serenaded by the terror bird.
#1
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Time: Afternoon
Hollow's Ruins


I've PMed Alma about this one, but it's not a planned thread so it'll be all welcome if Shemonster doesn't want to take it. :3 Also, yes, I am being a presumptuous ass in assuming Ithiel will be accepted to Inferni, but I don't think it's a wrong assumption. <_<

The the dust-colored coyote had set out to explore Inferni, riding Lystra around the outskirts of the clan's territory first. She liked their new accomodations well enough, it seemed -- the horse was in a better mood than Ithiel had ever seen her. Perhaps it was the big stallion that had her up in arms, the orange one that belonged to Ezekiel. Ithiel would not have been surprised, and he would have been amused to watch a power struggle between the two of them. Lys was a dominant horse, and he had no doubt the tawny stallion felt much the same.

Zedekiah landed with a thunk on the saddle behind him, causing Ithiel to jerk in the saddle. He grumbled at the bird, who only grunted in response, uninterested in Ithiel's ramblings. Big land, he commented. That was all. Ithiel offered him a strip of dried meat. Part of it was charred, but the vulture would not care. He cared only that there was food to offer, Ithiel supposed. The man shifted forward in his saddle to accomodate the big vulture and pulled on Lystra's reigns, slowing her down. The horse hadn't twitched at the bird's landing; she seemed fonder of Zedekiah than Ithiel at times.

Ahead, Ithiel could see a small grove of trees, and he pointed Lystra toward them, curious. Most of the land out here in the west was flat, and it was an odd grove, at that -- low-hanging and twisted, hunkering down against the ceaseless breeze rolling across these plains. Ithiel dismounted and pulled a short braided rope of leather from his saddle, twisting it and tying it between Lystra's forelegs. The horse snorted at this, but accepted the hobble all the same. Zedekiah simply watched, making no move toward the trees or elsewhere, content to remain on the horse's back.

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#2
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TEXT.


Alma had her quiver strapped to her back and carried her bow in hand. Since the attack on Inferni's puppies, she had always considered the idea of bringing a weapon with her as she walked around, but she simply found it inconvenient until Ezekiel had finished making the quiver. Having her bow and her arrows within arms' reach made her feel confident, like she could deal with anything that came her way.

The coywolf had an urge to wander about. She wasn't sure what she was doing or where she wanted to go; perhaps she'd just patrol the borders. In her head, she played out a fantasy that someone had trespassed and she had to deal with them. To her surprise - since she'd never killed or attacked another canine - she found herself wishing that would happen.

A large flying bird distracted her. It was not small enough to be a songbird, and not the right shape to be a goose or duck... An eagle! Perhaps it has eggs! Alma's large orange ears perked up. She had certainty seen vultures before, but her delusion did not allow her to recognize this bird as such. It had to be an eagle, she thought. Maybe she could follow it home and take the eggs from its nest. Alma walked in the direction the bird had flown, not realizing that they usually had their eggs during the spring - someone might have told her that once, but she hadn't remembered it. Not that it would have mattered; she would try to steal the bird itself if she could.

She walked slowly and did not change her stance to a crouching one, trying to act casual in case it was clever enough to realize it was being stalked. However, it was soon out of her line of sight, and she worried that she had lost the eagle. The coywolf sprinted off after the bird.

Her disappointment was obvious when she reached the grove with the twisted trees. It was a vulture, she could see that now. It was sitting on the back of a horse, while an ashen coyote tied something to the horse's legs. The man himself, she'd not seen before, and though his colors were darker than was normal for a coyote, she knew enough to recognize that he was another coyote-wolf hybrid. Another new member? Where do all these people come from?

"Hello," she said, stepping forward. "Is that your bird?" There was some hope in her voice. Even if she didn't want this bird or its eggs, its owner might know enough about birds to give her the information she needed to raise and train her attack-eagles.


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#3
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Thanks for threading with meeee. :3 And... der, I rambled at you. The first paragaraph can be skipped, other than that the horse stomps its foot and Ithiel turns around. c:

A snort and stamp from Lystra drew his attention away from the grove of trees, and he turned around in time to view a coyote headed their way. She ran at first, then seemed to slow, disappointment dawning across her tawny features. Disappointment at what? Ithiel thought she might be meaning to make a meal of Zedekiah. If her intent was to hurt, she might have caught a surprise against his talons and beak. There was a reason Ithiel wore his leather gauntlet; the talons on the vulture were merciless. Still, Zedekiah might have gone with her for the promise of food to have become food himself -- the vulture was greed where it came to such tidbits, after all. Ithiel did not know if he was well-trained enough to remain with his true master.

He chose not to comment about the running and disappointment, and instead stepped forward toward still-anxious Lystra, turning her carefully around in the hobble so she could take a look at the stranger. Yes, he answered simply, distracted with the calming of his horse. The mare pranced so she stood sideways instead, tossing her head and snorting a few times for good measure.

Upon her turn, Zedekiah, apparently fed up with her antics, grunted and launched to the ground, spreading his wings to catch himself. He landed a few feet away from them all, glaring at the horse. Lystraaa, he hissed, the word nearly incomprehensible when tangled with his annoyance. Ithiel shook his head and released the horse's rope, allowing her to pace as far as she wished from the group.

He stepped back toward the woman, ears folded back in apology. I'm sorry, he began, keeping his ears and head low, having no idea of her rank but knowing he possessed none in this clan. Ill-tempered beast, that horse. The bird is better, usually, but he is tired from travel, as am I, the dust-colored coyote explained. The horse is Lystra, the bird is Zedekiah, and I am Ithiel, the man said, introducing himself. It felt odd to do so without his surname, but the man was not sure if he wanted to be associated with all of this yet-unknown family, those that carried the de le Poer and Lykoi surnames here. He wondered if this coyote was among them, and took her in with his sharp scout's eyes. And you, miss? he inquired politely.

She looked rather like an angel with a halo of flame about her head, an image that stuck in his head and very nearly evoked a smile on his face. Ithiel was not one for instant attraction, of course, and the angelic comparison merely had to do with flaming halos rather than a sudden epiphany of her beauty, but he did think she was pretty, all the same. Even if that had not been so, the stranger was still due his attention, foremost as a woman, and then as his clan-mate.

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#4
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TEXT.


The coywolf watched the antics of the horse closely - and the bird's reaction, even closer. Her eyes and ears were pinned on the bird, as if she hardly noticed the man before her. Only when the horse was released did she respond - by backing away. She didn't want to get trampled. "No worries."

An awkward silence washed over them as Alma noticed his folded ears and bowed head. She wasn't used to displaying dominance since she had always been at the bottom of her family-pack's ranks. Shifting through some old memories of her mother's behavior, she dredged up the information for what she do in a situation like this: her tail rose high, and her ears - well, they were already perked. No need to do anything there.

Alma felt suddenly and inexplicably cold, despite the bright sun beating down on them and her thick winter coat. She found herself shivering. Not just because of the cold, but because she felt the silent presence of something unseen. The coywolf stood rigidly, willing herself to stop shivering. Just as she had gotten her body under control, a wisp of white fog appeared at the edge of her vision. She gritted her teeth and did her best to ignore it. Nothing was going to deter her from finding information for her attack-eagles. "I am Alma." Turning her thoughts away from the cold and the unsettling white thing in the corner of her eye, she stared at the bird once again. There were so many questions she wanted to ask. "How did you get him? Did you train him?"

Since the coyote had mentioned that the bird was male, there was no chance of eggs. She could always steal her own, she just need to know how to care for them so they would hatch. The eggs she had traded for earlier in the year had fouled up her cave with a rotten stench; she didn't want a repeat experience of that.


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#5
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(417)



Ithiel is by Kitty!

Ithiel watched the woman closely, curious to know how this coyote clan received one another. She seemed aloof, and that was fine -- he was, too; it was not easy for the dust-colored coyote to warm up to others. A tangle of complicated thoughts usually dangled in his mind, but he rarely voiced thoughts or opinions. It wasn't the job of a soldier to think or verbalize opinions -- he was made to fight and serve, which he did gladly enough.

He noticed, however, a shivering, and wondered if she was growing faint. The corners of his mouth twitched in the faintest ghost of a frown, but the dark coyote did not move forward. Ithiel considered the possibility of her fainting, but thought he would move fast enough to catch her at this distance. She seemed to freeze and grew a look of great concentration, and the shaking slowly stopped.

During this, the horse had paced away in her shortened step, and stood several yards away, staring at both of them. She was not aggressive toward strangers unless provoked, Ithiel knew, but it was better she stayed away, all the same. She gave a final snort and disappeared around the strange boscage of trees, presumably to hide there until Ithiel and this one had ceased speaking.

The dust-colored man nodded at her introduction, and spoke plainly, although truthfully. Good to meet you. Are you alright? There was a hint of concern in his voice. Zedekiah? he asked, surprised by her questioning about the bird. He was used to inquiries regarding the vulture, of course, but he thought she might be more concerned over the apparent shaking fit. She didn't seem to be, however, and Ithiel was glad to oblige her questions. He believed in complete and honest answers, and would answer to the best of his ability.

Utah -- far to the west, almost in the desert. He was given to me for my journey here to Inferni. I did not train him, but the falconer gave me advice on how to keep him, the man explained. In the place where I came from, they kept a few different kinds of birds. The vultures are liked because they work well simply to scout. Other birds -- like hawks -- can be trained to hunt small prey, though, Ithiel said. The modifications to his saddle and the leather gauntlet were the only things Ithiel had to worry about with Zede; beyond these, he was an easy companion to keep.

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#6
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Sorry about the slowness.


Her ears flicked back in annoyance. He had noticed her reaction to the presence, but not the presence. Neither this man nor the coywolf she had taught to whittle had noticed what she saw and what she felt following her. Did that mean she was imagining things? "I am fine. I... " She searched for an explanation she could give for her actions. She could blame illness, but she did not know one that gave shivering fits without any other symptoms. "am just cold." With a shrug, Alma dismissed the subject and tried to pretend it didn't happen.

Her ears titled forward, listening with obvious interest while he explained where he had gotten the vulture from. She was not familiar with Utah and had never been there, but she knew it was closer to her originating pack's territory than Nova Scotia. Probably closer to his, too, if he had gone so far. She made a mental note to ask him where he had come from later. For now, she remained focused on her goal.

She was disappointed again when he said he hadn't trained the bird. Yet, he knew enough to keep it and take care of it, and that was more than she knew. "How do you keep him? The question was asked to the coyote, yet her eyes strayed to the vulture. "If some birds can hunt and spy, can they be trained to attack luperci?" It felt risky to ask that, to divulge the true reason she asked, but perhaps he would attribute it as curiosity. Or fear, Alma thought, admiring the talons of the vulture. In her mind's eye, she could see a gruesome vision of a luperci losing his eyes to those claws. If she could train several of them to do that...

The coywolf wasn't sure what she wanted to happen, or who she would have them attack. She hadn't thought that far when traded for her first two eggs. Just the novelty of having an attack-eagle fueled her obsession. It would have to be enemies of the clan, she thought, though she knew of none except the puppy-killer who was already dead. If she ever successfully raised one, it could be used to simply protect her, but that seemed a waste.


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#7
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(337)
Pleaseeee. I like this thread and you are not slow. >;3 I am being fast right now, but there have been times before where I take weeeeeeks to reply to a thread. D: That's pretty damn slow and I am trying to be supersie and not do that anymore. xD So no worriesssssssss.



Ithiel is by Kitty!

She was ready enough to brush the moment of oddness away, and so was Ithiel; he accepted her explanation readily, nodding. He remembered such things, but did not hold them against others -- one could not help natural sensitivities and inclinations, after all. Some were more sensitive to the temperature than others -- for his part, he'd been raised in the desert, where the temperature dropped astronomically by night. He was used to both hot and cold. Would you like my cloak? It was folded neatly and strapped to the side of Lystra's saddle, easily fetched if Alma made no move toward the horse.

He considered her questions, however, murmuring a sound of thought in his throat. I feed him, mostly. He perches on the saddle or in a tree, and tends to sleep near me. To send him up to scout the skies, I simply ask, the man said, shrugging. Zedekiah grunted his approval, not seeming to mind a conversation about him that did not seem to include him. Ithiel thought the bird might actually like that -- he frequently deigned not to respond to Ithiel's comments. As for attacking... perhaps? If you had a bird of the proper size, I think it is possible. Eagles would be your best bet. They tend toward largeness, he continued. His tone was even, and though there was no smile to speak of, it was clear Ithiel was enjoying the flow of the conversation. His body was relaxed and angled toward her, ears pricked forward in interest.

Though he did not know their species, there had been two birds of such a size in Scintilla -- one an import from the far south, a harpy eagle; the second a local. Both were massive birds, and though both were used as scouts by the Scintilla coyotes like his own Zedekiah, Ithiel supposed they could be trained to attack a Luperci. Birds were smart, however, and he did not think many of them would accept such a task, no matter their training.

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