[BotT OBSTACLE] (Dual Natures)

[LOLLI qAq]

Vines, trailing ferns, and all manner of plants hang down from the branches of the trees that form a small grove. They were tangled together, inadvertently serving to keep creatures both big and small out of the small clearing that lies at the center of the grove. Your task is to break through the tangled barrier to retrieve a red-painted stone that has been placed there by a well-trained eagle.

One of Dual's eyes twitched as he looked at this first obstacle. Surely this was meant to be a challenge. They couldn't possibly consider this to be hard! He stepped towards it and found an opening in the vines he deemed to be big enough for him to fit through. Possibly. He stuck his head in and then realized that he was sorely mistaken. Not only would his shoulders and the rest of him definitely not make it through, but now he was having difficulty getting his head back out. With a mighty yank he pulled back and got free.

Brows furrowed he next tried a brute tactic. Coiling in on himself like a cat on the prowl Dual readied his muscles. Waiting patiently he built energy until he felt like was going to come undone if he waiting any longer. It was at that point he sprung and threw all of his considerable weight at the vines in a hope that he could literally break through.
The force of vine mesh hitting the crown of his skull made his head and neck hurt.

He then tried to chew through the vines -- Nope, they were too tough.
Dual searched from a secret opening -- There were none to be found.
Next he tried to untangle them -- It was an unmitigated disaster.

The usually single-minded hunter was starting to believe this couldn't be solved.

He sat back and took a rest. Maybe he just needed to think about it, form a proper plan, before he jumped into every idea head first?  

[LOLLI qAq]

After sitting on his rump, Dual proceeded to try every plan he had formulated. Plan after plan and idea after idea were thrown at the vines, and none of them worked.

He stood back, panting, and realized it couldn't be done by him. Oh, he was sure others had succeeded; but, he wasn't going to be one of them. He'd failed.

Shoulders slightly slumped, he moved on.

Quote:

Failed.

 

[LOLLI qAq]

The Swamp provides a uniquely challenge environment to navigate. Many a Swamp native and new arrival find themselves getting stuck in the various wet obstacles that seek to impede movement. In particular, bogs that form on lakes prove to be especially challenging because they deceive kin and creature alike into thinking that there is a way to cross largely dry but often give way to nothing but water. Your task is to bring a provided flower across the bog, dropping it or not making it across means you fail the challenge.

He carefully raised the flower and held his head high. In all of his years of hunting he liked to think that he could easily find a safe way across a bog. Especially keeping valuable items safe as he did so.

This was not the case.

Not even three steps in and he went down with a splash. Quick reflexes saved him from dropping the flower, but it put strain on his neck to reach his head and mouth so high into the air. He swam until he could find slightly solid footing again and continued on.

This continued over and over again. His eyes teared up, his neck muscles burned, and so often he thought about what a sweet release it would be to just drop the flower and call it done. He was no quitter, though. He could do this! He pep-talked himself every step of the way. The darker parts of his mind urged him to give up. The strain on his neck and shoulders were becoming nearly impossible to bear-- When suddenly he was across.

He'd made it. It had been exhausting and must have taken ages. It certainly felt like it had taken forever to him. He found a safe place to set the flower and collapsed on the ground to rest. Every part of him ached, but it had been worth it.

Quote:

Success!

 

[LOLLI qAq]

The many mangrove trees of the Swamp come with many tangled roots. Many grow on top of each other, weaving together to create a mess of tripping hazards. In particular, some mangroves have grown so much into each other's space that their roots have a created what essentially amounts to sloping mazes where the proper placement of hoof and paw becomes difficult and traversing that particular stretch of roots becomes particularly challenging. In this obstacle, you must make it trough the tangled roots of a group of mangrove roots that piled on top of each other, combined with an unfortunate mound of dirt, has created a rather sizable climb and descent.

His body still hurt from the last challenge, but he looked on with a mix stubborn pride and drive. Dual eyed the hill and carefully picked out what looked like the best route. He knew there were no promises it would work, but it couldn't hurt to try.

Two steps up and he was already learning the error of his ways. He couldn't see the right placing now that he was actually making his way up. He stepped to the right, tested the strength of his chosen space, and moved upwards. Only to have his hoof fall through.
The next placement was slippery and weak, and resulted in him sliding down the hill a bit. He tried again, but it seemed like no matter what he did he couldn't find solid footing.

He found a good place to hold himself, finally, but it was nowhere near the top of the hill and he could tell that every space around him would lead to disaster.  

[LOLLI qAq]

He looked everywhere for the answer. Panic was swiftly welling in his chest. In an effort to move away from where he'd been stuck, to just move, he jumped forwards. As he leaped through the air Dual closed his eyes and said a silent wish to the MotherFather.

He landed with a solid thud. It was unsteady, and if he didn't move quickly he'd fall, but his gamble had been worth it.

Renewed with new determination Dual continued the climb up and over the hill. It was extremely slow going and he could already feel two of his ankles swelling from where he'd landed wrong or been caught on some roots. He was doing it, though.

As he carefully picked and lucked his way down the hill, the usually cocky buck thought on what he'd experienced already. He was only two challenges in and already he'd failed one and nearly failed (or quit) the other two. He was learning that maybe he wasn't so great as he thought.

It weighed at his heart.  

[LOLLI qAq]

Some vegetation is not as pleasant as others. One such plant is the thistle, known for it's painful sting. Sometimes the anticipation of pain is worse than the pain itself. This particular challenge takes advantage of the dread that one feels at maybe accidentally getting struck in the nose or mouth by a thistle by hiding a single thistle in a stack of grass. If you're capable of working without fear of the pain, this will be an easy task save for that final sting, but if your fear of pain (no matter how temporary) mounts as time passes, this could be an excruciating task. Your task is simply to dig the hidden thistle out of the grass with your nose and mouth.

-- Rolling --