Serious Moonlight (M)

Lion · January 13, 2016, 11:27:30 PM

[ @DragonSong ]

The trap was set. All he had to do now was wait, breath held, tightening in his throat as if the slightest sound would wake the birds. Well, it wouldn't be the first time. Rook knew best not to linger in the area, sighing inwardly, the best way to catch prey was to leave and return at a later time. It was just as well, he wouldn't catch a damn thing, but game always seemed to sense when someone was nearby.

With that he bound the strip of rope in his hand, knotting it at its base and slipping it into his belt. He took a moment to check on the hunting knife at his side. His hand twitched. Best to stay on his guard, he decided, and turned round, listening intently and walking quietly away. The birds continued to chirp all on their own, nothing disturbed them.

And nothing would, even as another would scamper behind the trail Rook had left hours later. What a curious being, he decided. He was a black crow, rather large for its size, and with blue streaks marking along his black breast feathers. He observed the bent twig, and the twine used to hold it in place. Perhaps it was best not to disturb it.

Hindsight was always 20/20.

It didn't matter if Veles didn't touch the string, because as he turned, his body moved a carefully placed rock. And when the rock moved, the twig twisted, loosened the twine, and up from beneath him a net embraced all around him. He yelped as the net pulled him up high into a tree, and moving only twisted it further around him.

Veles panicked, fear pushing through him in a cold stab that penetrated deep into his lungs. He did not scream, but struggling in that entwined net soon exhausted him. He was dazed, his head spinning and aching all around. Beneath him the world turned as he did on his head. Night was falling now, and the fear struck deeper.

He wouldn't scream. He didn't know how that would help his situation. If the hunter that had set this trap would return soon, he had every intention of eating whatever he found in the net. Veles morphed his form, body altering and shifting the net as his legs extended and wings turned to arms, and feathers turned to flesh.

He did the only thing that came to mind then, and howled loudly as a wolf would, a loud and mournful cry.

DragonSong · January 14, 2016, 05:59:24 AM

The howl made her stop dead, head tilted as she listened. That was no call to packmates or celebration of the hunt. That was panicked and alone.

Ghost turned toward the sound, shifting to the form of a wolf as she did. She found it was usually best to meet new animals in their own shape, it made them less wary of her. Ears pricked, she set off in a steady lope in the direction of the sound.

It was easier to find her goal than she would have expected. Mostly because he was hung above the ground, caught in a net. Well, she supposed that explained a bit. Cautiously, she padded forward, sniffing the air for the hunter she was sure had set the trap and being very careful of where she placed her paws.

When she was almost directly under the net, she gave a soft, firm bark, letting the other wolf know she was there as a friend. Now she just needed to figure out a way to get him down.

Which would be nearly impossible in her current form. Another bark and a low whine, asking him not to panic at what she was about to do, and she let the change wash through her, rising up onto two legs and pushing pale blond hair out of her face to better observe the trap.

"I'm going to get you out of there, just stay calm," she said quietly, walking in a delicate circle around the trap to try to figure out its weak points.

Lion · January 14, 2016, 05:50:26 PM

[He's in human form. And naked. Sorry, shoulda made that clearer!]

Veles stopped struggled when he heard the pawing of a nearby creature. Blue eyes glittered in the dark, moonlight pouring in from the treetops above him. Fear gripped him for a long terrifying moment and he made no sound as he observed the wolf stepping carefully through the brush, as he should have done.

Then just as abruptly the wolf altered form and grew into a woman. Veles gasped slightly, breath holding and he stilled in the net. No reply could pass his lips. Another shape changer? Was she fae like he was? Curiosity best suspended before he was free.

"Please hurry. I don't know when the hunter will be back?" He said, the words coming out strange.

DragonSong · January 14, 2016, 06:02:10 PM

[Oops, my bad!]

Ghost bit her lip, eyeing the ropes that tethered the net to the branch. "Just hold on, try not to move," she urged, and jumped. When her feet left the ground she became a white bird, most closely resembling a dove, and fluttered to the branch.

The knot was beyond her, so it looked like she was going to have to cut through. The dove changed to a large cat and she sank her claws into the wood and set about gnawing through the rope.

When she had it almost entirely cut through, she shifted quickly back to human form and called softly, "Brace yourself, the net's going to fall," a few moments before the last fibers of the rope gave way.

Lion · January 25, 2016, 04:39:38 PM

Watching her shift made Veles' eyes grow wide. He straightened in the net, finding his words caught in his throat - they never came easy anyway - and braced for impact. With the creak of the branch the snap of the rope when it suddenly gave way and he slammed hard to the forest floor. Veles yelped, groaning and scrambling to the human body he'd given himself. No wings, no paws, just hands and feet.

"Who? Who are you?" He croaked out.

DragonSong · January 25, 2016, 04:46:03 PM

The shifter dropped lightly to the ground, straightening up from the crouch she'd landed in to tilt her head an eye him curiously.

"Most people call me Ghost," she said quietly. Then she frowned a bit. "Who are you? How'd you end up in that trap?"

Lion · January 25, 2016, 05:01:21 PM

"Foolish foolish bird that I am," Veles coughed out. "I am glad to meet another Fae. I am Veles." He turned onto his side, showing his nakedness since it didn't occur to him that it may prove a problem in this situation. Burrs and twigs stuck too his butt, as he stood and observed the wicked trap.

"We must leave quicker. The hunter will be swift. I saw his contraption and did not avoid it.. Foolish bird."

DragonSong · January 25, 2016, 05:14:29 PM

"Fae?" Ghost repeated, blinking. She'd met her share of forest spirits, but those were nymphs. She'd never met a Fae creature before.

She shook her head, wanting to correct his misconception. "No, I'm just a shapeshifter-" Her voice sort of choked off when he turned and she snapped her eyes up, feeling her face heat a bit. Although she supposed it made sense- he could obviously change forms, the only garment that stayed with her through a shift was a gossamer slip that had been a gift from the dryad who raised her- it was still a little disconcerting.

She snapped back to survival mode when he mentioned a hunter. "Yes, we should go," she agreed, pale eyes searching the trees warily. Tilting her head at him again, she asked, "Do you have some place to return to?"

Lion · January 28, 2016, 11:55:17 PM

She spoke many words, more than he'd heard in a long time. The words of spirits were not often things expressed in vocalizedspeech. Words were things of mortals and men, and they made his head tilt that she spoke of them now. "A shapeshifter? I may have heard of your kind. Whisperings in the shadows. You take little babes away and change them. Are you one such babe?"

A question cut short by her odd red face.

Veles turned to focus on the matter at hand. He could ask her another time, assuming there would be one. "The hunter comesquick! He is sswift. We must be swifter!" He nodded to her before he crouched and turned his form into a black wolf. Paws crossed leaves and tufts of grass as they departed.

Rook thought he'd heard voices. Then he saw creatures moving from his trap site. Shit! Those damn creatures better not have stolen his meal! Quickly he nocked an arrow and fired, the bolt whizzing beside Veles' ear.

DragonSong · January 29, 2016, 04:43:35 AM

Opening her mouth to reply, Ghost thought better of it when he mentioned the hunter again. Nodding, she dropped to all fours and took her own wolf form, falling easily into step beside him as they loped off.

Then the arrow flew by and she gave a startled yelp, veering instinctively into a zigzag pattern to make herself a more difficult target to hit. She barked sharply, trying to urge the Fae creature to do the same.

Lion · January 29, 2016, 08:32:14 AM

Veles looked at her only for a moment, but that was enough time for another arrow to fly at his direction. This time it struck true, striking his flank. Veles yelped, but bolted as best he could. Limping he ran off after Ghost. Trying to move his left back leg gave a vicious sting. Muscle tore in the movement and the pain was blinding. Still he made the effort, and would allow himself to.be captured. Three legs were better than none.

DragonSong · January 29, 2016, 08:46:11 AM

Seeing he'd been hit, Ghost changed direction, turning in an arch to flank him. With a whine and a nudge, she urged him to keep running, trying to herd him further into the shadows where he would blend.

Then she turned and raced in another direction, barking loudly. She was easier to see anyway, and she wasn't the one hurt. Maybe if she could attract the hunter's attention, keep him focused on her, Veles would have time to get away.

Lion · February 01, 2016, 10:29:40 PM

The pair of wolves zigzagging from place to place, in and out of range, in and out of focus frustrated Rook. But he wasn't going to give up. His knee ached from the swift motion of pursuit. Where the soft ground bent beneath his weight, the wolves moved with such grace and ease, weaving between trees to avoid capture.

He tried to knock another arrow, but a swift turn away, around a boulder, lost his vision of them.

Veles kept his wounded hindquarter off the ground as much as he could. They made exceptional distance, and he kept up along with Ghost. Fear rattled inside his chest, as his paws tore across the undergrowth, flying over a rotting log and down a steep slope.

DragonSong · February 02, 2016, 07:40:23 AM

Ghost was getting worried. Fear and adrenaline seemed to be keeping Veles running, but he was hurt. If only they could find somewhere to hide so he could take a break...

She didn't want to lead the hunter back to her home nest, but she didn't know where else to go. Mind whirling, panicking, she didn't notice a small rock in her path as they raced down the slope. A true wolf never would have been tripped up, but she had just enough human in her to stumble, legs splaying out in an ungainly way that would have been humiliating if she had the mind space to be embarrassed.

Her fall and the incline of the slope sent her airborne for a moment, and instinctively she shifted, fur replaced with feathers and legs changing in an instant to pure white wings. The girl-turned-wolf-turned swan glided up, unthinking that she'd now made herself a target.

Lion · February 04, 2016, 11:27:22 PM

Rook hadn't been thinking to fire on the second target, but even in the vague stems of moonlight, he saw a figure change. It turned from wolf to bird, and in that split second, it was enough to give him pause. Pause that allowed Veles to change with her, the arrow falling from his flesh, but the wound remaining.

His crow form took flight beside hers, though he remained just below the treeline.

Rook stood in awe, shaken a bit at what he'd seen. Surely this couldn't be real.

DragonSong · February 04, 2016, 11:54:53 PM

Taking advantage of the hunter's apparent surprise, Ghost swooped in a low arc, hoping to catch Veles' attention and urge him to follow her as she climbed above the treetops, banking in the direction of her current nest.

Lion · February 07, 2016, 01:08:48 AM

Veles saw her mid-swoop and turned upward to join her. His wings were much larger than a normal crows and this would give him the leverage he needed to stay along with her. They flew wide and far, and covered more than the hunter could pursue them with. They were safe for the moment, although Veles' wounded leg throbbed and dripped blood that beaded along his talons.

DragonSong · February 07, 2016, 09:49:00 AM

Seeing Veles was following her, Ghost banked and guided him to a break in the trees once they were a safe distance away from the hunter. They weren't quite to her nest, but he needed attention.

The instant before she touched down she shifted to human form, running a few paces as she lost momentum before turning and saying, "Here, let me look at that wound."

Lion · February 07, 2016, 10:32:46 AM

Wings beat against the wind and brought him down along with her. When she changed back, so did he, but he tumbled to the floor and whimpered as he saw the wound left by the arrow. Veles had never seen so much blood, and he felt his eyes wet with tears. "It hurts," he murmured.

DragonSong · February 07, 2016, 10:55:43 AM

"Oh..." Ghost knelt beside him, wincing in sympathy. "Here, lay on your back," she instructed gently, reaching out to hold him steady so she could get a better look at the wound.

"We need to bandage this," she told him quietly. "I'm sorry, but it's going to hurt." She bit her lip, wracking her brain for something to use as bandaging. Her clothes seemed to be the only cloth available, so she set about tearing strips off her hem.