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+---- Thread: [Training] Surf and turf (/showthread.php?tid=6830)
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Surf and turf - Hadama - 03-03-2022
It wasn't his first time being pursued by a hungry orca.
But it was beginning to look like it might be his last.
Hadama stroked his wings determinedly through the water as the hunter cruised after him, undeterred when the manta it had been hunting for lunch turned into a mermanta instead. The smith headed for the nearest shallow water he could find, hoping the sandbars and shifting depths of the Kuali'i Isles might deter the killer whale, but it seemed to be enjoying the chase far too much to let a little sand on its belly stop it now. They slid into a deeper channel between islands and Hadama leapt from the water just barely ahead of a bite aimed right for the slender point of the merman's manta tail. Blood trailed from an earlier grazing bite to one of the broad fins that spread from his back and shoulders, glinting in the sun amidst the spray.
It was only a momentary escape, as the orca surfaced as well and sped up with a sudden lunge, ready to stop playing with its food and start dinner.
RE: Surf and turf - Maeve - 03-04-2022
The heat is dying down, but it isn't enough to keep her from the beach. Torchline remained a tropical paradise. Aidon flies ahead of her, scouting as he always does, keeping an ever watchful eye out for his bonded. He spots a thrashing in the water, trilling to get the Nightshade's attention as he banks hard, circling towards the commotion. Maeve's head snaps that direction, narrowing against the sunlight to try and get a clear picture of what was happening, looking just in time to see a merman break the surface of the water with an orca hot on his tail.
What was it with the wildlife around here lately? This made two in a week. The queen doesn't hesitate to kick off her shoes, sprinting across the sand and already unhooking her Phoenix Whip from her hip, uncoiling it with a loud crack. It's going to be hard to get close without putting herself in the water, but there wasn't much choice. The Nightshade rushes ahead, lashing out with her whip towards the orca's side, but it barely reaches. Instead the beast is merely singed by the end of the coil.
RE: Surf and turf - Hadama - 03-04-2022
Hadama had been too busy fleeing to notice the drylander on the sand, but he noticed when the orca failed to sink its sharp teeth into his tail. The animal was surprised by the pain of the stinging lash; it was likely the first burn it had ever felt in its life, and it twisted in the water to get away from the source, losing momentum in its chase.
The merman swam a littler farther before turning to see what had happened, and caught sight of Maeve. He nodded grimly to himself and then reversed course, swimming back towards the orca - but also towards the woman with the weapon.
The orca wasn't hurt badly enough to be distracted for long, especially when it didn't see anything close enough in the water to have hurt it, so it immediately turned its attention back to the mermanta and made another lunge that Hadama tried to avoid with a violent twist through the water. Teeth grazed his rotating flank but failed to catch and hold before he was past and heading for the shallow water near where the woman stood.
RE: Surf and turf - Maeve - 03-05-2022
Maeve might not have the longest reach, but Aidon wasn't limited by things like water. The dragon circles, banking hard and swooping down towards the orcan, releasing a breath of flame towards the predator. He doesn't hit the mermata, thankfully. Instead fire licks across the top of the orca, making its skin crackle and sizzle, blisters forming across the once smooth blubber. Maeve's whip cracks out again, striking its side and a sonic boom echoes from the impact and the orca screeches, the sound ear piercing.
She wishes the damn thing would just flee. She'd prefer not to kill it if she didn't have to, but it was being rather persistent right now. Maeve grits her teeth, growling under her breath as she draws back her arm again, preparing to strike once more.
RE: Surf and turf - Hadama - 03-05-2022
The dragon was a welcome sight to the embattled merman as its fiery attack slowed the orca further. Pain and confusion combined to drive the creature into a fury rather than flight, however, and it thrashed in the water, submerging to cool the pain of the burns and to get away from the dragon's flame as much as from the whip.
It couldn't see what had hurt it from above, and it still hadn't quite pinpointed the whip as the source of its other pain, but it could see the broad-winged shape of its original prey through the water, and taste the blood it left behind. The killer whale had only one target to vent its rage and frustration on, and it drove forward on powerful flukes once more, ignoring the sand scraping its belly as the nearest island began to loom out of the water in front of it. The tip of its dorsal fin remained visible, but more of its back quickly appeared as it left the deeper water of the channel behind.
Hadama twisting again, but this time he took a lesson from the woman on shore and lashed his whip-thin tail across the killer whale's nose as it closed in, scoring a line of blood through the blubber even as the shallowing water began to limit his own movements in the deadly chase.
RE: Surf and turf - Maeve - 03-18-2022
The whale was persistent. Very persistent. Maeve wasn't sure she ever saw one willing to keep pressing forward after being attacked, but it seems that isn't the case this time. The Nightshade sends Aidon in for another attack, fire flaring through the air and bathing the whale's side as Maeve lashes out with her own weapon. [Say]"Try getting the sandbar between you!"[/say] Surely there was more space to be put between the two.
Maeve hisses out a breath, running forward until she was almost knee deep in the water, whip poised to strike again. She didn't want to have to kill the damn thing, but they were running out of options.
RE: Surf and turf - Hadama - 03-18-2022
The killer whale was both hungry and angry, and that hanger drove it to unusual lengths. It let out another piercing whistle of pain and frustration as fire blasted it again from above, but the water was too shallow for it to fully submerge now. Hadama turned and struck back with his tail a final time to deter the snapping jaws before gliding over the sandbar and into knee-deep water with powerful strokes of his wings.
The orca flinched back, finally pausing in its mad charge, and then one beady eye landed on the woman who had stepped into the water with it. There was just enough cold calculation in its eyes to measure the distance between it and Maeve as it gathered itself in preparation for a final surge towards the small, crunchy creature that had dared deny it lunch now that the merman was out of reach.
RE: Surf and turf - Maeve - 03-18-2022
Except the whale hadn't considered who exactly it was messing with. Accepted she may be, the Nightshade wasn't at all weak and neither was her dragon, the fiery companion full of fury for a creature that dared to set its sights on his bonded. With a roar that pierced the sky, Aidon swoops down just as Maeve lashes out once more with her whip, catching the whale in the eye. Aidon does one better, landing on the creatures back and tearing into the dorsal fin there, ripping a chunk from it's flesh as he sinks claws into its blubbery sides.
The dragon doesn't care if this will do nothing more than inconvenience and wound the creature. He wants blood. The Nightshade takes the opportunity to backpedal, putting distance between herself and the whale, all while positioning herself between it and the merman.
RE: Surf and turf - Hadama - 03-19-2022
Half blind and badly wounded, the killer whale thrashed in the shallows, finally backing down as a mournful croon emerged. It shook itself as it writhed half-out of the water, trying to free itself of the dragon that had latched onto it until it could work its way back into the deeper water of the channel where it could submerge and flee.
Hadama knew how it felt, though his own wounds weren't nearly so serious. He floated in the shallows with his head tilted up to watch his hunter's escape, heart racing with adrenaline. He swallowed hard and raised himself enough out of the water to speak to his rescuer only when he was certain the orca wouldn't return. "Thank you. You have saved my life. I am in your debt."
RE: Surf and turf - Maeve - 04-03-2022
Maeve finally releases a breath, dropping her hands to her knees as she struggles to catch her breath for a moment, watching the orca retreat back into the safety of the waves. Aidon circles thrice before landing on the shore, orange eyes narrowed towards the horizon, clearly not ready to lower his guard. It isn't until she's spoken to that the Nightshade straightens, coiling up her whip and waving a hand in response, trudging slowly back towards the shore. She makes sure to stay closer to the deeper pools so that he might follow her should he wish to continue speaking as she answers.
[say]"No debt is owed here. It's part of my job to take care of the people here. In and out of the water."[/say] She huffs out a breathy laugh, flashing a smile towards him as she lowers herself to sit on the shore with a soft grunt, tugging off waterlogged boots.
RE: Surf and turf - Hadama - 04-04-2022
Hadama swam slowly along near the human as she made her way to shore. His wounds stung, but they were shallow and didn't impede his movement. They were, however, a good reason to remain in shallow waters until they had closed over and ceased bleeding into the water.
He eyed her whip with respect as she put it away, but at her words he tilted his head thoughtfully, looking her over with fresh eyes. He'd rarely come to the surface until recently, but even under the sea they had news from the land, and rumors always swam faster than truth.
"You are... the human queen?" It was a guess, but her words implied a sense of duty that would fit. "I am Hadama. It is an honor." He raised himself out of the water as far as he could comfortably manage, and gave an approximation of a human bow before he slid back down to let the water cover most of his broad-winged body again. "Even without this debt I would help you if you call. Your people have done much for our land, and my people have also benefited."
RE: Surf and turf - Maeve - 04-04-2022
Maeve runs a hand through her hair, digging her toes into the sand as she takes a moment to catch her breath, nodding at his words. [say]"I am. You can call me Maeve, though. It's nice to meet you, Hadama."[/say] The Nightshade extends her free hand to him, leaning forward so that he won't have to strain to reach her or take himself too far out of the water.
[say]"You're welcome. I'm glad I was close enough to help."[/say] Maeve murmurs with another smile, shifting her attention to Aidon as she felt his continued unease. Clicking her tongue, the Nightshade calls her bonded over, urging him to relax with a gentle scritch along his ridges. [say]"I haven't seen many of your kind in the canals or along the shore recently. I thought you were all avoiding us land walkers."[/say]
RE: Surf and turf - Hadama - 04-04-2022
Hadama inclined his head at her introduction, tucking the name away before reaching up out of the water to clasp the offered hand. His own was wet but his grip was firm, and his palm was heavily calloused.
The merman watched the dragon with curiosity, but at Maeve's question his attention returned to her and he nodded slowly while he gathered his thoughts. "There are rumors that the drylands are... unsettled." He chose his words carefully, watching the Queen and her dragon as he spoke. "I think that this may discourage some of our contact with the land. But the rumors are not always clear." His slender tail tip moved slowly through the water, cutting through the water easily as he contemplated this opportunity. "Maeve... do you think conflict will come to these shores and shoals?"
RE: Surf and turf - Maeve - 04-04-2022
She snorts. The sudden abrupt and sharp even against the crashing waves. Maeve shakes her head, [say]"Unsettled is a word for it."[/say] The Nightshade says finally, lips pursing as the tips of her fingers run across the ridges of Aidon's brow. It would make sense that they would avoid the surface with the war brewing even if they had no real part in it.
[say]"It's rather likely. There has already been an attack on Stormbreak. While I don't think Torchline has done anything to upset the Ascended specifically..."[/say] Her slender shoulders lift into something of a delicate shrug. Maeve lets out a breath, turning her attention back to him, [say]"I doubt it'll reach your people in the water, though."[/say]