ORIGIN - [CoR Event] : FEED THE BEAST

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There was something pulling itself onto the bank nearby, and Czernobog wheeled towards it on pointed hooves, rearing up and landing with a labored snort, the movement sending a wave of water up and out of his chest cavity, leaving his lungs a little less waterlogged. Black eyes narrowed, one front hoof digging into the ground in preparation of having to defend against another dog - but Eve beat him to the punch, and he settled, upper lip pulling back in a satisfied grin. His hat was a good hat, that much was for certain. She'd even brought the baby-hat!

Turning back to the gathering Children, the hog slowly settled down onto his haunches, the position awkward, considering the rather top-heavy nature of the massive beast. The grin disappeared as quickly as it had come, and he tried to look serious, wincing away from looking directly at his father. Dragon would mete out his punishment in due time - for now it looked like there were other things to discuss. Well, for them to discuss - they didn't speak in his language, not like Cayenne.

Children. Rot. Glad. Alive. Recovered. Happened. Absence. You. Bog. Alright?

Grimacing, the boar's head slowly swung to focus on Dragon, fidgeting in place. His broken tusk itched and sparked once, but he tamped down the urge to flee - he'd no doubt cause more damage, like making Cayenne and his daughter cry. "Caaaaaaaayenne. Fiiiiixed. Chuuuuuurnobog," he offered, before dropping his gaze to his hooves, chewing on his inner cheek with rough teeth. "Chuuuuuurnobog. Sooooorry. Faaaaaaailed."

Maybe they wouldn't kick him out.

Maybe.

Well, a guy could dream, anyway.

Willow? Pile? Aquarian?

Czernobog twitched, ears pitching forward - was that one of his jobs as a Guardian? Did he need to find Willow and Aquarian, too? He'd been so focused on finding Baby and Hat - maybe he'd messed up that too... but the cold lizard was speaking, so the massive boar sat silent, his ears twitching this way and that serving as the only sign he was still listening. Aquarian. Rotting. Netil. Pile. Neglected. Fault. He couldn't make heads or tails of that one, but Tiny spoke next, and Czernobog risked his hide enough to glance up and focus on the bat. Willow. Seen. Seek. Here. Above. Listens.

His words made a little more sense, and Czernobog started to look up and search for the owl himself, but he remembered himself just in time to snap his head back down, shivering.

He would wait.

He was a good Bog.

Macawi would have been perfectly content to sit and stay in the shadows and not bother anyone there at this gathering, which she was clearly not invited to, when her silent thoughts were interrupted by an annoyingly loud bird who had managed to sneak up behind her – somehow – even though her back was to the water. ~~Jesus Lord, long sentence is long.~~ She nearly jumped out of her fur when the bird began screeching at her, asking her who she was and being completely rude. She settled the fur on her nape and spine, and sat back down again, calmly, chuckling to herself. She made the act of ignoring the black bird for a time, when really she was taking a moment to access her Magic. Energy flowed from the gem nestled in her cheek, up to her eyes, ‘til she knew they glowed red. She grinned to herself.

Suddenly, the small coyote spun around, quickly, and stared at the bird who had yelled at her so loudly. “Macawi is Macawi, if This One must know!” she shouted just as loudly back at the Gembound. “And who are you? Or should Coyote just call you Little Miss Loud?” She gazed at the bird’s fluffed-up feathers, and laughed. “Or perhaps ‘Fluffy?’”

She opened her mouth to say something more, but suddenly she was splashed with a bit of water by another Gembound who come near her. She turned her head to look at him, and realized instantly who it was: her Big Pig friend who had greeted her after she’d burst from her chrysalis! “Ah!” she said cheerfully, tail wagging, now completely forgetting about the annoying loud bird. “Coyote’s friend! How have you been? It has been some time, has it not?” She padded forward and happily butted her head against her giant friend’s chin, as she was too short to reach his forehead. Her eyes flickered to the holes in his body, particularly the one in his throat. “My friend…” she said gently, eyes softening in a way they did not often have the chance to. However, it was all she said on the matter. She was not one to pry… She gave him a sad, but friendly smile, and then sat beside him, focusing on the big lizard ahead of her.

"Speech"

Words: 382
@Eve -- feel free to retaliate against Macawi's shouting back at Eve.
@Czernobog

Eve had seen many things that scared her. Raheerah, perched on the spire and injuring her family and friends had scared her. Dragon, limp on the ground, unmoving, had scared her. Aquarian, rising from the water and watching over her and her family before bellowing 'CHILDREN OF ROT,' had scared her. An explosion in her own head had scared her. Oliver breaking out of his chrysalis, had scared her. Needless to say, a dog with eyes like a Hallowed Caller did not scare her, even when it tried to match her volume.

Her magic was still seemingly idle, not working. Perhaps she was too tired for it, but regardless, the crow unleashed a sharp scream. A sound of warning, perhaps, as the dog turned heel and headed towards Czernobog. She scowled somewhat, that the boar didn't say anything about her as she turned, fluttering back to Oliver.

"Everything is okay," she said down to the hybrid, surprisingly quiet. Perhaps she had finally thrown her own voice, but regardless the crow touched nose-to-beak with the black crow-dog before she turned and fluttered to perch on Dragon's head.

She shifted, making herself comfortable. "It's good to see you again."

table code © rasta 2015

@Oliver

She was watching from above, as Tal'at had said. High above the mists, her wings beat silently to keep her in the air, gaze angled at the strangers. One was a reptile with feathers strewn across it. Another was some sort of dog covered in inky-black feathers. The third, a normal-looking dog.

The more she watched, the more she realised that they clung to one person. The reptile to Ghanyarah, the feathered dog to the crow, and the dog to Czernobog. She was slightly disappointed, but regardless she turned and flew downwards.

Perhaps it was blind luck. Willow did not visit often, much preferring tunnel I where it wasn't covered in fog and there was a tiny bird nestled into her feathers. It was much more comforting, for one, but today she had decided to visit, and it just so happened that Dragon had called for a gathering.

She wondered how many gatherings she had missed. Did she have an excuse beyond the turaco? Not really. She stopped and perched on a rock near the others. She could safely assume the reptile and bird-dog were children, but her gaze was locked on Czernobog with his coyote.

If the owl could frown, she would then and there. Instead, she turned her head towards Dragon, silent.

Oliver had been led by his mother through the swamp and to the meeting, and after a touch of beak to nose, she had moved off a bit.

Quiet, the crow-dog watched the gathering. He still remained as unobtrusive as he could, not wishing to draw attention to himself--but the alligator certainly eyed him. He shrank away.

His black feathers and fur seemed almost to blend in against the murky backdrop, so that he melted away into the landscape, unseen and--hopefully--forgotten.

He would simply listen, watch, and perhaps learn.
{Table code credit to Madison, altered a bit!}

Dragon remained carefully silent, listening to them each in turn, his dark eyes lingering over each of the Children as they spoke--as well as the strangers among them.

Ghanyarah blamed himself for the lack of food on the offering pile. No problem; they could fix that easily enough, in fact it was part of the reason he was here. He dismissed the thought. Tal'at spoke of Willow--and indeed, following his gaze upward, Dragon could see the distant, pale shape hovering overhead.

Czernobog was speaking of being fixed. By something called "cayenne?" He tilted his reptilian head, but he could make no more sense of this than Czernobog could of--well, most things. He rumbled softly.

"Be sure to heal. You look... damaged," he offered, briefly worried. "And you did not fail." He wasn't sure what the hell Bog thought he'd failed at, but the boar made little sense half the time, and Dragon knew that he took his duties very seriously. It was best to reassure him--and he'd have to keep an eye on the pig's injuries, as well. Surely having a gash so large that swamp water could slosh around inside of it was a bad thing, not to mention the swamp water itself.

The thin dog-thing spoke next, and it was so bouncy and cheery that Dragon immediately felt irritable with it. He would treat it with the same respect he gave the others, he decided, but it was likely a child, likely young and foolish. He growled and looked to Eve, dipping his shoe-shaped head. "It is good to see you." Lastly he met Willow's gaze, now that she had landed--but the owl said nothing, and so he simply regarded her, acknowledging her with his eyes, before he addressed them all again as a whole.

"The offering pile has been neglected. We must hunt. I will hunt. You will all hunt, if you wish to keep Aquarian's favor, his protection. It was the agreement."

The alligator then rumbled, looking at them each in turn--and at the empty offering pile--awaiting their responses. Or, perhaps, their offerings.

{ art by dark } ~ { table by aura . edited by banshee and dark }

((OOC! - You may create a thread in Cetus, and include [CoR Hunt] in the title. Begin by trying to track prey, and make a Roll for this --you can use Other, or a magical sense if you have it. Then tag me, and I will come and reply to the threads using the prey account. You have two weeks, starting now, to finish your hunt thread, and the person with the best prey offering by the end will be given a special prize + a magicka reward. You can work in teams. Get to it!))

@Eve @Willow @Czernobog @Talat @Macawi @Ghanyarah

Willow remained silent for a moment. She only briefly nodded before she sprawled her wings back up and fluttered towards Czernobog, perching on the back of his neck. She shifted somewhat, making sure her talons didn't harm him.

"Czernobog. You are fit to hunt?" she asked quietly. She felt the boar's head dip down in agreement and he groaned out some vague reply - something Willow didn't entirely understand. Regardless, the owl prepared to set off again.

"Very well. With me," she said, taking to the air, wings producing absolutely no sound. "We will return."

And then she was off, flying towards the entrance to tunnel H.

@Czernobog

Exit Willow

He didn't have to wait long - for something to happen, anyway. The dog was not a dog at all, it was "Shiiiiny baaaaaby," the massive boar mumbled, grumbling in contentment at the greeting touch, leaning down to snuggle at the top of the coyote's head. It was Good, to have a show of solidarity. He wasn't high on the pack - group - Rot? Whatever. The totem pole. He was a grunt, and he knew it. He'd need all the help he could get to stay a part of the family, even if that help came from outside it.

Czernobog leaned into Macawi unconsciously, wincing at the look on Hat's face. Had he messed up again? He ran back the scene in his mind - stranger, Hat yelled at, problem solved. Was he supposed to yell too? His massive head swung to stare at the ground, cheek pushed up against Macawi's snout, ears drooping. Hat was Important. She was a Seeker. She could fly.

If she was against him, what chance did he have?

Slowly, the boar slid to rest his chest on the ground, regardless of the muck below, raise his gaze to glance at Dragon, Ghanyarah, Eve, Oliver, and Willow in turn - and bared his neck, the torn skin of his chest stretching with the movement. He would not fight it. If they deemed him unworthy, they would have their justice.

His father was tilting his massive head, deliberating. Finally, the wait was over - this stage of his deliverance was over. Heal. Damaged. Fail. Czernobog's eyes slipped closed, and he nodded once, rose, lowered his head again. He would heal. He would prove his worth.

He would not fail again.

Offering. Neglected. Hunt. All hunt. Favor. Protection. Agreement.

Well. He understood hunt, anyway.

Willow took flight, landed on his neck, and he rose, slow and easy, determined. He would Protect. He would not Hurt. He would Hunt.

Czernobog.

The boar's eyes lifted, but he kept his posture hunched. Submissive. Fit. Hunt? He nodded again, opened his mouth to mumble an affirmative and then snapped it shut, eyes twitching to the council of Rots in deference. Well. With. The monster could follow, could guard, could gather - he rubbed his snout over Macawi's face, snuffled her fur in goodbye, too terrified to say it lest Dragon change his mind.

And then he was off like a shot, following the fading shadow of Willow into the fog.

[ exit Czernobog ]

Ghanyarah practically held his breath as he awaited judgment from his brother. In hindsight it would feel foolish - Dragon didn't seem like the type to allow anger to consume him and cloud his actions, he wouldn't have persecuted Ghanyarah. Or would he? At the time, Ghanyarah though that keeping Aquarian fed was the most important thing to Dragon. Maybe not so much. The alligator had simply accepted his answer and moved on, most of his concern lingering on the wounded boar. Ghanyarah remained silent as he decided that they would all hunt to replenish the sacrificial pile. Czernobog and Willow took off together, and so the reptile turned his gaze to Eve, and then to Tal'at. "Then we shall hunt together. Be my eyes, and I your teeth." He decided. In the case of the bat, he would be Ghanyarah's other senses. It would be easier to track an animal with two sensers. Easier to take it down with more strength, but perhaps they could help him with that too. For the most part it would be up to Ghanyarah.

He didn't spare much time waiting for an answer. The reptile bobbed his head, sending a nod Dragon's way, then turned to the bushes.

(Exit yara)

The crow watched Ghanyarah for a moment, a frown crossing into her eyes. She glanced down at Dragon and nudged the top of his head briefly before she fluttered over to the hiding Oliver. "You don't have to go with anyone," she murmured quietly. "You can nap if you want." She gently preened the top of her son's feathers before she began to fly after Ghanyarah.

table code © rasta 2015

[exit]

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