i met evil
when i was only a child

He sits, sentinel. Statue, silent; closed eyes and shallow breaths.

He flies.

Feathers shift, adjust, and down he dives. Plummeting, reaching for the elusive friend he names Death. Yearning for the freedom only he can provide.

Free from this weight, this burden; free from this gift, this vision.

Free from the sink of flesh beneath his eyes, the way the insomnia paints black in the hollows. Free from the bone deep exhaustion, from the blood that coats his hours of rest.

Free from the relentless hunger that dogs his every step, heightened when he jolts from sleep, visions of slaughter cast upon his eyelids.

At the last second he pulls up and soars, then blinks.

The sun dips below the horizon and he breathes out, then peers out and down from his perch upon the edge.

How easy it would be…

postscript by aurora

+10 Explore a neutral territory - (1/2) x2 exp

Rose quartz paws carried her away from the mire as evening set in, towards the mountain where the pale monster she had fought seemed to favor. She noticed he called for bloodshed often here, and assumed he had some connection to this place. She was hungry, craving slicing her fangs and claws against supple flash and bringing hot iron liquid to the ground below. She wanted blood. Though as she made her way up, searching, crimson eyes scanning each path and sniffing at the air, Harou would not be the one she would find.

The massive form of the merle beast rested there, at the very edge, facing outwards towards the horizon. Silently, she wondered how many pieces his body would break into as he hit the ground below, how much scarlet would drop from the cracks in his skull. She wondered, in her twisted little mind, what beautiful art piece would be created when he landed. A smile, slowly, cracked across her maw, sending the little star closer. Need a push? She would ask cheerily.

@Draven

i met evil
when i was only a child

He supposed it was inevitable that somebody would find him, here. Thrust out in to full view at the edge of a cliff it wasn't as if he were hidden from sight.

Her arrival was announced, of course, by a ruffle of feather and a quiet caw. Draven does not turn to look, though, unbothered by the interruption. It is only when she speaks that he acknowledges her, turning his head ever so slightly to rest icy eyes on her. "Not from you."

That was not a gift he would give her -- or anybody, truly, though he could think of one that might get closer -- and he does not lean in to her jesting.

He does not move away from the edge, unafraid of the smaller girl, and slowly his gaze shifts back to the view.

postscript by aurora

The collosal feline's words were dismissive, cold, his pale gaze unamused at the small lioness's half jest. As he turned away, Lunaire felt pressure begin to build in her chest, red hot fury rising to a feverish degree. Her eye twitched, hot breath escaping from her maw as whispers began to fill her head frantically, Make him bleed. You are an artist, you will not be ignored. it growled, sending her striding forward without hesitation towards the merle giant's back. C'mon, it'll be fun~ she snarled.

Fangs and claws outstretched, she launched herself towards his upper back, attempting to wrap her teeth around his spine while attempting to lodge her claws into his shoulder to brace herself. Fiery hot anger ripped through her body, spurring her forward in frenzied excitement.

Lunaire vs. @Draven
Minor maim (Tbd)
Round 1/4
Hits:

Rolling 3d20: 8 + 4 + 13

Dodges:

Rolling 5d20: 6 + 5 + 19 + 2 + 11

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 7 + 17 + 1 + 4 + 18

Oh but doesn't she understand -- he is not so blind.

Draven knows she is coming even before the warning cacophony from his flock; he is dropping his weight to his haunches and pivoting with grace, intending to meet her face on. It would do no good to have her attack him from behind, and he was not so untrained as to leave himself so exposed without somebody watching his back.

Her attack therefore strikes his left side as he whirls to meet her, and he raises his far right paw in quick retaliation. Allowing his momentum to lend force to his attack he strikes out with his right claws even as her teeth are sinking in to the side of his left shoulder, her claws scoring across his ribs and pulling blood from flesh as they go.

Draven aims those right claws of his for her left side as he completes his pivot, attempting to sink them deep in to the meat of her shoulder and pull them down towards the ground. His teeth flash towards her left side as well, curling his neck during his turn in an attempt to sink them in to her cheek and tear her away from his shoulder.


Draven vs @Lunaire
Minor maim (Tbd)
Round 1/4
Hits:

Rolling 6d20: 3 + 16 + 18 + 8 + 1 + 15

Dodges:

Rolling 2d20: 2 + 14

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 7 + 19 + 4 + 1 + 10

He would notice, the cawing of corvids from around them leading the massive beast to whip around in time for the stars teeth to sink into his shoulder, her claws ripping at the flesh over her ribs, sending hot iron into the air. The taste of blood on her tongue sent heat rushing to her cheeks, a giggle emitting itself from her even as his claws hooked into her shoulder and pulled her towards the ground. Red eyes flashed towards him quickly, releasing her grasp on his body just in time to be yanked enough by his own force to avoid his fangs finding purchase within her face and instead threw her to the ground.

Her body would drop down, a snarl rolling from her throat from the stinging across her body as she forced herself to stand as fast as possible and ready herself once again. Her tail lashed, teeth flashing as she leapt at his neck with her claws outstretched, attempting to grapple herself through his mane and attempt to snap her teeth into the side of his throat.

Lunaire vs. @Draven
Minor maim (Tbd)
Round 2/4
Hits:

Rolling 3d20: 10 + 20 + 13

Dodges:

Rolling 5d20: 8 + 15 + 14 + 7 + 18

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 5 + 6 + 17 + 7 + 18

He is almost stunned to have succeeded so perfectly. His teeth snap closed on open air but she is on the ground beneath him, and he does not hesitate.

Attempting to close what little space between them remained, to descend on her before she can rise to meet him. Her claws land not on his neck, then, but on each side of his shoulders, once more tearing through flesh and spilling blood.

oh but he ignores it.

single minded in his target, his teeth flashing as he aims to sink them in to the back of her neck where the skull meets it, attempting to take advantage of her lower position.

her own teeth bury in the thick of his mane but it is not enough to reach his throat, harmlessly pulling strands but not flesh.



Draven vs @Lunaire
Minor maim (Tbd)
Round 2/4
Hits:

Rolling 6d20: 5 + 6 + 13 + 2 + 7 + 20

Dodges:

Rolling 2d20: 16 + 18

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 16 + 7 + 11 + 10 + 5

She is not fast enough, the massive creature overtakes her before she can rise and her claws rake over the same spot it had before alongside his other shoulder, more hot iron rising to the surface. Quickly, he grasps for her neck, the smaller woman saving her spine from his teeth with a panicked flinch, her scruff still grasped in his fangs and pulling her awkwardly upward as she grasped his shoulders with her claws. Her teeth would spit out her failed attack upon his throat, his thick mane sticking to her tongue and drying out her mouth, further enraging the smaller creature.

Her scruff pulled by his maw, her front claws grasped against his upper body, only her back legs remained free to assault him in her position. Desperately, she would begin kicking her back paws, attempting to dug her claws into his underbelly. Lunaire would drag her claws, attempting to further damage his shoulders and spill blood upon the stone beneath them, even as agony tore through the back of her neck in his grasp.

Lunaire vs. @Draven
Minor maim (Tbd)
Round 3/4
Hits:

Rolling 3d20: 20 + 15 + 14

Dodges:

Rolling 5d20: 11 + 4 + 10 + 5 + 15

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 5 + 17 + 6 + 8 + 10

He had not meant to drag her up.

But when her claws sunk in to his shoulders it was instinct that caused him to jerk his head back, to drag her with the grip on her scruff. Draven clenches his jaw, attempts to worsen the damage there, and then attempts to give his head a good shake. Maybe he could knock some sense in to her, make her realize it was never a good idea to pick on somebody so much bigger than you.

When her back legs swing forward he becomes acutely aware of the danger they presented and did the first thing he could think of -- he let go of her neck. Effectively dropping her back to the ground and thus preventing her back legs from kicking anywhere near his belly. They leave shallow scrapes across the front of his chest as she drops, and he reacts by lifting his right forepaw to swipe at the side of her in an attempt to add injury to insult.



Draven vs @Lunaire
Minor maim (Tbd)
Round 3/4
Hits:

Rolling 6d20: 19 + 10 + 13 + 6 + 4 + 5

Dodges:

Rolling 2d20: 3 + 10

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 13 + 11 + 14 + 1 + 8

She is yanked, hard- hot searing pain rips up and down the scruff of her neck and his canines do damage, a yowl escaping in fury from her jaws. She kicked, back in the same instant she was released and hit the stone beneath her with a gasp, her back feet barely grazing the giant. Her mind felt muddled, despite the pain that riddled her body all over, the smell of blood sent her forward in a frenzy.

His paw would swipe her left side as she rolled to stand back on her paws, the pressure leaving a bruising ache behind, but even so she would brace herself once more, ears pinned back against her skull as she launched herself with her claws outstretched towards his face, attempting to send her claws towards his eyes, or scare him backwards off the cliff.

Lunaire vs. @Draven
Minor maim (Push off the cliff?)
Round 4/4
Hits:

Rolling 3d20: 4 + 13 + 3

Dodges:

Rolling 5d20: 6 + 12 + 4 + 15 + 20

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 6 + 15 + 7 + 14 + 9