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Post by qhostqrowls on Feb 23, 2024 21:04:30 GMT -6
The second the branch snapped, Siofra dove for the ground, her wings tucked tight against her side. Not for the Hunters, but for the bush with her hidden ally.
The eagle stretched out its wings to slow its descent - and still hit the ground in an ungainly tangle of feathers. No sooner had she scrambled to her claws, she shifted again.
The mare’s back leg buckled, the abrupt change in weight sending a spike of pain through her haunches. Her leg wouldn’t heal with the bullet still embedded - but three legs were still faster than two.
“Get on,” She snapped at Vegas, with a sense of fear she seldom experienced. Such a large form was an easy target to hit, and both Hunters had ranged weapons.
The boys blade had iron in it - she could smell it. The whites of her eyes showed, and she tossed her head impatiently, pawing at the earth with one glossy black hoof.
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Post by hadopelagic on Mar 11, 2024 17:47:54 GMT -6
Eterio plucked a leaf out of his hair.
"Family is everything," he told Kallik, by way of explanation. His grandmother had been saddened by the birds' death, and nobody--mortal or god or anything in-between--was allowed to make Grandmother sad.
When Siofra became a horse, Vegas couldn't help herself: she cackled with delight. Once, she lived in the land of wild horses and rode them across the Nevada wilderness, as free as a woman could be in the damnable USA. The moment Siofra gave the word, Vegas sprung onto her back; she leaned forward, nearly pressed against the mare's neck, the most stable position without a saddle or bridle.
A bit of bad luck to the huntress, a bit of good luck to Siofra. A bead of sweat ran down Vegas's temple; she was exerting herself, but the escape was critical. Once they outran the fumbling tree man, they'd be fighting two against one. Far better odds. And Domin would bring an arsenal to support them.
"YEEHAW!" With an exhilarated cry, Vegas wound her fingers in the mare's mane. Then, because they were about to make a daring escape, she shouted at the huntress, "What's your name, Baby Doll?"
The woman seemed beyond flustered and responded with, "WHAT?!"
"SEE YOU NEVER, WHAT!"
A pity, that. The huntress was one of those canine folk of the northern latitudes. Vegas had always wanted to meet one. Well. Now she had.
Confident in her daring escape, she laughed riotously at her own bad joke.
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Post by jarahamee on Mar 11, 2024 23:30:58 GMT -6
Kallik watched the two targets, their mutual prey, begin to ride away into the sunset. Her lip curled further, unnaturally so, eyes widening with anger and annoyance. What was all of this now? How did these two interlopers come together by chance, and one just HAPPENED to be able to assume an equine form?
And BABYDOLL?
She growled loudly.
As her target, Angel, leapt onto the back of his steed, Kallik drew her rifle again, holding the sights steady. The reward was for his capture, alive or dead. While she didn’t plan to kill him, damaged good was well within her means.
She held her aim steady, and fired at his shoulder, aiming to jar him loose from his horse, and potentially collect him as he fell.
Once her shot rang out, she glanced back at her human-hunter friend. There was no way to carry him with her, but she didn’t have to. He’d be safe where he sat, right here, away from carnivorous horses and other creatures. She sprung into action, breaking into a run from her crouch as she lurched forward towards the ‘horse.’
Kallik was no horse, but her people were known for their inhuman speed.
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Post by qhostqrowls on Mar 14, 2024 23:43:33 GMT -6
At least the boy knew how to ride. The mare pushed off into an unsteady canter the moment she felt his fingers wind through her mane, feeling an odd thrill of exhilaration as he yelled from her back.
Yes, see you never. It was time to leave the traitorous mutt woman and silly human boy in the dust. She snarled at the pair, the sound morphing, disturbingly, into a woman’s arrogant laugh, half-rearing as she did so and deciding she wouldn’t show off anymore as she almost lost her footing.
Her stride lengthened, the undergrowth flashing by. At the crack of the gunshot she snorted, careening to the side and stumbling a little as she leapt over a log. Her gallop wasn’t as smooth or as fast as she would have liked, not with the bullet in her haunch, but she was as determined as she was arrogant.
She and this lucky boy were getting to Cellsignal Hill, and there she would happily stomp the hunter into the dirt.
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Post by hadopelagic on Mar 15, 2024 2:40:28 GMT -6
Vegas felt a thrill of excitement as the mare began to run; this would be her greatest escape, a story for the ages, a ...
CRACK
At first, there was no pain, not really. Just the feeling of something--a rock?--colliding with Vegas's left shoulder/back, throwing her forward. She wasn't even bleeding.
But when Vegas tried to straighten, her back burned. Bad.
"You ... you ..." She wheezed wetly. "AH! You BITCH! You liiiiiteral biiiiihhhhtch!" She yelped in pain and clawed at her chest. Her back felt wet, was bleeding, but the bullet hadn't exited, which meant it was stuck inside her body like a goddamn parasite. "She shot me! AAAAOOOOWW. It huuuUUUUrrrrrts. AAAAIIIIEEEEE! FUCK. *PITIFUL COUGHING*. I hate youuuu!"
She had to call for help now, now, before the huntress finished the job. Domin could meet them on the hill, be waiting with his entire armory. Vegas tightened her legs around the mare for stability and used her good hand to fish out her cell phone. Her breaths were labored and wet. The fuuuucking bullet must have nicked a lung.
"I'll ... *cough* ... call the executioner. Keep going. Fast."
No signal. Not yet. Then ...
Suddenly, a single bar!
"SIRI, CALL DOMIN!"
If he didn't answer, she'd have to try Master Gashi. And if he didn't answer? No idea. But there was no way Vegas would drag Sita into this humiliating situation. She'd rather take her chances with the dog woman.
The phone rang, and Vegas waited.
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Post by jarahamee on Mar 15, 2024 3:19:57 GMT -6
The phone rang for several long seconds, and then, finally, there was the silence that was either someone picking up, or the phone call dropping.
Thankfully for Vegas, this time, it was someone picking up on the other side.
A deep, ambiguously accented voice answered,
“Vegas? Hello?”
It was most certainly Domin, and he sounded… uncharacteristically sleepy, but she was calling during the day after all.
Vegas answered,
"*SAD COYOTE SOUNDS* Oh THANK GODS, my beloved friend. HELP! I WAS SHOT! HEEEEELP! THE HUNTER GOT ME, DOMIN HEEEEEEEEELP MEEEEE?"
The voice’s tone adjusted immediately, becoming more concerned;
“Shot? Where are you now?”
Vegas replied, "Forest ... we're going to the nearest hill ... I'm airdropping cough ..." AIRDROPS COORDINATES. "She shot my friend, too." Vegas then made more sad coyote sounds, "If I don't make it ... tell Sita ... she's one of a kind."
“I will not need to. I am on my way. You hang on there, ok?”
The call dropped, and Vegas was on her own again.
Behind them, Kallik had not gained, but she had not fallen behind either. Fast and persistent. The power of her kind. Her eyes glowed as the light around them dimmed, her human-like face wrinkled in an inhuman snarl as Vegas’ insult washed over her.
She was a bitch, and they hadn’t even seen her at her worst yet.
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Post by qhostqrowls on Mar 15, 2024 21:06:03 GMT -6
The fae kept her pace at a wild gallop, ears slicked flat against her skull. When her rider slumped forwards, yelping and yelling profanities to the wind, she turned her head, the whites of her eye showing.
Not dying, just dramatic, she decided. The dog-woman was still hot on her heels, and she felt an all-consuming flash of indignation as she turned her attention back to fleeing, snorting angrily all the while. It was an insult to her kind, to be running like prey when she should be the one pursuing.
She could fight back once they were up the hill. Put the Hunter in her place. Her nostrils flared, coat slick with sweat, as she pushed herself for the final stretch.
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Post by hadopelagic on Mar 15, 2024 23:41:46 GMT -6
Domin was on the way - but it was daytime, so his powers were greatly reduced. Vegas couldn't expect him to sail to their rescue as the Dragon of Flanders. He'd probably take a car.
"Shapeshifter," she whispered, pressing her cheek against the mare's head. The dog woman probably had excellent hearing, and Vegas didn't want to be overheard. "My friend will help us. We just have to survive 'til he arrives."
She eyed the huntress, who was in close pursuit. In a weird way, Vegas was impressed by the woman's ferocity. A pity she was directing all that single-minded violence toward an ~innocent~ coyote. "Leave while you still can, What! The EXECUTIONER is gonna save my ass! He's a thousand years old, and he's TWICE the bitch you are!"
With a grunt of pain (it wasn't easy to ride a galloping mare with a bullet in your back), she turned her mouth back toward the shapeshifter's ear and reassured, "He's actually really sweet. Most decent executioner you'll meet. Hey, what are you?"
The world was full of shapeshifters. But Vegas had never met one quite like this. A mimic, almost. Every animal slightly ... off. Otherworldly.
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Post by jarahamee on Mar 16, 2024 1:15:04 GMT -6
Kallik’s eyes narrowed as she endured another barrage of insults from Angel. What was this? How could her target have the strength to still insult her, after losing all this blood, and what was this about an executioner? Another bluff?
“You’re lying. No one is coming to save you!” She shouted at the other two, pushing herself harder.
And yet, the faster she ran, the more she fell behind. She was becoming winded now, her legs were burning. She couldn’t keep this up, but with any hope, neither could her quarry. They would eventually tire, and then, her time would come.
If she did lose them, she could always resort to following their scent trails. They were bleeding, and blood was distinct.
She stopped running, hands on her thighs, panting for breath.
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Post by qhostqrowls on Mar 16, 2024 23:59:57 GMT -6
“Save yourself, mongrel!” Siofra added onto the insults with a decidedly uncreative one of her own, caught up in the excitement. She could almost forget they were running for their lives.
“I’m fae,” She answered proudly, breathlessly. “Of a great and powerful court.”
She couldn’t give a specific answer. There were none others like her that she’d met. Born of a curse, stronger and more fierce than her kin. She could admire that the boy on her back was like that. Still yelling even with a bullet in him.
“You are - a shape - changer - too?” She asked, pausing for a snorting breath between each word. The Hunter had fallen behind, and her pace slowed, marginally, sides heaving. Running was a whole lot harder with a rider.
“You smell - like the skinny wild dogs.” She continued. “The little cousins of the wolves.”
She slowed from a gallop to a canter to a swift loping trot.
“I will eat the Hunter if your executioner does not,” She said airily. “You are a lucky boy, to come across me.”
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Post by jarahamee on Apr 1, 2024 9:42:26 GMT -6
Lucky indeed, thought Vegas. She'd never met a faery thing before. Didn't they come from another world? Siofra might come in handy later; Vegas wanted connections in every supernatural faction. As long as she didn't get on the bad side of the fae.
"You're thinking of coyotes. Yeah, I forgot my deodorant today." She wiggled closer to the mare's head. The bullet had lodged deep, but at least one lung still worked, and that's all Vegas needed to speak. "But enough about me. You seriously work in a court? Does that mean you know ~royalty?~"
Frankly, Vegas couldn't care less about royal hierarchies. Kings, queens, dukes and duchesses: those were just silly words for unearned positions. However, the fae thing seemed proud of her court, so there was no harm in pretending to be impressed.
"Do your bosses live in a castle? Do they have a big garden? Are their clothes made of silk and gold? Are they ethereal?" A thought occurred to her. "Are YOU ethereal? I mean. In your person form."
Vegas could be riding on the back of a total smokeshow. Sweet. A shame that she was currently pretending to be a useless guy named Angel.
"Look, that hunter probably tastes like ass. You should eat Michelin steak instead. When I'm healed, I'll take you to a nice restaurant. Better yet, my sister will take you there. She has actual class."
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Post by jarahamee on Apr 2, 2024 0:54:19 GMT -6
Kallik’s eyes narrowed as she watched her prey run away. They were just going to flee like cowards, and there was nothing she could do about it. She shouldered her rifle, aiming it at their rapidly shrinking forms, then just shrugged. It wasn’t worth it.
She sighed, leaning lower to the ground, and started to follow by foot. There was no way they could keep it up forever, and they had an extraction point to get to.
The Adlet sniffed the blood trail, pushing her hood down and across her shoulders as she followed, eyes wide. It was a strange and unfamiliar scent. What was her strange quarry?
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Post by qhostqrowls on Apr 2, 2024 1:46:23 GMT -6
“Oh, yes.” Siofra replied proudly, falling for the flattery. “My mistress is - a lady - of the court.”
For a moment, she considered if the boy would be worth stealing away. A second later, she decided he was much too loud.
And she liked him, just a little. It would be a shame to see him torn apart in The Hunt, and he wasn’t human, anyway. Maybe he’d enjoy partaking in it as a predator. She had seen the coyotes hunt, so he must, too.
“Yes, yes. All that and more. A realm with endless forest and all you could ever desire.” The crest of the hill loomed above them, and she snorted loudly as she caught her breath, slowing to a trot. “I can be any person. But I like to be the pretty ones.”
She turned her head to glance at the boy, pricking her ears at the mention of a sister.
“I will eat steak with you and your sister.” She replied regally, as if he should be eternally grateful she had even considered the offer, let alone deemed them worthy of her presence. “If this dog does not kill you, that is.”
A note of teasing wound around her voice, and she pushed herself into a gallop for the last stretch. If she had caught her breath, the Hunter would have too.
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Post by hadopelagic on Apr 5, 2024 1:32:59 GMT -6
Blood trickled from the wound on Vegas's back; she felt it moisten her shirt, which was ruined now. She'd bought it from a Cavender's in Texas, a black long-sleeved shirt with pretty silver embroidery, and now it had a bullet hole.
"All I could desire," Vegas repeated with a bloody smile. "Are you sure about that? Some desires are hard to find, even in a fae's court of miracles."
The answer did make her wonder, though: what was the shapeshifter doing in Wathais? No doubt, she had business to conduct. Perhaps on behalf of her mistress. The tree man said something about chickens ...
"I'm going to lie low after we escape," Vegas explained, "so my sister will be the one to pay and feed you. Her name is Vegas, like the glade. And I am Angel, like the city Los Angeles."
Vegas glanced behind her back, worried that the huntress was still following. But no. They'd outrun the woman, for now. Unfortunately, her blood and the shapeshifter's hoof-falls would make an obvious trail.
"And what is your name, hero?" Vegas prompted, tightening her hold as the shapeshifter picked up speed.
***
Eterio huffed and puffed as he jogged through the forest. The chicken thief was a shapeshifter. However, he didn't know *what kind.* Not yet.
He'd crack that mystery. Soon. Just had to run a bit farther.
With an exhausted groan, Eterio wiped sweat off his brow and continued onward.
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Post by jarahamee on Apr 5, 2024 3:18:07 GMT -6
Kallik turned back towards the trail, just in time to see the approaching form of Eterio, the chicken protector. She considered continuing onward, but paused, slowing down so that the man could fall into stride with her.
“I got the man, but the horse is fast. They left a blood trail that we can easily follow….”
The hybrid gestured towards the blood spoor with her lips, then inclined her head in the way the others had fled. They would catch up soon enough.
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