Fantasy Beast Souls of Taman - accepting

[BugDozer73]

Shikoba: human: village

After the defenses fell and the rest of the troop made their ways into the town, Shikoba stood back and relaxed: Or at least as much as he could with the idea of heading into caves. Avians like himself never faired well in open spaces. They left them exposed, and uncomfortable.

Shikoba watched the group fall into place, and the polar bear start to give orders. He looked around the town, weak and gloomy, its soldiers all but completely demoralized. Not even the marching reinforcements are troops were seemed to brighten their faces. Shikoba leaned back against the wall and let his eyes dart over the familiar exhaustion. Every face reminded him of the exhausted warriors of the hawk tribe, weary from years of conflict with the cobras. The familiar air despair was an unwelcome homecoming for the bird. Thankfully, the panda made her way over to him, asking to stick close to him. She was short, and had rolling red hair. She smiled a little smirk that made him shift his focus off the familiarity of the town.

"No I haven't. You want to watch my back a second time?" I thought back to our fight in the woods, and felt a small easing comfort settle over him. She was still a stranger, but she had proven him in a fight, they had each saved each others lives: In times like these, friendships were forged in these uneasy flames. "My name is Shikoba by the way. Not feathers." He raised an eyebrow at the girl, wondering why that name was spreading around. It seemed like he had become a magnet for cliché nicknames.

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Erebos: Anthro: Cliff tops

Erebos loomed over the cliff tops, watching the group of warriors shuffle noisily around the town. The polar bear in particular was noisy, clumsy and PRESENT: Something Erebos had learned from his earliest moment was a deadly mistake. He sat un-noticed, as he had the last few days he had been trailing the group, and watched in silence, some warriors making reoccurring appearances. The dog, the fox, the snake and the vulture, all catching his eye. There was the hawk and the bear and the panda, and several times he had found himself hiding alongside the tiny raccoon, who had a rather adept talent for remaining unseen. It was too bad the boy wasn't an owl.

As the night grew long, and the troops began to settle, Erebos felt a familiar hollow feeling flare up: Something was coming. Returning, avenging. He worried that this night would be a turning point for him: A time where he would have to make a decision that would completely change the course of the parliament, and his entire future.

 

[Raku]

Mikal Kae
Location - Mountain Village
Form - Human
Speech - Common/Native

Mikal followed as the residents of the village lowered their defenses and welcomed the small army in. His eyes then went to the cavern in question. It's wide and dark opening looked like the gaping maw of some evil creature, waiting to swallow any who may enter it. His own thoughts caused a shiver to run along his spine, making him visibly shudder at the ideas of what horrors lurk in the home of the spiders. He snapped out of those thoughts and returned his attention to where he was at the moment. As they passed through the narrow path and into the village, Mikal kept an eye out for Riley. He spotted him a few times and noted he was in animal form. Poor boy was probably a little frightened by the sight of the defenses. He'd probably have to regroup with him eventually, but for now he'd let the boy roam.

As everyone dissipated and orders were given, Mikal found himself doing some planning of his own. He was thinking of a way they could kill the spiders effectively, but without loosing too many soldiers. So far, they've been on the defensive, suffering ambush after ambush of their arachnid foe. What if the tables were turned? What if they were the ones ambushing. Mikal looked back to the pass they came through. One of the village's soldiers stated that they feared the spiders would flank them through the pass. He then looked to the cave where their enemy resided. They could set up an ambush along the pathway to the village. Take the high ground and use it against the spiders. Certainly he'd have to bring his point to Björn. He found the commander, which wasn't too difficult to do. "General Björn, if you'd care to listen, I have an idea" he told him.
​

Brendanfp

 

[Dominaiscna]

Name : Zhihan
Form : Human
Place : Mountain Pass​

Relief washed over the Crane Maiden as Ayize agreed to her request and brought his attention to her once their group had been led into the village. "Thank you, Ayize." Over her shoulder, she heard Bjorn suggest staying in pairs if not in groups. Perhaps she'd tag along with the wild dog who stood before her, waiting patiently. Again, Zhihan studied his face, his eyes eyes and found them devoid of any judgement and were clear and focused. He was so earnestly and sincerely listening and giving this little moment of time to her. For that, she was grateful...though for a moment, she could not say anything. She wondered if she'd made a mistake in consulting him...perhaps it would seem a little silly or foolish... after all, death was a natural thing and would be something they'd all have to get over. She felt such pain and cried over one, but what was one compared to the thousands others have lost? Ayize too had experienced such losses, they all had, so by consulting him, would she also open old wounds?

The slight furrow in her brows were the only change in her expression and the only hints of inner conflict in her delicate features during the few seconds she stood in silence. In the end, the crane maiden came to the decision that she would not turn back. After all, she'd already called out to him and here he was so patiently giving of his time and energy to hear her out.

"She was my friend, my sister even..." Zhihan said softly, carefully picking out her words. "Her passing has affected me greatly. Though I try, I cannot suppress the pain in my heart nor the tears in my eyes. And I understand why... because Taili was... I... " Her calm voice seemed to break slightly and her gaze shifted away from Ayize to the ground slightly behind him.
"...If you can, I would like your guidance to help me overcome... all of this," the maiden said softly, head bowed forward by the slightest degree, "Please.. help me."

SilverFlight

 

[SilverFlight]

Ayize - human - mountain village

Ayize regarded Zhihain ( Dominaiscna ) for a very long moment, his brows knit only slightly, betraying his concern at the request, and at the priestess' state of mind.
"Loss is...it is not something any medicine has the power to heal..." His voice was gentle and his words slow, they rivaled the whispering of the wind through the pass behind them.
"Time is the only thing that can truly take the pain away, however, I believe that doing things to honor the memory of your loved one will help bring you peace." He leaned forward and laid a hand on her shoulder, his palm was rough from years to wielding pestle and staff, but warm, and he hoped, comforting.
"Help me defeat this evil that plagues your land. The more lives we save, the more you will recover."

He heard Bjorn's ( Brendanfp ) bellowed command and nodded his obedience. They were on the brink of a battle, everyone could sense it. Following orders was now more important than ever before.
Ayize walked on ahead, finding a clear spot of dirt not far from the square. He twirled his staff and slammed the tip down on the ground in challenge.
"Who would like a warm up? I may be a healer but I promise I will not be easily bested."
His eyes met Zihain's, an invitation to join him in challenging the others, and distract herself, even if only for a brief moment.

Onikmey Brendanfp Dominaiscna Purize Silki.Knight Larke Wick Namie Raku BugDozer73

~~~

Aubrey - anthro - mountain village

In the distance the chiming of metal on metal sounded. The village had a blacksmith it seemed and they were hard at work.
When Bjorn gave his orders the hammering stopped pensively. The great silhouette of the weapons forger loomed up from in front of the fires, casting a monstrous, horned shadow that slashed the square in two. A few more steps and her face was revealed, thick, grey skin, bright, wild eyes and two proud horns sprouting from her squarish nose.
"Well! The mercs are finally here!" She let the head of her forge hammer fall, it's head hitting the dirt, it's handle extra long for her half-soul form. She leaned an elbow on the butt of it and surveyed Bjorn and his troupe.
"You have a plan? 'Cause I'm dyin' to know how we give some back to those eight-legged demons. Name's Aubrey, I've been busting my arse replacing weapons for the soldiers, making some for you too, but damned if I can't figure out how to stop them melting in that Ameta-cursed corrosive blood of theirs...So bear...and anyone else for that matter, I'm all ears."
In saying this she overheard Mikal ( Raku ) mention he had an idea, "what's that? Speak up so the rest of us can hear you." The Rhino's tone was gruff but not unkind, it betrayed a fair but practical nature, and in the context of what they were facing, her tone seemed almost cheerful.

Onikmey Brendanfp Dominaiscna Purize Silki.Knight Larke Wick Namie Raku BugDozer73

 

[Namie]

Name: Itzel Eréndira
Form:Anthro to Human
Place:Mountain Pass to Mountain Village
Interacting: Nikitta Silki.Knight , Ayize SilverFlight
Mentioned: Wick Barrow Wick

The commotion made the group of mercenaries rush off every which way. The village sentries, or the welcoming party as she liked to think of them, had spoken to the dark-skinned man who she had come to associate as the foremost leader of sorts besides the hulking ice-man. She had overheard them telling the man about beasts attacking in the night and upon their arrival had disappeared. It seemed to be a conundrum. She thought upon the beasts in Cuhuateh. They were smart but they were instinct driven. They were beasts whose primary concern were to survive, procreate, and do whatever else helped them along. They didn't seem to make pre-meditated strategic plans, albeit, they did sometimes surprise a hunter with an unforeseen tactic to get away or return the attack. Itzel rolled the thought around as she watched the man give out orders and speak to those around him.

When his gaze alighted on her she perked her ears to attention. He asked her to help Nikitta, whom she guessed was the woman who had been speaking to him when the village lady informed him on the situation. She had silvery hair with black tips and the coloring was strange to Itzel who had most only seen the brown and black tones of her village people. Yet oddly she found the woman somewhat alluring in her beauty.

Itzel nodded to the man, who she heard someone call Ayize and approached Nikitta warmly, greeting her. "Hello. Its a pleasure, I'm Itzel." Itzel had felt no need to lie about her identity. She was unknown and had no feats of bravery or courage that the world knew of. Perhaps they might know of K'aas Mis if they knew of the old stories but she doubted they would associate her with them since it was uncommon for women of her people to be anything but elegant and kind. What a rarity she was, Itzel mused briefly. She stepped into her human form and smiling, gestured towards the village where Ayize had began entering. "I suppose we find some work to do in the village and have someone show us the layout. Let's get a working idea of where everything is. That way we can be better informed and make better plans to fight those beasties." She pulled her waist-length black hair into a high ponytail and turned towards the village, waiting for Nikitta to lead the way.
​

 

[Brendanfp]

Björn||Human||Mountain Village
​

Björn's mind was meticulously planning for the battle to come. It had been years since the general had organized a raid of this magnitude, but he hadn't lost his touch. Björn considered many tactics, however, he realized that there was a fundamental problem with most military strategies. The enemy they faced was not human, this was the first time that he had to adapt his tactics to combat such a horde.

Swarming tactics would be ineffective against the demons. They outnumbered Björn's army one hundred to one. Perhaps a siege on the caves? An older tactic for sure, however, it could work if Björn only knew more about the creatures. How they traveled, were there multiple exits to the caves, how did the creatures gather information and communicate, these were a few of the questions the general would need to be answered in order for a successful siege. They could even draw the bastards out and launch a counter-offensive, stalling until the demons tired out and then launching a full-scale charge as they retreated. A safe and solid plan for sure, but how long would it take before the beasts ware themselves out? There were just too many unknowns to formulate a proper military strategy. Björn instinctively reached for his flash of mead to no avail. The flask was now but shards of glass in the face a burnt corpse. As the general pinched the bridge of his nose he caught two figures approaching him from the corner of his eye. Björn shifted his body towards them.

The first of the figures approaching him was the Vulpine Order's own Mikal. Björn was glad to see the fox, perhaps he could aid in formulating a viable strategy for attacking the cave of demons. The second figure was a new face. A woman wearing a hefty rhinoceros soul and wielding a massive war hammer. Mikal said something, but the woman boisterous voice drowned out his own. Björn studied the woman for a moment, while her attitude was less than desirable, there was a quality about her resonated deeply with the general. Perhaps her youthful bravado reminded the bear of his self in his younger days.

"Sweetheart, you've been busting your arse," Björn let out a thunderous laugh, "What a joke! Try leading a handful of warriors against a seemingly infinite horde of the unknown."

Björn let out a sigh of relief. He needed to blow off some steam. On the other hand, he was starting to think that maybe he may have been a bit too harsh with the lady. He had to keep in mind a core rule of leading. No one likes an asshole.

"Look... erm... Aubery. I appreciate all your hard-work out here, you're weapons are quaily pieces. I myself have been stumped by the ever-growing issue that is a lack of weapons, but I'm still working on it. In the meantime tell me what I can do for you in order to get this army armed and ready for the raid on these demon bastards."

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Mentioned: SilverFlight Raku ​

 

[Purize]

Name: Kioko
Form: Human
Place: Mountain Village​

"Well, Shikoba, I think we could make a decent team." She smiled, watching him relax a little. "I'm Kioko, but some call me Koko for short."

She rolled her eyes at her nickname, good memories rising up like dust motes. An old friend of hers had a son who couldn't pronounce her name, so he had settled for calling her Koko. Even as he got older, the name caught on and others began to take to the name as well. But she hadn't heard it in a long time.

Kioko was broken out of her nostalgia when Ayize called to the surrounding warriors. His staff hit the earth with a soft thud, sounding a silent challenge to those nearby. A grin spread over Kioko's face and she looked again at Shikoba, nodding her head off towards Ayize. "That looks potentially interesting."

With that, she turned and gathered around the healer-dog. She didn't really want to go up against him in a fight. He seemed too dangerously confident behind his kind and placid smile. Kioko was confident in her fighting style, but Ayi looked like he was hiding something more than his gentle healer facade let on. No... she wouldn't accept his challenge, but she sure would watch. Not that she didn't mind practice sparring... she'd trained that way for most of her life anyway.

Next to Ayi, she also noticed the graceful-looking lady that she guessed was a red-crowned crane. They were a relatively rare species in Xiong-shi from what she knew and never really saw one of their tribe in other parts of Taman. She was pretty and kind of reminded Kioko of a weeping willow, leaves swaying gently in the wind like her robes. Kioko was curious if she would be the one to spar with Ayi.

A little further away Kioko noticed a large rhino woman approach Björn, her voice booming from across the square of the village. Vaguely, she wondered what they were talking about, but didn't care enough to deviate from her current spectacle.

BugDozer73 SilverFlight Brendanfp Dominaiscna

 

[BugDozer73]

Shikoba: Human > Anthro: Village.

"Ok Koko. Partners it is." Shikoba spoke with playful acceptance, but he felt a twinge of anxiousness at the P word. Nothing about her reminded him of Methotase, but just the idea of having someone to trust in again was.. unexpected. When he had left the Thuehir, he had expected to remain only long enough to find his missing partner, not replace her.
The thought sent shivers down his spine, and for a moment he loathed himself for even giving the thought existence. He reminded himself of the monsters that had made an appearance as well as the other people in danger. For now he would have to ride along with the rest, and worrying about metho was not helping. He pushed his thoughts aside and from close to the square he heard the call from the dog. Just the distraction he needed.

Shikoba nodded in response to Kioko and followed her over to investigate. A small crowd had gathered around the man who had issued a friendly challenge. Looking around, no one seemed too eager to step in the ring, including Koko. He took quick note of his side, pressing against it to test it for pain. The medicine Ayi had given him earlier had sped up the healing process, and now there was very minor aching. Shikoba smiled and poked Kioko. "check this out."

Shikoba jumped up, stepping into his anthro mid leap, and landed in the center of the crowd, facing Ayi.

"Good thing you are a healer, you wont be aching to long after I kick your butt."

Shikoba dropped his bags and removed his Mercethium feather mail armor, so that he stood bare chested. His body was covered in small scars and fang bites, from battles with many snakes. No doubt a surprising number for a boy his age. He held up his talons, wrapped into tight fists and let his body slide smoothly back into a balanced fighting stance. Something about combat always excited Shikoba, and made him playful, but dangerous.

"Ready when you are, dingo."

Purize SilverFlight

 

[Raku]

Mikal Kae
Location - Village Square
Form - Human
Speech - Common/Native

As Mikal spoke however, another voice spoke over his own. His eyes searched for the source, and the source they found. A large rhinoceros woman, presumably the weapons smith. She seemed to be complaining about having to replace the weapons of the soldiers, all thanks to the damn acidic blood of the spiders. His plan had involved a way to help with that. She seemed to have heard Mikal when she asked him to speak up about it. Just as he was about too however, Björn pipped in his own thoughts. He let out a shallow huff in annoyance. Twice he was interrupted. He waited for Björn to finish his praise of Aubrey before interjecting.

He stuck his hand up to his side and looked to Björn. "May I speak first, before you two go talking about weapons? I have an plan that could save us troops and weapons, a win for both of you" he told Björn, giving a quick glance to Aubrey in the process. He made sure to speak up, per Aubrey's request. His plan involved the villages defensive spikes, and a bit of a surprise for the spiders. He had played it out in his head. After hearing Audrey complain about continuously having to forge new weapons, Mikal decided he'd probably serve as an archer for the majority of what he had in mind.
​

Brendanfp SilverFlight

 

[SilverFlight]

Aubrey - Anthro - Mountain village (main square)

Aubrey fixed the old general ( Brendanfp ) with a look of pure, fatigued disbelief, a look that told him that 'leading a handful of warriors against a seemingly infinite horde of the unknown' was almost exactly what she had been doing for days. Wearing her soul she found she could hide a lot of the fatigue that had begun to gnaw at her consciousness. Her thick grey skin was always wrinkled in places, and the horns tended to draw most of people's attention anyway.
"I'm not looking to prove who's is bigger." She said tiredly, but there was a hint of amusement in her voice. "You and your fighters can get fed, then suited up in whatever'll fit you. Every piece I have is in the armory by the forge."
She turned to Mikal ( Raku ) then, still leaning on the handle of her hammer.
"Alright fox, you have an idea? I want to hear it." She hefted the weapon in her hand and pointed with it. An old barn to house animals when the mountain storms became to fierce. "War room. Now."
She lead the way into the ramshackle structure. A long wood slab had hastily been set on four thick logs, serving as a table, on which a map was lain, depicting the village and the cave network in as far as it had ever been explored.
Some pathways were mapped joining while others lead off the edge of the paper, going where the mapmaker dared not. The most valuable thing about it was that it showed nearly all the entrances within several miles, and their rough sizes. There were only a handful that the spiders could fit through, but all seemed fairly manageable for a large-ish human.
"Right, you want to talk? Then talk." She said, turning to the fox she people she hoped had followed her.

~~~

Ayize looked about, volunteers seeming to be scarce. "What is this? You fight monsters but are too frightened to fight a healer with a stick?" He taunted pleasantly, looking at Kioko ( Purize ) as he said it. A voice cut through the air, cocksure and amused. Ayize shot the hawk ( BugDozer73 ) half a smile.
"I know some of the Dingo Tribesman, they are wonderful people." As he said it however his face changed and he stepped into his half-soul, standing with the same smile playing about a dark muzzle and sharp teeth. He sauntered to the boy slowly, beginning the fight in a slow circle, turning about him like a predator though with a casual nonchalance to his step.
"You are a long way from home fledgling, why are you all the way out here?"
In a flash he was moving in, fainting with the heavy club of the staff tip and then sweeping with the shaft to try and take Shikoba's legs from under him.

Dominaiscna

 

[BugDozer73]

Shikoba: Anthro: fighting with Dingo boy

Shikoba smirked at the dogs retort. He circled around, meeting the dogs pace, keeping his eyes on the man. His teeth were sharp, and his feet poised, ready to strike. Shikoba flared his silver talons excitedly. The dog would be dangerous no doubt, but he was a pack animal, and could only move laterally: Shikoba had the vertical advantage. In an instant, the dog leapt forward, lashing out at Shikoba with his club. Shikoba stepped back, but the dog switched into a leg sweep. With split-second timing and a hard beat of his wings, Shikoba darted through sideways through the air with blurring speed. He whipped around the man and took stance behind his back, leaping up and sending an ax kick rocketing down towards the Dog's head.

~~~~~

Erebos watched the warriors begin to spar. The dog was clearly bigger, and older than the bird, but as he begun his attack, Erebos watched the youngling move with blinding speed and wonderful technique. He felt his own heart begin to race, and he leaned further in to watch.

 

[Purize]

Name: Kioko
Form: Human
Place: Mountain Village Square​

Kioko blinked in surprise when Shikoba launched into the air and dropped in front of Ayize. She backed up to clear some space and rolled her eyes at Ayi's teasing tone. "I didn't ask to fight monsters either" she muttered to herself. Nope, she was content watching from the sidelines... for now. A skirmish would be good practice, but she really wanted to assess the playing field first.

Kioko had always admired the way each individual person had their own honed skill and talents. Everyone, in some way or another, was unique. Every since she joined the rag-tag army she had looked at those around her in awe. So many skilled warriors in one place. Yes, she wanted to test her own skills against theirs, but it was best to see what they brought to the table first.

The fight began, and Kioko felt her hair stand on end in anticipation. Ayi struck first, Shikoba narrowly avoiding his blow and spinning to reciprocate. Shikoba was young, but he was quick and light on his feet. Ayize had years and experience behind him and they both came from the same desert region. However, their fighting styles were bound to be different. Kioko wondered who would win the match.

SilverFlight BugDozer73

 

[Silki.Knight]

Nikkita-Aisling
Human
Mountain Village

As order or suggestions were given out, people began to move again with purpose. It was a bit startling to Nikkita and for a few moments she was caught up just watching and listening to the commotion. She had never been among such a group of people as a member before, and even then the warriors she had known had been humble guards, not battle hardened soldiers. She began to second guess herself in joining them. Could she really provide much in assistance, or would her lack of battle training or experience in working in such a group only cause more problems? Her expression turned into a small pensive frown as these thoughts crossed her mind.

Nikkita quickly snapped back to the present as a woman approached her and made an introduction. Nikkita returned her smile with a grin that matched her soul before she spoke, "Pleasure's all mine, I'm Nikkita-Aisling." ( Namie )

She took a second to take the woman in. She was striking with her white markings, if somewhat short. At somewhere around five and a half feet tall, Nikkita didn't often feel so tall as she did next to Itzel. It was odd, and she rubbd at the back of her neck the out-of-place feeling returning to her as the other woman continued speaking, suggesting getting to know the place a bit before finding somewhere they could be of assistance.

Still, Nikkita nodded her head, "Yeah, I think that would be a good place to start. I wasn't there the first time they fought these creatures, though it sounds like it wasn't easy. Honestly, I'm not even sure where to begin. I can fight, but I've never fought in a battle like this." She shrugged a bit, before starting into the village. The bear ( Brendanfp ) and fox ( Raku ) had gone to th armory and there was a ruckus going up from them and one of the blacksmiths about weapons and such. She didn't try to get involved in that. Ayize ( SilverFlight ) looked to be sparring with another member of the group ( BugDozer73 ) in the square.

Nikkita wasn't really sure where to begin and said as much to Itzel, "I feel out of my depth here. Do you have any thoughts as to where we should begin?"

 

[SilverFlight]

Ayize - Anthro - Mountain village square

Ayi was impressed by how quickly the hawk moved. In a split second the boy was behind him, lashing out with a precise kick. Ayi dove forward, stretching out both hands, but his hands became paws and in an instant he was a wild dog, darting on four feet to pivot away from the blow and turn, on hind legs he was a man again, staff in hand and aimed a second swipe at Shikoba's midriff.
BugDozer73

(( Raku Namie Brendanfp I believe ppl are waiting on you
Dominaiscna I may have to remove you from the thread if I don't get a post soon))

 

[Namie]

Name: Itzel Eréndira
Form: Human
Setting: Mountain Village
Interacting: Silki.Knight SilverFlight Raku

Itzel listened to the woman as they walked. She seemed be as uninformed as she was about these so called beasts. She mulled over the idea of what these beasts that inspired terror looked like. Maybe they were the size of bears and had fangs the size of a man's forearm. Perhaps they were discolored and oozed slime. Perhaps they were covered in a sort of fleshy rot. Itzel shook the thoughts off and refocused, trying for some honesty, "I have hunted large beasts but I'm afraid I'm not completely sure what we're up against either. I wouldn't even know where to begin how to describe what we've been fighting." She shrugged. It was the truth since she'd never seen it. Just not the whole truth.

The serval-souled female peered around at all the activity and tapped the butt of her spear in thought. "It seems everyone is a bit busy." She curiously looked up at the cavern mouth above the village and opened herself up to ideas. Thoughts jumbled together. Ideas were discarded and looked over. Then it came to her. "Hey. Nikitta. You know what I'm thinking?" She turned to the woman, smirking mischievously. "I'm thinking traps. If they're just bigger beasties why not set some traps down and have them do half our work for us. We could set some fire traps or even set some boulders up above the cavern mouth if we have the manpower right?" Itzel glanced about and noticed some official-looking woman entering a run-down tent. She appeared to be leading someone inside. Itzel remembered hearing that woman bark orders earlier and nodded in her direction. "I think she might be head of the village or something. Let's go talk to her I suppose. Might be a good place to start, she could point us in a direction of where the best spots to set a trap would be. Then maybe we run this by our leader?"

Itzel started for the tent then paused, peering back at Nikitta. She was eager to get a move on but wanted some approval first that she wasn't completely off target here.

 

[Brendanfp]

Björn||Human||War Room

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​

The sky was darkly foreboding. Black clouds hung over the rooftops like malevolent angels, drifting with icy, unnatural slowness. The polar bear general quietly analyzed the blacksmith as he followed the group towards the war room. She seemed to be a natural leader with a sharp tongue. Björn realized that she reminded him of his grizzly bear lieutenant, they both had fiery souls but good hearts. As they trotted Björn spotted Shikoba in the middle of a fearsome kick. It seemed like the bird and the dog were having a jest of strength, a sparring match. The old man cursed as he would not get a chance to step into the ring himself. Björn glanced up at the dreary sky as he approached the war room. He looked around as the three stepped into the haphazard shack trying to pass itself off as anything but.

"Should have brought the ol' war tent with us instead of sending back with the other," Björn grumbled as he scrutinized every aspect of the hovel.

As the general carefully examined the weathered room his attention as pulled towards a rotting wooden table.

"What do we have here?"

Björn's eyes danced over the yellowed map. He felt giddy with excitement as he realized what the map was depicting. He wore the facial expression of a small child with a brand new toy. Björn gripped both ends of the wooden table and began to examine every detail of the map. This was a game changer for him. The general let out a hearty roar of laughter as he became overwhelmed with adrenaline.

"You have a map of that infernal demon nest?!"

As the general stood in awe, the sky above was shifting. Steadily rain fell, and the clouds broke slightly above the mountain village letting through a flood of watery, brilliant white moonlight, falling as shafts amongst the warriors and villagers, as if Tule herself was breaking through.

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Mentioned: SilverFlight Raku BugDozer73 ​

 

[Dominaiscna]

Name : Lilith
Form : Anthro
Place : Village -> Rocky plains -> up hill​

A woman left the darkness of one of the houses in the village and as she stepped into the bright light of the day, she drew a conical matting hat over her head of pale brown hair, still sporting the last few white strands of winter in Byernheim. There were two holes in the hat through which her rabbit ears pushed, keeping it in place. She had yet to get used to the warm climate of Xiong-shi and was in dire need of a change in wardrobe and the hat was a step in the right direction. Now with her face hidden in the shadows and out of the glaring light, Lilith sauntered her way into the centre of camp, head turning from ever so slightly side to side every so often as her dark eyes scanned her surroundings and her ears twitched at each new sound.

A whole new group of people had entered into the village and though this put her on edge, her expression betrayed nothing of her slight nervousness and anxiety. As she fetched two urns standing outside one of the houses, the woman cautiously looked around, studying the new comers through lowered lashes. They seemed to be allies, considering how everyone accepted them into their territory but still, Lilith found herself glancing over her shoulder as she passed the group of people watching a spar. They seemed to be well-trained fighters and warriors... the village was mostly filled with humble farmers and hunters... if the group revealed themselves to be bandits, the village's people would not stand a chance.

However, they were not the only people on her mind. Lilith was also keeping an eye out for a certain someone however, she did not need to look long as a booming voice from a little way away made a slight smile tug at the corner of her lips. Aubrey. The woman was wearing her soul as she spoke with a few strangers in their human forms. However, before she could call out, her friend and the two men made their was into the war room. Chewing on her lip, Lilith debated whether she should intrude or not in whatever they were talking about. After all, she was going to ask Aubrey if her sword was finished or not. The last one melted when she made a spider kebab out of one of the creatures during the last attack. She ended up deciding that her daggers would have to suffice when she went out.

She made her way towards the edge of the village where the land opened out into rocky terrain with the urns strapped safely and securely to her back. As of recently, it was her and a few others' jobs to fetch water for the village from the stream a little higher up a few times a day. Though it was dangerous to go out, even more so alone and not well armed, Lilith was confident that she would be fine. After all, she was one of the best cut out for the job with the agility and speed to traverse the perilous terrain the higher they went. She generally could avoid dangers altogether with her keen senses, was fast enough to outrun the spiders and most other threats and could hold her ground relatively well in a fight should she not have the option to flee.

Almost in complete silence, she strode down the barely visible footpath they had made through the grassy plain. The only sounds that would give her away were the slight clinks of the jars together on her back. Her eyes scanned her surroundings, ears flicked towards the slightest sound and nose sniffed ever so often for anything on the wind. The coldness of the clay could be felt through the fabric of her clothes and Lilith was reminded of how late the day was getting. She did not want to be out when the sun went down but fortunately, the closest part of the stream was only three fourths of the way up the mountain.

Soon she was met with the gentle burble of the stream. Despite worrying that being by the water could be a disadvantage as the gurgling could mask other sounds from her ears, Lilith took the moment to sit down on a rock by the stream with the urns placed gently on the sand below. Carefully she pulled the hat off and fanned herself, feeling the warmth of the sun on her back and cool kiss of the breeze on her flushed face. In times like these, she really was reminded of the peace and quiet she enjoyed when being alone in nature. It was nice.


* * *

Name : Zhi Han
Form : Human
Place : Village​

Zhihan would have stepped up to challenge Ayize to avoid leaving the poor man hanging but fortunately, the one by the name of Shikoba took to the stage and the two men began sparring. It was fascinating to watch, especially when one also delved into their incredibly different fighting styles.

As she stood enraptured, the crane maiden caught sight of another person watching the fight and a little idea bloomed in her head. Turning, she left the crowd for a moment and after a little looking around, came back with a long thin sword, the Xiong-shi Jian. "Miss Kioko," she spoke up in a voice that was soft yet clear as she recalled the name of the ginger haired girl, "We can't let the boys have all the fun, now can we?"

Truth be told if they did spar, though she found herself another weapon save for her tessen, the odds were not in her favor. However in this case, winning did not mean anything. Fighting was more a means of letting out some steam and breaking the tensions... distracting and entertaining... and having some fun too.

With this in mind, Zhihan took up a "neutral" fighting stance a few feet away from Kioko with her sword drawn but in line with the back of her right arm. "Please do me the honor of sparring with me."

Purize

 

[Raku]

Mikal Kae
Location - War Room
Form - Human
Speech - Common/Native

As Aubrey pointed towards the 'war room' with her hammer, Mikal's head turned in its direction. A look of confusion crossed his face. War room? he thought. That shack was their war room? Well, he couldn't expect too much. It was a mountain village, not a military. As they walked over, Mikal looked to the side where he heard some ruckus. What he found to be the source was Ayize and Shikoba in the middle of a duel. Ayize had just dodged a kick from Shikoba and quickly recovered. He had to hand it to Ayize, he was quite the fighter for being a healer. His eyes then looked up to the shifting clouds. They were growing dark, peaking over the mountains like some sinister creature spying on the village. These could be a problem.

As they entered the 'war room', Mikal was met by a wonderful object. It was a map of tunnels. Mikal knew what they were. These were the tunnels the spider resided in! This opened up so much. His eyes widened as he looked over the map. Although Mikal stayed calm, Björn didn't seem to be able to hold it. He let out a thunderous laugh and his facial expression changed to that of kid. He then asked a question with an obvious answer. Oh no, Mikal was not about to be cut off again. He raised a hand as his eyes stayed locked on the map and let out a snappy "Shh!". He studied every opening on the map. This was game changing. He noticed that it was getting late and rain was falling. They'd have to act fast. "Alright, we've been on the defensive this whole time. Every night we've had to deal with these creatures ambushing and attacking us. Now, we're going to give them a taste of their own medicine. We are going to set up an ambush. We'll have to move quick as night approaches. What we need is a small team of soldiers with at least one avian at each known opening with torches and a small cart of hay. The majority of the soldiers will be here," he said pointing to a area that lead to the village. "They will have dug small holes where one or two will stand at the ready with a wooden stake from the villages defenses. Once the spiders have left the main opening and venture down to the village, a signal will be given and once a spider walks over a hole, the soldiers inside will push the stake up into the creatures abdomen. That is the only place where they can be punctured without spewing their acidic blood. Once the attack has commenced, the teams at the openings will set fire to the carts of hay and the avians will fan the smoke into the tunnels. Hopefully, this will cause the monsters to choke and suffocate. In the main field, archers will assist the soldiers from elevated ground, aiming for the beasts' eyes and trying to give the soldiers a chance to climb out of their holes. If we must we will use flaming arrows. If this works, it could save us a lot of time, lives, and weapons." he said, still looking at the map. He wasn't a big tactician, but sometimes he could come up with a decent plan.
​

Brendanfp SilverFlight

 

[BugDozer73]

Shikoba: anthro: fight with doggy



Shikoba let his foot descend lethally downwards, only to find it missing the target of the dogs head. The speed at which the man moved was fast: more so than shikoba had been expecting. Shikoba landed hard and barley had time to lean away from the counter strike. The edge of the staff whiffed centimeters from shikoba's face. Shikoba sprung back, vaulting onto his hands and then his feet several feet away from the much more menacing dog medic.

"Your fast, dog. Faster than I gave you credit for. But not fast enough." Shikoba felt the looser, shifty soil under his feet, and smirked. Its just like sand!

Shikoba bent down, laying his hand on the ground like a runner, and darted to the side, then shot right again, and again, beginning to rapidly circle the dog with as much speed as Shikoba could manage. The speed, combined with the wind force of his wings helping to propel him around Ayi, began to lift the dirt and dust slightly off the ground, and in a moment, Shikoba stopped, wings fully extended, and flapped down hard. He flew several feet into the air, and the currents grabbed the spinning dust, pulling up a large cloud of murk.The dust storm covered the dog completely, shrouding him from most eyes, but shikoba could see him. Shikoba dove hard, claws extended for an Ariel strike. It wouldn't kill the dog, but it would sting...

-----

Erebos: Anthro: Cliffside


Erebos watched as the hawk missed his mark and narrowly avoided a well timed counter. He was fast, no doubt about it. But the dog was clearly more trained in combat. Erebos recognized the style from his time training in Simbali. The boy shifted back and attempted to make use of his speed and superior vision by raising a cloud of dust. He was certainly clever, but Erebos could see a counter already coming. The people of the wild dogs had noses that matched a hawks vision. With a grin, Erebos took his eyes off the display and re focused his attention. Dusk was falling, wrapping the world in its familiar haze. Erebos grabbed his scythe, which he had laid on the ledge beside him, and stepped off the cliff, falling calmly into the village. Moments before impact, he spread his wings and slowed his decent, letting not a whisper of wind or sound slip through his giant white feathers. He stood and drew his cloak around him tightly, and moved in the same fashion as his landing, turning none of the present heads.

Tule slept this night, and left the world without its illuminating beam. While the sun performed its final dance on the opposite horizon, Erebos slunk around the shack the bear, rhino and fox had escaped into, and leapt nimbly up above the door, and sat motionless, with no sound, and he waited, listening to the people talk inside.

Brendanfp Raku SilverFlight

 

[Purize]

Name: Kioko
Form: Human
Place: Mountain Village Square​

Watching the two desert-lovers fight was mesmerizing. There is always a strange difference from watching a fight rather than being in it. One can judge each fighters as individuals, or a pair caught in a dance. Whereas when you are one of the fighters yourself, your perspective is solely focuses on the rhythm between you and your opponent. Time slows, buy your heart races, and nothing else in the world matters. Kioko couldn't deny that a buried part of her loved the exhilaration of fighting. In the beginning she had hated it, hated her mother and sister for it... but now it was a part of her. They taught her to be strong.

Kioko turned to the crane maiden as she approached, a serene smile on her lips. A smirk played across Kioko's face and she dipped her head in a nod. "Of course, we ladies have to keep on our toes as well, no?"

Her eyes fleeted over the sword that the women held. It seemed we were going to spar with weapons. Kioko slid her kodachi from its sheath, letting the sound of metal ring. The sky grumbled and drops of cool water hit the blade, sliding down it's smooth surface.

"I accept your challenge, Miss Zhihan."

thunder cracked and Kioko sprung into action. She leapt and twirled in the air, her blade slicing through raindrops as swept her blade in a wide arch towards the red-crowned crane.

Dominaiscna