That's Not Thunder

by **Prophet** on December 5th, 2016, 10:39 am

Naiya

While the crimson-haired woman finished off one of the beasts, she could not have seen what was coming up behind the horses. A trio of Zith were flying high but barrel-rolled back and down with beady red eyes aiming and decimating the horses. Fighting was an option but there was not a whole lot of upside given the odds. The choices were limited but the good news was that the sounds of battle seemed to be dwindling. The new mother was not wrong when she spoke earlier that the Drykas would not lose on their home turf. Ticks were precious and a decision needed to be made.

Merevaika

Merevaika’s plan worked well. She was on her strider which was fast enough to outrun the female Zith and break the binding of the whip on her wrist though the tips were tied with bones so it left some sliced flesh in its wake. When she turned and headed back towards the savage couple, the pair was preparing to leave when the respawned attack by the Drykas woman set them both to grinding their teeth. Instinct and practice took flight; the male coiled his whip and prepared to lash out at the woman. Meanwhile, his mate had taken into the darkness of night well beyond the scope of human vision. The male stalked forward and to one side then extended his arm and flicked his wrist. The whip sailed forth with deadly precision in an attempt to catch the outstretched hand of Merevaika.

Lorcan

Frustrated by her failed attempts to skewer her meal, the Zith female leapt onto the human male as he fought the mud for his weapon. Her timing was sudden and closed the distance without so much as a tick going by thus preventing the man from wresting his blade from the ground. Her clawed hands extended in a manner that revealed her intentions; to rip out his throat, eyes and heart. While being savages, Zith were excellent fighters proficient in the ways of pain. Most also had an extensive knowledge of bodies and organs which made their strikes all the more deadly.

NoteThanks for being patient with me, guys. What do you say we teach the Zith a lesson? Also, you guys can post in any order since your PCs are in separate spaces.

by **Merevaika** on January 2nd, 2017, 10:23 pm

Merevaika

Merevaika let out a hissing breath as the bones snagged her skin, the flesh raw and red with the blood. But the whip was loose and that was all she could care about in that moment. With her new freedom, she flexed her hands, ignoring the pain. Letting a loose laugh into the air, she charged onwards, eyes watching the Zith, now ready for the whip.

As she swung from her yvas to snatch the bow, she spotted the movement from the Zith with the whip, and moved out suddenly, feeling it lash against her open palm but not grab her this time. A wild shriek joined the laughter with her pain, and she curved round, snatching at the bow again. Her fingers brushed through the grass and landed on the curved wood; without stopping to think, she was up on Eryunt's back again, no longer gripping him with her legs as she had down when she had reached for the bow.

Her breath was steady as she pulled the bowstring back, staring down the shaft of the arrow as she tried aiming at the Zith. Her heart still thudded in time to Eryunt's hoofbeats as she realised that the other Zith had stolen into the shadows. While she released the first arrow, she focused on the noise of her heart, the steady yet speeding thumping inside her chest of fear and exhilaration. Her mind steady for the moment, she reached for the magic inside her, snatching it up and wrenching it towards the sunbursts. It took all her efforts and concentration to bring the magic to life, but once she did, she latched onto the path left by the other zith, shooting up in its patchy path.

Before she had time to do anything else, she had notched another arrow, swinging the bow around towards the trail in the sky, hoping she had guessed where it ended correctly - and spotted the correct trail in the first place. She held it for half a tick before loosing it, before placing both hands on Eryunt and turning him to make a charge towards the Zith with the whip. As she approached, she watched his weapon carefully while bringing her own scimitar out, ready to slice as she galloped past him. If it didn't work, she would turn Eryunt round and charge again and again until the Zith had fallen.

by **Prophet** on January 17th, 2017, 10:04 pm

The arrows had all missed but in the black of night and the chaos of the storm there was not much to see. Zith are incredible flyers and spend years developing unique patterns which mimic no other creature. It wasn’t the Drykas fault but it was something that could come into play down the road. The one with the whip made good on his first attempt at a snag and could now smell the blood seeping from the girl’s wrist. It was enough to drive him mad and yet he had enough sense to remain. He beat his great wings three times as the horse charged so that he could be on equal standing with the rider. As she approached, he drew his arm back slowly then snapped it straight at the wild Drykas. At the last second, the furry wrist flicked down then out, the bone chips cracking down on the nose of the proud beast the woman rode. The Zith flew to the side at the last second then floated back to his position.

The Drykas passed him by and made a circle to come back again. Once more, the Zith lifted himself from the ground and cast his whip at the horse- this time catching the animal along its chest and neck. Now the blood of both creatures filled the Zith’s nostrils and he soared safely to the side then back into the line as the woman turned again to attack him. This third round would be different. The Zith coiled his whip and waited. When the charge came back, he flapped his wings to gain height and drew his arm back but the moment came to strike and he hesitated. Ticks went by and the gap closed then he suddenly lashed out with his weapon. The whip flew right at the scimitar like a bolt of black lightning with enough force to knock it from the hands of most. As the horse barreled down on him, the Zith lunged through the air with his talons ready to shred the strider. The rider had a choice to make; either way there was going to be a sacrifice.

by **Merevaika** on January 18th, 2017, 10:23 pm

Merevaika

ignore :

As she charged, the Zith rose into the air, mighty beast ready for the slaughter. She gritted her teeth, tightening her grip around Eryunt and raising her armed hand violently towards his direction. Blood and sweat clung to her nostrils, but all she could smell was the adrenaline rushing through her veins. She laughed ferociously, eyes trained on her target, until his wrist flicked and his aim shifted, not towards her, but to the beast she rode.

Her laughter was replaced with a wild cry, more pain heard in it than any in response to her own injuries. He had hurt Eryunt. He had hit Eryunt, easily and missed her blows which came far too forcefully and with no control. Anger bursting inside her, she called out to apologise to her mount for hurting him like that, and made the next charge far more forceful, her whole body screaming for revenge. Eryunt was all over the place, fighting against the Zith with all his might, snorting and kicking out and placing faith in Merevaika to hurt it for him.

She missed again, her heart now pounding for a different reason. Fear, and nothing else. She had missed, yet the beast hadn't, the bones catching the Strider and causing blood. What was she doing? What had she done? Tear pricked her eyes as she felt the pain of Eryunt, hearing his desperate screams and hating what she had done after everything he had. She turned him back around, ready for a third, and final charge. The Zith would not strike Eryunt anymore; he would pay for what he had done before, for her mistakes.

He was hesitating. Why? Before she had an answer, her scimitar was knocked from her hand, the woman thrown backwards a little on her seat but quickly regaining it. Instead, her hand went to her knife, drawing it and holding it tightly as nothing more than an extension of her arm. As the Zith moved forward, claws ready to attack her horse, the woman pressed her feet against Eryunt's back, using him to rise to a slight crouch, one hand gripping his mane tightly as she struggled to stay on.

She wasn't planning to for long. As they neared the Zith, she kicked off, knife outstretched towards it. More importantly, arms outstretched to catch the Zith with a firm grip and get him away from her horse. He had been inches away on horseback, and she hoped that he couldn't dive quickly enough for her to miss some part of him. As she pushed forward, rising up and away from the horse, she kicked at Eryunt, forcing him to turn sharply, out of the way of the claws.

If she managed to grab hold of the monster, even if it was just a chunk of fur, she would transform, letting the sheer weight of her elk form crush him if possible. Surprise him if nothing else. And if she couldn't grab him, if he dodged and caught her with his claws instead, she would bite the pain, and hope that Eryunt had the sense to get as far away as necessary. Everything in that moment was about getting the impact of the Zith's attack and hopefully, stopping him from doing more.

"Pavi"
Grassland sign
"Common"

by **Naiya** on January 26th, 2017, 5:23 pm

She drove the blade down using the weight of her body as she dropped into a crouch, twisting through her hips to tear the creature's balance out from under him. Wresting him to the ground it was clear that he was weakened, although it was not entirely her doing. She lifted her blade only high enough to gain the strength of gravity and she jammed the dagger through the creature's face.

The crunch of bone sounded as her blade slid across the cheek bone and into the deep socket of it's eye. With a grunt of effort she pulled the dagger loose and stood, wiping blood off her hands with quick passes. Behind her a horse screamed and Naiya started, half jumping half spinning to face the sound.

For a moment she was numb with fear, three more Zith circled back towards the herd, greedy red eyes turned to the frightened animals. She couldn't fight three zith, she could barely survive a fight with one at a time. The horses would be easy pickings for thr three beasts without her help. She couldn't let them be picked off and snacked upon.

She had other help, or she should have had other help. Where were the hunting cats? The bounding dogs with deep voices and big teeth? She shrilled a whistle, hoping her dogs were still alive to hear it, her voice called aloud the names of the hunting cats, and out of pure desperation she shouted for the "Help!" of other drykas, the dwindling sounds of battle giving her hope that someone would hear her.

She searched the ground for her spear, eyes straining in the dark until she found the wooden shaft. She grabbed hold of the mane of her wild-eyed horse, eyes flashing across the what was left of the flighty herd. The horses that remained in the midst of the fight were clever or prone to putting up a fight, and that lent Naiya hope that they might make it through relatively intact.

She lifted her spear with a shout, holding herself above Wildfire's back with her calves to gain extra height in her position as she urged the stallion into a canter towards the looming threat. The horses were strong, but their power lay in their legs and their weight, she needed to ground the Zith to give the creatures a chance. That was an easy enough goal to aim for, take out the wings of the zith and they may stand a chance.

She steered Wildfire wide of her first target, an ugly beast swooping low towards the young Snowfall, the creature was weaponless forcing him to use the claws and teeth that were sharp as any predator's. She didn't have much hope of saving Snowfall from injury, but her spear was made from heavy wood, and the best she could hope for was distraction and disabling.

As she neared the creature, the pale horse reared, thrashing his hooves against the Zith who clawed at the horse's extremities. Naiya swung her spear, aiming to break the bones of the wing and rend the flesh beneath it.

Her strike may have been good on the ground, although the likely hood of that was almost equally as low as her chances while mounted, but the bumping motion of Wildfire’s strides caused her arm to drop, the spear butt catching against the yvas handle and stunting the swing into a pathetic pat against the Zith. The only benefit to her attack was the sharp tip of the spear that ran down the wing of the Zith. It was not perhaps as useful as rending the leathery wing in two, but it pulled the creature’s attention and a flicker of pain danced in his enraged red eyes with each beat of his wings.

She pulled away as quickly as she entered spear range, drawing the first creature away from the younger stallion who took the opportunity of having the Zith’s back to grab hold of him with teeth, tossing the monster downwards with the force of his falling weight. Naiya’s charge led her away from their fight, although a flash of tawny hide told her a cat, or perhaps the large Baluke, had joined the fight. Her pass across the grazing ground of her herd brought her to the tail end of another fight, a man seeking his weapon in the mud, crawling, scrambling, and a female beast swooping in to tear into his flesh with rot covered claws.

"Look out! Duck!" Naiya called, urging Wildfire to move faster, angling towards the man, but he seemed not to hear, or perhaps not to understand leaving her idea of trampling the Zith beneath Wildfire's hooves one that risked too much. Instead, she came around lowering her spear to point at the clawed female's chest.

Her attack was stunted, trivialized by the man's inaction in the way she had hoped. Still, her target was large and her goal was to save the man rather than spend real effort fighting this enemy, not while her horses needed her help. Frantic for a way to help, Naiya had little to offer the unarmed walahk, without horse or companion to aid him she wondered how he still lived.

"Stop!" She roared at the winged attacker, hoping to bring her pause with her voice and headlong charge. The creature seemed hardly to notice, her eyes flicking to Naiya for only an instant looking unafraid. Naiya cried out another sound of anger as her spear neared the swooping creature. Her attack was poor, catching the creature high in the shoulder with only the strength of Wildfire's charge to give the Zith pause. Her grasp on the weapon was wrenched loose as the impact hit, sending her torso to twisting in an attempt to recover the weapon to no avail.

She still had no time to stop, bringing Wildfire back around towards her own battle and only hoping she had saved the man in the mud. She pulled her dagger into readiness as she neared the battle that waged between her herd and the two remaining Zith, her plan the same as before.

Take out the wings or they stood no chance.

Fight Info :

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Naiya space Pavi | Common | Tukant
other space Pavi | Common | Tukant

by **Prophet** on April 29th, 2017, 2:21 am

Merevaika

The flying beast ran his gray tongue against the sharp teeth that dripped saliva. His lash at the blade had been successful so he adjusted his grip so that he could stab at the, now, unarmed woman. The leap she took was a surprise but not something that was unmanageable for the Zith. He bet his wings and flew into her with his strong, clawed hands poised to catch the Drykas in midair and receive her, he did. One hand bit into her arm with its black claws just below where she held the dagger while the other went towards her gut. The monstrous being could not have anticipated what was coming for him.

When the two figured collided in the midst of the storm, one changed. The lithe girl became a heavy elk and the weight differential tipped away from the Zith’s favor. Ripping his claws as he fell, the Zith howled in frustration as the larger animal drove him to the ground. He lashed out with tooth and talon until he was finally able to separate himself from the Drykas shifter but it was too late. The big body of the elk smashed down over one of the wings and arms leaving the sound of breaking bones to fill the air along with more howling. Now desperate, the Zith kicked and swung with its good arm to escape but caught an antler in the side for his efforts. The male Zith shuddered and shook for a few ticks and then died in a heap, tangled and trapped by the big herbivore.

The only response for the next few moments was the gentle pounding of the rain and the distant roll of thunder as the storm moved on but left behind sheets of water which wept from the sky. The sounds of fighting had died down but the skirmishes continued in places. The Drykas were winning but the cost would not be known until Syna rose again. A screech blasted the sky and tore the serenity that surrounded the dead Zith and his attacker; the female had returned though she lingered a moment to study the situation. The human was gone but this deer had killed her mate –it didn’t make sense. Finally, in anger, the female Zith hurled herself like a furry arrow at her prey; claws out an ready.

Naiya

The late arrival of monsters responded poorly to watching one of their kin have its face smashed in and carved out. The redhead was now the sole focus which was good news for the horses –bad news for the Drykas. One was a faster flyer than the rest and even though he managed to avoided being impaled, his wing was sliced and a broken sail carries now wind so he went crashing into the mud. Several companion animals that were in the area began to pick and torment the wounded Zith. Bait and switch was always the name of the game when teams of predators took on large quarries. Despite some scratches, the hunting animals would be fine but after about fifteen more tics – the Zith would just be another corpse.

The female Zith had been caught by enough of the spear to stall her attack and the muddy fellow lunged forward to finish the job. He used the spear to control and wrest the Zith onto the ground all the while keeping her claws at a safe distance. In a quick piston of his arms, he drew out the weapon from the raider’s shoulder then put it right back only his aim was her throat. There was a slight hiss and all was calm on that end. The man turned and ran after Naiya who was riding back towards her home.

The redhead would find the two healthy Zith tearing at her pavilion – the sounds of children had drawn them away from the herd. When the hoof beats caught the beasts’ attention, one peeled off of the canvas and leapt at the encroaching Drykas. There was very little time for the woman to react but she wouldn’t have to for a spear, her spear, sailed past her head and stole the fiend clean out of the air. The muddy man had returned the weapon that had been used to save his life and was running west to help other Drykas. The last snarl of the foul creature raised the fur on its companion’s mane.

With one arm inside the canvas of the Dawnwhisper pavilion, there was a moment’s hesitation where the Zith debated diving inside for a snack of fighting this pesky Drykas woman. Indecision can be a killer-literally. The young Zith realized what he was up against as the rain-glazed dagger glinted in the random flickering torch fires. Choosing his odds he remained on the side of the tent with one arm used to hold onto the opening he created. The free arm and legs coiled with claws poised to strike. Should the woman make an attempt at him, he would lash out.

by **Merevaika** on July 9th, 2017, 8:36 pm

Merevaika

She could feel the claws on her arm, digging into her skin. Her grip on the knife loosened, dropping it with the pain. The gleam of metal tumbled to the ground and was lost in the darkness. But she no longer needed that. There was a hint of a smile on her face, then it shifted to something unrecognisable.

There was a struggle. There always was going to be a struggle, but she kept still, kept heavy, kept the body of the Zith beneath her until there were no more movements. Then he fell still, and she sat there, as an elk, sprawled on his body, waiting.

The silence that permeated through the air that followed was more terrifying than all the screams and cries of the Zith attack. The incredible stillness let brought every tiny detail back to her, screaming in the pain of each scratch and thundering in every beat of her heart. Each smattering of rain against her skin brought her back from the fight, and her breathing slowed to match the distance rolling of thunder. Where were the Zith? Had they won? Were they gone?

Her hope was shattered by the next screech, her eyes flying wildly in search for the source. By the point she had spotted it, it was too late, the creature barrelling through the sky towards her. Merevaika would have braced herself, but she was still elk, and the movements she made, in attempt to curl up, bring her arms to her face to shield herself, fell unnatural and unsuccessfully.

Claws dug, sharp and incredibly painful, into the elk, and an alien scream rang out unlike anything she had heard before. Thrashing, Merevaika attempted to shake the Zith off, to crush it, to escape from the claws. As the pain rippled through her, she tried, aimlessly, to transform, return to the form she thought she knew how to fight in.

But the grip was too tight, and the pain too much. The elk threw her head up, kicking out, but her hooves missed the Zith by a lot, only serving to slow her attack.

Then at once something leapt from the shadows. It was a small form, only tiny, but the growls that flooded from the beast matched the noise of Merevaika's elk screams. Scarlet beads flickered through the darkness as the dog leapt, mouth wide and teeth bared, at the Zith. She took a bite at her wings, at her legs, darting backwards and forwards. Beast wasn't brave enough to secure an attack, but the very presence of the creature was more than Merevaika needed.

Seizing the shift in attention, she broke free, finding her human body again and rising a shuddering, bloody mess, naked but for the few scraps of cloth still hanging from her. Her eyes caught the knife she had dropped on the floor, and she dived, grasping at the blade tightly as she brought it up towards her chest.

Without another second, she darted forward, hoping Beast's continuing barking and growling and flashing of teeth would give her the surprise she needed. The knife moved out, slashing against the Zith's back, and if it failed - even if it worked - she followed it with a kick at the creature, hoping to knock it to the ground. Muscles tensed and tugged at the movement, uncertain at the way she threw her leg up and twisted in a hope to mimic those who knew it. It was the sheer strength behind it, the anger and the pain that drove it, that would have any effect, she knew that. But hopefully, that was enough.

"Pavi"
Grassland sign
"Common"

by **Merevaika** on October 1st, 2017, 6:45 pm

Merevaika

The knife tore at wings and flesh, creating deep gashes. The Zith screamed with the impact, throwing arms out to beat at the beast before it, the beast behind it, but the kick that followed came too quickly, and the body was shoved sharply towards the ground. Beast was quick to continue with her bites now that the monster was on the ground, clawing and snarling in a fury of teeth and spit.

Without waiting for another second, Merevaika threw herself at the creature. Her knife was raised and lower in quick succession, stabbing wherever she could manage. It was as if she was poking holes in fabric, only fabric was thicker and kicked back. The Drykas braced herself against every blow, forcing her weight down on the creature that was already on its way to Dira.

Her hand slipped, and the knife met soft flesh. There was more struggling, then the Zith fell still.

Merevaika lay there, on top of the dead winged creature, breathing heavily and rapidly. As her heart paced, her eyes flickered even quicker across the sky, readying herself for another attack. They could be anywhere. Anywhere at all.

But the stillness from before remained. There were no screeches to break it, no shouts, not even distant ones, not any more. They had won. They had, as they always would have had, defeated the Zith. Tomorrow, there would be fires and feasts and celebrations for their victory. The Zith-killers would be praised by the rest, having saved their city and their people.

Merevaika didn't have to look at her naked body, shivering and soaked with rain and blood, to know she needed to recover. The matching claw marks danced across her body, ripe and open for infection and pain. There'd be bruises. Scars to last forever, as memories of this pain.

A pain she had to deal with.

Picking herself up slowly from the furry winged monster she sprawled across, the woman took her knife in her hands, and strode tentatively to her tent.

The thunder was gone.

"Pavi"
Grassland sign
"Common"

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