[ORP] Shadow Stalkers HotM: Runes-driven CYOA

[Naberius]

[imgleft]https://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/imag ... uncert.png[/imgleft]
Seeing Red scrambled in - fashionably late, of course - but quickly adopted the most relaxed pose she could muster, as if she had been there all along. She probably would've been there all along if her long furby hadn't brought home a remarkably smaller furby - one with eerily similar ghost-like markings. She gave Sixth Sense a Look - they merely chirped merrily in reply.

Though she had missed the first question, her ears perked at the most recent one.

"I am! Kinda," She stretched her neck to as to be seen over the crowd - was that Merry Berry? - and grinned, "Y'know, on account of last time. I can still make my way around well enough, though.

[Moonstone Dazzle]

“I— I will carry. The tooth. Thank you,” Grim nodded to the doe, grateful for her kindness. They had been welcoming to him, so far. It was something he held in high esteem, and was grateful for.

“Ah! B-brother!” Grim chirped, delight on his features. Finding out his own brother— so similar to himself, if not more dour— had found his way to this hallowed company was such a pleasant surprise. He fumbled his way from around the cheetah, offering it a pat with the head, and bumbled to where his sibling stood. He offered the other zikwa a friendly nuzzle, standing close by his side.

“No, t- to join the eternal dance... you. You know it is my greatest desire. But. I’d also like t-to live, my life. Too.” A different answer than he might once have given, but. He was changing. Growing.

“Ah...” his ears drooped, and Grim looked away in embarrassment.

“Ah, alas. Our father was kimeti and had strong eyes, but... our heritage and all. My sight is not the best,” he admitted, rather embarrassed.

@fluo @anemosagkelos @Lirilei

[Scaramouche Fandango]

Fish shrugged good-naturedly. “Sounds like mangroves are the popular choice... and that works just fine for me! Might be able to catch us a fish dinner while we’re in there, and if we want to bait any traps, most creatures are tempted by minnows. They can be tricky, and they’re definitely dark. I’d be happy to hold one of the vines.” She lumbered over towards the two zikwa brothers. “Glowing eyes’ll make it plenty easy to see the two of you, but if you’re worried about seeing us, try not to fret. We won’t leave anybody behind.”

She pursed her lips, thinking. “You know, we oughta find some kind of glowing fungus and smear it on horns and scales for night hunts. It’d make it easier to pick each other out in thick brush or chaotic situations. Nothing too bright, but it could be useful to have some kind of nighttime identification.”

@fluo @Lirilei @Moonstone Dazzle

[Scaramouche Fandango]

@anemosagkelos @Moonstone Dazzle

[Ravenous13]

Forgotten rose to her feet, stretching; her tendons creaking softly before she shook herself off. Taking a few steps closer to the group before checking her provisions. A simple pack made of lined spidersilk, filled with a few choice items: a sharp stone, a few bundles of berries, some healing herbs and a hagstone. She shifted the makeshift bag on her neck, making sure it stayed snug and secure.

Watching the others, she couldn’t help but chuckle at the idea of a few of them being bait. She was sure at some points that it wasn’t completely out of the question though. Her tail flicking on its own accord before she settled instead to her haunches. Her gaze drifting over to the sound of the chirp…furbies… Feeling the hair at the back of her neck prickling. Just something about them. She focused instead on the cheetahs, watching their antics she sorta zoned out on what the others were saying. Her tail flicking side to side as she looked from one to the other. The twang of the vine brought her back to the current situation. Waiting.

[Lirilei]

Spirits was understanding of his brothers sentiments and gave a slight toss of his head in agreement. "I can safely say the same. Things are different now, with a mate and kids." it made him appreciate here more than there though he knew death was an inevitability, so there was no fear.

"He's right, our eyesight isn't the best, but hearing, smelling...we have other things that will work for us." and perhaps better than if they'd had stronger sight. It was a trade of the senses and he didn't mind in the least. He felt it made it easier to connect to the spirits.

Spirits turned towards the doe speaking to the two of them and gave a light smile. "Much appreciated thank you. A good idea, actually to cover yourselves with something that glows. As you said my brother and I will stand out easily enough, though maybe a similar color for all of us is still a good idea. Markings on our flanks maybe?"

@Moonstone Dazzle @Scaramouche Fandango

[fluo]

"Welcome, Seeing Red! I see you've healed up nicely from before." She gave the other kimeti an affection rump bop.

Albatross counted and notched a piece of bark she kept in her broadleaf sack. There were 9 of them in this little expedition group. A smile blossomed on her face. And this was why she enjoyed the meeting of the minds for shared interests like hunting, searching, and mystery solving! While vines would have been sufficient, the fishing totoma wunderkin suggesting temporary identifications markings was genius. They could be like a school of gray mangrove snappers. The vines handled and zikwas connected and accounted for, Albatross spoke to her other compact furbies. Attaching a smaller vine around the midsection of one, she picked it up, dabbed it in a paste of mushrooms and berries tincture, and hoisted the painted furby atop a branch. It jumped off and dangled safely from the vine. It swayed back and forth enthusiastically before smacking her in the face. Her face was a glowing target. Lovely.

"Behold, Summer Mistletoe. Step right under and scratch your horns or ears against the paste. It'll glow faintly when the sun goes down. Remember, it glows a dull green. If it's any other color, be wary of following it. There are rumors of will o wisps in these parts."

And with that, Albatross led the way to the mangroves. Water sloshed up their flanks and soaked the daintier achas, but the MotherFather blessed them with strong legs and they floated where they could. She was sure she caught a few kin stashing items among the intricate root systems. With their various pets and familiars around them, they covered a vast distance before the mangroves opened up to a clearing of a small lake. The moon cast strong light from above, and the waves were placid.

Albatross had been dragging her long furby canoe for the past few hours. It slept and snored most of the way, with the more compact furbies lounging on its neverending midsection. Loud sloushing could be heard and the undeniable clicking of something large to the right of them. To the left, rustling and quiet plops into water could be heard. Tails and legs, that's what they saw. Their path diverged to Kingdom of Giant Spiders and their low hanging egg sacs or the pile of roaming caimans. The lake had two exits and enough distance to formulate a plan.

"Alright crew, what will it be? Do you think we can swim past the caimans fast enough or should be take our chances with the sticky spiders and their webs?"

((OOC: Third prompt will be released on Sunday the 24th at noon EST. Please vote before hand. The final prompt will be released Thursday at noon EST and prizes will be rolled))

[Mima]

Merry Berry found herself with a bright streak down the front of each horn, owing to her strategy of just kind of slamming herself into the mushy furby. She wouldn't doubt that this had been a game prior to Albatross' application of it as a marking tool. It was... strangely fun, though she wondered if it would be funnier with a hanging cactus to see who could break it open without sticking themselves too badly.

She kept this in mind for later.

Spotting Seeing Red in the crowd, she slipped towards the other doe as they moved. "Nice to see you, Red." Playfully, if a bit competitively, she took a moment to click the side of one of her horns against Seeing Red's. (She assured to aim for just the tip of it, not wanting to slip up and make the poor doe totally eyeless.) The crimson kimeti seemed to be beating off the does with a stick, at present.

And so she sloshed and waded through the swamp, with some difficulty. Thankfully, this wasn't her first time doing so, though compared to the sturdier kin, she did have a rough time of it. Chase, meanwhile, seemed to dart in and out of the corners of her vision, and at one point she swore she saw it hiding that dead rat the other cheetah had given it. Clearly it had no issues with the swampy terrain.

As the party ground to a halt, she peered in both directions. Both seemed equally unsavory, in some ways. "Well, what do you think the chance of those spiders being poisonous is...?" She tilted her head, weighing the options. If the spiders weren't poisonous, their den was the easy choice. But if they were, all bets were off. Poison could really even the playing field for creatures of all different sizes.

@Naberius

[Scaramouche Fandango]

“I’m all up for a swim, but the spiders... are likely the smarter choice here. Maybe not the fun choice, but it might be a good choice,” Fish said with a tinge of regret. “There’s two major benefits to going that way. First, we can grab webbing, which can be very useful for traps. Secondly, we might even be able to, uh. Borrow some of that poison. Sharp sticks dipped in a little poison can be highly effective, and spiders tend to have a paralytic effect on whatever they’re trapping.” She admired spiders quite a bit. They were lovely to look at, but that was actually probably the least interesting thing about them. They were masters of the sit-and-wait, the ambush, the calm patience required for trap construction and deployment. They made their own fishing line, too. She needed to get one of the giant ones to keep around- the webbing alone was worth the effort of getting one. “Whereas it’s less likely that we’ll glean as much from caiman territory. What does everyone else think?” She addressed the crowd, looking around to gauge reactions. “I must confess, a spot of caiman hunting sounds pretty appealing. Those little murder logs are mighty tasty. Caiman tail roasted over a fire salamander with cattail pith on the side...” She licked her lips, thinking of it.

[Toshiful]

[imgleft]https://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/imag ... uncert.png[/imgleft][imgleft]https://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/imag ... uncert.png[/imgleft] Soul Choir joined late, but didn't seem hurried. She swam at a languid pace, enjoying the cool water in the increasing spring heat. Her long fur trailed behind her in a colorful wake. Harmony seemed at home in the thick mangrove trees, and the friendly figment made pleased croaking noises.

"The caimans have beautiful voices," Soul voted, as if this was the forefront of everyone's concerns.

[Ravenous13]

Forgotten Dreams Remembered sighed as she watched the application of the paste. Soon it was her turn; she stilled herself. “…MotherFather be my strength…” Mumbling under her breath before striding her way to the dangling and oddly cute furby. A quick glance at it before lowering her head into the creature making sure to cover a good portion of the front of her horns and part of the top of her forehead.  Her tail curling under her as discomfort began to set in moments later and she sprang away and involuntarily shook herself off. She let out a deep breath. That was plenty of coverage, she was sure.

Soon though her relaxation turned to focus as they headed deep into the mangroves. It helped to be in a group and she found that she wasn’t nearly as uneasy as she thought she would be. Swimming deftly through the salty pools of water, marking the occasional tree with a few scrapes of her horn so she knew that they had been there. Soon enough they had come to a fork; they paused. Albatross gave them an option of spiders or caiman. She had on rare occasions tangled with caiman… it was no picnic.

Forgotten nodded in response to Fish. The Totoma seemed to understand well the usefulness of spiders. This brought a smile to her face. “Yes! Spiders. They are very useful.” She nods again looking to Albatross then just as she was about to speak again Soul Choir joined in and she blinks. “But…they also bite beautifully.” Honestly though she hadn’t really taken the time to listen to the caiman…perhaps they did sound as beautiful as mentioned.  “Then again…so do the spiders. Some spiders also stalk so we’d have to be particularly wary of tripping any signal webs.” Her tone stronger now that she was in the ‘hunt zone’. Eager to get on with it. “Im fine with whatever we choose.” Shifting her weight side to side, from one hoof to the other as if trying her hardest subconsciously to stay still.

@fluo @Scaramouche Fandango  @Toshiful

[Baneful]

[imgleft]https://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/imag ... uncert.png[/imgleft][imgright]https://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/imag ... uncert.png[/imgright][imgright]https://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/imag ... uncert.png[/imgright]

Deceiver was late. This wasn't because he was being fashionably late in a dramatic fashion as per usual, but for a change was simply because he hadn't been able to move fast enough. He'd left to follow the group as they departed but opted to keep his own distance and at first it had been an easy saunter, but when the group changed direction things got a lot harder. He hesitated anxiously on the edge of a murky pool, not about to get his fur messy in the muck. But there wasn't really any alternative and without the group, he couldn't even begin to navigate elsewhere.

Having three legs was normally not an issue, but when it came to things like this, he got tired rather quickly, finding sore muscles he didn't even know that he had.

Alongside him flitted the utterly silent shape of his owl, which alighted on his horns when there was no room to fly and doggedly following his master's scent, the strange blue eaglehound followed him regardless of his wishes.

Up to his neck in water, he found his heart absolutely fluttering in terror, and every time his hooves left the ground he found things getting very dark as he almost passed out at the sensation. He didn't like water, he didn't like excercise and all he could do was repeat to himself over and over again that there were GHOSTS and potentially things to steal that was what mattered. He got there as the group was discussing wether to go into one type of horror or the other.

He made a face at it all, but at the mention of caimans he shook his head.

"Spiders." he said. Definitely spiders. Spiders didn't chomp.

[Scaramouche Fandango]

@Ravenous13

[fluo]

Albatross blinked at what she saw. To say it was miraculous that not only did they not lose anyone, they actually gained two more was an understatement. The first expedition was always going to be dicey with so many kin from various distinct cultures coming together not to mention their personalities. It could have been a perfect storm for discord and strife to brew especially with her shithead furbies, but there was actually harmony and a purposeful intention to see their hunt succeed.

Shaking the brackish water out of her waterlogged hair, she paused briefly to notch her bark with two more. They were on dry land finally, and fared better than she thought they would. While the spiders did have some mighty pincers, the more skilled kin with excellent aim fended off any dastardly consequences. She wasn't quite sure what some of them would do with their hard won poisons or egg sacs, but theirs was a judge free tribe, and hunters always had their secret arsenal of tricks and treats. Still, they made it with stories and more insight on each kin's personality to share. There were the newcomers, the one fixated on vocal sounds and the other pale acha who more than held his own among the water with predators above and below.

Albatross inwardly glowed. Good kin were hard to find. She blurted out, "After this, let's totally find some salamander eggs. I know a place where we might find an egg or two. I hear they're more plentiful near towards Autumn though, something about their eggs being hidden in plain sight as the best defense."

Land was a welcome friend and they were exhausted. "Let's stop here to shore up our reserves with a small meal and plan our next course. We need to get through to the cliffs. But before we do, we all have someone or something to call a trusty weapon or tool right? I suggest a stick for hitting things or help traversing the uneven ground. This is mine-" she holds up a fallen branch, " and it's called the ugly stick."

Albatross looked to the crew. A little salty and funky for wear, but jovial spirits still. Hoisting up Many Dies, she explained, "Also, this longfurby makes for a particularly hardy distraction and is good at fetching things high up in the air or attacking from above."

"So what is your weapon and are you ready for the journey through the two cliffs? Anyone have any ideas on what could be attacking the moths? The runes reader mentioned something about about hair grabbers."


((Next prompt will be on Tuesday the 26th at noon EST))

[phoe]

[imgright]https://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/imag ... uncert.png[/imgright]No Escape, the fiery brilliance of her pelt diminished somewhat by the lengthy dip in swamp water, appeared from where she had been holding down their rear flank. Her own flanks were somewhat more rounded than they had been before; she'd likely stopped to feast on something before catching back up to the rest of the troop.

Down her nose and along her spine was a brilliant glowing light-green streak, which was so stark against her otherwise dark pelt that it looked bizarre. Green and orange were not usually a particularly brilliant aesthetic mix. She tilted her head, listening to the conversation, and then dropped down to sit on a dry-ish patch of land, tucking her feet up under her. She began immediately to create a little puddle around herself, which went ignored. The more important task was wringing out her mane of hair.

"I'm generally my own weapon," she said, "but I'll find a big stick. Most creatures don't like being hit with anything, much less an ugly stick. There are probably plenty of big, ugly knotted mangrove branches around."

She paused, musing, "I've never eaten a giant spider. Maybe the moths are being infested with little ones."