The Hunt is on! (All Shield Members)

[HG]

The late afternoon air was stiff and cool. Nothing in the forest moved except for the slight rsutling of leaves that passed through the upper layers of the trees. Light trickled in through gaps of less dense tree cover. Their attempt to catch the feline had thus far been an utter failure. They began the day before as soon as everyone met up with Eriol to receive orders. The Shield members selected to go were Akroma, Ilue, Jarshan, Martred, herself and Eriol. Her opinion of how things were going she kept to herself. She also said nothing about stopping to pee although she had had to go a good candlemark ago. Although she wanted to contribute more she was out of her league here.

There were certain members of the group that were better at Tracking and Kyrah certainly wasn't one of them. Her two strong points were her lightness of foot and her ability with the bow. Eve, of course, had a lot to offer the group as well though the Gold seemed a bit tired from the previous day. The feline they were tracking was elusive. Every time they seemed to be on the right track it seemed the feline had moved faster or gone a different way than expected. Now however, they were more than certain they were heading the right direction.

Martred was known to be the most skilled at tracking though Eriol and Jarshan weren't far behind him from their Turns of experience. The three seemed to confer now and again to make sure they were in agreement on direction. Soon they fanned out again. They wanted to create more ground coverage. Nightfall would be upon them in a couple more candlemarks and they would have to stop. Giving the Feline that much more ground covered and time to rest and eat. Hopefully not preying on more humans. The feline was not far at all. Ky could almost smell it they were so close!

They needed to catch the feline before night fell. Kyrah was optimistic that they could. Everyone was quiet, the only thing that could give them away was their scent. Of course in this area of the jungle humans were more plentiful than say another day or two out on foot. Eve projected an image to her that suggested everything looked the same. Kyrah too got the feeling they were going in circles. It was easy to feel turned around in the jungle and it often happened when one was actually on the right track

[Ise]

Akroma was with the rest of her Shield brothers and sisters, her brown Nalaar perched on her shoulder as they waited for the trackers to agree if they were going the right way or not. The brown’s tail was wrapped around her arm and he coo’ed softly, his head bobbing up and down a few times as he looked around, waiting for the signal that they were on the move again. Akroma could tell that her fire lizard was tense, not tense enough for the feline to actually be near, but clearly he felt that they were going in the right direction as well.

Akroma was less nervous then Nalaar was. Yes the feline had attacked someone but it had been a little girl, there had been no reports of it attacking any adults and no one had gone missing as of late. The feline needed to be taken care of but Akroma wasn’t too worried about it. Being out here by herself she might have been but with this many members of the Shield here she didn’t think it was likely that someone would get hurt too badly out here. Still, it was a bit exciting to be out and doing something for once, something more then just the normal patrols. She just hoped that they caught the beast tonight, if it slipped out of their grasp again it was going to get harder and harder to track it. But everyone seemed hopefully that tonight was the night.

Once they were on the move again, Akroma nudged Nalaar off her shoulder to go scouting a bit. She made sure the brown didn’t go far ahead and stayed up high enough to where the feline couldn’t just swipe at him. He was slimmer then the bronze and gold flitts and had a much easier time slipping between the leaves and branches of the trees, looking for any sign of the feline or the great cat itself.

[Marnark]

Feline hunting was fun. Nothing got the adrenaline going quite like hunting a large, feral carnivore that could easily snap a full grown man in two on the fly. It was certainly a test of a body's skills in the jungle. What better way to stay honed, or even better, to get better at it? Jarshan couldn't be happier than when she was out on mission, though undoubtedly she loved the feline missions better than most anything else.

Not that she told anyone that. They would probably think her a little off her rocker.

She placed her feet carefully, never on anything that would make undue amounts of noise. Always rolling her foot for the most silence and easing of pressure from back to fore. Naturally, she would never truly be as stealthy on foot as a feline could be. But for a human, it was good enough. It helped a little bit that she was not always on the ground. Indeed not ... being on the ground was one of the places Jarshan least liked to be.

It was not unusual to see her padding along the length of a limb of a tree, usually crouched. A swift, light jump and into the next tree, walking along yet another branch toward the trunk. A quick shift of feet, and she would be around the trunk and headed out again. In her darkly dyed leather, she could vanish with ease into the tree's branches and foliage. The leather itself masking her scent at the same time it protected her skin from abrasions that came natural in a dense jungle as which they were proceeding through.

She could see a lot from up there, and didn't leave a trail either. Not that she didn't stop to check from time to time, just to be sure. On occasion she would have Torc relay what she saw to the others. Usually first to Eriol and Martred, then to the others. They had to find this creature before they could battle it to the death.

The prey was proving quite elusive indeed. Jarshan was thrilled for the hunt. Easy kills were such a let down! This did not mean that she was at all lackadaisical about the whole affair however. Even as she limb-walked her way through the jungle, she carried her bow in one hand, a pair of arrows held along with it. In a flash she could have both arrows planted anywhere she wanted, her nerves wound tighter than leather on a signal drum. Jarshan was well aware that what she was hunting could - and probably was - very well hunting them in return.

She did not plan to die this outing. Or have anyone in her group die, either, for that matter.

[firethorne]

It was nearly dusk now.

Crouched slightly as he walked, Eriol was silent as death as he prowled through the jungle, occasionally glancing to the right or left as he and his companions moved forward. Quiet executioners, the lot of them, ready to spring forth at a moment’s notice, ready to kill in the blink of an eye. Kaiden was perched upon his shoulder part of the time, and off scouting ahead the other part. He and his brethren could smell the feline closer now, several candlemarks after they had begun, and the Captain paused, sending the command to halt to the rest of the Shield via his bronze. He settled down low, one knee resting upon the ground as his blue eyes focused upon Martred. With a few motions of his hands, the Shield relayed a few questions that were too complex to communicate through their flits. After receiving his reply, the man nodded and had Kaiden send the order to gather closer.

Once the others had joined him, Jarshan abandoning the trees to hear him, the Captain spoke, though his voice was low, no more than a slight whisper. The daily sounds of the jungle would be enough to drown out any noise it would create, and certainly would not alert the feline of their close proximity. “We wait here.” Meanwhile, he sent his bronze forward with a few other flits, waiting for the news that he was certain would come. And…ah, there it was. Right on time. The firelizards had wandered as close as they dared to the feline, and though they normally wouldn’t be an unusual sight in the jungle, their flits smelled like humans, and not as wild creatures should. They would give it all away, should they allow the feline to scent them. Downwind, the firelizards found their prey, and relayed it back to their bonded Shields.

Nodding, Eriol knew they were ready. “Jarshan and Martred take the left, Akroma and Ilue the right. Kyrah is with me on front. Stay on the ground, and stay tight. I don’t want to see anyone caught alone by the feline.” There was a reason for his commands; there always was. The images that Kaiden relayed to him were enough for the man to already have a plan well thought-out in his mind. A cave lay ahead, but the top was slick and covered in moss, the front far to smooth and rolling to have anyone positioned there. They couldn’t get a shot at the creature from that angle. Besides, he wanted everyone together on the ground, so no one would be alone should the creature attempt to flee in their direction. There was a reason he had chosen an even number for this mission, and also a reasoning to his partnering of the Shields. “Each group has a long range and short range fighter.” They all knew this, but it never hurt to lay out the plan before a dangerous mission. “Ilue, keep your distance with your throwing knives, so Akroma can move in with her sword after the feline has been wounded. Jarshan, try to take out it’s eyes with your arrows, and Martred will be your sword should it move too close. Kyrah, the same with your crossbow. Akroma and I will move in once it’s eyes have been taken out. Martred will be our backup in case we are hit from behind. Long range keeps firing until that thing is down. Ready?”

He waited until he received an affirmation from the Shields, then nodded, jerking his hand forward in the command to move to attack. As they crept closer, Jarshan and Martred veered left, while Akroma and Ilue went right, silent as they stalked through the brush. As they moved, Eriol suddenly felt a warning in his mind, his bronze hunkering down on a branch near the feline’s cave. It seemed as if the creature was moving out of it’s lair. Shards! Had it smelled them? But no, the images from Kaiden proved that the feline was not aware of their presence, moving too languidly to have been wary of any predators nearby. Still. The Captain sent a command to be wary via the flits, watching Kyrah’s face to make sure the word had gone out. Now, they were all far more tense, yet the plan remained the same. As the firelizards each relayed to Kaiden, letting the bronze and in turn, the Captain, know that their bonded’s were all in place, Eriol took a deep breath and stilled his body, his iron nerves holding steady. Quietly, carefully, the three long-range fighters took aim, throwing knives, crossbow, and longbow all readied simultaneously. As soon as the three Shields took their shots, hopefully taking out the feline’s eyes and the next round wounding it in major arteries or muscles, he, Akroma, and Martred would move in with swords and slay it.

For a moment, they held their position, then Eriol sent the command to Kaiden, who contacted all the other flits concurrently. The time was now. MOVE!

[Marnark]

Jarshan detested being on the ground when she had the option of moving in the third dimension. But she also well understood that she was practically the only one of the bunch that was more comfortable in the trees than on the ground. Unfortunately. Orders were orders, and they did make sense. She left the lightest of touches on Martred's shoulder before she moved off, silent like a ghost in the foliage. Her outfit was well oiled and didn't even squeak as she moved, crouched low to the ground.

Her own blades were tightly strapped to her thighs, calves, and the outsides of her forearms. But yes - she did like her bow a lot. She firmly believed in being a master of many talents, but even that said, she was not against having a favorite of the lot.

After all ... why close with an enemy and risk damage when you can take him down from afar? As she neared her ordered position she checked to make sure Martred was following via Torc, not bothering to glance over her own shoulder. Taking one of her ready arrows in her other hand, she nocked it on the string and crouched down before sidling sideways for a better window. Even the smallest leaf could throw her shot off ... and she very highly valued accuracy. Why do something with ten arrows when you could do it with one well placed shot?

Time seemed to slow down for her, but it wasn't. It was just the adrenaline coursing through her veins. Slowly, she drew back on the string of her bow, bringing her fingers all the way back to that special spot on her cheek. There, despite the strain of holding it drawn, Jarshan waited. Timing was everything. She could see movement. The slow, rolling, stealthy, beautiful movements that only a feline could make.

When the command came to commence the attack, Jarshan let go of her string, sending the arrow lancing forward as a silent messenger of death. Her string bore two small tufts of fluff tied to it at thirds intervals ... while some might think this was a really bizarre decoration, it wasn't. They silenced the twang the string would have otherwise made. The arrow flew true, and sank half its length through one of the feline's shoulders, immobilizing that leg almost completely.

Yes, she was supposed to shoot for the eyes. And yes, she could have made that shot. But Jarshan was a realist, not a show off. Not everyone had impeccable aim. So; immobilize the target. Then go for the eyes.

In a flash before the first arrow had quite reached it mark, she was moving. Up and sideways, the second arrow falling into place with a natural fluidity like breathing. Just as soon as it was in place, Jarshan was still again, string drawn to her cheek again. Just as soon as it was drawn, it was loose. This one stabbed into the near eye. Due to the nature of the skull's construction, the arrow bounced instead of sinking deep. No brain damage with that shot. But when its momentum was redirected away again, the barbs of the head took the stabbed eye with it.

It was all chaos by this point. A chaotic dance that came only from training together for turns upon turns. Jarshan didn't have to look to see where her team mates were. She simply knew. Of course, updates from her bronze circling overhead helped a lot. The Feline was thrashing now, pure hatred coursing out of it as it lashed out in pain and agony, trying to figure out what was assaulting it, from where.

Movement, confusion. Don't hold still. Jarshan kept moving, though it was a methodical movement. Nothing hurried. Arrow followed arrow even as she strafed around the wounded animal. After the fifth arrow left her bow, Jarshan tossed the bow into a bush. By now, it would also have quite a few knives and bolts in it, though she had not been paying attention to where those projectiles landed, instead having been concentrating on her own foot work and aiming her shafts for well placed shots.

It was time to finish the kill. But she held off as of yet, drawing both of the dirks out of their calf sheaths. She was more than willing to let Martred work the feline over with his longer sword before she got anywhere near it. But now, with people in close ... there was too much of a chance of hitting someone human with an arrow. She could account for her movement, and the movement of her target. But for people moving around between her and the target? Too much unpredictability for the bow to be a viable choice right now.

The feline wasn't going to go far anymore, not after that first salvo. The bolts and blades would do some serious tissue damage, but the arrow shafts also immobilized areas of the muscular structure. Muscles didn't respond so well when they had a hunk of wood stapling them down. She had placed one to the shoulder, one had taken the eye, one into the near lung, and then two more into the near thigh, in an effort to reduce the feline's ability to lunge or jump.

It would die for sure, even if they didn't finish it off. But Jarshan wanted to finish it off ... not only was that the merciful thing to do, but she wanted the hide!

[HG]

Blue eyes watched as the others moved where they were told to. She wondered who would be the first to see the feline or if the group would see the creature all at once. In the back of her mind a thought gnawed mercilessly at her. She did not want to kill it. Kyrah wanted to study the felines strange behavior. However, the feline had been deemed dangerous and they had to protect the people if nothing else. Ky knew that this was what had to be done. She did owe it to Irinn and her family to make sure this feline was not permitted to live. Still she was plagued by questions of what had possessed the feline to attack a human.

She moved as quiet as a ghost, just as the others did. She could not see or hear anyone other than herself; the thumping of her heart, the intake and outtake of air from her lungs and the air moving past her ears in slight rushes. Eve too was silent. The Gold had taken up flying just ahead of the young woman. The cave, Eriol had seen, she saw now too, through Eve. A den? She wondered if they packed together like canines tended to do. Maybe there were more in there? This could be very dangerous if that were the case.

As they drew nearer the feline exited the cave. The guard like stance the feline took made her curious anew. So many questions and no time to answer them. She loaded her bow, waiting for Eriol's signal. They would attack when he was ready and not a moment before. Although she would much rather let Jarshan do the killing as she seemed to want to kill it the most. It had been much more rewarding for her to save the girl than killing the feline would be. She had enough glory for one sevenday, that was for sure.

Eve stopped flying just above the woman's red hair. Kyrah glanced over at Eriol. The moment gave her a tense feeling of unease. She felt the adrenaline begin to pump through her body, her hand was on her bow. Sweat began to trickle in small drops down her forehead. Kyrah was nervous. She hoped no one was injured in this attack. The feline in front of the cave was one of the largest she had seen in her time on the Shield. She wondered if the others had seen one larger? Probably but she was certain this feline was mature and dangerous. They would all have to be on guard for whatever happened.

[Ise]

Akroma followed the rest of the Shield, carefully watching her step so she wouldn’t make a sound. She had spent enough time in the forest doing patrols that she had learned how to move around silently. She wasn’t as good or as fast as some of the others were but she was always working to improve herself. Eriol stopped and brought them all in close. Nalaar was sent off with the other flitts as they waited and she saw the quick flashes of what was around her brown as they waited. She saw the cave as Nalaar and the rest of the flitts found it.

She moved out with Ilue, going to the right to cover the cave. Once they found a good spot she waited, making sure that she wasn’t in Ilue way. She felt Nalaar suddenly tense up as the cat came out of its cave and waited to see if Eriol would change their plan or not. Her brown quickly informed her that the plan was still the same and soon the Shield members were given the word to go.

Akroma waited until the arrows, bolts, and knives started flying before she slipped her sword out of its sheath, keeping it low but ready to strike if the cat came charging towards them. She was tense as she waited, the feline was hampered now but it wasn’t harmless. She waited for the word to be given that those with in close combat skills should head in and finish off the beast.

[firethorne]

((In order to get the plotty plotty plot moving, I'm going to go ahead and sum all of this up. Please do not be offended if I left out something you wanted to do. You can reply however you want, as long as you reach the conclusion. Also, feel free to indicate in your replies how injured your character was! (: ))

The feline was immense, that much was certain. In all of his turns as a Shield, Eriol had never seen a larger feline than the one that stood before them. Others had come close, but this one…she was a goliath. Yes, a she, for after studying the creature for a moment, the Captain was able to see she lacked…certain…well, anyway, point being, it was female. Finally, after several tense moments, the man gave the signal to proceed, and all hell broke loose. Of course, the feline wasn’t about to go down without a fight, especially not a feline as large and strong as she. Though, as he watched the projectiles fly, the Captain couldn’t help but wonder why such a creature attacked a child. Obviously, there was something else going on here, something that he didn’t like. What did it all mean?

Of course, things started off according to plan. Guards did not merely become Shields because they wished to. No, his team was the best of the best, and their aim was deadly accurate. The eyes finally went, the long-range warriors doing their job, and Eriol called for his close-range fighters to move in. He sent word to Akroma via her flit, and he and the other Shield moved in, Martred watching their backs as they did. As the Captain and the woman moved, dancing about and keeping free of the feline’s claws, the arrows and knives continued to rain in, each man and woman trusting their partners to do their jobs. Their long-range was able to shoot as the three others continued to move about, striking at the creature when they had the chance.

The beast was vicious, there was no doubt of that, but even as they fought the creature, something within Eriol was uncomfortable. Yes, everyone knew that felines were wild and ferocious, but this one seemed so driven, so desperate to defeat them. Moving in, the Captain bit back a snarl as he was scored across his lower leg, the feline’s wild thrashing accidentally catching him and leaving a gash about seven inches long across his calf. It was a small wound, really, when compared how much damage this thing could really do, he was certain. Finally, he sent the call for all six members to move in to finish it off, though his stomach turned as he did. Despite all of his hardened discipline and turns of hunting these things, the actual killing of another life never got any easier, especially one that had fought so valiantly for it’s life.

Yet, the end was undeniable, and finally, the feline fell to their attacks, landing with a dull thud upon the ground with a final, weak cry. Clenching his jaw, feeling his leg sting slightly, the Captain turned, surveying his Shields with dark, hard eyes. “Good work.” He said, voice emotionless. “Was anyone injured?” As Eriol moved forward to inspect his team, the sound of movement from within the cave caught his attention, and the Shield whirled, eyeing the darkness with a sharp, piercing gaze. Certainly, he wasn’t the only one that heard that. All of the DragonShield had heightened senses, tuned to catch even the slightest thing that others would never notice. Glancing over, the Captain jerked his hand forward, indicating for the others to move forward with him, unless they were too injured to do so. He hadn’t been given time to properly inspect his team before the sound had occurred.

He and the others moved forward, gathering at the mouth of the cave silently. If there was something within, he wanted the element of surprise. Jerking his head, Eriol indicated for the others to follow, and crept within silently, Kaiden landing on his shoulder and glancing about readily. The flits could see in the dark much better than their bondeds, and so could easily relay what was ahead even if the Shields couldn’t see it. Their firelizards could give them a mental picture of what lay ahead. As they crept through the darkness, his bronze suddenly stiffened, emanating confusion and unease. The next mental picture that Eriol received made him halt completely, gazing at the others with a rather disbelieving stare. Um…what?

((and now it’s HG’s turn!!! *evil laugh*))

[HG]

The woman stood as before, ready to cast off an arrow. As soon as Eriol gave the signal she released, sending the arrow whizzing past the trees towards the unsuspecting feline. Although it seemed Jarshan and Ilue were just as prepared. This had only seemed to make the feline angry. Kyrah was immersed in preparing the next arrow, too far away to be in danger but not to see that others were.

She hurried to get the next shot off, which seemed a longer amount of time than had actually passed. Seconds seemed like minutes in battle to her. The firing of arrows continued until she saw Eriol injured. Kyrah moved closer then, not waiting for his signal and continue to barrage the beast as best she could. It seemed the close range fighters were going to be able to finish her.

While she was glad of victory a sort of sadness swept over her. Such a beautiful and strong creature, it felt so pointless to kill her. Sighing, she put her bow back in place upon her person. “Nope.” She said looking over to the cave. She too wondered what awaited them inside. Of course she didn't have to wait long. Gold Eve flew into the cave, fearless as usual. Chirping and sending images to her bonded. The shield member felt her stomach turn over and twist. If she had felt bad before, she felt even worse now.

She walked into the cave light footed as she was, trying to make as little noise as possible. It was hard to see them at first but her eyes adjusted slowly to the darkness. The five feline cubs were awake but cautious. None seeming to want to be the first to move. They had every reason to fear the intruders. Four of them were the same coloring as their mother but one was a dark almost black with black spotting. The cubs had already opened their eyes. By Kyrah's judgment they might be able to survive without their mother. Still in some way she felt responsible.

“Eriol. We can't leave them here like this. Not when we've interfered with their chances of survival...” Kyrah's tone made it obvious she would not be backing down from the request she was about to make no matter what anyone said. “We should take them with us.” There was something like a life debt here to be paid. They had killed the mother and now they were responsible for the offspring. Wild though they were she would defend this idea of hers to the end. She would feel awful knowing she had done nothing for them. They were as innocent as Irinn and deserved no less than she. “I know they are dangerous.” She said as if to speak what the others might be thinking. “We can't leave them here to die.”

Kyrah moved closer to find the feline cubs did not recoil overmuch at her approach. The sort of peered up at her with wide blue innocent eyes. They were so adorable!! She had to say, she wouldn't mind having one around. The littlest one yawned and curled back between two of her siblings. Obviously she couldn't be bothered. How could anyone say no to those little faces?

Cub #1: The Investigator


Gender: Female
Description: The first of the cubs to be caught, she has a darker red under her baby fuzz that will come out more vibrantly as an adult. Her spots are more like polka dots around the front of her and as they move back to her main body become more like splotches with brown in the center. She has a symmetrical face. The most distinguishing thing about her are the rare blue eyes, that although were expected to leave as she became older, remained. She is the only one in her litter who will have blue eyes as an adult.

Personality: This kitty is a bit vocal. She loves to talk about, well everything. If she's hurt you'll know about, if she's mad, you'll know about that too. Quite the little snoop she will get into things she isn't supposed to. Of course when that happens she turns her angelic little face up and acts as innocent as possible. She spends a good deal of her time investigating. She might even be more curious than Pandora. (Curiosity killed the cat they say...) Her handler/owner will need to have a strong hold over her as she has a problem listening when she is on the hunt or just finding out what that is in the corner over there.

Owner/Handler: Ilue (dragon)


Cub #2: The Teddy Bear


Gender: Male
Description: This guy is big. Probably the biggest feline cub anyone at the Weyr has ever seen. His growth rate will be fast so anyone who handles him will have a great big kitty on their hands. He's sure to grow to be largest of all the feline cubs. Whether this will make him exceptional at anything is hard to say. Certainly size means power but not necessarily intelligence. His markings are well defined and he has some of the best markings of his litter. His eyes are a greenish gold and often hold a look of indolence.

Personality: Ever thought of a great big dog being a lap dog? Well this is a great big feline who thinks he should be. His favorite thing to do, besides eat would be to sleep. Not just short little naps either. This boy sleeps for candlemarks on end and has a hard time being motivated to play. Besides his litter mates are rather annoying. He has better things to do...like lounge on a sunning ledge, or watch the water ripple on the lake. For all his lazing about, he is a rather powerful boy. His size makes him stronger than the others, which he will use to his advantage when he does play.

Owner/Handler: Kyrah (HG)



Cub #3: The Huntress

Gender: Female
Description: Although the second largest in her litter, she has a more agile, lithe and feminine build than her larger brother. She too has a powerful body and can generally piss the others off with her games. She is well marked with very dark splotches against her reddish and white fur. Her nose is pink and black almost peachy in the middle. Generally her round ears are perked and her eyes attentive. She is always on the lookout. Her eyes are green with a brown center.

Personality: This little female is the star of her litter. If you didn't know, she is the one who wants your attention even if she has to demand it. She will vocalize should she feel it necessary. Funny to watch, she is always pulling some new stunt. Her games generally involve pulling other critters tails and hunting anything and everything that moves. She likes to play and is rarely one to take a nap as a kitten. As she ages, naps will be more welcome. Her hunting as a cub is sure to pay off later in her life when hunting for her own food will be necessary.

Owner/Handler: Jarshan (Marnark)



Cub#4: The Dark One


Gender: Male
Description: One thing distinctly separates this boy from his litter mates, his fur is black with lighter spots that aren't far removed from the black of his fur. In fact its hard to see them except in the light. Perfect really for blending in with the trees in the evening. He is the smallest male of his siblings and the second smallest total. He has a longer face as cub that will round out more as he gets older. His nose is black like the rest of him and though his eyes are almost navy blue was a kitten they will become a golden green as he grows older.

Personality: He isn't the dark one just because of his coloring. He really does have a dark side to him. He gets himself into situations he can't possibly get out of. He likes to see how people and things react to what he does. Its like he is trying to get himself killed half the time. He sorta leaps without looking and just does what feels right. Instinct however can only get one so far. Constantly in and out of trouble, there is no doubt he's a little fighter. He often play fights with his siblings and spends a great amount of his time trying to play with animals he should leave alone. His owner is his favorite and possibly the only person he trusts. Do not approach him without his owner's approval, he bites. * Nips your shirt for reading this.


Owner/Handler: Akroma (Ise)


Cub #5: The Shadow


Gender: Female
Description; The runt of the litter. She is the smallest and will probably grow to be smaller than the others by a little though she is probably not going to be noticeably so by people who don't know the felines well. She has a lighter coloring than her siblings and her spots are not quite as defined as either of her sisters. Her head is wide set and she has a black nose. She has a strong frame despite being small. With a stern unsettling gaze of green eyes, she can almost certainly unnerve strangers and passersby.

Personality: Laid back for a female, the little one is easily content. That is as long as she has everything she wants. What she wants is for her owner to let her follow him everywhere he goes and never leave her. She has horrible seperation anxiety when left alone. In these situations she will destroy things, mewl and cry for candlemarks on end, refuse to eat and sleep, creating a lot of problems for her handler. She is however a willing learner and is easily trained by her beloved companion. She will guard him with her life and often won't let strangers near him unless he remembers to give her the command to let them be. Sometimes she gets a little overzealous meeting people she likes and will pounce on them and lick their faces.
Owner/Handler: Eriol (Thorne)

[Marnark]

Bow dropped, Jarshan sprinted into the clearing with the rest of the others, dirks turned back along her forearms to keep them safe from an accidental bump with anyone else. It would be very very bad if any of the Shield were injured on a Shield's blade. Not to mention rather embarrassing. She maintained some small distance, waiting and biding her time as those with longer blades took the foremost front.

Her true talent lay in that bow back there. But she was nothing to sneeze at with blades either. Otherwise she wouldn't have gone in. Stupidity was not her forte. When the time was right, she moved in closer and made her mark on the feline again. Though she placed her blows carefully and precisely - she did still want that hide after all. With as few holes in it as was possible.

A flailing kick from the feline as it was bowled over by one of the Shield caught Jarshan in the shin, and sent her flying from the sheer force of the strike. Instinctively she curled her arms in tight to her body to roll without breaking any limbs ... and ensuring she wouldn't stick herself on her own blades, all without dropping said dirks. Rolling back to her feet, she leapt back into the fray to help finish the beast.

Only after it made its final movement and stilled did she step back to inspect her leg. The leather was torn, and she had some minor scratches. But that was all. Thank Faranth for leather... that could have been a lot worse. If the leather hadn't taken the brunt of it and held as long as it did - nevermind that same holding had been what had sent her flying - she could have had entire muscle clusters torn out and dangling loose down there.

"Hm." Jarshan said, slowly sliding the blades of her dirks along her thighs, wiping the blood off. Semi-cleaned, she slid them home in their sheaths on her calves. The one sheath was dangling free on the bottom end, the strap that had held it torn by the same rake that had ripped her pantleg open and left her scratched.

"I'm alright." She answered, when the question of wounds was addressed. "Nothing a little washing won't take care of." In the same instant that Eriol heard it, so did Jarshan. Freezing, she listened to the sound, before her gaze turned toward the cave. "Wonderful." It didn't take a whole lot of logic to determine what was probably inside that opening. But as with the others, she took due caution in venturing toward the opening, one dirk coming back free of its sheathe even as Torc landed neatly on her shoulder to ride with her and be her eyes.

Pausing as she took stock of what there was to see, Jarshan heaved a slow sigh, adrenaline still running through her system. The dirk was never lowered, however, even as she listened to what Kyrah had to say. Jarshan would have shot her a disapproving look, if she'd dared to take her eyes off the cubs. Even cubs could be dangerous.

"Kyrah, get away from there." She warned. "And stop talking as if they are housefeline kittens. They're not. They are wild feline kittens. Which will grow up to be just like that out outside." She flicked her dirk point back toward the clearing where the mother was growing cold in the evening air. "Wild felines never stop being wild felines. Even if you did get them to have some semblance to being tame, they'll never truly be tame. At any moment they could ... and eventually will ... turn on you. Worse yet, you'd still have to feed them!"

All logic, sensible and plain. Kyrah was still young, young folk were that way sometimes. So, clearly, she needed it explained to her. "We should put them down. All of them. Now, while it's easy. Before we have to go hunting them, too. You know anything that Hold-harassing mother killed, she shared with these cubs. They already have a taste for it."

But, like it or not, Jarshan was not the group leader, her word was not final say. So she turned her attention to Eriol instead, waiting for his word. Taking the cubs back was foolishness from start to finish.

Torc hissed quietly, eying the felines that he instinctively knew would not think twice about trying to eat him. Meanwhile, Jarshan was eager to get the hide off that carcass before it got cold and stiff, hard to handle and manipulate. Feline fur really was such fine stuff for warming a bed in the winter.

[Ise]

Akroma went into the fray when the word had been given. She drew her sword once she was far enough away from Ilue but before she had gotten too close to the feline, if she was lunged at she didn’t want to be empty handed. But the great cat was being hit by too many things to try and take out a single person rationally. She still lashed out though and Akroma saw the flash of red on Eriol’s calf. The young woman took her chance to slash at the side of the feline. She was amazed at the speed the feline still had, seeing one of her paws swipe at her but not feeling the pain in her arm for a few moments. The cat had caught her bicep and clawed down, thankfully on her weaker left arm. It hurt but she pushed the pain to the back of her mind, she could still move her fingers so any care needed to her arm could wait until they were out of danger.

The feline couldn’t hold up to all the attacks forever and soon enough the beast was dead. Akroma took the time to look her arm over, she would have a scar and wouldn’t be lifting anything heavy with her left arm for a few days but otherwise her arm would be fine. She wrapped her arm and gave Eriol a thumbs up.
“I’ll be fine.”
She would have the wound cleaned out properly once they went back to the Weyr but keeping it covered would at least prevent anything else from getting into it.

She paused as she heard the sound coming from the cave, frowning slightly as she glanced at the rest of the Shield members. Nalaar came down and flew a circle around the group before he disappeared into the cave with the other flitts, showing Akroma the way.

Seeing the cubs, Akroma sided more with Kyrah then Jarshan. They were so small and helpless. And cute as well. Yes they were wild animals, very deadly ones but they were still young. She was still careful around the cubs but far less worried about them. It would hurt if they decided to scratch and bite but unless they all went after one person Akroma didn’t think they had too much to worry about.

“The mother may have harassed us but I at least never heard of anyone being killed by her.”
She stood up and Nalaar came to rest on her shoulder. She scratched the brown’s head, thinking a bit.
“I’m with Kyrah on this, we can’t just let them die. And think of the advantage we’ll have if we have five felines with us. I’m sure they won’t be easy to train, but they’ll be good protection out there. Nalaar is good for sending messages and scouting, but if a feline or some other large predator gets the jump on me, he won’t be able to do much. A wild feline on the other hand…”
She shrugged a bit but hoped that they would be allowed to take them back. Part of her felt childish for wanting one so bad but she could see the use in having them. And she did feel bad that they had been forced to kill the mother when it was likely that she had only attacked the little girl to protect her cubs.

[firethorne]

For a moment, the Captain really had no idea what to say. Kyrah's words spoke to the deepest part of him, the part of him that had recoiled from the idea of killing the feline when he saw how bravely she fought for her life. The part of him that never got used to the taking of life. However, his mind quickly overrode that small whisper, and his brows lowered. His blue eyes glanced over at Jarshan as she spoke, though he quickly snapped his gaze back to the cubs, eyeing them as his partner grew closer to them. For a moment, Eriol tried to consider the best way to explain his reasoning to the Shields and quickly take care of the cubs, but then Akroma spoke up as well, siding with Kyrah.

Still silent, the tall man gazed down at the small cubs, face and eyes as hard as ever. It was foolish! As Jarshan had said, these were wild beasts, and they had no place inside the weyr. And yet, there was a voice inside him, telling him that here was the reason that feline had obviously attacked the girl. She had been protecting her children. But that still didn't make this a good idea! Not in the least! Akroma had a point, of course, about their usefulness, and Kyrah was also correct that they couldn't leave them to die, but...no, this was not a good idea.

"Be that as it may," Eriol said, nodding toward Akroma, "their mother would have killed the girl if Kyrah and Eve hadn't saved her. We now know that she was protecting her cubs, yes, but we are the DragonShield. We have fought felines for turns. You all know how dangerous they can be, how savage and desperate. That is bred into them, it's in their blood, and as young as these cubs are, how can you even think we can pull them from their instincts?" The Captain sighed, giving his partner a pointed look. He knew that Kyrah was going to argue further; it was in her nature. Eriol expected it of her, and he doubted she would let him down. "Martred, Ilue, I haven't heard your voices yet. What are your thoughts?"