From being an Abandoned who had rarely left the Hollowed Grounds, to embracing the call of adventure, to dying and being reborn first as an Ascended and then as an Ancient, Maea has gone through quite the amount of changes in her life. One thing remains common, though, in her attempts to find out just where she belongs; she’s always had a craving for knowledge which has brought her to so many places and to meet so many people here in Caido. We can’t wait to see what else is in store for her!
Congratulations, Maea!
Credits
Court of the Fallen was created in October of 2018 by Odd, Honey, and Crooked.
Skinning and hosting by the epically talented Kaons, and functionality fanciness by the coding magic of Neowulf. If you ever see either of them around, make sure to show them some love!
At first, things were going great. He and Sunjata were having a small chat and Oliver was enjoying his cat friend, but then the air shifted. The beast of a bear crept closer and he felt his body shrinking ever so slightly, his tail tucking. The warning was well heeded and Oliver moved off to the side, walking back over to Jigano without a word. He had absolutely no idea what happened between Sunjata and Deimos, but he wasn't about to start asking. Now was....probably the worst possible time for that question to be asked.
Hopefully, the two would part ways, Oliver knew he was going to as he started to head off in his own direction. Soon, his body would return to normal and his tail would swish along as he padded through the bush, sniffing and listening for anything that could be potential prey.
02-25-2020, 09:48 PM (This post was last modified: 02-26-2020, 01:13 AM by Deimos.)
DEIMOS
He expected Sunjata to disappear – because he knew his capability of intimidation, had used it a majority of his multiple lives. Either the man was far more foolish than Deimos realized, or the ineptitude ran impossibly deep, fathoms of blinding stupidity and recklessness. Today was either going to be an exercise in control and composure, or a release of vexation, irritation, and contempt. The Sword had impeccable command and mastery over his soul, over his emotions, but the Reaper tendencies pooled into his entity too – the need to unfurl dominion, punishment for the sins, for the mistakes, for the errors causing others to die.
As Sunjata ventured into his southwest direction, into the crawling woods, the copses grew thicker, more wild, more savage, old deer trails crossing over one another, leading to vibrant streams. Which, in the end, served him well – a herd of the animals, seven or more, all a different range of ages, remained collected by small pools and puddles, feasting on the greenery. If Sunjata was quiet, he might be able to pick out a particular one for his prey.
Whatever you can find he mentioned towards Rance, the only one he didn’t know. The General wasn’t particularly picky, and whatever they could find, they could keep and snag for themselves. Jigano answered the other inquiry, so Deimos resided back into his stoic silence. For Rance’s efforts, flying along branches and boughs to the east left him with nothing – a few flicks of squirrel tails launching or diving into holes, but otherwise naught of note for him to chase.
Jigano’s acknowledgment of prior proclamations caused the heaviest of sighs to flicker through his massive frame. Yes. He would tell. Not here, not now. The Sage could have his suspicions until later ventures – wasn’t going to voice them in these moments, when their concentration should’ve been on other things. Jigano’s direction, southern, prospered success as well, coasting over a group of pheasants happily pecking at the ground, searching for insects, none the wiser that a predator lurked from above.
As Oliver headed in an opposing direction from the rest, he’d encounter several hanging snakes, normally camouflaged amongst the branches, likely doing their own share of hunting. Would they be sufficient enough to be meal consideration – or should he venture on, and find something else?
And Deimos hunted Sunjata.
Taking to the skies, shifting into eagle form, he remained silent, vigilant, his sharpened gaze honed in on the obsidian panther form. He followed, unwinding, gliding quietly amongst leaves and fronds, landing, waiting to see what the feline form did next, carefully biding his time, his opportunity.
--
Sunjata has found a herd of deer! Rance has unfortunately found nothing! Jigano has found a group of pheasants! Oliver has found some hanging snakes!
What will you do next? You may ask for assistance in taking down animals, or try to snag them yourself! No post order!
Later, without strangers and others present, Jigano agreed, a flicker of gratitude winging its way through the bond before they went their separate ways. Dainty paws padded over the dust of Longheat, nose and ears tuned to the Woodland he had come to know well in the past year and a half. Soon two years, he realized belatedly, wondering at how the time flew.
Time wasn't the only thing that could fly, however. Not a scent, but the sound of quiet clucking reached his sensitive ears and he slowed his trot to slink through the underbrush until he could see the little bevy of tasty birds, foraging away after summer seeds. His fox's instincts were already salivating at the plump little snacks. He thought he could have taken one of the birds easily, and Isuma could have snagged a second, but they weren't just hunting for themselves today. Some of the little flock needed to get away to maintain the population, but there were more than enough to share. I've found some pheasants over here! He called through the Attuned bond, as 'loud' as he could and hoping it would carry to those who had gone in other directions. Not very big, but enough for each of us to have a snack if we want. Not everyone had grown up on four feet, of course, and might not enjoy their game served raw and still bleeding. They could keep theirs to cook up later, though. And in the meantime he stayed hidden, watching the birds avidly and ready to pounce if something should startle them into taking wing.
Jigano alerts the others to the pheasants and waits, ready to pounce on one if the birds get spooked and try to fly away.
He should have known better than to assume he’d get off easier than simply going in a direction. And while he focuses ahead of him, he also focuses for anything else – whether it be Jigano or Deimos that chose to follow him. He wouldn’t blame either. But he had been right in assuming that the General would at least wait until nobody else was around – and for that it was a good sign.
As for him? He spies the flitting movement of deer – a fair amount of them too. He hunkers low, dropping to the ground in the shadows, trying to blend in with the darkness of the shade to watch and wait for one that might approach a bit too closely, or might lose itself along its friends. He wasn’t particularly in the mood to get gored today. Deer over here. He sends down the bond to any of those that might be close enough to hear.
And then after he waits for any sort of signal, decides that they have a cart to fill. And so, when he chooses his target and waits for an opportune time, he strikes – darting out from the shadows in the attempts to take the deer down. At the very least, the trail would be easy to follow if they get away - and there were pheasants on Jigano's end.
everyone has a secret
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
After a bit of walking and smelling at the air, the leopard picked up on an unnusual and unfamiliar scent. I can smell something... I'll go see what it is. He calls out to whoever can hopefully hear him. Might as well give a warning, just in case this stupid mistake leads to his untimely demise. That'd be.... a very unfortunate accident.
It took a bit of wandering, but eventually the scent grew stronger until he felt as though it were right above him. Looking up at the canopy, he saw some...vines? Were they vines? At first, they appeared to be ones, but the longer he looked, the more weird they appeared to be. The less....planty and more animalistic. Hey! I found some uh....vines? That smell weird? Anyone know what these are? Without waiting for a response. Oliver readied himself before attempting to pounce up at the sky, grasping with his claws for the vines, hoping to rip one down so that he could figure out what it was.
Oliver attempts to jump up at the mysterious vines (snakes) and claw at them with his paws. His goal is to bring at least one of them onto the ground with him.
Rance croaked a wordless acknowledgment to Jigano’s warning about the trees and to Deimos’s reply about their prey, not used to being able to talk to other Hidden — Attuned — while shifted. He flew off through the foliage, keeping as high as he dared and occasionally landing to scout the ground. Sadly, being in a strange forest seemed to be working against him. He spotted little of worth, in the trees or below.
The others were having more luck, though, as he heard them all call out their finds. He wasn’t going to be much use with deer, even startling them for someone else would likely just get him hurt, and an adult pheasant would be almost as heavy as him. Oliver’s find was an unknown and the most interesting, but also likely the least useful after his own lack of anything. In a snap decision, he took the middle road between dangerous and interesting.Comin' your way, Jigano, he called out across the bond.
The white fox was relatively easy to find, his fur not exactly blending into the summer forest. Rance perched on a branch above, as quiet as he could. If you go for one, I can catch one of the escapees once they take flight?He wasn’t a solo hunter by a long shot, but his flock had worked with larger predators more than once. And, in this case, it would be a hell of a lot easier to take down a bird that was focused on escaping a fox.
————————
Rance will dive down and attempt to catch one of the pheasant in flight if/when they take off.
Announcements and calls, each individual settling into their corresponding attacks, stalking their prey. Two heads might’ve been better than one in Jigano and Rance’s case, except for this seemed to be a particular brand of hostile, violent pheasants. Maybe they’d seen enough predators in their short lifespans to have figured out how to protect themselves vigilantly, or were aware of the warning signs. Perhaps there were some stalwart, brave members of their group. Whatever the case, several of the elder birds sounded the alarm as Jigano and Rance approached. While Rance was noticed, they didn’t head straight for him, parting ways and the flock for the opportunity to snag at the fox.
Poor Jigano. Tucked amongst the brush and brushes – a frenzy of feathers and beaks, talons and vitriol, vehemence striking, intending to send him away, get him to back off, to flee the scene, either bloodied, brutalized, or simply vanished.
Deimos watched from the branches at Sunjata’s efforts. The panther maneuvered within instinctual designations, aligned with the shadows, and would’ve likely been quite successful – had the deer he chosen not been of impeccable health. The doe launched in a frenzy of movement and leaps, bounding along the puddles, the brush, the ferns, sending the rest into a scurrying movement.
So Deimos descended, taking this as a cue, plummeting along the other side where the deer had begun to move, shifting into his tiger form, into a range of claws and fur, intending to herd them together (or send them towards Sunjata). Maybe the panther would be trampled in the melee and chaos, or just have another opportunity to snag at something weaker.
Then there was Oliver – suddenly the most successful of the group. His paws and claws raked against the hapless snakes, and surprised, shocked, three fell out of the tree, hissing, bewildered. Their kind, curious natures hadn’t served them well today, and each went in a different direction, attempting to slither their way back to safety – like several holes nestled amongst the tree roots, or clambering, climbing up another portion of timber.
--
Welp, those rolls could’ve been better.
Jigano and Rance have missed their attempts at the pheasants – and now the pheasants are fighting back against Jigano!
Sunjata has missed his attempt with the deer, but Deimos has swooped down to attempt to stop the entire herd from fleeing!
Oliver was wildly successful, and managed to knock three snakes down to the ground.
Rance's presence above was welcome, especially since his only form appropriate for hunting deer was rather overkill, and Oliver's vines didn't sound particularly appetizing. The birds would make a good meal for the hunters even as they shared the larger prey with others - or so Jigano thought.
He'd hunted quite a lot of birds in his time, and while they had occasionally fought back (he was very much aware of the damage spurs could do), he'd never been attacked en masse like this. The fox yelped, backpedaling as the flock descended on him, but instead of fleeing he shifted his shape to something larger - large enough, he hoped, to startle the birds away.
The fox's fur shortened as his legs lengthened and his body grew. His tail grew longer, and his ruff gathered onto the top of his neck into a rippling mane until the elegant white horse could lash out with not-so-dainty hooves in an attempt to strike a couple of the birds in the head, or else to shatter a few wings before they could escape. A little help? he called to the raven newcomer hopefully.
Jigano shifts to horse to try and startle the birds away from attacking him, and lashes out with his hooves to try and kill or break a few wings so they can't all escape.
For fuck’s sake. Sunjata hisses mostly to himself, as the deer that reveals itself is in relatively good condition. She’s taller than he is, those hooves a threatening factor that keeps him somewhat wary from diving fully in – but he’s spooked them all and she takes off with the rest of the herd. And Sunjata can see the diving figure of an eagle that shifts to a tiger – a familiar tiger. And with another pulse to his gut, he realizes he’s alone with the General, and anything could go.
Perhaps he deserves it all in the end.
So he ignores the idea of the deer becoming threatening, becoming a trampling mass over his body, and he shifts his position to try and herd them with the General – paws taking up the ground beneath him as he remains hidden within the shadows the best he can. But the game was up, and so he tries his best to keep it going, trying to block off one of the slower members of the herd to try and take down.
Sunjata tries to herd the deer and tries to grab a slower deer.
everyone has a secret
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
The vines cascaded to the ground and.... then started moving around?! Jumping up, the leopard seemed clearly spooked, his fur on his back rising up and his eyes wide. SNAKES! He basically screeched as he watched the snakes slither away. Not only did that absolutely surprise him, but it also was an absolute disappointment. Snakes. Really. The most useless of foods.
Sorry... I'm uh... going to start looking for some more food.And with that awkwardness out of the way, the leopard started to journey back through the forest, searching for some food that was far more exciting or fulfilling than a bunch of green snakes. Hopefully he wouldn't have to deal with anything else that jumped out at him.
Rance had been ready to swoop in with beak and talons at fleeing birds. Even on his own, taking down a bird near his size hadn’t been a problem in the past. With the help of a fox, it shouldn’t have been much of a problem taking down a bird or two. So, Rance hadn’t been alarmed when the pheasants startled, cursing to himself and tensing. No, it was the way they flew at Jigano that had the raven croaking in shock.What the fuck?Before he could properly dive to attempt an assist, the fox was changing, growing, until a white horsestood in his place.What the FUCK?!Seeing Sunjata change from a bat to a large cat had startling in its own right, but Jigano’s mid-fight transformation surprised him all over again.
It took Jigano’s request for aid to shake Rance out of it. Later he would berate himself for reacting so poorly to both the pheasants and Jigano’s shift, but for now there were other priorities.Right! On it!Spreading his wings, he took to the air, somewhat clumsily diving at the pheasants, attempting to startle them as well. If he was lucky, he might injure one enough to attempt to take it down, but he had to be wary of both both the frantic birds and the much more dangerous hooves. He kept a distance from the latter as best he could.
Dimly, he heard Oliver’s exclamation and apology, but he was far too preoccupied to reply.
————
Rance flies down and attempts to scare off/injure the pheasants!
What continued to ensue was, more or less, an absolute mess.
Despite all of these forms being utterly capable of hunting, it seemed the prey were fighting back with great aplomb. Jigano’s attempts to shift into a horse were well met and thought out, surely something with tremendous bulk and force would be able to sideline a few pheasants. Except maybe these pheasants were the upper echelon of fowl, too cunning, too swift, as most of them dodged the flying hooves, the dastardly wake of kicks and stomps. One overly aggressive male even flew straight at Jigano’s head, intending to cause some damage to eyes or flesh.
Rance, however, was the hero in this case. His diving techniques startled the assembled mass of angry, vehement birds, scattering the flock in all directions. Maybe they weren’t expecting a second predator to come barreling for them. His luck prevailed, upon landing, he’d find his talons collecting one smaller female pheasant, incapable of escaping in the rush of feathers, chaos, and confusion.
Sunjata and Deimos’ attempts to herd the deer, much faster, much quicker, much swifter than them, utterly failed as well. Mayhem with hooves ensued, beasts bounding over streams and brush, and one more semblance of frustration settled into the Sword’s tiger form. A low, menacing growl rumbled from his core, and he watched as Sunjata’s claws, striving, struggling to grasp a slower doe, scraped down its side. And still, it carried on.
Which meant their options were low – this deer, slightly injured but maneuvering steadily, or give up, and find something else.
Deimos eyed the fellow beast, before clicking his jaw together, and chasing after the doe, long limbs unfurling, unleashing, all the power and tenacity built into his hide. Not to be outdone. Not to be languishing. Not again.
Oh Oliver. Perhaps you should’ve stayed with your snakes. Despite his previous success, none was to be found thereafter. His search for another resource would prove futile – could it be the bedlam ensuing throughout the rest of the woods? Could he simply be at the wrong place at the wrong time? The woods didn’t answer – silent, prey gone to roost or hide. Maybe others would relish in his assistance?
--
Bad, bad roll central again. ._.
Jigano’s shifting, while a grand idea, seemed to have the opposite effect, and he’s being attacked by a large male pheasant!
Rance scattered the rest of the pheasants, and successfully grabbed a smaller one! Congratulations, the first animal of the hunt snagged!
Deimos and Sunjata failed to keep the herd of deer together. Sunjata’s claws barely scratch the side of the doe. Deimos attempts to go chase it down.
Some days it wasn't worth getting out of bed in the morning.
It was, at the very least, certainly a Monday on Caido's calendar. Between the pheasants turning to attack and Rance having a crisis, Jigano was hitting his limit of exasperation. He ducked his long horsey head against the male bird's assault, taking a pair of deep scratches down his brow and nose that just missed a large, delicate eye. Enough! he lashed out through his Beastmaster ability, attempting to control the remaining birds that Rance hadn't brought down into flight - or at least to stop attacking him.
A stamp of his hoof and a shake of his head sent a few drops of blood flying, the crimson trickles seeping a startling scarlet over his white hide. I take it you're new here? he asked Rance a little dryly as he looked down at the successful hunter. When this is over, I'd like to talk to you, if you don't mind. I'm the Outlander Advisor, and I do what I can to help get new arrivals settled in. And I can answer any questions you have... or might not realize you have, he added with a flicker of amusement.
Jigano tries to use his Beastmaster ability to send the pheasants away, or at least stop them from attacking.
All he can really think, is fuck, fuck, fuck as the deer begin to shift and chaos ensues. He watches from where he tries to stick to the shadows, chasing after them as they dart over brushes and streams, and in a last ditch effort he swipes out at the one closest to him – slices down the side and yet the deer still continued on. He lands upon the ground, sees Deimos pursue in his peripheral before he can’t help the slight growl in the base of his throat as he picks up his speed to follow.
His nose pointed to the scent of the blood, hoping he’d drawn enough to be able to track – even if Panthers weren’t particularly good at it. It was something and right now they had absolutely fucking nothing. So he tears up the earth beneath him, chasing after the doe he’d swiped, hoping to find it and take it down.
Sunjata follows the doe and tries to catch up to it to take it down.
everyone has a secret
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
