What Happens When you Hunt Alone (Mercury)

by **Fois** on May 9th, 2011, 12:41 pm

With a longbow in his right hand and an arrow knocked into it, Fois slowly moved through the woods. Seleer had dropped him off a couple of bells earlier and flew away to engage in his own… businesses. Endal was used to not asking the Wind Eagle about his activities too often, since the only important thing was that he would eventually come back to pick up the rider and any quarry he had hunted. And regarding the last part, Fois wasn’t very successful so far. At first Endal had spent quite some time wandering aimlessly, until he stumbled upon some tracks, or what he assumed to be tracks of an animal. Or animals, for that matter. He had been following them for over a bell now and wasn’t even sure if those were the same tracks that he had come across at first. In fact, he was quite certain that it wasn’t, because on a couple occasions he had lost them and followed his gut rather than trails. Anyway, it seemed that he was on a right path now: the infrequent marks left, ones which he noticed, reminded him of deer hoofs; or hoofs in general, at the very least. Endal only hoped these tracks weren’t very old and that he was going in the right direction.

Slowly and carefully Fois was placing foot after foot, trying and failing to avoid any twigs that would produce too much noise. Before long, a delightful sight caught his eyes: a pair of deer were working hard to find some food, which was still very scarce at this time. One couldn’t be sure if those were the deer that the rider had been tracking, but they as well might have been. Fois stopped immediately in order not to make any more noise and scare away the animals. They were still rather far away, but Endal felt confident that the distance was short enough for an accurate shot. He placed his feet in the position, shoulder-width apart, extended the right elbow and with three fingers of his left hand pulled back the string of the bow. When rider’s thumb had reached the back of his jaw, he guided his sight along the arrow aiming just behind the shoulder of one of the deer. Fois focused; he controlled his breath, and in a few short moments was ready to release the arrow.

Suddenly Endal heard a loud disturbance not too far away. The deer heard it, too, and were rather startled by it. Distracted, Fois released the arrow, but in their shock the deer had already moved away slightly from their original positions, resulting in the arrow hitting the tree, which just further scared the animals. Endal quickly pulled out another arrow and knocked it into his bow, but before he had the chance to draw the string, the deer had already disappeared into the forest. A collection of words that weren’t commonly used in the Nari vocabulary escaped Fois’ mouth to express his disappointment with the turn of the events.

Fois walked towards the tree, into which his arrow was stuck, to retrieve it, while contemplating to follow the two deer. After all, it was probably a better plan than expecting to stumble upon another set of tracks. Before he could do that, however, a thought, one that wasn’t his own, pierced his mind. The voice was female, so it was definitely not Seleer, but it was reasonable to assume that it was another Wind Eagle. At any rate, she was crying for help. ”Was it you that caused that noise?” Fois sent out the thoughts back. He didn’t really need an answer – it was hardly a coincidence that he was contacted right after the only commotion within the range. Most likely, the Wind Eagle injured her wings somehow, causing her to fall down, and was now in a helpless situation. ”I’m coming.”

Fois strode towards the place, where the noise had come from, without feeling any need to sneak now. After a short walk he could already see the signs on the trees where the Wind Eagle had come crashing through. However, there was no sight of a giant bird, and what Fois found instead was a bit unexpected. Further away on the ground lay a redhead girl. She was mostly naked, from what he could tell, but the black wolf in front of her was blocking the full view. Endal couldn’t see her face, but he could put two and two together – chances were, the girl was Sira, the famous Wind Eagle Kelvic. Unless there was a giant eagle there somewhere close, she must have been the one, who called for help.

The Endal pulled the string of his bow back, but didn’t shoot. He wasn’t close enough to be certain that he wouldn't miss and hit the girl. Fois knew he couldn’t sneak up on the wolf, so instead he released a loud shout trying to draw attention from the animal and maybe even to scare him. Bit by bit he moved closer while yelling at the wolf, hoping that the distance or the conditions would become right for him to get a shot.

OOCI assumed that Fois at least know of Sira, since they're both Endal and she is of quite unique nature in such a small community. PM me if you want to change that. Or anything.

by **Sira** on May 10th, 2011, 1:48 am

There was little Sira could do.. nothing she could do, truly. Sira watched as the black wolf approached, licking her neck clean of blood and dirt. What an odd thing to do, she absently thought as the wolf stared down at her, his emotionless eyes regarding her with curiosity. Sira found it odd that a wolf would be so curious and wouldn't have just eaten her right away, but there was no point dwelling on it now. It was over, there was no hope, Sira was going to die and there was nothing she could do about it. Nobody would hear her calls; she couldn't even scream if she tried. The chances of somebody actually being this far out and within range of her call for help were slim to none.. and Sira began to lose hope. The wolf closed it's jaws and her neck, but it didn't finish her off right away. Perhaps it was savoring the taste of her blood still.. did it even matter? Sira was not afraid to die, but she had never expected to die so helplessly. She would never fly again, never hunt, never shift, never see Addy... No. That was not something she could allow. Sira could not give up hope. Addy wouldn't have given up hope. But what could Sira do? How could she have hope when there was none?

Priskil... can you hear me? I've never done this before. I need your help.. I want to keep hope, but how do I do it when there is none to be had? A voice sounded in her mind and Sira wasn't sure if it was really Priskil answering, or if she was just imagining things from the loss of blood. Strange, though, that Priskil sounded like a man. Without realizing it she switched to telepathy, allowing Fois to hear her prayer, though Sira believed she was transmitting it to Priskil herself. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make all that noise.. were you asleep? I need your help. I don't want to give up. The jaws of death are closing around my throat and I cannot escape them, but Addy says if I believe in you there is always hope. Addy believes in you.. and in Rak'keli. Maybe I could get some help from her too? Or is that too much to ask.. I don't know, can all of you hear me? All the gods... or am I just praying to nobody? Priskil.. petch, am I doing this right? How am I supposed to know if you're listening? ...I guess it doesn't matter. He's got his teeth around my throat, but I won't give up. I won't do it! For you, and for Addy, I wont give up! There has to be hope. There has to be a reason for all of this, there just has to be! Priskil I swear I wont give up, even if I die, I will die trying to live!

Sira's hand started to twitch, not that it was of any use, but it was something and the wolf trying to eat her might notice it. Also he might notice the shouting nearby which Sira was only just now picking up on. She recognized the voice, that man who had answered her. Was it really Priskil come to save her? Maybe Priskil was really a man? Sira's eyes turned toward the sound but she could not get a good look at her recuer. Perhaps it wasn't Priskil, but maybe it was somebody led there by the goddess? Whatever the case, it gave Sira hope, and though all she could do was twitch her hand she would twitch it with all her might!!

OOCShort post.. not a lot I can do. Though I'm surprised I managed to ramble on as long as I did. Yay for prayer goal!

by **Mercury** on May 15th, 2011, 5:35 pm

Dycon released his grip on Sira's shoulder. He licked his bloody chops, growling in annoyance. Who dared interrupt him just as he was beginning to enjoy the waves of fear that was just bursting from the girl's pores. Even her salty blood tasted of fear – delicious. What idiot was shouting was shouting at him? It was really starting to grate on his nerves. Still poised over Sira’s body, Dycon crouched low, the dark hair of his underbelly pressed hard against her soft flesh. She was like a furnace beneath him, her temperature spiking to an uncomfortable level, her flesh flushed a red that seemed to challenge her very hair’s saturation – a side effect of the paralytic. He pressed himself even closer to her body, enjoying the racing of her heart, reminding him of a trapped animal. Even her golden eyes seemed to water, flitting around, watching his every move; she was obviously trying to say something. The thought of the girl still having hope made Dycon want to shift just so he could laugh hysterically.

The man Dycon saw looked so similar to the girl. His wolf head swiveled back and forth, looking at both their features, ears still twitching at every annoying call. Pale skin, red hair, light eyes, and even their bone structure could have been considered quite similar – were they siblings? The Kelvic was painfully ignorant of the Inarta and their city. Dycon scoffed; Was Kragoth trying to get him killed? The girl had probably lied to his master on purpose; she obviously wasn’t alone. How else could another have found them so deep into the wilderness; such coincidences were rare. Dycon’s furry brows furrowed, expecting more from his master. Now he would have to take care of this pest. And he didn’t have the tools to incapacitate him, not kill him, like his master would probably want. Such pretty siblings would have sold for a pretty penny…

Dycon began to step back, slowly. Using his snout he nudged Sira to her side. He stopped, surprised when he saw her fingers twitching. She was a fighter this one – he would have to keep an eye on her. Dycon could tell the other man still didn’t realize that he was a Kelvic: something to his advantage. The girl’s brother was obviously hesitating shooting his notched arrow, afraid to hit his sister. He was at a major disadvantage long range; he didn’t know how accurate the man with the bow was. Though he was experienced enough to know that the man couldn’t be too accurate at their current distance, not that he was willing to take that risk Why hadn’t he moved closer? Was he afraid of wolves? Dycon was going to enjoy this.

Pulling together what he knew, Dycon came up with a masterful plan. He panted in his excitement. Fighting against all instincts to attack Fois head on, even using Sira’s exposed arm as a makeshift chew toy to release some of his pent up need, Dycon took one last nip at the girl before bounding back into the dense foliage of the woods.

oo0oo

Kragoth finished applying the salve across his wounded chest, using a clean bandage to wrap everything up neatly. “What is taking that petching animal so long?” He muttered under his breath. He sucked in his breath when he noticed a thin brown rabbit browsing a bush just ten meters away.

Kragoth closed his eyes, slowing his breathing down until it was calm, using his diaphragm to breath deep. He pressed both palms to the ground. Shots of pain and swirls of energy began to build within his chest. Drawing on all his will power, he began to push sickly green res from his palms into the dirt, sending them swimming to the innocent bunny. It raised its pink nose in alarm, legs about to bound from an unknown fear, but just a second too late. Kragoth’s bloodshot eyes flashed open, as he quickly transformed his res into two earth spikes, cruelly impaling the rabbit by its head and body.

Several birds flew from the canopy at the sound of Kragoth’s maniacal laughter. His ears pounded with the pumping of his blood – excitement at the thoughts of what he was going to do to his toy – especially one that had irked him so. He licked his lips, savoring the metallic taste – so akin to blood.

by **Fois** on May 17th, 2011, 11:00 pm

Sira’s words caused Fois’s shouting to cease briefly. ”Wh-… I…” Endal was very confused, because what he was being told made no sense. Why would he be asleep out here? What did Addy think of him? His puzzlement was dispelled when the Kelvic called him Priskil and Fois realised that he had no part in that conversation. He didn’t reply and now only slightly bemused refocused his thoughts back on the black wolf. The animal was enjoying its prey and it looked as if it engaged in some sort of almost ritualistic game. The question in Fois’s mind was why Sira was still alive. Granted, he wasn’t complaining, but it was a bit surprising to see a wolf hesitate so much to make an easy kill. And why was it alone, without a pack? Again, Fois felt a bit guilty that his questions sounded like complaints in already inauspicious circumstances.

Eventually Endal’s yelling attracted the beast’s attention. Wolf appeared to be strangely interested in Fois. It gave an impression as if the animal was… contemplating something? This one seemed to be a very peculiar specimen of its kind. ”Come on here!” Fois roared out. Of course, he didn’t expect the animal to respond and act accordingly, so Endal was happy to see it slowly begin its retreat. Finally, something was happening that was to be expected from a wolf.

Fois adjusted his aim following the wolf with the tip of his arrow. He wanted to be prepared for the moment when the beast would be away from Sira. Seeing that the distance was still too great for an accurate shot, Endal slowly placed his left foot forward. But before he could move his right one, the creature suddenly launched itself into the woods. While still in an awkward stance with his legs crossed, Fois relaxed his fingers of the left hand freeing the arrow from the bowstring. The conditions were far from perfect so the Endal could watch his shot disappear rather far away from area where the wolf had been seen last.

With the immediate danger gone, Fois hurried towards Sira who was still lying on the ground. Her naked and exposed body was bruised and bloody. Apart from the hectically twitching hands, she wasn’t moving at all. ”What happened to you? Are your legs broken? Or…?” For all Fois knew, Sira could have been seriously damaged. He knew she still could communicate, but what she had said so far barely made any sense. Endal feared that she might be facing grim future prospects.

Fois dropped his bow on the ground and removed his quiver. He started undoing his Katinu, so that he could wrap Sira in it, put paused for a while when he saw how red her skin was. ”Are you cold? Is that a fever or… ?” Fois didn’t have expertise in the particular field, but he reasoned that in such weather immobility would not be good for health. He took off his Katinu and spread it on the ground. The chill of early spring immediately took the opportunity to unpleasantly caress his revealed skin. Fois went down on one knee beside Sira and, with one arm behind her head and another one behind her thighs, picked her up. ”I think it’s gonna be better this way.” He laid the Kelvic on his overcoat and vestured her not bothering to put her arms into sleeves.

”We’ll have to get you back to Wind Reach.” Somehow. Fois couldn’t sense Seleer’s thoughts, which meant that the Wind Eagle wasn’t anywhere near yet. ”I think that first we have to get out of here.” He didn’t want for wolf to come back. And he certainly didn’t want it to lead its pack back here. Probably the best thing to do was to move back towards the place where Seleer dropped him off and wait for the bird to come. It was unlikely that he would manage to get back to Wind Reach by himself. After gathering his equipment, Fois picked up Sira the same way he had done in previously and turned towards where he had come from.

OOCSorry that the post is so-so. Now between exams and revisions time, energy and inspiration is scarce.

by **Sira** on May 19th, 2011, 11:58 pm

Everything was very confusing for Sira. The strange acting wolf, the shouting, the fact that she couldn't move her head to get look at what was happening, it all left Sira feeling dizzy. I must have hit my head harder than I thought... Priskil, please let his all just be some weird dream. It wasn't a dream, unfortunately. Sira wanted to cringe when the when the wolf crouched on top of her, it's coarse fur tickling her exposed skin. Oh great.. And now my eyes are watering. Don't tell me my last revelation will be that I am allergic to dogs. But it wasn't to be her last and she wasn't allergic to dogs, probably. The wolf backed off of her, staring in the direction which the shouting had come from. The wolf hesitated, then used Sira's arm as a makeshift chew toy sending painful shoots of pain wracking through her. And then the wolf was gone. Sira heard the whistle of an arrow flying past that she could not see, but didn't hear the yelp that would tell her the wolf had been struck. Unfortunate, but maybe it had been scared away for good.

When Fois ran up the first thing she saw was the red hair and a wave of recognition and relief swept through her. She didn't know Fois specifically, but he was Inarta and that was enough. He had been the one to answer her call, whether brought to her by Priskil's grace or by random luck it didn't matter. Now there was a hope, however slim, that she would make it out alive. Sira missed most of what Fois had said, it hurt her head to think about his words, but she noticed immediately when he picked her up. Her eyes locked onto him, awareness fully returning to her at least for the moment. "No. Too slow. Put me down," her voice sounded in his head. Sira breathed deep, trying to calm herself and find her center. It was a trick Addy had taught her, though she had never had a real need to try it. I can do this.. I can feel it. The poison hasn't set fully yet... Just have to.... Focus. "Get back," Sira ordered. If Fois didn't do as she said he would be thrown back as Sira suddenly shifted, changing into her eagle form and screeching triumphantly. Hopefully Fois hadn't been injured in the process, but Sira didn't have time to worry about it. She didn't know how long she could fight the paralytic, but she knew it was a losing battle. "Get on, we have to get as far from here as we can." Sira crouched so he could climb on. Since she had no saddle he would just have to wrap his arms around her neck and hold on. If Fois wasn't quick enough though, Sira would snatch him up in her talons and take off, beating her wings as hard as she could.

The moment she was airborne she knew she wouldn't last long, but that only drove her to beat her wings all the harder. She didn't go very high, wanting distance over altitude. "Where is your pickup spot? Send me a picture and I'll go there." Sira hoped she was going in the right direction because she didn't think she had the control to turn around. It didn't really matter though so long as they got as far from the creepy man and the wolf who Sira suspected was more than just a wolf. It would buy her rescuer time to come up with a defensive strategy or, hopefully, for his eagle to come pick him up. Sira didn't last much longer and as her strength began to wane she came to a semi-crash landing either at the appointed spot Fois had shown her or wherever she happened to come down depending on her direction. Using her last bit of strength Sira shifted back to human form, knowing there was no way Fois would be able to drag an eagle around.. At least not effectively. She slid several feet before skidding to a stop and shifting, likely causing Fois to fall and land on her back if he had been riding her, or for her to fall on top of him of she had him in her talons. The landing was also probably a lot more painful if that was the case.

"It's up to you now," Sira said telepathically, "I can't move. That flight took the last reserve of strength I had.. I was poisoned. It paralyzed me.. I don't know if it's permanent or if it will kill me.. But I can't move. A creepy looking man did it.. He was probably some sort of sorcerer I think. He controlled me, made me take the poison even though I knew it was a bad idea. And the wolf, I think it is a kelvic. It didn't act like any wolf I've seen, it must be working for the sorcerer. I sure hope your ride gets here before they do..."

OOCIf the shifting and stuff was to much I can edit it.. But I figured Sira had one last burst of strength left in her before she became useless.

by **Mercury** on June 2nd, 2011, 9:27 pm

No...no... NO! This was not the plan. This wasn’t supposed to happen! Dycon howled in anger, in frustration as he watched, helplessly, as the supposedly incapacitated woman transformed, preparing to fly away, with what Dycon believed to be, her brother. He snapped his jaws shut, gnashing his teeth, forcing himself to stop giving away his position.

She had moved faster than he had ever expected with the poison running through her veins, but her size, well her size was alarming. Dycon had never seen anything like it before. He growled, in animalistic blood lust, at the sight of her trueform. No longer was he hunting the bird woman for his twisted master, he was hunting her for himself. His own muscles tensed at the sight of her crouching, almost begging for the man to climb on. In the rush of the moment, Fois was unable to react as fast as Sira demanded. Before he could even blink, she had snatched him up in her mammoth talons. Her impressive wing span was quite limiting in the small clearing; she beat her wings with a desperate passion, trying to gain the momentum necessary to lift them both. It took her much longer than normal to start moving, with Fois in her grasp, but it was still fast enough to give Dycon quite the chase.

Every inch of him screamed with the thrill of the hunt. He was nothing now, nothing but a killer. his fur stood on end, bristling in the rushing wind. Running as fast as he could, black paws pounding hard against the littered forest floor, Dycon chased after his prey with wild abandon. Dycon quickly dashed all thoughts from his mind, realizing that they were only slowing him down, in his desperate chase for the fellow kelvic.

Even if she was a bird, with the advantage of flight, Dycon kept up, almost without breaking a sweat. He didn’t even have to try hard to ‘track’ her; Sira’s bumbling through the canopy of trees probably hurt her more than if Fois had just hoisted her over his shoulder and ran. Sira’s talons were the least of Fois’ worries at the moment, as he was dragged through endless foliage, mostly unable to defend himself. Even in her state, Sira was thankfully considerate enough to try and choose paths that prevent Fois from getting mangled, too badly; she even held him tight against her breast when particularly thorny branches reached out to tear at them.

As the Inarta suffered in the air, Dycon made sure to enjoy his ‘run’. If he had been just a tad less professional, he would have taken more exciting routes, even running off a couple tree trunks, but instead he forced himself to keep a straight and true path, always just a few meters behind Sira. He could tell she was beginning to slow down. He matched his pace with her, making sure not to overtake her, and risking getting crushed when she inevitably dropped from the sky.

It happened no later than when he expected; Dycon found himself flinching, just barely, as he saw her land, in a way which he figured was quite painful. He knew why she had run. As an experienced hunter he knew the common responses of the hunted: run, run until there was nothing left. It was an understandable response, fight or flight, and when faced with him and his master combined, it was no wonder they always chose flight. Though this was the first time he had literally seen one take flight. It was all pointless though, what she had done, running, hurting her case more than anything. Now she was completely drained; she seemed to struggle transforming back into her human form. And not only had she ruined herself, she had left her brother vulnerable, stumbling, trying to regain his composure as Sira was draped over him.

Never one to let an opportunity pass, Dycon put into the motion what he had planned before Sira had attempted her foolish escape. Bursting forth from a thick, concealing wall of the foliage, Dycon bounded up to the pair without missing a beat.

Even though he was about to kill the man, he still respected him for clutching on to his weapon throughout the ordeal. The respect was quickly pushed away to wariness: he would not be stupid enough to leave a man with a weapon, ever a gain, no matter how dead they appeared. Dycon ignored the girl, he was sure she would be no trouble now. First things first, Dycon clamped his jagged teeth onto Fois’ bow, probably cracking it, if not indenting it with his pointed canines. WIth a forceful twist and pull, using the momentum of his entire body, Dycon wrenched it from Fois’ grip, gritting his teeth hard until he heard the wood trully splinter. He tossed it to the side, almost chuckling.

This was all too easy. Dycon grumbled, he hadn’t even been given a proper chase.

Trotting back a yard or two, Dycon allowed the man to stand. Without his weapon it would be an even fight, well not truly even, but even enough to entertain him...

by **Fois** on June 3rd, 2011, 10:23 pm

”What do you mean too slow?” Fois was surprised by Sira’s words. Nevertheless, he put her down as was asked to. Further instructions confused the Endal, but only briefly, until he realised what was going to happen. He took off the Katinu from Sira so that it wouldn’t hinder her transformation, but wasn’t quick enough to step back and as a result Fois was tossed away by a Wind Eagle that just appeared in the place of the fellow Endal. The Inarta tumbled away for a bit before standing up. ”I thought you were helpless,” he expressed his surprise. Fois put on his Katinu and went to pick up his bow that he had dropped. ”I understand that, but wolves can’t fly. There’s hardly any rush n-“ He couldn’t finish the sentence because just as soon as he had grabbed his weapon, Sira snatched him and took off. ”Hey!” This time Fois shouted out loud instead of communicating telepathically.

The Endal really didn’t appreciate neither the Kelvic’s talons gripping him nor the foliage cruelly brushing against his face and body. It was uncomfortable at best and painful at worst. He tried to protect himself with his arms, but that barely helped. This discomfort didn’t bother Fois as much as the feeling that Sira’s actions were too drastic, especially given the facts that the flight seemed to be almost beyond her strength and that their adversary was one strange wolf. He wanted to complain about that, but she asked for his pickup spot before he could have done that. The Endal tried to remember how it looked: a glade with a lot of fairly young trees and a couple of older, bigger ones that were sticking out. Fois let Sira see the image he had in his mind through the mental channel. ”Seleer will come to pick me up there.” At some point.

Suddenly Fois realised that they were landing, or rather crashing. Seeing how hard it was for Sira to fly properly, he didn’t expect a soft touchdown, but what he got was still quite more painful than expected. Of course, the fact that she held him in her talons didn’t help the landing process, and the inevitable need to reach the ground clearly overpowered any kind of safety and precaution. Fois felt the hard soil with his bones, and what little grass there was didn’t offer much relief. ”Umph!” It was all that the Endal could express when the fortunately shifted Kelvic fell on top of him. ”Yes… Clearly this was a better option.”

Fois listened to Sira’s explanation of what was going on while trying to compose himself. She was speaking of poisons, sorcerers, Kelvics… He could agree that the wolf certainly acted unusually, and the whole story helped him better understand why Sira was so desperate to escape as quickly as possible. The Endal tried to gently push her of himself. ”Don’t wor-“ Once again he was interrupted, this time by a sense of some force pulling away his weapon. Fois turned his head and noticed a wolf holding the bow in his jaws. Was it the same wolf? The Endal tried to fight for the possession of the weapon, but he had been caught off guard, so the wolf managed to overpower him fairly easily. Fois heard his bow crack and at the same time the sound made him feel it, too.

As if that wasn’t enough, the animal briskly walked away as if challenging Fois to do something. This was clearly no ordinary wolf. The thought that it was knowingly taunting him was angering the Endal. He quickly shoved Sira of himself and stood up between her and the wolf. His stance was a little shaky at first as Fois felt how his bones and muscles complained about the hard landing. The hardest he had ever had. The Endal stretched his neck muscles by bending his head forward and backward, then turning it to the right and left, while rubbing his left shoulder which had taken some damage from the landing. Fois knew that the wolf will soon turn his attention back at him. He opened his Katinu and reached inside. The right hand slid by his left side along the belt until his fingers touched the scabbard. The Endal freed his steel dagger from it and drew the weapon out from the cover of the Katinu. ”I will make a petching scarf out of your fur!” Fois trilled loudly at the animal. He knew that with his dagger skills he was as likely, if not more, to kill himself as to hurt the assailant, but any extra little bit helps. And if Sira’s and his own assumptions were right, that was not just a simple wolf in front of him, but rather a being that would recognise a threat in his hand. It would have certainly not hurt to diminish the beast’s confidence a bit before the fight.

Fois assumed a defensive stance in front of Sira. He figured he might be quick enough to sink the blade into the wolf, should the animal decide to jump on him. He could also try kicking the creature’s muzzle if it attempted to approach slower. If all that failed and Fois was knocked on the ground, the only thing that would be left to do was punch the wolf’s nose as hard and as many times as he could before trying to overpower the animal. ”Come on,” Fois shouted, this time in common. ”Come taste steel!”

by **Sira** on June 6th, 2011, 11:56 pm

Sira was helpless again, this time for real. She doubted she would be able to shift again or even turn her head to get a better look at what was happening. Luckily when Fois shoved her off she landed in such a way that she could sort of see what was going on. It didn't look good.. the wolf had broken his bow and Fois was left with a simple dagger to defend himself. If only I had thought to grab my sword when I ran. Sira could not help with the fight but perhaps she could try for help again. Help, her mental cry went out into the sky once more seeking a recipient. This is Sira! Fois is with me. We are under attack, if anyone can hear me come quick! Sira doubted anyone would hear her. She could not sense any eagles nearby, though that didn't necessarily mean anything, but it certainly wasn't a comforting thought either. The wolf was taunting Fois now, and there was nothing she could do to help him.

And then Sira had an idea. There were things she could do. She might not be able to use her body but her mind worked just fine. Sira extended her senses to the two nearby, locking on on the wolf. A direct link was opened between them, though Sira kept it silent. She had an idea, though this was something she had never tried before. Sira started to imagine them being surrounded. In her mind dozens of armed Inarta crept to the edge of the clearing. They all had bows which were pulled taut and pointed toward the wolf. Sira tried to transmit this imaginary image to the wolf. She didn't know if it would work, she had only ever shared real images, but perhaps it would. STAND DOWN! Sira mentally shouted in her best impersonation of a flight leader, Leave now and we won't fill you with arrows! She didn't know of the wolf would notice that the voice had not actually been real or not, nor did she care. Anything to distract it and give Fois the upper hand.

If the wolf seemed to be falling for the distraction Sira quickly informed Fois of what was going on. I'm trying to distract it. Now is probably your best chance to catch him off guard! If the wolf did not fall for the mental trick Sira would wait until it attacked before switching tactics. No subtle illusions would penetrate Dycon's mind, no false flight leaders would threaten him. If the wolf saw through her trick and continued to attack she would scream into his mind at the top of her psychic lungs trying anything to distract the beast long enough for Fois to kill it. It was the best she could do, having no way to help in a physical sense. But hopefully her mental screaming would hurt the beast. If it didn't Sira would be forced to watch as Dycon and Fois struggled for their lives.

by **Mercury** on June 7th, 2011, 11:34 pm

No. It wasn’t true. They weren’t real. Dycon stopped in his tracks, head spinning side to side, as his eyes darted between the trees, trying to catch sight of the phantom archers. They aren’t real! Dycon growled. Years of living with Kragoth and the sick games he liked to play on his mind, had built up his resistance to such techniques. But even though Sira’s skill was laughable, her persistence was not. Dycon may not have been fooled but he was irritated enough to be momentarily distracted from the real opponent before him.

Dycon's muscles tensed in anticipation, barely a yard away from Fois. He did not move; he was still trying to build up his mental walls to block out Sira's violent invasion. Barely seconds passed, but it felt like seasons. A pair of birds burst from the canopy, flying into the clear air above, sending leaves fluttering down into the tense clearing.

The strength and speed of a wolf flawlessly fused with the cunning of a man, made Dycon an intimidating opponent. He knew this. Fois knew this. The only question was: who did fortune favor?

Fight Notes :

by **Fois** on June 9th, 2011, 10:48 pm

Fois wasn’t sure what Sira meant by saying she was distracting the wolf. Granted she was attractive, even more so in a naked form, but wolf didn’t seem too interested in that earlier, so it would have hardly made an impact now, in this dangerous standoff. Despite that it appeared that at least for a while something else than Fois was disturbing the animal. The Endal couldn’t pass up on the opportunity to exploit the (for some reason) lowered guard of his opponent. He jumped forward placing his left foot closer to the wolf and, without any delay, tried kicking it into muzzle with his right one. The canine adversary took notice of the fast approaching threat and quickly moved back to avoid it, but still the tip of the eagle rider’s boot managed to fiercely contact its jaws. The animal let out a short, involuntary whine before getting back into a dangerous pose and focusing on its enemy.

Fois gripped the handle of his dagger firmer, feeling sweat on his palms gathering to betray him and make this fight more difficult for him. This might have been the only signs of worry to remind him how he was feeling, because in the Endal’s mind any kind of fear was now blocked out by thrill of the fight and the overwhelming need to survive and win. He heard the wolf’s menacing growl and looked it in the eye. The non-verbal exchange didn’t last long. Fois saw the beast furrow its nose and he widened his eyes once he realized what was going to happen. The Endal jumped back just before the wolf lunged towards him and blindly swung his blade from above his right shoulder downwards and then once again, this time upwards, when his feet reached the ground, drawing an invisible “X” with his dagger in the air. All what that accomplished was that it probably deterred the wolf from immediately leaping on Fois, but didn’t actually do any harm.

A long growl informed of how angry the wolf was feeling as they entered another brief standstill. The hatred was mutual, as well as the desire to kill. This time Fois was the one to break the standoff by jumping forward and making and awkward mixture of stab and swing with his weapon. Again, surprisingly he managed to get some results from the attack despite the animal springing back almost immediately. The blade cut just above its nose, leaving the wolf with a small surface wound.

Having gained some confidence from the somewhat successful strike, Fois tried it again. This time as the dagger was approaching its muzzle, the wolf managed to jump back in time, but then it instantly moved forward to grab the Endal by its equipped limb. The rider tried to quickly retract his arm but his attempts to avoid the beast’s clutch weren’t entirely successful. He didn’t feel any pain but could feel the sleeve of his Katinu tighten around his arm. Fois tried to pull away and free himself, but to no avail – the animal held his garment firmly in its teeth. With his left fist the Endal tried hitting wolf to the jaws, but the task was made difficult by the animal pulling and twisting his head and Fois’s right arm along with it. Any successful hits were light enough not to leave any impact.

Suddenly with another twist and pull the wolf managed to throw Fois off balance. It swiftly dragged the Endal’s arm downwards forcing him to bend forward and involuntarily turn on his right foot while his left one briefly rose of the ground. In this awkward position, the inadequate distribution of weight made Fois fall over his right shoulder to the ground. While falling, the rider felt his right wrist push against the hard soil and realized that he had to release his weapon in order to avoid breaking his hand.

Fois laid there on his back, defenceless and a bit confused about what had just happened, but only for a moment. Before the thought that he had been defeated could reach his mind, the Endal felt the wolf’s jaws release his Katinu to make place for a more valuable target. Fois didn’t wait for the animal to jump on him in this vulnerable pose and immediately rolled over covering his face with arms and his torso with bent legs. He felt the wolf’s paws on his back and side, and how it was trying to maul him with its claws. Fois was thankful for what little protection the Katinu had to offer but he knew it wouldn’t last.

The wolf then jumped over Fois to approach the man from the other side, one that was more exposed and vulnerable. The Endal felt cold sweat on the back of his neck that sent chills down his spine as the thought that he was done for finally reached his mind. In a desperate attempt Fois rolled back reaching for his dropped dagger, but he was too slow. The wolf saw an attractive opening and aimed for the Inarta’s throat. A self-defence reflex jerked Fois’s left arm in the way of the animal’s jaws. The Endal felt the predator’s teeth sink deep into his flesh. The rider couldn’t contain the loud angry cry of pain in his throat, so, against his subconscious will, he let it out, cutting it back midway and ending the groan through his teeth. His right hand made an independent decision to forget about the dagger and went on hitting the wolf many times as hard as it could, wherever it could. However, the animal was determined not to be disturbed by this pounding in his objective to deal with the arm that was obstructing the way to the Inarta’s throat and life.

The level of Fois’s frustration was quickly rising as he was unable to shake of his assailant with his free fist and make it stop causing the pain. The realization that his chances of survival were rapidly diminishing made him once again reach for the weapon, the only thing that could save him in that state. The weight of the animal on top of him prevented the Endal from moving closer to the dagger, but fortunately he was close enough to reach the knife with his fingers. The sweat on his digits made it difficult to move the weapon within his grasp as they slid across the surface of the hilt drawing the blade closer at a much slower pace than was desired in such dire situation. The moment the Endal was finally able to grab his weapon he felt the wolf’s teeth reach the bone of his arm. With another loud groan for a battle cry Fois stabbed the animal at the side with his dagger. He felt a change in the way the wolf had clasped his arm, but he was still remained trapped and in danger. The rider gathered his strength to try and pull the blade out of the opponent’s body by jerking and twisting it. The wolf growled to express his dissatisfaction with the turn of events. Once the blade was freed, Fois thrust with it again, this time a couple of inches closer to the wolf’s chest. The man’s groan that accompanied the attack formed a few words in Nari: ”Die, you mutt!”

OOCWell, this has been a learning experience of how much I suck at describing actions. I attribute the marginal success of the first marginally lucky shots at the wolf to its distraction. If you need me to change anything or to clarify anything, PM