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Post by Kristofor on Mar 21, 2021 4:48:55 GMT -6
A mixture of fear and panic mixed in Kristofor's stomach as they topsided and the female tossed herself on the ground and laughed a bit. He'd been -this- close to a hunter this whole time?! "Well I didn't expect that to happen tonight! Can't call me clumsy so much now, they can't." "No. Just unlucky and clumsy. You're late." the crisp and irritatedly familiar voice of the crow sounded right behind them. She ssqueaks and looks up and behind her, upside down. The fox turned. The shadow must be longer then normal in the near darkness because he could swear the crow looked much taller at night. She's stammering, fumbling for her specs. "Go back inside, make yourself a cup of tea once you deliver the mail to my study." the crow tells her without making a motion to help her stand up. The maid pratically jumps to her feet and with a jumbling of words, practically screams back indoors, leaving the pink lantern behind. The crow picks it up, illuminating himself. the darkness recedes a bit and its the kid again, his black locks tousled like he had been actually sleeping. In his hand was the discarded rope, and two terrified creatures struggling to escape from him on the other end. 111 -start accept scary sights
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Post by Kristofor on Mar 21, 2021 4:54:46 GMT -6
He tried to hand the rope over to the fox, but the fox didn't appear to see him. His big eyes were scared and far away... the faintest smell of flint and metal. berating the master's choice of a maid, he picks up a screaming WHEEK WHEEKing Mira and attaches her back to her master. His spook falters when the panilla clings onto him for dear life, scramblign for a place to hide. anywhere to hide. Were they smart-ow-enough to chew through the rope? NO. The creature on the other end of the rope, the jackaroo, stomps on his slippered foot and hops a few paces away. Not to mention being kicked in the kneecap. The crow winced; that creature had some serious power in its legs. "Its usually considered trespassing to be roaming the grounds after dark." he informed the fox. Who gave him a brief rendition that the city had a blackout and this thing, as he gestured at the creature near to him, bolted straight here, and he and the panilla are victims of circumstance. and misfortune. with less words. "Why let maid be a hunter." he asked a bit breathlessly when Mira pratically butted her head into his larynx in panic. 112
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Post by Kristofor on Mar 21, 2021 5:01:03 GMT -6
"Not everything on this plane is friendly to strangers, even if you live here." the child responds, as if this is perfectly normal. "One must defend themselves somehow." He draws a small fistful of child sized cutlery that gleams with the lanternlight, catching Kristofor's eyes briefly. "She chooses her old habits to do so, and I use something I can throw and retrieve." they all had to be able to defend themselves and the master at a whim; for this plane was definitely not friendly to trespassers. "Whereas, you would be eaten alive, if you were alone tonight." "Eaten by what" "A giant snake." the crow responded with storing his implements in his black tailcoat. because yes, he's able to fit his tailcoat over his pajamas like a boss. A pint sized boss. He examines the ground by the bush and the open path with a sigh. "We'll have to fill that in tomorrow then there's more light." he mutters to himself, brushing the hole's edges with darkened hands. "Are all animals here giants?" the fox asked as he tried to coax less panic out of Mira's wheeks in his ear. The jackaroo makes a noise that he can't explain hat he hears. "Just the ones who live underground it seems." the crow says. The fox blanches. "I'm kidding." 113
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Post by Kristofor on Mar 21, 2021 5:07:24 GMT -6
"Later months there is an enormous snake that dwells under the earth here. I've only seen it once, as it tries to swallow the sun at sunset." the fox doesn't quite believe this story. "About half the holes you'll fall into here are likely by this snake; the rest are by the giant jackalope warren, and those are much bigger. I heard you found the apex of their lair not long ago." Kristofor nods once. "They fear me for some reason, I can't imagine why." maybe it was his tone, or the way the faint pink lantern light illuminated his eyes into being ruby red as he talked. But it gave the fox the willies. No wonder Mira was freaking out; this wasn't Harmony. She'd endured being nearly eaten by a giant cat though, and tolerated having both a dog and a cat in close proximity to her. So why was this guy freaking her out so badly. WHEEK WHEEK WHEEK WHEEK He holds her close, trying to share his body heat some to calm her down. The jackaroo who hasn't bolted yet again, but probably will, has a sharp grip on his hip fur for some reason. Was it scared too? Probably? 114
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Post by Kristofor on Mar 21, 2021 5:14:58 GMT -6
"Calm down fox, you're panicking about as badly as she is, that panilla of yours." the crow sighed, tapping the lantern a few times before it flared brighter. The path illuminates more, and blinds temporarily. "Sit before you pass out from shock." Grumbling that he was fine, the fox took a seat near the lantern and a bush, so if he had to defend himself from ruby eyed crazy child, he could. Granted, he'd not harmed him yet. "I won't eat you. The afrit would hunt me down and those ridiculous hunters would return." a pause. "Hunters?" the fox's voice is smaller then normal. Was he really that worried for himself and his creature? The crow waved his hand absently. "other treasure hunters fox. Those who actually want whatever this inconvenient monthly holiday spell over this entire place spits out." Out of what felt like no place, the crow has a bulging sack of items, eggs and clumps of flowers that look liked they were dug right out of the ground; toys and even some stuff from the previous month. And a bunch of flattened lanterns, no longer lit. "Take this stuff and get yourself out of here sooner then later fox." he tells him, then gets up and leaves them alone. WHEEK WHEEK WHEEK WHEEK! The jackaroo winces with the noise of the panilla, but playmate should not be ascared. 115
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Post by Kristofor on Mar 21, 2021 13:05:10 GMT -6
'You're doing quite well for yourself' the fox noted softly for the jackaroo who had a grip on him. He didn't know why or how, but the jackaroo just wasn't being nearly as spookable? Maybe it was just the dark? He didn't move yet, just cuddled Mira close and waited. He felt the jackhammering of his own heart inside himself; the smell of powder still clung to the air, even though nothing was fired, at him or around him. 'Stupid, get hold of yourself. Freezing up even around a firearm...' he couldn't help himself sometimes, it was trauma induced. Kristofor scritched Mira's soft fur very lightly, trying to calm her down, because the loud wheeks were very noisy for his own ears. Something jabs him sharply in the leg. Looking down, he could see the vague outline of the jackaroo with a twig in its 'hand', now pointing upward. The lanternlight glimmered with seaglass green eyes that glance upward briefly, then look away. Was this for Mira? The fox takes careful hold of the stick, and the grip drops on it. 'Thank you' he tells the creature, and gives it to his friend. Mira's wheeks are still quite loud, but she's looking at the stick now, then takes it and starts chewing on it. 116
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Post by Kristofor on Mar 21, 2021 13:22:26 GMT -6
Smart thinking, he considers of the jackaroo, who has another stick not too quickly after that, chewing on it itself. What, won't take credit for its own attempt to pacify its playmate? What gender was this creature anyhow. Kristofor turns away from the hole in the ground and starts making his way back out towards the mansion grounds gate, but at this rate, he's not entirely sure where out is, in this darkness. The lantern gutters, and puts them in the dark again. He has to avoid being jabbed in the neck by Mira's chewing stick, but at least she's calm again, for now. Something snaps just out of range of what little vision he'd managed to acquire. Growling. Great... He stopped moving. On his own side of the river, foxes are tricky predators; here he felt like prey. The fox waited, his tail bristling, brushing close to the jackaroo to maybe convince it to keep close if it was afraid. Stop and listen, he'd been taught as a kit. Don't get in a fight if you can avoid them. He listened. The snapping of twigs or brushing aside of small rock as a foot was picked up and placed again... what was this. Where was it. There! 117
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Post by Kristofor on Mar 21, 2021 19:04:29 GMT -6
It squeaked. Loudly. The darkness seems to flare briefly before he heard...slapping. Like when some fussy human child slaps their feet on the ground as they walk, making as much noise as possible. Slap...slap...slap... perhaps the things feet were wet, and thats why he could hear a faint slurping sound when the foot? raised up and off the ground. Slurp-slap. Slap. Slurp...slap. Nobody could see it; and the smells of the flowering trees and bushes confused Kristofor's sense of smell; because what he could smell... was foreign. Off. He started to walk, giving short tugs to the jackalope's tie so it would follow him. Mira remained steadfastly attached to his chest. The slapping was following him. Practically keeping up with his duplicate of footsteps. How was this possible... until the fox heard the slapping get in front of them. A flare of weak light... a little blue lantern. But what held it... was a duck. About as big as the jackaroo, the giant bird clung to the tiny lantern with the tinest of... arms? Teeny little clawed arms holding tight to the string of the lantern. QUAAAAACK the giant bird squawked. Presumably surprised. By a fox, a rabbit with a skin condition, and the dark? 118
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Post by Kristofor on Mar 21, 2021 19:14:17 GMT -6
The weak lantern light illuminated sunny yellow plumage, bright orange clawed and webbed toes clinging to the lantern in front of it. More then its arms, the duck's rather rotund figure stood out, like it belonged in something's bath. The creature's beak reflected bluish orange, serrated and large, exhaling a brief amount of visible steam in the cooling night air. UAAAAAACK it called again, right at them. Mira made the mistake of looking around, pausing in her chewing. thingy. SCARY THINGY!!! WHEEK WHEEK WHEEK! She tried to dig into Kristofor's collarbone to hide from the monster bird. The bird's large round head had voids for eyeballs, as its head tilted outwards in curiosity. What was this loud thing in the dark? The jackaroo made an unusual noise at it, like a groaning grunt. Kristofor didn't pick up on the noise before it hopped forward to the duck monster, and kicked it square in the chest. The lantern in its grip got flattened and fluttered to the ground, dying of light. The duck thing's head rolled on its tilt downwards to look at the flattened lantern, at the squarely kicked point of its fluffy body, then angled back up to look at the jackaroo. 119
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Post by Kristofor on Mar 21, 2021 19:21:21 GMT -6
UAAAAAAAACK! The giant duck BELLOWED in its face, its large beak opening and so much sound coming free. UUUAAA UAAAA UAAAAAACK! Think of those crying baby dinosaurs in Ice Age 3, but BIGGER. Kristofor stared at the thing. As they'd stood there, the moon started to peek itself over the treetops. Thick tears were welling up in those voids of eyeballs, trickling down in dark trails to drip on the ground. The thing didn't appear to be hurt, as the kicked point just seemed to bounce back into form. But the lantern was flat. Ruined. And the jackaroo had done such a thing. It held its chewing stick in the corner of its mouth, although nothing could see this, like some sort of gangster would, absently giving it a chew every now and then with flat herbivore teeth. Had the jackaroo just made the duck thing cry for breaking its lantern?! HONK Something else made the ground tremble, and the nightmare completed itself as a human sized goose lumbered out of the darkness, big and silvery white with bane red eyes. This thing, saw the crying giant yellow duck...ling? and turned its head to the trio of beasts. Mira screamed. Kristofor felt his stomach disappear. The jackaroo only chewed its stick, ahving not seen the nightmare goose. 120
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Post by Kristofor on Mar 21, 2021 19:53:41 GMT -6
You'd think that being shielded by a fox who she initially thought was going to eat her from a mad cat would at least give Mira a bit of backbone. Not against these nightmare things. She huddled close to her fox's fluffy body, her fur standing out against his own in stark contrast. Not there not there, it wasn't HONK...there. She regularly had to endure the snuffling nose of a curious dog until he got bored and wandered away, or the petrifying stare of the yellow cat thing her fox brought home. But the giant birds and the scary humans who made her panic even more took the cake on scary. It was a waking nightmare; something she couldnt' go bite her paw and wake up from. Go away... go away... don't see us... DONT' SEE US! Her eyes widened fractionally as she felt something inside; something that could be done. She's a little thing and little things excel in escaping creatively. The darkness grew... dense. Darker. The sight of the massive goose faded as the darkness enclosed them, like standing in a moat of soup. It was thick and soupy and Mira couldn't see it, as she was staring unblinkingly into the dark skin of her fox, even the jackaroo's chewing didn't catch her listening. -Mira summons a hidden mist without command 121
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Post by Kristofor on Mar 21, 2021 20:00:29 GMT -6
The scrubland of their long since faded memory never had darkness like this. Nights were clear and the rare rains never brougth up something so thick. THe jackaroo didn't know what had happened. They'd kicked the giant bird thing, it started to cry (big deal) and suddenly they heard something even bigger. Something that honked. But there was even more pressing darkness now. So thick it can't be seen through. Reaching out with gauntleted paws, the jackaroo swiped their clawed fingers through the soupy mixture. It didn't cling on like mud, or swim through like water. It felt...nothing. Just thick. Enclosing. The jackaroo couldn't see anything, but could still feel the thin tie on the fox had not let them free from since leaving the cage. They'd been in that cage for... well, ever. Forever. The giant something beyond its sight honked again. Loudly. The ducky thingy continued to cry, the splats of big fat tears on the ground under its head. Seriously, what a cry for your mama kind of bird. One proved being tough by kicking the competition to prove their strength. Sparring was a fact of life. Or gathering yarn ball with fluffy playmate... who was being hogged by the fox. 122
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Post by Kristofor on Mar 21, 2021 20:25:06 GMT -6
It wasn't something Kristofor expected. Panilla were just fluffy creatures, right? He didn't expect to feel her vibrate against his chest briefly, her hurried breathing evening out without warning, like in a trance. Or just too scared to pay attention. They had to leave. And this pressing darkness reminded him vividly of foggy mornings on the riverside. The thick cloudy substance that one couldn't touch except to get damp fur rolling over the area before pulling itself back into the clouds. He knew what fog was; water vapor. The night wasn't even that muggy, but how had the mist come up? The fog? He tugs briefly on the jackaroo's ties to lure them backwards, stepping away from the crying duck. In the night, if he wasn't illuminated, he could get away. Dark enough fur. The jackaroo maybe, and he could try to hide Mira with an arm or something. He'd protect her. She was his first friend, besides those back home he'd left behind. The jackaroo was new, but he wasn't about to cut the rabbit with a skin condition free and leave it behind for the giant birds to devour. Was this what the crow had warned him about? No, he mentioned snakes. Not angry geese. 123
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Post by Kristofor on Mar 21, 2021 20:35:27 GMT -6
Slap thud. Slap thud. Slap thud. The giant goose waddled forth, its massive size showing in the moonlight, and slightly hazy around the edges, perhaps the mother of those cygnus birds from January? Nah, it had no celestial markings or ethereal ism. Like its distant dragonic cousins, the goose used her presence to spook away predators. Well, who would want to tangle with the mother of all geese, with tiny arms poking out of their chest feathers, with long claws that matched the blackened nails that tipped each webbed foot. Essentially Mother Goose from hell. The goose heard the duckling crying, those great quacking sobs, and like a mother bear, came to its rescue. There were three. Two on foot, one carried. Smelled of beasts. HONK The goose announced her presence, of her intent to save her duckling. The duckling did not stop crying... and appeared in one piece. The small thing rescinded its foot. and there was something flat between them. Looked right at the trio. They looked ready to **** themselves. Rightly so. The goose honked again, and waddled forth at greater speed, until the darkness got soupier then diving for algae in the mansion pond. Where'd all this come from?! HONK?! 124
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Post by Kristofor on Mar 21, 2021 20:42:34 GMT -6
He didn't want to waste any more time. Because as soon as the mist parted for any time or reason, the giant goose would see them. He'd heard stories from his family of hunting angry geese. The farmer's geese were particularly bad tempered and enjoyed nipping off tails. Kristofor pulled again to pull the jackaroo closer to him. He'd have to put up with the thing kicking him or scratching him if they wanted to live another night and avoid being eaten or murdered by giant waterfowl. Especially one that still looked more at home in a bathtub then wandering around a mansion ground at night. UAAAAAACK! The duck squalled again, stamping its feet. UAAAA HAAAAA UAAAACK! Crap. He backed up again, and ducked to grab the jackaroo around the middle. It wans't heavy, just awkward. He bowed his muzzle to hold Mira close, and somehow with his grip on the sack of looted items that the crow had left behind, bolted as fast as his own speed coudl take him. The mist remained behind, and his paws hit dirt, cobbles, dirt, cobbles, rock, leaves, few petals. The jackaroo struggled in his grip but the fox didn't stop running until he felt the metal inset of the gate under his foot as he fled out of the mansion for the night. Kristofor wouldnt' stop running until he reached the kennel, and even in the pitch darkness, still full of anguish and angry cries of no light and no power, darted into his kennel by touch and scent, threw everyone into their own pens with gentleness, and hid in his bed with Mira until morning. 125 -fin
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