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Then what else lurked within? It was a quiet consideration while he tore and ripped, content with digging further into the hide while they contemplated. More monsters? He laughed in the space between chewing and swallowing, consuming proportions of the bird quickly, swiftly. Maybe you can find something for your guild. Information and experience at the very least, though he wasn’t suggesting open tactics in unwinding, unfurling, until they found something fiendish and noteworthy.
Settling in along the ground, picking away at the fowl’s flesh, his senses still remained open, wide, vast, listening for any signs of other motions and notions flickering, flaring, or flying through. While this hadn’t been their intended route of exploration, leaving without any newfound wisdom or sagacity would be a waste of their days. What next? Once they’d finished their fowl? His gaze sharpened briefly over to the rivulet still running through, pondering if venturing down its stream would be worth their efforts too.
she grabbed a razor for me and she did it, just like that
With the feathers removed, Aisha began with the meat. The fowl would sustain her, it's meat still warm and satisfying to her predator taste. She shot Deimos a look, yellow eyes narrowed as he suggested monsters. She was certain, if monsters could be born in a place as boring as the grounds or as frigid as Halo, there was bound to be something deadly lurking in this jungle. Though he laughed, it was a tempting suggestion, to hunt something bigger, badder. Maybe I will, she replied, a hint of challenge and sass in her tone.
Aisha had made her way through most of the bird, Deimos posing the question of the day. What next? Where next more likely, they had their bearings for getting home, but shouldn't their exploration continue. She looked around, swallowing a bit of meat that she'd torn from her carcass. Every direction was moving, living, breathing and begging them to wander, but Aisha's ears locked into the bubbling of the stream.
Follow the water? she suggested, tail flicking behind her as a vine snaked around it's tip.
when she want something she don't wanna pay for it
He snorted – conjuring all the notions, all the nuances, he’d learned and experienced over the years he’d lived within Caido. Monsters; some for their barbarity, some for their strangeness, and some not horrifying, dangerous, or terrifying at all – just different, altered, from the regularity of their own race. What lurked in the jungles could be any range of possibilities – and while he didn’t have the multitude of knowledge based in this form of elemental wares (more prone to forests beside the sea, mountains, or the ruinous junctures of the Grounds), maybe Aisha did. She seemed far more content and grounded into the facets. What creatures did you have before? Before being swept up into Outlander orchestrations? Before being portalled and taken?
Thereafter, upon having his fill, picking at bones, the beast lifted his head, glancing along the waterbed; the certainty curling and coiling in the back of his mind. To wander wherever the water took them (instinctively – towards the sea), a nod granted and given at the suggestion.
Then he was movement and motion again, paws wading into the embankment, touching along the water, entirely coaxed and enticed into its threshold – occasionally launching a series of splashes in the leopard’s direction – and lifting his nose to catch telltale scents once more.
03-30-2021, 01:17 AM (This post was last modified: 03-30-2021, 01:18 AM by Aisha.)
AISHA
she grabbed a razor for me and she did it, just like that
Before was a good way to put it, before Caido, BC if you will. Outlander to Outlander, no clarification was required, and as Deimos asked the question Aisha purred, imagining for a moment that this was the jungle below the falls, the sprawling rain forest beneath the plateau city. No magic, but we had shiftless like me. Leopards, tigers, deer, all sorts of birds and reptiles. The jungle was full of predators like us, the plains were for the farms, terracing, the prey animals.
A jungle like this back on Earth would've had huge snakes, I bet there are some up in the trees, she added, gazing up into the canopy above. Here in the Oerwoud, sentient vines replaced the boas and pythons, she wondered if those vines were vicious constrictors as well, or just pests. They finished up their fill of the birds, satisfied their hunger and discarded the remains for nature to deal with. And then they set out, Aisha took the silence as agreement, slipping into the stream alongside the hound.
Playful notions ensued here and there, but mostly the leopard was alert, watching and waiting for something new and exciting to sprout before them. Eventually it did, slight chirping up ahead around a turn in the stream, the sound of feet pressing through the current. It sounded like a bird, more of the fowl maybe, landed to chance their luck on the ground once more. She glanced to Deimos, sure he too had picked up on the presence before them, and certain that he would enjoy another investigation.
She melted once more into the thick vegetation surrounding the bank, at home in this habitat, maneuvering through the undergrowth quietly. When she reached the creature making the noise she paused, hidden and out of sight, to watch the bird. It was a colorful thing, but most jungle beasts are. Something about it though seems different, more dangerous. Another bird, she relays, tail flicking ever so slightly behind her.
when she want something she don't wanna pay for it
Even in the threshold of a predator clearly given over to fire, the man had been born next to the sea – the water would always be an enticement, an element, he savored and favored. Massive, wide paws splashed through the stream with relish, sending out plumes of cascading droplets in all directions, intentionally launching his strides into widened volleys, launches, and leaps, until his fur was thoroughly doused. And while it might not have appeared so, the beast was always listening, even while shaking and sending the remnants of the liquid clinging to his coat outward. Her notions of no magic was entirely different from Helovia and Isilme – and the animals seemingly altered too. Jungles and plains, farms, leopards, tigers, an assortment of foreign tangibles and possibilities the beast had only seen in other Attuned.
We did not have many jungles. The Hidden Falls would’ve been the closest. Deserts, mountains, and forests. His eyes went upward though, scanning the canopies, branches, and boughs above them, pondering over the midst of massive snakes.
While Aisha tended to senses, the Sword managed to gather some segment of other adornments and semblances within his soul, not so entranced with the riverbed once he’d had his fill of it. Instead, he watched, listened, and waited, while the leopard found something else to shatter and irritate amongst the brush and brambles, chirping – another bird, and he nodded at the scrutiny.
She melded into shadow and he didn’t, standing amidst the temptation of babbling rivulets, wandering further and further inward, as if he weren’t a threat; not something ominous, not something dark, dangerous, and looming. Giving more time to puzzle and study, to follow and flicker. Standing back, he flicked an ear several times, considered Aisha’s perusals. What does it look like?
she grabbed a razor for me and she did it, just like that
While Aisha scouted ahead to find the bird, Deimos had remained behind, waiting for her relay. The bird itself squawked, almost as though it was aware of a predatory presence nearby, it's head held high and snapping quickly from side to side. Aisha ceased any movement then, dropped lower within the brush, refusing to be caught and have her cover blown.
His voice resounded through the bond, Aisha scrutinized the creature ahead with a narrowed gaze. It was not at all like the fowl they'd seen, it was a bit bigger, solitary. Turkey sized, it's got a really bright red beak. Kinda freaky in a way, she replied, watching as it returned to pecking through the subtle brine. Beautiful though, alone, she added, curious as to why a bird would choose to land alone on the forest floor with so little hesitation. It was bold, or maybe it had defenses they were unconscious of.
Should we take it? she asked, already inclined towards such measures, haunches set to pounce if he hell hound agreed.
when she want something she don't wanna pay for it
The Sword would’ve been perfectly content with an ambush – contorting his massive form along and intertwining, lifting his paws quietly, carefully, with a polished menace found in the quieter folds of his existence. How he’d inhabited worlds before as the Reaper; savage and minatory, hushed and sinuous, an unwinding force ready, willing, and able to strike from the shadows.
But as her words came through he ceased momentarily – one paw lifted in mid-air on the thought. Vivid hues were usually a warning amongst and amidst creatures – a hint to stay away, as the potential for deadly toxins were embedded, infused, and composed in between bloodstreams and flesh. Isilme had its fair share of the warning signs, and there’d been enough books and notations about various species in the Atheneum. Bright colors usually indicate poison. His eyes narrowed as he meticulously placed the claws back into the water, edging closer as naught more than a piece of sinewy, Stygian backdrop.
Normally, he might not have any misgivings, as one of the many individuals who rampaged straight into danger – but Zuriel wasn’t here. There’d be no way to manage any healing until they returned to Torchline and found someone capable of doing so. For once, he aired on the side of caution. Probably not. They had no need to. But take a look at anything else on it – the bird could still be pertinent for your guild. Notes on potentially venomous creatures, for instance; she could always sketch something out thereafter.
she grabbed a razor for me and she did it, just like that
Bright colors did often indicate poison, though such venomous tendencies didn't often manifest in birds. Reptiles, amphibians, plenty which she had been warned away from as a child. But no bird, even in the diverse jungles she was used too, boasted poison. Her tail curled at his warning, Birds? I don't know any poisonous birds, she replied skeptically, the leopard at her core urging her to ignore the hound and strike.
But she waited, maybe he'd made her doubt what she knew just a little, for the fowl did seem so confident in itself. Further observation then, for now at least, Aisha watched as it reached back and preened bright green feathers, exposing a purple underbelly. It was incredibly tempting, to rush it and strike at that neck. It might even end with a nice, i told you so moment, but she wasn't ready to make that risk yet.
It's got a long neck, purple and green feathers, she relayed, ending her tone up, more to say, I don't know I think we could take it. Don't you have any fancy powers with that shift?
when she want something she don't wanna pay for it
Even if he hadn’t ever known any fowl to be of venomous distinctions, he didn’t put anything past Caido. They’d seen plenty of monstrous multitudes, from dangerous inclinations of muddy blobs, sharks that traversed land instead of sea, panthers webbed and beholden to far more than just death, and a myriad of other intricacies. I still would not be surprised, he surmised by way of a shrug of canine shoulders and brawn, considering the likelihood as she described the hues and colors more and more. It would be very like Rae or Frey to come up with some animal completely opposite of other worlds they’d known and understood.
He inched onward, still slow and methodical, pondering further into the midst of this newfound creature. A silent snort, a considerable rumble, maneuvered through their bond, but nowhere near the bird; as he had no intention of setting it off into a molten, emboldened derision, and leaving Aisha threatened. Fire. I could set it aflame, or scare it out. But that would also increase the potential for setting everything else ablaze; though he could always shift back into human form, and render the water to diminish and defuse. Which would you prefer?
she grabbed a razor for me and she did it, just like that
The chance that he was right kept Aisha hidden in her bush, that and the fact that this was Caido. Monsters, things that were so easily not the way they were on her earth, made up a decent percentage of the local ecosystems. A poison bird shouldn't be put past this place, it's creators were known for much wilder things.
Mmm, fire. The idea of lighting the bird up was tempting, but they might end up burning off too much, leaving only charred remains that would be too difficult to work with. Scaring it might just send it off and leave no trace, but maybe if it was frightened they could snatch a feather as it flew off, or one would dislodge on it's own. He left it up to her, and after a moment of pondering, the leopard crooned back through the bond, Why not scare it with fire? If it was aggressive like those others, it would hopefully have the sense not the attack fire, fleeing would be it's best bet.
when she want something she don't wanna pay for it
Fire accepted not in terms of vehemence, but in intimidation, agreed with him, and he slunk further and further into the midst, following the leopard’s scent, and the one stoked in unfamiliarity. Eventually, his layers of Stygian pelt coaxed and melded into the fibers of the shadows, until he was a multitude of the darkness, the fronds, the overgrowth. His diligent, scrupulous gaze pierced and punctured over the rush of nettles, thorns, and finally the bird itself – the dazzling hues Aisha had already depicted giving it away. They were, in his opinion, flares and warning signs, dangerous, treacherous, upheavals and manifestations of those venomous emblems. And while he could be quite wrong, no harm would come if he was, and they’d simply record a beast with unusual coloring and be done with it.
It only took one stomp of his paws to curl a flame – bright and vivid, hostile and infernal. More and more came at his beck and call, sweeping through on vicious curls and coils, smoke pooling, billowing, an echo of what could come from his presence – enticing, striving, and trying to maneuver the bird out without too many extenuating circumstances.
she grabbed a razor for me and she did it, just like that
Aisha waited in the brush, watching, leering, coiling to strike but holding position. This was not her hunt this time, she was but a tactician, it was the hellhound's turn to let loose. He came into view, standing out against a vibrant brush as an obsidian beast, tall and brutal. The bird saw him at the same time the cat did, just a little too late. Flames billowed up from his paws, roaring and bright even against the vivid jungle scene.
The bird let loose a shriek, Aisha's ears flicking back and down, a growl rumbling in her chest as it swept up into the air. A hint of the flame singed at it's wings as it rose, the fire following and dancing behind it. In the chaos a small feather from it's tail molted and fell to the earth, accompanied by two others but they burnt in the swell. Once the blaze subsided, the bird had disappeared into the canopy, and they were only left with one deep purple feather.
Aisha curved and crept through the thorns and reeds out to the bank where the hellhound waited, purring brightly, You should just do that all the time, if we were hunting we could've had overcooked chicken, she teased, briefly nudging his shoulder affectionately before settling over the purple feather. She pawed at it, dragging it nearer with an unsheathed claw and giving it a sniff. Do you want to check it first or can I pick it up? another taunt, though she did want a second opinion. Would be a shitty way to go.
when she want something she don't wanna pay for it
The Sword had to fight against his own mercenary instincts – to not give chase, to not bellow and howl and rip into fleeing, fleeting accords. But over the inherent pull was the curiosity, the inquisition, carrying him through, and he waited, watched, as the bird’s outrage and panic over the embers was evident. It didn’t take him long to sully the cinders, paws managing to muffle and contort the inferno into nothing thereafter, and only subsided from snorting at the leopard’s first comment. I have been tempted. Setting fire to a whole assortment of issues, problems, trials, tribulations, and irritating people had always been an enticing notion – but his control was usually there, in the forefront, rather than the backdrop.
He nudged his hound shoulder back in return, and then angled forward, over the newly ashen leaves, fronds, ferns, and soil, placing his paws into the soot and corrupted earth, and lowering his head. He sniffed and snorted at the feather, uncertain of its attributes, but incapable of detecting anything he’d deem as potent. Did poison have an odor? Might be safe he laughed, backing away and off, allowing and allotting a space for her to snag and grab.
she grabbed a razor for me and she did it, just like that
Let's make it a reality then, we live on an icecube so we won't have to worry about setting anything else on fire, she hummed, imagining the roast ursur and ningo they could eat right there on the spot. An experiment for a safer testing grounds, but the possibilities were endless.
Aisha waited for Deimos to do his quick check, possibly foolishly trusting his judgment and snorting, Great, dibs then. A sharp claw snagged the magenta remains, separating the smooth barbules and she drew it closer and snatched it up into her mouth. She waited a moment, for nothing or for the dreaded surge of venom through her veins, and when nothing happened her tail flagged and curled and she turned to face the hound.
Should we start heading for Torchline? the jungle would not become less lively with night fall, that much she was certain of. It might be best to steer towards the skies, return to the Oerwoud more prepared.
when she want something she don't wanna pay for it
