[Quest] Eyes In The Shadow

[Sheika]

It was such an odd feeling. Everyone saw through Sheika. They actually interpreted his very feelings of distrust towards Gamal whenever he merely tried to pass them off as concern for keeping the guide safe. With a huff and sigh of defeat, he merely nodded to Gamal, agreeing to let him go on the hunt. Though, before Zuzana moved off he took a moment to whisper in her ear. "Be careful of snakes, Zuzana. Dhani are dangerous adversary. Do not distrust Gamal because I do. Watch him, make your own judgment." Sheika moved away, allowing the Kelvic to move into the jungle, soon to be followed by Gamal and Zarriiph. Sheika could only watch in a subtle fear that Zuzana was in trouble, though in reality, he was in more danger than she ever could be. He was just a Spirit-chasing Witch Doctor. "Corvo, why did you agree to Sheika being the leader?" Sheika turned to face Corvo. He was surprised from the beginning that Corvo didn't step up to the plate like Sheika and Zarriiph did. Corvo would have done well, Sheika would follow him, which meant Zuzana most likely would tolerate him at least. "Sheika does not agree with the hunt. Sheika does not agree with building a fire. This place feels of death. I feel spiritual presences here. Perhaps the Myrians lost, Gamals allies, wander this place on their own hunts." Sheika's gaze wandered violently around the area as he searched for any signs of ghosts. If he could find one, talk to one, perhaps it could reveal what happened, what they were up against. Why is it that Sheika always felt like he was being watched? Defeated, Sheika was feeling very low, morale-wise that is. His Kelvic friend was out there, possibly being hunted by Myri-knows-what, there was a shiver crawling through his spine that made him insanely nervous. "A fire will not let us hide. If it wishes to find us, the fire will reveal us." That said, Sheika moved out of their little area (not very far mind you) and began to gather firewood, dry moss (assuming it was able to be found), and small stick for tinder.

[Zarriiph]

The Crimson Fang As he sat listening events spurred themselves forward. Finally they had a head, and that was good enough for Zarriiph. Before leaving he stopped in front Sheika, and mentioned quietly. “I think it would be wise to go a little easier on our guide. He may be angry, but he isn’t evil.” He kept his gaze for a short time, and then quickly turned in the direction Zuzana had left. After a time Gamal spoke up about how he saw the hunt progressing. Nodding in agreement, Zarriiph felt the need to mention the fact that he was almost useless in a hunt. All he had was muscle power. They needed to contact Zuzana, for she is a pivotal part of the group. So without warning Zarriiph cupped his hands, and bellowed her name out across the jungle. He listened as his voiced fell dampened by the humid atmosphere, and dense underbrush. After a few seconds he repeated the call. Not knowing how far his kelvic companion was from their location Zarriiph sat down on a fallen log. He motioned for Gamal to sit beside him. He began discussing hunting technique with the guide, and what positions each member should take. His goal was to find out what the mans feelings were on his previous experience. Zarriiph felt that Gamal would be more loyal, and level headed if he were befriended by the party. So he attempted to make conversation with the hunter.

[Zuzana]

Zuzana was twitchy, but the woman waited as Sheika spoke to her. Snakes? Bah, snakes were no real problem, though they made excellent playthings. With a small nod and quaint smile the woman nodded slightly. “I will be careful, there is no reason to worry about my well being.” The woman had then shifted as the other men spoke; her large pads paced slowly as she waited for the men to stop clucking like hens.

The tiger bore her teeth at the papaya as Corvo expressed its delectability; she doubted his words were true. Gamal spoke next, his words were not the ones Zuzana had expected. He seemed to joke. “Protect your girl?” The tiger growled softly. “I need no protection, I have lived this long by my own doing! Who does this man think he is to insinuate that I am weak?” Golden eyes moved slowly from Gamal to Sheika, she did not like the way this man spoke to her companion.

Zuzana did not wait much longer; she had no desire to listen much longer. Without further expression or noise, Zuzana swiftly bounded into the jungle, her tail remaining low. The beast moved quickly, quietly, her lungs breathed in deeply, inhaling the scent of the damp earth, the scents of creatures passing by, the scents of the plants. Zuzana’s nose was thankful for the lacking smell of the papaya, the fruit was sweet smelling, sickly sweet. Her ears perked and twitched with every noise the jungle gave, noises which where lacking. She could hear the men speaking still. Hens.

Then Zuzana heard Zarriph. He bellowed out her name, not once, but twice. Her name rung in her ears and the tiger felt a hot anger begin to boil in her chest.
“Fool!” The gigantic cat turned suddenly, her paws hitting the ground with significant force as she sprinted back toward where Zarriph and Gamal had been. Zuzana was not sure if Zarriph was in danger, but from the lacking scent of spilled blood, the tiger assumed he was simply a fool.

Golden eyes landed on Zarriph and Gamal, resting on a fallen log. The two appeared fine, simply chatting. Zuzana did not bother to slow her sprint much as she barreled towards the buffoon who called out for her. With a small flex in her legs she lifted herself off the ground, as her pads left the moist soil her fur vanished, her teeth shrank, as she became a human woman again.

Zuzana’s hands hit Zarriph’s shoulders, pushing him backwards off the log and onto the ground. “Fool!” Zuzana hissed as the two landed, it took every bit of Zuzana’s will not to slap him across the face. The woman stood up, leaving the man on the ground. “Are you trying to become lunch? Have you never been out of Tabola?” Her words were low but rushed, her ears and cheeks were red.

Golden eyes flashed to Gamal for a moment, at least this man seemed to have a better idea of hunting and jungle etiquette. Her attention returned to Myrian on the ground. “Do not yell for me unless your life depends on it, I could hear you without your foolish antics.” Zuzana was angry, and once she was going, it was hard to calm her down. The Kelvic would have happily gone off and shredded a few creatures for her and Sheika, these two could go on their own.

OOCYay, I'm back! Also, I figured if Tiger-Zuzana had tackled Zarriph he would have a broken something as Tiger-Zuzana is over 1,000 lbs...

[Corvo]

Sheika's question caused Corvo to raise an eyebrow. Why wouldn't he choose Sheika for leader? He had been in actual combat with him before and he proved competent enough. Besides, Corvo felt he was far to laid back to assume any real leadership responsibilities. He had never liked being in the spotlight in the first place. "I agree'd because you use the brain that so many of us forget we have, or at least thats what it seems like." He moved from his crouched position to stand as Sheika continued to speak. "Call them back then. You are the leader after all. We could probably find another spot to set up camp before the moon rises." Spirits were one of the things that actually unnerved Corvo. They weren't creatures of flesh and blood that could be killed with a mere stab of a blade. Maybe he was just being superstitious. He wasn't the spiritist after all. "I will admit something to you Sheika. Spirits unnerve me. If you feel their presence I suggest we move as quickly as possible." Corvo decided that he would follow Sheika. The talk of ghost had riled him. The slightest bit of anxiety had crept into his mind and he knew it. The logical side of his brain said the likelihood of the ghosts of the dead myrians prowling around the jungle was minimal. Wouldn't they go straight to Myri? Doubt. This was bad. Once doubt sets in the body might as well rot and crumble. Corvo's eyes darted off in the direction that Sheika went to gather firewood. Should he follow? Would that be a sign of weakness? A sign that fear is slowly making a home in his mind? Did it matter? It didn't. He went after Sheika. A person should never be alone in the jungle anyway. Corvo often ignored that logical thought when he had a fruit craving and his fang wasn't scheduled to go on a patrol anytime soon. He darted after Sheika after rummaging around his pack for his sword gauntlet and putting it on. "Sheika, could you tell me what you know of spirits?"

[Rage]

Zarriiph & Zuzana: Gamal's eyes widened as Zarriiph called out for their companion, stunned that the man would actually give out their location to any and all predators within hearing range as well as scaring away potential prey. In the distance, they could hear a flock of birds take flight, startled by the sound. Gamal himself wanted to bolt from Zarriiph's side, expecting all sorts of dangerous creatures to congregate in their location. He resisted the urge, though he could only cringe as the man called out again. "What are you doing, man?!" the scout hissed, appalled. "You make hunting difficult for us when you already declare to our meal that we are out to get it!" Had this man never hunted before? He looked like he was out for a picnic sitting on the log! Gamal's eyes shifted about, weary now of their surroundings. He gripped his blowgun tight on one hand. The rustling of the foliage was their only warning as a large form sprang forth from one side. Gamal almost fired off his darts then but he recognized the form to belong to their companion Kelvic. The tiger shifted to her human form in midflight, toppling the surprised Zarriiph and rolling around with him in the dirt. An amused chuckle escaped his lips as he listened to the girl lecture the man. It was inappropriate for a mere Kelvic, even if she had the revered animal form of a tiger, to speak to a grown Myrian like so but Gamal felt it was only right for Zarriiph to learn the lesson from her. Better that that in the hands - or claws - of an actual predator. "Apologies, Tiger Lady," the scout said, trying to placate the riled Kelvic. "I dared him to do that, silly man actually went out and done it," he lied, a pointless action but he did not want conflict within the group so he decided to just spread the blame on both of them. Less reprimand would come from their nominated leader that way once he found out. He ended the lie with a joke. "We were trying to be a sport of all the animals out there, give them a head start before we bring them down for dinner, yes? Have you caught scent of any prey out there, something big enough for our little party? A boar perhaps, or one of those funny, slow things hanging off trees - they be easy ones to catch!" Sheika & Corvo: Their conversation had been quiet enough, their words just loud enough for the other to hear. Thus it had been easy enough for them to pick up a new sound invading their immediate surroundings. A soft, slurping noise, like a cross between the hissing of a snake and the whipping sound made by a chameleon's tongue when darting out for prey, met their ears. Soon enough, the invader made its presence known to them. A large reptilian head broke through the underbrush a spear's throw away from them, its sleek, purple tongue licking the sides of its face and leaving a white frothy substance around its lips. Black scaled forelegs followed soon after, revealing its size to be a little larger than a hunting dog.It had not detected their presence yet, but they knew it was only a matter of time before it did. Giant Lizard :

[Sheika]

"Sheika can tell what he has learned, what he has seen, and what he believes about spirits. One can only..." Sheika momentarily froze in a mid crouch as his arm was stretching towards a piece of dried wood for their fire. There was a sound that didn't quite feel natural, or at least not in the way were it didn't scare the hell right out of him. He took a moment, a moment of complete silence, and scanned the environment. Sheika took advantage of his breathing to further his goal of silence. A slow, quiet, inhale, a delayed, slowed, and silent exhale. Anything he could to make their presence a little less noticeable. In his mind, Sheika began cursing himself for not learning his lesson last time he was on a hunt with Corvo and picked a new and better weapon suited for this, but he was fond of the dagger. Made hunting difficult and more dangerous than they already were. Once the enormous lizard stepped into view, yet didn't appear to see them yet, Sheika turned his head to face Corvo. His right hand covered his mouth, a sign that he wanted Corvo's complete silence if possible. Next his hand would point upwards to the trees. The lizard looked heavy, it was definitely plenty large, Sheika theorized that it would be impossible for that thing to climb, where as Sheika and Corvo, if they were quick enough, could get some height on the creature and be safe, for now. At least it would give them time to make another plan. With his simple message conveyed, Sheika moved slowly towards the nearest tree that had a climbable surface, and assuming he wasn't noticed up till then, he would try his best to climb quietly, which would probably be unlikely. If he was seen, he would climb anyway, only much quicker and a little less careless about the noise he was making. He just hoped that Corvo and that ridiculous glove would manage. Sheika didn't like the idea of squaring off with that reptile. Where was Zuzana in a time like this? That's something that bothered Sheika as well. Was she well? Safe? 'This was a bad idea. Sheika knew this was.' What kind of a leader waltzes straight into trouble with a companion at his side when they know there will be trouble? Sheika would scold himself later when he wasn't in a life-or-death situation. For Corvo and Zuzana's sake at least.

[Zarriiph]

The Crimson Fang As Gamal was busy reprimanding him, Zarriiph shook his head. "How would you have preferred to call our companion. This was supposed to be a group effort. Not for us to split up in the jungle. I don't want to have to save her from whatever is out there, and I don't want her to have to come save us." Zarriiph was about to speak more in his defense when a rustle came from the bushes behind him. As he turned to determine what made the sound a moving object slammed into his side, bowling him over onto the ground. As Zarriiph landed he took his hand which was inside his clawed gauntlet, and prepared to rip his assailants throat out of it's proper place. Fortunately for Zuzana he saw her face as he struck. Barely missing her head, the claws whispered in front her eyes. But now that Zarriiph knew his assailant was his companion, he was livid. She as a kelvic was being honored by merely being allowed to live in Taloba. Yet what does she do? She was yelling at him, after she deserted Gamal and himself. And had just assaulted him from behind, while he was sitting down. Needless to say Zarriiph was fuming... Unable to speak through his rage, Zarriiph merely listened as Zuzana ranted about his incompetancy. But his anger was matched by his surprise as Gamal took a portion of the blame. Zarriiph just stared at him for a few seconds before bursting. "WHAT! I will not cower where blame is due! And I will have no hunter take my pain. I am a warrior of Myri, I fear not the wrath of a tigress." "And you..." he said turning to Zuzana "How dare you reprimand a Myrian. I may be in the wrong for shouting, but at least I did not abandon my companions in the jungle." "Now we are together, and I have been... educated. Let us form a plan to our hunt. So that we may get it done quickly, and without any more noise" As Zarriiph finished speaking a grin came across his face. Looking Zuzana in the eyes, he showed both his forgiveness of her breach of protocal, and his remorse of his foolishness.

[Zuzana]

The sudden gust of air that whipped past Zuzana’s face was startling, yes, but mostly just added to the boiling feeling in her gut. “Then you truly are a Kotakbil!” Zuzana snapped. “That had been the plan from the start! I find the food, and then get you! Had you not listened? Are your ears full of fish?! Stop being a child and pay attention!” A dull hiss erupted from Zuzana, she shifted suddenly, low to the ground, pacing, her whiskers were stuck forward while her ears lay flat.

Zuzana had not forgiven Zarriiph for his actions, and nor for his words. She had not abandoned them! The other one, the strange hunter man, he had said she would go ahead and find a creature worthy of feasting, then the two would come and Gamal would put it to sleep—Hopefully before Zuzana grew impatient and simply killed it. The Kelvic’s tail twitched slightly, she had no desire to be in the company of fools, she could hunt alone! She did not need these two, she felt like she was simply humoring them.

With a large sigh, exhaled through damp nostrils, Zuzana sat and watched Zarriiph closely, awaiting what he, and Gamal of course, had to say about the hunt.

OOCI'm sorry this is pitifully short and late.

[Corvo]

Corvo suppressed the urge to sigh. He probably should have heard the lizard coming. He let his paranoia get the best of him. He let his mind wander into the realm of the unseen and had completely forgotten to check his current surroundings. Corvo felt incredibly foolish and he was use to playing the role of the fool. He felt it was definitely time to find a new role to fill. Something that wouldn't get him killed as easily. He glanced at Sheika. Yes, be quiet. That was obvious. What wasn't so obvious was how exactly he would climb a bloody tree with his gauntlet equipped. Maybe he could shimmy up it. He ruled that option out. It would make to much noise. Climbing the tree didn’t seem like the best option anyway. He would be left without a weapon and he didn’t like that fact when this deep into the jungle. And what if the lizard didn’t wander off once they were in the trees? Then they would be stuck and look like fools. Corvo wasn’t in a particularly foolish mood. He looked around for a moment. The lizard hadn’t noticed him just yet so he still had sometime to make a plan that wouldn’t get him killed or maimed in some brutally disgusting fashion. There was plenty of dense foliage around for him to hide in. His plan was a simple one. He would try to catch the creature unaware and use the surprise to end the struggle quickly and efficiently. Corvo put on a brave face but he was a bit nervous. While the lizard was only the size of a hunting hound it was probably made purely of muscle and could tear him to shreds with just a few swipes of its undoubtedly powerful claws. Corvo darted into a nearby bush and then proceeded to move into another and so on. He employed this strategy until he had managed to move around to the back of the lizard. He had tried to move as quietly as possible and avoid any thorns, but easier said than done. He had been nicked one or two times. They weren’t deep at all but they still bled. He was really hoping the lizard didn’t have an acute sense of smell. He leapt form the bushes with his sword gauntlet raised high and brought it down as he slammed into the creatures back. He had a feeling this would be much easier than killing a very angry Yukman.

[Rage]

Zarriiph and Zuzana: Gamal shrugged, not caring about the pettiness of it all. "Dunno what there is to plan, man," he drawled. Pointing at Zuzana and then at himself and Zarriiph, he continued. "Tiger Lady finds prey for us with her nose, we take it down with the darts or she could if she can manage not to make it too messy. Claws open guts and we'll leave entrails all over the jungle floor, eh?" His suggestion made sense; his and Zarriph's presence would only startle any would-be prey if they accompanied Zuzana as she stalked. No matter how well a hunter they both might be, their skill would not match the instinct of a true born predator like the Myrian tiger Kelvic. "For next time, if we need to regroup, two cries of the howler monkey, agreed?" He looked at Zuzana and scratched his chin, then amended, "Well, a roar from you, then, but only if there's trouble you can't handle. We don't want to scare everything within a mile radius, yes? "Shall we go?" Hoping that everything's covered now, the Myrian scout gestured for Zuzana to precede them once more. -o- Sheika and Corvo: The lizard seemed to have poor eyesight. It sampled the air with its tongue, aware that there were men nearby, but without movement to confirm this fact, it could only move its head from side to side to eye its surroundings. All this changed when the two Myrians burst into movement however. The lizard spotted Sheika first as the bone shaman scrambled up a tree, running in a surprisingly fast gait to try and catch the man before he could raise himself too high up. It was to no avail however, as Shieka had picked an easy tree to climb. The lizard stopped halfway giving up, but its head was up now, its tongue darting in and out of its frothy mouth. When Corvo leaped out of the foliage, the creature was ready. In a fast turn, it avoided the Myrian scout's attack and at the same time delivered one of its own in the form of it's heavy tail. The appendage smacked against the back of Corvo's legs with the force of a club. Down went the Myrian, landing heavily on his rump, and in a second, the giant lizard was upon him, snapping at his face, it's drool dripping upon his chest. It was fortunate he was able to hold it off by instinctively blocking its neck using his forearm. Unfortunately, it was the arm that held his weapon. Corvo would not bring his blade to bear due to the lizard's incessant forward press, its weight fully upon him. He would begin to feel his arm tire soon and he would have to use his other hand to support it to keep the reptile from biting off his face. That its clawed feet were scratching on his legs and chest as it tried to press closer did not help matters much.