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Post by Queerly on Dec 17, 2016 2:13:57 GMT -6
Hello Starborn, and welcome to Plot 306: Seeking the Enemy!
Team Leader: Darius
Participants: Fox, Liam, Clarke, Alvane, Iden, Alyshia, Addeva
Please keep the following in mind!
- Posts must be a minimum of 175 words. There is no maximum!
- No strict order is enforced, but there must be at least two posts between your own character's.
- No god-moding or reading characters' minds (unless your pony is a literal telepath, anyway)
- Always get consent before harming another character!
- Your team is precious. Try to interact with everyone. <3
- Have fun! Even if your pony isn't. 8'D
Prompt: It had been understood that the Bloody Flanks were a small, disgraced clan scratching out a meager existence in the frozen wastes of northern Onea- a fitting punishment for their betrayal. Yet in recent years, several trade ships have gone missing with rising frequency, and rumors from the harbor warn that red sails fly over the sea once more. In light of this- and the Flank siblings who had the audacity to come to Skeldr Town’s doorstep only three months prior- the War Lord has gathered her brightest scouts to seek out the exiled clan’s territory and assess their status, hopefully without being noticed.
Time of Day: Night
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Post by songsofinfinity on Dec 18, 2016 20:26:29 GMT -6
The wind howled along the icy slope. A group of horses trailed single-file along it, their breath frosting the air.
Darius flew towards the group, the wind biting through his thin cloak. For the eighth time today it slipped to one side, pulling him sideways. He dipped in his flight as the weight pulled him down and he cursed under his breath. With a sharp mental tug he righted it, moments before he reached the line of horses. He'd been scouting their back trail to make sure they hadn't missed anything and weren't being followed. The dark bodies stood out starkly against the white of the snow underhoof, despite the late hour. They should have made camp some time ago, but he suspected they were close to their goal. He swept his wings back, snow swirling around him as he landed at the head of the column, doing a quick headcount at the same time. There were still seven of them. That was good.
With a sigh he started walking, wings folded close to his body, feathers fluffed to keep in heat. He spoke, talking loudly to no one in particular. "Nothing behind. Seen anything up here?" A silvery cloud of breath rose in front of him, and for a ridiculous moment he felt like a dragon. If he was, he probably wouldn’t be up here, and if he wasn’t up here he wouldn’t be leading a group of horses he didn’t know towards unfamiliar, dangerous enemies. If he were alone or with Wayne, he could have had this done and over with in half the time. Fly in, fly out, report to the Stone Circle. Easy.
But no, he’d been assigned a team. There was no choice now but to do this the way he’d been ordered. That didn’t make him feel any better about it. He trotted to the head of the line, where he’d put Liam. The Scout had the most experience out of the group, and Darius trusted him to keep an eye on things while he was away. The rest of his group?
There was Fox, a pretty sorrel scout who was, if he remembered right, friends with Evokar. That was a mark in her favor; he respected Evokar, and any mare who gained his favor was probably a cut above the rest. Alvane, Clarke, and Iden he was less familiar with, but they were scouts, and he trusted them well enough. They’d probably earned their position.
They weren’t the only ones there, of course. Two Valkyries plowed through the snow. He had nothing against Hira’s… unconventional fighting force. They were probably perfectly decent fighters. But did he have to be assigned these two? They were teenagers! How old was Addeva, anyway? She didn’t look a day over sixteen. Honestly, what was the Circle thinking, sending children into danger like this? And it wasn’t just children, either.
He glanced at Clarke, then looked away quickly. If she said she could work, she could work, but he wasn’t sure how long he’d be able to let it go until he had to step in. Not that he wanted to risk doing that. She didn’t seem the type to take it kindly. But if they ended up engaging the Bloody Flanks? He sighed quietly as another gust of wind ruffled his feathers and blew his forelock into his eyes; Darius shivered and adjusted his cloak. They had a difficult mission ahead of them.
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Post: 1
Word Count: 597
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Post by hey-stardust on Dec 18, 2016 23:00:08 GMT -6
Clarke | War Forged | Scout:
You don't know what you've got until you've lost it all,
might I suggest you find a softer place to fall.
Despite vehement protests from her current ‘roommate’, Clarke had blatantly refused to deny the War Lord’s request of seeking out the supposed reemergence of the Bloody Flanks clan; the result of which, had meant both parties offered similar means of tender, parting words to one another, that ran somewhere along the lines of, "Don't expect me to wait up for you."
She had pressed her luck far enough this year (and perhaps for several more), flirting with both death and herd law, and could hardly afford to be placed into an even lower standing with Hira by refusing to work. As traumatic and damaging the events that had come to pass were, the source of her original distress did still remain -stubbornly so-, though it was no longer able to be hidden under the drapery of a well-placed cloak.
Halfway to full-term now, her belly had visibly dropped and softened to accommodate the new life within, and she could feel the affects of the foal already begin to hinder her progress far more than she would like. Whilst she kept up the pretence that their journey was proving to be nothing more than a minor inconvenience to her, traversing the sleet covered terrain took more concentration than she was used to, and each step was a little heavier than the last. She began resenting being bedridden for so long, as it had taken a huge hit to her stamina.
None had exactly spoken up about Hira’s choices yet, but she had automatically bristled under Darius’s disapproving gaze.
She too questioned the leader's reasoning, though not entirely for the same reasons the broken-coloured pegasus did. There was enough of them to have one another’s backs, that was certain, but none of them were exactly seasoned fighters if push really came to shove. She knew the Valkyries could handle themselves well enough (or more specifically, she knew Froya could) but the two that had been sent with them were of an unknown caliber, at least... for now.
With no raiders flanking their sides, she pondered if their leader was indeed confident that the rumours of the Bloody Flanks return was merely a fool’s hope, as many believed.
Word Count: 370 | Post: #1
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Post by notadonkey on Dec 19, 2016 2:51:10 GMT -6
Addeva
War Forged | Valkyrie
The smallest of the bunch trudged along in the crunchy snow; her walk confident, large ears fully perked, and her senses focused on...whatever was ahead. Probably nothing but more snow at this rate. Addeva had mixed feelings about this whole mission, on one hand it was AWESOME that both her and Alyshia were put on this patrol. Hira must have some faith in the two of them to snoop about with some scouts. But on the other hand...no wait, there is no other hand. This is awesome! Possibly dangerous, but nothing that she knew she couldn't handle. She didn't know much about these Bloody Flanks personally, though the stories about them are hard to ignore. The hybrid glanced up at her sister walking near her, trying to get a read on her emotion. Aly probably wasn't as hyped as Addeva was, but she knew the darker mare was at least keeping an eye on what was going on around them. Her blue eyes moved to scan their patrol-mates, who were all scouts. Honestly, she's never officially met a scout before. Addeva was curious about the horses that walked along around her, though it's been nothing but mostly walking in silence thus far. Besides her occasional small conversation with Alyshia of course. Addeva can't go too long with complete silence or else she'll go nuts. A soft swoop announced that their fearless leader has landed. The guy seems uptight if you asked her. At least, that was her first impression. Despite this, she doesn't really see a reason to dislike him or the rest of the group. They had a job to do as ordered by Hira and she wanted to do it right. "Nothing but snow". Addeva spoke up in reply to Darius' question. It was pretty dark, it was only a matter of time before they call it a night. The young zonkey was athletic and capable of going further, but the familiar cold was starting to annoy her a bit.
Word count: 340 | Post #1 |
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Post by kaiimo on Dec 19, 2016 12:46:11 GMT -6
Iden
War-Forged | Scout
--
Iden, the tall, lanky scout, followed his band unusually quietly. His careful hoof-steps crunched into the snow and his head hung low, neck outstretched looking dead ahead of him as the group trekked single-file. The sun was now not to be seen, and a light snow was falling, gently kissing the previous layers of white laid out on the path ahead of them.
The stallion was nervous, which was uncharacteristic for him, usually always loud and excitable he now had a dark cloud of thoughts flurrying through his head, matching the recent weather. It had been a long time since he had been sent on a mission that didn't just consist of the regular rounds; doing odd errands and checking up on borders...but now he and this almost rag-tag bunch of horses had been assigned a genuinely dangerous task. It didn't help that they were at high enough altitude in the bleak mountains to feel almost completely secluded. Iden shook his mane out, deciding not to dwell on the possibilities of what lay ahead. Silence had snuck through the group as a whole, and as Iden glanced around, he realised was really not very well acquainted with anyone... Under normal circumstances, Iden would be the first to try and make some friends right away, but something really had his nerves under a vice at the moment; something he wasn't used to feeling in the slightest...
Slowing to a hault, the group of horses had stopped, marking the return of their leader, Darius. Taking the stop for granted, Iden shook the small amount of snow that had collected in his mane and took a gulp of biting cold air. His scarred chest swelled with the breath, calming his nerves somewhat; the stallion knew it wouldn't do anyone any good if he wasn't in the right state of mind when it came time to have your wits about you...
Word Count: 321
Post: #1
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Post by tarriedsea on Dec 19, 2016 15:52:27 GMT -6
 Gods, she was tired of snow. Summer had finally clawed its way to the front, and now here she trod on the cold ground of the North. A constant reminder that everything would return to freeze eventually- it was Onea's default status. She kicked a small rock to the side.
And in her opinion, if anyone asked (which they most certainly hadn't ) The Bloody Flanks were a children's tale, a horror story to frighten younglings and keep them in check. On all her scouting, she'd never heard a breath from them. Heck, her father had never seen them, and he was a senior Raider after all.
So this mission was bullshit, but here she was for sake of not disrupting Hira's delicate organization of ventures.
Not a familiar face looked back at her in this group except one simple mule who looked much more swollen since their last acquaintance. She had to bite her tongue to keep from rolling her eyes.
It was dark, but the looming shadow of the pegasus who led them hovered in her peripheral vision. It was eerie when he blocked the moonlight. What was his name, Darwin? Darneese?
"Nothing behind. Seen anything up here?"
"Just my own frozen ass," she mumbled under her breath.
Oh, and that was another thing- one of the Valkyries with them was a child. A small striped child. Hira's fleet of mares was outstanding in every other circumstance once they had the proper training, but Fox had no confidence in the small fuzzy thing to protect the group from anything. The thing looked 10.
"How do we know when we're there?" she called ahead to the pegasus. "Cloaked by Kaia's moon, every mountain looks the same." She glanced over at the pregnant mule. Maybe she knew this land? Fox was a Scout but had never been to this part of the world, and she was feeling inept.
She pressed her forehooves down on the icy ground, trying to feel any sense of life below. Nothing. The ground was in deep rigor mortis. She wished she could join it.
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Post by NorthernMyth on Dec 19, 2016 19:18:50 GMT -6
Post 1 | Word Count: 736
The flaxen, liver-chestnut mare took in a deep breath. Her coat soaked with water and a thin layer of snow had flurried and settled on her once deep brown coat, along with freezing in her ocean blue mane. The sky roared an orange toned dark blue, with the snow had showed no intent of stopping. Alvane trusted that it wouldn’t, but most likely it would get worse the further they got. “some summer this is” she told herself. Usually she would be patrolling the farmlands and during summer there was no snow. Granted it wasn’t always sunny but it got warmer the further down War Lords Road you got. Alvane was excited when the Word Lord had called upon her for a mission but was soon disappointed when she found that she wouldn’t be going on the escapade alone or even lead it or lead it for that matter. It left a somewhat bitter taste in her mouth and she could be told to be a little childish about it. Pouting most of the first day. She didn’t really know anyone in the group. Maybe on the passing or from a distance but never officially exchanged words. She felt like an outsider being lead away from home. Deeper and deeper into a dead land.
Don’t get her wrong, she was happy to be doing something more up beat rather than chasing away wolves that tried to attack the flocks of Alpana, but she felt like she was chasing up someone's ghost tale or some other writing from a story book her uncle had once told her about. Alvane stepped evenly behind the silver bay, that she was told was named Liam, with the Sabino Mule behind her. Alvane had noticed she was a little chunky. Her back seemed to sink under her cloak and her belly hung lower. It was easily noticeable she was mid-way through pregnancy. She had noticed that the leader, once rejoined the group had glared behind him. Alvane’s first thought was the her was looking at her but quickly realised it was in fact Clarke. Well it was less of a glare and more of a worried disdained look, but Alvane could bet that Clarke would have her back better that the two inexperienced Valkyries that sat at the back of the line. Especially the 9 hand zonkey. There was no lie that Alvane had attempted to talk Hira down once the others had left. Though of course to no avail. The War Lord had proven stubborn and turned Alvane away when she tried to tell her, her claims. It wasn't that she didn't like her or didn't want her there, but it was in-fact for the packs safety and Addeva own safety. Alvane hated to admit it but if the pack was to become under attack or ambushed the pint-sized pony wouldn't be able to protect herself. Let alone protect any of the others.
Alvane looked around her shoulder at her short sword, checking for the the 12th time that day if it was still sheathed in its place. The blade had been sent to her weeks prior by her uncle with an note attached "Happy Birthday Kiddo - Uncle". Which had made her smile because it was either really late or really early as her birthday was yet another 5 months away. Though it was all the same. She hadn't exactly celebrated her birthday since her father had disappeared. So it was nice to be gifted something so handy.
"How do we know when we're there?" The mare that was announced to Alvane by the name of Fox seemed to yell ahead "Cloaked by Kaia's moon, every mountain looks the same." She seemed to proclaimed. Alvane knew that they were still going in the same direction because of the possessions of the moon's. As long as the moons stayed to the left hoof side of them they would be going in the right direction, up until the sun rose anyway. Of course it depended on the season. Though the two horses at the front probably already knew this, as it was something her father and the older scouts had taught her if she ever got lost. Alvane settled her head again and set her eyes on the ground in-front of her but tried to listen past the crunching of hooves on snow from the pack.
Oops I did too much
Woop for being my biggest post yet |
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Post by Svantanon on Dec 19, 2016 20:58:50 GMT -6
It wasn’t that she didn’t like going on dangerous missions or anything. Really.
Alyshia, after all, had been born for this sort of thrill. She’d dreamed of galloping across the landscape in search of foes to pummel and secrets to unearth for as long as she could remember, and quite honestly, her heart still leaped at the thought that Hira—their leader, mentor, and hero—had entrusted Aly with a mission as serious as this one. That was big. That meant something to her. Finally, after months of diligent training and hard work, she’d earned herself a spot in an actual serious mission. Beyond the shock and the few twinges of anxiety, the mare was admittedly excited.
The only thing tempering her good mood was the aforementioned anxiety-twitches (missions were dangerous, after all, but it wasn’t anything she couldn’t handle… right? Right!), the endless amount of worrying that her father was likely going through back home, and the fact that her sister was here. And it should be noted that it wasn’t as though Alyshia didn’t have faith in Addeva’s capabilities, for she’d seen her little sister in action during training. The zonkey could hold her own in plenty of sparring sessions. But… that was the thing. Addeva was still her little sister. She could be an all-powerful deity with every destructive power from every lore-book in Onea and Aly would still wince at the idea of her sister facing a group of rebel outcasts. They were family, after all. It was her job to worry.
… And it wasn’t anyone else’s. As blissfully ignorant as Addy was of their companions, Alyshia had more easily caught the dubious glances and brief miserable glares at the tiny Valkyrie, and it made the spotted mare bristle defensively. As she returned each look with a glower of her own, she found herself wishing—not for the first time that day—that Hira had made this an all-valk party. At least then it would have been people that Aly knew. She didn’t know any of these people. They were all older scouts who must be thinking about how much better off they’d be without two random fighters with them (ha! They’d thank them later when a bear attacked or something.) Aly didn’t expect them to be thrilled about this arrangement, but she expected at least some sense of courtesy… more for Addeva’s sake than hers. For Godsakes, they had a pregnant scout with them! These hypocritical little--
The scout leader flew in, then, his greeting muffled just slightly by the snowy winds. Addeva was quick to respond, as were a couple of the others. Aly could only force out a “No, sir,” as the scout ahead of her—some brownish mare with white speckles on her face—asked how they were supposed to know when they’d reached their destination.
Alyshia took a small breath, trying to get over her stupid social qualms for her more eager sister’s sake, and added:
“Are there any landmarks or… other signs we should look out for, sir?”
Ergh, I bet someone’s going to say something like ‘Bloody Flank horses, idiot--’
“Aside, from the obvious, sir,” Aly finished a little more stiffly.
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Post: 1
Word Count: 533
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Post by Queerly on Dec 20, 2016 9:01:10 GMT -6
 It isn't much longer before one of you spots lights in the distance. At first, it seems a fortunate discovery: your quarry has been found. But as you push on, squinting through the snow, you realize the lights are more numerous than they should be. The Bloody Flanks are supposed to be a small, dying clan with little to their name, and yet as you reach an overlook, you see a formidable encampment with three permanent structures and several temporary structures made of ice and snow. You'll need a closer look to make your report... be careful, for there are no trees to use as cover. |
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Post by hey-stardust on Dec 20, 2016 14:02:00 GMT -6
Clarke | War Forged | Scout:
You don't know what you've got until you've lost it all,
I suggest you find a softer place to fall.
Scouting had long been a source of comfort for Clarke, and a mission like this one would have usually driven her curiosity through the roof; confirming that the Bloody Flanks were indeed more than just a few disgruntled horses of old that clung bitterly to the ways of the past was a fascinating, but disconcerting prospect, one that would surely raise questions among the Forged as to how they exactly managed to build such a force right under the War Lord’s nose… However, after the knock she had suffered to her self-confidence in the field, meant that she was finding herself rather more emotionally susceptible than she was used to, feeding into -almost- everyone’s sour mood, and dragging her own disposition right down with them instead of focusing all her energy into the assignment at hoof. ---
Clarke shook her neck, releasing some of the icy slick from her damp mane. The wind seemed to be getting worse, each gust feeling like thousands of tiny blades were digging into her skin all at once, and the mule promptly shuddered at the touch. Distracting herself so she would not dwell on the past, she pondered if Darius might try to take to the sky again, as he seemed rather displeased with their ‘slow’ progress. If he was anything like Kell, the pegasus who was often guided by arrogance over sense, it seemed quite probable. She was willing to bet good money that if he did try to fly again, he was more than likely to end strung up in the bare branches of the forest now standing stark behind them, and if so, would be inclined to leave him there; at least, for a little while. She could not deny pegasi had unique attributes that offered them, -quite literally-, a new angle on things, but Onea had a way of humbling all who traversed Kaia’s mountains, and she was willing to take the vicious weather change as a warning sign to not push their luck.
Remaining on edge and keeping a keen, but roving eye on her surroundings as they pressed on through the heavy snow meant that she was able to catch yet another dirty look given to her from their party, though this time it came from the white flecked chestnut, Fox. Clarke was able to recall how she knew the mare, not from the recent bridge collapse that had stranded them both, but simply from the look of contempt that she had now had the pleasure of being served not once, but twice, on completely separate occasions no less. She could honestly not think of what she had done that might have offended the mare in the past, and then found she genuinely couldn’t bring herself to care enough to press the matter further. As it were, she had indeed skirted the borders of this place a couple of times on missions, but there had never been a reason to go beyond them, not until now. It was easy enough to tell that they remained on the right track however, for the rest of Onea had been given a brief respite from the bite of winter with a glimpse of summer, but here, here the bitter blizzards never ceased, constantly caressing the already stricken land. So the mule offered Fox no words of assurance, just a smirk and mechanical wave of her ears in jest; happy to let her stew in whatever insecurities she seemed to have running about in her- A flicker caught her eye, and Clarke threw her head up suddenly. Was that…? Ears snapping forward, she broke free of the formation, her oversized stomach brushing up against Alvane as she jogged past, seeking a better vantage point whilst her gaze remained fixated into the distance. Night had crept upon them all too quickly, and pinpricks of soft light had begun to appear before them, though they did not belong to a single, desolated cabin… no, they were lighting up an entire village. Pulling up short before the overlook, Clarke studied what lay ahead of them. Whatever, whoever, lived here was apparently far from a simple foals tale told to keep children quiet and in their beds.
“There’s your landmark…”
She spoke softly, exhaling a deep breath and refusing to take her eyes off the settlement, trying to scrap together whatever intel she could from so far away. Word Count: 736 | Post: #2
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Post by songsofinfinity on Dec 20, 2016 22:45:10 GMT -6
Darius flicked snow off his ears as several of the group responded to his question.
"Nothing but snow."
“No, sir."
"Just my own frozen ass."
That last was from Fox. He stifled a laugh that was only half bitter and nodded. Before he could speak again, however, several of them started asking what he'd been wondering. Why were they out here? What, exactly, where they looking for? He took a deep breath. While he was grateful he'd avoided these questions so far, the fact remained that he did not have the answers. That bothered him; it had been itching at his mind since they'd left Skeldr Town. What was Hira thinking, sending them up here to look for "signs of the Bloody Flanks"? They probably knew less about what he was looking for than he did. That didn't help his team, though.
He snorted hard and realized his ears were inching back along his neck in anger. Annoyed at himself he righted them and pulled himself together. The wind was picking up, and it was quickly getting too dangerous to fly. It was snowing harder, too, though the flakes were still small and most of the snow in the air was the soft powder that lay over the hard crust of ice they walked on. He let their questions hang in the icy air for another moment before he started to answer.
"Well-"
Clarke started walking away.
Kill me now. "What are you..." Darius trailed off as she snapped to attention. Had she seen something? He took off at a canter to catch up to her, floundering through the snow and breaking through the ice crust several times before he reached her side.
“There’s your landmark…”
Lights. Dozens of scattered, glowing lights. Darius couldn't see much, not with the wind and snow, but there seemed to be rather more than he'd expected. Weren't the Bloody Flanks supposed to be a tiny, scattered remnant of a clan? He could count at least two permanent structures down there, with several scattered buildings of ice and snow radiating out from them. Permanent structures? How was that possible out here, in this cold, without the necessary materials?
That was the least of their concerns. He nodded to Clarke in appreciation, then turned and headed back to the group, walking this time; it was faster than trying to run.
"We've found them." The wind was growing worse, and he found himself raising his voice so he could be heard. "There's several dozen lights over that ridge, probably about a half-mile out. There looks to be more of them than we expected, so we're going to have to move carefully from here on out. In fact, we're probably close to any scouts or guards they might have. For now I want us to keep together until we're a little closer. For now my orders are: move carefully, be on the lookout for scouts, and follow me. I want to get a little closer and figure out what exactly we're up against, and I'm going to need every one of you to be on top of your game." He nodded, indicating that he was done, and trotted towards Liam. He stepped close enough that he could keep his voice a little lower. "I need your help to keep an eye on the others, especially the little one. I'm not specifically setting you on babysitting duty, but if this goes downhill I need you to try and keep the valkyries out of trouble."
With that he turned and led the way around the ridge, which sloped downwards towards the south. It would be a little longer, but it wouldn't show them against the skyline, which, if he didn't miss his guess, would be helpful for all of them.
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Post: 2
Word Count: 637
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Post by NorthernMyth on Dec 21, 2016 9:15:31 GMT -6
Post 2 | Word Count: 362
Alvane’s silence didn’t last for long. The pregnant mare quickly brushed passed her and she almost snap at her for the miss conduct. She didn’t like other touching her. If she wasn't okay or comfortable with it she sure as hell was about to let everyone one know in the vicinity. Alvane opened her mouth, but quickly closed it again when she realised that Clarke had spotted something in the midst of the snow storm. She watched as Darius quickly caught up with the mare, Alvane didn’t hesitate to move forward, closer to the two. She wanted to know what they seen. Though they already began turning back when Alvane had gotted at least 5 steps closer.
Clarke and Darius regrouped with the rest of the pack. “We’ve found them” It was music to Alvane’s ears. She quickly clutched her sword, ready for action. But of course the leader had other ideas. The mare tucked her head, laying her ears back and gritted her teeth. “Why don’t we strike now and give ourselves a head start” Always be one step ahead was her thought. But had no regard for the others safety. "Or atleast split up into groups" It was all a game of chess. Sooner or later they would be backed into a corner, circled, and either have to surrender or die to protect Warforged. The mare stood impatiently, pouting at her leader because she already knew the answer. But there was no stealth in a long line of horses walking around a civilised area. There was bound to have scouts everywhere around here if they hadn't already been spotted by now. There was a small resentment towards the pegasus and the blue haired mare tried to bite her tongue. With every moment the simple snow storm became more like a blizzard and the mare had began shivering a little, either because of the cold or the adrenalin. She held back from the pack as they began moving, joining back onto the end. Though not for her own safety but perhaps the opposite and it was to make sure they weren't snuck up on.
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Post by notadonkey on Dec 21, 2016 14:01:10 GMT -6
Addeva War Forged | Valkyrie Of course she'd noticed the glares and resentful stares from the others in their patrol. The young zonkey did her best to ignore them, looking straight forward into the snowfall which seemed to be getting more and more angry as they stood there. They didn't know how hard her and her sister worked everyday, nor how well they did in action. There's a reason why they worked so close to Hira. But whatever, she was fine with Alyshia being her only ally here even though they all had the same freaking goal. She was grateful to her sister more than anything, especially for glaring at the ones who shot them nasty looks, and stood close to her as she spoke to Darius. Addeva shook her mane out, the bits of snow flying here and there as she did so. Her ears perked as suddenly the mule broke formation to reach the edge of the nearby slope. "There's your landmark damn..." After hearing that, the small hybrid wasted no time in catching up to Clarke and those who had already followed. Addeva peered over the edge, her brow knitting together in disbelief at the Bloody Flanks settlement. There they are, real as ever. Her heart sped up as excitement and adrenaline rushed through her bones, immediately wanting to get closer. Her wish was granted as the pegasus relayed his orders, and she nodded in agreement before turning back to look out into the dozens of lights that stared back at them. There was nothing but danger out there, but that fueled nothing but Addeva's determination to gather more information for Hira. Looking back, Darius was on the move. And so she followed suit, passing by the pouting mare who wanted to lunge into battle. She too wanted to jump right into action, but even Addeva knew they were obviously very much outnumbered. As they moved down the slope, the zonkey looked around with bright blue eyes to make sure she didn't spot any fresh tracks from a roaming scout, her ears on a swivel. Addeva looked back to see if Alyshia was following, knowing full well that if things got ugly, at least she had her back. She so wanted to chat with her sister excitedly, but held her tongue as they moved forward. ---- Post #2 | 387 words |
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Post by tarriedsea on Dec 21, 2016 14:49:25 GMT -6
"Kaia above," she whispered, jaw dropping.
How long had the traitors been growing here? This encampment was so far north, summer would never reach them. How did anyone survive this far away from the temperate lowlands? They were so far past any trade routes, and it's not like they wandered into Skeldr Town on a daily basis for commerce. They had to have their own economic system. Self-sufficient.
"Maybe they're just Vagabonds..." her voice trailed. Even as the words exited her mouth, she knew it was a hopeless assignment. Vagabonds would never set up an expansive permanent settlement in Onea.
The lights indicated buildings flickering like a sleepy town tucked in for the night. Like a snoozing giant.
Right under Hira's nose.
Fox looked behind her. The eerie shadow of Mount Skeldr towered behind them in the distance. The mountain was always a northern landmark in her vision. Seeing it from this angle was like seeing the dark side of the moon- a stranger watching their plight.
Darius was speaking to Liam. Was that his second in command on this? Her skin prickled with annoyance. Oh, sure, ask the stallion how to proceed. Mares were just dumb companions, right?
Alvane said something about striking now, and a red-hot alarm flashed through Fox's mind.
"Wait!" she barked, stomping her foot & punching through a thin layer of ice. "We were asked to make a report. Not walk right into our deaths."
"We don't know where their boundaries are. They could have traps up here. Triggers. Not all of us are armed." She hadn't expected a confrontation, and she certainly hadn't expected the size of the territory they found. She carried no weapons on her- hadn't even considered it. Then again she was under the impression they'd be given some larger, more experienced Valkyries. Or a Raider. Something more than the little fuzzy zonkey who trotted past her at a crisp plod.
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Post by Svantanon on Dec 21, 2016 19:39:02 GMT -6
And then… a miracle.
Or as her father might have seen it, a dark omen.
“There’s your landmark,” Clarke muttered as they all turned to regard the cluster of lights in the distance.
For a moment, Alyshia could only stare at the sight below them. An encampment—no, a village, a tiny fortress in its own right—rested in the heart of a snowy valley in a world all its own, beyond everything they knew of Onea’s domain. The Bloody Flanks… after all this time…
They had not faded from memory, as the War-Forged had thought for so long. No. In the face of all odds, they had somehow flourished in this frozen wasteland, growing like weeds in the shadow of a realm that had turned its back on them so long ago.
“It’s… impossible.”
“Maybe they’re just vagabonds…” one scout started before cutting off, and Alyshia winced. It wasn’t hard to understand why the white-faced mare let her words trail. Vagabonds didn’t bother setting up exile towns in the middle of another herd’s land.
Vagabonds…
Her nostrils flared, drawing in deep breaths as she stamped her forehoof through the snow.
This won’t be like the last time. This is different. I am not alone. I am wiser. I am stronger. I can do this.
“Darius. What do we…” the mare tried and failed to speak above the rising winds as the pegasus immediately began barking orders.
“… For now I want us to keep together until we're a little closer. My orders are: move carefully, be on the lookout for scouts, and follow me. I want to get a little closer and figure out what exactly we're up against, and I'm going to need every one of you to be on top of your game."
Shoving away all twinges of antsy bewilderment, Alyshia gave the scout leader a fierce nod, responding with a forceful “Yes, sir!” as the party slowly shuffled down the slope. No more of these pestering, nagging doubts. The time for action and surety was now. And these were two things that a Valkyrie did best.
“I’ve got your back,” the mare murmured to Addeva as she followed the zonkey through the swirling flakes. And in spite of everything, her sister’s enthusiasm almost made her smile.
“Why don’t we strike now and give ourselves a head start? Or at least split up into groups."
The mare flattened her ears. “…In this weather?” she questioned with a quiet, tense tone, already making a mental note to stick with Addeva no matter what the damned scouts told her to do. “At night?”
The next equine to speak up wasn’t so kind. "We were asked to make a report. Not walk right into our deaths! We don't know where their boundaries are. They could have traps up here. Triggers. Not all of us are armed."
“That’s what you have us for,” the Valkyrie blurted out without thinking, and her jaws clenched in private scolding. Godsdammit, she was here to play bodyguard, not go blabbing like some sort of awkward braggart!
“I… mean…” she began more carefully. “Addeva and I are here… to do whatever is necessary to ensure everyone’s safety. But I think we’d best do that as a group. We should wait and see what we’re dealing with before splitting anyone up.”
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Post: 2
Word Count: 551
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Post by hey-stardust on Dec 23, 2016 13:30:27 GMT -6
Clarke | War Forged | Scout:
You don't know what you've got until you've lost it all,
I suggest you find a softer place to fall.
Clarke flicked an ear back, listening to the pegasus floundering through the snow behind her, though she left the scene before them both to answer his broken query. It did not take long for the rest of their ensemble to follow suit, expressions all twisting into similar looks of disbelief as they too, managed to get a look in. It seemed their arduous journey had not been in vain after all… far from it, in fact.
As Darius made the decision to shepherd them back down the mountainside, the mule still remained apart from the line up, meandering beside whoever could keep pace. She was tired of -figuratively- losing her nose to the backside of another horse whenever they unearthed a particularly slick patch of ice and had to slow down to regain their footing.
Listening with growing distaste as most of the group met their leader’s sentiments with blind support and devotion, Clarke found herself readily aligning with the concerns Fox raised. Was common sense amongst the herd really so rare? The blatant eagerness in which the majority of their assembly wished to waste their lives on such a foolish venture seemed, quite frankly, staggering.
Flicking her tail in irritation across her back legs and mouth pulling into a frown as she walked, Clarke threw her own blunt questions out into the frigid air.
“What, exactly are you planning if we do happen to get caught? All of us may be of the Forged, but alone we are not an army against the likes of that."
Thinking quickly, she wondered if Darius knew more about Hira's original request than he had let on, and took another dig at him, keeping her voice low.
“Did the War Lord herself have a parley deal in mind if we found them, or were you just planning on offering them your head and hoping it's sufficient?”
Ironically, she alone probably had the best chance of infiltrating the encampment unscathed if it did come to conflict, for what better sob story than a runaway bride, who's birth clan had denied the petition to keep the 'beloved' child she carried?
Getting out again to relay anything pertinent to the Stone Circle or similar however... well, seemed unlikely.
Word Count: 373 | Post: #3 |
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Post by tarriedsea on Jan 3, 2017 15:44:03 GMT -6
Fox's ears snapped back against her skull when the Valkyrie blurted out.
"I don't mean to be rude. I'm sure your training has you very well... prepared for all sorts of foes in Kaia's wilderness." Fox was getting more impatient by the second, only half-believing what she was saying. In truth she didn't know if Alyshia could swat a dead fly. "I just fear we're stepping into more than we can handle."
But surprising herself, she found herself nodding in agreement to Aly's next sentiment: "We’d best do that as a group."
Another voice pecked the conversation. "All of us may be of the Forged, but alone we are not an army against the likes of that.""
Even the bloated mule was starting to make sense.
As the rest of the group settled into chatter, she heard a low voice among them. She cocked an ear in the mule's direction. Only pieces of what she said reached Fox's ear.
parley deal... offering your head... sufficient
Actually, the mule brought up a good point. Did Hira give anyone else a plan of action? Darius would know, the Valkyries would probably know, but it wouldn't be surprising if the Scouts were kept in the dark. They were always last to know.
Feeling a new kinship with the mule from their similar positions on the matter at hand, Fox inserted herself into the exchange, shouldering in beside Darius.
"Oh yes, do tell what our Lord wants us to do, with the mighty army she has assembled here. I'm positive our martyrdom would tickle her fancy." She let the sarcasm seep through with all its volatile intention. She knew Hira didn't intend for them to attack the settlement, as the Valkyries numbered two total and Raiders zero. If Hira wanted war, she'd have sent real warriors. They had gone far enough north, they saw enough of the settlement to make a numeric estimate on the Flank's population, and every step forward breathed the suicide of the mission.
In fact, if they all turned around right now and headed home, Fox wouldn't argue.
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Post by NorthernMyth on Jan 4, 2017 2:30:39 GMT -6
Post 3 | Word Count: 571
Alvane flicked her ears back and forth at the disapproving voices to her ideas of a plan. Yes sure, sticking together was better for numbers but splitting into two would cover more ground and would be a lot more quieter and less suspect than all eight of them crunching around in the snow, whispering under their breaths. Alvane bit her lip and opened her mouth to speak again before the chestnut, snow splashed mare interrupted her.
"We don't know where their boundaries are. They could have traps up here. Triggers. Not all of us are armed." Alvane glanced back at her blue stained steel short-sword and rolled her eyes. Again she was right but yet Alvane found herself bickering in her own head “We might be just scouts, but we should always be prepared for battle, weapon by our side, in cases needed for survival” She relayed her Uncle's words in her head. The words repeated to her everyday and her, herself had to repeat.
The dark coated Valkyrie spoke up, “That’s what you have us for” she had replied to Fox. Alvane struggled to keep in her laughter and light scoffing could be heard in her direction. She almost felt she had to turn around to control herself and she could already feel daggered eyes being thrown her way, but she didn’t care. It had been the funniest thing she had heard all week. Though the Valk corrected herself and Alvane again tried to put on a straight face.
Alvane wasn’t sure what to think anymore. Had no one been given a plan ? She thought it was a simple go there, see what you find, comeback and report. Now what they found had clearly blown out of proportion and the simple 8 horse band wasn’t enough for this sort of thing, trained or not.
Clarke and Fox continued and both aimed their conversation towards Darius. Perhaps she could slip away, no one was exactly paying attention to her. She would be quicker and quieter by herself. Not to mention she wouldn’t have to cover anyone or endanger anyone. A quick scout around the place and back out as quick as possible. Easy, Right? “No that would be selfish and careless” she again thought to herself. Letting out a sigh.
“Uhh guys, can we make a decision quickly, We have been standing bickering about this, longer that I would like” She interrupted them crudely “What if scouts have seen us and are gathering their soldiers right now ?” Another thought ran past he mind. “We are at least 2 days travel away from Skeldr.” She stopped and added “depending if Mrs. Preggo over here decides to give birth on the way back” She pointed out Clarke, ready for incoherent bickering to come back at her. But she wasn’t exactly wrong. “We need to decided now! We can have a snoop around and get caught and maybe die fighting … or leave now and possible be home in time for tomorrow's supper” The blue haired mare grumped a little. Now feeling a little on edge, like someone was now watching. She tossed her head up to fix the icey cold, tangled forelock out of her eyes. “I’m all up for playing hero but right now we need to decide.” Another puff of warm mist escaped her lips and it fluttered away to the blizzard that surrounded them.
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Post by songsofinfinity on Jan 4, 2017 11:50:42 GMT -6
"No fine work can be done without concentration and self-sacrifice and toil and doubt." - Max Beerbohm
Darius sighed, but the noise was lost in the wind. The objections raised were reasonable ones, but they seemed to have forgotten the snow that swirled around them, veiling them from prying eyes. Even the trees on the slopes were fuzzy and out-of-focus, standing like dark sentinels on the mountainside.
He did not want to split the group up, not yet, not while the snow and their distance from the camp could still hide them. Even with a group as large as theirs the weather would hide them long enough for them to get a clearer look at the camp, assuming they could all stop bickering and decide on a course of action. He very nearly snapped at Fox when she started throwing jabs at the others. He did not have time to deal with this. They didn't have time to deal with this.
He wished Hira had been more clear when she'd told him the plan, but he didn't fault her for it. No one could have guessed the Bloody Flanks would have such a large settlement, not even their careful leader. With another sigh he spoke. "I understand your concerns, but I don't plan on taking all of us too much closer to the camp. That said, we have to know more. If any of you want to go back and tell Hira, 'oh, yes, we found a huge camp, but we don't know any more than that because we didn't want to go any closer,' you be my guest, but I'll take anyone who's willing with me over this next ridge." He eyed everyone, focusing his attention on Alvane, Fox, and Clarke. "And one more thing. I will not have in-fighting. I refuse to babysit a bunch of grown adults. If you can't handle that, I suggest you turn around and head right back to Skeldr Town. There is no room for that behavior here."
He stood silent for a moment, watching their reactions, then turned sharply back towards the ridge.
Post: 3 Word Count: 357
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Post by Svantanon on Jan 4, 2017 12:16:55 GMT -6
Alyshia stiffened as she heard a light scoff thrown in her direction. She whipped her head, glaring accusingly at the mare who thought her words to be so funny, but before she could decide whether she was going to say anything about it, Fox responded a little more politely.
“I don't mean to be rude. I'm sure your training has you very well... prepared for all sorts of foes in Kaia's wilderness. I just fear we're stepping into more than we can handle."
“No, I… I understand,” the Valkyrie relaxed a little, forcibly ignoring the other scout’s scorn in favor of a more civilized argument. “This is… definitely more than we were expecting. If we are going closer, though—”
Things began to take an uglier turn when the others began questioning Darius with tense words and scornful tones, and that one mare started hurrying everyone along for a decision, Alvane—right, that was her name, that snobby bi—
When another scout threw a jab at the warlord, Aly found herself bristling. “I would hardly think—”
"I understand your concerns,” Darius finally responded, putting an end to the bickering. Alyshia sharply returned her attention to him, hoping to the gods that he indeed had some sort of strategy in mind, or at least some sort of useful information that Hira had given them. “But I don't plan on taking all of us too much closer to the camp. That said, we have to know more. If any of you want to go back and tell Hira, 'oh, yes, we found a huge camp, but we don't know any more than that because we didn't want to go any closer,' you be my guest, but I'll take anyone who's willing with me over this next ridge."
"And one more thing. I will not have in-fighting. I refuse to babysit a bunch of grown adults. If you can't handle that, I suggest you turn around and head right back to Skeldr Town. There is no room for that behavior here."
Ouch. Point... taken.
Taking in a long, deep inhale, the spotted mare gave a stiff nod and a softer stamp of her forehoof. “Understood, sir. I will follow you over this ridge, as will Addeva.”
And damn anyone who thought they were incapable of venturing over one more goddamned hill. As hard as she tried to fight it down, Aly had a bad feeling that she may have to prove herself to the scouts very soon.
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Post: 3
Word count: 413
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Post by notadonkey on Jan 6, 2017 3:31:12 GMT -6
Addeva
War Forged | Valkyrie
She cracked a small smile as Aly told her she had her back, which of course she knew, but being among all this negativity is really giving the young zonkey an awful headache and a distaste for these scouts.
Addeva walked close to Alyshia as the rest of the scouts bickered, her strides clearly much smaller than her older sister's. She agreed with every word she said and wanted SO badly to speak up alongside her. But Addeva wasn't stupid, she knew she had little to no respect from the rest of the patrol. Her time would come to prove to them that she wasn't some child. THEY were the ones acting like children, especially the dark colored mare that calls herself Alvane. She shot her daggers as she somehow thought this whole thing was funny, having the guts to laugh at her sister. Addeva's teeth clenched, fighting the urge to say something to the horse that decided to make her mane freaking blue.
Her attention moved to the winged patrol leader as he spoke, nodding her head once as he responded.
"I refuse to babysit a bunch of grown adults. If you can't handle that, I suggest you turn around and head right back to Skeldr Town. There is no room for that behavior here."
HAH. The zonkey nearly broke out in laugher as Darius called the others out, but instead it came out as a short amused snort. Even the patrol leader thought this was ridiculous. Despite that, Addeva nodded her head in agreement with her sister as she brushed her shoulder against Aly's leg, her way of saying "hey good job handling all of that, we totally got this, can you believe how unruly these scouts are?" Buuuuuut she'll tell her that later.
"Understood!" Addeva echoed Aly, fully ready to continue this mission.
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post #3 | 312 words
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Post by hey-stardust on Jan 8, 2017 11:15:23 GMT -6
Clarke | War Forged | Scout:
You don't know what you've got until you've lost it all,
I suggest you find a softer place to fall.
Sorely tempted to sink her teeth into the indecisive Alvane as she continued to run her mouth off, the mule just managed to restrain herself from doing so by merely offering dismissive eye roll at the barrage of word vomit.
Clarke had planned to leave the matter at that until... that was, the mare felt the need to point out her obvious, cumbersome condition.
“... Depending if Mrs. Preggo over here decides to give birth on the way back.”
Clarke paused briefly in the snow, head turning to lock gazes cooly with Alvane; her own words ringing back clear and concise in the frigid air, making it painfully obvious as to whom the insult was meant for. “Yes, it would be rather a shame to have to babysit two foals on this mission."
Without waiting for a rebuttal, she started moving again. With everyone doubting one another’s abilities, this was surely one of the poorest scouting parties she had ever had the displeasure of being a part of.
The mule had found herself becoming rather put off by the Valkyries behaviour too, despite having no real qualms with them -yet- as the others did. She was irked at the way Alyshia treated Darius, as though she was still wet behind the ears and at her mother’s teat. He had done nothing of merit to earn their respect, at least, not as far as she could tell; but he was the only one they addressed with pleasant, if kiss ass formalities.
When Darius dismissed their concerns -as she had anticipated he would-, and offered merely over-confidence instead of an actual, solid plan of action, if things continued to fracture as they were well... she would take her leave from the group once they crested the hill.
The idea of feasibly trekking home alone was not comforting, but it felt like more sound proposition than anything else currently on offer.
Word Count: 319 | Post: #4
[SHAKES JAR OF BEES] |
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Post by Svantanon on Jan 9, 2017 19:58:27 GMT -6
Feeling something fuzzy and warm brush against her, Alyshia looked down briefly to see her younger sister communicating frustration in the most subtle way she could find. The mare couldn't help smiling just a little, although she kept silent. It would be wise to not agitate anyone any further--
“Yes, it would be rather a shame to have to babysit two foals on this mission."
--And quite suddenly it was Alyshia's turn to stifle laughter. Her own attempts, however, were far more successful than Alvane's. It could easily have been mistaken for a sneeze, or even her just trying to warm her nostrils after all this unpleasant, yet all too familiar, cold.
As the expecting mule made her way down the slope, Alyshia followed suit. There was no use doing anything else, and with Darius's orders being clear and final, they might as well finally do what they'd come here to do. The valkyrie scanned the town as well as she could, blinking away snowflakes and squinting against the blinding blues and whites of the surrounding landscape. So far, she could see nothing else other than what had already been confirmed.
Far too many lights for their own liking.
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Post: 4
Word Count: 201
Hope no one minds! I just kinda wanted to do a little something for Aly to show she was, idk, doing stuff |D I tried to not make it interfere with any incoming angry bees.
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Post by songsofinfinity on Jan 10, 2017 14:26:27 GMT -6
"No fine work can be done without concentration and self-sacrifice and toil and doubt." - Max Beerbohm
Darius glanced behind to see who was following. The little Valkyries were close behind, and he had to admit what they lacked in age they made up for in willingness to fight. That might prove to be a disadvantage if it came to fighting, which it probably wouldn't. It was always best to be prepared, however.
The group seemed to be quickly loosing faith in him, and, frankly, he wasn't surprised. He was a scout, he wasn't used to leading missions like these. There was a reason he always worked alone, and when he did have to deal with a group, he strongly preferred to be one of the followers, if only so he didn't have to come up with the plans himself. He was a tracker, a hunter. Not a warrior.
Again the pine trees on the slope ahead caught his attention. The snow was coming down thick and fast, the wind picking up, and all he could see were vague dark shapes against the whiteness of the snow. They moved in the wind, and... wait. There hadn't been trees there before, had there? He glanced to the side, back at the slope they'd come from. There were some lone pines there. He stared at them, then squinted up at the trees in front of him.
Those weren't trees. Those were Bloody Flanks.
There seemed to be about five or six of them, moving slowly, and they were a fair distance away yet. They looked to be coming from the north, away from the town. Perhaps a hunting party returning? As he started to turn back towards the others to warn them he heard a shout, carried to him over the howling wind. They'd been spotted.
Darius turned sharply on his heel, closing the gap between himself and the Valkyries in a few long strides. "Bloody Flanks, on the hill! Follow me!" Another few jumps through the thick snow and he'd reached the rest of the group. "There's a group of Bloody Flanks on the hill, possibly guards. We have to go!"
This was becoming a disaster, and he'd led them right into it.
Post: 4 Word Count: 379
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Post by NorthernMyth on Jan 10, 2017 18:06:50 GMT -6
Post 4 | Word Count: 330
+10 AP +10CS
The blue haired mare perked her ears up to Darius, who had obviously had enough. A smirk crossed Alvane’s face and and it froze there. She watched as Darius turned himself around and carried on down the ridge. The mare turned herself and let her eyes follow him. Her side stinging as ice crystals slap against her causing her to half close her right eye. Though her eyes wandered past Darius and the line of the imminent structures and found them sitting upon the few trees in the distance, She barely noticed the two Valk’s following on behind him. “Hmph, Nothing but a bunch of sheep” Quickly looking them up and down. Though she turned her head to look over the others and caught eyes with Clarke. “Yes, it would be rather a shame to have to babysit two foals on this mission." Alvane’s ears perked up at the mare’s sly comment but and her smirk turned into a grin. “I’ll take that as a complement.”
Her attention went back to the tree’s. They seemed off, misplaced in the middle of nowhere. A few breaths escaped her mouth. Trying to think why in hell they were there. It’s not like someone just decided to plant them there, right? And then something clicked. “Those … Those aren’t tree’s” she tried to say aloud but she was sure her voice was lost in the blizzard. Her smile dropped from her face. “THOSE AREN'T TREES” She yelled out to the rest of the group and she could already see that Darius had figured it out. She leaped up to the group again. “Alright Kids, Its playtime!” She barked, unleashing her sword and it blue tinted blade made a sharp metallic tone as if to scream a war cry and ready to spring into action. Alvane's heart raced with excitement in the hopes of seeing some action. Perhaps this wasn't a waste of time after all.
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Post by Queerly on Jan 11, 2017 1:18:21 GMT -6
You've been spotted by three Bloody Flank guards, and they're already hot on your keisters. Don't be a hero - flee! [Three Volunteers should man one BF NPC each!] |
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Post by hey-stardust on Jan 14, 2017 5:31:32 GMT -6
Clarke | War Forged | Scout:
You don't know what you've got until you've lost it all,
I suggest you find a softer place to fall.
Clarke pulled a face at Alvane’s reply, though she did not turn to look back this time, unsure as to where exactly a compliment lay in an adult being called a literal child.
The mule chose to ignore trying to bait further retorts from the mare as she walked however, too intent with breaking away from the group once she reached the peak of the hill… only to find herself instead pausing upon it and following Darius’s fixed stare, blinking back sleet from her eyes. As shadows by the trees began to move, shifting and breaking apart, she realised that the very thing she had been adamantly trying to get them to avoid the entire trip, had found them.
She stiffened at the sight of horses emerging from the skeletal clutches of the forest, clenching her jaw in frustration at her party’s incessant need to yell and state the obvious, when the raiders were already well aware of their presence, and in hot pursuit.
Unwilling to waste anymore precious time here, she cursed her additional weight and pivoted on her heel, bolting towards home; heroics were not her thing, not today when all fools could still run. Unicorn | Clydesdale x Belgian Warmblood | Grey
- Holding longsword.
Harkened by shouting only just muffled with the persistent, heavy snowfall, a thickset unicorn threw his head up, tapered ears tipping forward to catch the last of the group’s cries.
Exhaling sharply through his nose, the stallion brushed over his sheathed blade with a light touch of telekinesis, comforted by it’s presence before tipping his horn sideways, pointing out the scouting party to his fellow colleagues, and then plunging forward to meet the intruders head on; ice clinging to his feathered legs as he hurtled through the snow drifts.
Word Count: 294 | Post: #5
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Post by Svantanon on Jan 14, 2017 10:34:21 GMT -6
She had stopped paying attention to the trees on the horizon.
She hadn't thought to keep an eye on things that seemed so harmless and idle.
She had only looked to the soft glows in the distant refuge, and nowhere else.
And she had been a fool.
"Bloody Flanks, on the hill! Follow me!" Darius called out to her and Addeva as he hastily retreated, snow flying from the impact of his hooves. Alyshia took one look at where the stallion's eyes had been fixed just moments before, at the 'trees' charging toward them, and she was distinctly aware of her heart thudding in her chest, in her throat. With a quick "go!" to Addeva, the larger Valkyrie turned tail and followed Darius without question, although she took care to not outpace her sister.
"There's a group of Bloody Flanks on the hill, possibly guards. We have to go!"
The remaining scouts reacted all at once. The pregnant mule, unsurprisingly, fled without another word. Aly hoped to the gods that she would have the stamina needed to get herself and her foal out of here. The haughty Alvane remarked on the fact that they weren't trees, only to say something about playtime and act as though she could wipe the whole patrol out if she so desired. Alyshia glanced back over her shoulder and realized with growing dread that the Bloody Flanks were gaining speed. And was that a sword?!
"You idiot!" the spotted mare hissed in spite of herself, halting briefly in front of Alvane to stamp both her forehooves into the ground emphasizingly. "You think we can take them on when they call the rest of the village up here?! RUN!"
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Word Count: 270
Post: 5
If you guys still need an extra Bloody Flank, just let me know and I'll try to whip something up over the weekend!
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Post by kaiimo on Jan 14, 2017 13:04:13 GMT -6
Iden
War-Forged | Scout
Iden had been quietly taking up the rear of the bickering group, listening to the back-and-forth mostly between the mares, and generally decided to keep his own fat mouth shut for fear of causing a world war. Tensions were high, it was true, but for good reason. Heavy snowfall had joined them a while ago, limiting their vision and making their already difficult job even more stressful for everyone. The tall flaxen stallion watched his warm breath hit the freezing air and travel up toward the sky as he half-listened to the nickering going on ahead of him. Something about snow, something about lights...
''Bloody Flanks, on the hill!'' Darius' voice cut through the blizzard, and snapped Iden out of his blissful ignorance.His ears pricked, suddenly following the train of conversation. Bloody Flanks? Blinking, Iden's bright green eyes focused and darted over to the direction on the mountain-side where what they had thought to just be endless trees, were quite clearly moving forwards towards the group at a steady pace. This had to be a dream; in all the arguing, Iden had been nervous at first, with tensions around finding Bloody Flank members, and with the weather worsening, but had hoped it would come to be an easy turn-around...but it was clear that this was not the case.
He watched as the blue-haired mare, Alvane flew to drawing her sword, while Clarke, Darius and the others had turned on their heels and started back the way they had come. The stallion snorted as he made up his mind; retreat was sometimes the best thing to do, and with the ever approaching Flanks hot on their trail, if they lost them at all, it would be a miracle...may as well attempt to stay alive.
WC: 299
Post: #2 |
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Post by NorthernMyth on Jan 14, 2017 17:11:44 GMT -6
Post 5 | Word Count: 341
+1 AP
Alvane watched as Darius and the others began to pass her. She watched the dark misted shapes dance across the snow, heading towards them. Alyshia had stopped in front of her as she stared the black shapes down. “You Idiot” Alvane shot her a look as she carried on her shocked, questioning tone. Alvane’s distanced look changed into a devilish smirk, staining her face with recklessness. “No, I don’t. But those Raiders are going to catch up to the group sooner rather than later and it isn’t going to be a happy ending.” Alvane gave her sword a swing in a circular motion and quickly placed it back into its holder. “I’m going to buy you guys some time” The mare exclaimed “Run, Run and don’t stop. DON’T look back. Ill not be far behind once I lose these goons” Her expression and tone of voice now serious. “Make sure everyone gets home, Make sure Hira knows what they are dealing with” Alvane moved past Alyshia. Noting the distance the three Raiders stood at. Nearing ever slightly.
Turning her head one last time to make sure everyone had gone, the mare leaped down the sloped snow riff, her feet touching down on the slope and basically sliding down on her ass and again leaping off when she was about a meter from the ground. She was now on the same level as the structures. She stood for a few moments. Keeping her eyes on the three moving bodies on the snow up ahead, while keeping her ears open for anyone that she couldn’t see. Doing her best to keep their attention. She wasn’t even sure if they had saw her coming down the ridge but she hoped to the gods they did. She had to keep them away from the fleeing group, at all costs. The mare lowered her head and let out a hard breath, gritting her teeth in the process. Having herself ready to spring into a gallop at any moment.
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