

Miramar frowned at the next question. How many victims was the reason he had become involved. Very few knew him as a god. To most, he was still Miri, local medic. When the volume of referrals had reached beyond curious, he'd chosen to investigate. Input from other healers, such as Skall, told him that this was no simply a turf war between lions. "Of this lion's group, we found four. I cannot say hold old they were, as there was not much left of them by the time I was able to investigate. But some rogues who met with the group have said them to have been a band of siblings traveling to the north. I suspect they were all in well enough of a condition to fight."

"As for the previous victims, it is a bit tricky to determine which are actually caused by this 'monster', and which have just been attributed. There are a few signs of this creature's behavior however- he does not eat them, and he leaves them where they can be found," Miramar paused, and looked towards An.

The blonde lioness continued. "When I heard about it, my friends and I took to the brush to see if we could catch a trail of something. There is life in the wood, but none of it seemed hostile. There are a few leopards who call the brush home... but I don't think they are responsible. We did find where we believe the most recent attack occurred. I didn't smell anything, or see footprints... but I am no tracker. At least not of forest terrain. Once we begin searching, we'll start there first."

Miramar's face grew severe. "It is important not to target the wrong people. To devolve into savagery will eliminate any justice to be done."

Some gods helped solely because their domain demanded them to. Miramar truly wished to be of use. Like Amedia he was a pacifist...but within reason. A creature killing innocents with no cause was not a thing to protect. Like any doctor, the first response was to remove the cause of the ailment.

"I understand this is a large undertaking for you all," his head bowed low. "Myself and the other medics thank you for hunting. But I know that work is not done without fair reward, so I am offering this: to whoever lands the killing blow of the beast, I will consider it a personal debt. This may seem like a small promise, but it is not one I make lightly. To the person who removes this creature, my associates and I will pledge our assistance to whatever cause you need. An able bodied team of healers willing to respond with no questions asked is not something to take lightly."

They probably would not grasp the extent of that promise- but it was no matter. The promise would be between himself and the victor. A promise for a second chance at life, whenever it was required.

-----

An turned her head. "If there are no further questions, I suggest we decide what we should do."

Choose one of the following! The majority rules.

arrow Head directly to the scene of the attack
arrow Head to where the bodies were found
arrow Head to where the leopards were last seen.  

[Izzy Makani]

Shari listened carefully to the lion as he answered the questions. This creature really was a true mystery. Even after all the questions had been answered she was still at a loss to what it might have been. There were so many if's to the equation but one thing she was sure of was that if the monster was large then it was not easily missed by the natives of the area. And Mir's promise was one Shari was interested in. Should an uprising come in her pride the help of a team of healers could be an advantage for the druid clan that could very well help them win.

"I suggest we go see the leopards and talk to them. If there is something large roaming the are I wouldn't be surprised if they know something about it or could at least give a direction to go in." She stated to the blonde lioness.  

[Andranis]

Moshi considered where to go first. He looked at the trees, furrowing his brow. They reminded him a bit of home, where the trees grew somewhat close together, and the water lapped at everything. It was dark, that was certain, but it wasn't wet as far as he could tell from a distance. The gray-maned lion let out a huff, then turned. "I vote we go directly to the scene of the attack!" It was a logical choice in his mind... If they went to the scene of the attack, they could look for clues on what it was that had done this.

The Pridelander let out a huff. "What good is talking to leopards going to do? The little tree-climbers may be as useful to us as a rock! I think we should go to where to the bodies were found! They might have some sort of clue on them, like a mark that wasn't noticed before. They might even give us a hint on how to help the poor sap that survived the attack." It'd at least help them, maybe save their life. Capable paws or not, if there was something making the survivor ill, a cure would be a really good idea.  

[Fairy Snails]

Mura listened to the answers and felt her stomach tighten. It really did sound like they were dealing with some sort of monster. She could not imagine a normal feline doing such damage.

When the grey lioness spoke she nodded her head. "I agree that we should go to where they were last seen. We might run into someone who has seen the monster." She became silent to hear other suggestions. She just hoped that together they would be able to defeat the monster. It started to sound unstoppable.  

[Dulcea]

The killing blow. Margulis felt herself tense up, her front legs shaking. It was an amazing reward, but one she wasn't sure she would feel right in taking. Surely another would have that, one not so ill suited to battle as she was. She focused on the healer as he spoke, attempting to even out the blurriness that plagued her vision.

Going to speak to the leopards would do no good, if the marks left on these bodies were such that a team of healers had never seen them they couldn't be the work of leopards, even working in a large group. They might know something, but surely any knowledge they had would have made it into the rumors. They would be afraid too.

If the bodies were being staged somewhere there had to be a reason for it, perhaps something that had been missed in the rush to remove the survivor. "I agree, we should look first to where the bodies were found, the creature wanted them there and that takes a certain degree of thought. I say we should find out why."  

[Kaelyndra]

Moto'Seide settled herself down at the edge of the bantering group.

There would be time to be on her feet later, but while the rest bickered and agonized over their first move, she could pull unwanted thorns from her paws and rest her weary limbs. She listened intently to the healer's speech, nodding at what he had to say.

Though the Firekin had healers, outside wisdom could not hurt to learn. With how restless the Firekin were for a fight and a kill, she would not be surprised if one of them dealt a blow. But there were so many rogues. When this was over, she would have to pry them for knowledge.

"While bodies and attacks may provide clues about the creatures whereabouts," she mused out loud, "I have a feeling we have very little to learn that most do not already know."

There had already been individuals who had scouted the bodies. The scene of attack had been left, but an individuals mind was limitless in its availability of information.

"We may learn nothing of the creature from the leopards, but we would benefit from knowing the surrounding terrain better. A guide would be invaluable, and we should pay our respect to others whose land and pride we may be trodding over. We should be more wary of venturing into unfamiliar territory where it is possible we will be slowly picked off."  

[Fairy Snails]

((Ici Chiot, I didn't see your post, sorry about that))


Mura looked at her new friend, with a small frown. "I am sorry, I think you bring up a good point though. I think either way we would be able to find some sort of hint to the monsters where bouts. I just believe that going to where they were last seen would be best, just in case someone had seen what happened. I know it is a small chance, but I believe it is a chance we should take." She hoped he wouldn't think less of her because of her opinion.

"What ever the choice is, am sure it will be the right choice."  

[Princess_Feylin]

[I AM A NEWBIE]

Sandor was way beyond where he was supposed to be. He wasn't even in the lands of the pride where he was supposed to be. He didn't give a flying fart.

He had heard that there was a monster to be hunted in these forests, and he was going to take part in the hunt despite what his orders said. There were frequently rewards to be won for killing monsters, and Sandor was a poor enough Jedi that he enjoyed rewards of almost all kinds, except those which came with increased responsibilities or enforced marriages. He didn't know what sort of reward was being offered here, but he was damn sure he was going to be the one to win it, no matter how many others were taking part in the hunt.

He'd been lurking and listening as people discussed the possibility of baboons. He didn't think much of a pride that considered baboons monsters. They were annoying and occasionally vicious, yes, but monstrous was taking it a bit too far. And he ought to know. He had been living as a monster for most of his life.

The discipline of a group of lions that called themselves the Firekin impressed Sandor, but he did not allow himself to become to impressed. Formation did not mean they had any sort of fighting ability or intelligence. Though he supposed he might be able gauge something of the latter from the questions they asked the healer about this "monster."

"The scene of the attack can probably tell us more than where the bodies were found," he muttered in a raspy voice. "Though with all the people here, I don't doubt we'll manage to destroy any useful signs that remain."  

[Talencia]

Rimma considered quietly, letting everyone have their say. She'd remained in the background, but felt now was a good time to assert her own thoughts. The question was, what were those thoughts? She could see merits of both going to the scene of the attack as well as going to where the bodies were found. She glanced at a very scarred male when he spoke, voting to go to the scene. She nodded agreement with his additional statement though, being close enough to hear his mutter. "I agree with that statement," she replied quietly to Sandor before raising her voice.

"I say we go to where the bodies were found," she called. "Though truthfully I believe splitting the group to be wiser, sending some to each." Then again, with this kind of threat, there was safety in numbers. Still, she couldn't help feeling like this was similar in nature to tracking her father down. How easily the hints and clues could be missed!  

[Princess_Feylin]

Sandor glanced at the female who had agreed with him, she was small and dark but for her vibrant yellow markings. She didn't look old enough to know much about tracking or hunting, but her idea to split the group made better sense to him.

"Fewer idiots to muck up the sites," he agreed. "But hells, if we split the group twice, we may as well make it thrice and send some people to keep track of the leopards before they run off and hide like the tree-lurking cowards they are."

Actually, Sandor didn't have anything against leopards in particular. He'd been raised in a pride that did not discriminate based on species. The words came from earlier in his life and from the time he'd spent in the rogue lands. He'd've had no difficulty saying something unpleasant about any species that had turned up. He was just like that.  

[Mimsey]

Veru couldn't say he was particularly inclined to any direction...but was innately bias to Seide's opinion. It was also the place he'd be most useful. Most firekin had their claws, but Veru... he liked to chat. A lot could be learned from an amiable group of leopards. But he also understood An's fear that too much suspision in their direction could nurture a lynch mob.

"This word...monster," he mused. "Why not murderer? There has to be a reason to attribute such a savage connotation to it."

An shook her head slowly. "Beyond the savagery of what was left, this wood has always been somewhat...spooky, I suppose. Lots of strange noises. In the morning the fog rolls thick, making everything seem green. Hence the name."

"The amount of victims at a single time indicates something more than your typical mad creature," Miramar continued. Veru squinted his eyes. He could have sworn a butterfly landed on the male's flowery head. "At the very least, what we are dealing with is something most unusual."

"It might be best we avoid splitting up until we have some idea of what we are dealing with. We still haven't ruled out the possibility that this is a large group," An mused. "But I think it is fair to let those with experience tracking view the site first, should we choose to go there."  

[magnadearel]

[I AM A NEWBIE]



She had been in the pride for a bit now and was starting to feel more comfortable with it all. The red lioness had thrown herself into her training. Now she felt confident and ready for a test. Akane had jumped at the chance to help tackle a monster in greenwood. So she trailed along with the group of firekin heading there. But now she had simply stayed in the back out of the line of fire. This wasn’t how she wanted to act.

“Head to the scene of the attack!” She said with a roar. “It might come back and we’ll catch it.”