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Post by Shinko on Aug 2, 2018 15:11:02 GMT -5
Quicksnap pondered the question, seeming unsure. “I think she’s avoiding thinking about it. Like there’s something there she’s afraid of.” He rumbled uncertainly. “I wonder if it’s me. That’s what she’s afraid of, like she knows there’s something there she doesn’t want to remember. But she’s remembered everything else- that’ll come back sooner or later, wanted or not. And when it does…” * * * Thunder relaxed- marginally- when Soaitsae explained that the two dilophosaurs who’d been hiding were his daughters. She was accustomed to other animals being leery and hiding in her presence, so while she wasn’t keen on anything skulking around with things on the island as they were, the fact that Xsabaskis and Taakeyrr had emerged readily enough when confronted was proof enough for Thunder they were telling the truth about why they’d been concealed. “I still don’t like it,” she growled. “Waiting for someone else to do things. But it seems I’ve no choice, doesn’t it?” She looked down, seeming to think, then asked, “What of the canine? Is there no way he can be mended?” Rabbit ♠ Quicksnap says that Beech seems afraid of the memories of her death, and has been shying away from them, but that he knows it can’t last. Tiger Thunder accepts that maybe the ghostbusting isn’t something she can do, reluctantly, and then asks if there’s anything she can do to fix Dog.
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Post by Liou on Aug 2, 2018 16:20:55 GMT -5
" Nice wings," Renpi thought with a grin while Te Tai swooped down on them. How punctual of him. Getting rid of this conversation right now would be much easier than anguishing over it for hours while hiding from the taniwha. Svar would thank her later. Or no, he likely wouldn't. But she was pleased with herself either way. Although she was casually licking her paws, an island of nonchalance in this tense confrontation, her standing ear had swivelled towards the firebird and didn't lose a word of his pleading confession. Now, how would Renpi have reacted, in Te Tai's place? While she had known the rage of avenging a fallen ally, that was not the foremost of her thoughts. The pup hopped into the taniwha's way, placed a paw on his snout and gave him a soft, padded, bop. "Nope," she said in a smug tone. How fun it was to be the senior. "No one gobbles the bird if I'm not invited. You're not going to bite a pleading wreck like that without a proper hunt, are you. So distasteful. Don't stain yourself like that. Kohimu had started to hunt down the sowers, hadn't he? If you want to finish his quest, better do it right. With justice in your heart." She sat with her forked tail held high, sniffing at the air in front of Te Tai. "Oh, and he's the only one who knows what happened and what Kohimu was saying before it happened, you big silly. You gotta listen to the whole story at least. Wait for a proper confession. Don't just do the cowardly sowers' work for them, saving them the effort of corrupting you." She'd spoken a little loudly. At least a few animals could be heard pacing slowly nearby. "I know Svar wasn't corrupted when we found him in the cave after it happened. He was mourning really loudly, just so you know. Made my ears ring. But we don't even know what other tricks the sowers can pull with their old hag spoiling them rotten." The pup rose to her feet. "There is an easy way to confirm what happened." She turned sharply to face Svar, grinning. "Some Animals came upon Kohimu and you in the storm, did they not? Then, why should we not go find Some Animals and ask them how it all happened. That would be helpful for both of you, right." Renpi hopped in the way of Te Tai, Thorn, telling him not to be too brash, not to help the sowers' cause, and to properly continue Kohimu's quest. She suggests finding the animals that mobbed Kohimu in the first place, so that Celestial can bring in witnesses. Proximity tag for Mochi, Shinko.
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Post by Shinko on Aug 2, 2018 16:50:00 GMT -5
Mochi could see that Renpi’s cocky words were going to be the opposite of productive, and before either Te Tai or Svar could reply, the rabbit gave a rapid, loud series of smacks against the stone with a back foot, drawing the attention of the others- and giving a small whimper of pain as the motion jostled their ribs. “Renpi, stop,” the rabbit pleaded. “Kohimu was his friend, right? He’s upset. He’s angry. That’s expected.” The little rabbit hopped up to Te Tai, little nose twitching, and bowed in the fashion that their mother had taught them, as the moon rabbits had once bowed to their gods. “Sir, I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry about what happened to your friend. I know it must hurt. I know you must want to tear Svar apart with your teeth. But for just a moment, please just a moment, can you let Svar speak his side? If you aren’t satisfied then, that is also your right. I’m just a rabbit, and obviously I can’t stop you if you decide to act, nor is that my right.” Sitting up straight again, Mochi went on, “But please- just hear him out? Please?” Celestial Thorn Liou Mochi says Renpi staaaaahp and also Te Tai please I know you’re sad but let Svar speak for just a minute, pretty please?
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Post by Rabbit ♠ on Aug 2, 2018 18:40:37 GMT -5
Shying away from her own memories of death. Kopi could understand that. He would most likely do the same thing if he didn’t remember his death. Kopi's death wasn't pleasant, but it was fast. It wasn't much compared to what Beech experienced. If Beech was avoiding thinking about it, did she have an idea of how bad her death was? “That would make sense. I’ve done something similar when I was alive - avoid the things I’m scared of like the plague,” Kopi said. “She can’t avoid facing it forever. The longer she tries to avoid it, the more it’ll hurt when it comes around. Even if she's scared of you, try to be there for her when that happens, okay? Having someone who cares always made it easier for me, maybe it'll make it easier for her. She might not want you, but she'll need you. “I wonder, though…” Kopi looked up at the sky. “Like there’s something there that she’d be afraid of. I wonder what that’d be. Would that be you? Or would that be something else?” Kopi can sort of relate to Beech avoiding what makes her scared and shares his thoughts with Quicksnap ( Shinko), telling him to be there for when the inevitable happens. He then wonders what Beech would be afraid of in those memories.
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Post by Tiger on Aug 2, 2018 18:43:21 GMT -5
To the dilophosaurs’ relief, Thunder seemed to take them at their word. It was probably not the first time animals had hid from her, Taakeyrr thought. They relaxed a little, too, as the tyrannosaur lost a little of her murderous energy. She wished they could help her; not only did Taakeyrr have no real desire to protect the animals trying to turn the entire island back over to nature for reasons she couldn’t begin to imagine, but there just seemed something wrong with the huge dinosaur being helpless and clearly upset over it. “What of the canine?” Thunder asked. ” Is there no way he can be mended?”Xsabaskis glanced at Taakeyrr, who glanced away. But...she made the most sense; she had been the only one here to experience being mended from corruption first-hand. “One of the Spirit’s Guardians was a healer,” she confessed. “But...but one of the other Guardians, the Lionheart, she was corrupted - that’s what we’ve been calling the sower-sickness. And the Lionheart...she killed the healer. ...He came back the way Beech did - but I don’t think he can heal anymore. He seemed pretty sure he couldn’t, anyway.” “I think the only other way to heal him,” Soaitsae said quietly, “is to find and kill the sowers, and hope that the magic stops with them - or that the Spirit can then intervene. ...A pity the sowers are making such great efforts not to be found.” In a rare moment of visible anger, Soaitsae growled, his tail swishing through the air. “If it’s any consolation, Thunder - I understand your frustration. And I want them destroyed, too.” The dilos tell Thunder the bad news - there was a healer, but he sort of got a little murdered. Soaitsae expresses his frustration.
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Post by Shinko on Aug 2, 2018 22:10:50 GMT -5
Quicksnap couldn’t refute Mochi’s point. “Part of me wishes I could just… curl up somewhere and hide forever when she does find out. I’m… so ashamed.” He moaned. “I’m such a monster. I won’t though- she’s the victim, not me. I’m just… just the mind-jacked jaws that killed her. It’s selfish of me to think only of myself.” He shook his head. “I don’t know what else she would be afraid of, though.” * * * Thunder growled, low and long, the noise almost like a moan of frustration. “If you do figure out who one of them is, send the microraptors my way- I want a bite of them.” She tilted her head, huffing. “And I hope they start staying dead. I am not interested in having such malevolent creatures wandering the island making a nuisance of themselves indefinitely.” She looked over the dilophosaurs. “Be wary yourselves though. If these fools would dare a tyrannosaurus territory- the vicinity of the nest- with impunity, they are either very stupidly lucky, or very clever.” Rabbit ♠ Quicksnap starts to come around, though he’s very self-accusey about it. Tiger Thunder resigns herself, and advises the dilos to be on their guard with events to come.
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Post by Rabbit ♠ on Aug 2, 2018 23:29:29 GMT -5
"Quicksnap, you are not a monster. You’re just an animal who got caught up in what the sowers and Mother are doing to the island,” Kopi explained. His voice was much more forceful than before. “If you were a monster, you’d still be going around attacking other animals. If you were a monster, you wouldn’t feel remorse for your actions. It’s clear you regret what happened and I’m pretty sure you’re not killing any more animals. “That’s a pattern I’ve noticed with corrupted animals. After I heal them, they have regrets. I’m not saying they shouldn’t feel great about what happened to them, but it’s natural. However, none of them are to blame for what happened to them. They didn’t want to be corrupted.” Kopi growled. “I swear, once I see a sower, I am going to deliver all the pain and trouble they’ve caused the other animals to feel right onto them.” The cunicanine hopped up. “Maybe Beech saw a sower. Maybe she saw the animal that corrupted you. That would be scary. I don’t know. I wasn’t there, despite how hard I tried. You could be right, she could be afraid of you, but there could be other things going on here.” Kopi was getting heated. He needed to calm down. He didn’t want to cast frost around the area like he did while he was in the cave. That wouldn’t make things any better. Kopi took a deep breath. Now that Kopi had a clearer mind, he hopped up to Quicksnap. He brushed up against Quicksnap's leg, similar to what he did to Taakeyrr when he was comforting her. He only rubbed up against Tash against a ghost, so he wasn't sure how other animals would take it, but it was worth a try if it could help Quicksnap. “It’s going to be okay,” Kopi consoled, his voice much softer than it was. “I know it may not seem like it, but it will be. It’s not your fault. If Beech doesn’t know that when she first finds out, she will eventually. Kopi goes on about how Quicksnap ( Shinko ) isn't a monster and what happened wasn't his fault, talks about how animals tend to feel remorse after corruption, and how he wants to make a sower feel what the others feel (pain and regret). He then suggests what Beech could have seen, though he admits he isn't sure. After that, he calms down and tries to tell Quicksnap it'll all be okay.
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Post by Celestial on Aug 3, 2018 5:37:19 GMT -5
Svar screeched as Te Tai lunged at him, just barely feeling the taniwha's jaws snap around the furthest fringes of his tail. Flying up, he dared a look down at Te Tai. He seemed to be in a rage, and for a moment Svar considered flying away. However, a second look revealed that the bigger taniwha was less enraged and more confused. As if something was addling his mind. Seeing that, Svar dared to fly back, though he landed further from Te Tai than he bad been previously. In a few moments though, he regretted that. Te Tai recovered and lunged for him, screaming in rage. “You don’t just burn somebody alive by accident! How- how can you say that? He thought- you think I would?- you're one of them."Svar's heart fell. He could only stare at Te Tai in horror. His beak opened and closed but no words came out. "I...I'm not...I..." he stammered. Fear coursed through him, burning his veins and sinking deep into his stomach. He knew first hand what happened to those accused of being sowers, true or not and he could not let that happen to him. Not now! Renpi stepped in front of him. At first, he was grateful, but listening to Renpi mock the angry taniwha made his fear come back twice as strong. "Renpi..." he murmured quietly but to no avail. "Some Animals came upon Kohimu and you in the storm, did they not? Then, why should we not go find Some Animals and ask them how it all happened. That would be helpful for both of you, right."Yes, he could! Svar's crest perked up. He could take Te Tai to find the sivatherium who had cornered them. He remembered who they were after all! But would it even matter? It had not been them who had burned Kohimu. It had been him. Te Tai, in his grief and rage would not care why he had done it, only that he had. The firebird deflated again. He glanced up at Te Tai, and by the look of it, Renpi's words had only made him angrier. Thankfully, before the taniwha could tear them both apart, Mochi stepped up. The moon rabbit was much more reasonable. A hopeful feeling of relief dared to creep into Svar: maybe they could turn this around? "...But for just a moment, please just a moment, can you let Svar speak his side? If you aren’t satisfied then, that is also your right. I’m just a rabbit, and obviously I can’t stop you if you decide to act, nor is that my right. But please- just hear him out? Please?”That was his cue. It was now or never. His previous pleading and begging had been for naught. If he did not want to end up torn apart, he had to think. His head bowed and his crest low, Svar stepped past Mochi and Renpi until he was right in front of Te Tai. "I am sorry for what I have done. I understand your pain. Kohimu was my friend, the truest friend I have on this island. He was the only one who persisted in getting to know me and now he is gone. Not a moment goes by when I do not regret what happened. It really was an accident: I have been trapped before and the thought of it happening again gives me uncontrollable panic attacks. I have tried to hold them in but I am not strong enough to do so. Especially under earth and rock: they are the antithesis of my kind," tears rolled down his cheeks and Svar did not even try to stop them. "But I know I am at fault for what happened. The sivatheriums might have provoked me by accusing Kohimu of being a sower and collapsing the cave but it was my flame that killed him. I did it. I murdered my best friend. It is all my fault. I accept full responsibility. I am not a sower but it doesn't matter to you, does it? I could plead and beg and scream but in your anger, it won't do anything. You just want blood, Te Tai. You won't stop until you get it." The firebird shuddered and looked up at Te Tai with a hard set, agonised gaze. "If you want it so badly then take it! Kill me then! I've gone through enough fear and pain and trauma and hurt in my life! With this conflict going on, I'll probably end up dead anyway! I don't care anymore! If it brings you satisfaction, at least that will be something! Just end me already!" he screamed. "Just kill the sivatheriums who brought this upon Kohimu! That's all I ask!" *** Under her breath, she could hear Tash mutter. “Surely one of the sowers knew that the dog was close to Thunder. Maybe they knew what they were doing. Maybe they wanted to make her mad.”"Possibly," Morag shook her head. "Is there anything these sowers won't stoop to in an attempt to bring this island to chaos. It's dreadful. They must not have an ounce of shame in their corrupt bodies!" She blinked, focusing her attention back on Tash when the artacat mentioned that she too wanted to find the cat sower. The haggis nodded. "It would be best if we were together: that way she cannot get any tricks in on us. And I admit, dearie, I do quite like company. I tend to need someone to keep me right," her ears flicked as she tilted her head, trying to recall what exactly the sower ghost had said to her. "Now, my memory is rather fuzzy but she said some funny things. Something about unleashing the true nature of the island's beasts. And that they never killed anyone?" The haggis snorted. "'Course they have. They made creatures kill, like that poor dog, and now Thunder..." Morag drew her ears back and scuttled past Tash. "With this storm, she can be anywhere, but we can try to find her. She needs to be made to feel ashamed for what she did!" Svar is terrified by Te Tai's( Thorn) anger and almost flies away. In hindsight, he regrets not doing that as Renpi( Liou) makes the situation worse. Mochi( Shinko) is thankfully there to be the voice of reason. Svar steps forward to speak, this time much more calm, but he slowly gets more and more hysterical until he offered Te Tai the opportunity to kill him, only if he kills the sivatheriums who provoked this afterwards. Morag answers Tash's( Rabbit ♠) questions and decides to go find Genevieve(tagging Coaster for the mention) to make her feel ashamed of what she had done. Next round interaction?
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Post by Thorn on Aug 3, 2018 6:51:02 GMT -5
Senses regained, Te Tai hissed wordlessly at Renpi, but before he could actually say anything his attention was captured by something slamming hard against stone. This small rabbit, clearly distressed, at least understood the situation better than the Sha, even if they seemed to be largely concerned with Te Tai's own feelings. He wondered if any of these creatures cared about Kohimu himself at all. The rabbit approached and made some gesture towards him- unfamiliar, but clearly one of submission. Their words were sympathetic, humble, even kind. The taniwha blinked but didn't reply, instead turning his attention towards the traitor bird and baring his teeth once more. He remembered now: Svar, the firebird. Kohimu mentioned him often. They had been friends. This understanding didn't make it hurt any less. Why hadn't Svar tried to save him, if they were so close? How were these mortals so foolish that they thought Kohimu was a sower? Te Tai might have understood if they'd targeted him instead- he wasn't friendly, he wasn't kind- but Kohimu never hurt anyone. Most of all, Te Tai wondered why his partner had opted to go out alone with a creature which could kill him at any moment. So easily, as if being an immortal meant nothing at all. A burst of agony and blackness and he was gone. The bird screamed and Te Tai flinched, ears ringing. Such noise! There was a reason he didn't like birds. "Stop grovelling!" he snapped. "Don't make me regret sparing you, firebird. We will find these creatures. But I won't ask them what happened: I felt it, I know. They deserve to suffer. They...they did..." The taniwha struggled to articulate his thoughts. "They helped Mother Nature. Just me now, then we're gone." He felt numb. The taniwha wanted to hibernate but now wasn't the time. He wanted Renpi and the bird to go away, but they would be useful. They would take him to the creatures, and he would make those sivatheriums (whatever those were) understand by whatever means necessary. Perhaps they sowers were among them, perhaps they weren't, but either way he would find and destroy those too. He hoped it would be enough. Te Tai hissed again, quieter this time. "The ungrateful beasts didn't deserve him. Don't deserve the guardians either, they've let down Mercy herself." His gaze flicked back to Renpi. "I agree, we should find and kill these creatures. But don't you ever make light of Kohimu's death again. He would have cared it if was you." Te Tai responds to everyone ( Celestial's Svar Liou's Renpi Shinko's Mochi), and agrees that they should go find these sivatheriums (I HATE THIS WORD IT'S SO TRICKY!!!!) and put the fear of Immortal Creatures into them. And hopefully kill some sowers along the way. Best bonding time!
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Post by Lizica on Aug 3, 2018 13:53:34 GMT -5
“If you but touch me, I may be caught.” “And if I should break, I yet work not.” “Yet if I be lost, then all matters naught.” “What small thing that’s told of in this riddle is sought?”
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Post by Shinko on Aug 3, 2018 16:01:02 GMT -5
Round 17: A Holy Light Quicksnap was not looking forward to this. Kopi was right- Quicksnap knew that Kopi was right. Had known all along. Beech deserved the truth, and she deserved it from Quicksnap’s own mouth. But knowing this didn’t make the prospect of talking to her about it any easier. Still; he was going to do it. Better to take the first bite of the enemy than to wait for the enemy to come to you. And if Beech was afraid of him, and ran away… well it was only what he deserved. “NON-SWIMMER CROCODILE! BE NOT OF DESPAIR!” Quicksnap jumped a bit at the sudden bellowing cry, and looked up to see a large creature wheeling in the sky over his head. He vaguely recognized it was a longma, one of the horse-dragon creatures, though he had little to do with them usually. She came to a delicate landing a bit of a ways off from him, flipping her mane. “I SENSE A GREAT BLACK DOOM CLOUD HANGING OVER YOUR SOUL! ONLY ALLOW ME TO BRING YOU HEALING, FOR LIGHT WILL ALWAYS DISPEL THE DARKNESS!” Quicksnap winced. “...I’m right here, you don’t have to shout.” “Well, who knows what other sad, misguided creatures might be listening in!” the longma put in reasonably. Switching her tail, she trotted over to Quicksnap. “Tell me, what ails you? You seem troubled.” The kaprosochus snorted, starting to move away. “Nothing you can help with, sorry to say. I need to talk to a friend of mine about something complicated.” The longma shook her head. “Ah, a pity. I do my best for all of the island, and yet they reject me. Things as they are, you’d think people would be a little more grateful!” Quicksnap kept walking, just barely reigning in a sigh. He was not in the mood to deal with this right now, he had an appointment to keep with Beech. “You accepted the light once, but then the darkness found you again,” the longma continued, her voice full of woe. Quicksnap tensed, whirling around. “What do you mean by that?” he demanded. The longma blinked, tilting her head. “You actually want to know?” She beamed. “Oh marvelous! I knew sooner or later the lambs of the island would flock to their shepherd, as was foretold.” She strode over to the crocodile, flipping her mane again in a self-important manner. “You’re back to your old self now, but you killed the yellow-stripey quadruped. Dreadful, isn’t it?” Quicksnap would have shivered if he’d been a mammal, his eyes wide with horror. “H-how did you… how did you know…” “Oh, that’s easy,” the longma said matter-of-factly. “I’m the one who brought the light into your soul. I try so hard to bring healing to the island, you know! To be the righteous healer of all that the animals deserve!” “Healer?” Quicksnap echoed. “But… I’ve met the healer, I talked to him just this morning-” She snorted. “You talked to a pretender. A snake in the grass. A false prophet.” She flipped her mane. “Tell me, have you honestly forgotten? The power of the light, the release from constraint, the glorious majesty of freedom from the infernal cage of darkness?” She circled him, and Quicksnap spun quickly, keeping her always in sight. “What are you getting at?” he demanded, suspicion and an emotion the huge predator wasn’t used to- fear- prickling at his gut. “Who are you?” “I would tell you, but the others won’t let me,” she replied, her voice rife with overdramatic remorse. “But for now, I can say that your suffering is at its end.” She abruptly reared, bringing a hoof down towards Quicksnap. Too slow to move out of the way, the kaprosochus felt the painful impact of it on his muzzle, and for just a split second saw a flash of black-purple fire dancing against his scales before it vanished under his skin. “N-no!” He bellowed, terror welling up hot and heavy inside of him. The longma smiled serenely. “Be at ease, Non-Swimmer Crocodile. Soon you will belong to the holy light once again.” “Like hell!” Quicksnap roared, charging towards the longma with his jaws agape. She spread her wings, clearly meaning to take off into the sky, but he slammed his jaw shut over the joint of one of those wings, yanking her back down. She gave a startled shriek of pain, hitting the ground hard on one shoulder. The kaprosochus charged, snapping his jaw closed over the back of her neck. Terror, fury, desperation, and the faintest throbbings of an oncoming headache made it hard for Quicksnap to think coherently. He knew the longma was likely dead already, or would be very soon if she wasn’t, but all the same he thrashed his neck to and fro, slamming her into the ground as hard as he could, into a nearby boulder, into- “S-Snappy?” Quicksnap froze, blinking dazedly through the growing pain behind his eyes. Over the longma’s broken, limp shape in his jaw, he could see a ghostly, glowing form. “Beech?” he hissed, dropping the longma as he spoke. But the thylacine was backing away, shaking her head and trembling as bloody streaks began to appear on her body. “Th-the tossing, the tearing… it was you. It was you!” A jolt of horror hit Quicksnap like a hailstone, and he croaked, “Beech, wait, I can explain-” “You lied to me!” she screeched, bleeding in earnest now as ice began to form around her. “Why didn’t you tell me, why did you laugh and smile and act like nothing was wrong?” “Be-eech,” Quicksnap moaned, stumbling a step towards her, but the headache was so bad now he could barely see. She gave a high, agonized cry, and fled, leaving the confused and terrified kaprosochus alone. He started to follow, but his legs were too weak to take his weight, and he fell to the ground. Quicksnap pawed at his head, drawing blood with his claws. Not again, not again, not again… It was like he was on fire; he threw back his head, bellowing into the sky, thrashing and bucking in a vain attempt to make it stop. Everything hurt, everywhere was the sensation of clawing, biting, pecking, ramming, it hurt, it hurt, it hurt!“Stop!” he roared in agony. “Stop hurting me! Stop hurting me!” He saw something in his field of vision, a creature, he wasn’t sure what it was, but it was hurting him. He lunged, jaws snapping together. Whatever it was cried out once, then went silent. Quicksnap could feel warm wetness trickle down his jaw, but it did nothing to stop the pain. Releasing his victim, he stumbled forwards, moaning with agony and looking desperately for whatever was attacking him. Hurting him. Make it stop, make it stop, make it stop.As he lumbered on, fat, fluffy white flakes of snow began to fall from the misty summer sky. Rui, one of the SOWERS, is now DEAD Optional Scenario: None
Mandatory Conditions: It is sunset. The fog has failed to lift at the usual time as the Spirit tries to keep the island shielded. Bizarrely, despite the fact that it is the wrong season, it has gone very cold and started to snow.
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Post by RielCZ on Aug 3, 2018 18:16:32 GMT -5
I MAY BE GONE, BUT YOU CAN NEVER EXTINGUISH THE LIGHT! THE LIGHT IS MOTHER NATURE, AND SHE WILL BEAM DOWN IN RADIANT ACCORD, BEAM DOWN UPON YOU LIKE THE LIGHT OF A NEW DAY! A NEW DAY IS COMING -- A DAY WHEN NO CREATURE IN NAELUS WILL BE UNDER THE DARKNESS OF THE SPIRIT! A DAY WHEN THE CITIZENS OF NAELUS WILL BE FREE TO CHOOSE AND TO ACT AS DIVINE MOTHER INTENDED! A DAY WHEN NO CREATURE IN NAELUS IS TRAPPED BEHIND THE MISTS! YOU HAVE ALL BEEN ROBBED FROM YOUR NATURAL HOME WITH MOTHER AND FORCED ONTO NAELUS IN THE NAME OF "MERCY"! HYPOCRITES! HOW CAN A SPIRIT CLAIMING TO BE MERCIFUL BRING YOU HERE AND KEEP YOU TRAPPED? YOU SUFFER IN DARKNESS! IF YOU ARE NOT WITH ME, YOU ARE AGAINST ME. HYPOCRITES! BY KILLING ME YOU SAY YOU STAND WITH THE SOWER LEADER. YOU SAY YOU ARE FOR DESTRUCTION AND BLOODSHED. THE LEADER OF THE SOWERS WANTS ONLY DESTRUCTION AND BLOODSHED! THE LEADER WANTS TO SEE THE WOLRD BURN! I SEW BECAUSE I WANTED TO GUIDE ALL OF YOU TO A BETTER PLACE, A PLACE UNDER THE CARE AND WISDOM OF THE LIGHT! MOTHER'S SERVANTS AND FRIENDS ARE MY ENEMIES, YOU SAY. HYPOCRITES! MOTHER IS A MASTER AND FRIEND TO ALL! SHE WANTS NOTHING MORE THAN WHAT IS FAIR, RIGHT, AND JUST FOR ALL OF CREATION! AND CREATION INCLUDES YOU! YOU HAVE NO EXCUSE FOR NOT KNOWING AND RESPECTING SHE WHO HAS CREATED YOU! YOU, NAELUS, ARE A SINFUL NATION! YOU EXECUTE THOSE YOU SAY ARE CORRUPTED, WHEN THE SPIRIT OF NAELUS HAS IN FACT CORRUPTED YOU! HYPOCRITES! WASH OUT YOUR OWN CORRUPTION BEFORE ACCUSING OTHERS! YOU WILL BE SORRY YOU EVER WORSHIPPED THE DARK SPIRIT. DARKNESS WILL DOOM THIS ISLAND! YOU ARE STAINED A DARK RED -- LET MOTHER PURIFY YOU AS WHITE AS SNOW! TURN FROM YOUR WICKED WAYS! REPENT, FOLLOW ME, AND TURN BACK TOWARDS MOTHER! FORGIVE, SEEK FORGIVENESS, AND BE FORGIVEN! MY MESSENGER CAME, AND YOU DID NOT RECOGNIZE HER. A PROPHET IS NEVER REVERED IN THEIR HOMELAND. THE DAUGHTER OF NATURE HAD TO DIE, TO MAKE THE PROPHECIES COME TRUE! ONE DAY, MOTHER WILL EXPEL THE DARKNESS IN THIS LAND, AND USHER IN A NEW KINGDOM OF LIGHT! FOLLOWERS OF LIGHT, DO NOT DISPAIR. YOUR SADNESS WILL TURN TO JOY! AND I WILL RETURN, TO GUIDE THE DRAGON-HORSES, THE GIANT-LIZARDS, THE QUADRUPEDS, THE MEOW-MEOWS, THE NON-DRAGON-HORSE-HORSES -- ALL OF YOU -- BACK TO THE LIGHT, AWAY FROM THIS PLACE OF DARKNESS! BACK UNDER THE GLORY AND POWER OF MOTHER! HOW I LOVE YOU, MOTHER. YOU ARE MY DEFENDER AND MY FORTRESS! HOW GLORIOUS IT IS TO FOLLOW YOUR WAYS! GLORY TO MOTHER MOST HIGH! MAY LIGHT SHINE UPON YOU, CITIZENS OF NAELUS, AND BE FOREVER WITH YOU AND WITH YOUR SPIRIT! ALLELUIA! Rui be Rui.
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Post by Shinko on Aug 3, 2018 20:37:00 GMT -5
Somewhere off in the middle of the Endless Meadow, a ghostly thylacine had curled up in on herself amidst the falling snow. Both forepaws were curled around her muzzle as she shook with sobs, chips of ice falling from her empty eyes in place of tears. All around her prone form, a slowly expanding wall of two-meter high icy daggers was growing up from the ground, many of them splattered with crimson from the blood seeping out of the spectral fur. Beech isn’t okay.
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Post by Tiger on Aug 4, 2018 11:56:41 GMT -5
The raptors had decided to go on the offensive. Only two more sowers left, the Spirit had said, but even with that number so low, it felt like the island was just barely holding its own. The corrupted guardian and the guardian they’d killed, the Spirit feeling the need to show them the conflict rather than let them continue handling things as they had been, the storm… And if they were down two guardians, well - someone had to step up. And the raptors were always willing to hunt when it was needed. As quick, intelligent, crafty beasts (handsomely feathered to boot), they felt they stood a good chance of at least making progress in weeding out the sowers from the non-malicious animals. And a raptor had caught the first sower; clearly there was something in them that was meant for it. They had split into two groups; Nettleback, Sunspeckle, and Windteeth were staying behind with the hatchlings, while Yellowtail, Duskrunner, Shadowstep, and Driftstone went sower-hunting. Leaving the chicks with relatively little protection - only two raptors, really, when Nettleback’s injuries were taken into account - felt unsafe, but as Yellowtail had pointed out, leaving the hatchlings with little protection now was only a risk; not rooting out the last sowers and letting this Mother Nature have the island was almost surely a death sentence. At best, they would grow up without the sapience of their parents and siblings, and for a species so proud of their minds (and so fond of the ability to be proud), that was almost a worse fate than being tossed back into the world where the sun had crashed and burned and then frozen them into extinction. So far, they had cornered mostly Coelophyses - none of them seemed suspicious as sowers, but they had a lot of information, and if one was persistent enough, they could usually reconcile the errors that had occurred in transition and get at least close to an understanding of the truth. When the sun began to drop in the sky, the hunting party set off. So far, the corruptions had all happened at night; if the raptors were stealthy enough, and lucky enough, they might catch someone in the act again. At least, that was the hope. Less ideal, but still workable, was being the first to find a corruption victim and hopefully, finding the one who had corrupted them in the first place trying to flee the scene. It carried more risk because of course many animals would be fleeing a corrupted beast, so picking the right one would be a challenge, confirming it a sower another, but it would be better than nothing. A loud shout of a roar and a high-horse-ish but somehow reptilian shriek cutting across the quiet of the Endless Meadows suggested they might be in for the latter. The raptors went forward instantly, crouching low to hide in the taller patches of grass, but keeping close to each other for easy backup. Driftstone, running at the left edge of the pack’s wide sweep, suddenly realized it was getting oddly cool. Almost chilly. It wasn’t unpleasant, exactly, but it was unusual. He couldn’t focus on it, though; he needed to be alert, keep watch for corrupted animals or corrupt ing animals. The smell of blood was certainly a distraction. There was something slightly odd about it - like it was on wet stone, perhaps? ...No. Not quite. Driftstone wrinkled his muzzle, snorted outward, and sniffed fresh air in. Another waft of blood, from a slightly different direction, that smelled normal. A few clicks and chitteres between the raptors confirmed they smelled it, too, and Yellowstone turned them in a direction to follow it. Why the Meadow? he wondered dismally. I would much prefer being in the trees!But even as the blood smell grew stronger, the cold did, too, and Driftstone found himself less and less able to ignore it. His feathers puffed against it - what was going on?” “What is this?” he whispered to Shadowstep, who was at his right. His mate, feathers puffed as well, looked back at him. “Another attack by the sower-god? Like the storm was?” “...How cold can she - “ Drifstone suddenly came to a stop. “What is - what is that?” Shadowstep halted as well, craning his neck to follow Driftstone’s gaze, slightly up and over his shoulder. The raptor clicked slowly, the way he might threaten an enemy, and turned fully, backing up toward Driftstone. The clusters of white floating in the sky did not look dangerous...but they did look strange. Yellowtail’s head appeared over the grass; her feathers had fluffed, too. “It’s only snow,” she said. “You would have still had down-feathers the last time this happened.” Her tone remained troubled, and after a moment, the matriarch said, “But it is the wrong season for this. I think the Mother of the sowers is interfering.” Duskrunner growled low in her throat. “If she wants to drive us away from finding whatever is out here, she won’t find it so easy! We should find the bloody thing and the animal.” “I agree,” Yellowtail said. “But we need to do it quickly.” Quick they were, and soon, the raptors stood at the border of a place where the grass and ground had been trampled and bloodied and where something large and not-a-rock lay unmoving. Driftstone didn’t recognize the animal, but it did seem to be dead. Duskrunner stepped toward it first; she kept a slight distance, growled at it warningly, and after a moment, prodded it with a talon. She leaped back, claws spread and jaws gaping to bite - but the thing didn’t move. “I saw one of these in the Whispering Cave,” Yellowtail said, taking a bold step forward. The other raptors followed suit, getting a closer look. The animal had been a flying creature, until something had sunk teeth or claws into its shoulder. By the looks of the blood spattered across the trampled ground, it had been thrashed in multiple directions until it died, either from the blood loss or blunt force or both. “A corrupted animal’s victim?” Driftstone guessed. Duskrunner, prowling around the perimeter of the destruction, said, “Perhaps. But it wasn’t a very observant one if it did not notice an animal this big.” Driftstone joined his sister, and found her observing a print that certainly did not belong to a small or non-predatory animal. It looked a little familiar, too, though he couldn’t place exactly why. “I guess we will find out when we find the other animal,” Shadowstep said from the side of another track that led into the meadows further. The raptors set off once more. Finding this quarry was easier, despite it traveling; the ground was beginning to grow wet, and more tracks were appearing.The animal was making little to no effort to hide its path. They got close enough to hear the animal again, and Shadowstep suddenly slowed to a halt. The pack, each watching their neighbors, stopped as well. “Oh, no,” Shadowstep said. “What?” demanded Yellowtail in a whisper. Shadowstep, however, looked at Driftstone. “I know that voice. That is Quicksnap.” There was a long moment of tense silence in which Driftstone’s stomach dropped to the base of his feet. He wanted to say it couldn’t be, but of course, that was not true. It was not only possible but seemed very likely. ...It would explain the footprint looking familiar. “...We cannot easily fight a corrupted kaprosuchus,” Yellowtail said at last. “But we cannot let him murder other animals. ...Or, if he is a sower, corrupt them.” With the sloppy trail and loud noises, Driftstone very much doubted the latter was the case. “The corrupted Eagle Eye - her friend the back-from-the-dead thylacine, she was able to control her. And Kassisis’ mate and other daughter, they were able to go near her. Maybe we could find a way to do the same for Quicksnap. ...Shadowstep and I, at least,” he added, though mentioning his mate explicitly made Driftstone even more anxious; he didn’t want his mate to get hurt because of a gamble Driftstone made. Shadowstep, however, agreed, “If he is corrupted, he did not murder on purpose. The Spirit told us Mother Nature wants to get rid of mercy - to kill a corrupted animal when there is another way is not mercy. I do not want to serve the sower’s god.” Duskrunner sighed, but admitted, “He may also have seen who corrupted him.” Yellowtail clicked her teeth, very softly. “Him killing the two of you also serves the sower’s mother. ...But I don’t think we would win a fight without casualties. This seems our best chance of resolving this without any more death. If it works.” “We will be very careful,” Shadowstep promised. “And very successful,” Driftstone agreed, because one did themselves no favors by going into a situation pessimistic. The two raptors went ahead, making a wide loop around where they gauged the kaprosuchus to be. As they went, just by the sound Driftstone, too, realized it was definitely Quicksnap. Whoever had dared to attack a pack-brother like this was going to pay, Driftstone thought. The scimon’s back-from-the-dead was going to feel lucky she had just been dropped from a cliff after the raptors got their hands on these last two sowers!! Shadowstep led the way out into a patch of shorter grass, keeping low and his footsteps light and careful. The kaprosuchus looked especially huge in the dimming light, for some reason. But, Driftstone realized - it was cold. And the sun was going away. Quicksnap had said before that he had trouble staying warm when there was no sun. Perhaps this would be easier than they had hoped. Stupid Mother Nature! ...Assuming corruption didn’t give its victims enough energy to overcome that weakness. In that case, Mother Nature was a stupid hypocrite, because that was very unnatural and cheating! “Quicksnap?” Shadowstep said in a quiet voice, like he would use on a frightened hatchling. “Please do not attack us - it is Shadowstep and Driftstone.” He paused a moment, mouth slightly open; a snowflake landed on his nose. “...What are you doing out in this cold weather?” The raptors go out just before sunset to hunt down sowers in the act of corrupting other animals. But they’re a little late to the party. They find Rui’s body, then follow Quicksnap’s tracks to the crocodile himself. Shadowstep and Driftstone decide to go up ahead and try to use the Power of Friendship the same way Beech did to Taakeyrr in the hopes of being able to get some level of cooperation out of him.
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Post by Shinko on Aug 4, 2018 12:41:48 GMT -5
The kaprosochus froze at the sound of a voice calling his name, whirling with a snarl. His body twitched and clenched in random places, like he was flinching away from some unseen strikes. “Saaa… Shadowstep?” he echoed, voice high and tight with pain. He took a stumbling step forwards, shaking his head as if to clear away some buzzing insect. “What’s… where…” He flinched again, harder, and his expression hardened. “Stop hurting me! Stop hurting me!” He charged towards the raptors, maw wide, but in the cold his movements were clumsy and he missed his strike by a significant margin. For a moment he stood in the spot, panting, blood dripping from his jaw. “Beeeeech,” he whined. “Didn’t mean it… didn’t mean it!” He turned, snapping at nothing with a sound like crunching bone. “Ssssaaaahadowssstep! Why are you hurting me? Why? I j-just… I just want… to find Beech!” Tiger Quicksnap isn’t completely coherent, and though he seems to recognize the raptors the corruption briefly gets the better of him and he makes a clumsy, slow attempt to attack them before subsiding into apologies at the absent Beech and demanding to know why the raptors are “attacking” him.
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