Quest Hunting the Beast

A hunting party goes out to hunt a bear. Will they get more than they bargained for? Only time will tell.

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The westernmost tip of Kalea, Wind Reach is home to an amazing group of people and their giant eagle mounts. [Lore]

Hunting the Beast

Postby Zhol on April 25th, 2015, 9:44 pm

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Zhol took a single step forward, his long strides bringing him comfortably alongside Khara. A hand gently settled on her shoulder, in part to reassure her, in part to waylay her anxious attempt at excusing their delay. He had seen the anxiety bubbling beneath the surface of Khara's demeanour with every passing chime, slowly rising to the boil the closer they got, and the later they became. Khara and he avoided the upper castes for the most part, and it had been so long since Khara paid any real mind to his caste that it was easy to forget how cripplingly anxious she could become in their presence; but Zhol hadn't forgotten, and refused to let himself forget. There were few times when he could do anything to help in these situations, but now was one; now he could twist the Inarta castes, and use them to his advantage.

"We are late because of me," he interjected, offering a respectful bow of his head towards the Endal, and carefully avoiding Azira's gaze to spare himself from the glare that she always seemed to have on standby waiting for him. "I should have realised that Brandon might have trouble making his way to the Gates on his own. He has only been in the city for a fraction of a season, and he has been staying with Drusilla in your Aeries - she found him injured in his kelvic form, and has been nursing him back to health. Had I thought, I would have fetched him from your rooms myself, and we could have avoided this delay."

He shuffled slightly; it came off as hesitant and regretful, but in truth there was the faintest hint of annoyance underneath. "I did not want to risk anyone else -" foolishly, his mind silently added, "- striding off down the Sanikas Road alone; too many lives have been lost to this beast already to risk tempting fate in such a way. There is strength in numbers; and clearly others are inclined to agree, else they would not have intended for so many of us to work together."

Zhol paused a moment, considering the group that had been assembled. While one could certainly argue that three outsiders, an antisocial huntress, and a chronically anxious game scout sounded like a fairly expendable group of people in the eyes of the Inarta, there was more to it than that. Khara was slowly earning herself a reputation as one of the more resourceful and reliable game scouts. Zhol knew first hand just how formidable Brandon's unarmed fighting skills were, and his ability to shift forms was as useful as it was frustrating. Azira was ruthless; and she, he, and Khara had faced monstrous creatures before. True, it was a shame that Sira wasn't here with them, but Turrin had quite a formidable reputation of his own. Whether by intent or accident, their quintet of skills sets was not one to be dismissed or taken lightly.

"In any case, I consider myself responsible for these two Chiet. Any fault or blame for our tardiness belongs with me; and for it you have my sincerest apologies."
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Hunting the Beast

Postby Brandon Blackwing on April 28th, 2015, 3:48 pm

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Of their little tardy group, Brandon was the only one who did not even bother starting an attempt to apologize, nor did he see the need to do so. There was no benefit in getting into an endal’s good graces; they treated you the same anyways. Grovel. Beg. Obey. Be grateful for their willingness to waste their time with you. That was not to say that Brandon was not impressed by the figure the man cut, not at all. Brandon was truly impressed, but not because of the endal, but because of the armor he wore. In all of Wind Reach, Brandon hadn’t ever heard, nor seen an Inarta wear anything more protective than their clothes. No armor. But this one did. This one seemed interesting.

He seemed taller than your average redheaded Wind Reach citizen too. Or perhaps it was just that the fifth member of their merry band was ridiculously small. Maybe both. But damn, she was tiny! If not for the womanly shape of her body, Brandon might have mistook her for one of the yasi girls he taught. How old were they again? Not the eight years olds -youngest ones, which were pretty old for his Kelvic standards- but more like one of the older groups he taught. The twelve year olds, yes, them. Zhol stepped forwards to speak, putting an arm around his beloved in an effort to calm her down. If not for the horse boy, Bran might have either swatted the back of her head, or stabbed her in the ribs with a finger to make her snap out of her hysterical attack nervousness. The fidgeting was kind of annoying, and the slight tremble too. Not to mention the stutter that crept into her speech. When the bat had gone scouting with her she’d been rather confident, but now?

When Zhol started speaking, Brandon couldn’t agree more; exactly, they were late because of him. If not for the questionable stamina of the horse boy, Brandon might have started to jog, Khara would have been able to keep up, no doubt. But nope, walking had been the choice for the three of them. The shortcut had only worsened their pace; Khara had been more than able to traverse the uneven rocky surface, but Bran was not as well versed as she, but he had had his acrobatics to rely on, as well as his trained physique. Zhol on the other hand had been a dead weight. The condescending tone with which Brandon was addressed though was not appreciated, even if Brandon occasionally had trouble finding his way. When it was convenient for him, that is.

“I actually have my own room now,” Brandon interjected, storing away the little piece of information he’d gained about the endal. Dru lived at his place. They were more than just acquainted then. Friends perhaps? Well, it hardly mattered, as of now he was more concerned about the sour-faced huntress staring at them, maybe more at Zhol than at him. She certainly looked calm, but that face… It was more irritated than angry, but the thief couldn’t quite pinpoint what the source of the irritation might be. Zhol’s lack of competence that had slowed them down? The fact she had to listen to an endal? The fact that Zhol was the same caste as her? Or just all of them together, and everything else included? Heh, that made for a very entertaining person to be on their team. Entertaining for the bat, of course.

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Hunting the Beast

Postby Verilian on June 3rd, 2015, 5:19 pm

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Somewhere in the forest just off the road..

A loud roar sounded, too far away for any to hear, except maybe Brandon with his keen ears, followed by a human scream of terror which even Bran would not be able to pick up. Zet ran as fast as he could, and the beast kept pace with him, unable to gain ground due to having to dodge around the trees and pick different paths due to its bulk, but not losing ground either. Eventually Zet came to a creek, shallow but fast moving. He waded in, taking care not to trip, and made his way to the other side just as the beast came out on the bank. He did not look back to see if the water gave it pause, but continued forward, stopping only long enough to grab a large fallen tree branch. It was broken just so that the end had a wicked point that he might be able to use as a last defense.

Zet did not stop to stand his ground, but hefted the makeshift spear and ran on. The loud splash behind him told the chiet that the beast would not be deterred by the stream, and his weakening stride told him that one way or another he was going to have to stop and face the thing. He ran on for as long as he could before finally he turned, hefting his spear, and awaiting the charge of the beast. Sweat trickled down his face, and when the beast appeared in the trees a few short yards away, he looked death in the eye, and tried his best not to flinch..

Back with the Group

All the members of the hunting party had arrived, and their chit chatting was not helping to move things along any faster. Though they did not know it, a man's life was at stake, and a pony was already dead, though it was unlikely that any but Zhol would care for the latter. Apovini was high and far enough away that the eagle was only a speck in the distance, but his connection to Turrin's mind was as strong as ever. Nobody quite knew the actual range of a Wind Eagle's telepathy, and with their chosen endal it was usually even further. It depended on the inherent psychic strength of the chosen rider, but Apovini was no so far that they were anywhere near the edge of their communication range. The eagle was well aware that the others had finally arrived, thanks to that connection, but that wasn't what prompted the eagle to interrupt Turrin's conversation with the others.

Turrin, I found something. An image flashed into Turrin's mind, a real time view of what the eagle was looking down at. The overturned cart appeared in his mind, along with the brutalized pony. The eagle's keen eyesight revealed to him the large prints of the beast coming from north side of the road and veering toward where the cart and pony now lay. The prints then took off into the trees. The eagle scanned the treetops, but could see nothing more, then its eyesight shifted back to the impression in the dirt where the chiet had fallen from the cart, and the trail of blood leading off into the trees in the same direction the beast's prints had gone. You should get here now, and be careful. Whatever did this might still be near.
Last edited by Verilian on August 3rd, 2015, 9:21 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Hunting the Beast

Postby Turrin on June 4th, 2015, 4:47 am

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When Azira started to stick up for the game scout, the endal was truly impressed selfless action. In Turrin's mind she was still a cold heartless woman, but it seemed like her heart might be thawing a little. The golden eyed endal said in common, “Khara, should be lucky to have a friend like you, Azira. I will consider your words when I see her, and if she ever get here...” In Turrin's mind, he knew Azira was probably right that it wasn't her fault because of her traveling companions, but he knew for a fact the terrain wasn't difficult especially since the rendezvous was on the Sankias road. If it was smooth enough for wagons to pass over it, three people could traverse it with no issue. Light wasn't a issue because Leth still hung in the sky and Syna was starting to wake up. Regardless, the only thing that persuaded him from letting Khara go unpunished was Azira's rare time of actually being human for once. It shocked him so much. He almost shyked his undergarments in utter amazement. Turning his attention back to the road, Turrin crossed his arms and waited for his wayward hunting party to appear.

When the trio appeared Turrin just stayed silent as they started to come up with excuses for being late. The game scout Khara was so terrified of him that she could barely get a word out. Turrin stared at her with his golden eyes, but his face softened a bit when he realized to himself that she probably wasn't scared of him, but the caste that he represented. The foreigner, Zhol, to her side didn't look Inarta at all, but he seemed to show the same fake respect most of the lower castes gave him. It was annoying, but he should expect it since he had been a endal for so long. He was well versed in common, so he was quite elegant in his words when he told his story and took blame for the actions of the group. It was noble, but it was still a excuse. The other foreigner, Brandon, was the complete opposite of Zhol, but Turrin had to respect him for not groveling. It was a trait many of the lower castes lack, and Turrin hoped that he could actually have a conversation with him in the future. Looking at Zhol, Turrin said simply in fluent common, “It is very noble of you to take the blame for other people's action's Zhol, but each one of you are your own person, so each one of you have to take responsibility for your actions in life. Khara, job is a game scout, so her responsibility is to get here on time regardless of her traveling companions...” Turrin looked at Zhol and asked, “If you were late to your job, how would the stable master react to your tastiness, Zhol?”

Suddenly, Turrin stopped and glanced at the ground when he heard Aponivi's voice echo in his head. The wind eagle found a overturned wagon and mauled horse just down the road from them. It must not be two far away maybe a twenty chimes down the road. Swearing out loud in myrian, Turrin's golden eyes darkened at the trio and said in a low voice, “We need to hurry, Aponivi found something down the road. I just hope no one died while we were waiting for you three. Follow me!” Turrin didn't wait for a them, whirled around, and started to jog down the road towards the towards the wagon.
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Hunting the Beast

Postby Azira on June 17th, 2015, 4:52 pm

The Endal's words brought a flush to her cheeks and she turned away from him. She was Khara's friend. She'd been wrestling with idea for awhile now, still unsure whether to class their relationship as such, especially as Azira had other thoughts apart from friendship on her mind. Such thoughts were not likely to become a reality unless the scout left that foreigner any time soon. Such a split seemed unlikely although no one could ever see what the future held. Even if Zhol was out of the equation, there was no guarantee that the girl would be even remotely interested in her. Then there was Sira... It wasn't worth thinking about and so instead, the teen fixed her eyes on the road and watched for the group's approach.

When the trio arrived, the grovelling began. Khara seemed terrified that she might have offended the Endal and her gaze travelled to Azira's, perhaps expecting to find disapproval there as well. The huntress felt a pang of sympathy for the girl. It wouldn't have been her fault. She couldn't help the fact that she'd been left responsible for two chicks, although Zhol should have been able to handle the terrain better, he had when they'd gone hunting together. If Azira had stayed with them then perhaps she could have moved them along faster, not only that but she could have taken all the blame. She wouldn't have grovelled like this though, she would have given Turrin attitude. Khara couldn't be expected to do that though. She was far too timid where her superiors were concerned and as a Chiet she wouldn't have been able to get away with such cheek anyhow. Azira barely got away with it herself and she was an Avora.

As Zhol launched into an apology as well, no doubt trying to remove some of the blame from the scout's shoulders, she turned her attention to Brandon. So this was the man who had caused so much trouble. She sized him up, finding that he was doing the same to her. Shorter than Zhol but still considerably taller than herself, older than him too by the looks of it. There was something wild about him as well, something about the eyes perhaps although she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was exactly.

The horse boy had just given her plenty of information about him though. He knew Drusilla, he lived in Turrin's Aeries, he was new to Wind Reach and, of greatest interest to her, he was a Kelvic. Perhaps that was the wildness she'd picked up on, the Kelvic part of him, or rather his animal form. She wondered what it was. Maybe she'd be lucky enough to discover it in time it for now it was simply information to be filed away. He was also entirely unapologetic. It was entirely his fault it seemed and yet he wouldn't take any responsibility for his actions. The fact that he'd been late to begin with and had now gotten Khara in trouble made Azira dislike him already.

Great first impression he's made. He'd better turn out to be useful to make up for it, she thought, turning her attention away from him and back to Zhol as he finished apologising. She could certainly place some blame on him as well. He had probably been distracting to Khara anyway what with him having to be lover boy.

Despite what he had said about taking her words into account, it was clear that Turrin intended to give out to Khara anyway. The huntress sighed with exasperation, knowing that there was no point in intervening at this stage and waited for his lecture to be over. It sounded like it was going to be a lecture at any rate but Turrin stopped talking abruptly, staring at the ground. He exclaimed in a strange tongue, no doubt his own, and although she didn't understand it she guessed that it was a swear. She couldn't blame him for it considering the news he had for them. The teen followed him quickly, eager to get to the actual hunt. By the sound of it they wouldn't have to go looking for their prey either so that made it all the more exciting.

"Is it far? Will we be staying on the road or going off it?" she asked as she followed him with quick strides to keep up with his longer legs.
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Hunting the Beast

Postby Khara on June 26th, 2015, 12:34 am

She was thankful for Zhol's intervention, even if it didn't exactly go over well. It granted her enough time to pull herself back together, at least. Enough so that she timidly glanced around at their group and began wondering at their uses and how it was they had been selected to work together. It wasn't her place to come up with a plan of action, but all together they seemed a rather curious cadre. She did offer a small smile to Azira, mouthing the word sorry more genuinely to the huntress than Khara probably could have managed towards the Endal. Not that the apology would be any less sincere, but Turrin's continued apparent displeasure with her made the Chiet more than just a bit uncomfortable and she doubted she'd manage more than another pitiful peep if he addressed her directly again.

The sudden outburst the half breed let loose did little to assuage things. Aponivi? It wasn't a name she was familiar with, but it took less than a fraction of a tick for Khara to put things together enough to realize that the Endal must have been speaking of the Wind Eagle he was bonded to. The possibility that someone else may have encountered the bear along with the unspoken dark threat of consequence for their tardiness only added to the feelings of guilt already plaguing the scout.

Like Azira, Khara found herself having to run more than anything else to keep up with the taller Endal. She was glad the huntress asked the questions she was already thinking but couldn't bring voice to. A Wind Eagle could travel far greater distances in less time than anyone on foot and if there was any hope for survivors the sooner they could arrive at the scene the better it would be. Even if it was too late for a rescue, evidence of the attack would be fresh enough to hopefully find their quarry with ease.

The Chiet girl focused on the road ahead, on trying to keep pace with the others, on not letting her mind wander where it wanted to go. It was still lingering on the blame that Zhol had tried to absolve her of and with the possibility of a fresh attack sight ahead of them - and a Wind Eagle spotting overhead - at how very useless she would probably be on this entire excursion. You didn't need a skilled tracker if the creature had attacked and left a mess in it's wake, you certainly didn't need another novice archer what with Turrin and Azira's abilities no doubt entirely eclipsing her own. Zhol could provide support with his reimancy where needed, Brandon no doubt could fulfill any distraction tactics she may have tried to employ and his fleetness would make him more likely to not end up dead as a result…

What are you even doing here, Sparrow? She had wanted to help but suddenly felt as though she was nothing less than a liability whose lack of discipline may have caused someone else to fall victim to the creature. Well, at least they'll have someone to blame if things go horribly wrong, she thought bitterly as a rather sardonic half smile formed on her lips.

The smile fled entirely as they came upon the scene. Khara's golden gaze fell to the pony firstly and she couldn't help but feel a twinge of sorrow for the animal. It had only been doing it's job, the cart making it impossible for it to flee, and it had ended up dead for it's troubles. It's wounds were telling, however, and horrific. Khara wasn't familiar with what a bear's mauling was capable of, but the pony's appearance and wounds seemed beyond comprehension. The state of the cart itself wasn't entirely lost to her, either. The rumors had made it sounds more monster than animal that had been perpetrating the attacks but Khara hadn't really put much stock into them until that moment.

As terrible as it all seemed, the sight gave the Chiet something to focus on rather than her own self pitying and anxiety and for that she was grateful. While the others might have begun looking towards the cart and pony for clues, the scout immediately went to the perimeter. If anyone else was with her, she didn't take notice, all her attention was on trying to make up for her mistakes and making herself useful. She didn't stray far too far, however, the pony's mangled carcass served as enough of a reminder as to why that could be a terribly bad idea.

It didn't take long to come across exactly what she was hoping to find and Khara quickly focused on the large prints that had dug into the ground, starting on the northern side of the road and then reappearing on the opposite side before heading off into the trees. She uncomfortably compared them to the size of her hand, which even with her fingers spread out seemed tiny against the imprint. Khara had never seen a bear in person before, but she had never imagined they could become so large as the prints would indicate.

Her stomach churned as her eyes scoured the ground, dismissing dark patches in the dirt for blood from the pony, but settled instead on the distressing sight of boot prints aimed in the same direction away from the road that the creature's went. They too dug into the soft ground at first as if the person who had made them had tried to get as much traction in their steps as possible as they left the road for the dirt. She couldn't exactly say for certain that the individual had been running, but the state of the cart and pony painted in the ugly possible details.

The game scout looked back over her shoulder for the others, eyes targeting whoever was nearest. Khara didn't want to interrupt the thoughts of anyone else, nor make such a blatantly obvious point of where the creature and it's possible prey had gone, but rather stood alert, waiting for orders to follow the tracks or potential useful information that could come from the wreckage on the road that someone else may have come across.

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Hunting the Beast

Postby Zhol on July 10th, 2015, 1:04 pm

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OOCBugger! Sorry guys, didn't realise I was up in this!

Zhol fought against the urge to scowl, frustrated by Turrin's reaction. It took all his resolve, all his restraint, and a glance at Khara paired with the realisation that his actions might reflect poorly upon her as well, to keep his tongue at bay and stop him from speaking his mind. They had been assigned to this task as a team, and in his infinite wisdom, their fearless leader had strode off ahead on his own. The claim that he was checking the path was clear for the rest of his party was precarious logic: the authorities of Wind Reach knew this danger was more than one individual could handle, else they would not have sent five individuals to deal with it. It was arrogant to presume that he could face it alone, and negligent to abandon those who had been placed in his own charge to sate his ego.

It irked him that Wind Reach functioned in such a way, but it was the way that it worked. The upper castes were all too eager to assume responsibility when that meant recognition, reward, and glory for them; and all too quick to delegate blame to those beneath who had no right to protest against it. Such was the mark of a poor leader; a good one, a benevolent one, would have done the reverse - shouldering blame and delegating recognition. Those were the kinds of leaders who earned - and deserved - respect, as opposed to demanding it at the point of sword and status. He knew not to expect much from Azira, but learning that Turrin was the same, that he was no better than any of the other Endals, came as a disappointment to Zhol, jarring with all the praise and positivity he had heard about him, from Khara and Drusilla. He found himself in the rare - and uncomfortable - position of agreeing with Azira for once: hurling something at the Endal's head seemed like an eminently satisfying notion.

Zhol remained silent as they trudged towards whatever it was that the eagle had spotted, grumbling mutterings dancing on the tip of his tongue, barely contained behind a firmly clenched jaw. He directed his attention to their surroundings, his sighting lens held loosely in his fingers, periodically raised to his eye to scan the distance around them. The same curtain of doubt that had draped itself over Khara had settled onto his shoulders as well, leaving him questioning his worth on this endeavour. An extra sword, an extra pair of eyes, and a fistful of fire - such was the sum total of his value, he supposed. Perhaps a bandage here and there if the situation required - while the medical supplies he carried with him were intended more for animals than people, he doubted his potential patients would be in a mood to complain, so long as it stemmed the bleeding and numbed the pain.

Who are you kidding? the sarcastic lilt of his sister's voice asked in his mind. Azira, Brandon, Turrin... you could bring them back from the dead, and they'd still find a way to be ungrateful about it.

That dark humour sparked a flicker of warmth in his chest; one that faded the instant his eyes settled on the broken form of the pony that Aponivi had seen. Zhol's heart sank: even torn and shredded, he recognised the poor creature in an instant. He had come to know Dianella quite well over the winter: one of the many ponies who spent the summer months in Thunder Bay, she had not long departed the stables' care. His chest filled with pity and sorrow: she was a gentle creature, patient and obedient; she did not deserve such a brutal death, the terror of which seemed perpetually frozen onto her features.

Slowly he walked over, gently pressing the palm of his hand against a segment of her shoulder that was relatively unmarked, a reverent breath leaving from him. He was not sure who to pray to: if this was a Strider, he would have uttered a few words to Zulrav and Semele, whom Drykas belief taught were the ancestors of all Striders. He doubted they would pay much heed to a lowly mountain pony though, and instead willed a few words to Caiyha and her children, asking them to speak kindly of Dianella in the ear of fate.

His fingers drew slowly, sadly away, and Zhol rose from the crouch he had lowered himself into. "Still warm," he commented, fumbling for words in Nari, a reflex from his time spent beyond the city with Khara. "This happening not long ago."
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Hunting the Beast

Postby Brandon Blackwing on July 10th, 2015, 6:24 pm

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So much for Zhol’s apology; Turrin did not seem to even think about it, dismissing it instantly with some cheap words. Whether the endal really found it a noble gesture was doubtful, and Zhol did not appear to like the dismissal of his words. Brandon knew he would not either, but well, he wasn’t going to just stand up to defend Khara anyway. That was indeed Zhol’s job. Though scolding over being a little late; were they little yasi or something? No doubt the endal was not used to waiting at all, how long had he been standing around here? Half a bell, a whole bell? It was not much compared to a whole day, or more. Brandon had been waiting about fifteen days in his bat form, unable to do anything, bored to death. Granted, he had been wounded, but still. A mere bell was nothing. Turrin had nothing to complain about.

Fortunately, introductions were cut short by the endal himself, though it did not stop him from making one last remark in regards to their tardiness. “I hope no-body died while we were waiting for you~” Brandon repeated in a quiet and annoying voice, “Gods, we get it, so stop nagging already.” He took a moment to sigh and shake his head, letting the others get ahead of him. Nevertheless, he followed silently, hoping the endal hadn’t just jinxed the whole operation, but his hopes were feeble at best. If it was a bear there would be a reason for it killing people. Maybe it was a female with cubs, and she was protecting them. Maybe it just wanted to scare away people invading its territory. Or maybe it was just hungry. Either way, it would not mean a total waste of lives, no matter who they might be.

The scene their small group arrived to find however was nothing like the bat had expected. An upturned cart, and a massacred pony. Blood was everywhere, and there were huge paw prints all over the place. If there was one thing Brandon could tell by just looking at the scene, it was that whatever had attacked this cart was not a bear. The prints were too large. And apart from the horse’s corpse being ripped to shreds, there was nothing else touched. The horse hadn’t even been eaten. No, this was not a bear. No bear ripped apart a horse that way. No bear would kill just for the sake of it; and that was what it looked like. True, it seemed that the driver of the cart had ran away, which was a stupid thing to do, but still… The horse hadn’t been dead by then, had it? No ordinary human could run faster than a bear; and Brandon had seen his mother run at full speed. There was no escape. Meaning that the driver had been running while the beast attacked the horse. And yet it had still chased him. No, that was definitely not a bear.

But those were only the visual clues; there were others too. Scents for example. Metallic smell of blood was all over the place, strong and prominent. However, there was no smell of decay yet, and most of the blood appeared to be still wet; it had happened recently. Under the layer of bloody scent, there were others; a man, and a … thing. The Kelvic couldn’t place the smell, but it wasn’t hard to deduce that it had to be the beast’s. There was also a slight hint of fear; a sweaty, salty kind of smell. With a scent this strong it wouldn’t be that hard to track the beast and its prey down. Plus, they had Khara, she could interpret clues left behind by both the man and the beast, making things even more easy.

The scout glanced over her shoulder, and Brandon approached, noticing she looked quite worried. Possibly he did too; every last one of their little group did, no-one would be able to smile in a situation like this, unless they were mentally unstable. “Any thoughts?” Brandon whispered, eyes settling on the utterly gigantic prints, the tiny –by comparison- boot-like prints and the trail of blood. “It’s not a bear, if you’re wondering. No bear grows this huge.” He then stared into the direction the prints went, inhaling deeply through his nose, picking up the scents once more, confirming the direction of the tracks. “I don’t doubt things will get very ugly as soon as we find it; you’d better prepare yourself,” he advised, though he was merely stating the obvious. “Just a question though; how capable are the huntress and the endal?” His tone was hushed even more, wanting to keep this conversation as secretive as possible. Brandon knew Khara was clever enough, and Zhol could use his magic, but the huntress? And Turrin? In a way, he was indeed worried about them, but only because he did not want to return all by himself, or with just three of them. Would the authorities see it as them leaving an endal and avora behind to save their own skin; something entirely unacceptable unless it was the other way around?

In his mind there was no worry about his own life though; he would not die there, no matter what happened. Dira had said he would meet Biran again, so there was no way he’d die before that time. Nevertheless, he was scared, but to lose something else than his life. A limb, for example. His face; literally. His ears, his nose. Anything. Running was not an option though. “Well, eagle-rider? Seems like someone’s life’s at stake here. Lead the charge. Unless of course you want to hide behind the scout?” The bat smirked, but he did not turn towards the man, instead starting to follow the trail of scent without even waiting for the others to move.

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Hunting the Beast

Postby Verilian on August 3rd, 2015, 9:22 pm

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Zet and the Beast

Zet hefted his makeshift spear, knowing there was no hope. The beast charged at him, and he tried his best to stand defiantly and not back down. If it were a normal bear that might have even helped, but the beast came on. It was only the piercing shriek of a wind eagle and the raking of talons across the branches overhead that saved his life. There was too much tree cover for Apovini to attack the beast directly, but the Wind Eagle was able to knock a good number of leaves and branches loose to tumble down on the beast. The creature faltered and looked up, swiping at a dangling tree branch that had not quite fallen all the way down.

Hurry, run back the way you came! Help is near!

The man did not hesitate, nor did he question the voice in his mind. He was Inarta. He knew how the eagles spoke, even if he'd never been so lucky to have been spoken to himself. Any other time he might have been in awe, but not when his life was on the line. The man thrust his spear forward, lodging it in the beast's chest, and took off back the way he came.

Back with the group

Turrin! It's coming your way!

That much would soon be apparent as a few chimes later even the least observant person could hear the scrambling, crashing approach of the terrified wagon driver through the trees. As soon as he spotted the others he began calling out for help and waving his arms about. Naturally, doing so caused him to trip. A crash behind him had him scrambling back to his feet and running again.

"Help! Help! It's.. It's a monster! It's coming! Aaahhhh!"

The man stopped when he reached the others, bending with hands on knees trying to catch his breath. He hadn't completely done so when he started frantically speaking.

"It's coming! It's.. I. I don't know, a bear. I slowed it down I think, but it will be here soon. The eagle said you'd help. I say run!"

And he did, unless someone tried to stop him. The group had about five chimes to prepare, the beast had indeed been slowed. Either that or it wasn't as interested in catching the man as he apparently thought it was. A quick thought to Apovini would confirm that it was indeed still coming, though the eagle could not get a good look at it through the trees. It was large and dark colored.

OOCTake this next round of posts to prepare. If you have any tactical questions, or someone wants to try to get a look at the beast before it closes in or something, feel free to PM me.
Forecast for tonight... Dark
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Hunting the Beast

Postby Turrin on August 14th, 2015, 4:27 am

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When Turrin got to the overturned wagon, the endal walked overturned horse and wagon and shook his head in frustration. The wagoner was nowhere to be seen, and he figured that he was probably dead. Figures he can't find a win in this cursed city. The endal heard Zhol say the horse was still warm, but he said nothing as he looked for tracks along the road. Kneeling down, Turrin saw a tracks of a large indentation in the back with five smaller indentations and even smaller indentations pointing in the direction off the road. Standing up, Turrin walked in a straight line towards the road from the beast track. When he got to the side of the road, he noticed a some grass scuffed up from a boot. Looking at Azira and Khara, the endal waved them over and said in common, “I am going to guess this large track is our beast, and the boot shaped track leading into the forest is our wagoner.” Standing up, Turrin said to her with a nod, “This beast isn't normal, I really doubt a wild animal would kill for the sake of killing. Also I don't think we should split up; however, if I die, Azira you are in charge, and if Azira get killed, you are in charge Khara.”

Turrin walked to the group, and he heard Brandon Blackwing's snide comment about hiding behind the game scout. The man must not have been here long, or he was confident in his skill to talk back to eagle rider. Regardless, the myrian killed or maimed people for less, but he wasn't going to draw his blade for something as childish as a snarky comment. Turrin slowly turned his golden eyes to the foriegner and quickly retorted, “It is quite laughable that you think that I would care about your opinion of me, foriegner. I just hoped your fists are as quick as your mouth...” The myrian wasn't afraid of him, and he doubt the man was a afraid of him. However, he had a job to do, and he didn't have time to be clever with every fool who challenged his authority. It was exhausting and a waste of his time. Turrin looked at group and especially Khara, “We have the trail, so Khara, Zhol and Azira will be up front position. Brandon you will be in the middle, and I will take rear guard to protect our flank.” Looking at Zhol, Turrin nodded to Zhol's sword and said simply, “You will protect our expert hunter and tracker with your life. Just be their shadow, Zhol.” Turrin looked over at Brandon and said simply, “Your job is to stay limber and not pull anything. You will stay close to me, so if we are attacked from behind than we can deal with it. While the others get time to get into position..”

Turrin wasn't going to say it, but Brandon was just a meat shield in his mind. If he lived or died, it would just be one less mouth for the city to feed in the end. Suddenly, a man came running out of the woods screaming about a monster. The endal smirk when he said Aponivi told him to seek them out for help. The half-breed said simply, “Good thing your not making the decisions. Run towards the city as fast as you can muster. If you see any hunting parties along the way, send them our way. May Dira lose your trail friend...” Turrin had no interest in glory. He just wanted this beast dead. Turning towards the group, Turrin said with a predatory smile, “Seems like fate is smiling on us today. Change of plan Brandon, Zhol and I will take vanguard position up front. Azira and Khara both of you will spread out and just rain death on it from a far.” The endal said with a chuckle, “Just be careful not to shot any of us in the front even if it's tempting...”

Putting his leather helmet on his head, Turrin gave Azira knowing glance and a wink at his last comment about shooting him. Surprisingly, the endal was calm about going into battle. The riots,hunting poachers, and Zith in the Unforgiving harden the half myrian enough where he considered himself a veteran. If he ever left the city of Wind Reach, he would most likely employ himself as a mercenary. Everyone knew their jobs, and it was up to them if they followed orders. Turrin was at wits end with the group. Strapping his quiver to his right hip, the endal pulled out three broad tipped arrows from his quiver. Getting into shooting stance, Turrin lined up where the man came running out of the woods. Holding two of the arrows on the shaft of the short bow, Turrin placed a arrow on the bowstring. Lifting the short bow, the endal pulled back the knocked arrow to his cheek and waited for his prey to emerge.
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