A mysterious area, explorers tend to go missing and never return. A low fog constantly blankets the forest floor and strange sounds have been reported being heard during the day. Not much else is known about the forest. (+3 Speed, +2 Endurance)

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Quiet Trees [P, Flame] [L]

Postby Mousen » 03/09/2014 3:27 PM


Ivan had been living in the forest for awhile now, he'd gotten to know the paths and twists and turns of the place. In some ways, he was ignorant of how lucky he'd been. Most people who ended up in Whisper Forest simply ended up more and more disorientated and were eventually lost to the mist and quiet trees. That didn't mean Ivan had it easy-- far from it. There was the occasional deer, or deer-like creature anyway, but pickings were slim. It wouldn't have mattered so much if there was only one mouth to feed, but he had two hunting dogs to look after. More often than not, he'd gone hungry to feed them.

This was until he'd stumbled across a small village. He wouldn't have intruded on their quiet way of life if he'd had any other choice, but needs must and Ivan had found himself stealing morsels of food from them. A loaf of bread here, or a few pieces of fruit.

Then, when coming back from hunting game, two men from the village had seen him. The moon had been bright that evening, and the mist thin or else they wouldn't have seen him at all. Blue-grey, like the mist itself, with bright yellow eyes chasing a white deer through the forest. From then on, the rumors had spread. They called him the Deerhound, and thought him a spirit sent to protect them from harm. (And indeed, Ivan had done what he could to help them when he could. Loose livestock turned up, thieves ran away shrieking, odd items lost in the forest were found in the village square, that sort of thing.) Some villagers had even began leaving offerings for him, and for this Ivan was more than thankful.

He'd found himself thinking about the future more and more, in odd moments before he fell asleep in the forest or on the mornings when the mist was thickest and made pale by the sunlight. Before his prospects had been very limited, he'd been a fugitive, condemned to death if anyone had caught up with him. Even now, far away from where it had all started, the disgrace still stung. He knew that he hadn't been the only one to end up in this realm, and that if they found him, they'd almost certainly try to kill him. But, he had a good chance of evading them here, and perhaps, even a reasonable chance outside the forests in the new world that they'd all fallen into.

((Sorry this is all exposition, but I couldn't think how to begin.))


We’re all hysterical & going nowhere together.

C’mon rapture. Let’s go bedazzling.

Nothing gets futured without its own spitshine
& I’m already not not not not not not miraculous.


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Re: Quiet Trees [P, Flame] [L]

Postby Flame » 03/14/2014 4:27 AM

Image

The morning was crisp and cool – the kind of brisk daybreak that left beads of dew hanging on the fresh foliage, as if the entire world had been washed anew with a gentle mist. The multitudes of tiny droplets glittered mutely in the clear morning sun, as if the world had donned a gown of diamonds to greet the new day. It was this sort of morning to which Cordelia and her companion (who also happened to be her steed) arrived in the Whisper Forest. She’d been in a small town several miles away when she’d gotten her calling, and they had set out at the break of dawn to travel here in the hopes of hunting down some leads. There had been rumors and murmurs of a strange creature which dwelt in these woods; the accounts ranged wildly in nature from a god descended from the heavens above to a child-stealing, soul-devouring demon. The stories grew only more exaggerated as one moved farther from the point of inception. Cordelia herself had been relatively far out when she herself had heard the tale, but she was determined to find the heart of all the rumors. Best case scenario: she made herself a healthy bounty to live off of for the next month or so. Worst case: she would at least settle the inconvenience of uncertainty in her mind.

Mnemosyne on the other hand, was altogether quite indifferent about the whole affair. Large, predatory white claws padded silently across the dewy grass, her gait surprisingly lithe and smooth for a creature of her stature. Normally, she wouldn’t abide a less creature riding her like some common steed, but Cordelia was a special case. The relationship between the two was as partners, and both knew the bounds of that bond well. As long as those unspoken rules were adhered to, there was no discord in their relationship. The young woman rode bareback on the spotted Lusikross, years of practice giving her the easy grace of a learned rider. She didn’t need to steer, for all the guidance they needed was Mnemosyne’s sense of smell and direction, which was keener than any map or hound alive.

Her first impression of this place was that it was indeed, aptly named. There was an almost eerie hush which fell like a blanket over the forest, even in the light of a morning sun. All the noises seemed to be rather muted, giving the trees an almost otherworldly air. This didn’t seem to faze either steed or rider though – after all, neither took much stock in the idea of ghosts or phantasms. Up until this point, they had skirted around villages and other such abodes; if they were going to find this creature anywhere, more likely than not, they weren’t going to find it in a populated area.
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Re: Quiet Trees [P, Flame] [L]

Postby Mousen » 04/06/2014 5:09 PM

Ivan had taken it upon himself to stray further from the village than he'd done in awhile. There was no particular reasoning behind this, other than to stretch his legs and stave off some of the creeping boredom he'd been feeling as of late. To Ivan's mind, boredom was a good sign. When the boredom started to set in it meant that you weren't in immediate danger, that was a luxury as of late. His two hunting dogs, now yonyuu trailed behind him, wandering here and there as was their habit. They sniffed around the logs and trees, never wandering too far from their currently four-legged master.

He was hoping that the pickings wouldn't be as slim the further away he got from the village, the noise and smells of humans probably scared off the vast majority of deer. It was only the brave or the stupid that stayed close. While, certainly, he was getting scraps from the villagers he didn't want to rely upon them and keeping his skills sharp would ensure that he wouldn't have to do that. Beyond deer hunting, he knew that there was another from his own world living in these woods. A witch of sorts, they'd become friends when she'd been engaged to a fellow knight and he'd been the one to help her escape when she was accused of witchcraft. He hadn't seen her in some time, and was a little curious to see how she was coping in this new world. Her bright-red bird form would be easy enough to spot through the mist, provided she wasn't intentionally hiding from him. Ivan had no qualms about meeting deer or witches in the depths of the forest today. Fate may do as it pleased.

"Carbuncle, Muskaliet!" he called quietly, ensuring the two hounds were keeping up with him. The morning was fresh, but the sun rather low in the sky. This gave the mist something of a blue-tinge as it sulked low around the forest floor, swirling in odd shapes and patterns. It was thin, now, but still dense enough to cover the low stumps and branches that littered the woods. As the say went on, the mist would rise and the trees, stark and gloomy would be covered by their usual veil, but for the time being water droplets glistened from every visible surface, caught by the sun. The air was cold, but not unpleasantly so. Yes, a say like this suited the disgraced knight perfectly.

But in the village he'd left behind, people were stirring. Important people who had no time for legends were becoming increasingly suspicious of this creature. Rumors and more rumors were reaching their ears and what had been up until recently an innocent tale was becoming an annoyance. Annoyances had to be dealt with before they could become problems. Discreet messengers spoke to other discreet messengers, and letters sealed with important seals were being passed between those in the know. An agreement was being reached, an agreement that the majority of the villagers would forever remain unaware of. An agreement, that more importantly, Ivan was currently unaware of.

"I am beginning to think that things may turn out for the better, Muskaliet." Ivan told the hound next to him. "A morning like this is a rare gift, to be sure."

((Again, sorry for not replying to this sooner. D: ))


We’re all hysterical & going nowhere together.

C’mon rapture. Let’s go bedazzling.

Nothing gets futured without its own spitshine
& I’m already not not not not not not miraculous.


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Re: Quiet Trees [P, Flame] [L]

Postby Flame » 05/29/2014 4:26 PM

From what Cordelia had seen from maps and heard via word-of-mouth, she’d known that the forest would at least be sizeable. After all, being one whose occupation called for a good amount of travel, she had a fairly decent knack for accurately estimating how long each of her ‘jobs’ would take (including accounting for the time actually spent subduing her quarry after actually finding them). Therefore, she knew realistically that it could easily take several days to even track this beast – considering it even existed in the first place – and so had prepared accordingly. While the forest didn’t offer the types of amenities she might expect while pursuing a bounty in a populated town or city (it was nice to sleep in a comfortable bed every once in a while), she didn’t really mind ‘roughing it’ in the woods either. Being something of a nomad, she was at home in this setting. Not to mention the fact that it could potentially be easier to find what she was looking for without the distractions and background noise that came with populated locales.

Not a sound passed between rider and steed, and in that manner, the hours passed as they silently traversed the foggy woods, deceptively quiet yet fully alert for signs of movement or disturbance. They needed no words to communicate – they understood each other through years of partnership, and although they were separate entities, they hunted as one. The hours ticked away as the sun slowly ascended in the sky, threatening to dissipate the fog which swam through the undergrowth, but as of yet, had made no visible progress in thinning it. Despite the lack of visibility, the pair was unfazed – Mnemosyne moved through the seemingly almost solid, opaque mass with a steady, surefooted grace.

On a dime, and seemingly for no observable reason, the Lusikross suddenly came to an abrupt halt in a clearing. There was nothing special about it, and it looked just like every other clearing they had passed earlier in the day, but apparently something had caught her attention. Knowing better than to ask what it was, Cordelia simply raised her eyebrows at her companion, no doubt in her mind that she would be filled in on the situation soon enough. Without warning, the lizard moved on again, this time in a slight different direction from their original trajectory. That alone was enough to set the woman’s mind to rest, knowing that they now had a solid lead (more likely than not).

“Hounds. They came this way not long ago.” The voice came, not on the foggy air, but echoed only in Cordelia’s mind. It was a familiar one – in fact, it was Mnemosyne’s preferred method of communication when she chose to speak (which wasn’t terribly often). “One wild and at least two domesticated.” That was odd indeed, and the woman could see immediately why her companion had chosen to follow the strange trail. While she wasn’t surprised that they might find wolves out in the forest, it was the other two scents which piqued her curiosity. Obviously, there had been no human scent distinguishable, so it couldn’t have been a hunting party chasing down their game (not to mention the fact that she would have heard them from miles away if it had been). They were too far out for the dogs to be pets of someone in the neighboring towns unless there was a cabin somewhere nearby, but Cordelia was fairly certain they would have found signs of that earlier as well if that were the case. While this didn’t necessarily seem like progress towards finding the strange beast that was haunting these woods, it was certainly out of the ordinary, and therefore, worth investigating. After all, they could both use a little excitement after the otherwise fruitless hours spent scouring the forest.

Their movement through the undergrowth was almost completely silent – an amazing feat for so large a creature as Mnemosyne. The trail was fresh, so she knew that they were close, and made sure to stay downwind of the tracks so as to keep the element of surprise on their side. Neither was sure what they expected to find once they finally caught up to whatever it was ahead of them, but with any luck, they would find it before it even knew that it (or they) were being followed.
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Re: Quiet Trees [P, Flame] [L]

Postby Mousen » 07/06/2014 1:19 PM

Ivan kept up a brisk pace as he proceeded through the forest. His four paws picked their way through the undergrowth with such ease that he almost seemed to be gliding. (Something, that had no doubt lead to his reputation on the rare occasion that he had been spotted.) The hounds, not smelling anything interesting in their immediate vicinity gamboled along, chasing each other and circling around Ivan.

He allowed his thoughts to drift for a moment, not settling on any particular train of thought as he continued, and although the morning was no less pleasant than it had been a moment before a chill settled over him. It had not taken him many ventures, even as a young squire, to learn to trust his own instincts. For all he knew, it could be nothing, but it was not a chance he was willing to take. Not back in England, and not here in this strange land. "Heel!" he hissed, not daring to raise his voice much. His hounds, sensing the urgency in his tone stood close by him.

Up until this point, he been roughly following a trail through the woods. It wasn't quite a path, but it gave the impression of having been traveled along before, even if that before had been many years ago. But, now, with a chill settling along his spine and discontent in his thoughts he turned away from it, and into the thicker undergrowth. He made very little noise as he moved, only the faint rustle of leaves. Muskaliet and Carbuncle, too, were almost silent.

He could run, of course. It would be a rare thing that could keep up with what really amounted to a wolf and two greyhounds. In a strange way, that was what was making him stay. If there really was anything close at hand, he could run once it presented itself and then we would have the added knowledge of knowing what they were up against. Beyond that, Ivan felt that it was more than a little cowardly to run at the first, faint tremors of something amiss. He did have a little pride left, after all.


((Sorry for making you wait so long for this :c ))


We’re all hysterical & going nowhere together.

C’mon rapture. Let’s go bedazzling.

Nothing gets futured without its own spitshine
& I’m already not not not not not not miraculous.


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Re: Quiet Trees [P, Flame] [L]

Postby Flame » 04/06/2015 12:08 PM

The nature of this particular hunt was...odd at best. It wasn't often that Cordelia and Mnemosyne got sent out to hunt for what sounded like a spirit or specter of some sort. Usually, the bounties they were given were ones with very solid, physical forms that left distinct trails to be followed (which made their job considerably easier), but this time, even Cordelia had to admit that she didn't entirely know what she was supposed to be looking for. The man who'd hired her had basically pointed her in a vague direction along with a somewhat spotty description entirely based on speculated sightings and sent her along her way. Normally, Cordelia might have turned down a job that seemed this perched on the edge of mythology (she was not one to put much stock into the existence of ghosts and the supernatural and such, and thus credited these sightings to mere human fancy and paranoia). However, even she had to admit that there were too many eye-witnesses to simply chalk it up to rumor, and based on the stories that she'd heard, even her curiosity was piqued now.

It was for that reason that she'd decided to take the job. The village didn't have too much to offer by means of payment, but that was of no consequence to Cordelia. She had no trouble finding more lucrative jobs, and for once, she felt as if she wanted a break from the fast-paced, dollar-driven chases she was so accustomed to. Being paid to take a hike in the woods in search of some ghost of legend? That didn't sound like such a terrible change. Plus, she was now invested enough in this fairytale to want to get to the bottom of it, even if she came out of it all empty-handed.

It was because of this reasoning that she and Mnemosyne were currently following any and all leads the forest had to offer (which were surprisingly few and far between, apparently). But now that they'd found one, regardless of how unrelated it seemed, by golly were they going to follow it until they figured out exactly what it was. The Lusikross stalked through the trees with the grace of a cat, silent to hopefully help make up for the fact that her pelt was a combination of white and bright pink. Not exactly the best combination for hiding a massive lizard in the woods. Nevertheless, she followed the trail, the scents growing distinctly stronger as she slinked along. "They're extremely close now. Be on your guard - we don't know what we're up against." Even if it really was just a pack of dogs, it was always safer to err on the side of caution - that they'd learned from past experience.
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Re: Quiet Trees [P, Flame] [L]

Postby Mousen » 04/18/2015 3:50 AM

Carbuncle and Muskaliet followed at his heels as he progressed through the woods.The trees were increasingly close together and thorn bushes curled through the space in between. The brambles pulled at his pelt, and Ivan looked behind to see his two hunting dogs following reluctantly. He didn't enjoy taking them down here, but it was a tactical maneuver. There were very few things that would be able to follow them through this. He was very interested to see what, if anything was following him now.

He contemplated the idea that it was his fellow knights, out to seek revenge. (Although, if anyone was out for revenge it should have bee him. Strange world, huh? He'd be the one who had been imprisoned and lost any respect or status he may have had.) It didn't matter if it was, except for the fact that if one of his occasional travelling companions found them blood would definitely spill. Ivan didn't think he was prepared to act as a witness to that. If it was them, with any luck he could lead them on a wild goose chase, finally leading them out of the forest.

He couldn't see anything behind him. That was making him feel uneasy. He'd have at least liked to have some indication of what it was that was following him. Or... if anything was following him at all. He was acting purely on instinct, after all. For all Ivan knew he could be leading nothing deeper into the woods. It was simply the act of a mind slightly unhinged by all of the hours spent alone with only two hunting dogs for company.

Even with that in mind Ivan couldn't shake the feeling of something sneaking up on him. There was no way his fellow knights could be this stealthy, Reynard was especially clumsy and Gouen was built for fair fighting, not for sneaking up on someone from behind. Even with John leading them, he wouldn't have put it past Gouen to loose his patience and shout to Ivan, demanding a fair duel.

That'd be such an idiotic thing to do, though. Ivan was under no obligation to fight fair anymore. With this on his mind he took a sharp turn and picked up speed, taking whatever was following him (if anything) further and further away from the trail.


We’re all hysterical & going nowhere together.

C’mon rapture. Let’s go bedazzling.

Nothing gets futured without its own spitshine
& I’m already not not not not not not miraculous.


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Re: Quiet Trees [P, Flame] [L]

Postby Flame » 05/12/2015 3:47 PM

Cordelia and Mnemosyne steadily made their way deeper into the woods on the tail of the trail which they followed. Now, the woman too could begin to see signs of their quarry’s passage – a few stray pawprints in the softer soil, occasional, small tufts of fur caught on wayward brambles. If anything, it certainly seemed to confirm the fact that they were following hounds of some sort (judging by the prints at least), but she was still uncertain as to whether this would actually turn out to be at all productive. She reminded herself that even an iffy lead was better than no lead at all, and allowed her companion to bear them deeper into the forest.

However, she soon began to notice that the trees were growing significantly thicker, and Mnemosyne was beginning to have to push her way through the undergrowth to keep moving forward. It was beginning to slow their progress down, and the Lusikross suddenly spoke up, as if hearing Cordelia’s inward thoughts. “The trees are growing denser, and our quarry is beginning to move faster. I believe they are beginning to suspect that they’re being followed.” The woman simply nodded in response, patting the giant lizard on the shoulder to signal her to stop. “It would be quicker for you to move on foot from here. I’ll circle around and see if I can head them off up ahead.”

No sooner had the words echoed in Cordelia’s mind when she slid off the Lusikross’s back, taking a moment to straighten her clothes from the hours of riding and check that she still had all of her gear. A bow, some rope attached to a belt containing other survival essentials, several knives – the usual light gear which she carried when they were doing this kind of hunting. With another quick pat on her companion’s neck to signify that she’d understood and agreed, she took off into the undergrowth, following the trail that the small pack of hounds had left behind, her progress much quicker now that she was on foot in the thick underbrush. She noticed that the trail led deeper and deeper into the forest, but seemed unfazed as the sunlight which filtered through the canopy grew dimmer. After all, she’d hunted in far worse conditions than these before, and chances were that the quarry she hunted would simply be wild dogs and nothing more.
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Re: Quiet Trees [P, Flame] [L]

Postby Mousen » 05/23/2015 10:27 AM

After a moment or two, he slowed down again, confident that his turn into the brush had sufficiently confused anything that had been following. Further on, the forest thinned out a little and the path curved around. Of course, if you got turned around and missed the path you could end up lost for hours, but Ivan knew where he was going. He scrambled over a fallen tree, his two dogs following behind. It was then he heard it, almost too quiet to notice beneath the rustling of trees, but there nonetheless. Ivan was definitely being followed by someone.

"Huh." He said, under his breath, a statement of acceptance more than anything else. His two dogs looked towards him, trying to decipher what their master was saying. Ivan made his decision, continuing through the forest. His pace was a little quicker than before, not not by much. He was acting under the assumption that whatever it was that was following him (although, judging from the frequency of foot falls, it was probably bipedal, and therefore probably human) wouldn't be able to outrun him should the need arise. It was arrogant of him, but he knew the forest well by now and was confident of his ability to be able to loose someone within it.

Partly, Ivan was hoping that they would catch up to him, if only so he could see who "they" was. He had to admit, he was curious about it, other than Gouen, John and Reynard Ivan couldn't think of anyone who would wish to see him. Unless a lost hunter had mistaken him and his dogs for deer, perhaps? Looking towards his dogs, he frowned slightly, and made a small hissing noise under his breath. They looked at him for a moment, and left him, going off to wander through the woods on their own. Whatever was going on, he didn't want them involved in it.


We’re all hysterical & going nowhere together.

C’mon rapture. Let’s go bedazzling.

Nothing gets futured without its own spitshine
& I’m already not not not not not not miraculous.


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Re: Quiet Trees [P, Flame] [L]

Postby Flame » 02/04/2016 1:54 PM

Whatever it was that Cordelia was pursuing, it definitely knew its way through these woods, that was for sure. It traveled faster through the thick undergrowth than she would have expected, but considering how small she was, she found no difficulty in following either. If the creature ahead of her was aware of the fact that it was being pursued, it didn't seem terribly concerned about the fact, considering the trail was still relatively easy to make out. Perhaps her quarry really was unaware of her presence - either that, or it simply didn't care. That could be either a good or a bad thing, depending on what kind of creature this was. Upon closer inspection, she made out several different sets of tracks - all definitively canine in shape - headed in the same direction. Rather small for a wolfpack, and if she wasn't mistaken, definitely not of the same species as each other. Her brow furrowed lightly in thought as she considered this new piece of information, although her feet continued to carry her along the trail.

She soon noticed that her quarry was moving faster than it had been earlier - so they knew she was there after all, did they? No matter, what they couldn't foresee was the fact that Mnemosyne was scouting ahead as well, and with any luck, she would cut off their current trajectory and send them back towards the human hunter. Cordelia kept in brief contact with her companion, relaying spurts of information via their telepathic link. The strength of the signal between the two of them was a rough way of determining location and distance, but it was a good enough system for them to work effectively as a hunting team.

A few moments later, Cordelia noticed that the trail split off in two directions - the pair of smaller tracks heading off one way, and the lone set of larger paw prints headed on a different trajectory. She made a split-second decision to follow the latter of the two sets, making a mental note to Mnemosyne though about the new development. After all, something told her that the bigger game would probably be more worth her while. Redoubling her efforts to remain unseen and unheard, she continued to slink after the unknown creature through the undergrowth, hoping that either she'd catch up to it, or that the Lusikross would head it off.
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Re: Quiet Trees [P, Flame] [L]

Postby Mousen » 02/15/2016 5:46 PM

Something in him, a sliver of something from his past, perhaps, all that time spent running prompted him to pick up speed. It was only now that you could begin to really hear him move, before Ivan had padded carefully, practically silent, more like a ghost than anything living. Now, at a much faster pace, there was the crunch of leaves beneath his feet or the occasional sound of his claws hitting the earth. It was very slight, but it was there. A reminder that Ivan was flesh and blood, rather than anything supernatural.

He wasn't really thinking about anything else, other than watching where his four paws were going. He was thinking about the thing behind him, sure, but in a round about way, wondering whether it could keep up. He was still intrigued, but his nerve had snapped and so was erring on the side of caution. He was so lost in what was behind him, Ivan made a basic mistake. One he regretted almost as soon as he'd made it. He was a knight, or rather, had been. To get this far and then to make this blunder, well, it was frankly embarrassing. Moreover, it was a particularly dangerous one. How could he be so stupid?

Ivan had not been concentrating on what was in front of him, and in so doing, had failed to account for the fact that there may be something lying in wait. He should have spotted it, largely conspicuous inspite of the think mist that hazily coated the forest. Ivan was a hunter, sharp eyes, keen sense of smell, so how could he have been so blind as to miss what was a gigantic pink creature stepping out of the forest towards him? He skittered backwards, sending a shower of crushed leaves towards the creature. They floated harmlessly to the ground.

He moved backwards, berating himself for the mistake while frightened of it's consequences. He had yet to consider fighting. Ivan had no idea what this creature was, it was worse than anything he'd ever seen. It was full of eyes and spines, more like a demon than anything he thought he'd ever see.  After failing as a knight, religion had not really been something Ivan had thought about, but now, in front of such a creature he found a prayer springing to his lips. "De profundis clamavi ad te domine..." he began, pausing as he tried to remember what came next. Perhaps this was no less than he deserved, for everything he had done.


We’re all hysterical & going nowhere together.

C’mon rapture. Let’s go bedazzling.

Nothing gets futured without its own spitshine
& I’m already not not not not not not miraculous.


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Re: Quiet Trees [P, Flame] [L]

Postby Flame » 12/17/2016 9:07 PM

It was faint, but Cordelia could just make out the sound of something rustling through the undergrowth some distance ahead. Up until this point, the tracks on the ground had been steady and evenly spaced, but as the creature picked up its pace, the prints grew deeper, leaving more evidence for her to follow between the tracks and trail of disturbed leaves and branches her quarry left behind. If there had been any doubt that her presence was no longer hidden, it was dispelled now. As such, Cordelia dispensed with her pretense of remaining unseen and unheard as well, picking up the pace as she dashed through the forest after her elusive prey. However, two feet would rarely ever outstripped four paws, especially those made to traverse these dense woods, and she knew full well that the creature had a distinct disadvantage over her on this terrain. Now, she could only hope that her companion might have better luck heading their quarry off, otherwise, today’s hunt could be considered a wash.

Mnemosyne heard the pawsteps as well from where she stalked, partially through Cordelia’s link as well as through her own ears. The sound was growing gradually louder, and she adjusted her course accordingly, ensuring that she remained downwind of the oncoming creature. She had no idea what to expect when she finally came up on it, but there were very few things in this world that a Lusikross like herself had to fear. Judging by what she could hear, it was only moments before the creature would reach her, and as such, Mnemosyne angled herself directly at the oncoming sound, raising herself to her full height. She didn’t intend to immediately incapacitate the creature – she wanted to know what they were facing first before acting. Plus, experience told her that it was always wiser to evaluate exactly what she was dealing with first before doing anything about it. After all, it would be far too easy for her to accidentally paralyze or otherwise seriously injure a creature or person if she struck without warning.

Her patience was quickly rewarded as a figure came barreling out of the forest ahead of her, a blur of blue and gray fur that all but ran full into her chest in its hurry to get away from what Mnemosyne could only assume was Cordelia. The lizard actually took one small, somewhat hesitant step back, somewhat concerned that the creature might actually crash into her, but it seemed to spot her just as soon as she did, backpedaling in a flurry of fallen leaves. It took a moment, but her gaze quickly registered the creature as some sort of lupine being – a wolf, with a blue pelt. Perhaps this was the creature the locals had spoken of – it was certainly large and odd-colored enough to spark all manners of rumors, but at the end of the day, it looked like nothing more than just a wolf, and no signs suggested any evidence of supernatural forces at play here.

At least, that was until the thing opened its mouth and spoke. That alone was enough to give Mnemosyne pause. Well, perhaps this wasn’t as simple a dismissal as she originally assumed, she thought as she cocked her head curiously at the creature. Quickly, she reached out to it, forming a brief telepathic pathway between their two minds and hoping that didn’t spook the individual in question too much. “I mean you no harm.” The words were plain and simple, her meaning as clear as she could think to make it. Of course, just because she said that didn’t mean that the creature didn’t mean her harm anyway, and as such, she remained with her claws firmly planted where she stood, prepared for whatever might happen next. She could only assume that this was a first for both of them, and as such, some adjustment period would be necessary for each to puzzle what the other was out.
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Re: Quiet Trees [P, Flame] [L]

Postby Mousen » 04/11/2017 5:51 PM

Ivan was at a loss, the wide-eyed panic settling deep into him after coming into contact with such a creature. It's eyes, red and flickering with some unholy light, it's bloodless skin with some sort of pink rash blooming across it, and it's black teeth and claws. Ivan couldn't have imagined anything more horrific if he'd tried, it reminded him of the woodcuts of strange, foreign animals that he'd found in the bestiaries back home.

Then, as if to drive him into further despair, it spoke. It put the words in his head. He cringed away. "De-"  He couldn't speak. He tried again. "Demon-" His breath was staccato beat in his lungs, he forced it to evenness. "What do you want? Please. Leave. I have nothing-- nothing to offer you."

He took in the creature's body language, it seemed... apprehensive. He could hear something else behind him, too, the thing that had originally been chasing him. The sound suggested something on two legs. A human? Another kind of demon? He was trapped, either way. A human he might have a chance of besting in combat, but if it was working alongside this monster, then he had little hope. Ivan didn't have the faintest idea of how to fight monsters. Humans, sure, but this was beyond any situation he'd been in at home.

But this wasn't home, was it? Ivan had come to accept this new existence. He'd actually come to rather enjoy it. Things would have been perfect if it hadn't been for the other set of knights, for Idla's obsession with Gouen, and for John's obsession with him. If everyone wasn't so damned determined to kill each other then he could have lived in peace. When he'd first arrived here, he'd been convinced he'd been cursed. It was the appearances of his dogs, with their beautiful wings that had made him rethink that position. He'd found he could switch between shapes, he could disappear into the mist as a wolf, or stand as a man. There were so many things here that had become normal to him. He wondered, the thought taking him off-guard, if the creature before him was one of those things. The animals here were not like the ones at home. If this was the case, and the animal was commonplace rather than infernal, then Ivan had found himself in a world that was even stranger than he'd thought.

Ivan wasn't cowering, but his ears were flicked back and his shoulders tense. This whole thing was making his head spin. "What do you want?"

((Poor Mnemosyne. Ithink she's pretty!))


We’re all hysterical & going nowhere together.

C’mon rapture. Let’s go bedazzling.

Nothing gets futured without its own spitshine
& I’m already not not not not not not miraculous.


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