Populate The Great Hunt || SO Populate of Seswenna

[Varin Mortifer]

Varin gave Naniti a slight shrug and slapped it on his bare chest. Getting low he began to sneak into the thick brush. It was eerie how quiet he could be with someone of his stature. He was not afraid to get into uncomfortable positions, if it meant he could get the angle he needed.

Veering a bit from the group, he could sense someone following him. He paid no mind, if they wished to attack him they would be met with a very gruesome end. He was in his prey driven state, more animalistic than humanoid.

He was able to keep his eyes on his crew pretty well. A sudden soft movement in the brush caused him to freeze as he looked towards naami who gave his signal that he spotted the enemy. Varin’s eyes flashed just slightly towards Naami, signaling he saw his sign.

He positioned himself quietly within the thickets. Thorns dug into his flesh drawing a small drip of blood down his cheek as he waited quietly and silently. Hunts always demanded sacrifice, giving some of your life essence was never shied away in his culture, in fact it was a sign of good luck if you drew blood from yourself from nature.

He slowly outstretched his hand, wrapping his fingers around the brambles and gripped them tightly. The pain focused him as more of his life water spilled down his palms. His gaze sharpened as the view of the herd fell upon his sightline. He signaled the crew that he was ready for smoke if it was needed.

He still knew Ghruna was nearby, as long as she did not alert the herd he did not mind the extra company. Slowly he turned his head and his eyes fell towards her, giving a slow nod of acknowledgement.

A respect from one hunter to another, regardless of competition.

He then prepped for the word.

Ghruna | Naniti | Naamino Zuukamano | Lysander von Ascania​

 

[Naamino Zuukamano]

Deep Core
Stewjon
Tags: Lysander von Ascania | Naniti | Varin Mortifer | Ghruna
Wearing
Wielding: Zhaboka, Vibroblade, Length of Fibrocord
​

A familiar feeling settled over him as he and his companions found their place amongst the underbrush and the high-ground. Naamino was used to hunting with far less cover, so the inherent differences were taking some adjustment in his strategy and movement but he felt the pivotal moment draw near. The flick of a tail, a snort of breath, the herd was still restless, aware that predators abound.

He couldn't know for certain that everyone was ready, and he was none the wiser to the addition of Ghruna to their group, but that hunter's intuition ticked down within him like a clock tower nearing noon, ready to chime. Naami took a slow inhale through the nose, steadily exhaling through barely parted teeth.

In one swift motion he sprang up into a run, hefted the zhaboka in his right hand with back arching into a powerful chain of muscle that propelled the weapon forward.

Startled, the herd bolted, most disappearing deeper into the wood, but the big buck targeted by Naami's throw was driven toward the open meadow as planned. Though the zhaboka had flown true, the buck had been quick enough to turn away from the throw. It sported a heavy, bleeding gash across one haunch that trailed rivulets of crimson as it ran.

Not slowing his sprint, the big zabrak thundered forward— certain that his companions would be closing in too.

 

[Darth Strosius]

​

Tags: Madrona A’Mia
--------------------------------------------

Darth Strosius muttered a series of curses under His breath as He all but tore through the undergrowth to catch up to the Neti, trailing some thorny branches and brambles on His robes in the process. She seemed to be taking stock of their route and He didn't wish to interrupt at all. The last thing they needed was to get even more lost in this forest. As He neared Lady Madrona His senses did finally catch onto something aside from the sheer natural life around them.

Something dark, a chilling presence almost. It almost felt familiar but He couldn't quite put His finger on it, the interference of the woods around Him and now clinging to His robes keeping Him from determining anything specific with a simple cursory pass. He'd had to extend His sense properly, but the Neti's remark made Him pause with a sigh. "As it turns out attempting to operate a self-sufficient colony on an arid planet leads to quite the diversification of knowledge. Before we had greenhouses on Formos we used caverns to farm fungi."

When He finally managed to catch up to her they were both seemingly halted in their tracks by the sight of some miniscule figure on a branch ahead. A creature? An apparition? He wasn't certain and Lady Madrona's gasp and subsequent question then response hardly clarified the matter. He didn't think that He'd ever heard her so...excited. "A forest what?" His brows knitted together behind His mask in confusion, His mouth hanging open slightly at the sight of more of the little things running around.

The masked man loosed another curse as the Neti moved to follow the "spirits" even deeper into the forest, having to resume His trudging in a far more frantic manner in order to try and close the distance between them which was growing all too quickly. "Damn-accursed-thorny little-A'Mia get these things to wilt or something!"

 

[Ghruna]

Varin Mortifer Naniti Lysander von Ascania Naamino Zuukamano

Varin's nod reached her through the thicket. She returned it once. She felt reluctant to do so, but she had been seen. Respect given. Respect earned.

The herd shifted. It was restless. Ghruna sank lower, muscles coiled tight, one hand braced against the earth. The other held the spear her father had pressed into her grip.

Third favourite

When Naamino broke from cover, the forest exploded into motion.

The big buck veered through the trees, wounded and furious. She couldn't try and steal that one. She was not a part of this group. Not only would it be disrespectful, but she would have several angry sith closing in around her in moments.

Ghruna ran after the pack.

Her stride was long. She hadn't fully grown into her body yet. Her father was a mountain of a creature. She was tall and lanky still.

The others seemed to have a plan and were coordinated.

She angled herself after a small group that had turned away from the herd. They were huge creatures up close.

She took three shorter strides and launched the spear over arm. It struck the flank of a beast but it kept running.

Ghruna had no desire to claim a trophy she had not earned. She rushed after the trial of blood, hoping her prey would start to lose blood and tire.

She would run it down if she had to. She definitely wasn't losing her father's third favourite spear.

 

[Darth Valar]

Freshly turned earth lay in disarray, the soil still dark and rich from the recent passage of Darth Valar's determined footsteps. Her stride was relentless, despite the thick tendrils of undergrowth that clutched at her shins and ankles, their feeble attempts to restrain her shattered in moments, twisting and breaking underfoot. The trail she left behind was more akin to a hurricane than a passing hunter, a force of nature, unrestrained by the expectations of others.

Beholden only to her own desires and the rare few with power to ensure there were consequences to her actions. In the case of a hunt like this, Valar doubted there were many rules she could break that would be enforced, though those that surely did carried little interest to her regardless. The hunts of others were their own; her victories would be hers and hers alone. The trails of the rest who had gathered here today, a minor nuisance to be ignored and avoided.

Already, power thrummed through her veins, a spark of energy desperate to be given purpose, held within a harsh grip of focus that had pointed it at a simple task.

"You ready?" A feminine voice asked, soft, barely a whisper, yet perfectly clear, as their body shifted, flexible wraps fluttered with the movement, and sheathed blades whistled with the wind through the gap between handle and cover. Another woman responded, their voice bright with keen energy as the hunt had approached, "Absolutely."

The rest of their movements faded with a command, a minor effort of will, disapproving of the tribute offered.

"This is my third favourite spear," proclaimed another, their boisterous voice filled with undeserving pride for what was little more than a weapon, a tool that, for an instance, Valar was tempted to crush. She almost did, regardless of whatever consequences such an act would bring. Loud as they were, the Force offered not only their proclamation, but the echo, a wandering traveller that stumbled its way through tumbling leaves and rattled branches, a reminder of just how well sound travelled in the forests of Stewjon.

Others had spoken as well, a haze of conversations floating in the aether, ready to be seized upon with the zeal of a hungry hound bounding towards its unwitting prey.

"Also, whose the hunk over there and which of you two will introduce me when this is all over?" Caught Valar's attention next, the sound exotic, a tremble to the air that came from words adapted by a mouth that wasn't humanoid, Valar's senses faded just as she noticed the way the wind started to shift through alien lips, the high-pitched whistle felt as much as it was heard in the moments that followed.

The last she heard of the conversation was a perfectly even, "My father is mated."

An unseen pressure restrained the flow, the conversations peetering out until all that had remained was the horn and their release.

Seconds had passed, a blink in the eye, unremarkable if not for the way she pushed onwards. A riot of movement, loud and thunderous in a place that respected silence, an early warning for a prey that would need every advantage.

With a crack of a branch, a bare whisper to most, Darth Valar charged onwards, propelled by the sound of softened ground clumping beneath a hardened hoof, the clench of dirt, and the soggy plop of churned earth. An invitation as clear as day, she followed, her senses stretched beyond mortal limits. It did not take long for the Cerynth to pause; the stench of its breath carried by the hound under her tight grip. A grin, wild and frantic, stretched across her face.

Intent, her stride softened, each step chosen with care, until she moved with little more than a whisper.

The Hunt had begun.

It was only fair that both sides struggled.

Tags: OPEN​

 

[Madrona A’Mia]

Deep Core
Stewjon
Tags: Darth Strosius | Lina Ovmar | Darth Carnifex

"Mm!" Came the enthusiastic but distracted acknowledgment of Alisteri's experience in the realm of mycology. They'd surely discuss it more some other time.

Despite the unwelcoming underbrush, A'Mia's companion kept up well enough and so he was able to see when she abruptly stopped short at the edge of a moonlit clearing. She paused so long it granted him the opportunity to catch up.

"Well this is interesting…"

Exactly what was hard to know without further elaboration. They were faced with a marshy area that gave way to a small lake. A'Mia continued to scan, her strange eyes taking in more detail than what was simply at surface level. Suddenly, she exclaimed in a hushed tone and pointed.

"There! Do you see it? Across the water… there is a shrine on that island."

The "island" in question was little more than a small rise of earth, boulders and a few plants in various stages of growth or decay, with a jutting wall of stone that loomed up in the backdrop. No obvious signs of a shrine were visible but A'Mia could apparently sense it. In favor of her claims, the line of forest spirits started to scamper across the surface of the water, dancing in little groupings toward the destination she'd indicated.

"Only one thing for it," she chirped happily as she glided to the very edge of the marshy territory before setting down her basket of various mushrooms.

Hiking up her skirt just a bit, the woman then rolled her sleeves up and tied her vining hair in a loose knot atop her head as she chatted with Alisteri conversationally. Her tone as casual as if they were merely discussing something in her laboratory, rather than doing strange field work in the middle of the wilderness at night.

"This is a heart of the forest, I can feel the way the roots dive deep here! Think of the pool as lifeblood of a whole section of the woods. I suspect that shrine has something to do with the abundance of energy here. Now, how would you like to do this? I can walk along the bottom of the lake," she tilted her head as if sensing something, "In fact, it doesn't go too deep, I could likely carry you across. Unless you'd prefer to tree stride with me."

She turned then to squint across at the singular living tree upon the island.

"Hmm, I believe it's large enough for the two of us."

Brightly, A'Mia turned back expectantly, a genuine smile across her face at the prospect of getting out to the shrine. She reached to brush off a particularly tenacious bramble which had intertwined itself with the side of his cloak.

"So, what'll it be Alisteri?"

 

[Irina Jesart]

Tag: Selene Valeheart​

As Gerwald finished his instruction and vanished into the treeline, Irina cast one more glance to where his son and the woman he'd chosen to hunt with disappeared before pushing all thoughts of them from her mind. For now, it was just her, Selene and the Cernyth.

She matched her companions pace, keeping her own path slightly offset so that between them they could see more of the forest that lay ahead. Her instruction about keeping an eye out for the glimmer of feathers was met with a silent scathing look. Irina bit back an unnecessary retort and turned her eyes back to the forest.

"They won't split until they feel the pressure of the hunt. They'll stay tight until panic sets in and it becomes survival of the fittest and not survival of the herd." she replied, her voice soft.

They pressed on, feet silent as they blended seamlessly into the forest around them, their pace unhurried until both of them froze. Irina felt her breath catch at the sight of them, the herd moved through the forest with ease, their hoofbeats muffled by the carpet of moss and leaves.

Irina met Selene's gaze as they moved as one, taking up the chase. Irina left her spear where it was, no use drawing it until they were close. As her co apprentices voice trailed across her mind, she gave her a sharp look, though her pace did not slow.

We need to get ahead of them, see if we can work out where they are headed and let them come to us. They'll be able to keep this pace up longer than we can.

 

[Darth Strosius]

​

Tags: Madrona A’Mia
--------------------------------------------

Having resigned Himself to simply tearing His way through the brush in order to try and keep pace with A'Mia and the trail of the unusual little figures, Darth Strosius limited His protests and curses into grumbles and exasperated sighs at the ever-growing trail of branches and brambles clinging to His robes. There weren't any real tears on His clothing, the cloth itself was far too tough of course, but if anything that made the situation worse.

He sighed as He stepped up beside the Neti and surveyed the marsh and lake, His gaze narrowing when He spotted the "spirits" moving along the surface of the water towards the island that sat in the center of the watery clearing. By the end of this venture He fully intended to have killed at least one of those creatures. Maybe they'd be worth a bite even, if they were actually some sort of Force manifestation.

"Hm? A shrine?" He didn't see anything worthwhile but if she did then those little things weren't as useless as they seemed, how quant. Darth Strosius decided that His opinion on eating at least one of them hadn't changed. Instead of elaborating on her apparent discovery, Lady Madrona instead began preparing herself for a journey across the water. Preparations which He rather quickly turned His gaze away from the moment that He saw her reaching down towards her skirt.

Which proved difficult as He had to fight the urge to look at her incredulously at the mention of her carrying Him across the lake, and to silently question what a "tree stride" was. It wasn't until she had spun around and brushed some of the debris clinging to His robes off that He knew it was safe to look back at her, cocking His head to the side slightly as He did so. "You do know that I can just fly us over, yes?" As if to demonstrate His boots clicked to life, lifting Him ever so slightly off the ground on their repulsors as His "wings" flared somewhat.

The masked man was already covered in thorns and brambles, He most certainly wasn't going to get soaked as well. Not when they still had to march back through the forest anyway. "There's no need to wade into this...what was it you called it? A heart of the forest? There's no telling what might be lurking just beneath the water's surface, regardless of how deep it is."

 

[Lysander von Ascania]

Varin Mortifer Naniti Naamino Zuukamano Ghruna
​

From his vantage, he watched the herd funnel exactly as the geometry predicted, bodies pressing inward, hooves searching for purchase. It was also a confirmation for everything their group had done.. the angles, silence, and patience. Lysander shifted his stance and raised the bow. Though the slope beneath him was uneven, he rolled his balance through his hips until everything felt just right. Just that precision Korriban had carved into him.

Naamino’s sprint caused the herd to fracture, as expected. A blade found its mark, but it wasn’t enough. The bowstring was drawn back to full extension, kissing the corner one cheek. The touch centered him just so, breath thinning, narrowing his emerald eyes to a slit.. he needed to find his rhythm first.

The buck came into view with hooves hammering the earth.

A final exhale escape, to steady the shoulder, before finally letting the arrow slip free. A whisper of tension released, nothing more. Lysander kept his head still, tracking the shot as it cut in what he believed to be a clear line. A blink later, the impact reached him.. a solid thud as the shaft buried itself into the buck’s flank. It wasn’t a killing shot; the Sith could see that instantly. The momentum wasn’t stolen entirely either, for it was still moving, even while bleeding out. The chase would demand more..

 

[Madrona A’Mia]

Deep Core
Stewjon
Tags: Darth Strosius | Lina Ovmar | Darth Carnifex

Eyes widening in sudden understanding, A'Mia exclaimed softly in delight, gesturing toward her own head with her forefinger in a gesture often associated with duh! Yet another random gesture she'd picked up in time spent with Lysander von Ascania and his peers.

"Oh, that's easy then."

Suddenly even more energetic than before, she grew just a bit taller, booped the center of his mask with a quick tap, then darted back the way they came, running straight for a tall gnarled looking tree.

"Race you there!"

In a handful of seconds she was gone, disappearing through the tree as if the thing was a doorway and not a solid structure. Moments later, A'Mia's voice rang out from across the water where the neti had stepped out from the taller tree there.

"Hah! I win," she called in a happy singsong.

By the time Darth Strosius arrived, the tall woman was crouched down, pouring over what looked to be ancient ruins of some long forgotten altar. Gathered around her and perched upon her shoulders were many of those strange little, semi-corporeal spirits. They started to click and rattle a bit at Alisteri's approach, though whether in warning or welcome it was impossible to discern. A'Mia's feelings were unusually transparent though.

"Oh this is just wonderful work, look at it. After who knows how long? Even the soil isn't certain how far back this shrine goes. Just lovely detail."

One long fingered hand swept away a bit of the aforementioned dirt, uncovering yet more carved markings. There was a pause, her eyes scanning the newly unearthed information, when all at once she drew a wickedly sharp blade and dragged the edge from palm to forearm.

Dark green sap poured forth, the woman's excitement never fading, not even a flinch at the wound she'd suddenly inflicted upon herself, as she leaned forward to allow her lifeblood to flow into a shallow bowl carved at the center of the small shrine. Her flesh began to knit itself back together immediately, and soon a faint arcane shift occurred. There was a low gradual rumble that seemed to faintly shake the forest in their immediate vicinity, which caused the water around their little island to ripple with faint waves momentarily.

"Just as I suspected…" A'Mia whispered reverently, glittering eyes raising to look up at Alisteri with wonder.

 

[Aspect of Defiance]

The forest reacted before most hunters realized they had given themselves away.

A quiet shift of weight on soft soil carried farther than intended. A scrape of fabric brushed against bark. A single breath slipped out too sharply. None of it sounded disruptive to ordinary ears, yet the Cerynth were built for this world. They felt disturbances through the ground long before they trusted their eyes.

The lead animal snapped its head up.

A thin line of green glimmered across its crest, steady at first, then brightening in a clear warning. The rest of the herd mirrored the tension that moved through it. Backs straightened. Ears pressed forward. Muscles locked in a hard pause.

Then everything broke.

The older Cerynth took the first route of escape, pushing into a column of thick undergrowth. Their hooves punched through the ferns with force, scattering soil in a narrow spray that marked their path. Branches bent away from them as they passed and sprang back in their wake.

The younger Cerynth reacted differently. They slipped to the right with swift changes of pace, weaving through a tight cluster of trees where light struggled to reach the ground. Their crests flickered with faint color before fading again behind the trunks.

Two of the largest animals cut left. Each leap cleared a rotted log by a wide margin. Moss shook loose from the bark and drifted down in uneven clumps. A short drag of antlers against a hanging vine left a broken strand behind them.

The clearing shifted under the sudden chaos.

Birds shot upward from the canopy. Loose leaves tumbled across exposed roots. One shrub thrashed for a moment after a Cerynth brushed past its side. Even the soil vibrated beneath the hunters' feet as the herd divided.

For a brief window the three routes remained open.

A deep trail carved straight ahead, marked by churned soil and broken stems.
A narrow gap angled to the right where scraped bark showed the direction of the smaller animals.
A rising slope to the left, cut with fresh hoof marks and patches of torn moss.

Each path offered pursuit, though none promised an easy chase.

A cold wind drifted through the clearing. It carried the first hints of rain and began to thin what scent signals the herd had left behind. The forest tried to erase the moment as quickly as it arrived.

The noise of the stampede faded.
Silence returned with sharp finality.

The Cerynth were already deep in the woods. The Hunt waited for the first hunter to commit.

Spoiler: TAG LIST

Irina Jesart
Selene Valeheart
Warpriest Prime
Varin Mortifer
Naamino Zuukamano
Madrona A’Mia
Lysander von Ascania
Naniti
Skadi Lightbane
Aerik Lechner
Ghruna
Darth Valar
Darth Prazutis
Lina Ovmar
Darth Strosius
Darth Carnifex

 

[Aerik Lechner]

WEARING: xxx | TAG: Skadi Lightbane | Warpriest Prime | Irina Jesart | Selene Valeheart​

Aerik caught the change in the forest before the first Cerynth bolted. The tension pushed through the soil in a way that rolled up his legs and settled in his chest. He opened his mouth to warn Skadi, but the herd moved faster than words. The surge of hooves cut across the clearing and the trees swallowed the sound almost at once.

He tracked the last flash of movement before it vanished. Then the forest went still again.

Skadi shifted beside him, already leaning forward into the dark. Aerik gave her a small nod to show he had heard the same things she had. She carried herself with purpose. He respected that. It kept him steady when the world around them refused to slow down.

For a moment he glanced back toward the clearing. Irina stood near Selene. She had not looked his way once since the horn sounded. Not even when Dima called him out without shame. He tried to catch her eye, but she kept her focus locked on their Master. Aerik could not tell if she was avoiding him or if she had simply shut herself off from everything around her. The thought pressed at him more than he liked, but he drew it back into silence. This was not the time.

Dima’s arrival forced his attention forward again. Her presence filled the space around them with little regard for subtle thought. Aerik looked at her when she spoke, but he limited it to that. She was direct. She wanted to follow. He would not argue, though he had no intention of letting her shape the hunt.

“You can come,” he said to her, voice low. “But you follow our pace. Nothing else.”

He did not return her humor when she aimed it at his father. That subject ended the moment it left her mouth. His glance shut it down without effort. He gave nothing more to it.

The wind picked up and began to pull at the trails. Aerik’s focus snapped ahead. The right path caught his interest. The smaller Cerynth had moved that way. Their prints were sharp. Their scent held a clear direction. It would close fast.

He turned to Skadi.

“Stay with me. The young ones went right. They move quick but they lack control. We can reach them before they settle.”

He crouched for a moment to study the ground. Needles bent in a tight pattern marked the animals’ last turn. A thin scrape on a lower branch confirmed the angle of their flight. He rose again with the same calm he had carried since the horn sounded.

Dima lingered behind them. Aerik gave her a single look to make sure she understood his intent.

“If you fall behind, take another group. We are not waiting.”

He stepped into the gap between two pines, letting the forest close around him. The noise from the clearing faded. Skadi moved at his shoulder with careful steps that matched the rhythm of the trail. He spoke once they were clear of the torchlight.

“Watch the ground. They turned twice before they ran. They will do it again.”

The trees grew denser as they pressed forward. Moisture clung to the air. The earth softened under their boots. Aerik lifted his head slightly when he caught a faint sign of motion ahead.

“They are close,” he murmured.

He did not look back toward the clearing again. He did not let his mind drift to Irina a second time. The Hunt demanded his full attention, and he gave it without hesitation.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"If only you could lie as well as you skulk around," the Dark Lord's eyes narrowed, vision honing in on Lina. "You love nothing more that to parasitically leech onto lost causes, Lina Ovma. Malum Marr, Alisteri Haxim, who will next suffer your noxious leering? Will it be Kaila Irons? Serina Calis? What wonderful bedfellows you labor to unearth from the muck."

Suddenly His blade was in His hand, crackling beam of plasma snapping forward to strike towards her face. Though the speed behind the sudden attack was considerable, it was only a fraction of the true speed with which the Dark Lord of the Kainate could fight. Lina would know this, she'd seen some of His true speed before. This was one of His peculiarities, to purposefully restrain Himself when battling an adversary; to deliberately wear the mask of someone weaker than He actually was.

Just to enjoy the spectacle.

Spinning His blade, He swept it out in a wide, horizontal fan, enough to intentionally widen the distance between them. He held His closed hand against His chest, the blade angled diagonally away from His body as He fixed Lina with a curious, hungry gaze.

"Satisfaction is a triviality, a base desire as fleeting as it is rewarding. I derived not an ounce of it from Alvaria. What happened there was a pure mechanical necessity, as fundamental to our world as light and gravity. My hounds, on the other hand, engorged themselves on satisfaction."

Lina Ovmar ​

 

[Naniti]

Naniti bolted from cover the second Naamino sprang up. The violet Togruta's path crossed that of the Zabrak in his wake as he prepared to heave the zhaboka. A hand planted on an felled tree trunk her. A quick kick to a solid trunk there. There was no need for silence any longer only speed. But she hadn't been running after the grazed buck. It already had a horned man at its back and a bowman at his front -- whose arrow she had no plans on taking in the buck's place.

Lysander's strike was deathly silent even if it failed to drop the formidable prey. Fortunately, Naniti wasn't anywhere near. Instead, she'd stopped at the edge of the meadow, heart racing, and thrown her hands forward. Her fingers were spread wide and curled up as claws as the montrals of her head rotated to the side. Lips peeled back Naniti dug into the soil of Stewjon.

A grunt and suddenly a wall of dirt and rock erupted before the Cerynth. Struck twice now, it would think to return to the woods for safety having made a terrible decision to bolt into the open. Naniti wasn't going to allow that, and she'd make it so obvious even a panicked, wounded animal would have no choice but to surrender to their will and remain vulnerable to another assault. A wall made it obvious returning to the forest wasn't an option, and with no time to stop and think her fellow hunters could have a go at it once more.

With a hard expulsion of air, Naniti quickly sucked in a new breath and set off into the meadon on the other side of that wall. The hunt wasn't over yet.

Naamino Zuukamano | Varin Mortifer | Lysander von Ascania | Ghruna

 

[Varin Mortifer]

Naami drew first blood from their prey, a thwack of an arrow embedded itself into the creature not long after. It was bleeding, wounded. A wounded flank would slow the creature down, combine that with blood loss, shock and the adrenaline running thin. The creature was sure to collapse eventually.

He watched as Naniti gave chase. Varin could smell the blood in the air. He inhaled deep as he readied himself. Wisps of smoke extended from his back and arms as his muscles tensed. His grip tightened on the thorns and rambles. A few deep breaths later and he used the strength of his arms and legs to leap out of the brush up into the trees. The large thorns gouged and ripped at his flesh.

A hard impact later and he had clung onto a midsection of tree just outside of the meadow. Leaping from trunk to trunk he followed Naniti and the Cerynth. His heart thudded in his chest as he found purchase atop a branch.

She drew the Cerynth closer. The knife was gripped tightly in his hand.

A little closer…..

He stepped off the branch in a silent fall. With a hard thud his body collided with the Cerynth as it called out and began thrashing about.

Varin let out a loud growl as he gripped one of the antlers to steady himself on its back. He drew the knife, with a loud yell he plunged the blade right into the shoulder blade of the creature.

The Cerynth wailed in pain as the blade dug deep. A rush of warm liquid iron coated Varin's hand as he used the embedded knife to hold himself on the creature.

He could feel the Cerynth begin to grow exhausted, but Varin kept his hold until more backup arrived. He would not kill it until everyone was there.

Naamino Zuukamano | Lysander von Ascania | Naniti | Ghruna​

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Darth Carnifex​

Lina moved the moment the first snap of his blade permeated the air, her own sabers crackling to life in her hand as she cast his attack aside and shifted on her feet to move around him. He was playing with her, as he did with all his prey. She'd fought with him, for him and against him often enough to know the full extent of his might, but she had been preparing herself for this.

"You forgot Sarlow Zambrano, he was after all the first lost cause in line for my…what did you call it? Noxious leering. I do enjoy your obsession with my bedfellows though, it means I am under your skin just enough that you can't quite ignore my existence as you might want to."

Shadows moved, creeping towards her as she allowed the darkness to consume her, the glittering emeralds that had watched him advance slowly were obscured behind a sheen of black as her lips curled into a cold smile. Stepping back from the wide arc he cast to create distance, her head tilting, waiting to see what that hand he held at his chest would expose as more words spilled from his lips.

The walkers growled, bearing teeth at Carnifex long clawed fingers flexing like they longed to wrap around him, but they stayed put. They would move, when she asked them to and not a moment before.

"Don't kid yourself, Carnifex, you are not above baseless desires. If you were, you wouldn't be playing with your food. If you are seeking to anger me over what you did to Alvaria, you are wasting your energy."

 

[Skadi Lightbane]

Tags: Aerik Lechner // Warpriest Prime
​

Skadi listened to the forest breathe, felt the pulse of it underneath her feet, around her in the trees, and in the current of the air. Her focus sharpened in an instant, and her senses heightened; she was tempted to use the Force to find their prey, but she wanted a challenge, so she used her natural senses instead. She became silent on her feet, moving with the stealth of a hunter who knew what they were doing and had done it dozens of times over. The forest was not her frozen homeland, but the concept was the same: branches and grass still made noise the same as ice or frosted snow underfoot.

She could sense the herd moving; they had left subtle signs of their movements; disturbed vegetation here, a scrape on a tree branch there, snapped twigs over there…

Aerik looked at her and told her the younger ones of the herd had gone a certain direction and they could catch up to them before the younger ones settled down. She nodded in understanding, choosing to stay silent in the moment. She only glanced once at their strange looking hunting companion, before she moved with Aerik.

Out here, in the wilds, Skadi felt at home and one with the spirits of nature. She allowed herself to sink deep and further into the moment, letting her instincts and her senses guide her onward. She was hyper focused and alert to everything, but not in an uncontrolled or panicked way.

She had turned into a predator, a panther stalking the shadows - slipping through the woods with her companions like a ghost. As they continued forward on their hunt, Aerik passed along information to her. She already had her eyes trained on the signs left behind by the young Cerynths, even before he pointed them out to her.

Skadi saw the movement ahead and her golden eyes locked onto the location; she saw more movement, the glimmer of hide, the faintest snap of a branch ahead. They were still some distance out, but they were closing the distance. It wouldn’t take much to spook the younger members of the herd, but now that she’d caught sight of them for the first time, she was already taking a lay of the immediate surroundings to anticipate where they might go next. Instinct would tell them to go deeper into the forest, deeper into the brush where it would offer protection and camouflage. But all they needed was one Cerynth to make a mistake, and young animals were prone to making mistakes.

Skadi glanced at Aerik, then made hand signs to indicate that perhaps they should do what they called a “drive”, and push the herd into a location and towards a hunter waiting in ambush. She made silent gestures that told him her thoughts; this particular part of the forest slopped towards a ravine, and it appeared as if the younger animals were headed in that general direction. One hunter could go above the younger herd and flush them towards the creek bottom, where the other hunters were waiting. The ravine would act as a natural funnel, and allow her to pick off one or more of them as they tried to slip through while fleeing from the “driver”.

Of course, it was just one of many ideas that were open to them on this hunt, but Skadi felt that using the lay of the land would be to their advantage. She watched Aerik with sharp and attentive eyes, eager to see or hear what he thought about her idea, or even if he had an alternative in mind, before they pushed forward and towards their awaiting quarry.

 

[Ghruna]

LONE HUNT

She would run it down if she had to. She definitely wasn't losing her father's third favourite spear.

The wounded Cerynth ran hard, but it was bleeding. Ghruna could smell it now. Hot iron and fear. The others had split the pack and were working together, but she trusted her own endurance.

She chased it into the thinner stretch of forest where the trees grew tall and bare, trunks pale against the dusk. She did not look back. The hunt narrowed until there was only the beast and her breath and the pounding of her blood in her ears.

It burst from the trees into a shallow clearing, skidding on churned earth. The spear was still embedded in its side. Ghruna charged. She could sense it's exhaustion. It tilted its antlers towards her but she darted aside and grabbed the spear. She yanked it from its flank with a twist, blood poured from the wound. the Cerynth’s flank. The creature screamed, stumbled, and turned, eyes wild.

Ghruna did not slow.

Cerynth reared, hooves tearing up the ground, As it came around she charged it head on. She drove forward with all her strength and the spear struck home. As it's weight came down the base of the spear stuck fast in the ground.

She twisted. Hard. Brutal.

The Cerynth collapsed, legs folding, breath leaving it in a rattling shudder. Ghruna stayed with it until the last tremor passed. Only then did she draw the spear back from its heart.

For a moment, there was silence. She stood truimohantly.

She looked down at the body. Blood soaked her forearms, warm against the cold air. She felt the satisfaction then, sharp and bright. She had earned this.

She bent to retrieve her spear.

The sound came too late.

Branches exploded to her right. A second Cerynth burst from the treeline, larger and uninjured, eyes white with rage. Ghruna barely had time to turn.

The impact lifted her from the ground.

Horns slammed into her ribs and drove her backwards into a tree with bone rattling force. The breath tore from her lungs in a raw, broken gasp. Pain flared white and blinding as something inside her chest cracked.

She hit the ground hard. Her spear skidded out of reach.

The world tilted. Sounds dulled. The Cerynth snorted and pawed the earth. It gave one glance for the dead Cerynth. The beast hesitated, then fled, vanishing into the trees to follow the pack.

Ghruna lay still.

Each breath burned. She tried to draw air deeper and could not. Her ribs screamed with every shallow inhale. One arm refused to move. The tree loomed above her, indifferent.

Stupid, she thought dimly.

She had run ahead. Left the others. Thought herself strong enough.

She turned her head and spat blood into the dirt.

Her vision blurred. Regret and pain welled together in her chest.

The others had worked as a pack. Now she was out in the trees, miserable and alone.

"Fuck. What a place to die," she muttered. It was dramatic, but she was still young.

The forest no longer felt like a proving ground. It felt very large. And she felt very small within it.

Ghruna lay there, breathing shallow and ragged, waiting to see whether the hunt would finish without her.

To see whether she would be carried from it or have to find the strength to get back to her feet.