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+--- Thread: Hey Aquarian, It's Dinnertime! (/showthread.php?tid=9549)
Hey Aquarian, It's Dinnertime! - Hera - Feb 07 2021
Hera had been away, for a time.
She had sought out the Seer in Canis, as Dragon had suggested, and left feeling vaguely reassured at the notion that things would get better. Giggle'd gotten better, so of course she could, too, right?! She'd just needed... a little time. Spent a little time in Monoceros, a little in Polaris, a little in that new warm beach-cave that opened up (now that was an excellent place!). But she'd always planned on returning, eventually.
Now it was time to see what would happen.
And hey, it wasn't too bad! Sure, it was as gloomy as always, but the higher she soared, the thinner the mist became. There was less clutter high up, too: fewer things to cast a shadow. Still, she liked to be sure--so she focused, and tried to call light into being.
What she got instead was a sudden darkness that engulfed her vision, leaving her blinded. Hera's wingbeats faltered with an alarmed screech, her heart speeding up to a million beats per minute. This couldn't be happening again! Is IT here--it can't have--BUT IS IT HERE, DID IT FOLLOW--
Vision returned, and the eagle struggled to right herself mere meters from the marsh surface. Magic. It had only been her own magic. Really, she should know better, seeing as how it had happened before. And why can't I know better? she thought bitterly, flapping her wings to gain back her height. Why can't I just think for once, before I fear?
RE: Hey Aquarian, It's Dinnertime! - Hera - Feb 07 2021
Still feeling rather shaky, Hera surveyed the marsh below and put aside the thought of magic for the time being. Look where it had gotten her last time, and all that. But she was safe. She could see, the cave was lit (if dimly), and most importantly: she was in Cetus. The Heart, too. No way Aquarian would let the Masked Merchant and his shadows in here! Hold on to that thought.
Cetus hadn't always been like this, though. It had been pretty, once upon a time, beams of light shining through healthy green leaves, full of brightness and vibrant flowers... all according to The Divine, anyway. Hera wished it could go back to being that way, even if the thought of being grey in a world of color was immensely displeasing. She'd prefer that over this, especially since she was going to be grey no matter what.
There was a group of Hallowed Callers flying away very quickly, and Hera quickly gave up on the idea of trying to catch those. They were already far enough away, and she'd ruined any chance of an ambush with the little magical fiasco. Her cry had probably alerted every prey animal around.
What if she went after some fish, then? There was movement in the murky water, and with luck she could surprise one of them. Hera dropped closer, studying the ripples in the marsh. There were a couple whitelings around, though most of them were so little it was almost tragic. I should catch a deer or something. Bet I could, with those talons. The one mutation she'd been kind of okay with, in the end.
RE: Hey Aquarian, It's Dinnertime! - Hera - Feb 07 2021
There had to be something here worth catching. Maybe not here here, but Heart of Cetus-ish here. Hera rose back upward, circling on an air current. She was a big eagle now! And Aquarian had better like her gifts, because a monstrous serpent (and a former Master, on top of it) was exactly who she needed on her side. What better way could there be of ensuring her chances for survival?
Of ensuring all their chances for survival, Hera reminded herself. She was here for the Children of Rot, too--well, okay, mostly for Dragon. The alligator, along with the name of the group itself, was constant; everyone else seemed to come and go. He had the merit, though, of being an excellent reason to return to Cetus.
And since she'd been gone for a long time, she was gonna return with a bang! Not a literal one. Just an awesome gift to add to the offering pile, and she could bask in their admiration later. (If Hera was being honest with herself, there was probably no way Aquarian would notice her, ever. Dragon also probably was not going to think any more or less of her from this hunt. But Hera wanted herself to succeed. She wanted to feel strong, and capable, and to prove herself--even if it was to no one but herself.)
RE: Hey Aquarian, It's Dinnertime! - Game Master Dark - Feb 08 2021
A distant chittering caught her mutated ears.
Hera would be able to spot them well before they became aware of her presence: a small cluster of some five Dragonbats, four adults and one perhaps half-grown. This colony had taken up roost in one of the taller trees at the edge of the pine forest, where they hung from a few bare, dead branches higher up.
They were used to being the toughest predator in the air, and they mostly were: they were some four feet long, plus tail, and fought savagely to defend one another.
Any one of them would be a fine prize--but this was a risky target. Hera could move on, and look for a more sure thing than the cluster of black beasts with snag-toothed jaws and gleaming eyes, or she could perhaps try to stalk them, and catch one of them alone. That, however, might be easier said than done.
@Hera
RE: Hey Aquarian, It's Dinnertime! - Hera - Feb 09 2021
Her bat's ears perked up at the sound of chittering--then she winced, hating the reminder that she had bat ears now. Execrable, hideous things--! Her eyes were still her own, thankfully, and they worked just as well for finding the bats.
They were huge creatures: even larger than Hera. There were many, too, and she knew of their huge, wicked fangs and claws. Hera had learned--in perhaps the hardest way--not to take such risks unnecessarily. Charging into danger never got her anything good. Didn't get the people around her anything, either; if she needed saving, then she could hardly save them back. The thought brought a bitter taste up her throat, and her talons clenched around nothing.
Bragging rights weren't a thing to risk her life on. Hera stayed well away from the dragonbats, and scanned the marsh once more for a safer target.
RE: Hey Aquarian, It's Dinnertime! - Game Master Dark - Feb 10 2021
The eagle, perhaps wisely, changed course--and after a little more searching, another creature made itself known.
This one, through a soft crack; and if she looked toward it, it was movement, rather than shape or color, that gave this one away.
It was a fat-bodied snake, in shape: some six feet long, a Lurker perhaps half-grown. In color and pattern it was identical to the bark of the tree trunk it was trying to curl upward along--but it had struck a small, dead branch with its weight, and cracked it right away. The snake was left hanging, for a moment, before struggling to reorient itself up the tree.
Vulnerable, to a good strike, though avoiding its (admittedly not-too-large) coils would be wise.
This one, through a soft crack; and if she looked toward it, it was movement, rather than shape or color, that gave this one away.
It was a fat-bodied snake, in shape: some six feet long, a Lurker perhaps half-grown. In color and pattern it was identical to the bark of the tree trunk it was trying to curl upward along--but it had struck a small, dead branch with its weight, and cracked it right away. The snake was left hanging, for a moment, before struggling to reorient itself up the tree.
Vulnerable, to a good strike, though avoiding its (admittedly not-too-large) coils would be wise.
@Hera
RE: Hey Aquarian, It's Dinnertime! - Hera - Feb 10 2021
A crack caught her attention, and Hera looked toward what seemed, for one millisecond, to be an oddly curved branch. Then it wriggled and writhed upward, and she realized: it's a snake! Her mind flashed through a few rudimentary observations: thick, disoriented, vulnerable.
Then she dove for it, wicked black talons outstretched. Even as she plunged through the air, Hera was observing, adjusting, calculating: it was thick, with powerful muscles. Likely a constrictor, then, but at least those didn't tend to have venom. She'd need to make this quick, to avoid getting caught up in a retaliating squeeze, but it would be a fine prize for the pile if she succeeded.
Tree and snake rushed toward her, growing bigger and bigger in her vision until--! It was right in front of her, and Hera kicked out her legs to try to crush it in her talons.
RE: Hey Aquarian, It's Dinnertime! - Game Master Dark - Feb 11 2021
Talons punched past scale and into flesh. It should not have abandoned its camouflage for movement unfamiliar to it--for trying to climb to new heights, unknown to its kind. It would be struck down for its attempt.
The Lurker was sorely wounded from the outset, thrashing as trickles of blood wound down its body. The camouflage colors flashed and danced in panicked patterns, and the snake struggled to coil around the legs that held it.
It would be a difficult kill, but it would be a kill; it might scratch Hera's legs, or strike a lucky--but weak--bite at her underside, but the damage her massive claws had done outright could not be ignored.
The Lurker was sorely wounded from the outset, thrashing as trickles of blood wound down its body. The camouflage colors flashed and danced in panicked patterns, and the snake struggled to coil around the legs that held it.
It would be a difficult kill, but it would be a kill; it might scratch Hera's legs, or strike a lucky--but weak--bite at her underside, but the damage her massive claws had done outright could not be ignored.
@Hera
RE: Hey Aquarian, It's Dinnertime! - Hera - Feb 11 2021
The snake thrashed in her grasp, threatening to slip from her talons. But it was bleeding, and severely wounded; Hera had done well. She tried to adjust her hold on the snake as it wriggled, but the temporary loosening of her talons allowed it to score a glancing blow against her upper leg. Hera hissed at the sting of the scratch, giving up on trying to get in a better position and just squeezing it until it died.
She deposited the corpse on Aquarian's meat spire, doing her best not to breathe too much. The stench of rot was so overwhelming that she wondered if the serpent even had a functioning nose. But for his protection, she would put up with the smell and even worse.
"Yo yo Dad-yo!" she crowed, once she was at a distance where she felt she could finally breathe easy again. "Hope you like snakes!" Hera laughed, trying to force real confidence into it, circling into the air to survey the marsh again. It felt so good to be doing something useful. She would be no slouch! She'd be the most impressive and graceful hunter, and more prey for Aquarian was safety for them all.
-- exit to catching stuff offscreen