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 Posted: Mon Aug 05, 2013 10:47 am
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Posted: Mon Aug 05, 2013 10:59 am
XXXXXXX[Kiyoshi Yukio]
If there was one thing that set apart this stallion from any other of the soquili species, it was how truly relentless he was. While the vast majority of his line had sought solace and comfort in the sense of honour and duty that Cyn Generis had instilled in them, Kiyoshi was a stallion without morals. Or rather, this was an inaccurate statement, for the stallion could demonstrate morals when he required them, but in the face of something truly evil, he became an unrelenting and merciless force of nature. The stallion, despite his age, was not one to be trifled with... and when it came to his family he was especially dangerous.
It hadn't been long since Conduit had bestowed upon him the news that his favoured grandson might not live to see another day. Tempest had found his calling in the pursuit of purewalkers, his desire to see them wiped out providing considerable drive. He had been given that purpose by his 'god', who Kiyoshi was as of yet, not prepared to reveal the identity of, but as it had been him who had given Tempest such a purpose, it was also his duty to protect him in a manner that no other being was capable of within his family.
Thus, rather than provide the family with Tempest's whereabouts, the true patriarch of the line had made the decision to seek him out himself. It need only be a fleeting visit, one that provided Tempest with the veiled warning that would ensure he would survive at the very least. If Tempest was in a position where he sought rest, then Kiyoshi would provide it... The elder stallion would be his reprieve, the shield that stood between his grandson and the walkers until he was once again in prime condition.
It hadn't taken the black stallion long to seek out his grandson once he had taken wing... however, when he had found him, he had discovered that Tempest was escorting a victim home. It had all seemed very innocent, even to the point that Kiyoshi had also caught sight of Catalyst as she surveyed one of Syntyche's kills. For all intents and purposes, Kiyoshi could have waited until the time was right, but just as he had swung round to return to a more appropriate vantage point, he had caught her in his ever bright eyes.
Syntyche.
She hadn't been silenced for long and it seemed that on this occasion her path was set. Something had spurred her on, the walker was hard on Tempest's trail and if that meant what he thought it did, then she would not only strike at his grandson, but also at the family he had led her to. Kiyoshi had seen his grandson's condition... Tempest was not ready for combat, not yet.
"We are long overdue a proper introduction," he murmured under his breath, selecting a place within the mare's path to intercept her...
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Posted: Mon Aug 05, 2013 11:11 am
XXXXXXX[Syntyche]
Cowardice, weakness and stupidity were not something that Divinity appreciated. The walker had always been aware of this, she had always heard his whispers and appreciated that he had no tolerance from it... And yet up until now she hadn't realised that she had fallen into this pitiful stream. She was Divinity's chosen and yet she had disappointed him, she had fled one too many times from that priest to lick her wounds, to recover and prepare for her next onslaught. She had thought that he would approve of such a strategy so that she might bring down the most rare, exotic and unique creatures... but she was wrong. It had taken an encounter with one of her own kind to remind her of how blind she was, and during that encounter she had been provided with a lasting memory.
That walker had torn the eye straight from her socket; already wounded from her last encounter, he had used that to his advantage and blinded her. It had played havoc with her depth perception, but she had always been tenacious and she would not be beaten by such an injury. Divinity had reminded her that she was of the mightiest race, and now he was testing her to see if she was still worthy of his love and affection.
...Worthy of his gifts.
Had it not been for the unfortunate unicorn she had found as she stumbled from the bison fields, she would have been dead. Alas she had forced the creature's hand and it had healed her under fear of death. Gradually the bleeding had stopped and she had lain there, waiting for her strength to recover... but in a rare moment of 'compassion' she had let the unicorn retreat with its life. No doubt she would be back to reacquaint herself with it in the future, but for now it was not her target; no, on this occasion it was the beast that continued to cause rampant havoc on her quest.
She wanted the priest and she wanted to drop him on Divinity's doorstep.
Thus, when her strength had fully recovered the walker had located the priest's trail again and began her pursuit, bounding through the forests towards wherever the godforsaken creature was headed. Ah, but it was't long before she'd covered ample distance, her wounds failing to slow her as Tempest's had slowed him - his scent was becoming ever stronger, he wasn't far at all.
He was within her grasp!
Except he wasn't...
As she crashed through another series of trees, she found herself in a clearing, recently made. With ferns crushed beneath her paws, she flicked her one remaining eye towards the obstacle before her, and with something akin to 'dread', she saw the 'immortal' monster...
"You," she hissed, her eye narrowing as she regarded Kiyoshi. "You are a long way from home."
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Posted: Mon Aug 05, 2013 11:19 am
XXXXXXX[Kiyoshi Yukio]
He'd had just enough time to clear out a region that he could use to silence and ensnare the walker. It wasn't an ideal place as it had very little to throw and impale her against, but it was a clearing large enough for him to ensnare and capture the beast. Ah yes, but that was all he needed to do for the time being - while he could ultimately dispose of the creature himself, he was all to aware of Tempest's calling and as such, knew that he would never forgive his grandfather for intervening to that point. As such, Kiyoshi was not prepared to kill the walker for the time being, merely distract and move her.
As of yet he was unsure of where he would move her to, but he would make certain that when he did, it was a major inconvenience to her. For now though, the stallion's main concern was placing her in a state that would ensure she could be transported. As a beast without poisons he couldn't take her out in one sure shot, he was going to have to take a measured approach and systematically knock her out...
"Home is relative, Walker," Kiyoshi replied darkly, assessing the feline for signs of weakness... Much to his surprise, someone had already gotten to her, for the mare was missing an eye that she had most definitely had before. Ah, but whatever had wounded her had also failed to do a sufficient job, for the feline was still there and her eye had been healed cleanly.
...Had someone done that for her?
"You however, tread on ground you are most certainly not welcome in," he continued, his own eyes narrowing as he continued to stare at the feline. "I will give you one chance to turn around," his tone continued to cool and he wrinkled his nose in distaste. "Then the offer will expire."
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Posted: Mon Aug 05, 2013 11:27 am
XXXXXXX[Syntyche]
While retreating and moving down another path to reach Tempest seemed like the most logical decision to make, Syntyche was acutely aware of the fact that Divinity had already punished her for cowardice. To take up Kiyoshi on his 'offer' would have been to flee from his presence, and while Syntyche had already seen this 'immortal' beast in action, this did not necessarily mean she was permitted to flee. What seemed logical, what seemed appropriate, no longer mattered - Divinity had given her an order and she was not allowed to take alternative routes.
The priest lay beyond this creature and to deviate from her path would delay her pursuit, in a worst case scenario, the stallion would manage to evade her completely. This was not something that she would permit, he had stood in her path for too long and as a result her work had suffered. In the months in which Tempest had pursued her, her offerings had become untidy and wholly inappropriate for the eyes of her deity. Divinity had been extremely patient with her and now, she had to return his patience with a renewed display of devotion...
No, she could not bow and take another path...the black stallion had to move.
She too wrinkled her nose in distaste, and without a further exchange of words (for none were needed), the walker lunged forward. With claws bared and mouth wide, she went straight for his throat. She knew better than to attack his gleaming legs, or even to pursue his rear, instead she went for his most exposed area. He was a beast, an animal, and as such she would target the area most vulnerable in all beings.
He would die today.
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Posted: Mon Aug 05, 2013 11:41 am
XXXXXXX[Kiyoshi Yukio]
In the grand scheme of things walkers were an exceedingly predictable race, while their methods might all be different, there were certain elements of their nature that were unchanging. Pride, stubbornness, and that blood thirsty streak that never left them for long - while some might be able to deal with that streak for a time and suppress the desire to rip another limb from limb, it wasn't very long at all before they cracked. A direct challenge, or more accurately, questioning their strength, power, supremacy...and they would soon fall into the palm of another's hand. They would always attack eventually, it was simply a question of hitting the right buttons.
Kiyoshi wasn't entirely certain of which buttons he had hit, but he had done something and when she had leapt towards him, he'd only had mere seconds to get out of the way. He'd been missed by the skin of his teeth, but the stallion still noted it was far too close for comfort. In fact, the mare had managed to strike him as he could feel the heat searing across his neck as his wounds began to heal. Ah, but it had been quite some time since he had felt a wound that deep, there was something almost intoxicating about the combination of pain and adrenaline that coursed through his body when another managed to catch him off guard.
Nevertheless, his own defeat and death was not what he was there for, and no sooner had the mare landed than he had lashed out towards her. Throwing his weight towards the mare, he aimed to corner her against a tighter cluster of trees, tight enough so that when she next 'lunged' at him, he would be able to throw her backwards and knock her out. Had he aimed to annihilate the skinwalker here and now, then his tactics would have been decidedly more brutal...alas he only needed to incapacitate her for the time being.
...It was Tempest's destiny to kill her.
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Posted: Mon Aug 05, 2013 11:47 am
XXXXXXX[Syntyche]
Giant-glowing-never-bleeding-immortal-son-of-a-b***h!
Her thoughts came out in a rampant stream as the stallion dodged the worst of her attacks, she couldn't even pause to celebrate that she had grazed his neck, as she noted in her next approach that it was already closing. She had never seen this creature bleed, oh she had seen the wounds open, but nothing had ever come out. She'd heard him hiss as the pain had seared through him, but it had never been enough to stop him. He was seemingly untouchable and she was beginning to suspect that he was otherworldly, perhaps he was her test, not the priest... and yet, if only she had known that he had come close to death more than once.
More importantly, he'd come close to death by the hands of his own family.
Still, in her next lunge she misjudged the distance and fell up short, her lack of a working eye on one side playing havoc with her perception. Swinging round she elected to give it another attempt and yet much to her irritation, he was already in pursuit of her. She did the only thing she knew she could in those moments and sprang away, landing a hair's breadth from the tree line... a hair away, from what she realised, was something akin to a wall. She'd been cornered, and that was the one thing that no one should have ever done to a walker.
Baring her teeth once more, the walker sprang forward, once again aiming for his neck. Given he was in motion towards her, it was unlikely she would miss this time, all she needed to do was wrap her paws around his neck and tear with her mouth...
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Posted: Mon Aug 05, 2013 12:04 pm
XXXXXXX[Kiyoshi Yukio]
Corner any beast and it reacted in the same way, heck, Kiyoshi had even observed rats acting in the same fashion. It was safe to assume that any individual who was cornered would do everything in their power to get out of that situation. Syntyche had done as he had anticipated and without the slightest hesitation he ducked his head, exposed his horns and gave a jerk. As the lower regions of her chest collided with his upper neck and horns, he gave a heave and then plunged forward.
His actions had the desired effect, as the momentum caused the feline to become airborne and fly somewhat unceremoniously through the air. With the larger stallion still in pursuit, her collision with the trees was not the only assault she would receive. The first impact more of a 'scratch', it was the full weight of Kiyoshi against her smaller form that knocked her into a state of unconsciousness.
Ah, but there were advantages to being absolutely monstrous sometimes...
As the stallion gazed down on the unfortunate walker, he allowed the ethereal tendrils to seep from his shoulders. It only ever took a few seconds, a moment or to for them to solidify, and then they were finally ready to coil around her form. When he was certain he had a firm 'grip' around her hind legs and forelegs, he then gave a mighty thrust of his wings and pushed himself into the air. It took considerable effort and placed quite a strain on his back, but eventually he managed to reach a high enough altitude to gain the support of the wind.
...Now the only question was where to take her?
He needed to take her somewhere devoid of his grandson's scent, somewhere she was completely unfamiliar with and out of her depth. There were few places in the world ideal for that and short of the sea he couldn't really deposit her anywhere without collateral damage. Or perhaps he could? His mind was evidently on to something when it had pondered the sea... Surely there was a sandbar or two he could leave her stranded on?
He elected to pursue that train of thought, and without further hesitation, took flight towards the coast.
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