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Post by Reiqua on Jun 13, 2018 3:29:33 GMT -5
Accusations. Accusations everywhere. She could see that they were all rattled. And fair enough. It was the grossest violation of their law possible, and in the most distasteful manner. And the victim could have been any of them. There was fear. There was grief. And then there was more fear. Muuri did not quite know what to do with the fear. But she knew what to do with grief. After a moment’s pause she shook herself to action. Inaction would accomplish nothing, she told herself firmly. Boldly, Muuri strode across the clearing to the lifeless body of the huemul deer. She touched her nose to his briefly and then bowed her head to the blood-stained earth. After a brief moment’s respectful silence she let out a mournful, keening wail that bespoke absolute grief, loss and tragedy. It seemed a short eternity that she kept up the chilling sound for, but in reality was probably only a minute or so. From the woods around her, she heard other birds and beasts add their own lamentations to hers, forming a cacophony of grief. Muuri allowed a moment for the noise to die down. It was important to be able to feel grief, and to be able to give voice to it. Grief kept inside would only fester and get worse. Muuri had not known the huemul personally, but she knew him by reputation, and she knew that many in the clearing had known him personally. But there was more to be done to be able to move on from this tragedy. "He would not have wanted this to be his final resting place," she told the clearing at large, "Surely we should take him to his home land." The decisive note faded from her voice as she considered the practicalities of relocating a large, lifeless deer body, potentially over a long distance. She didn’t even know where he had lived. She turned uncertainly to face the largest animal in sight, an enormous Kaprosuchus. His golden eyes were still flashing sharply after his impassioned speech of moments before, but he seemed less menacing now. "Do you think we could...?" she asked tentatively, not wanting to spell out exactly what she had in mind. Truth be told, she didn’t quite know. In fact, she didn’t even know if she could trust this boar crocodile. Recent happenings certainly hadn’t done anything to increase her faith in animal-kind. But as she saw it the current circumstances left her no choice but to cautiously trust, and hope for the best. They could not leave the huemul lying here. Muuri was totally in the clearing all along having been magically teleported there after her hunt in the last round through the power of creative licence.Muuri hears all the accusations, questions, and counter-arguments (but probably not Makell’s quiet plea for help). But she has entirely different concerns – the murdered is far more important than the killer in her reckoning. She walks up to the dead deer and gives a long mournful cry, which everyone in the clearing would have heard and may have chosen to join in with. Then she comes on all bossy-mum-like and says they should take him back to his home land. She starts to ask Quicksnap ( Shinko ) for help with this but then consideration of practicalities kick in and she kinda second-guesses whether it’s a doable thing at this point and becomes a whole lot less bossy about it. She will not be overly offended if people ignore or override her suggestion of moving Recaito. |
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Post by Thundy on Jun 13, 2018 9:04:42 GMT -5
17/6/█ █ █ █
It has been two weeks since the surgery. Algernon has recovered fine and Dr. █ █ █ █ █ assured me that there should be no problems with aftercare. A few days ago we repeated an experiment we used to establish a baseline. Algernon was given 3 boxes containing food, closed with 3 different mechanisms, and an array of tools and components nearby. Initial time taken to open each box was around 2 minutes, 10 seconds. In this repeat experiment, the average time was dropped down to 1 minute, 50 seconds. Could it be that it's working? Only time and further experiments will tell. I have high hopes.
***END OF ENTRY***PRESENT DAYThe motley group of creatures had moved from the woods to the clearing, the canopy of branches had given way to clear sky. Algernon was wrong about the weather, the rain had never materialized. He pondered the perplexity of this, when he noticed the larger group over by the bend in the river. There were creatures of all from all orders mammalia to testudines. But most conspicuously was the restrained tiger, and the corpse laying nearby. René landed next to Algernon and cocked his head to the side. “Looks pretty ominous.” Algernon nodded and scratched his chin. “It appears that the culprit has been found already, not before taking someone with her, however.” “Dreadful,” René remarked and preened a feather. “well, at least we can rest easy now our lives aren't in imminent peril. Perhaps now this will give me a chance to put your King's life in peril, before you can castle again.” “Don't count on it, René, it doesn't make much sense.” “Nonsense, it's a viable defensive option early in the ga...” “I meant, why kill somebody out in the open in front of everyone? Surely the goal would be to get away with such an offence, not be immediately apprehended.” “You assume too quickly. Perhaps she wanted to be known as the fearsome killer? Somebody who wanted to be remembered, even if the deed itself is infamous. After all, it's not likely to be forgotten in the near future.” “Fascinating point, René. There's only one way to find out, we'll just have to inquire ourselves.” Algernon turned to the others filing out of the forest. “We're going over, I have some questions I'd like answers too. Feel free to join me at your leisure.” René shook his head. “All well and good for you Al, but I'd prefer to not hang around near someone so dangerous. I think I'll just hang out with the firebird here. Birds of a feather, and all that. That is, if you wouldn't mind the company?” Algernon shrugged and began loping over to the scene. "Hey, what's going on over here?" He called out. Algernon and René approach the clearing with the group from earlier ( Celestial Rabbit ♠ Kozma), Algernon ventures forward to find out more while René wishes to hang further back.
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Post by Thorn on Jun 13, 2018 12:58:51 GMT -5
"Roda, are you okay? Please stay there, I don't want you to get hurt." Kohimu couldn't turn his head far enough to see the little creature, but he could feel her weight. Then Quicksnap was speaking and his attention was drawn to other matters. The taniwha felt a pang of guilt at the boar crocodile's words. Beech had been his friend too, and he should have been there, but he wasn't strong enough. The thought of her all cut-up and bloodied like this poor, poor deer turned his stomach. Still, he should have made more of an effort. Maybe when he returned to the shore, he would pay his last respects, in whatever way he could. But this was hardly the time to dwell on such things! "We need to figure this out," he agreed, realising that he was staring at the fallen deer, and finally managing to tear his gaze away. The tiger had asked for help, and it was too much. What was wrong with her? He didn't know how to help, but surely there was something. There was always something, right? He wanted to say more, but was interrupted by the unfamiliar marsupial lion. Her display of grief tugged at his heart and he joined in- with more of a rumble than a wail, but nonetheless sincere. Her next suggestion was heartfelt but totally impossible, and Kohimu stepped towards she and Quicksnap. "It wouldn't be practical," he said softly. "But his friends might know if he had a favourite spot on the island. We could at least bring him there." He glanced back at the struggling tiger. "We should probably deal with her first. I hope this will pass. I hope she can forgive herself." Kohimu briefly checks on June Scarlet 's Roda, before joining Reiqua 's Muuri in her mourning- and then physically joining she and Shinko 's Quicksnap, because it felt like something Kohimu would do. June, if you want to move Roda, don't feel like I'm preventing that or anything! She's not very heavy and there are lots of distractions, it would be very easy for Kohimu to not notice her slip away. =) |
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Post by Jayeee on Jun 13, 2018 13:00:49 GMT -5
The day had started so well for Calix. He had a new friend who could provide him with valuable information (and maybe the odd nibble every now and then), and had been showered with compliments on a pleasant journey to the watering hole. Calix had taken them on a rather scenic route around Naelus, before Jack finally offered to lead them on the right path. “All these creatures, urging for change in Naelus. And i’m just the mammal to do it!” he exclaimed with joy when they finally arrived. There was a decent crowd - a little small for what he’d hoped, and not nearly as many females as he deserved. But change started small. That statue of him would be built soon enough. “I was made for this, you know. Rumour has it that when I was born, a sacred primeape lifted me atop a mountain and a chorus sounded. There were cries of complete euphoria all over the land. I got into quite the adventure when I was just a youth. Perhaps I’ll detail it another time. It really is worth hearing! Oh how I just can’t wait to b-” And then it happened. Calix had barely even paid attention to the noise, instead assuming that he’d been noticed in the crowd. It wasn’t until that sweet smell of blood hit his nose that his whiskers twitched and his fur ruffled. “Did somebody bring me a spot of supper?” he asked, sniffing the air eagerly. In the ensuing chaos, Calix made sure to nudge away anybody who got a little too close to his jackalope (it wouldn’t do for his new intelligence division to be flattened). But when the crowd cleared a little, and he saw the a tigeress gloriously covered in blood, being restrained, his eyes widened in shock. “That’s her,” he muttered. They had only been discussing the possible marriage candidate that day, and now this had happened. The air felt different too. This surely wasn’t a simple prey hunt, this must have been the murder they all kept talking about (and not the delicious-pack-of-crows-kind either). It was then that his female-acute hearing picked up the muttering of his predatory brethren. “Please,” she whispered. “Help me.”He couldn’t leave a poor, defenceless, vulnerable predator in danger. He had to do something! “I need to eat that deer,” he announced, a little too loudly, before snorting the smell of blood out of his nose and adding, “or talk to everyone. Yes, that. The second one.” Many of the creatures had moved back in fear of the restrained tiger, while others had gathered around the dead prey. It gave Calix enough space to surge forward, coming to a halt to block the tiger in the distance. He swiveled around on his hind legs and stamped his front two on the ground hard. “Perhaps we shouldn’t jump to any conclusions,” he suggested loudly. “I’m as upset as any of you - this could have been my wedding! But nonetheless, should we be so strong to determine a judgement and resort to capture of this poor predator?” The smell of blood seeped back into his senses. “Instinct can be a cruel mistress, as I’m sure every predator can attest to. Succulent treats dangled in front of us, and who are we to resist such offerings.” Calix gave his signature toothy grin. “Greetings, fellow creatures of Naelus. My name is Calix - i’m sure you’re all aware - and I have been nominated by myself to lead this island into a new direction!” This was it. The time was perfect - his grand plan could finally be revealed with more credit than ever. “I propose that we build a wall!” Calix arrives at the watering hole after a wonderful journey with Birdy . Excited to begin his speech as new leader of Naelus, Calix is shocked to smell blood and sees the tigress that they had been discussing earlier restrained and covered in blood. Hearing Nova 's plea for help and letting his instincts get the better of him, Calix leaps to defend the poor predator, before finally making his grand plan known to everyone! (Birdy, i'm not sure how/when you wanted to enter the watering hole, but I really wanted to make a post and I think our timezones are totally different. XD So if you had other ideas, feel free to retcon this and say you arrived alone or something!) |
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Post by Celestial on Jun 13, 2018 14:38:50 GMT -5
Svar had flown a little bit ahead of the normal group, ready to bolt in case something went wrong. Their journey, however, was rather uneventful. As soon as he saw that Mochi was there, and more to the point, they had treats, the firebird made a beeline for them. After murmuring a quiet greeting and cocking his head to inspect what was on offer, Svar was disappointed to find there was no apple ones this time. Though the apples on Naelus were never as good as those apples- nothing could ever be- they were still Svar's favourite. With some musing, the firebird selected his second choice: peach-flavoured with a chunk of peach in the centre. He was in the middle of eating when It happened. When he dipped down his head to tear at the rice and get to the peach heart of the mochi, the tiger was just complaining about feeling sick. But when the firebird looked up, she was standing over the corpse of a deer, blood on her claws and teeth. Red. Dripping. Seeping into the soil. Despite the fact that a firebird's body was always uncomfortably hot to the touch, Svar felt cold. Numbness spread from the tip of his beak down to the trailing feathers of his tail. No matter how hard he tried, he could not tear himself away from gazing at the tiger's maw. As he watched, the scariest thing happened: the rage in the tiger's eyes quietened. She mewled pitifully "Please, help me."It hit Svar like a rockslide: she had not killed from hunting. She had been possessed by something. Urged to kill by something. It was beyond her control. Anybody could snap. Anybody. He was not safe here. He had never felt safe on Naelus, feeling like some hero was always going to sneak up on him or some predator would try to eat him, but now, even his rational thoughts screamed at him that he was no longer safe. Cries of fear, accusations and counter-accusations began to fly through the air but he could not hear them. The numbness and cold remained, rooting him to the spot. He wanted to fly away but Svar could not stop staring. His eyes stung and pearls poured from them and he did not even care: he had no control of his body, paralyzed as it was by fear and shock. Someone approached him and spoke to him "... Birds of a feather, and all that. That is, if you wouldn't mind the company?” a shadow fell across his side. The change in circumstance was enough to startle Svar out of his paralysis. He screamed and took off into the air, past the ear of a lion that had just announced...something, but he didn't hear. The firebird flew past the lion's ear, heading straight into the forest... ...only to feel a sudden tug and come to a halt. Svar screamed and thrashed. "No! I'm not going to be trapped again! Let go of me, human, let go!" tears poured from his eyes. "Never again! Never again!" If the firebird had taken a moment, he would have realised one of his three long trailing tail feathers had caught on a stray shrub, but fear and panic had such a strong hold on Svar's brain that he was blind to everything but the threat. *** Once Morag had been deposited by Mochi, she pottered about saying hello to all the various animals, most of which she did recognise, even if her names eluded her. They were all kind enough to reintroduce themselves to her, knowing of the haggis's advanced age. Then the tiger, Makell, began having a bit of bother. She complained about not feeling so good. "Oh dear," Morag scuttled over to her. "Do you want to take a bit of a rest, dearie? I know it helps me when I am feeling under the weather. Or perhaps something to eat. Darling Mochi over there has some lovely-" Quicksnap's sharp call broke her off. “Back up. Something’s wrong with her, we need to back up.”“No, nothing’s wrong with me. It’s you- it’s all of you! Liars, thieves, murderers-”Even Morag, in her elderly, friendly, overly-trusting state knew better than to hang around. She quickly scuttered backwards in a straight line, keeping her eyes firmly on the tigress. It was just as well. No sooner did some new creatures arrive in the clearing that Makell lunged for one of them- Recaito, a huemul deer, if she recalled right- and killed him right where he stood. Morag blinked, taking in the scene. "Well, that's...not good," was all she managed to say. Her mind had gone completely blank. Trying to distract herself, Morag looked and snuffled around. There was discussion around her about what happened and why but she could not wrap her mind around it. It was the domain of somebody far younger than her. Instead, her senses zeroed in on the creature who had been with Makell just as she had come in: the sphynx cat, who by the sound of her shaking voice was terrified out of her mind. The haggis scuttled up to her, careful to avoid the big feet of the two dilophosaurs who were surrounding her like bodyguards. Either of them could easily squish her flat. Morag snuffled very loudly to let everyone know she was there- not just the dilophosaurs but also the kitsune and Quicksnap as well as the sphynx, who she carefully nuzzled. "There, there, dearie. I know it must be scary for you right now. What helps me is snuggling up somewhere with something tasty, like some flowers or perhaps a nice juicy earthworm. Do you like earthworms? The ones on the endless meadow at the best, although they are a bit too far away. Oh, pardon me, dearie, but I do not think I recall your name. It's my old age, you see?" the haggis blinked. "I am Morag. What's your name, sweetie? You have very lovely skin: it's very smooth and very soft." Svar comes into the clearing and immediately makes a dash for food (he's a bird, he has to eat a lot) which involves a visit to Mochi( Shinko ). While eating, the incident with Makell happens. The poor firebird is frozen with fear until suddenly Rene( Thundy ) startled him into bolting, right past Calix( Jayeee ). Svar does not get far though before he gets caught on some bushes, something that causes him to go into meltdown. Halp? Morag, meanwhile, is very calm about the whole thing, even if she does not understand all that is going on. Foregoing the discussions about who did it, since they are flying over her head, she makes her way over to where Genevieve( Coaster ) is and talks to her about nothing to try to get her mind off things. Her snuffling is very loud to alert Soaitsae and Taakeyrr, Kasai and Quicksnap that she is there. ( Tiger , Twillie ) |
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Post by Tiger on Jun 13, 2018 16:13:28 GMT -5
The little animal stammered an explanation - or as much of one as it seemed able to give, not that Taakeyrr could blame her for momentary trouble speaking coherently. "I cannot read her mind, and she's hardly in a state to explain, but coming from upriver, it seems unlikely she caused the incident that brought us here to begin with, she finished. ”Hopefully, we can at least ascertain what motivated this murder, before we try to impose a connection with any others."Quicksnap agreed, “Oh, she was sick alright. If she was in her right mind enough for that to be an act, why kill with so many witnesses around at all?”“That’s true,” Taakeyrr muttered, looking over her shoulder. The scene was still too chaotic to make out anything new; she did catch sight of a newcomer, apparently drawn to the...cat? Was it a cat? One of the little ones? What had happened to its hair? The new animal was...a canine, Taakeyrr thought. Also small, but it had a long pointy nose and a fluffy tail. Someone speaking up in the trees drew her attention away before she could make any more observation - Taakeyrr had seen enough of these creatures to actually identify it as a scimon. "This is supposed to be a truce zone, a no hunting area. If the tiger doesn't respect this law, then perhaps we need look no further to find our culprit."A few clicks came from Soaitsae, but before the dilophosaur could speak, Quicksnap lost his patience. “And perhaps you shouldn’t jump to conclusions!” Taakeyrr made very sure she was out of the crocodile’s way as Quicksnap prowled forward, berating the crowd for not coming to see where Beech’s body had been found. Taakeyrr’s feathers prickled with guilty discomfort, and she saw her fathers shift uneasily as well. “I saw her. And her wounds weren’t from a tiger’s claws or fangs. Who or whatever killed her, it wasn’t this tiger!”Taakeyrr wasn’t sure why it hadn’t hit her before, but the realization struck her right then what it meant if the striped cat - the tiger - hadn’t killed Beech. There’s more than one murderer? The little canine spoke up; “I, uh… The meeting. That’d be the best place to figure all that out, right? I- I don’t know that tiger well at all, but maybe someone else does? Surely someone would have a better idea of what might have come over her, i-if it was a sickness or not.”Taakeyrr chirruped a little in agreement - she was certainly not the one to ask about this. She turned her whole body back toward the commotion - noticing yet another little creature making its way toward the gathering behind the dinosaurs, snuffling as it went. “In the meantime, do we know what we’re gonna do about…. All this?” she heard the canine ask. Taakeyrr didn’t have an answer to Quicksnap’s inquisitive look, and judging by his hesitation, Soaitsae didn’t, either. They were spared coming up with something on the spot by another animal - another cat, a bit smaller than the tiger - approaching the dead deer and crying out. Taakeyrr drew back a little from the unfamiliar, anguished sound. When it ended, some of the creatures began speaking about moving the body. Taakeyrr knew she and her father would be little help with that, and looked for the attacker - the tiger - again. The group of animals was still restraining her - Xsabaskis had come forward and planted a foot on the cat’s back. She was probably lighter than the tiger, but hopefully the claws would be a helpful deterrent along with the rest of the living restraints. A loud roar made Taakeyrr twitch - but when the sound faded, the tiger said, “Please - Help me.” And then the anger and the struggle were back. Chills went up Taakeyrr’s back strongly enough to make her feathers puff up. ...And then the golden cat arrived. The fur around his face reminded Taakeyrr of a male dilophosaurs’ orange eyebrow feathers. Xsabaskis crouched and bared the tips of her teeth as the golden cat approached the tiger at high speed - the other animals holding the tiger down didn’t look any more relaxed, which perhaps was why the gold cat turned back around to face the crowd. He had...a lot of odd things to say. Taakeyrr heard Xsabaskis growl at some of them. “Greetings, fellow creatures of Naelus. My name is Calix - i’m sure you’re all aware - and I have been nominated by myself to lead this island into a new direction!”Xsabaskis let out a long, hissing sigh. “You’re a self-important fool who will be leading no one anywhere. This is serious business; go.” For once, Taakeyrr didn’t mind her sister sounding so bossy. ------ They joined the crowd in twos and threes. Small, swift - barely taller than a large rabbit. Long necks, long arms with long, grabby fingers, long legs that propelled them quickly around any large feet and out of range of any irrate attacks, and long snouts with lots of sharp little teeth. Their feathers were short and a bit primitive, like the dilophosaurs’, but an elegant black, with white dappling, and little streaks of iridescent green along their necks. The coelophyses darted about the larger group, catching bits of information here, bits there, and coming back together to compare notes - “A murder again!” “The cat did it!” “The big one?” “The one the others are holding back, stupid!” “A leopard!” “A tiger!” “The cat is sick!” “Did it get the foaming sickness?” “The deer has no foam…” And of course, they chattered to the bigger animals - unusually fearless, happy to stop and share a few words if it might mean they heard a bit more. Ohboy, long one. Taakeyrr and Soaitsae kind of just observer what all is going on and Taakeyrr has emotional reactions. Neither of them squish Morag. (@shinkoryu, Coaster, Twillie, Celestial) Calix arrives and Xsabaskis tries to shoo him away. I doubt it goes well. ( Jayeee) The coelophyses show up and flitter among the crowd gathering info. If anyone’s looking for a recap, feel free to snag me to write or snag yourself some NPC coelophyses for an update. I may also throw them at people asking for an explanation later so watch out! >8O |
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Post by Rabbit ♠ on Jun 13, 2018 17:15:49 GMT -5
“That is it. I’m going to die. I’m going to die a horrible, horrible death and so is everybody else.” Kopi began to dig in the dirt. Dig, dig, dig, dig, dig. Maybe if he dug fast enough, he could dig a tunnel and get out of this place. Or at the very least, he could bury himself and hide from everybody. His fur was the same color as dirt, that could work. Hiding was good. This couldn’t be happening. This just couldn’t be happening. Kopi had seen deaths before. He saw Tash hunt and he thought nothing of it. But this… But this... This wasn’t hunting, this was murder! Dig, dig, dig, dig, dig, dig, dig. That was the only thing Kopi could think. It was his instinct. Cunicanines dug tunnels for easy escape. The only thing Kopi wanted right now was to get out of here. Since he was nowhere near his warren, he had to make his own way out. Tash just stared at everything that was happening. She didn’t know how to react. She wasn’t sure how to feel. What would even be the right emotion? Anger? Fear? Panic? It didn’t matter what she was supposed to feel right now, she just wanted to make sure Kopi didn’t get caught up in some of the chaos. Tash looked around. There had to be something that could take his mind off this. Something, anything, anything that could potentially calm him down. Was that going to happen? Probably not, but she had to try. The artacat’s eyes met a rabbit looking animal sitting in front of a leaf with some objects on them. What were these items, she didn’t know and she didn’t care. Tash flew over to the rabbit and grabbed one of these items with her middle paws. “Sorry, I need one of these,” Tash quickly said, not stopping to even look at the rabbit. Tash flew back to Kopi. By the time she got there, there was already a hole big enough to hold Kopi with room to spare. Kopi didn’t notice that Tash was back or that she even left. “Kopi, Kopi, it’s okay, it’s okay,” Tash sighed. She didn’t believe that it was, but she had to try to say that. “Hey, Kopi, look at this. Stop digging and check this out.” Yeah, Kopi's not taking witnessing the murder too well, now is he? Kopi's natural instinct is to dig to either hide or escape the scene That's pretty much all he can think about right now. Tash doesn't know how to react. Her first thought was to try to keep Kopi from panicking too much. So she looks around and sees Mochi ( Shinko ) with some mochi, so she snags one. Tash hopes it can distract Kopi. Will it, Tash isn't sure, but she has to try. |
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Post by Shinko on Jun 13, 2018 17:19:37 GMT -5
Quicksnap could see the uncertainty in the dilophosaur’s eyes, and sighed, turning back to the crowd. He didn’t recognize the marsupial that approached the dead deer, but he could guess at what she wanted when she addressed him. “I’m big, but so is he,” the boar crocodile said reluctantly. “I doubt I could lift him. Drag him maybe, if I had some help, but you’d need a vine or something to hook him on, and I don’t know where to leave him.” He glanced towards the deer’s unicorn friend, but he wasn’t going to try to press her for information just know. Quicksnap had a shrewd idea of just how she was feeling. "I knoow this shadow."Quicksnap jumped- a very odd gesture from a huge reptile- and lunged around with surprising speed (his tail no doubt buffeting a few bystanders.) Whoever had just spoken, their voice was... cold. Like somebody had just dumped ice water into his veins through his ears. "The striped cat has a darkness clinging to her," came that chilly whisper again. Quicksnap could see that he was not the only one hearing it, yet nobody seemed able to identify its source. Then, a small silver shape emerged from the trees. It paused- seeming to try to grasp the panicking firebird's caught tailfeather in its teeth before giving up when its body just passed through- then approached the tiger. Quicksnap felt his voice die in his throat, the only sound he was able to make a high whimper. It was dog-sized. Silvery in color, with stripes along its rump. It's body seemed to dribble with little flames of whatever matter made up the rest of it, which trailed behind as it moved. Though it walked as if on four legs, one of those legs was missing, tiny embers of its silver presence the only indication there might ever have been something there. Though it had eyes, the appeared only as glowing white voids. The thing walked through the glowing lion, and stopped in front of the tiger. Its ears were pinned back. "Why do I remember this, and yet nothing else? Why do I know this fearful darkness?," Finally finding his voice, Quicksnap managed to croak, "...Beech?" Mochi isn’t explicitly mentioned but is still around, giving out snackies to people who wants. Quicksnap responds to Reiqua , saying he’s not strong enough to lift a grown deer but that he might be able to drag him if he had some help and some way to hook the deer to his body. He isn’t sure where they would take him though. (Maybe Ginz ❤ could respond here? Up to you!) But then… |
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Post by Coaster on Jun 13, 2018 18:01:34 GMT -5
Genevieve's reverie since finishing her statements was interrupted by the escalating sound of snuffling, and she stiffened entirely at the bristle of fur nuzzling against her side. She stared blankly at the newcomer for a moment as the latter spoke up. "There, there, dearie. I know it must be scary for you right now. What helps me is snuggling up somewhere with something tasty, like some flowers or perhaps a nice juicy earthworm. Do you like earthworms? The ones on the endless meadow at the best, although they are a bit too far away."Wondering if this was how she made Makell feel during the trip, and also wondering what could possibly be appetizing about earthworms, and also still trying to fully process the scene to begin with, Genevieve remained silent, but upon witnessing the buffet of snacks brought by a nearby rabbit, she reasoned that filling (or clearing, as the case may be) her stomach may help to settle it. "Oh, pardon me, dearie, but I do not think I recall your name. It's my old age, you see?" the haggis blinked. "I am Morag. What's your name, sweetie? You have very lovely skin: it's very smooth and very soft."She caught herself at the direct address (and the seemingly misaimed compliment) and responded in kind, attempting to loosen the knot in her belly as she did. "Ahem--thank you, dearest miss, though I assure you, your covering is much more practical than mine. I am called Genevieve, and it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance; would you mind if I pause a moment to settle my stomach?" Ambling over to the nearest corner of the tray of goods (and noticing that all the options were vegetarian--"purge it is, I suppose"), she scooped a grass-covered roll onto the ground and nibbled at the wrapping for a moment until she was again interrupted, this time by a chilling whisper and the reflexive jolt of many other animals in the area that apparently also heard it: "I knoow this shadow."Looking up from her snack towards the source of the voice, watching as it passed through the bird and the lion as if only half-present, continuing to stare dumbfounded as it addressed Makell, and with her stomach feeling as though it was about to fulfill the reflex it had been threatening since witnessing the murder, she finally turned to the rabbit bringer of vegetables as the incorporeal thylacine finished its soliloquy. "Wh... what did you put in these?" Genevieve appreciates the company but downplays Morag ( Celestial)'s compliment, still responding and thanking her before taking some of Mochi ( Shinko)'s, uh, mochi. She's also scared all over again by sudden ghost thylacine and suspects it's from some hallucinogen put in the food. |
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Post by June Scarlet on Jun 13, 2018 18:21:31 GMT -5
Julaine stood frozen with fear as Quicksnap snapped at her. Luckily she was high in the tree, safe from his massive jaws, but she still regretted saying anything. Apparently the attack of Beech hadn't been from a tiger. Julaine didn't take this as good news. She had hoped for an easy answer to the problem. Honestly, she didn't know what to do about the murders. She wasn't sure why she'd come to the meeting. It wasn't even safe here. Roda meanwhile remained on the taniwha's back. Kohimu asked if she was okay, then requested she stay on his back where she couldn't get hurt. "I'm fine, thanks. And I'll gladly stay here where it's safe." Rumors were already spreading that the tiger wasn't in her right mind, that she had been overcome by some sort of sickness. These rumors worried Roda. Not that it really made any difference to a scimon. Right mind, wrong mind, they were still hunted either way. Her thoughts were interrupted by an icy whisper. A silvery apparition. It spoke about a darkness clinging to the tiger, and of memories lost. Roda had seen a lot of things, but never something like this. She shivered in fear. If it was Beech, and if Beech had died, then that would make this a ghost. She had heard stories about ghosts, of course, but never encountered one before. It spooked Roda to her core. Julaine regrets coming to the meeting and speaking up after Quicksnap's Shinko reaction. Roda stays safe on Kohimu's Thorn back. Then Ghost Beech appears, and Roda is suitably spooked. |
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Post by Kozma on Jun 13, 2018 19:02:10 GMT -5
Everything happened so quickly... Lacintell had just reached the gathering point with his companions. While Svar, Algernon, René had gone ahead of the group, Kopi and Tash had remained with him. What they saw next was unfathomable. A Siberian Tigress attacked a group of beasts and killed a huemul deer. It was so sudden and unexpected; it took Lacintell completely by surprise. By the time he registered that a murder was occurring right before him it was too late. Recaito was dead by the time the procoptodon, along with several other creatures, subdued the tigress. Lacintell, as one of the larger creatures on Naelus, was one of those keeping Makell restrained. He had lost track of his previous companions in the chaos and had no idea where they were. Finding them wasn't his first priority, however: She used her energy to clear her mind. To clear her head of this rage, of such impure and horrifying thoughts. A tear dropped onto her cheek as she gave up trying to break free of those restraining her. “Please,” she whispered. “Help me.” And then the rage overtook her mind once more. A soft plea for help startled the procoptodon. It seemed to come from the tigress herself; but didn't she just murder another beast out of pure madness? She couldn't be pleading for help, could she? Looking at the beast, Lacintell noticed the tear coming from her eyes. There was something very curious going on and the procoptodon couldn't comprehend what it was. He wished he was more intelligent like his brothers; they surely would have all the answers to this mystery. The tigress seemed to be enraged again; Lacintell and the other creatures held onto her firmly so she wouldn't kill again. A thought dawned on him; maybe some of the other creatures would have some knowledge that he didn't have. Lacintell turned to Xsabaskis, the dilophasaur that was helping him restrain the tigress. "Hello," he said. "This is such a strange thing to happen, isn't it? You wouldn't happen to know why this happened, do you?" During the attack, Lacintell loses track of everyone who traveled with him to the gathering. Celestial , Thundy , Rabbit ♠ . He helps restrain Makell Nova and hears her faint plea for help. Because he doesn't understand all that is going on, he asks Xsabaskis, Tiger , if they know anything about the attack. |
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Post by Ginz ❤ on Jun 13, 2018 19:34:45 GMT -5
Inara felt a lot better once the inky mess had been cleaned off. In retrospect, maybe she had made too much of a fuss about it. Nevertheless, the three friends travelled together to the river, chatting on the way. As they approached the meeting point, Inara spotted a few animals already gathered, and trotted towards the crowd. Suddenly and unexpectedly, the tigress in the group lunged at her, and for a brief second, Inara stared directly into her eyes and became paralyzed with fear. The was a downright deranged look in the tigress’ eyes. It was unlike that of any other predator she had ever encountered. Something was clearly off about her. Barely a moment before the tigress could strike her, she was once again tackled and knocked to the ground. A second later, she heard a horrifying bleat that sent chills down her spine, but she could not bring herself to look. Whatever was happening couldn’t be happening. Watering holes were truce zones. They were there to find a solution to the senseless violence that had preyed upon them, not to witness any more of it. And her friend… he had just saved her! Inara snapped out of her shock suddenly. It was her turn to save him! There was somewhat of a commotion, as the rest of the crowd scuffled to restrain Makell, but Recaito lay alone on the grass. Inara approached him quietly and kneeled beside him. “Recaito! Recaito, it’s okay, you’re going to be okay,” she said, desperately wanting to believe it herself. She bowed her head so that her horn made contact with the wounds on his friend’s neck. There was a faint glow as she worked her magic, but when she pulled back, she noticed with dismay that her efforts had barely made any difference. “No no no no no! Don’t worry, I’ll try again. It will work this time, just hang in there!” She repeated the process, but there was no use. It was far too late, and even if it hadn’t been, her magic wasn’t strong enough. Her best friend was dead. He had died saving her. Inara stayed there as though frozen, tears rolling down her eyes as she processed what had happened. A marsupial lion joined her at Recaito's side. The unicorn watched as Muuri touched her nose to his and bowed. She appreciated the respectful gesture for her friend. Then, the marsupial lion let out a mournful wail, and Inara joined along with her own. It was nice to feel solidarity in grieving. She started crying. "I knoow this shadow."
Inara heard the chilly whisper. Her head bolted up, trying to find the source. "The striped cat has a darkness clinging to her,"Strange as it was, the words made sense to her. She knew exactly what the voice was talking about. "It's true," she said softly, like she was whispering back. "It's true," she repeated, more audibly this time. "I saw it in her eyes. I’ve never seen anything like it. I didn’t know her, but I could tell she wasn’t herself. She didn't want to kill him. No one in their right mind would." "This shouldn't have happened!" she lamented forcefully, and broke down into sobs again. And then she saw her. An eerie apparition of Beech, the thylacine who had been killed the previous night. Inara was so confounded her tears had stopped flowing. She knew she shouldn't entertain the idea, but she wondered if maybe, just maybe, there was a chance her best friend would come back like that too. There was so much she wanted to tell him, to thank him for. Had she ever told him how much she cared about him? But for now, she wanted to listen to whatever else Beech's ghost had to say. Long post, sorry! >>;; Inara and her friends ( Mostly Harmless (flufflepuff) , Liou ) arrive to the meeting only to be attacked! ;-; Inara becomes paralized with fear as Nova lunges towards her. She can tell the tigress has an unprecedented deranged look in her eyes. She is knocked down to safety, and she is shocked as her deer best friend is attacked! As others restrain Makell, she approaches Recaito and tries to heal him with the magic of her horn, but of course it doesn't work. She has trouble processing what happened, and she is very grateful to have Muuri's ( Reiqua ) solidarity as she mourns him. She hears Beech's ghost's ( Shinko ) whispers and responds to them, confirming that whatever the 'darkness' is, she could see it in Makell's eyes. She is very surprised at the ghost's apparition, and can't stop herself from wondering if Recaito might come back as a ghost too. |
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Post by Avery on Jun 13, 2018 20:36:40 GMT -5
The fluffy dog sits in the sand, He chews on whatever he can. Then from far, far away a scream cuts through the day: It seems that something bad is at hand. The dog rises up to his feet, His heart lurches and skips a beat. He steps toward the sound, fear and dread now abound, resisting the urge to retreat. More pained shouts float in on the breeze, adding to the dog's great unease. But when he thinks to flee, suddenly all he can see, is the vision of Friend's final squeeze. And then he realizes - He had once been there for Friend, Comforting him right to the end. He can't stop now No, he won't allow his role as a Good Boye to end. After all, the fluffy dog fought to this shore. He fought when he sought to fight no more. He made it to here, He pressed through his fear, and so now he can not just ignore - Somebody needs him, the fluffy dog knows And if someone needs him - then that's where he goes! It's what would make Friend very proud, If Friend were around: Dog will take on any bad foes! The fluffy dog borks to the wind. His signature battle hymn! I'm coming!, he howls - and his throat gives a growl - as he channels the Brave Boye within. Dog decides to stop hiding on the beach with his stick. |
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Post by Lizica on Jun 13, 2018 21:30:36 GMT -5
“I thought I made it clear that when I said, ‘let’s go on the count of three,’ I meant one-two-three-GO.” “And I thought I made it clear that we can’t both go at the same time, which is why I did one-two-three-go.” “ Every. Single. Time.” “Each time, you said you didn’t understand what beat you were stepping forward on, so I thought that you did!” “So maybe I’m the one who was actually confused!” Verso and Recto had finally dragged (literally, dragged) themselves to the very edge of the Highwind Woods, and by that time, even the sun, too, had sunk low to the ground. The two-headed dragon had flopped down upon the meadow grasses for a break, and farther inland at the meeting, the air had hummed with an uncertain cacophony--which then rose and rose and rose tremulously. “Uhh--” began Verso breathlessly, eyes a bit wide, turning to Recto. “--We’re not out of the woods yet,” both Verso and Recto said simultaneously. They eyed each other in bewilderment and suspicion. Recto gestured at the woods behind them, picking some skewered leaves from his horns; Verso gestured at the meeting ahead of them, where a large marsupial began to lead the assembly in a chorus of grief. “...Ohhh, that--that’s very good,” said Recto said in apprehension, turning a bit less green. In the distance, there came accusations and cries of panic and pain, and suggestions of practicality and of walls, but the most notable thing that was carried on the wind was a veritable fireball of color that suddenly seared over Verso and Recto’s heads before catching with a clamoring shriek onto a bush behind them, completely derailing their conversation. "No! I'm not going to be trapped again! Let go of me, human, let go! Never again! Never again!"Humans? Verso and Recto had never met a human, but they knew a lot of riddles that involved them. The pair craned their necks upward to see the firebird thrashing about in the thicket, a small heap of pearls slowly piling up on the ground beneath him. With argued and arguable coordination, the dragon eventually hobbled to their feet and poked their heads over. “Do you need help?!” Verso shouted to and over the screaming firebird. “We’re experts at escaping from bushes,” added Recto helpfully. “Shut uuuup, he doesn’t need to know that--” "I knoow this shadow. ... The striped cat has a darkness clinging to her. "It would have been a lie to say that the move had been synchronized, or even planned, but Verso saw the silvery shade coming through the trees first, and made to dive aside into the cover of the same bush the firebird was stuck to, and Recto, who had instead stepped forward to get a better look at both the firebird and the silver haze, slipped cleanly upon the bed of pearl teardrops, and the two of them smacked into each other headlong and tumbled into a pile of dead leaves on the forest floor just before the specter passed. "Why do I remember this, and yet nothing else? Why do I know this fearful darkness?"“ This is fine,” Recto squeaked, voice high-pitched. He dragged Verso out of the detritus, and shakily leaned upwards to disentangle one of the firebird’s feathers. “ Everything is going to be just fine!” “ Nothing about any of this is fine,” Verso hissed, nervously, gingerly helping with another fiery red feather. “But, there is hot.” Recto started to say something about how this was such good timing, but as he glanced back towards the clearing, the congregation, and the silver apparition, he picked it up anyway. “...Cold there is not.” “But which one is faster?” “(It’s us--we’re speed’s master.)” Verso and Recto finally made it to the very edge of the meeting's clearing, and they witness the current events from a distance. Svar ( Celestial) freaks out and flies into a bush behind them, and they offer to help before Ghost!Beech ( Shinko) arrives. They flail into a pile of dead leaves and emerge afterwards with an ill-timed riddle as they distractedly try to get Svar untangled. |
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Post by Birdy on Jun 14, 2018 4:21:24 GMT -5
Jack had been so sure they were going to miss the meeting by taking the scenic route, that he'd offered to show His Mighty Shimmeringness Calix a super-secret shortcut that totally no one else knew about. His Mighty Shimmeringness had agreed, and they soon arrived at the meeting. Now, with the smell of blood in the air, Jack was beginning to wish they had missed it. “Did somebody bring me a spot of supper?”Jack jumped at the sudden voice beside him. "What- n-no, I- I think someone's hurt," he said. ( Or worse... he thought grimly.) Jack hunched closer to Calix in the ensuing chaos (if for no other reason than the lion seemed to be keeping others away), and as the crowd parted, caught a glimpse of the tigress. For a moment - one short, panicked moment - she looked... lucid. Scared. Remorseful. He could just barely hear the what she whispered... “Please,” she whispered. “Help me.”And then, she changed again. Back to the snarling, writhing predator. Jack instinctively hunched down smaller, eyes darting around nose twitching. This wasn't right, something was clearly wrong, but what? He cringed at Calix's declaration of eating the poor victim, but then again predators would be predators, he supposed. At least His Mighty Shimmeringness decided instead to talk to everyone. It was only after Calix surged forwards that Jack realized how... exposed he now was. How out in the open. He hunched further, eyes darting around nervously. Perhaps he should move, get away from here. He had to admit he wasn't really listening to what Calix had to say - something about instincts? - but then the next, booming comments he couldn't help but hear. “Greetings, fellow creatures of Naelus. My name is Calix - i’m sure you’re all aware - and I have been nominated by myself to lead this island into a new direction!”Jack stifled a groan and rubbed his face with a paw. Here we go again...“I propose that we build a wall!”(How would that even work? he wondered. Build? Why? It wasn't needed. What would they keep out? ...Or was it to keep things in?) Others, thankfully, saw this too, and dismissed the idea as well. Jack looked around, wondering what to do next. Perhaps... perhaps he should take this opportunity to just... slip away? His Mighty Shimeringness seemed elsewise distracted, so now might be a good opportunity to "I knoow this shadow."Jack felt the fur on his back stand on end, and he hunched even further, making himself as small as possible. That voice... where was it coming from? "The striped cat has a darkness clinging to her," He could see now, though a part in the crowd, a silvery figure near the scene of the crime. It passed through Calix, and stood before the tiger, ears pinned back. "Why do I remember this, and yet nothing else? Why do I know this fearful darkness?," ...Yup. Slipping away definitely sounded good right about now. Eyes darting around warily, Jack slowly crept backwards, towards what he he hoped would be safety in the crowd. Jack has fun! \ o / He and Calix ( Jayeee ) arrive just in time for MURDER. =o His Mighty Shimeringness protects Jack from the chaos, until he is needed elsewhere, to help a fellow predator! Jack, now alone, just stays put and hunkers down. Not knowing what else to do, he debates abandoning His Mighty Shimeringness disappearing into the crowd, but remains put until the appearance of a mysterious silvery figure helps Jack to make up his mind and slink backwards towards the crowd. ((You're good, Jay! No worries - I figured they probably arrived together, yes, and that is pretty much how I pictured things happening, so all is good. ^^ )) |
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