Terra hadn't realized she'd drifted north until she saw the skulls. The first time through she'd taken one look at them and bolted. She was more confident now though. Terra had been feeding well, and was starting to know her way through the territories. It was rather comforting, but the skulls still bothered her. What kind of idiots put those up anyways? They were terrible. Someone should fix them.
A smile spread across her face as an idea formed. Someone should fix the skulls. That was an idea. It wouldn't be too hard, either. A few adjustments here and there and no one would take them seriously. Chuckling Terra trotted up to the first pole. She was in lupine form, so it took a bit of effort to knock it down. Dragging the post back Terra started digging a hole. Planting the skull in upside down she buried it. It looked silly, which was exactly what she was aiming for.
Humming Terra tore down the next skull and peed on it. That was a statement that would really grab their attention! Moving on she grabbed another one and pulled it to eye level. What could she do with this one? For a moment she thought before snapping her fingers. It would make a lovely flower holder. Nudging it until it stood with it's teeth up Terra ran back and started collecting flowers. Clumsily she poked them through the teeth and eye sockets until almost all of it was covered. Only a couple patches of red showed through her collection of flowers adorning the skull.
Terra grabbed another skull, thinking to make a face. How would she do it though? She studied the fearsome red skull before chuckling. It would look silly with it's teeth knocked out and flowers for eyes. Gingerly Terra fastened her teeth around the skull's canines and pulled. It took some effort but she got them out, leaving the skull with huge gaps. Comically blue flowers were stuck in the eye sockets, making it look almost like a clown. Terra stepped back to admire her handiwork. Yes, it was much better. The rest of the area was still frightening, but here at least looked welcoming, and quite comical if she said so herself.
Since Terra is messing with the skulls, she is probably going to be attacked. Word Count »
A deep and awful rumbling growl grew in his chest. Did they think Inferni—he—was something they could simply toy with? Maybe his father had been too soft. Ezekiel’s red muzzle twisted into a wicked snarl. Ivory teeth gleamed in the light as his black lips pulled away from his teeth. While he had expected such vehemence from a wolf, he did not expect it from another coyote. At least, she looked coyote; she was too big, too wolf-like to be pure though.
Atop of the massive chestnut horse, Ezekiel barreled towards the woman. Viggo had been thrilled to be brought out, and now that the Aquila’s body was screaming of the need for violence, he charged as a proper war-horse would.“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Ezekiel barked, his bow drawn. While it would be difficult to shoot from atop the giant horse, he had done so before.
I'll take this shit you call your life in a single breath!
OOC: That was a mistake.
Word Count → 315
He had lost his mate. He drove her away it seemed, to the point where she had not come home. She had left, and in a way, it was relieving to him, since he did not have to deal with those pesky little shithead puppies that she had bore. He still did not think they were his from the last time he had seen them, but it had been some time no, for they would have opened their eyes, started to walk and talk by now he figured. Still, a part of him had longed for her return because she was the only one who gave him the attention that he wanted. He'd taken to patrolling the borders and making sure the skulls were in tact and as frightening as possible, as his job entailed him to do when he was not doing other things. His steed with the horse skull painted face had nickered lightly as the stallion trotted beneath his master, staying in the borders for now.
Smells found their way to the male's nose, one not really familiar to him, the other of his leader. He jabbed Maschine in the sides with his heels and he made the horse go into a full gallop towards the smells. It would take little time for the two to come upon the scene of his skulls scattered and peed on the ground. The male snarled himself as he looked at the bitch whom did such acts against the clan, Maschine came to a stop a bit far off from the Aquila's own steed. He looked at his leader and his bow. Vhy ask vhat's she's doing? She dared to mess vith die borders,-NYEHT- Keel her. the twitchy man suggested. If Ezekiel did not find their borders as sacred as Cotl did, then there were some problems with the coywolf that was named their Aquila.
Terra looked up at the stranger. He didn't like what she'd done, but she was surprised at seeing a coyote. Her coyote pack had been very easy going. Wolves were the violent ones. Things were backwards here though. Then again, he wasn't pure. It was perfectly possible that his wolf blood ruled his personality. I'm fixing your borders. I found them rather, well, offensive. Surely you can see the humor. This was a test. If he didn't see the humor, he was no coyote. Coyotes were tricksters first and foremost, and nothing changed that.
Lazily she drifted over, sniffing at the horse. She should be afraid, but Terra couldn't bring herself to take seriously a pack that decorated their borders with skulls. If anything it was an open challenge. Could she make a fool out of them. Could she steal from them. Could she outrun them. Could she hide in plain sight. As it was, right now it seemed too easy to make them fools. Their pride was huge. Looked like they were useless. Would you care for a closer look? I can help you make more.
Zeke is shooting at her with his bow; it's likely she won't be killed by such a wound, but given the distance, I don't know how she would avoid it. Word Count »
The sound of hooves approaching caused Ezekiel’s ear to turn, though he kept his eyes on the woman. A heavy accent told him that his sister’s former-mate was the one at his side. Should he have simply attacked? Oh he had wanted to do such a thing—but he had been given time to sniff out just where she was from. It was a scent he knew all too well. Viggo backed at his order, giving him space enough between the obviously idiotic woman.
“Really,” he hissed, whiskers curling. “I think yours should make a fine addition.” With that, he drew back his arrow. The shot was sudden and aimed for her chest. Cotl’s additional aid would only ensure such a thing would come to pass.
I'll take this shit you call your life in a single breath!
OOC: o.o' it kinda would have been better if you didn't skip me...
Word Count →
The idiot woman dared to make fun of what he and the clan had done to their borders. It was a clear insult to the Imaginifer whom had helped putting up the borders, moving them, and making sure that they were pristine and terrifying. The male's bi-colored eyes boiled with anger. His fur stood on end and his hand went to the sword that hugged his hip. He growled, and snarled, his yellowing teeth bared at the woman and his tail lashed in the air behind him. Maschine could feel the anger of his master, and tapped his hoof on the ground, a silent signal that the woman should get running just about now, because between the two heavy stallions and their angry riders, it was clear that 'someone' might not make it out of here alive. Humor? du calls dis humor? the male asked, not to be answered really, just because he was very offended by the woman's actions.
She dared to ask them to take a closer look, and his Aquila was first to answer, the sound of the bow being drawn back having made Cotl's head turn towards his golden Aquila and then watch the male launch the arrow towards the woman. Maschine suddenly moved forward towards the woman at a full gallop, and Cotl's sword was held low towards the ground so that he could slice the woman. If she did not run now, she'd either be trampled or sliced up along with wherever the arrow might have hit her. He'd pursue the woman until her head was on his sword.
OOC: Sorry. First time with two people. I fixed it, I think.
IC: Terra darted out of the way of the arrow, having it scrape her back. The older wolf charged, ready to run her down. Ears flattened she snarled. She was dead. Darting to the side she managed to barely miss the sword. She nipped sharply at the stallion's quarters, hoping it would panic. Done, she turned to weave in between the skulls. If they were as precious as they said they wouldn't hit her for fear of damage. The first wolf's aim was good though, and there was spacing between them. Hoping her luck wouldn't run out she spun for the bushes outside of the territory. Luckily a horse's endurance couldn't match a coyote's. She'd gained a couple feet, but not much.
Panting Terra couldn't help grinning. The old one's rage was hilarious. He would be great to play tricks on, assuming she survived. Still running she considered shifting. Her secui form had more power, but it was her lupine form she was used to, her lupine form that she could ghost with. Only trained ones would be able to spot her, but she doubted they weren't.
Thanks for editing. Just keep in mind the rules regarding posting order and powerplay as we move along; please read over Sie's Combat Guide for some good tips. Word Count »
By some miracle of fate, the girl managed to avoid the arrow—but just barely. Ezekiel had barely enough time to grip the sides of Viggo’s broad body as the Clydesdale launched himself after Maschine. While the big horse’s gait was smooth enough, Ezekiel knew his chances to kill her with the bow had passed. Ignorant of the skulls that they trampled over, the Aquila and his mount took point after the coy-dog.
Another red-feathered arrow was drawn. While he was a master archer, no man could aim entirely accurately from a moving animal. Still, he drew back his bow and shot for the area where the woman would go. If he could strike her and have the arrow hit, then he would slow her down. A single, furious coyote-yap was given as an unspoken command to Cotl; the mustang was faster than his horse, and he was the one more likely to catch up to the stupid woman.
I'll take this shit you call your life in a single breath!
OOC: I appreciate the edit :]
Word Count → 418
Maschine gave a panicked neigh at the woman as she nipped at his feet, but this did little to stop him, instead he kicked out beneath him, aiming to get gutsy coywolf away from him, Cotl had to raise his sword and hold on tight for the action, almost being thrown off in the process. Cotl quickly regained composure and the painted skull of the stallion was thrown to the side, and a bellow was given from his snout as the Appaloosa mustang had made sure to follow the female that they were pursuing. How dare she think that she could get away with defiling the borders of her kind and get away with it unscathed. Cotl realized he missed because of the lack of blood on his blade and a growled. He couldn't be that old to where he was missing his target now, the male only was 4 years this year. He blamed his rage for the mistake, but it did not stop him from pursuing. Cotl could hear the thumping of Aquila's steed right behind the thumping of the lighter, faster Maschine's hooves. Never had he rode with his Aqulia, for they were not close, at all. In fact, they both seemed to hate each other, if only because one started to hate the other and the other retaliated the hate because of it. The sound of the slower steed was interesting and weird to him.
There was no way that he could not see her dive for the bushes, and his hand twisted to lead Maschine in that direction, and he again, placed his sword towards the ground, and with the speed that the mustang moved, it created a whistling sound as it sliced through the air, aiming for the bushes that she had dived for. It didn't take Cotl long to see the coywolf continue running, so he did not stop his steed, yet he had urged the beast to continue on. If he was able to get closer to her, he would strike out again with his sword. The Aquila had barked an order to pursue the woman, to try and take her down, and he followed such order without it needing to be said. The sound of an arrow then zoomed past him, and he found himself startled by the arrow, and he flinched and twitched his neck. Maschine did not notice the arrow, thank the gods, for if he had, he surely would have been startled to where he would buck.
Terra bit back a yip as the arrow bit into her leg. Her only hope would be to double back and keep hidden. She was starting to regret this a little, something that she knew would pass. After all, she'd often regretted tricks only to laugh about it the next day. She wormed her way into the woods, whimpering when the arrow was scraped off. The underbush was thick enough that the horses wouldn't be able to reach her at least. They'd be forced to get off if they wanted to follow. If that slowed them down enough she'd be able to pull her disappearing trick and completely vanish. Maybe she'd apologize later.
Hearing the warriors crash behind her she grinned. Then again, maybe not. Terra lived for the thrill of danger, just one step ahead of disaster. She lived her life remembering the stories of Coyote, and tried to make tricks just as good. It was really too bad she was mortal instead of a goddess like Coyote. It would make life a lot easier, and would stop her from leaving a blood trail. At least she couldn't say her fellow hybrids were weak spirited, though she refused to acknowledge them as coyotes. They were as blindly violent as wolves!
His arrow struck and clung to her haunch, but she managed to make it into the woods before they could close the gap. Viggo whinnied furiously, stamping his feet as he shifted from side to side. He understood that there was a prize lost to them. With such a massive bulk, he was useless in the dense forest. Given his last injury, the Aquila had no desire to see him harmed again.
So he slid off the red horses’ back and dropped only for an instant to catch the scent of blood. To track her would be easy, given the wound. One hand reached up and drew another arrow. Bow at the ready, he began to move into the forest at a surprisingly fast rate. Having spent two years within the wilderness, this playing ground was one he knew far too well. While his anger at her for destroying the skulls lingered, he was quite enjoying himself. How often did they get to hunt prey like this, after all?
I'll take this shit you call your life in a single breath!
OOC: sorry for the wait.
Word Count → 348
Cotl smiled as there was a painful yip from the woman. Apparently one of the arrows had gotten her flank, which was good because it would slow her down. She ducked into the forest in little time though, and the dense forest had no trail for them to ride through. Not with the place she had entered. Cotl did find that she had been running straight for one of the traps he had for rodents. Though they were meant to catch things that were the size of a rabbit, or raccoon, the traps could easily slow the woman down further because of the nature of them. There had been some pits, as well as some circle traps that he had in there that would cut into her feet if she was stupid enough to step in one of them. Maschine came to a halt, but not with an angry neigh and a rearing up onto his hinds. He would return to his fours and then fidget under the weight of his master. Cotl was quick to slip off the horse and he looked to his Aquila, almost wondering if they were ready to give up the chase, but knowing in his head that they were not. He twitched and cleared his throat, but did not speak.
He then had caught the scent of the woman's iron smelling blood. He growled excitedly as she had continued to run from them. The two Infernians had been quick to find their way in the forest, because not only had Ezekiel known the ground they tread, but Cotl was also very familiar, for he had been here for longer than Ezekiel had been. Cotl had growled again as he had looked at Zeke. She'll run into ein trap, Ich sures. he commented, but not loud, so that the woman would not hear them. He then split from his Aquila's side and he had run towards where the scent of blood was coming from, his sword ready to be driven into the flesh of the coyote woman whom had decided to defile their borders.
Running down the path Terra paused to check the air. They were following closely. Running she scouted for a good place to break away. Sharply she braked, noticing something odd. Terra wasn't quite able to place what was wrong, but the trail stank of the Inferni coyotes. If she was somewhere they'd been, there might be traps. Luckily Terra was used to them, often having used traps herself to capture friends and enemies. Suspicious now Terra forced herself farther into the bushes. She was off trail now, breaking through the growth through sheer effort. Up ahead she smelled running water. If she got there the scent could be lost. Closing up the wound so the blood wouldn't keep flowing was another problem though.
Eager to reach the water Terra almost fell when the ground collapsed in front of her. Slipping backwards she twisted sideways. Cursing her carelessness she managed to reach a creek. Diving in Terra pushed herself upstream. They wouldn't think to look there, as most would allow themselves to go further downstream. Coming out Terra quickly shook out her fur before spotting some mud. Perfect! Rolling in it she forced the mud into her wound, blocking the blood flow. With the scent trail lost and no blood to lead them, catching her would be hard indeed.
Terra moved further inland before hiding herself in the bushes. She knew what she was doing. If they came near her they'd move right on by without spotting her. The mud cloyed her scent as well, obscuring it from being smelled. All that was left was the end of the play.
Ezekiel nodded shortly to Cotl’s assumption. There were traps place along the woodland, but many had been sprung by prey, and many more destroyed when the hunt for his aunt had gone on. The hybrid assumed Cotl’s work had begun again, but there was only so much one man could do. He sniffed the air rapidly, taking in the scents; the girl was moving quickly despite her wound, and Ezekiel imagined that the chase would soon wear on.
It took them several long minutes to reach the stream. Ezekiel frowned. She was using a simple, stupid tactic and one he recognized too well. The water was fast moving, and while he could see it was disturbed, tracking her beyond this would be a time-consuming task. “She’s out of our borders,” he said with a growl, straightening up. “Save your energy chasing her. She’s from the Court; I’ll see to it that her superiors own up for her actions.” There would be no satisfaction in chasing down a wounded dog; as clever as she thought she was, Ezekiel knew the politics of the packs well.
Terra listened for sounds of tracking, but nothing happened. Finally feeling secure Terra wriggled out from her hiding place and climbed to a higher vantage point. From there she could see the damage, as well as the two wolves that had chased her. They stood on the edge of the stream, looking mildly frustrated. It seemed like they had decided it'd take too much effort to catch her, leaving Terra feeling slightly triumphant. She had bested them, but having them just give up wasn't as good as leaving them exhausted or having them pass by her hiding place.
What really grabbed her attention was the state of the skulls along the border. While Terra had defaced only five, it looked as if her small piece of chaos stretched a mile long! Their precious skulls had been trampled by their own efforts, leaving them looking like fools. Terra laughed at the sight, unable to contain herself. They had proven themselves true idiots, doing Terra's work for her. She let out a mocking cry of triumph, letting her coyote voice echo over the hills. Her pursuers would hear that, but they'd already given up. She could mock them as much as she liked, the stupid creatures!
Done in her work, Terra proudly began to limp back to her pack. She still stuck to the underbrush, unwilling to expose herself when wounded, but safely made it beyond the range of the Inferni wolves. They would never catch her!
