[PRP] A swift counter ((List inside))

[Nisshou H]

This is a private RP between Roniel Targaryen and Nisshou H. No posting please.

The following soquili will be featured:
Zelcion (Niss), Tythoss (Roni), Yseult (Niss), Lorenna (Niss), Revyra (Niss), Phala (Niss), more Padmapani peeps to come...

 

[Nisshou H]

Zelcion was beginning to regret the decision to pick a herd that was so far away as the first target. It had all sounded like a good plan in theory but he had forgotten to calculate exactly how long they would be out walking. Weeks, they had been out walking for at least two weeks. He couldn’t help but think that if they could fly like Yseult all of this would have gone faster. They had finally made it, though; they were at the border of the Padmapani territory. All of them, him, Tythoss and Yseult. It was time to get their plan into action.

“Tythoss, Yseult, you remember what we discussed right? We sneak in and make sure no one sees us. We grab their alpha b***h and well,” Zelcion chuckled grinning cruelly, “You know the rest.” They could grab souvenirs on their way back out of the territory but their mark came first. They didn’t need anyone raising a ruckus on their way in and tipping the whole herd off.

“Now come on.” Zelcion marched off further into the trees and before too long he heard a distant squawking call of, “Kalona!” Zelcion paused and looked up. That call was answered by another and another until it was coming from all around but Zelcion had no idea where it was coming from. He took a slow step forward and then all at once a large flock of crows and flew off deeper into the herd territory crying out, “Kalona! Kalona!” Zelcion snarled at them before rounding on his brother. “Bird scouts? They have birds keeping watch?” He was furious. Why hadn’t they known about this?
 

[Nisshou H]

About halfway through the trip Yseult had wanted to bite off one of his ears because he couldn't fly making the whole plan seem to be a gigantic waste of effort. Now, as the birds flew out of the trees, she wanted to rip off the tail. Zelcion was clever, very clever, but he was also incredibly stupid and arrogant. He could have sent her off ahead at any moment to check on what sort of resistance they could expect but no he and his stupid superiority complex wouldn't hear of it. Now they no longer had the element of surprise that they had been counting on. Still he wouldn't take any of the blame, oh no, not him, he was too good for blame. Instead it was everyone else's fault, as usual.

"Zel-, my lord," she corrected herself quickly with a bow. "What should we do now?" She didn't want to think about doing something so shameful but it was beginning to look like backing out would be their best option. They could return once they were better prepared. She was a warrior that adored the thrill battle could bring but she wasn't eager about watching Zelcion and his brother torn apart and trampled by the members of Padmapani while she slowly picked them off from the sky.  

[Revolutionary Roniel]

Tythoss' jaw dropped at the sudden commotion. He was used to animals getting upset in the presence of a kalona, but this was that to an extreme. He hadn't even realized it was possible to train birds to be guards. They were so scatterbrained he would have thought them useless for any task besides singing prettily or tasting good.

"Maybe we should come back later?" Tythoss suggested reluctantly. "We could come back at night, unless you think they have owls guarding the area too." Now that he mentioned the idea, he realized it was entirely possible. Owls or bats. If the herd they were after was already paranoid enough to have birds watching over them, they might just have night guards too.  

[Nisshou H]

Zelcion looked about ready to tear the heads of baby rabbits because that's exactly what he felt like doing at the moment. Bird guards and now Yseult and Tythoss were trying to pressure him into making a decision. He wouldn't put it past them to use owls as well. "No, we strike now, we're already here. We move fast this time. Don't worry about hiding, kill anything that gets in your way. We'll find their leader and kill her." Wearing a scowl Zelcion charged into the trees keeping his eyes wide-open to catch any signs of enemy movement. The plan had changed, that didn't mean they couldn't still pull it off.  

[Nisshou H]

Lorenna heard the shrieks of the birds long before she saw them and they all had the same thing to say, they had seen the kalona. Now it was time to put their counter attack into motion. Steeling herself for the events to come Lorenna crossed the short distance to Shrivatsa, Hayagriva and Revyra. "I believe our friends are telling us that it's time to get into position now." She said nodding towards the birds. "If they change paths or leave the birds will let us know. Now," Lorenna took in a deep breath and slowly began to shrink until she was the size of a large butterfly and no more suspicious than one. She then fluttered up to the top of Shrivatsa's head and landed there. She would stay here until the kalona were in sight. Then she would change to signal the attack. She was also there just in case something went wrong. Then Shrivatsa wouldn't have to fight off a group of kalona all on her own. "Remember, just act normal." She said into the other mare's ear her voice now sounding remarkably like a chipmunk's.  

[Nisshou H]

Revyra stood beside her mate the picture of battle-bred confidence. Her eyes observed the area coldly with even sweeps. She took in ever little detail and didn't so much as flinch when the birds started calling the warning. When the flutter mare, Lorenna strode over she was ready for her. After hearing what Lorenna had to say and watching her change size Revyra took off to make the rounds through the fighters. "All right everyone, into the trees or into the rocks! Stay out of sight but don't stray too far. We need you where you can be useful! Keep your eyes on our alpha at all times! The flutter is the signal!" Revyra was quite found of this plan. She and Lorenna had thought it up after it had been suggested that Shrivatsa be bait for the kalona. In an ideal world Shri would not need to be bait, but then again in an ideal world kalona wouldn't exist at all.  

[Nisshou H]

Phala hated this plan. He didn't want his sister to be used as bait. Too many things could go wrong. If he'd had his way they would have been charging up to the border to meet those kalona head-on not skulking around like weasels. Unfortunately he was never going to get his way so he settled for the next best thing. As soon as Revyra told them to get in position he streaked over to some bushes near the edge of the perimeter Revyra had given them. He crouched down half in them and half out ignoring how they scraped at his flesh and pulled at his mane. His sister was more important than his comfort. From her he was hidden and still had a clear view of Shri. The second they got the signal he would be the first striving to tear a chunk out of one of those damned kalona.  

[Revolutionary Roniel]

Haya nodded briefly to Revyra, communicating that he approved and accepted her planning. In matters like these he was happy to defer to her trained expertise in matters of strategy. He would be more hard to hide. It was an unfortunate side effect of being a rather large and rather golden elder. He drew back and immersed himself as best as he could in a prickly holly bush. It wasn't comfortable, but there were few plants still with leaves at this time of year. He noticed that Phala had made the same decision. Smart kid.

Haya glanced at the long strands of his mane. The wind tugged them away from his body. That was good. They were downwind of Shrivatsa. If the kalona came from the expected direction, they wouldn't smell the ambush before it hit.  

[Revolutionary Roniel]

"I'll be fine," said Shrivatsa. She didn't know whether she said it to Lorenna, Revyra, or to herself. Om mani padme hum. She chanted the familiar chant mentally, calming herself. She was supposed to act normal. That was easier said than done under the current conditions. The many members of the herd defense team were hiding themselves all around her, but they made her feel no less exposed. Kalonas were coming and she was the target and somehow had to act normal.

Steeling herself, she reminded herself that she was the alpha. If she couldn't keep calm in a stressful situation then she should just step down and let someone else take over. She thought about what she normally did on her own. One of the major things was looking for herbs. She was always trying to keep her medicinal stash fresh and this was as good a spot as any to look around. Shrivatsa began to sniff at a nearby shrub. She plucked off a leaf, tasted it, and then began to pick some and tuck them into the open mouth of one of her lanterns.  

[Nisshou H]

Zelcion lead the charge through the trees. They hadn't known about the birds but at least they knew what their target looked like. There had been a change in leadership since their father had last attacked the herd and knowing this could very well be considered an advantage. On top of that it didn't seem like the avian lookouts had been any use to the herd. Zelcion would have expected some trouble by now but they still hadn't run into a single challenger. It was more like they had completely deserted the area.

The moment the thought crossed his mind Zelcion slowed to a stop and snorted. "Cowards..." He muttered turning to his brother. "They've fled!" Zelcion shouted kicking at a small stone. "The mighty herd has turned tail and run. There's no point in wasting energy now, we'll walk until we find sign of them." And they would be found, Zelcion would make sure of it.  

[Nisshou H]

Yseult dug her hooves into the ground to come to a quick stop when she noticed Zelcion's pace slowing. Fled? She scowled at the thought. If they had run off then that would mean more long hours of endless travel until they caught up. "I would have expected a fight from such a large herd." She snorted as she started to walk downhill instead of racing. There was no challenge in this. She might have even preferred watching Zelcion and Tythoss being torn limb from limb to this slow chase.

Displeased with the entire endeavor Yseult decided to pick up her pace a little more to get away from the mazoku she was with. To amuse herself and pass the time she thought of disemboweling rodents along with her boss. After only a few minutes of this she came around a large bolder and stopped dead in her tracks. The alpha was standing right there, out in the open, collecting plants. She backed up a little way and hissed to Tythoss and Zelcion. "They're not all gone...she's right there." Yseult jerked her head to indicate the mare's position before glowering at Zelcion.  

[Revolutionary Roniel]

Tythoss stopped immediately after Yseult did. A key element of a good kidnapping was surprise. It wouldn't do anyone any good if their quarry bolted into the forest. Chases were incredibly unpredictable as far as assaults went. At the news that the alpha was right out in the open, Tythoss gave a serpentine smirk with his extended mouth.

"What an idiot," he chuckled softly. He glanced to Zelcion. He accepted his brother's position as the honorary leader of their expedition. "What do you think? All of us together as a group, or want to separate and come at her from all sides?" Both plans had merit, if executed properly.  

[Revolutionary Roniel]

Shrivatsa didn't know yet that she had been spotted by the kalonas. She was still working on looking normal. She couldn't help but wonder if she looked as ridiculous as she felt. She could sense the eyes of her herdmates upon her, even though they were more likely to be looking around the area, watching for their enemies.

She could barely feel the tiny flutter perched upon her and almost forgot she was there from time to time. She had to be careful. One careless flip of her head might send the flutter spinning away.  

[Nisshou H]

Zelcion grinned like a true predator at the news. For once he was grateful that he had been wrong. Perhaps the birds hadn't been scouts at all, now it seemed more likely that they had just been warning their flocks. "We'll take her all at once." It seemed like it would be easier to execute. They could outrun a little mare and hunt her down like the prey she was if she rabbited. They had come this far, there was no point in making this trip even more complicated. "We move quick and silent. She's down wind so she'll probably notice us but don't stop no matter what. We can do this."

With his orders laid out Zelcion started his quiet charge. It felt good to be in control like this. By birth he and Tythoss were equals in standing, perhaps Tythoss stood a little higher being older, but it was nothing to fret over. This, however, this was power. Zelcion stood above his brother now and he liked it. When they told their tale to their parents and lords Zelcion would be sure to take all due credit.

The second Zelcion moved into the open he picked up his pace wanting to catch the mare as off guard as he could. She would see them and smell them but Zelcion still doubted that she would know what was coming. He could see the little white mare as plain as day standing in the open like a foolish child. Not even for one second did Zelcion stop to think that the alpha being so alone was unusual.