Eridanus was a place that he didn't frequent often. Not for lack of enjoyment but just because he just never came here often, call it a preference but he liked places where he could get easy meals without trying. Now though he couldn't be picky. He was hungry and Aza'zel wasn't around to crack bones for him so he had to to try the other approach. Hunting. He wasn't bad at it. He'd managed to catch an injured shrew before but actually going after something that could run away... That was new. He wasn't certain if he could do it right but if others could then he was willing to give it a go.
The raven's belly was still sore and the wound over it was just starting to scab over, too much exertion would open it again he was sure and as for his left foot with the gorgeous amethyst... well... It was just best if he didn't use it for a while. At least until it was healed more. So, he'd have to make do with just his beak and one foot. He could do it... He could! He was Krakarak, the mightiest raven of them all.
So with careful brown eyes he scanned the ground, searching for anything that could be snatched up. There! He saw a flash of brown fur! A mouse was right there! The raven tucked his wings to his body and dove downwards. Attempting to catch the mouse with his uninjured foot and break its neck with his beak.
This move ended in failure. With only one foot the raven couldn't properly grip the thing and what's more this particular mouse seemed to be a little feisty. When he had one foot on it, ready to dive his beak downwards the mouse turned and bit him.
"OWOW!" The raven complained loudly while the mouse rushed away and escaped down a hole.
"KRAKAKA! STUPID MOUSE! STUPID GEM-FACE FOR BITING MY FOOT!" He cawed angrily to no one in particular. In a rage he flew upwards towards the great white mushroom in the center of the room. He'd rest there for a bit, then get up and try to hunt or scavenge.
Once perched the raven surveyed everything below him, in a foul temper. Why was everything so terrible today? All he wanted was to eat.
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words: 391
tagged: Eve
ooc: ---
muse: 5/10
"Talking"
Thinking
Green. Where ever she had stumbled into, it felt like an endless room of just... green. The tiny fluff-ball had never been in this room before. But, that said, she had hardly been anywhere yet. The crow fluffed herself up with a soft croak as she bumbled forward. There was no particular intention in her 'travels,' and if she were to be honest it was hard on her tiny legs. Perhaps she could rest, or even nap somewhere? As she hobbled forward she looked around for some place to sit. There were trees and branches, and stones and ledges - but alas, little Eve was just a creature covered in fuzz instead of actual flight feathers and her legs were too weak to climb anything. She continued to hobble forward.
And then she heard it. Some sort of screech. She hadn't heard this kind of shrieking before - and it didn't sound good. She stopped where she was, listening to the short stream of insults before turning and heading towards the source of the noise. A mushroom, was what she found.
She was fairly sure the fungus wasn't the source of the screaming (though she didn't dismiss the probability), but what else was there? There were holes in the ground - which she didn't know the purpose for - trees and leaves and... a black figure, on top of the mushroom. She couldn't quite make out what it was, so there she sat, quiet, not daring to be noticed by it.
Unfortunately, the infant crow has decided to sit out in a clearing where she can be easily spotted.
Sitting up on his perch the bird noticed something on the ground below him. A dark something... Was it a thing he could eat? Hopeful at the idea of some free food so soon after his previous failure the raven opened his wings and flew down from his perch. He quickly neared the black shape but he didn't attack. This was not food, this was a bird. A bird that looked a lot like him but he knew better. This one was shaped funnily and was built smaller than he had ever been. It was a crow. Like a raven but not as glorious as one... but still better than a stupid pigeon.
The raven flew past the crow once before circling back around to alight right in front of her, gingerly as not to hurt his foot. The larger carrion bird tilted his head to the side as he examined the smaller creature. Then, after a few moments of silence he yelled,
"Krakarak! Who are you?" He stood to his full height, trying to look impressive with the smaller carrion bird. Right now he didn't feel much like smack talking the other creature. Not until he was healed and not feeling quite so crummy. However, that didn't mean he had to slouch and act like a weakened featherball.
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words: 225
tagged: Eve
ooc: ---
muse: 5/10
"Talking"
Thinking
Relief had washed over the little bird as the much bigger bird had flew away from her. It was big. Bigger than her. The relief had been replaced with a feeling of dread as the large creature landed before her. She had seen it before - or rather, she had seen it's head. It looked like it belonged to the same thing that hyena threw down into a pile of bones. Only, there was feathers clinging to this one.
She puffed herself up once he spoke - or rather shrieked. She knew this larger black bird was trying to threaten her, or something along those lines. She couldn't let herself be pushed around by this person. The tiny fuzzball screeched right back at the raven, "Eve! Eve!"
Only after replying did she consider that, due to the size of this fellow avian, he could probably eat her. Dread briefly crossed her black eyes for a moment, though she quickly decided to try not let this show as she lifted herself up on her talons, puffing her skinny chest out as much as she could.
The raven hadn't expected anything in particular from the smaller bird, he'd only puffed himself up to look impressive and not like the vulnerable fool he felt on the inside. However, there was something in the crow that when she saw him puff up in such a fashion she did the same. Granted, when she puffed up it was a lot less impressive because of her tiny size. Perhaps she'd just hatched, the reason for her tininess. Another thing that surprised the raven was the little one's propensity to yell and shriek. Her name wasn't as harsh as his own but she made up with that for how loudly she screamed it.
Impressive.
If there was one thing he hadn't seen often it was others that liked to yell as much as he did. It was a rare talent and one that he could appreciate, to yell and yell and thoroughly enjoy it. It was this fact about the younger bird that made him narrow one eye and give her an appraising look. He leaned forward slightly. Time to test this little one out and see just how much she liked to yell.
"I'm Krakarak! Krakarak Krakarak Krakarak! Krakarak's the best carrion bird around!" He screamed right in her face with his raucous voice. He stared at her, admiring how tiny she was but how spirited she was in the face of someone far larger than she. Perhaps it was the fact that she was a carrion bird but he felt himself drawn to her... or perhaps it was just the screaming. Yep. Certainly the screaming.
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words: 266
tagged: Eve
ooc: ---
muse: 5/10
"Talking"
Thinking
This raven- Krakarak, he called himself? He seemed impressed, but he still screamed. Odd. She remembered how Giggle had winced every time she spoke, how the hyena asked her several times to lower her voice. But this one? He seemed to enjoy being as loud as possible. Not that Eve had a problem with that.
The tiny thing fluffed herself up again, quite literally screeching in Krakarak's face before actually squawking out her words. "Not for long! Long! Crawwk! Eve get bigger! Eve be better, when bigger! Eve will be best carrion bird around! Craaawk!"
She was fairly sure that whatever argument had began, she was winning. Of course she was winning, she was already better than this raven after all! He may be bigger, yes, and more than likely louder than her - but she boiled that one down to his height - but she was winning.
The raven kept his head down, lowering it further to her height. He wanted to see what she could do. Literally with his eyes he was asking her to give it her best shot.
Boy, did she...
The crow let loose with a piercing shriek that had Krakarak's ears ringing for a few moments but he didn't flinch away. He didn't even flinch when the bird continued on to say that she would be the best carrion bird around. How funny... In fact, it was so funny that the big raven started to laugh. A large piercing laugh that was certainly loud. He leaned his head back and puffed out his chest until he was booming with laughter. He would have kept going if his laughing hadn't started to upset the bruises on his belly so he stopped and leaned his head back down to Eve's level. Time to show her what a
real carrion bird could do.
"NEVER! KRAKARAK ALWAYS BE BIGGER! HE RAVEN! YOU CROW! KRAKHAHAHA! BUT EVE MIGHT COME CLOSE! MAYBE ONE DAY..." He crowed loudly to emphasis his words before continuing on with,
"BUT NOT TODAY! SHE TINY AND HER VOICE IS TOO TINY! KRAKAW!" He didn't move his head away from hers, didn't lower his voice and didn't spare her ears. If she wanted to dish it out then she should be ready to take it!
No one would beat him at his own game. Nobody! He had invented screeching and insulting and no little newborn would take his title! Not today anyway... possibly not ever!
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words: 261
tagged: Eve
ooc: ---
muse: 6/10
"Talking"
Thinking
What was this damn bird's problem? His incessant screeching hurt her ears, but she wasn't going to give up. This raven, acting all high-and-mighty, had absolutely no idea what she was capable of!
"KRAAWWWK! Everybody knows crows are better!" she screeched. Little Eve attempted to lift herself a little taller - though it didn't stop her from looking like a tiny ball of fluff. Her throat was beginning to hurt a little trying to out-yell this larger bird, "Krakarak's laugh reminds Eve of a dying rat!"
This is beginning to get hard, she thought, to think of ways to insult this bird. In a way, she liked him and she didn't want to offend him... too much. He seemed a little too proud to be insulted in such a way, too. Surely, she could poke at something else, however.
Looking at the raven, she couldn't find anything she could prod him about, though one of his talons was interesting to look at. It briefly reminded her of her own pretty white one. Realizing she was looking a little longer than she should, she lifted her head again quickly and promptly screeched in Krakarak's face again, the fuzz on her body ruffling.
She screeched back at him, trying to increase her volume but it was nothing compared to his aged and deeper raucous croaks. Her voice was opposite of his, loud but high-pitched where his was deep, loud, and scratchy. Together they probably would be able to chase away any sort of creature they wanted for the all the racket they were making.
"YOU SAY YOU BETTER! THEN PROVE IT! RIGHT NOW YOUR VOICE IS WEAK AND SCREECHING AND PATHETIC! KRAKAH! I'D RATHER SOUND LIKE A DYING RAT THAN A DYING BABY CHICK LIKE YOU DO! HAHAHAHA!" He screamed in her face again. He could hear it. She was growing weaker, her voice getting tired while he could go on all day. He'd built his voice for throwing insults and annoying people while she was new at this game.
Still, he was quite enjoying himself. The little bird wasn't growing angry with each of his insults and with him screeching in her face. She was trying to give back as good as she got without throwing punches. Not that that would end well with her. Even with his injured foot he could still take down this little chick. He had to give her props though... She wasn't backing down but unlike that stupid pigeon she wasn't rubbing him the wrong way. Perhaps it was because she wasn't strutting around like she owned the place or trying to demean him in the manner that the pigeon had.
"GIVE UP YET, TINY VOICE? KRAKARAKA!" He yelled again.
____
words: 253
tagged: Eve
ooc: ---
muse: 5/10
"Talking"
Thinking
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The crow seemed to wheeze ever so slightly. Had this Krakarak spent his entire life doing this? She had too, of course, but she hadn't even been alive for three days yet. With obvious hesitation, Eve lowered herself back down.
"I shouldn't waste time on you."
She spat, nowhere near as loud as she had previously squawked, but the words are still somewhat hard on the ears.
No doubt he'll be proud, she thought. The raven had struck her as the type of bird to hold every victory close, even if it's a forfeit. She squatted and fluffed herself up with a croak of displeasure, watching the raven. Once properly relaxed, she realized the hunger pangs and the dryness of her throat. She only briefly glanced off for the chance of spotting prey or nearby water, though she quickly turned her gaze back to the larger bird.
What a strange creature. Did he do this with everything he met? How was he alive? She kept these questions to herself, of course, but it did not stop them from racing through her mind. Surely
something here would have lost their temper with him. Maybe not? Eve croaked once more, more to herself.
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Credit to Dark