Tainted Barnyard: Umbra Scouting
04/28/2005
Sunrise Road, In the Forest
This is a wide black-topped road through the woods, without any lines at all, though the pavement looks fairly new. Majestic trees, both conifers and deciduous, grow right up to the road, but give a peaceful ambiance rather than the more looming look of the woods to the south. Now and again, a mailbox and the beginning of a driveway can be seen on either shoulder, expensive homes on large plots of pristine land. The houses are generally set a good distance back on their lots, and screened from the road by trees, so that they can't see the cars and the cars can't see them. Sunrise Road is known as a place where nature-lovers with a lot of handy cash live. A sign on the roadside indicates that Highway 22, Kent Crossing and Wolf Woods are to the south, while I-90 is a ways up the road in the opposite direction. A large Deer Crossing sign stands on either side of the road as well.
The road winds its way both northward and southward through the woods.
Obvious exits:
West Stone Path East Fairbanks House South North
Pacing around in a circle out in the forest, Yi waits around a small set up of sticks, rocks and a clump of gathered pine needles and leaves. The Gnawer seems to have made an impromptu map, checking it out from various angles.
Standing off to the side, relaxed against a tree is Alicia, watching the Ragabash silently. No matter the protest, she won't offer the Gnawer any advice. "Like I said.. its 'your' mission." She says with a faint grin upon her face. "Miss Fostern."
Jervis arrives quietly on foot, not smoking, for once. He's silent, but does nod to the two other garou.
Cole arrives on foot, and it's possible from a look to tell that the Fianna isn't happy. He arrives from a different direction than does Jervis, notably. "Too late for the party?"
Yi flickers her gaze up to the arrived Silver Fang no-moon, nodding once. Once Cole arrives, she gestures a welcoming hand in for the Fianna as well. "You are just in time," she answers Cole.
Yi, Alicia, Cole and Jervis have arrived. Waiting to one side is Jacinta, meditating before her service to the Garou is required.
Helen approaches from the woods, huddled in a light jacket. "Hey," she says to the already assembled group, heading towards them.
Cole nods toward Yi. "Excellent." She nods to Helen when she arrives, leaning against a tree.
Auggie arrives from another direction, his form appearing through the trees. He waves silently to the Garou gathered, and moves to take a place beside his packmate Cole.
Jervis nods a little in Helen's direction, it taking a moment for him to recognzie her. "Hey," he calls, and then leans up against a nearby tree, waiting, hands in coat pockets.
Staring over at the group, Alicia gives her back a bit of a stretch, then pushes off, heading over towards them. She offers a quick grin. "Hey there. Are you all ready?"
Nodding to the gathered Garou, Yi steps up to the map. "This is what we are up to," the Gnawer ragabash begins, picking up a stick. "Not more than one moon turn ago, Val, our raven changer friend, was attacked by tainted animals. These animals have also attacked some Garou on the bawn, and in the city. The source is supposed to be here at this farm." She points to the makeshift map. "In the Realm there is little cover except for some trees. The animals are tainted, and have poison and strength in numbers. The Umbra, Val told me, is also on its way to becoming Very Bad." The capitalization is evident. "We will slip through the Shadow to scout out the farm first from there. If we are able to escape detection, then we can try to scout the Realm - unless we have seen enough. I believe it will be best, now, to find out what everyone can do before we go in. Jacinta," she says with a small nod to the Wendigo, "will perform the Rite of Silence. This will help us be completely silent as we move. However, we cannot talk to each other. We will use lupus, but even then, limit yourself."
Cole listens intently, nodding to his packmate as he arrives. He clears his throat. "The rats are nasty little bastards. Don't underestimate them. Their poison makes you spasm and frenzy. If you have a way to resist it, do it." He digs in his pocket, bringing out a small mirror. "If we need to reach, I've got this."
Helen offers a smile to Alicia and a nod to Auggie. She then turns towards Yi and the map, peering at it, listening to Yi as she speaks. "Right," she says confidently. "In lupus, no talkin'. Got it." When Cole pipes up she makes a face and seems considerably less confident. "That's great, frenzy-causin' rats..."
Auggie frowns, crossing his arms across his chest. He grunts in agreement with Cole. "Yes. Do -not- let the animals bite you. They'll be in numbers, and you won't be able to escape." He eyes the makeshift map, frowning. "I have the gift to make claws like razors - if we get into a bad situation, I could take up the rear while we run," he offers.
"Tonight is not about engaging the enemy, its why I'm here, to keep you alive." Alicia speaks up from the darkness as her eyes glint a bit in the moon light. "We're here to peek, then take off, get a good head count, see what we're up against and thats it. We have another night to rumble and take it to the Wyrm. If we can pull this off, I'll be singing this to Megan later. She is curious to know of our findings."
Jervis nods slowly. "Hopefully it won't come to that," the Ragabash says, nodding in curiously friendly manner to Cole. "Rat-induced or otherwise?" He turns back to the rest. "I should be able to get proper recon without requiring us to get too close. Handy thing, the Eyes."
Cole looks at Jervis as he speaks, with an obviously mistrustful expression on his face. "Yeah, hopefully. 'd be a shame."
Yi nods. "I have dedicated as big a mirror as I dare to, as a last escape, but we are not to fight with the enemy tonight. That will be for the fighting packs. That said, we have enough to create a good two packs. As Helen and Jervis, you two are ragabash as myself, we three will take ourselves close from the south with the barn as our first point." She uses the stick as a pointer. "The meadows there have longer grasses, and the forest is supposedly thin, but not without cover. Alicia, Cole and Auggie, you three can come from the west, and get closer to the farmhouse. If we are clear that far in, we will see about the greenhouse, if it is there in the Shadow. We should be able to see something then." She looks up at the group. "If we encounter any trouble, run west into the forest. And if we do come into trouble, forget being quiet. Worry about coming out alive, and letting us know where you are if you are lost. Alicia and I will be linked with Stag. We will succeed." She looks to the others, partly waiting for any last opinions.
Alicia nods her head firmly as she listens to the Ragabash, then glances to the group, sliding her hands into her pockets.
Jervis smiles to Cole genuinely. For Jervis, anyway. Back to Yi, grin still there. "Lead the way," he says, happily.
Auggie looks sidelong at Jervis for a split second, distrust evident on his features. Then he looks back to Yi, and nods emphatically. "Should we have a rendevous point? To meet back up at, just in case we need to get back together? Maybe a good point for escape would be... here?" He points at the far northeast section of the forest.
"It will be difficult to say about the distance in the Umbra," Yi tells Auggie. "When we get closer, let us mark our meeting spot and go from there."
Helen listens to Yi carefully, saying nothing, taking in the instructions. "A rendezvous point is a good idea," she agrees with Auggie, but that's all she says.
Auggie nods silently to Yi, agreement and satisfaction on his face.
Yi takes in a deep breath, and exhales loudly. Then, gesturing to Jacinta, the Gnawer invites her to begin the rite. The Wendigo tells the Garou who are to undergo the rite to reveal a secret into a smallish bag. Minutes pass until the Rite reaches its completion, and the Garou make their shifts to their chosen forms. Yi shifts to Crinos first, the mirror she has dedicated appearing. The Gnawer bids the others to step sideways first before stepping through herself.
[Umbra Jump!]
Fwiffo's GM Room(#3576RFJL)
Contents:
Howls-For-Glory
Flood-of-Flame
Iron-Eyes
Guards-Flame
Fwiffo
Fwiffo pages to the room: Hello there. I'm your friendly, and rather untasty GM for the evening. I am here to warn you, and please don't take this as a reason to physically assault me, as I am rather delicate and non-threatening, that this maybe a dangerous scene. You /may/ be physically harmed in a severe fashion, die, or possibly get away without so much as a splinter. That said, please feel free to leave ever so peacefully if that doesn't agree with you. Otherwise, I welcome you to what I hope will be a fun scene.
Three-Blades is the last to step sideways, the mirror coming with her. Once she is through, it is a moment's more waiting as the Gnawer appears to absorb the item onto her, with it appearing as a large rectangular black patch on her body. The ragabash then shifts to lupus, and after a silent headcount, the ragabash leads on towards the farm.
Making her way through the gauntlet is Guards-The-Flame, shifting into her Hispo form soon as she hits the ground. Arching her back, she glimmers for a moment in a quick silvery ambiance, before dulling down to her normal like black pitch fur. She sniffs the air, then starts forward on silent paws, tail swaying side to side behind her, ears lifted.
Howls-For-Glory shifts into Hispo as he arrives, silently taking stock of the area. His body language is one of edgy readiness.
Flood-of-Flame appears in a pale, subdued flash of light, his form contorting and bulking to Hispo as well. His paws make no sound as he steps through, tail high, jaws parted in anticipation.
When the Ragabash Fury parts through the thin veil of the Umbra, Cycle Breaker makes her way into Hispo as well, soon becoming a glint of light in the darkness as she concentrates on a gift, blurring out of sight. She starts forward as well, bumping her head into Three Blade's shoulder, signaling she is on her left.
Iron-Eyes slowly follows suit, shifting into hispo silently. Expressionless, he gathers alongside the other two No-Moons.
The farm looms in the umbra in the distance. It is obviously old and at least at one point in the past well cared for. While the farm between the target and the woods has a decent amount of pattern webbing with silent strangely rural pattern spiders working hard to keep the place pristine and safe, the farm in the distance is bare of webs. There is a single mechanical looking scarecrow spirit tending the closer farm's fields. A large group of crow spirits sit on the roof of the close farm that you have to pass to get to your target, they are all playing with various shiny trinkets that glint off the light of the sky. The sky... it is odd around here. There is no rain, and no thunder, but slender wingless-dragon like lightning spirits dance through the clouds casting broad cascading lights that cause strange patterns across the umbral farmlands. The 'greenhouse' of the target farm looks larger here than it is in the realm and it is rather pristine compared to descriptions given of it in the realm. Glass clean and giving a pleasant shine from the dancing spirit's lights.
Three-Blades, getting closer towards their intended target, becomes noticeably more careful of her steps as the group travels. Though they uncannily remain utterly silent, the Gnawer has her ear turned back towards her group. Once they get close to the closer farm, the ragabash's form slows and she begins to appear smudged to those not looking at her. Turning her head then, she indicates with her muzzle the further farm as their target. Then she looks towards the sky and the crow-spirits, before taking a path that will guide the Garou on a more roundabout, but nevertheless closer route towards their original destination.
Stalking a bit behind the Ragabash group, Guards-The-Flame leads the back up as she continues to glance about carefully, then cuts off the path of Howls for Glory and Flood of Flame. Turning her eyes to them, she gives herself a quick shake of the head, then settles upon her haunches. She takes one paw and places it to either side of her, then motions. One looks left, one looks right. We keep eyes open in all directions. She instructs through way of simple gestures, though not a single growl touches her muzzle.
Howls-For-Glory pauses as he's cut off by Guards The Flame. He takes the directions, indicating through a bow of his head to her that he understands. He gazes towards the right of their small pack, keen eyes looking over the area.
Flood-of-Flame stops at Guards command and silently falls in to her left, bobbing his muzzle once to indicate he understands. When the group passes a rock, the Ahroun stops to silently scrape his massive front claws along the hard surface for a few moments. Then, he creeps forward quickly to retake his place among the trio of fat-moons.
Cycle-Breaker, as she follows Three-Blades, watches the farm curiously before turning her attention to where they are going. She bobs her head slightly to Guards-the-Flame's instructions, and like the Gnawer ragabash she too slows and appears blurred.
Iron-Eyes follows Three-Blades slowly, keeping pace, and even now making an effort to keep lower to the ground than the other garou; he has no gifts to conceal him visually. His scent, does, however noticeably vanish from the air as he begins his trek. The Fostern's command is noted, albeit briefly; his gaze on his destination, interrupted only by a few suspicious glances at the spirits that surround him.
The group moves rather calm and slow for the work ahead of them tonight, a testiment to the confidence shown by the group's ragabash leader. The organization behind definatly a show of the Fostern among the group's commanding presense. The farm seems to have a life to it, despite the group not seeing anything moving there with the naked eye, something about it just crawls, like ringworms in the skin of the heel. The group takes a roundabout path, but any who look the way of the clean farm that is being passed will notice the mecha-scarecrow spirit is eying you all as you pass with a suspicious glare. The crow spirits on the roof of the non-tainted farmhouse are playing with their recently accuired toys which were traded for valuable information with a recently passed-by Corax. As the group moves on, nothing else seems to bother their approach, and the tainted farm looms closer.
Fwiffo pages: It looks deserted, but something about 'red' seems to poke into your mind when you look upon it.
Pausing, Guards-The-Flame stops, hooking herself behind a tree, motioning to Howls for Glory and Floods of Flames to halt. She sniffs the air, then lifts up her ears. Shaking her head, she sends a warning yelp across her pack link silently to Three Blades. She starts to look about, squinting her eyes a bit more carefully.
Pack> Guards-Flame says "~Red. In the distance.~"
Howls-For-Glory draws to a quick halt as Guards The Flame motions. He peers into the darkness, trying to discern what seems to have caught their erstwhile alpha's attention.
Flood-of-Flame looks at his packmate for a moment in silent communication, then pads up behind his tribal Elder, eyes narrowed, sniffing and watching. He looks at the scarecrow warily, then at the farmhouse, searching for any sign of movement in the windows. Then his gaze pans over the fields.
Fwiffo pages: Oh, and red as in the color red.
Three-Blades gets the group closer, slowing to a stop near an umbral tree at the edge of the farm's cleared border. Her tail lifts and she looks back to the group, glancing back at her packmate and meeting eyes. The ragabash flickers an ear, looking to the group in general before nodding her head to them in a manner all too human like. The ragabash then looks to the two other no-moons pointedly, indicating for them to come with her.
Fwiffo pages: Or more appropriatly the 'word' red.
Fwiffo pages: Just kinda crosses your mind. Like 'I'm sneaking, I'm looking redat teh farm, I'm sneaking, I'm red lookin over at that farm.
Y
Fwiffo pages to the room: Well, as you are on rough farmland with tallish grass, you can sneak along just fine in it, though occasionally a light will move over you from the dancing lightning spirits in the clouds, almost like some kind of spiritual searchlight.
Cycle-Breaker, on Three-Blades instructions, steps closer to the other ragabash. She bobs her head, indicating she understands and will follow.
Iron-Eyes makes no indication of understanding, he merely does, keeping close step behind the other two, making sure to keep low and well within the tall grass for cover.
[Plan modifications made previously to the scouting actually happening, the group approached from the southeast, and hence the rendevous point changed to the SE part of the forest.]
The group moves stops and takes cover just as a loud screeching is heard in the farms direction. The sound grates painfully on the ears like several layers of the sound of nails on a chalkboard overlapped. It is followed by a wailing moaning, anguished and suffering deeply.
Three-Blades stops and ducks low into the grass, ears flipping back and her lips peeling away from her teeth. Her eyes flip up towards the sky, half expecting their cover already blown. The Gnawer waits for the sound to pass before looking behind her quickly to check on the other two ragabi.
Pausing as well, Guards-The-Flame takes residence where she sits, glancing to the other pair of brawlers that she leads. Her ears flip upwards cautiously. Quickly she darts her eyes about, to the crows, to the mechanical beast, doing a quick head count to make sure nothing is missing. Her ears flatten back a bit as she looks frustrated, searching the pack link between herself and Blades.
Howls-For-Glory's shoulder tense when the wailing sound echoes across the fields. His hackles rise, and he shifts anxiously as he cans his portion of the surroundings.
Flood-of-Flame immediately stops and flattens his body to the ground when the screeching begins. Ears forward and eyes wide open, he scans the farmhouse through the grasses, looking for signs of movement and violence.
Fwiffo pages: From the direction of the Farm. In the umbra sound travels almost like a spirit. It isn't just going to bounce all around like real sound. It is definatly /from/ the Farm.
Iron-Eyes does not visibly react at first to the noise, already low and within the grass. He slowly lifts his head upwards, looking in the direction of the noise, careful to not sacrifice too much visibility as his eyes suddenly shift eagle-like(or snake-like, depending on your interpretation). He then visibly relaxes, eyes returning to normal, and makes it point for this casualness to be obvious to the other two rabash.
Pack> Guards-Flame says "Red. Red. Red.. Three Blades, that word."
Cycle-Breaker's ears flatten against her head at the noise, and she struggles *not* to growl out at it. She remains silent, gaze drifting towards the farm. She steps closer to Three-Blades when the noise passes.
Three-Blades rotates her ears back towards the farm, sending a long gaze towards Guards-Flame. An ear splays temporarily, the Gnawer's tail swishing lightly at her side before she takes the two other no-moons closer. The trio of ragabi for the southeastern end of farm proper, where on the makeshift map the Garou would remember, she'd pointed out the barn. The group picks their way along, slowly edging their way through with care.
Iron-Eyes follows close behind, very slowly. He's extremely aware that, aside from the natural cover, he's the only obviously visible target of the three. Low to the ground, almost so that his belly touches the ground.
Guards-Flame shakes her head quickly and flattens her ears back. She looks frustrated over towards Flood of Flame and Howls for Glory. She motions for the pair to stay and wait, her nose darting forward. Eyes on the Ragabash. Let them work. She insists, flickering her ears forward.
Howls-For-Glory responds by scuffing at the ground with impatience. Nonetheless, he turns his eyes on the trio sneaking towards the barn. He hunches low over the ground, as if ready to spring.
Flood-of-Flame maintains his crouched position and stays his ground, at his Elder's command. He keeps an eye on the trio of no-moons, glancing cautiously towards the greenhouse, the barn and the house intermittently.
Cycle-Breaker obediently follows Three-Blades, watching the barn intently. She glances over her shoulder to the others farther back just to make sure where they are, and then again to the barn.
As the group of three ragabai head on north from the south-southeast, the trees thin even more till the point when the farm is clearly visable. After a moment of waiting, a large stroke of light passes over the farm and lasts for a while, long enough to see something new. The trio, closer now, see two spirits, not pleasant looking folk, stalking around the pens. A red one and a black one. They both have bowling ball-sized orb-like torsos and long a spindly pair of arms and legs. The red spirit has hooks where hands should be while the black one has ever-bleeding stumps instead. Their red spirit's head looks like the shape of a football, and is split into an upper and lower half by a mouth that goes from one side to the other, instead of normal teeth, inside look to literally be needles jutting around inside and out of the mouth at disturbing angles. The black one's head looks to be a similar shape, but is a patchwork of scarring and oozing wounds. Occasionally, one or the other spirit will kneel down, reach out an arm as if to grasp at something, sit there for a moment, then stand again to stalk around. The red spirit just seems to catch attention, and even elicits something like sympathy in those who see it, who have difficulty looking away before something in them acknowledges how tortured the spirit appears.
Three-Blades stalks to a distance that leaves the raggie temppack closer, but not /too/ close. The Gnawer watches these two spirits for a time, especially focused on the red one for a time before pointedly tearing her eyes away from watching. A soundless, silent snarl touches the Gnawer's muzzle, and she lashes her tail behind her. The leading ragabash checks to her flank for the other two, waiting for them to finish their assessments and to get their attention back to her before ducking low and prowling on northwards.
Iron-Eyes doesn't give the two spirits even a glance, having seen them before with his gift. Still low, he appears eager for Three-Blades to lead on.
Shifting her weight some, Guards-The-Flame nudges the other two and begins to slowly move, to the side, trying her best to keep her eyes upon the three ragabash in the distance. Her tail sways side to side behind her as she moves, eyes glancing about. She sends out silent murmurs to her pack mate on the link, making sure everything is alright.
Pack> Three-Blades expresses her dislike for the Red, which she relays as a possible Bad Spirit. One to kill later.
Howls-For-Glory stirs himself at the nudge, dropping into lupus to slink low amongst the cover provided. His body language is wary, each step calculated.
Cycle-Breaker stands stiff, watching the spirits as they move around. She shakes her head in a very human gesture, the sight of the spirits disgusting and at the same time frightening to her. Turning to Three-Blades, she watches for a moment where the Gnawer is headed and then stealthily follows.
Flood-of-Flame shrinks down into the wolf form himself, creeping along with the other large moon Garou.
The group is heading up rather quiet and with ninja-stealth action. They manage to get a good deal around the pens when *SQUEAK!* Jervis finds under his foot, hiding in the broken grasses in a shallowly dug crevice in the earth, a mouse spirit that calls out loudly in fear and starts to scamper off to the northeast. The two spirits turn their heads towards Jervis, the red one opens it's "mouth" impossibly wide and again comes that nails on chalkboard sound from him while the other pushes its bloody stumps for hands into the middle of its head, somehow pulling open a large gaping hole in the middle of it, from which comes the painful and suffering wracked moaning. The two spirits start shambling towards the Ragabashes, Jervis in particular, the red one a decent bit faster than the black, who has released the hole in its face to close again and with wide swings of it's arms, coats the ground around him with misty sprays of blood from it's destroyed hands.
Three-Blades tenses, and then her hackles stand straight up with the emitted screech of the red spirit. Still not making a sound, the Gnawer ragabash turns straight around and nips at the other two. Go! Back!
Pack> Three-Blades clearly 'shouts' out in her mind, that the group needs to get out of here, quick.
Guards-Flame perks her ears forward and rises up swiftly into the Crinos form. Her eyes are intense as she steps before the other two Cliath's, claws glinting as she shoots a look towards them, then motions with her paw.
Howls-For-Glory immediately rises into Crinos, his eyes flashing with the chance to release some of his burgeoning Rage coming into sight. He makes not a sound as he settles himself into a waiting stance.
Iron-Eyes is quick to follow through. Running for his life along with the other three.
Flood-of-Flame's form errupts into Crinos, and then he hunches in the tall grass, flexing his claws silently, muzzle spreading into an antipatory grimace. His long, sleek-furred tail swishes behind him restlessly.
Cycle-Breaker, startled by the mouse, the spirits, and, well, everything, obeys Three-Blades and begins to step back, away from the approaching spirits. The Fury does not seem to want to flee. She desperately wants to ask what on earth they're going to do, but refrains.
Three-Blades snaps again, eyes meeting the Fury's for a split second as she pushes her shoulder against the other no-moon's, urging her to retreat.
As the red spirit comes to the fence of the pen, it uses first one hook to pull itself up to the top, then latches onto a lower rung on the other side to lower itself back down. The black one squeezes out of the fence through two rungs near the ground. As Yi tries to urge Helen to run, the red one comes near, and is noticeably taller than it seemed before, hunching over in the pen. It is almost in range to swing its hooks.
Cycle-Breaker, taking Three-Blades' advice, turns tail as the red spirit approaches, rushing back to where the other Garou are.
Ducking down and running like heck, the Gnawer doesn't wait to see just how close the red spirit is. The ragabash's tongue flaps out of her mouth as she sprints for Alicia and the waiting Birdseye members, hot on the Fury's tail.
The persuing red spirit opens its mouth to shreak again, louder than before elicting a startling amount of pain from any non-homid ears, and a strong discomfort in human ears, this as it swings its hook right through the spot that only a half-second before, Cycle-Breaker was standing confused within. The black one pushes its right hand to its 'body', the stump sticking in, and looks to retch a few times, finally vomiting out a cascade of black and green putressence that flies in a high arc, hitting the back of Three-Blade's left leg, the price she pays for stopping to make sure a fellow Garou is safe. The vomit sizzles with acidic joy and quickly burns through to the muscle and makes painful pits into that before becoming inert. The two spirits continue towards the Ragabashes with lurching movements.
Three-Blades doesn't bother to contain the painful howl that stings with full force into her leg. The ragabash doesn't stop running though, and as all the sound from the Garou comes back at them, the Gnawer howls out. RUN! Away now!
Soon as she hears her pack mate's howl, Guards-The-Flame steps forward in clear path as she bares her fangs and claws, seeing exactly what is hot on their heels. ~Flames, Glory Howler, we wait until they pass us. Three Blades is injured. Soon as they hit the trees, we run. If they follow us out farther, than we kill them. We can't run all night and tire just so that we can die.~
As soon as Yi yells a sound of a raven's caw is heard and then it all comes at once around here. A cacaphony of sounds overlapping each other, every slight bone creaking, every branch stepped on, every blade of grass rustled or broken, every breath taken, every sound she would have made since the beginning of the rite of silence hits her all at once and her ears are bombarded with an aggitating reckoning.
Iron-Eyes stops short of the treeline as he hears the howl from Yi, immediately assuming war-form. ~Motherfucker~ he growls, noticing the other two are still behind. Hearing Guards-Flame, he nods. ~We extract, not assault.~
Flood-of-Flame flattens his ears at the awful sounds. Once it's lessened, he nods to Guards-Flame and stands tall, signalling his readiness, watching the spirits approach with visible hatred and rancor.
Howls-For-Glory growls as the cacaphony rings in his ears. He acknowledges Guards The Flame's command with a grin of bared teeth. ~Let them come!~
Three-Blades flattens her ears back, only able to bear with the cacophony that assaults her ears as she flees. Her leg is hampered, muscle eaten by painful acid, but her mind focuses only on the prospect of making it to the trees. She runs like the Devil himself is pursuing her, and doesn't care or even think of what she must look like coming towards the trees.
Cycle-Breaker growls, a low rumbling in her throat, as her ears are assaulted by the noises. She remains behind now with the fostern's group, bearing her teeth.
For every person that speaks, so to to them does the raven's caw come and the cacophony of noise follows. Then comes Flood-of-Flames, and sitting loud over all other noise comes his sharpening his claws on the rocks, a piercing sound like an answer to the red spirit's own screeching.
Iron-Eyes waits impatiently. Eyeing Guards-Flame and the running ragabi alternately, anxious for a cue to act from either.
The black spirit lurches forward once more, his arm in his stomach pumps in a few times and after retching violently again it tilts it's head back and from the hole in the center of the spirit's head again comes a high-arcing fountain of acidic bile that flies towards Cycle-Breaker now, the spray splashes directly on the back of her thighs, burning deeply into them, muscles underflesh showing through to bone in a couple of pitted spots and she goes down to her knees immediatly as her legs lose their standing power for the moment. Then the red spirit reaches her, and with a overhead swinging digs the hook into Cycle-Breaker's chest, and starts to drag the pain-delirious Furie towards the pens with it. The black spirit turns, arm still in stomach, to look towards the running Yi, spraying another arc of vomit towards her and only scoring a tree deeply in a line, its presense the only thing preventing Yi from a nasty wound across the back. This failed, it turns now slowly towards Iron-Eyes.
Three-Blades skids, spinning on her good leg with a vicious snarl as she sees Helen get hooked. ~Let Go!~ she roars out, her form blurring into the warform as she strikes out hard with her claws and teeth, focusing on the joint of the hooked arm.
Cycle-Breaker, what with her wonderful injury thanks to the red spirit, is sprawled on the ground in considerable pain.
Pack tactics in motion, Guards-The-Flame comes roaring right up behind the Gnawer, looking to aim her claws as well, followed up right after the Ragabashs. ~Iron Eyes, get the Fury! Flames, Howler, keep us alive!~ She moves with a warrior's skill, her movements fast as lightning as she strikes hard.
Iron-Eyes doesn't even wait to acknowledge, making a mad dash for the injured Fury, intent on retrieve and run, all else be damned.
Flood-of-Flame dances in front of the black spewer, trying to distract the monstrous spirit by circling around and around it, darting and weaving. If he can get around to it's back, behind it, he'll swipe out with a claw, trying to hamstring it's spindly appendages, but his main intent is to draw it off the other Garou.
Howls-For-Glory dashes out, into the melee. Striving to make himself imposing, he takes a zigzagging course. ~Come on, you disgusting toad,~ he roars at the black spirit. ~I'll give you something to cry about!~ He lashes out at the spirit, full of fury.
Three-Blades turns and immediatly appears as Crinos with no shifting appearing to occur as her claw nails the Red spirit's arm, dislodging it slightly from Helen's breast, the following bite missing the mark. Guards-The-Flame leaps into action as the black spirit vomits again, an spray traveling over other Garou's head right behind the Gaian, missing her by what seems less than an inch. The Child of Gaia Fostern gets in a single claw strike into the Black spirits' head and the wounds delivered are violently deep and powerful and the hook is freed from the Cycle-Breaker's body. Iron-Eyes arrives with perfect timing, taking the exact moment Helen is freed to hoist the Fury up on his back and start to head away. The action illicts a pained moan from the Fury who appears to be quickly regaining her cognisense.
Before the black spirit goes to spray at Guards-the-Flame again, Flood-of-Flame manages to get he attention and the spirit coughs out a small gout of vomit in a precise ball that streams to nail Flood almost square in the middle of the chest, the small acidic ball drills through with considerable force leaving a dime-sized hole all the way through from front to back of Flood's body. Whatever pain Flood-of-Flame might be experiencing, is instantly replaced with frenzy as he dives upon the black spirit, and mangages to quickly tear it apart with practically no resistance from the tortured spirit. It soon, before it can manage anything else, is disipated into spiritual vapors. This isn't enough for Flood who looks to be attempting to attack the earth beneath the spirit, digging claws deep into the grassy ground. Howls-For-Glory doesn't manage to get into attack early enough to make a strike, but he does find himself perilously close to a powerfully frenzying ally.
Howls-For-Glory finds his target destroyed, and turns himself with precision to attack the hook-beast. A snarl escapes him as he turns into a flurry of motion. In rapid succession, he moves to skirt the beast's arms and tries to land two quick, lethal strikes at the thing's sides.
Three-Blades makes at least one bit of contact in her flurry, and then seeing Iron-Eyes make off with the injured Fury, she turns back to Red. The Gnawer goes in low, claws seeking to tear into the spirit one more time.
Guards-The-Flame continues to move as she ducks under the spray that was aimed for her, then launches forward at the opposite side as the other two, looking to aim a flurry of claw swipes. Unlike her pack mate, she goes in high, the perfect combination of strength and speed.
Iron-Eyes makes no motion to care about anything but retrieving the injured Fury, hefting her onto his back, and running until a safe distance is achieved.
Flood-of-Flame froths and heaves, and then shudders. With great force of will, he draws himself up and begins to limp around the fray, taking the path Iron-Eyes took at a much slower pace. He bleeds freely from the hole in his chest, but seems to have his facilities about him once more.
Being carried by the Fang, Cycle Breaker begins to stir, croaking out painfully. ~Still alive? The.. others..?~ She questions, jerking her head up quickly.
As Flood-of-Flame walks away, the hole in his chest makes a whistling as the air rushes through it.
The hooked spirit goes down quick, between the ministration of so many Garou's claws, though Guards-the-Flames does earn a vicious hook across her right eye for the trouble, the eye staying closed from the aggitation of the wound alone.
Rumbling out in pain, Guards-The-Flame growls out, then spits at the ground. ~Pussy. Pack, lets head out, quick. Waste no time.~ She says, glancing to the others with her only good eye, then swiftly leaps into the Hispo form, bounding off after the others.
Howls-For-Glory drops into lupus, wearied from the battle. ~I wasn't aware we had a word for 'pussy',~ The Galliard says in a tired tone. ~Think I found my favorite new addition to the balads."
~Don't talk~ the Fang growls out, stopping only a moment to wait for the others to follow and make their way out.
Three-Blades shifts her weight back as if expecting to dodge a strike, but when none comes and the spirit dissipates, the Gnawer tripods. Her shift back to Hispo is slow and takes effort, but the ragabash makes her way to the nearwolf and peers to her packmate. At the fostern's command, there is a small reluctance. ~Should come back soon,~ she growls out, ears half ringing still with the sound and shrieks from before. Nevertheless, she follows after, dispelling her gifts to hide her from sight and scent.
~Speak to the Wyrmfoe of this, Three-Blades, when you get back to the realm. I will do what I can to heal our pack mates for the night.~ Guards-The-Flame chuffs as she lopes along her sisters side, making her way deeper through the forest. ~Flame, can you heal?~ She questions.
No other spirits come out to attack, bother, or even look at the Garou.
Flood-of-Flame catches up with Iron-Eyes not long after, giving the Fang a respectful dip of the head when he sees he's successfully 'rescued' Cycle-Breaker. It's a stark contrast to the Ahroun's mistrust of the Ragabash from before. He seems to be feeling no pain now, even though he's still bleeding freely from the ugly wound which tunnels right through his chest. ~No,~ he rumbles, regretfully, to his Elder.
Howls-For-Glory growls at the tone of the command, fur bristling. ~For fear of losing our strategic advantage,~ he asks. ~Because the silence did us so much good. SQUEAK!~ The Galliard's obviously still spoiling.
Flood-of-Flame turns and bares his teeth at his tribemate. ~Hush brother! Iron-Eyes saved the life of the Fury. He is redeemed tonight.~ His tail raises high, exerting his dominance in an effort to keep peace. As he puffs himself up, a thick globule of congealed blood drops from his wound. He seems not to notice.
~Not every mission goes perfectly, Howls for Glory. The Ragabash did well tonight, they got pretty far inside and we will use what they found to our advantage later.~ Guards-The-Flame says with a nod of her head, motioning them to slow down once they got quite a bit of distance. She leans over and presses a paw to Flame's chest, concentrating for a moment as the warm tingle spreads from her to him.
Three-Blades looks too tired to say much, but she eyes Cole. ~Come back with Forath-Ripper then.~ Deliberately, she speeds up to a half-speed lope to try to catch up with Auggie and the two other nomoons. For a moment, she glances back to Guards-Flame before snapping out a short howl of victory. Only then does she note, ~I still have the mirror. We will need to get to somewhere safe, and then return to the Realm.~
Fwiffo pages: Ok. What you saw. The greenhouse isn't painted on this side of the gauntlet, and inside are some dried out plants, thats it. Nothing wyrm really going on, just the absense of once-existing wyld.
Iron-Eyes grunts a little on Howl's direction. ~Any battle you can walk away from....~ He then gently hoists the Fury down the ground, nodding to Alicia.
Fwiffo pages: Couldn't, obviously, see into the Barn or farmhouse here on this side of the Gauntlet.
Howls-For-Glory stares at his packmate for a moment, but bows his head in submission. By the time Guards the Flame and Three Blades have finished with their additions, the Fianna is well and fully wishing he had not said anything. He doesn't answer Iron-Eyes' assertion. Instead, he lopes onward.
The hole in Flood-of-Flame's chest closes up into an angry pink scar under Alicia's touch, and then Flood coughs up a thin gout of blood as Alicia takes her hand away from the wound.
Guards-Flame steps back a bit and cocks her head quizzically at the Ahroun. ~Are you alright? I felt some resistance during the heal, as if you would carry a scar. I didn't wish to take your glory away.~ She furrows her eyes.
Three-Blades slows, waiting for Howls to catch up before nudging him lightly in a friendly manner. ~It will be up to you, Howls, and Iron-Eyes to keep us all safe as we get back to our meeting point and return to the Realm.~ She doesn't remain by the Fianna's side too long, though, and lope-limps forward at a forced clip to get to the head of the train again despite her leg injury.
Flood-of-Flame cringes as the healing takes place, and though he doesn't feel the pain of the cough, it's certainly uncomfortable. He doesn't acknowledge his Elder's apology, only dips his muzzle gratefully to her. ~Thank you, sister.~ He examines the wound on his chest a few seconds, then rises to his feet and takes the Hispo form.
Guards-Flame nods her head slightly, then makes her way to the Fang and Fury, reaching out to place her hand upon her friend, giving her the same treatment as she concentrates.
Howls-For-Glory acknowledges Three Blades' statement by falling to the rear of the train, waiting patiently in lupus.
Iron-Eyes makes a motion to help Helen up once the healing is done, smirking toothily as she squirms away. After that, it's back to being himself. ~Well...successful scouting mission, I'd say. I need a drink.~
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