Angry Birds {Shiloh}

by **Looty** on February 7th, 2014, 3:09 am

Date: 23rd of Winter, 513AV
Location: Streets of Alvadas
Time: Late Morning

And if you wrong us shall we not get revenge? - William Shakespeare

There are rules to the wild. All people and animals obey it, though they may not acknowledge it. That rule being: there is always something bigger than you just as there is something smaller. The idea being to choose your battles. Looty the Kelvic had no knowledge of such a concept.

As it stood Looty was wandered without fear through the shifty streets. People paid no mind to the Badger. She paid them no mind. Except to snap at an errant foot. The people were busy. The Kelvic was hunting. Or I would be, she thought, if the streets would knock it off! To punctuate the thought, Alvadas saw fit to shift her streets again. Now paved a mundane cobblestone. Looty snarled at them. There was laughter in the wind.

Looty waddled on. There had been a scrumptious looking lizard on the last street. The Kelvic was growing irate. She was hungry. She wanted fresh meat. Snake meat. But she had none. It didn't occur to Looty to check a butcher's for hunting was in her nature.

The feeling of losing a battle to the city did not sit well with her. It taunted her with small morsels. Looty's fur was on end. A bird flew low. And everyone would see a shimmer of black feathers leave a trail of white along the Kelvics shoulder. She stopped.

Gross.

The bird stopped scant inches away. Looty snapped at it. The bird squawked in defense.

Food. You're gonna be my breakfast bird!

The two regarded each other.

The Kelvic moved first. She charged with her jaws wide--

and caught nothing but the air. It brushed across her back and pecked her, a warning, on the head. Looty grunted. Then retaliated. She used her tail for balance, pushed off with her forepaws, and lurched her body around to--

again snap air. Looty landed with a heavy thud. The bird eyed her while it pretended to pecked at the ground nearby. Looty tensed. Braced her back legs, and loped forward. There was a whiff of oil and--

She spit out a feather. Looty made a noise between a squeaked and a growl of pleasure. The bird dove with murder in its eyes. It cawed a warning the Kelvic could not comprehend. Looty met the dive head on, and surprised the thing into pulling up.

So absorbed in the fight the foolish Kelvic did not see the bodies in the sky growing. She did hear the beat of wings. Even Looty's nose missed the strengthening aroma of oil.

by **Shiloh Walker** on February 7th, 2014, 4:32 am

The day had started much the same as any other. Shiloh had set out into the streets of Alvadas to deliver whatever packages the city saw fit for him to give, as there was no controlling where his destination might be, Shiloh had taken to storing the various odds and ends people gave him to deliver at some point in time in his ruck sack. As was also usual, the pack was relatively light. The idea of a deliveryman in the city of illusion was about as preposterous to most folks as a sanity center in a regular city. Thus, Shiloh rarely received many requests, though there were always enough to get him from one day to the next in terms of funds.

Undaunted, Shiloh happily breezed through his days, dropping things off whenever he was where he was supposed to be, and taking care to keep the majority of his goods safe from the various dangers the streets often harbored. He'd been walking for a good while, stretching his legs and admiring the pleasant weather in his usual dazed fashion, when he happened upon a bird and some furred creature. The animals were bickering at each other, taking swipes and sharing taunts. Intrigued, Shiloh settled down in the middle of his gait, squatting then and there, wrapping his arms around his knees as he observed the scene before him.

The furry creature was quite obviously displeased with the crow, though the bird didn't seem very impressed. Shiloh bounced his chin on his knees, wondering if the bird could understand the furry creature and vice versa. It was a strange sort of concept. Humans, as a single species, had several different languages. If that were the case with animals, it was entirely likely even dogs of a different breed might speak different languages. A furry creature and a crow were as different as a rock and the sky, which meant they probably spoke entirely different languages. However, battle was understood by most living things, and that seemed to be the case now.

As the furry animal swiped at the bird, Shiloh let out a slight gasp as it finally connected. The crow, now thoroughly displeased, let out a raucous series of squawks and cries. Shiloh grinned, tickled by the silly sounding thing as it bounced from foot to foot. It wasn't until Shiloh noticed the weather had suddenly shifted until he glanced up at the sky and was met with an extremely unnerving sight. The weather was still as lovely as it had been the chime before, but now the sky was clouded with a large array of dark, feathery bodies, growing nearer and nearer. Glancing from the furry animal to the descending horde above, Shiloh called out to it in hushed tones. "Excuse me! Excuse me, little animal! I think we should run now." To better emphasize his point, Shiloh made a little gesture towards the darkening, raucous cloud above them.

by **Looty** on February 7th, 2014, 4:59 pm

The battle between fur and feather ragged on. Save for the feather it was a series of miscommunication. Hisses, caws. As one they moved. The crow in graceful, deadly arcs. The badger in stumbling, rage filled charges. On onlookers shook their heads. They steered clear. All but for one. The one who called out a warning. The Kelvic ignored him. An ill-advised error on her part.

Looty had been hungry. A smidge grumpy. Now her fur stood on end. Her tail a bushy whip. Her lips stuck above her teeth in an everlasting snarl; drool leaked at her feet. She took no notice of the people. But she could not ignore the appearance of another bird. It's talons scratched her skin. It was not deep enough to cause injury just enough to leave a burn beneath her fur.

Another bird joined.

And another.

There was a whole fleet of them. Screeching. Taking turns diving. Looty tripped over her feet in a backwards run. She continued to growl. The birds continued to be unimpressed. The Kelvic bumped into something. She turned to the leg and let out a warning snap. It was a male. Her brain dimly recalled him as the one who had spoken earlier. Out of the corner of her eye she supported a mass of black circling. As one the mass rose into the sky. Running. Looty thought smugly, and snorted as if to say, of course they would.

The Kelvic shifted without a second thought. She brushed the bird poop, now dry, from her shoulder. "You see? I don't need to run from no birds. They ran." Her words were directed at the male. Looty tilted her head. She flipped her hair confidently, proud even in her nudity. "You shouldn't be such a scaredy cat."

If the Kelvic were not so prideful she would have noticed the black storm raining down. As it was she continued she scold.

"If you're afraid they'll get you. 'Sides, I can fight anything."

The black storm was nearly upon them.

by **Shiloh Walker** on February 7th, 2014, 7:54 pm

The little animal seemed to ignore Shiloh's warning, though with all the language pondering running about in his head, Shiloh couldn't fault it. It was entirely likely it didn't understand a single thing he was saying, in which case there was absolutely no reason for it flee, as he'd suggested. So Shiloh stayed too, hunching down even more as more birds broke from the cloud, spiraling down at the animal. Quite outmatched in number, the beast fought back, swiping and growling, it's spittle flying every which way as the birds sqwacked and crowed, berate the thing with their sharp feet and powerful wings. Some of the crows even ventured a peck or two at Shiloh, who shook his head at them, scolding, "Good birds shouldn't peck, you know!" Which only landed him several more.

As a crow slapped him in the face with a wing, startling him to the ground, the little animal bumped into his foot, issuing a fierce bite in his direction to which Shiloh responded with a worried smile. The crows were one thing. The little animal had very sharp, very painful looking teeth that Shiloh preferred stay in the creature's mouth. As Shiloh pushed himself up off the street, dusting off his rear and checking his rucksack to make sure he hadn't broken anything, the birds seemed to retreat, flapping their way back into the raucous cloud above. There was a quick shine of light, pulling Shiloh's attention back to where the little animal had been. "Had been", as there was now a young girl wearing nothing but a smug grin.

Shiloh blinked several times. "S-scaredy cat?" Realized the animal was gone, Shiloh glanced side to side, searching for it until he realized the girl actually was the creature. A Kelvic. She was confident enough, but though she assured him she could fight off anything, Shiloh doubted she saw the massive onslaught of crows diving towards them. "Erm..." Each tick hesitated was one wasted. "Behind you."

by **Looty** on February 7th, 2014, 10:52 pm

Looty faced the facts, and the facts were thus: a murder of crows was going to murder her. And maybe the male. And she'd still not had breakfast. Well no one told him to stand there., she thought irrationally. She ignored the impending birds. She could fight them. But could the human? The Kelvic assessed the male. She reached out a hand to pinch his skin. "Your skin isn't very useful." Like Mom and Dad's.

The murder loomed just above them. The Kelvic groaned at the prospect of a lost fight. She glared at the male. He did not look like a fighter.

"Run." Looty snarled, "Go, go!"

Looty reached for his wrist. She began to run herself but not without turning to scream at the birds. It paused them for only a wink. Alvadas must have found the situation humorous for she did not change as quickly as she could have. If the Kelvic knew how she would have cursed.

Already her legs burned. Tired from the shift. Tired from the fight. No one hindered or helped the duo. Some did look askance at the skin. Other laughed and pointed. Looty breathed thickly through her nose and mouth. It scorched with each pull. Her arms swung wildly. Limp like noodles. Going inside did not occur to her.

Only a handful of chimes had passed.

When Alvadas seen fit to change the birds moved with it. One got close enough to peck Looty's head soundly. Her flat teeth clicked together angrily. Stupid bird!"

Another raked her shoulder. The Kelvic glanced to the side to see if the male was faring any better. Her legs crossed. She flailed. She fell. The birds took there cue. Looty swatted her arms in crazily. Even now spittle flew from her lips. She struggled to stand.

"Hiding place!" Looty shrieked to the male.

by **Shiloh Walker** on February 8th, 2014, 12:22 am

Shiloh flinched slightly at the pinch. He frowned then, not comprehending what she meant. His skin kept the rest of him in, so that seemed to be a pretty useful thing. The birds temporarily forgotten, Shiloh pinched himself, much like the girl had done. It was soft and flexible, just like it always was, though this time there were a few nicks and scratches from when the bird had batted him around. At the behest of the Kelvic, Shiloh was brought back to the very angry mob of feathered creatures heading their direction. Stumbling back some, he let himself be guided by the wrist the once-animal had taken, his eyes widening at the sudden scream.

Regaining some balance and independence, Shiloh pushed himself slightly harder, matching the girl's pace before turning for a moment and yelling back at the birds in much the same fashion the girl had. If anything, it had the opposite effect, and the cries of the birds grew even louder. Eyes widening once again, Shiloh swiveled his head forward, sprinting harder than ever. Unfortunately, Shiloh wasn't a star athlete or very fast at all. It wasn't long until the birds were upon them, despite a change of venue the city provided. It seemed they were fated to meet with a very feathery, very painful demise.

Shiloh felt several pricks on the nape of his neck, to which he responded with a yelp and a wild waving of his hands. His breath came heavy and hot as the sweat had started to run down the side of his face. The rucksack bounced and pulled at his shoulders, making the whole process all the more difficult. Several creatures descended from the flock, smacking at his head with their surprisingly solid wings. Without warning, his companion took a turn for the worse, spilling over her legs and tumbling to the ground in a series of grunts and sqwaking cacophony. In an murderously graceful arc, the birds descended, sensing weakness.

Frantically batting at the creatures rewarded Shiloh with a new scratch or bruise for only half of his own movement, making the return not really worth the investment. Instead, Shiloh just yelled an untelligible noise in response for the girl's request for somewhere to hide. Dashing from door to door, he jerked on the handles, wondering if fate would be as kind to allow him another day of life. Every locked door was an opportunity for the cursed birds to deliver another round of punishment on him and the girl, until he finally managed to find an old, abandoned looking structure that had only an old, rusted door, no windows. Unsure how to get the thing open, Shiloh kicked at it a few times until the handle just popped off.

Blinking in surprise and a little bit of pain, Shiloh dashed over to the girl. "Over there!" It was difficult to hear amid the screaming vengeance of the winged beasts, so Shiloh swung his arms about, trying to clear them some as he frantically gestured towards the now open door. Unable to take much more punishment, Shiloh covered his head with his arms and made a dash for their only hope at sanctuary. Fate had given them a safe place, and though he doubted he could avoid ending up there, there was certainly a good change if he went now he'd have fewer cuts.

by **Looty** on February 8th, 2014, 3:49 am

Time moves quickly when doing what is like, the reverse is true when doing what is disliked. So when Looty the Kelvic was trapped, it took bells in her mind. The swarm of crows seemed never-ending. At their haste to attack Looty they even hit each other. She gave up waving her arms. She covered her face. She kicked her feet ceaselessly.

In reality it took less than two chimes for the human male to find a spot. She heard his shout above the sin. Looty rolled. Rolled, screamed and even gnashed her teeth. The Kelvics body collided with a building. She struggled against the oppressive blackness to stand. Oil, blood, and sweat invaded her mouth. Looty flung herself against the door. It gave way. The two would be able to get in.

The Kelvic took a glance to ensure the male was in. The door slammed. The windows shivered. A bent wing flapped pitifully between the door. Had Looty been in her other form she would have torn it off and eaten it. I don't like birds. She thought angrily. Then was distracted by the male and stinging all over her body. Looty giggled.

"That was fun! You hurt?" Looty inspected her own cuts. She plopped down. She spit in her hand and rubbed it against her injuries. Again and again she repeated the process. Blood smeared. "Human skins not very good. I shouldn't have changed. We're gonna need a person for this."

As she said 'this' she motioned to all of the male. The Kelvic was content with her own cleaning for now. She stood. Walked to the window. Birds watched the window. Looty smashed her face against it and shrieked. "Bird!"

Looty turned to the male again. She spit in her hand and held it out. "Want me to clean you?"

by **Shiloh Walker** on February 8th, 2014, 7:42 am

Right on the girl's heels, Shiloh rushed in after her, futilely swinging his arms behind him to keep the beasts at bay. As the door slammed shut behind them, there was a loud screech as one of the thing's wings had been caught. Shiloh glance down at it, frowning, before quickly opening and closing the door to let the thing go free. As the adrenaline began to fade from his blood stream, Shiloh grimaced, suddenly aware of the many new wounds he'd just received. Trying not to move his face much, Shiloh gingerly leaned against the door while several of the birds cawed their displeasure, pecking futilely at the wooden planks.

Glancing down at his arms, Shiloh was rather disappointed to see his shirt sporting several tears and rips dotted with the crimson drips of the many long lesions that ran up and down his arms. Tattered, out of breath, and stinging all over, Shiloh let his eyes slowly return to the naked girl in front of him. She seemed in much better spirits than he, and seeing as they were out of harm's way for the time being, Shiloh decided to adopt a similar sunny outlook. After all, they hadn't died, and it seemed he'd made a new acquaintance.

Offering a little grin, Shiloh gingerly shook his head, wincing slightly as his hair brushed against several cuts on the back of his neck. "I'm not hurt much." At the statement of a third part being required, Shiloh looked down at his messy state and back to the girl before nodding. He really had no idea what she meant, but she seemed certain the "person" would do him some good. Rather than question her about it, Shiloh figured it'd make sense eventually, or he'd just forget about it later.

She seemed to be administering first aid to herself using her own saliva. Shiloh watched, his eyes wide with interest. Though he'd never really been in the sort of situation that required him or anyone else to employ methods of healing, it was certainly a strange sight to behold. As the girl pressed her face against one the windows, taunting the birds, Shiloh glanced down into his open palm. Shrugging, and instantly regretting the stinging pain that followed, Shiloh spit into his hand, rubbing it onto one of the cuts on his arm. The Kelvic's pain tolerance was much higher than is. It stung just as bad as moving around to rub his spit in the cuts. That, added to the slight discomfort in his stomach in doing so, led Shiloh to decided the Kelvic's form of quick-fix medicine was better suited to her than him.

At her offer to clean him, Shiloh shook his head, starting to get used to the sting with every moment. "It's alright, they're not very deep." He moved over to join her at the cloudy window. Outside, the flock had shrunk by a large amount, leaving behind only ten or so of the original army. The crows didn't seem nearly as bloodthirsty, though Shiloh decided then and there birds were not to be trifled with, no matter their appearance. Smiling down at the girl, Shiloh stuck out his hand. "I'm Shiloh. I don't think I like birds very much anymore."

by **Looty** on February 8th, 2014, 8:02 pm

Maybe say body language can be universal. However, Looty the Kelvic stared at the males, whose name she had just learned was Shiloh, uncomprehending. She hunched down to inspect the hand. She sniffed it. Sweat. Leather. The Kelvic catalogued the scent as 'Shiloh', then straightened. Looty shrugged as if to say, oh well. After which she gripped Shilohs hand like one would a child's. "Mom calls me Looty."

She did not let go of his hand. "I dunno if I like birds, I've never eaten one before." The Kelvic used a free hand to massage her stinging cheek. "But I think they're too pokey. And they'll peck you all the time now. They do that. Mom says they want revenge. I think they're just jealous I always win. That was my breakfast. You got any food?" Looty looked around Shiloh as if the food would magically appear. When it did not she took a proper look around the room. It was sparsely furnished. But it was a room. The thought of breaking and entering had not occurred to the Kelvic. It registered even less when she spied Shiloh bag.

"Wacha got in there? Is it food? I forgot my backpack at home-at the inn." Looty made a face. Her lips trembled. Her eyes grew glassy. She shivered, and her brows came together. Very determinedly Looty spoke, "I don't live here. I'm not gonna ever live here."

The Kelvic didn't truly understand her sudden distilled anger. And she was still hungry. Looty was unable to stand still anymore. Her hair stood on end. She swung an arm. It hurt. Tiny cuts were aggravated all over her body. It gave her a thrill, much in the same.manner the running from the crazed birds had. Looty proceeded to stomp around the room. For a moment she forgot Shiloh. She turned to face him.

"Shiloh, are the birds gone yet?" The Kelvic was growing impatient. Her entire body showed the desire to move.

by **Shiloh Walker** on February 9th, 2014, 6:13 am

Slightly taken back from Looty's peculiar handshake, Shiloh just stared down at her hand in his. He supposed the smelling wasn't all that odd. After all, she had been a little furry creature only a handful of chimes before. He was fairly certain that was a way animals said hello, or perhaps it wasn't a form of communication at all, but a way to gather information about something, such as seeing or tasting. Grinning to himself, Shiloh pictured people running into each other on the streets and taking turns licking the other's face. It was a peculiar sort of daydream that was interrupted by Looty's opinion of the birds.

Before he could respond with a "Oh, how interesting!" or maybe even a "Revenge? How spiteful." she continued on to ask him a question. Food? Shiloh frowned. Using his free hand, he wiggled his arm out of the strap, opening the rucksack with some difficulty as both is scratches and his preoccupied hand posed as formidable barriers. Rummaging through it, he paused as Looty inquired whether or not he had anything edible within. "I'm not sure. Maybe? ...It's possible."

His search was interrupted by her rather vehement statement that she never wanted to live in Alvadas. Uncertain as to what he should say, the moment passed as Looty released his hand and began stomping about the room, swinging her arms in a similar spontaneous wildness. Blinking in confusion, Shiloh watched her for a chime before he realized he'd been looking for something. With both arms now free, Shiloh was able to slide the rucksack from his back, wincing as his cuts were aggravated, though the pain had begun to dull already. Within were two parcels wrapped in papers and tied with twine, a spherical something he was almost certain was a rock, and a small satchel. Pulling it out, Shiloh peered in to discover a handful of dried nuts someone had given him in payment for one of his deliveries.

Looty's complaint brought Shiloh out of his investigative state. His eyes widened slightly, glancing back to Looty then out the window, the satchel held up in his right hand as his left loosely hung to his side, the rucksack in tow. "There's maybe three or four left. ...Five maybe?" The birds were moving in and out of his range of vision, making it difficult to determine their exact numbers. "Fewer than before, at any rate." His voice was pleased as he smiled back blissfully at Looty.

A slight pain in his arm, different from the sting of his scratches, reminded Shiloh he was still holding the satchel of sundries in his hand. Extending the bag to Looty, Shiloh shook the contents a bit. "I found some nuts!"