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Post by Flare on May 26, 2024 21:02:02 GMT -6
Hama glances to the sky, watching her prey wheel above, watching. Waiting. Coming ever closer. Carrion bird hunts are an endurant test of patience. She looks back at Lisson when he speaks. Clan of the Tainter, how interesting. A Devaros. There's only one other draconic clan she's more aware of; clan of Clarity, for their sight into the unseen. The crows are coming now. But there's suddenly many insects; A glow lights up Lisson's grinning face from her angle, its his eyes. Was he controlling the bugs? That...is a very unusual strand of magic. But she's not without tricks herself. As she approaches the shore, thinking of depth, of movement without pull. Hama's foot sinks into the bank, going deeper, as she literally walks into the sand, with only the barest tips of her horns poking above the ground. A teasing hum as she approaches the highly distracted crow. "When I catch the bird, lift the insects, they will damage the feathers." she hums, moving her path beside him so Lisson could hear her as she stalks forward. Waiting... waiting... 15
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Post by Emery on May 26, 2024 21:28:11 GMT -6
Lisson's eyes flicked over to her as Hama melted into the earth. Swimming in sand and walking on water? That wasn't the usual order these things went in, but he supposed there were stranger magics out there. Regardless, he had to stay focused. Carrion birds were clever, and his insects wouldn't keep them distracted for long- especially not if their sympathetic fellows flew down for an impromptu rescue. Luckily, the loziuyesh was getting closer and closer, moving surprisingly fast under the dirt. He held the bugs fast, his magic feeling like a string pulled taught behind his eyes. It was difficult to tell them not to damage the feathers, so her command was easier said than done, but he'd rather die than admit weakness. As she finally got within a few feet of her prey, Lisson let the thread snap, and the cloud of insects dissipated from the confused and battered bird.
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Post by Flare on May 26, 2024 21:48:38 GMT -6
There's no movement around the gravel patch except for the thrashing bird; but as the cloud of insects lifts, it's there one moment, but the next is a squawk and then no crow. Like it was never there. There's the sound of struggling, the sand path slightly disturbed by the shift of antlers. Like she's fighting something. Hama comes to the surface in the shade of the tree near Lisson, her mouth full of crow. One sound snap of her jaws finishes the job on its spindly neck, and she carefully lays her kill out before them. "That ability, quite...helpful. The carrion bird didn't see either of us coming. Well done." She cleans her teeth before grinning triumphantly. Usually, her ambush tactic takes much longer. "Does it attract all sorts of insects or just carrion bugs?" There's a few flutterings of wings above as the loziuyesh ducks into the shade again. 17
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Post by Emery on May 27, 2024 19:31:56 GMT -6
Lisson shuffled over a bit as Hama approached, making room for her to sit and set her catch down. The tip of his tail flicked back and forth as she sat next to him, feeling the warmth coming off of her hide without quite touching her. "Nicely done." He said, a smile creeping across his face. "It sure didn't. And it varies, depending on the area. I could pick a kind of insect in theory, but if there's none in the area for me to replicate, then it's not going to do much." He said, leaving out the fact that such selectivity was only for very skilled devaros. She didn't need to know that, however. He peered up at the remaining carrion birds wheeling in the sky. "Do you think more will come down? They tend to be pretty smart... they might realize something's not quite right." He said, squinting upwards.
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Post by Flare on May 27, 2024 19:49:25 GMT -6
"Hunting from beneath the earth is typically a solo affair, but it was nice to have a partner. It cut down on the amount of time by a lot. Most others get bored by then." The shade feels cool against her hide, settling herself. Her tail wafts around her hind legs. Reaching out to nudge the dead bird's head into a straighter position while she listens to Lisson explain his insect summoning ability. So it needed insects in the area to do something, otherwise it might fail. "They may come down to investigate why their fellow hasn't come back; the birds become frequently greedy about the shiny stones and fish scales. See, look around the breast feathers." Extending a claw, she points out the glints of a few larger fish scales tucked deep into the glossy feathers. "If we check that fish, it is missing a few scales." A smirk plays on her muzzle. "Jealousy is rampant on their shinies, for its how the carrion birds attract mates." 19
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Post by Emery on May 27, 2024 20:10:06 GMT -6
"Yes, well. I could hardly leave a lady all alone, now could I?" He said, playfully nudging her with the tip of his tail. He watched as she rearranged the bird, carefully pushing and pulling its parts into position. It was clear she knew what she was doing, though the details of it were beyond him. He listened to her speech with a wry smile. "Well. I suppose I'd be quite jealous too, if someone tried to take away a pretty thing I had gotten ahold of." He said, only to glance back up again. Sure enough, more birds had swooped down from the skies, investigating the fish. One of them pecked at a leftover feather. "Ah, there they go!" He said, clamping his jaws and hissing through his teeth to keep himself from accidentally shouting and scaring them away. Just as before, his eyes began to glow with magic.
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Post by Flare on May 27, 2024 20:27:46 GMT -6
"No, suppose you shouldn't." She hears his remark while spreading the stiffening wings for a good look at the feathers. Without a critical lookover, the insects appeared to not have damaged it. Good. "Thank you for the company, I should be saying." The company is welcomed, and she means it. The feeling of jealousy of being stolen from is mutual as well, nodding along. Caw caw caw Her ears pricked up with the sounds of descending carrion bird. The sounds just sound like they do, cawing. If these birds are so smart, why do they all sound the same. One more thing to add to her studies of an eventual live carrion bird. Lisson is ready before she is, his ability stirring to life. "Same as before, lift the bugs when I capture the bird." Hama repeats as she relaxes, dipping her head below ground to proceed through the sand, positioning herself just beneath any landing carrion birds. Waiting... waiting... 21
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Post by Emery on May 28, 2024 6:51:54 GMT -6
Lisson gave her another small smile. "...The feeling is mutual." He said, and for once meant it without subterfuge. The trap had sprung again however, so he needed to get to work. He watched as Hama sunk below the sand once more, plunging into it as if it were water. He watched as the tips of her horns slowly crept closer and closer, just barely moving the pebbles as she approached. The insects crawled around the birds, getting in their eyes and mouth and keeping them from taking off except to make short, confused hops before falling back down to the ground. He let her get as close as she dared before making the judgement call that she was finally going to strike. At that moment he cut off the magic, letting the insects disperse and return to their own business. There were at least three carrion birds down here now- surely she'd only be able to catch one?
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Post by Flare on May 28, 2024 21:17:43 GMT -6
If she had any sort of dramatic hatchlinglike tone for the sneak up from beneath on the carrion birds, it might sound like a reminescent theme for seeing a tall fin swimming deep waters during the wet season. She can hear the birds in distress while Lisson works his ability while being quite thankful she's not looking right at it. For it sounds quite painful to be inflicted upon. Insect bites do happen. Scale mites? A THING. They're hopping about, trying to fly, falling again, squirming and flapping... she's tense, waiting to pounce... and emerges with open jaws. Teeth clamp down on one bird as she emerges and the insects disperse, but grab two more by the legs and pull them beneath the sand. Its LOUD beneath the sand as she undulates back and forth with a pleased motion, taking her time before three subtle snaps and she emerges from the sands at Lisson's side. She's practically double fisted, moving on her elbows to lay out three very dead carrion birds. "The sand does not make the carrion bird taste any better." she grimaces, dropping the third bird from her mouth to look away and spit out a small mouthful of gravel. 23
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Post by Emery on May 29, 2024 6:39:03 GMT -6
Lisson couldn't help but laugh. "No, I wouldn't think so!" He said, looking at the prizes she laid out. Four whole carrion birds... not a bad haul at all for only a few minutes of hunting. The birds were smart, but together they had been smarter. "You know, we don't make a bad team." He said, looking back up at Hama as she pulled herself the rest of the way out of the sand. He had been in quite a sour mood before all of this, but he had ot admit by this point it had improved greatly. She made fine company... or at least was interesting to strategize with. Perhaps he could hang out with her for a while longer. He settled into the sand, watching as she carefully arranged her catch. It might have been out of his way to help her, but he had to admit, he hardly regretted it.
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Post by Flare on May 29, 2024 8:42:52 GMT -6
She takes a minute to respond besides an upward turn of the corner of her mouth while picking free a stubborn bit of grit between sharp fangs. It took a minute because Hama's claws are stained with bird blood, and she wasn't putting her paws in her mouth to remove it. Finally spitting out the grit with a grimace. "Not recommended, sandy bird food." she smirks at her own joke in response. Lisson's right, while arranging the catches individually so each bird is laid out beside the rest, to not be as twisted. "You're right, we don't make a bad team. I'm used to hunting alone, its a nice change of pace. A fill on the void of something she'd never even considered while focused on her bird catching. Was it loneliness? Hama's in no rush to finish her meeting with the smallbody devaros as she stretches out in the shade next to him, and, if he's interest in listening, explaining the difference of feathers on the carrion bird and what they were good for. Besides scale ornaments. 25
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