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 Posted: Sat May 16, 2009 11:11 pm
Nerissa smirked at Myrrith's assessment of having a sibling.
We were different... so, so different...
She was a little miffed when the other mare didn't even oblige her with a name, but the chase proved a quick distraction. With only the sound of something dashing through leaves to go on, the sea mare wondered if that could be Septimus. He'd probably seen his first rabbit or something.
"Wait up!" She called, dashing after and quickly catching up to her tawny counterpart. Years of swimming had strengthened her legs - and after last night's rest, she felt she could run forever.
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Posted: Sat May 16, 2009 11:44 pm
Myrrith galloped after the fleeting glimpse of color with single minded devotion, ducking under branches and springing over a fallen log.
"Wait sire! Wait for me!" Why doesn't he answer? Surely he heard me... A small seed of doubt planted itself in Myrrith's mind, slowly putting down roots. Finally the colt crashed through a patch of dense underbrush and into a clearing.
It was definitely NOT Rajah.
For that matter, it wasn't even a Kirin.
The bipedal creature was heavily scaled, like one of the Kirindae, but the scales covered its whole body, and were much smaller, like smooth overlapping plates. long orange feathers sprouted from the taloned arms, held tucked against its chest. The reptilian head turned towards the colt with a menacing hiss, bright throat patch and head frills extended.
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Posted: Sat May 23, 2009 9:00 am
Harbinger barreled after the colt, praying that nothing happened to him. She heard the other mare close behind her and prayed that whatever it was, if it was not Rajah, that it would be too intimidated by two grown Kirin to want to attack. If not, she would fight. Hopefully she would win, or at least be able to stun it long enough that they could all flee to someplace safer. Perhaps across the shoals to Myrrith's island.
What greeted her view when she burst out of the trees and caught up to the colt was something reptilian and much smaller than a grown Kirin... but still large enough to be a threat to the younger one. She uttered an alarm call as she came to stand by Myrrith, leveling her horn at the creature with a dangerous glint in her eye. She would try to avoid attacking unless it proved necessary. It did not matter that he was not her foal, she was going to defend him regardless.
She really hoped the sight of herself and Nerrissa would be enough to scare it off and they could return to the open area by the shore. It occured to her that she had not given the other mare her name yet... but there were more pressing matters at hoof. That could wait until they were all safe.
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Posted: Tue May 26, 2009 6:15 am
Nerissa emerged from the trees as Harbinger did, a wave of disappointment washing over her. Still no sign of Septimus. She did a cool-headed assessment of the situation - frightened colt, strange creature trying to intimidate everyone, adult Kirin trying not to look intimidated.
She smirked, and slid slowly, carefully to the creature's left, trying to catch its eye and ready to spring. This would be fun. If she succeeded, she could frighten the beast away before it decided to launch a preemptive strike on the other two.
And the hunt would begin.
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Posted: Tue May 26, 2009 11:31 pm
Myrrith flattened back his ears and turned into a feather poofball again. squealing and backpedaling in his hoofsteps. The feathered saurian warbled, ending in a high squeak when Nerissa and Harbinger came charging out of the woods. Suddenly outnumbered, it flattens its feathers and turns tail, darting off into the bushes, long legs allowing it to easily leap over a fallen log.
"Wha... what is that?" Myrrith looked torn between fleeing away from and running in pursuit of the new creature.
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Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2009 7:50 am
"Some sort of reptilian predator that apparently finds adult Kirin far more intidimidating than foals. I've never seen one before myself." It was far warmer down here than in the mountains where she had started... cold-blooded predators were not so common up there. She felt as if she'd heard of them before but the name eluded her...
Harbinger cocked her head at Nerissa. Was she intending to chase it down? Perhaps Myrrith could still get something of a hunting lesson out of the day. She nudged Myrrith and stood at the ready, should Nerissa decide to make that move. Harbinger would leave the killing up to the other mare if that was her intent but she could likely run interference and help herd the creature. But there was the worry of Myrrith getting left behind... hrm.
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Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2009 6:05 pm
As the feathered fiend turned and fled, Nerissa gave a short glance at her fellow Kirin - who also seemed up for a spot of hunting - and took off after it, nimbly clearing the log. She pursued the orange-tipped "wings" with curiosity rather than hunger, mane and tail streaming out behind. If she killed it, she could find out everything from the body faster than by observation - how it had lived, how it made more of its own, what it ate, were those wings functional.
She could even sample it to see if it would make good prey, even though Nerissa preferred fish, shellfish and kelp to "land food".
The thrill of the hunt washing over her, Nerissa stretched her neck forward, straining to get close enough to stop her prey. Should she go for the throat? An arm? A leg?
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Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2009 10:29 pm
"C'mon Harbinger, let's go catch it!" Myrrith pranced about on his hooves, darting after Nerissa as she decided to take up the chase. A hunt, at last! His first real hunt! The colt couldn't help but squeal and whicker as he bucked over a bush and dodged a swinging branch. This was exciting!
The feathered lizard thing was fast, but not as fast as a Kirin. It made a strange high pitched set of clicks as it fled, dodging under bushes and fallen logs.
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Posted: Mon Jun 22, 2009 11:13 am
Harbinger kept pace with Myrrith for a few moments to be certain he was not in danger of being left behind. He had sharp eyes and quick legs, however, and seemed well able to at least maintain pace with the prey creature. She broke off then and put on some speed, intending to try and circle around to herd the creature closer to Nerrissa, or at least some open ground.
She was not a hunter, but she had seen them in action. When hunting with a group you wanted to give the prey as little opportunity to hide as possible, and with any luck drive it closer to the other hunters so that they had more chance to catch it. Well; Nerrissa, in this case. It was possible the creature could just bowl Myrrith over.
A flash of rusty orange from the creature's throat and wings a bit to the side of her range of vision led to a redoubled effort at more speed as Harbinger leapt over a fallen branch, and then she turned to try and cut off its path in a diagonal. She made sure to locate the flash of color and light from Nerrissa and Myrrith's scales so she wouldn't run headlong into them should the creature manage to evade her efforts. As she drew near she lashed out with a sharp hoof at the creature's near leg in an effort to slow it. With any luck that would be enough for Nerrissa to finish the job as she dropped back to a less breakneck pace...
((S'all Harby's really good for is hit and run. XD She understands how to harm and kill things but she's not really a hunter in her own right.))
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Posted: Tue Jun 23, 2009 7:43 am
Somewhat distracted by the noises from the excitable little foal, Nerissa did not see Harby's tactics until the very last minute.
As a hoof flew towards the reptile, Nerissa gave Harby an approving nod, genuinely admiring both the other mare's speed as well as her cunning, before gathering her legs and pouncing in an attempt to pin it down.
The sea mare hoped her fellow (albeit amateur) hunter was watching, observing, taking notes. Catching food was as much about planning ahead as speed and power.
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Posted: Fri Jun 26, 2009 9:32 pm
Myrrith tagged along with Harbinger, nipping at the creature's wing feathers as it dodged between bushes. The mare's well placed kick sent the feathered raptor sprawling with a high pitched squeal, and the colt narrowly missed running right over it. "Hah, we got it, we got it!" The colt pranced and gave chase even as the feathered saurian rose back to its legs and dashed off in another direction. "It's coming towards you, Nerissa!"
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Posted: Sat Jun 27, 2009 2:14 am
Success. Nerissa slammed into the strange new creature, knocking it down. As it struggled to stand up again, trying to push itself up with winged arms, she calmly stepped on its chest with both front hooves and clamped down on its neck with her jaws.
This huntress really enjoyed watching her prey's final moments.
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Posted: Sat Jun 27, 2009 3:55 pm
Harbinger's nostrils flared as she snorted in response to the sudden scent of blood. Her stomach did the equivalet of an uncomfortable fidget, but she gave herself a shake and tried to shrug off how disconcerting it was that she, a Sylrin, had just participated in a hunt. But perhaps, just perhaps, it had been a good lesson for Myrrith and would help him in the future. She did not mind helping her fellow Kirindae, however odd the means. It wasn't like she was going to be the one chewing on it, in any case.
"My name is Harbinger." Slightly out of the blue, perhaps, but now that the chasing was done her mind had drifted back to where they'd been before the colt had taken off after the creature the first time. The rest of the previous conversation, however, she would let rest unless it came up again. "My apologies for not giving it before our little chase began."
She peered at the creature a bit curiously until Nerrissa seemed ready to begin further rending of its flesh and then turned away. "I think I hear a stream nearby. If it is all right with you I believe I'm going to go get a drink. That little sprint made me a bit thirsty."
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Posted: Sun Jun 28, 2009 2:07 am
"Aww, I wanted to chase it around some more... you got it good, though." Myrrith poked at the dead creature with his nose, quite indifferent to the acts that made Harbinger so uncomfortable. The young pryrin fastened his teeth on a haunch, gumming it over with his little baby canines. Yup. Definitely dead.
As the autumn colored mare disappeared into the forest, the colt flicked his ears in dismay. "Don't you want to find out what it tastes like, Harbinger?" Abandoning the saurian to Nerissa, the colt followed Harbinger for a few paces, not understanding why she would choose to leave so suddenly.
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Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2009 6:25 am
"Glad I met you, Harbinger," said Nerissa, with an acknowledging nod as the other mare went off for a drink. "I'll save both of you a piece!"
With that, she turned back to the fresh corpse before her and mulled over it.
For prey, it was rather small and not really worth the hunt. Maybe if it tasted good enough... No, she couldn't really take a bite just yet.
Wings were good for gliding and feet for running - they'd already established the latter during this hunt.
What really puzzled her was the horns. They were pointed and hooked, but much too far back and bent at the wrong angle to fight with. What could they possibly be there for?
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