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+---- Thread: [SE] ECHO, echo, .... (/showthread.php?tid=10541)
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ECHO, echo, .... - Nova - 01-02-2025
Stepping off the boat and onto the beach of a large isle, Nova spun to look at the others, hands on her hips. [say]"This spot should be perfect!"[/say] With the area surrounded by water, they were bound to find an Echo Shark, right? Right? Not willing to hear any suggestions to the contrary, she twirled towards one end of the expanse of shoreline. [say]"I'll check this way! Just shout if you find one!"[/say] And then she was off in a spray of glittering sand.
Although bundled in more clothes than she'd ever worn in Torchline, she still ran along the beach barefoot. It pushed up through her toes, warm from the absorbed sunlight in spite of the chilly air. Her giggle echoed over the empty area and her blue streaked hair flapped behind her, twisting with the purple and pink striped scarf around her neck.
RE: ECHO, echo, .... - Calypso - 01-02-2025
Finding her sister’s excitement radiating, Caly can’t help but to snicker a slight laugh under her breath – flashing Nova a radiant smile. “[say]I’ll go this way![/say]” She calls out to her sister despite the way she’s already darting down the stretch of sand. Her amber gaze flits to Hadama with that same sunny smile and a soft shrug of her shoulders before she starts to head the opposite expanse of sand. She doesn’t run, though, unlike her sister Caly harbors only a fraction of the excited rambunctiousness of her most chaotic sibling.
Calypso is more meticulous, calculating and serene, a beautiful cross between her colorful sister and her broody brother. And she wears it well as she drifts toward the edges, bundled up and keeping her feet in her shoes so that her toes don’t get too cold even if she really, really wants to feel the sand on her feet. She tucks the golden scarf tighter around her neck and then proceeds to shove her hands in the pockets of her cream, wool jacket, waiting to see if she can spot any fins or any sounds that might pinpoint echo shark.
RE: ECHO, echo, .... - Hadama - 01-03-2025
Hadama had journeyed beside the boat in his manta form, extending his senses into the water for any signs of their prey. As the girls disembarked onto the sand of one of the shifting islands he shifted back to his mer form and pulled himself partway onto the beach to hear what Nova had planned.
Although perhaps 'plan' was not precisely the right word.
"They may use our voices--" he began to warn her, but the colorful sprite was already dashing off to find Adventure and the Tidebreaker subsided as he shared a look with Calypso, lifting one shoulder in an echo of her own shrug. There was amusement in his emerald eyes and he inclined his head in acknowledgment of her intention as she headed off in the opposite direction.
Which left the ocean itself for him.
Hadama slipped back into the shallows and returned to his manta form, wings rippling as he moved slowly along. The water was cold but his aquatic shape offered protection from the chill. He was large enough to give most echo sharks pause, but an entire pack might be enticed into attacking a lone ray, especially one so near to the shore.
RE: ECHO, echo, .... - Nova - 01-03-2025
The waters were relatively quiet as she made her way along the beach, but Nova wasn't disappointed, enjoying the wind in her hair and sand in her toes. Humming pleasantly, she skipped by, grabbing random colorful shells that caught her eyes. As she reached down to retrieve one, her sister's voice stretched towards her, [say]"I'll go this way!"[/say] Thinking maybe she'd changed her mind, the hybrid shrugged her shoulders, continuing on her way.
It wasn't until she heard it the third time, slightly distorted, [say]"I'll go this way!"[/say], that she realized it must not be Caly. Straightening, she looked to the crystal blue waters as she called out to the others, [say]"Hey! Do you guys hear that?"[/say] She ran her thumb over the red and pink ribbed shell in her hands while she tried to tell the difference between cresting waves and Echo Shark fins.
RE: ECHO, echo, .... - Calypso - 01-03-2025
Even if Nova hadn’t heard the Tidebreaker, Calypso had. And it’s a thought that lingers in her mind as they share their playful shrugs and glances and she watches the mermanta slip back into the shallows – trying to keep an eye on it while also trying to scout the surrounding water for anything of note. Finding nothing so far, except for a particularly wind wrecked feather poking up from the sands, the young attuned keeps looking and listening, only to perk up to hear her voice reflected back.
“[say]Well that ain’t me.[/say]” She mutters under her breath, perking up to look further as it happens again and hears her sister’s call, dimmed by the sound of the waves and the wind as it ripples through. “[say]I do![/say]” Caly chimes back, searching for Hadama for a moment in the waters as if she might be able to capture his attention to guide him down toward Nova where the three of them might be able to pinpoint the source better.
RE: ECHO, echo, .... - Hadama - 01-03-2025
Sounds from the surface were distant and distorted beneath the water, and Hadama had not heard the echoing voices over by Nova. Not, at least, as recognizable words and phrases. He moved with stately grace across a sandbank, pausing to half-burrow in the soft substrate and kick up the golden grains, just as a normal ray might do, in case there were any sharks tailing them.
The Attuned bond may have been clearer, but he did surface occasionally to check on the others. During one such breaching he saw Calypso and altered his course to parallel hers, content to be guided until the distorted cries became clear enough to guess that their owners were close. I will try to herd them closer to shore, Hoping that at least one of the girls would be able to understand him, he took a slow curve towards deeper water. He went wide out so that he could look for the pack of echo sharks from behind and catch them in a celestial pincer between himself and Safrin's daughters.
RE: ECHO, echo, .... - Nova - 01-04-2025
Glad to hear that she wasn't going crazy (yet), Nova glanced at her approaching sister. Excitement glittered in her eyes as she pointed to the ocean. [say]"I think we found them!"[/say] Although where they were, she still wasn't certain. The natural curve of their fins was proving much harder to spot than she would've expected (darn nature).
Not being shifted herself, Nova had no idea what the Mer King was trying to communicate. In fact, if she hadn't seen him swimming next to them earlier, she wouldn't even know the manta was him; but she wondered at what he might be up to with his peculiar movements. Her head tilted in thought, scarf brushing her cheek. [say]"Do you think he'll try to lead them this way? Should we do something?"[/say] Not that she knew what they could do. She didn't know if they would be shallow enough for them to reach with claws, and her illusion magic wouldn't be any help. Looking to her sister, she shrugged her shoulders with a playful grin. [say]"Maybe they'll just jump out of the water for us?"[/say]
RE: ECHO, echo, .... - Calypso - 01-04-2025
She hears Hadama mentally as she bolts down the sand, his voice welcoming enough that the young sunshine woman begins her shift into a pale and white tide jaguar if only to be able to communicate that much better. Two feet become four paws racing down the island and kicking up sand as she grows a little sound of agreement verbally before sending to Nova, [say]He’s herding them to us![/say]
Her paws meet the cold water and a shiver has her tail thrashing, but the pale and gold tide jaguar stays her hand (paw?) and her golden gaze stares into the water, searching for the poking and prodding of fins to appear above the water. So long as they got shallow enough to strike, Caly can snag one and drag it further up on the beach – and that’s entirely what she intends on doing. [say]I'm gonna try to snag one up onto the beach for us.[/say] Comes the mental note to her sister.
RE: ECHO, echo, .... - Hadama - 01-04-2025
He was unsure if they had heard him, but they were safe enough on the shore for now. If he could push an echo shark close enough, they would hopefully be able to capture it with magic, shifts, or cleverness. He cut through the water in silence, close enough to the surface that sunlight glittered off the golden scars that criss-crossed his hide and paled the constellations that swirled slowly beneath the dark-scaled swathe of his back and wings where Safrin's favor had recently blossomed, marking him as hers.
The small pack of sharks was already moving towards the shore, drawn by Nova's voice as they tried to trick her into the water. A brief skate to the surface showed a pale tide jaguar as well, waiting and watching and unbothered by Nova's nearness. Calypso? he called to the unexpected feline shape, even as he slipped back down to choose his target.
He waited for her confirmation before picking one of the smaller sharks. He increased his speed, rushing the pack and sending them scattering in surprise at the uncharacteristic aggression from such a large herbivore. He followed the darting path of his chosen prey, using his size to block its attempts to escape back into deeper water and sending it frantically swimming into the increasingly shallow water until it was in reach of Calypso's paws.
RE: ECHO, echo, .... - Nova - 01-08-2025
Seeing her sister shift, Nova figured it was probably best if she at least tried to help. Her own body lengthened into the sleek black fur spotted with glowing rainbow rosettes. When her paws finally hit the sand, she heard Hadama's voice along the Attuned bond, allowing her to separate from the lull of the Echo Shark's luring attempts. Her rounded jaguar ears perked as her tail twitched curiously at the increased senses. The waves crashed louder, the salty breeze ruffled her fur, the fishy smell enticed her carnivorous side, and the blue waters sparkled brighter. All of it brought a bubbling giggle into her chest.
Nova bounded after her sister, kicking up sand and unintentionally humming a bright colorful tune along the bond. As she approached the edge of the water, she heard her sister's plan. Her body lowered into a crouch, eyes glittering a starlit blue of pure excitement and paws shuffling in anticipation of the incoming sharks. [say]Okay! Ready when you are![/say]
RE: ECHO, echo, .... - Calypso - 01-09-2025
[say]I’m the white and gold one, Hadama![/say] Caly calls out mentally, tail flicking beneath her as she poises herself ready and prepared to snatch the echo shark as it’s direction is angled toward them. Her sister joins her in the feline shape and a low rumble of sound is verbally said to her sibling before it’s followed by a [say]aaaaaalright.. Ready![/say] She mentally chimes, before she’s jumping into action.
Launching into the shallows of the water, large white and gold flecked paws snatch the echo shark the second it starts to thrash from beaching itself. Claws dig in, dragging up the edge of the beach where it had no chance to escape, and a pleased and victorious rumble of a muffled roar leaves her as she pushes it toward her sister further up on the sandy shore. [say]Got it![/say]
RE: ECHO, echo, .... - Hadama - 01-10-2025
The confirmation was all that he needed to angle his prey towards the waiting paws of the large, leucistic feline. Soon enough a second tide jaguar made its appearance in the waves and though he was intrigued he did not break from his task. Herding the wily little shark was no easy matter, but Hadama was surprisingly swift and he used his size to relentlessly block its attempts to escape.
And then, swift as thought, one of the jaguars was in the water, and in the next moment the shark had been dragged from the waves. Hadama drifted to a halt and waited, still in his manta form, feeling the shifting sand of the seafloor warm against his belly in spite of the water's wintry chill. Is one enough? His question rumbled through the Bond, courteously curious.
He certainly hoped it would be enough. The echo sharks had fled at the sudden attack, and the subsequent triumphal roar, however muffled, had been more than enough to convince the survivors to abandon the Isles as fast as their fins could take them.
RE: ECHO, echo, .... - Nova - 01-13-2025
When Caly lunged forward, Nova sank her claws into the sand, teeth bared in preparation. The splashes of water made it hard to see the action, but there was suddenly flipping fins coming her direction. Leaping forward to dig her fangs into the slippery flesh, she placed one leg on its side to pin it into the sand. [say]Nice snag, Caly![/say] Pride and bubbling excitement radiate down the bond while she vigorously shook her head to battle the Echo Shark.
The slight distraction of the Mer King's voice filtered into her head, but Nova kept her grip tight. [say]Yep! Thanks, Hadama![/say] Her prey tried to wriggle out, its blood beginning to leak around her, making her paws sticky and turning the water red. Driving her back legs into the ground, she pulled with all her strength further up the beach. She let out a growl as she sent towards her sister, [say]We should hurry and coat the bracelets before this thing bleeds out.[/say] Otherwise they'd lose their chance to finish that part of their quest.
RE: ECHO, echo, .... - Calypso - 01-18-2025
[say]Thanks Nova![/say] Comes the chime of laughter, boastful pride flitting from her side of the bond to the other tide jaguar and to the manta in the water, still. Before she can answer, while Nova’s staking her flame to pin it to the ground, she hears her sister’s confirmation to the king of torchline, joining her sister in snagging onto the tail of the echo shark and dragging it further up the beach until they’re in perfect positioning it won’t simply slither out of their reach and end up back in the ocean.
Her pale head nods before she shifts back, uncaring for the blood that stains her pants and the sand that clings to them as she kneels at the side of the echo shark, not even taking the time to peel the bracelet off of her wrist before she shoves it under the echo shark as it bleeds out, coating her wrist and the bracelet in equal measure on both sides before she offers it up for Nova to do the same – letting her amber gaze scout the area for Hadama’s return. "[say]Your turn, sis.[/say]" She hums happily, despite her entire wrist and arm being coated in scarlet that dries so slowly.