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Montamillion

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Registered: 2018-10-28

Posts: 56

A New Arrival/Death From Above (Mossflower Woods RP) 11-17-18

Warning: the scene gets a little violent near the end!

Scene - Somewhere deep in Mossflower Woods

Characters - Grau, a young male crow... Rosko, Ria, Crooktail, Dax and Spot, a group of fox thieves

Log:

Grau the Merciless Arrives

('Before you stands quite an odd yet unsettling creature; he is a young crow, looking to be in his late teens by most accounts, and he is quite a good size for his age. Contrary to the usual shade of black that defines most birds of his species, he is instead covered in a mottled coat of dark gray, ashen feathers... from the tip of his head down where his legs begin...his legs are quite strong and sturdy, ending with sharp, deadly talons. When extended, he has quite a large wingspan, and he had become quite skilled at gliding and flying. Inky black, beady eyes stare out from above a dangerous beak, and from all accounts he does not seem to be the friendliest avian in Mossflower.')

Night has fallen in Mossflower Wood, and in typical Mossflower fashion, the evening is generally peaceful and quiet, the only interruptions being the chirrup of crickets and the occasional rustling of branches as the wind drifts through. A large half-moon hangs high in the sky, bathing the forest below in a pale, almost ethereal light, and every now and then there is the flickering glow of nocturnal eyes as the light catches them, only for them to just as quickly disappear into the undergrowth a moment later. All in all it is a pleasant evening for travel, as most wise creatures would do, to avoid the stifling heat of the day.

While most beasts get ready to bed down for the night, others are partying it up. The sounds of laughter and flute music break the stillness of the night, and creatures dance around a bon fire. The trees obscure the fire to all but those with an aerial view. Deep in the woods, a band of five foxes have opened up a barrel of fine wine and are making merry fools of themselves. Dancing, singing, eating food until their bellies are ready to burst. Their tomfoolery becomes less innocent when one considers that none of the items in their camp seem to belong to them, but rather the otters who are tied and bound in one corner of the camp. The foxes themselves wear mostly jewels, necklaces and other manner of wealthy attire that does not go with their fur garments and mishmash of worn armors.

Unbeknownst to the reveling vulpines, there are a pair of the aforementioned eyes that do not disappear like the others. These ones are located high upon a treebranch overlooking the hastily made camp, and it is unclear how long the creature they belong to has been there watching them. Shuffling itself a bit, said avian creature molds itself into the shifting shadows within the treetops, talons gripping the chosen branch tightly, shifting a little in preparation for...something...as a sinister smile slides onto its beak.

The foxes are mostly reds with a grey and cross fox mixed in. They are a generally healthy lot, well fed and ready for winter. "Gentle beasts, and gentle vixen." The cross fox gestures to a very portly grey furred vixen. "I do believe this is the greatest haul we have had in years." He drinks heavy from his wine goblet, "They said coming to Redwall country was a mistake, that it was surely the doom of all manner of vermin. But I have never seen a land more ripe for plundering than this one!"
"Can I... join in on the plundering now, sir?" Four vulpine heads turn to the scrawny little tod standing guard by the prisoners. "You know... just a drink. Or something to eat..." He nervously shuffles his feet and looks to the ground, his calls for feasting unanswered as the otter chitters angrily. "Murderers! Thieves! Vandals! You will never get away with this!" Toothy grin splitting his snout, the cross fox leans forward, grabbing the otter by his cheeks with his free paw, "You are not still waiting for a rescue, are you?" He shoves the beast to the ground, "Be thankful we can ransom you off, or you would already be joining your porters..." He gestures to the hides tanning on a wire between the trees...these foxes are not nice, it seems.

Taking the presented opportunity while there is an opening, the hulking, dark-feathered shadow effortlessly launches itself from its perch, jet black eyes gleaming in the moonlight as the shape glides along for a few feet, smoothly avoiding the occasional branch here and there as it circles. Honing in on the first target, one of the foxes nearest the edge of the camp, the large bird folds in its wings as it suddenly dives and rockets directly towards the bandit, deadly beak and talons aiming right for the fox's vital spots as the calm night air is rended by an unearthly screech.

Rosko never deserved such a fate. Well, he did just kill, tan, and eat several otters, so he probably did deserve such a fate from a Woodlander point of view at least, but he didn't do it with malice! He only wanted to live the good life, raise a family, and maybe bring a little bit of chaos to Mossflower. You know, normal fox things.
So Rosko is SOOOOO happy that the crow attacks the fox next to him instead. Poor Crooktail makes a pained scream as the bird's talons sink through his meaty hide, piercing organs vital to keeping him alive. The force of the blow knocks Crooktail face first onto the ground, already dead as he falls. Screams of terror resound about the camp. Stunned, the foxes hesitate before experience takes over. Rosko reaches for his bow. The heavy set vixen throws herself behind a crate, paws covering her head with her tail tucked between her legs, "NOT AGAIN!" she screams.

Yanking itself free of the first victim and simply letting him fall to the ground, the dark bird also seems to have a bit of experience as well, as it seems to know that a counterattack would likely follow. Spotting Rosko reaching for a bow (likely the only weapon the bird has any particular fear of), the creature quickly launches itself at him with an angry 'CAWWW!!!', propelling itself forward and aiming its razor sharp beak directly for his neck as he rockets forward like a feathery bullet. One hasn't quite gotten a good view yet to tell what kind of bird it is that is doing the attacking, but he seems quite large and fierce.             

"Holy-" Rosko manages as the bird comes upon him like death on swift wings. He holds up his bow as a reflex, glittery jewelery and necklaces jingling and clinking together as the birds beak crunches down onto his bow. "HELP ME!" he shouts. "Don't just stand there, get him!" Dax, the cross furred fox, kicks the scrawny guard into motion. He fumbles drawing a short sword before launching himself at the bird, while his boss reaches for his own quiver and bow. "Hold him there!"

Grau effortlessly snaps the bow in half as he closes his beak on it, lucky for the fox since it likely would have been his neck if he was just a tad slower. Being in close, the bird tries another strike at Rosko's neck, with a furious screech. Noting that he is significantly outnumbered, the bird untangles itself from the fox, noting the glittery jewelry as it once again takes to the sky with a few beats of its strong wings. As Dax moves in for an attack, the bird uses his wings to try and knock him off course, and he propels himself back into the night sky and out of range of any ground attacks.

"HELP ME!" Rosko screams again. He falls onto his rump, holding his paws up to cover his face. The birds beak sinks deep into his neck fluff this time, and he drops to the ground, clutching a fatal wound. The scrawny guard reaches the bird too late, knocked over as Grau ascends to the air. Dax is knocked over too, but quickly recovers, sending a bolt after the bird and narrowly missing a few tail feathers. "Rosko..." the young guard tries desperately to put presure on the wound, but the dying thief's frantic movements finally become still regardless. "Forget them," comes the voice of the vixen. A sword in either paw, she steps over a crate and towards the fire. She swipes at the logs, kicking dirt onto it to snuff out the flames. "Are you mad?" Dax yaps, "I can't see!" "And now you can't be seen. Keep low, stay under cover. I used to hunt birds for a living, remember?" the vixen hisses, keeping her voice low. "When he comes again, you fill it full of arrows." "How will we know where it will be?" the tod asks. A moment passes and both eyes turn to the scrawny guard. "Spot, buddy. I have a job for you..." A series of hushed whispers are exchanged, followed by a loud, "YOU WANT ME TO WHAT? But... sir... fiiiiine..." Standing in the middle of the camp, Spot gulps before cupping his free paw to his muzzle, "Bird! I say, BIRD brain! Come on down here an' f-fight like a real beast! Ya coward! I say yer mother was a feather duster! Ya hear me?"

Grau finds a perch a good distance up from the ground and out of arrow range on a branch of a nearby tree. Alighting there, the crow glares down at the pack of foxes, their numbers now thinned by two from the initial attack. Readying himself for another dive, he pauses as the light from the flames is suddenly extinguished, and the group is lost to sight temporarily. Turning his head to the side to use his monocular vision (as crows tend to see better this way rather than the typical binocular vision), Grau tries to focus in on the shadowy figures below. He seemingly has no problem waiting it out, and to Spot's taunting calls, the large crow merely replies with a cackling, mocking laugh...which echoes amongst the trees, making for a rather spooky scene below. "K...KAW. Hahaaaaha! Not stupid, oh no, not stupid like foxworms! K-KAAAW!!"

"Are you going to shoot him or what?" The vixen whispers. "As soon as I can find him..." Dax replies.
"Oh really? You must be dumb for attacking the camp of Spot! The greatest bandit that ever lived! Or, you know... Spot. Why are you even attacking us!? What did we ever do to you?" Spot continues.
"I think... I think I see the bir-" before Dax can finish, a loud shout rings across the forest.
"THEY ARE BY THE TENTS! THE TENTS BIRD! THE TENTS!" The otter shouts. An arrow hits the box by his head, silencing him with a loud terrified yelp.

Grau falls silent once again, a smile reappearing upon his beak at the call from the otter. It seems he wasn't silenced soon enough, as the crow once again takes flight. This time, he doesn't immediately dive, he merely alights on another branch, this one closer to where the foxes are currently hiding. If he can't see THEM very well, then odds are they cannot see him well either, he blends into the shadows quite well it seems. He gives another cackling, taunting laugh, ruffling his feathers as he peers down at the darkened camp. "K...kawww! Rotten foxworms...cannot see Grau! K-kkkawwww!" He attempts to focus on the glittering jewelry, which catches the reflection of the moonlight and seems to be painting a target on the foxes.

A sad fact that the foxes don't seem to realize... their backs are completely turned to the bird, at least until he speaks. Now louder and closer, the tod and vixen look up. Ria screams, throwing herself behind Dax as he frantically tries to take aim...

Grau can seemingly sense how nervous the foxes are, and with that nervousness likely comes a lousy aim. Stretching his wings, the crow once again takes flight, though this time instead of rocketing towards his targets, he glides down towards them. As he smoothly drifts down, he grasps at Dax's weapon with his talons. Raking and clawing, he tries to yank the weapon from his grasp and toss it to the side if he manages to get it away from him, then glides back up to land on another nearby branch.

An arrow grazes the bird's head on his descent. He doesn't let go of the bow easily, being lifted into the air and holding on until he is forced from it, dropping a few feet onto the back of the vixen. All three foxes yelp, scurrying away on all fours until they are huddled together in the center of the camp.
"Stop! Stop!" Dax shouts, his voice shaken. "What do you want? Do you want gold? Cause we got gold! Do you want food? Take Ria here. She's plump and tender."
He lets out a yelp as Rio kicks his leg.

Grau listens to the foxes' pleas with an ever-growing sense of amusement and enjoyment. He shifts from talon to talon on the branch he had settled on, chuckling to himself as it seems the group had resorted to self-preservation instead of continuing to work as a group. This likely would end up being their downfall, as they would be much easier to pick off one by one. "Kkkawwww! Gold is nice, kkkkk...yes, nice...heeheee...shiny, pretty, but can always get when foxworms are dead, yes. Allll dead, kkkkaaaa-haaaa!" The crow grins wide. "Will also take care of...food. No need...to stay alive, foxworms...no need! Kkkkkaaaw!!!!" Once again, Grau pushes off from his perch, lowering his head and flying hard and fast at the grouped-up foxes in an attempt to scatter them like bowling pins.

The foxes scatter, their bravery tested, and broken. The bandits are sent in three different directions. The skinny Spot to the south, screaming like a maniac, Dax to the east, dropping to all four paws. Ria flees to the north, her movements slowed by the excess spoils of banditry.
They each try to make a break for the woods!

The terror in the air is palpable, and the young crow seems to revel in it; he would certainly have to do this terrorizing thing more often! Especially if the end result is dead creatures and shiny loot. Having a choice of who to go after first, Grau chooses the slowest one, who happens to be the vixen who had threatened him earlier and mentioned being a bird hunter. Now that the tables are turned, she doesn't seem to be very adept at it after all! Winging after Ria, staying just far enough behind her so that she cannot see him, he merely waits for her to get to a spot where she thinks she is safe. He lands on a nearby branch, and simply waits...

The vixen finally comes to the woods, leaning against the trunk and gasping for breath. Perhaps, the vixen thinks while clutching her stomach, she was a bit too successful at bird hunting. And also covered in shiny baubles, she realizes. Quickly, she tears off her loot, tossing gold and jewelery to the ground until she is only wearing her otter hide vestments. "I can come back for it later..." she tells herself. "I just need to hide out while the bird chomps down on Dax and Spot. Those two can't be too hard to find, right? He would surely go for them first and not... a big... fat..." THe vixen's ears fall flat and she whines. Finding the energy to move again, she takes a step to move deeper into the woods.

And that small moment of respite could possibly lead to Ria's demise. As she turns to step in the other direction, a dark, feathery form rockets down from above, almost out of nowhere, aiming to slam itself directly into the vixen's back with as much force as it is able. If successful, the crow pecks and tears at whatever part of the vixen is exposed, his talons attempting to pin her down to the ground as well to prevent her from getting away again. Eyes glinting with the joy of battle, Grau puts his all into the attack, showing no mercy whatsoever.

Ria yelps, slammed into the ground, she is rolled over and pinned on her side. More yelps come as the bird's beak finds her belly, tearing into the soft meat of her midriff. The other foxes quickly flee the area, the cries of the vixen haunting their cowardly steps as the thief is torn apart.
The prisoner otters can only gasp and shudder, unable to flee as the fox is made into a meal...

A few minutes pass as the other foxes flee, and eventually they can hear Ria's cries slowly begin to weaken, before finally fading out completely. All is silent once again save for the crickets and the hushed mutterings of the otter prisoners. Now thoroughly bloodied (though none of it being his own), Grau's eyes glint fiercely as he raises his head to the sky and caws in victory. Ruffling his feathers as he stands over the corpse of the vixen, he eyes the otters appraisingly, staring at them for a few moments before a much better idea enters his head. He begins to laugh, leaning his head down, and there is a tearing sound as he pries loose a memento to give to the other foxes who had fled.

"I-it's here to save us, right?" One otter mentions to the other. The merchants reply is only with silence as they watch the bird continue to finish off the vixen.
The sight of the fox's demise is frightening, but still less so than the knowlege that they might be next...

It seems the large bird is occupied with tormenting the foxes moreso than attacking the prisoners, and although he likely would do nothing to free them, he also didn't seem to be going out of his way to attack them either. Good thing the foxes were there! Giving a dangerous glare to the otters, the crow points a talon at them. "Ccccc...caw! Lucky. Lucky riverworms...krrrrrka! If you are still here...when Grau returns...maybe not so lucky...." Picking up the fox tail he had torn from the vixen's body, he takes to the air again, leaving behind a quite unpleasant scene as he flies after the two remaining foxes in the group.

---

“You will find joy, frustration and sorrow in your quest. Never forget that friendship and loyalty are more precious than riches...Happiness can be brief, but it knows no time in the land of dreams.”

Owner of: Monty, Dominik, and Grau