Madhukar hadn't ever been here before. Heck, she hadn't even really wanted to come here in the first place. But here she was, yearning for... something. An exercise in security. Disorder came back, slipping through the cracks again, seeping into her life and reminding her that-- that she just didn't know if her power over power was absolute and-- and she had to know, she couldn't rest until she knew--

Madhukar swallowed these private fears when she caught sight of familiar faces going their separate ways. Tahi, to watch. He'd have company to yap to. Comet-- oh no, look away-- but Madhukar caught that that puffball would be helping the quarry. Kitty, with the hunters. 'A good choice.' Seemed like plenty were on the side of the quarry. Well, leave it to Madhukar to balance the scale. "Look ou' for lightning." Her first and hopefully her final warning. Ignoring all the weird background shenanigans (why was that weird goat attacking the Hunters...?), Madhukar would take her leave.

To the Hunt!

Think "Speak"

- exit to Hunt & Sabotage Threads I guess -

Aleph had been pulled to this place. They had wanted to resist, of course. They knew what this was. Bad memories was what it was. Hopefully they wouldn't see anyone familiar here...

An offer from the Kings, the first Kings Aleph had ever known. Hunt, help, or watch. Aleph had been faced with this choice before... all of these suckers practically owed it to the pallas' cat and everyone else who had helped with the first stage for the opportunity they were gettin' now!

With the past in mind, there was yet another choice to make. Eerily similar to the first...

BATS BATS BATS BATS BATS BATS BATS BATS BATS BATS BATS BLOOD OF THE SAVAGE YOU F@&#(A*&I*()*)L*()*E*(D YOU CO((W()&$A&R()D--

Before, Aleph had been young and foolish. Had not known the meaning of Kings or immortality. Had thought that pathetic brown creature with green eyes had been "cool" or whatever... Well now Aleph was an adult, fully grown, capable of true power. No need to compensate anymore. They wouldn't be following anyone just because. They wouldn't just sit and watch either. No, this time? This time Aleph was going to show these fools exactly how true of a King they were.

The pallas' cat would pad off, already trying to think up cool titles like "Guardian of the Quarry" and "Shield of the Lost" and all that good stuff.

- exit to help the Quarry! -

Mephistopheles

The young cub had been doing nothing but wander - and of course pursue whatever had caught his instinct's fancy.

He was a hunter, through and through, his familial instinct hadn't yet awakened, the desire to protect his own something further in his future, still out of reach of his growing limbs and still-too-wide paws.

Messi was still young, unsure on his feet but getting more confident, his mane a good deal longer and had edged down his shoulders, and eyes slightly sharper, and so he notices some Gembound bolting off like they were possessed. Given the all so famous phrase that, well, Curiosity Killed the Cat, he decides to sate that desire and get the satisfaction that would get him back to where he had started.

Or not.

A hunt?

The young felid is immediately eyeing the fleeing Quarry, both ears facing the Kings as they speak but attention thoroughly split.

"I'll hunt," he announces, to no-one in particular, as the spectral Hunters and Hounds silently thundered past, and he starts picking up his stride, following the crowd as best he can, the deep seated instinct for co-operative conquering burning bright, and he adds a louder, "I'm a hunter by nature, sitting and watching wouldn't be right to me. Good lak, luck everyone!"

Off he goes, brown against pale mist and flashing fangs.

Exit to Hunting Threads! ;

Aran... was called to the hunt. He wanted to know what those rewards were - for each side. And who would win this hunt. The one running, or the weird.... things following it. He could only spot the wave of beings following whatever dashed off before, not what they looked like. Vague shapes shimmered into his vision but... It wasn't much to look at, really. It sounded like quite a few gembound were there, too, picking things that they would be doing. Aran wanted to get involved, but... Not being able to see could prove things to be dangerous and combersome.

Aran didn't want to get himself hurt again. That one time was enough. He didn't want to have to risk getting worse. Aran should have seen something like this coming, too. With how everything in the world was a give or take. The chrysalis gave to protect him, and it took his sight from him. Somehow, he didn't trust his own body to be strong enough to withstand losing something else from it. A familiar voice cut him from his thoughts, and Aran turned his head in that direction - oh. That guy. The other deer from before.

Perhaps Aran would sit this one out, for now.

"Who do you think will win?" He questioned, trying his best to figure out where to exactly align himself to sit next to the other properly. Not being able to see what was going on sucked.

It almost made things boring.

@Tahi-shei
Aran will be watching the hunt rather than participating!

Cryogen

The silver-white steed had been wandering as well, not completely sure what to do with himself in these new caves after... everything that had happened with the golem and the, what was it, Mother?

Too much. Lots of Gembound he didn't know, and a horse he didn't know who had a neat set of spells who made them feel slightly homesick, but they'd moved on none the less. The sudden chill that eats away at the comforting warmth had him stopping and his instincts becoming the mental equivalent of an explanation point as he looks around and then follows the shadow of the Kings over head to where they land, to where the Gembound gather and then disperse, and he makes the decision to follow the other horses he slots - James and Warrior - to protect the Quarry.

The Hunters numbered many, after all. The single fleeing creature could use all the help it can get.

Exit to Help the Quarry, and Sabatoge Threads! ;

Puck awoke with the words of the three kings booming in his mind. The monkey uncurled himself from his small ball, eyes blinking open. He navigated the trees, till he reached edge of his forest. He flinched. The sky was dark. Puck waited, hair on end, eyes wide, for the dark to grow. To consume the sky. His hands shook, and he forced them to grip the branch below him. He was waiting for the light to blink out. But it never happened. What appeared was a coalescence of fog. The hunters, he'd gathered, a fog of creatures. Chasing a pale shape, flitting around. The quarry, a blue, shifting animal. His hair laid, and his eyes narrowed at the quarry.

Puck yearned for the feeling of control. For the need to not be scared. Puck would be the hunter. Guarded by other hunters and hounds. And the wild hunt was the perfect opportunity for that.With Puck involved, the hunt would become gruesome. He shook himself out, then crawled close as he could to the quarry. Not a difficult task, considering the thing was already headed for the tree line. Puck's teeth were bared in a grin that bade nothing good. A myriad of tortures and traps taking form in his mind.

Puck imagined the worst shapes he could. A massive mouth took form. The color of void. Gnashing teeth and glowing eyes, figures bubbling from the base. Dark, shadowy creatures with clawed hands, reaching out to grasp the quarry. He aimed to place it before the quarry. If only to give it pause for a moment. Make it consider going the other way, towards the hunters and their hounds.

Hargrave had been quite far when the summons came—haunting the fringes of Polaris, attempting to decide whether or not she should brave the cold wilds beyond. That was where those... ah, what'd been word... infected had fled to. Spores flying through the air, chaos and pandemonium echoing through the tunnel; nothing that she could do to help with her own destructive magic, except attempt to persuade them otherwise with fire.

But, she came to them. It was her duty, she'd decided, to make herself a guardian of sorts. She'd slain that vile worm in Hydra first, came to the aid of those fending off that golem, and now... ? Now, she would protect the Quarry. The Hunt was ethereal, from across the stars. They were not Hands, and then perhaps not so powerful to fear them.

She bowed wordlessly before the Kings, magic reaching for the sword at her side. When nothing came, the gray hare reached for it on her own and dipped her head. They would be protected.
exit to aid the quarry!

When newly revealed waterways came to her attention, the spinosaurus was a bit wary of exploring them. She had good reason: for one, nobody would want to after seeing Polaris's river suddenly run red with fish guts and gore; and two, she was a cold-blooded reptile reliant on the heat of orbs to stay warm. Ursa, being along the way, was not her favorite place to be. Glaive certainly wouldn't spend a lot of time exploring it and gallivanting around.

But, this? A gently winding river with hardly any current and beautiful scenery to watch? She could get into this.

Until, well, the cave started to dim and ghostly figures were dancing through the autumn fog. There were voices calling, naming off words she'd never heard before—quarry, hounds...—and some that she had. Two of them were just forms of hunt. But what? Glaive reached for her magic and it pinched behind her eyes as they adjusted to clear away every little shadow. Already, she could've seen pretty well into the dark, but... well, she wanted to have full view of the action.

It completely confused her. Where did those guys come from? Why do they have hands? They made her think of deer, but only a little bit. The other creature... well, she didn't catch a good glimpse of it. It was scattering away. Glaive situated herself in the river, idly drifting up and down it and trying to get the best view.

glaive is observing from the river

THE WILD HUNT

THE CHASE

Aiding the Huntsmen and Hounds Puck, Madhukar, Kitty
Aiding the Quarry Abaddon, James, Talys, Warrior, Hargrave, Cryogen
Observing Tahi-shei, Hunter, Comet, Sharp, Glaive

____________

Those observing would see a distant group preparing traps, and others attempting to sabotage those traps. The wild hunt wheeled through, Hounds and Huntsmen slowed but hardly stopped, and raced back up the field after the now fox-like, mist-formed Quarry.

____________

Those who have still taken no action (those who are not listed above!) must do so this round if they wish it to be counted for any of the three paths. Observation counts as an action. The Pegasus leg of the Wild Hunt will end next round, and move on.

@Abaddon @Kitty @Madhukar @Tahi-shei @Alrik @Glaive @Hunter @Warrior @Hargrave @Talys @Comet @James @Mephisto

The Overseer had outright forgotten forgotten about the Kings and their hunt; such things fell to the wayside after she came to the Caves. They hadn't seemed as important, even as numerous chrysalizations at the hands of vicious shadows had been on its shoulders. Cycles had passed with not so much a whisper from them. Now, they were conveniently on its new doorstep and conjuring Gembound from far and wide for their Hunt.

Alpha bid some of the Forge to come along—with no small amount of wariness aimed at the chaotic paladin slinking out from beneath the Black Spire—for the strange excursion. If any of them had followed, it grunted down at them, "whatever you choose, do not hold back." It was perhaps intended to be cheerful sport, but the orthoclase would have them use it as a training exercise.

It licked at its chops, magicka ebbing and flowing, and it dipped its head towards the star-spangled avian, "I'll hunt." Simple as that, it dropped into its classic predatory slink and vanished amid the reeds.
exit to aid the huntsmen and hounds