Lior carefully withheld a gasp at the sight of the giant monster. SIlence was important to the mission, after all. It was the hatchling’s job to be sneaky. The two of them
would defeat this monster!
It didn’t matter that they’d seen bats like this before, or that Wicker was many times the size of the bat. In their head, they had already decided this was a monster and that they would fight it. It was a fitting monster in their head, since it was almost four times their size.
But the monster didn’t come down, merely lurking up above with clear menace (at least in Lior’s head it seemed that way). So, cloaked in shadow as they were, the baby alligator let out the loudest noise it could to try and startle the monster out of hiding.
A noise that was part squeak, part yell, and part the sound of almost-lasers was released from their mouth.
@Wicker
Wicker's breath barely made it to the bat--not just because it was a little weak, but because the LASER BEEP of a baby alligator had screamed through its sensitive bat ears.
It let out a low shriek of its own, far quieter, in alarm--then plunged from the ledge, nearly falling on top of them before frantic flaps of its wings caught it.
Rather than attacking, it tried to flee, making its way with a few slow wingbeats over the ground. In a moment it'd probably catch its stride and fly away, but the two had a chance to try and stop it.
@Lior
It seemed as if the monster had heard their ferocious roar and was now trying to flee before the duo could defeat it, in Lior’s opinion.
The flying monster dived down, clearly attempting to intimidate the pair in return, Lior was sure, but Lior had been waiting for a moment to strike.
And so strike they did, or try to, at least. While the monster was close to the ground, Lior jumped at it, aiming to bite down on one of the wings and pull the monster down.
Lior was determined to catch and defeat this dangerous monster. Whether or not they’d actually succeed… Well, that was yet to be seen.
@Wicker
The Pitch Rat squealed as tiny teeth clamped into a wing, its flight yanked off-balance--it might have forced its way onward, Lior hanging, but Wicker's second bite sent it crashing to the ground.
The Pitch Rat landed on its back, feet raised up defensively (but they wouldn't be all that much help), a terrified fang-bared hiss aimed at its attackers. But its expression was more afraid than fierce.
Still, it might make a meal for a baby alligator--a couple days' worth, if Lior so chose.
@Lior
The idea of being carried away didn’t even occur to Lior. They’d never really hunted anything as large as this, let alone something like this that could fly, so it wasn’t even a thought in their head. All that was in the little alligator’s mind was determination to take down the monster.
They were delighted by Wicker’s assistance, though, happy to have their first friend helping out. While their bite was enough to throw the bat off balance, it was Wicker that proved strong enough to knock the monster down. They would have to exclaim over how cool Wicker was when their mouth wasn’t full of a monster’s wing.
If they were another child, one that wasn’t instinctively used to hunting living prey, they might have decided that this was where the game ended, the monster cowering in defeat. But they were an alligator and a hunt to them meant that the target ended up dead.
The monster hissed, a pitiful attempt at intimidation. Lior was not the least bit discouraged by this attempt to scare the two off. Lior released their grip on the wing of the bat, but just as quickly as they released the wing they were attacking again, this time trying a bite directed at the neck, intending to kill.
@Wicker
The Pitch Rat was again micro-dosed with bacteria. This time the sneeze became a wheeze, and though not powerful enough to truly harm it, it was enough for the bat to weaken.
It fluttered more wretchedly, gasping, and green goop began to seep from jaws, nostrils and eyes. It twisted back, jaws gaping for air, all its eyes searching the cave ceiling as if looking for some escape, or help that wasn't coming.
Lior can finish the Pitch Rat off if he so chooses, without requiring a roll; for the moment it will be incapable of self-defense.
@Lior
Though Lior had missed their first strike at the monster’s neck, they didn’t miss the second go around. They clamped down with their many sharp teeth and bit as hard as they could. They waited for the monster to go limp with death, and then they released it only quickly to turn to Wicker, eyes bright.
“We did it! We defeated the monster!” Lior squeakily proclaimed. Their light yellow gaze shone with adrenaline and delight.
“You were so cool, Wicker! You grabbed the monster with your teeth and threw it down on the ground like wham! And then your magic- that was your magic, right? Without your magic, it might’ve escaped! But we did it! We defeated it! Together! You’re the best friend, Wicker! No one else has ever gone and fought a monster beside me!”
Excitement was clear in every single word.
Then Lior paused their stream of words and regarded the bat.
“...Do you think monsters are good for eating?” The little alligator inquired with curiosity.
@Wicker