Poppet was out on the hunt. It had been a while since his little encounter with Snowberry- long enough that his cheek had healed up. A fondness bubbled up inside him at the name, and he allowed a small smile to come across his face for a moment.

Despite the bear’s appearance, Poppet had taken a liking to him. He had cared for her even after she had done her best to destroy him. Nothing so ugly and malformed should have a right to exist, and yet, here he was, defying all expectations.

He turned his thoughts back to the hunt, raising his head up in the air and sniffing. There had to be food somewhere nearby. He merely had to find it.

His nose caught the faintest scent trail. Over there- the faint scent was not from its fading over time, but rather, the distance from him to his prey. No matter; he was fast, fast enough to catch up to an unaware creature.

Poppet’s back legs tensed, and he leapt, gaining air quickly as he soared through the air towards the prey. He touched down gently on mossy ground and leapt again, relishing the feeling of air whipping through his fur. Each time he touched down, he made sure his landing was as light as possible. It was no use giving up the element of surprise this early in the game.

Wrath was out on the hunt, but for a far different reason than her as-of-yet unknown pursuer. She was hunting for food for the party Envy was planning.

She had had her doubts beforehand, but now, being out here, tongue flicking occasionally as she searched for cave mice, made it all worth it. The thrill of the hunt rushed through her veins. Wrath drew upon her magic, fueling it with her excitement as she reached for the sound of others' heartbeats.

To her surprise, nothing came to her. Everything was just the same as it was before; birds chirped distantly, water dripped, and the dull, throbbing pain in her mouth was ever the same. But, wait--she smelled something, something new. A mixed, blurred scent, the oddest thing she had ever smelled. Not quite preyscent, not quite predatorscent.

She turned towards the source of the scent. "Hello?" she called, wondering what the creature was. "What are-"

Poppet did not give the prey the chance to finish its sentence. He had already made the decision to kill it as soon as he spotted it among the foliage- it was just as ugly as Snowberry, if not more.

Its ability to speak only solidified his decision, and as he landed next to it, he took its surprise as an opportunity to strike at it. He raised his paw up before slamming it down, hoping to pin the serpent against the ground and give him an opportunity to destroy it.

Combat Start!

Round I of Combat
Poppet attempts to slam Wrath into the ground
No notable defenses
No notable injuries

The whoosh of something moving alerted Wrath just in time for her to dart out of the way. She heard the skittering of rocks as something's paw slammed down into the dirt behind her. Wrath hissed loudly, raising herself and flaring her hood. How dare something attack her? She would make them pay.

Wrath reached for her magic, attempting to locate the exact position of her attacker. If she could hit the right spot, she could do some real damage; but she only had a vague idea of her enemy's location from the sound of their growling and the smell of their pelt. She just needed a bit of time.

Round I of Combat
Wrath casts Red Sense to locate Poppet
N/A
N/A

He watched the snake raise itself up, tensing as he prepared for an attack from it.

But nothing came. It just... swayed there, tongue lolling as it was disoriented by something. Poppet tilted his head in confusion, before quickly deciding that this was not the time to question this opportunity.

He lowered his head downwards, mouth watering at the prospect of this new prey, before shooting forward and grabbing the snake in one bite. He shook it in his mouth, attempting to disorient her if she was still able to fight.

Round II of Combat
Poppet gets a free hit due to Wrath's failed Red Sense
N/A
N/A

Sensation blasted through her mind- the heartbeat of everything and nothing forcing its way into her mind, blanking it completely. Vaguely, she could still sense herself in the mossy cave; but it was an existence without control. She could not think. She could not move. She could not react.

Pain arced through her midsection, and she was roughly lifted from the ground. Something was biting into her. Slowly, slowly, she dragged herself into lucidity.

Her hunter had grabbed her; she could feel its teeth digging into her scales. She could feel blood dripping down her side and falling to the ground. There was pain, of course, but it was a vague memory--overpowered by the growing feeling of rage within her.

He would pay for this. Every injury inflicted upon her, she would repay threefold. She would make him a twitching, useless mess, like one of her mice before she swallowed it whole.

"Die," she hissed, before striking at him, fangs out and ready to draw blood.

Round II of Combat
Wrath attempts to bite and envenom Poppet
N/A
Bite marks around midsection, bleeding heavily

Sharp, fiery pain blossomed through his cheek as something stabbed through it, spurting a vile fluid into his mouth. He gagged, attempting to cough out as much of the bitter, toxic fluid as he possibly could, dropping the snake in the process.

It had venom, he realized, sending a scary thrill of adrenaline down his spine. He urgently needed to kill it; but the action of spitting out as much of the venom as he could left him vulnerable to another strike from the serpent.

Round III of Combat
N/A
Poppet attempts to spit out Wrath's venom
Hole in cheek, bleeding, potentially poisoned

@Wrath

Wrath listened as the creature paused to spit out her venom, taking its attention off her for the moment. It yelped in pain as it did something; she didn't bother to think of what it had done. After all, no matter what it was doing, it was distracted for a moment, and she had the perfect opportunity to strike.

She shot forward with impressive speed, fangs out and ready to sink into flesh once more as she aimed for her hunter's front leg.

Round III of Combat
Wrath attempts to bite Poppet's front leg
N/A
Bite marks along both sides, bleeding

Poppet cried out in pain as he felt one of his own teeth dig into his tongue. The bitter taste of venom persisted within his mouth; and he thought, with a terrible feeling of dread welling up within him, that he was definitely poisoned.

Then, suddenly, the snake was striking at him, and he thought no more of the problem, dancing backwards to dodge its bite. He flicked his tail around to his front, keratin growths unfolding for a few moments before snapping shut with a clattering sound, focusing the growths into one sharp point.

His tail had grown over the cycles that he had been away from any contact, tending to himself and eating plants. No longer was it a short thing, used only for shade or, at the best, a weapon for when he had no other option. Now, now it was a true weapon, and he was happy to put it into use.

He slashed downwards above the snake, hoping to catch it unawares--and, maybe, cut it in half.

Round IV of Combat
Poppet attempts to cut Wrath with his tail
N/A
Hole in cheek, poisoned(poison will take effect next round), bleeding

There was movement in the air, and Wrath shot out of the way with a quick burst of speed, leaving whatever it was to crash into the ground behind her. It shattered with a crunching sound that reminded her of bone; and, yet, it could not have been. No matter--this creature was odd, anyways, what was another oddity in a million?

She spun around, coiling and hissing in another threat display, using this opportunity to relocate the creature. Dodging had left her disoriented, and even though she could smell it just nearby, she could not pin down its location. She reached for her magic.

Round IV of Combat
N/A
Wrath attempts to find Poppet
Bite marks along side, bleeding slowing