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 Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2014 4:42 pm
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Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2014 9:37 pm
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((Er...okay, so clearly what I said in my previous post didn't happen. I think mum wanted to use her lappy when we finally got home and then when she said I could get on, I was too tired. *broken record mode!* So...uh, forget that and I'll post it here instead. It's been a while so I think we might have to do some time skips to pick up the pace again.))
Large Forest outside Insect Tribe
Bess tried not to scream too much as she went hurtling down the side of a cliff on a shield, being held by a giant were-bear. She clung onto Midnight for dear life, her hands fisted into the bear's thick fur (or was it her friend's hair she was holding?) as they bounced over rocks and tree roots. She couldn't see what Morning was using in her current position crushed against Midnight's side, what with the jarring and the shaking and the world rushing by. She had caught a glimpse of him crashing past beside them, riding on something greyish in colour and was happy somewhere in the part of her mind that wasn't fearing for her life.
The boar girl was happy they made it out of the tunnels, even if it felt like all her bones would be rattled apart by the time they got to the bottom of the cliff.
When they finally came to a stop in a cloud of dust and crashing forest, she stumbled to her feet gingerly, shaking, but alive. She gave Midnight a shaky thumbs up and a lopsided grin. "Think th' poison's...mostly worn off. I sh-should be able t' r-run from here" she stuttered, finding her tongue at last with some relief, although her words were still somewhat slurred. "This way. Avoid th' other tribes" Bess pointed out the direction they should go while running that way. The forest would be swarming with angry insects and they didn't need to stumble into dog or cat lands on top of all that.
***TIME SKIP***
Some time later, after running deeper into the forest, away from the insect territory, they were able to find a place to hide in another cave that Bess knew about.
It apparently used to be a monster lair and was very roomy despite being well hidden. There were small holes in the roof that let in cracks of light and fresh air, though it still didn't smell the best; a bit like garden compost. The trio had ended up close to the hoofed tribe part of the forest, near the branch of the river that ran down from the North seas. But they hadn't been able to get across. There was no bridge and this part of the river was wide and deep with a fast current. Bess decided they should rest before they continued. It was safe here and well hidden. And they needed to figure out what to do now that Midnight and Morning were reunited.
The girl was currently dozing off the remainder of the spider's poison, lying near the entrance with her back against the wall and listening out for any unusual sounds. |
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Kasumi Roseglimmer Captain
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Posted: Thu May 01, 2014 10:29 pm
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Posted: Thu May 15, 2014 9:07 pm
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Large Forest
“I thought I was going to die. Screaming came naturally”, Bess laughed weakly, reliving their escape down the side of the cliff with a wince and a shudder. She had seen what remained of the rhino beetle that Morning had used, another grisly sight to add to those things that sometimes kept her up at night. She hoped Nikola and Fer de Lance had escaped too. Those two had risked everything to help them out.
When Midnight got up to hunt for food, Bess was brought back to reality. She pushed herself on to her feet with a small umph from all the bruises she’d sustained.
Well, I’m not doing any good just sitting here. I may as well help out.
With a short wave to Morning, she announced “I’m going to help look for food too”.
She kept close to the camp, not wishing to stray far and be spotted. The insect tribe would probably search for a long time and increase their patrols in their surrounding territory, maybe even send scouts into other tribe’s territories to look for them. There were other tribes such as the felines and canine folks that claimed parts of the forest which would help drive them away though. Still, she didn’t want to have to leave this place when they just found somewhere to get a bit of R and R.
A couple of large leaves were placed near the fire Morning was trying to kindle, and soon a collection of little roots, shoots, seeds, leaves and berries began to pile up as the boar girl trotted back and forth on foraging trips, carrying things in the skirt of her shift dress.
“Well, that should at least make a small meal for us” Bess spoke up, wiping her dirt and sap stained hands on her grubby shift. “I’m going to go and refill our water supplies. There’s a little stream near here that I know is safe to drink from”.
Taking her water canteen as well as any other suitable containers she could find, Bess went to the stream and knelt down, collecting the water. She was leaning over the stream staring into the bottom of it when something glinted in the dappled light that filtered down, catching her eye. Huh? What’s that? Capping her now full canteen, she reached into the water, attempting to grab the sparkly yellow jewel that she saw at the bottom. The stream must have been deeper than it looked. Bess leaned down a little further, letting out a soft huff of annoyance as her ponytail slipped over her shoulder and dipped into the water. She felt herself beginning to slip and placed a hand on the mossy rocks for balance.
There was a gasp and then a shriek as the dark haired woman tipped into the cold stream, her hand having slipped on the wet and mossy rock. A short time later, Bess trudged back into their campsite soaking wet, trailing water and shivering. “H-hey I’m back look what I found” Bess greeted her companions. She dropped the water canteens and reached into her pocket, something clutched in her hand almost triumphantly as she held it out for them to see. It was a faceted yellow jewel with the symbol of the Other Animals Tribe etched inside.
(lol, I wish I had another name for them. Miscellaneous, maybe. But that’s also long to say). |
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Kasumi Roseglimmer Captain
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Posted: Fri May 16, 2014 7:27 pm
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Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2014 9:54 pm
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((That might work. XD And I was reading back through our RP. I'm trying to remember what we would do after this.))
Bess laughed at that. "I'm a boar; we snuffle out hidden treasures in the forest, I'd say I'm being true to my nature" she quipped, holding the jewel up to the light so she could see through it. Bess eyed the skinned meat with a cringe, letting her eyes skip back to the gem as she studied the tribe symbol etched in the middle. "I wonder who could have dropped this though. It looks like it might be pretty valuable"
She looked across at whatever Midnight was trying to hand her and took the rabbit skin with a shudder, making a show of drying off with it. "Uh, thanks". Bess set the rabbit skin aside and pocketed the yellow jewel, rubbing her hands together and leaning closer to the fire to help her dry off. She dragged over the leaf that was piled with forest foods and set it between them, within reach of Morning and Midnight. She was picking out a few things to nibble at, not really hungry at the smell or sight of the cooking meats her companions would be eating.
“So…Morning. Did you know Midnight promised to come and live in our tribe for a while? She said she’d work at our blacksmith’s and help her out with things. But that was before...so I don't know if things are gonna change. What are you going to do? Did you two have plans?” she said conversationally, covering a yawn. "It's a pain that the insects stole some of our stuff. Aidenna gave Midnight a really nice spear" she shivered, moving closer to the fire. She fingered the gem in her pocket, debating over whether to give it to Midnight. It was from her tribe. But she sort of wanted Kilcarn to take a look at it before handing it over.
She rested her head on her knees and sighed "When I get back I have to help at the restaurant and inn...and at the healers. I have to see Aidenna so she gives me a reward for getting her stuff for her. I'm always busy..." the girl mumbled sleepily. Not that she minded. So long as she could be near Kilcarn, Bess was happy to stay in her forest village. She wanted to talk to him about making an alliance with the Other Animals tribe, too. Hmm, she should mention that to her friends. |
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Kasumi Roseglimmer Captain
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Posted: Thu Jun 05, 2014 2:28 pm
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(Misfit might not be the most flattering name but its a description of the tribe itself and tells people what races might be mixed in there.)
(Didn't the leader of the hoofed tribe want to talk to Bess and Midnight after all this? I remember something about Bess delivering some sort of poison somewhere too.)
Large Forest
"I thought that ability was limited to truffles and their like." Midnight said with a smile. "Perhaps another escapee dropped it? Surely with the mess we made in there, others took advantage of it and broke loose."
Aware of Bess' reluctance to eat meat Midnight nudged the boar-girl with an elbow and opened her palm, revealing a modestly sized but somewhat crunched pile of berries. "Not a whole lot out here, insects has basically picked the area clean."
Morning, well surprised to learn of his mate settling in with a tribe of herbivores, did his best to answer the woman's questions. After all it seemed this boar-girl had played a big role in reunited them. "I am honor bound to return alongside you and lend aid where I can, if your leader will tolerate two bears living among them that is." Morning answered, pausing to help himself to a leg of rabbit. Midnight couldn't help but wince at the mention of the lost spear. "And I'd just named the thing..." She muttered to herself, head hung in shame.
"With Midnight's time drawing near..." He pauses again, this time to run a loving hand along the curve of his mate's extremely pregnant middle. "I will fulfill whatever promises she made to this Aidenna so she might relax and prepare for the birth ahead."
Midnight, her mouth full of rabbit, grudgingly nodded in agreement with her mate's decision. Logically it was correct thing to do, but she still felt bad for forcing him into such a position. |
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Posted: Wed Jun 18, 2014 11:01 pm
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((Oh yeah, I think he did want to talk to them. I had an idea for that now that you remind me. The poison powder is for Aidenna, so Bess will deliver that (they coat arrows and weapons with it to use on the monsters). And later that night, someone might try to steal that gem))
Large Forest
“Well it’s round and it was on the ground, it sort of counts”, she reasoned. “And I hope you’re right that some others escaped, Midnight. Those dungeons were horrible.” She shivered, “Whoever’s it is, it ours now. Course, if someone comes looking for it, I might reconsider. I’ll keep it safe for now”.
“Hmm?” she looked up at Midnight’s nudge and saw the proffered handful of berries. “Gee, thanks. That’s really thoughtful”. They might have been bruised but the sweet smell was making her mouth water. Taking the whole lot, not caring about the juice that stained her hands, she started popping them into her mouth while the carnivores wolfed down their meat. The scratches on her leg from the Prowlers that attacked earlier didn’t seem as bad now that water had washed the blood and dust off, and despite her bumps and bruises, she was in a good mood. She kept her eyes on her food as they talked, not wanting to see the others eating.
“I don’t think Kilcarn will mind if you stay, Morning. He gave Midnight a house to stay in while she’s with us, but it’s away from most of the village. She scared a bunch of people at the inn and frightened a few of our children. People are skittish, but no one’s outright been rude or tried to attack her, and they’ll answer to Kilcarn if they do” She smiled in Morning’s general direction. “I’m sure Kilcarn would appreciate your help”
“Mm” Bess chewed on her collection of nuts and berries, thoughtfully. “When Aidenna hears of what happened, she might give you a new weapon to replace the one you lost. Since you’re going to help her out in her shop and all”.
“I’m surprised she hasn’t popped yet” Bess remarked to Morning’s comment about her time drawing near, teasing her a little. “All the transforming and fighting and running for our lives wasn’t exactly on our task list. We were supposed to go for a shopping errand and come back, have a nice stroll through the forest. I should have known it wasn’t going to be that easy”, she frowned, licking some of the juice from her fingers. “I feel sort of responsible, for what happened. Probably should have gone by myself”.
She shot them both a guilty look. But then they might not have met Morning, and Bess could have been eaten by Prowlers or kept as a prisoner by the insect tribe. She knew that but it didn’t make the guilt disappear. “Anyway, if you two want to get some rest, I’ll take the first watch. The smoke from our fire might attract something. Both of you look like you could use a rest”. She offered kindly. Something rustled in the trees around them, cries and calls of night animals, frogs and insects filling the forest. Bess tried to shake off the feeling they were being watched. |
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Kasumi Roseglimmer Captain
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Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2014 1:17 am
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(Might be difficult to pull that one off that bit with the gem. I imagine the three of them huddling together for warmth in their little cave/lair as leaving a fire going through the night could end badly in a lot of ways... but given we are dealing with insects here, it might be done with reasonable stealth.)
Large Forest
Morning nods in agreement. "Honestly I feared she'd already given birth but she's a tough one, that one is. Holding out like this so I could be there for our child, or should I say children's birth. No way theres only one in there. If there is, then he or she must have already mastered the art of shapeshifting."
"Ha ha ha... Very funny..." Midnight replied, playfully punching her mate in the shoulder. "You've gone through your own share of changes..." She adds, nodding towards the were-panda's shrunken gut.
Morning shrugs and then playfully counters, "They didn't feed me quite as good as they did you."
"Ooooo, low blow..." Midnight says, flicking a small rabbit bone in her mates direction. The play fighting continued back and forth a bit longer until Bess interrupted their fun and encouraged the two of them to retreat for the night.
"We'd be better of killing the fire completely and remaining together." Midnight stated, her keen senses also picking up the rustling around them. "Whatever's out there would have to be stupid to mess with two bears and a boar... Come on, our fur will keep you from catching a cold with those damp clothes of yours."
As easily as somebody might take off a shirt, Midnight shed her human form in mid-step while waddling over to their makeshift shelter. With a few swipes of her paws, the expectant werebear cleared herself a spot and settled down.
"I'm not a hunter nor a experienced survivalist, but I'd say her reasoning is sound. Safety in numbers and all that." Morning adds before following Midnight's lead. His transformation wasn't quite as smooth or graceful as his mates but one had appreciate the skill it took to make that transition without a sound. Having to experience the feeling of one's bones and body warping.
Planting himself alongside Midnight, the two bears formed a furry barrier with a slight pocket in the middle.
(I wish I could draw fur and animals better, this scene would make such an adorable picture. xd ) |
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Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2014 4:21 am
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((If you keep practicing and sketching, you can improve. I read over my counseling notes again and one of them said 'If a thing is worth doing, it's worth doing badly while I practice it' That inspired me to keep practicing my drawing too ^_^ My sister says I've gotten better))
((Stealth, yes..lol))
I know exactly how many are in there. I wonder if she'll tell him Bess giggled, listening to them banter with each other. She hoped Morning didn't get too much of a surprise. It was rare for them to be having multiples, and even rarer considering compatibility issues with their different species. Most people in Purri were lucky if they got one child, and it was healthy. Fortunate that the hoofed tribe had lots of food, too. She didn't think Morning would actually try to eat anyone but it still was good to know they had plenty of other things to offer the were-creatures other than meat. And the hunting in the area wasn't too bad because the hoofed tribe didn't eat animals.
"Mmm, but it's so warm. I don't mind just sitting in front of the dying coals" She protested at the mention of putting out the toasty campfire, although she knew it had to be done. She hugged herself for warmth and stood, kicking dirt over the remains of the fire as her companions headed into their shelter. The dust had plunged them into darkness and she shivered again in the damp forest air, wishing she had a hair dryer.
"Your fur?" Bess asked, rubbing her eyes and yawning widely, not quite comprehending, until Midnight shifted into her bear form and lumbered into the cave, and Morning followed. From the faint light that remained of the dying fire, she could see the hollow between the two massive mounds of fur and claws and she hesitated, "Uh, thanks guys, that's really nice of you…" They did look soft, almost like poofy cushions. She thought, eying the thick bear fur.
She stepped into the hollow they made and gingerly lay down, then curled up between her friends, grateful for the dark that hid her blush. "All right, no one is allowed to roll over and squash me!". Bess admonished, half joking, half serious, as she waved a finger at them. "Especially not you" she smiled at Midnight, poking her tummy gently. She was somewhat awkwardly curled next to her giant belly, Morning against her back. "I appreciate the extra warmth, but this is a little…closer quarters than I’m used to” she chuckled. Too bad her cloak got wet when she fell in the stream. They could have used it as a blanket.
It took willpower to stay awake to keep watch and Bess fought not to fall into a light doze. She was very aware of being sandwiched between the two were bears, and their relationship only made it weirder. Not that Bess thought there was anything wrong, but...it was cute, she supposed, yawning, but she almost felt like she should be their child, or that she was imposing. She’d rather stay warm than catch hypothermia though. “So soft…” Bess mumbled sleepily, letting her eyes close, just for a second. Somehow, without her meaning it to happen, the sounds of breathing, gently rumbling stomachs and slow thudding heartbeats lulled her off to sleep.
***
Sometime later, when it seemed that everyone was asleep, an unseen figure entered the cave. Crawling along the roof, it stopped above the three and dropped to the floor, making very little sound. There was a faint silk sound of wings brushing each other, before it began to creep closer. It had followed a series of footprints from the stream to this cave, after realising its treasure was lost. But it hadn’t expected to see a girl sleeping between two giant bears, one of them with strange and exotic markings. Maybe these were her pets. Or was she a druid or a ranger of some kind? Worse yet, it hoped she wasn’t a magic user. The jewel had to be reclaimed before these people could figure out how to use it. The figure was leaning over them, reaching out…when a faint yellow glow emanated from it, lighting the cave like a dim nightlight. Oh no, no! This is terrible timing! The figure thought to itself, taking a step back; right onto what felt like someone's hand/arm/leg. |
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Kasumi Roseglimmer Captain
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Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2014 8:55 pm
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Posted: Sun Jun 22, 2014 8:12 pm
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((I didn't mean that you don't practice, just that the more you do it, it should become easier. Was trying to help, lol. But there must be some tricks and tips that help simplify it. Drawing classes are a good idea, and Google and DA probably have some advice.))
Large Forest
Bess blinked awake as the huge cushion of a bear rumbled beside her. Morning's voice sent small tremors through her body. She sat up with a dazed snort, rubbing her eyes. "Huh? Whassa matter? Feet?" Her brain took a second to put the words together.
Shaking her ponytail back over her shoulder, she noticed the light coming from the other side of the were-panda and looked up to see an insect person that was apparently trying to sneak backwards and had stepped on Morning's foot.
The woman was slim with bright pinkish-red eyes, hair that was the same colour until halfway down where it became a bright yellow, and a pair of wings that looked similar to a firefly’s splayed on her back. She could well have been a magical fairy, with the way they were glowing, had it not been for her extra pair of spindly arms. Her skin, hair and eyes all gave off a faint glow, some chemical lending her phosphorescence. Two antennae bobbed out from the top of her head, their tips glowing with tiny balls of light. The woman was frozen with an 'uh-oh' look on her face, apparently not expecting to get caught, her round black bug eyes shining with fear.
Midnight spoke up, telling Bess to kill the firefly. She didn't need to be told twice. She was already on her feet, small knife materializing in her hand before the insect could take another step. "Stop right there bug! Make one wrong move and you're werebear food" she threatened, ready to throw the knife in her hand.
***
The insect, firefly, as Midnight had correctly pegged her, stopped where she was, and her eyes fell on the small pouch at Bess' waist. She looked at the sleeping bears behind her, and then again at the pouch. "I need something that you took from me" she spoke, determined despite the fearful quaver in her voice. "If you give it back, I promise I'll leave here and not return".
***
Bess greeted that with a shake of her head, her gaze never leaving the other. “It’s not really mine to give. This gem bears the symbol of the misfit’s tribe. Wherever you got this, it doesn’t belong to you. If anything, it belongs to my friends here”. She narrowed her eyes at the firefly, “Are you sure you’re not here to kill us or capture us? What do you want the gem for? Speak, if you want to remain living”
***
“That gem belongs to my friend. And I’m not here for that. I know the others are after you but I only came here for the jewel. It is very important to me. I would have taken it if I hadn’t started glowing” she frowned and pleaded. “Please, don’t kill me. I speak the truth. I really did come just for that”
***
“I have a few more questions” Bess added, knowing there was something the firefly wasn’t telling. It was really suspicious that she didn’t want to kill or capture the three, and she might have been lying or stalling for time. Bess listened, but she couldn’t hear anyone approaching, either flying or walking, from outside the cave. “What’s your name, is there anyone else with you and where is this friend you mention?” she demanded, taking a step closer. “Don’t try to flee”
***
“Pyridae, no, and I don’t know. My friend escaped when the princess…uh…when the prisoners broke out.” She stammered, answering all three questions at once. “I have to bring the gem back to them and they said they will help me. But maybe you can help me instead. Are your bear friends going back to their homelands?”. |
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Kasumi Roseglimmer Captain
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Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2014 1:44 am
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