OOM All Skate Skellig Dream Magic Weirdness -Part Seven

[brave_kreyu]

It turns out that 'guarding the lair' involves more than just staying in one place. Kreyu has a goal today of scouting outside their borders, looking for possible trouble.

Given that Skellig can't speak the local language, yet, they're not trying to pass as locals. Skellig is just wearing a kilt as they stalk through the forest.

The wilderness is truly wild here, only barely touched by humans. Beasts of all kinds live in these woods, wolves, deer, boars, birds, rabbits, and more.

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[27_53]

Skellig isn't entirely certain exactly what 'type' of trouble they are scouting and searching for, but he absolutely was not going to allow her to go adventuring through the wilderness beyond her (their?) territory on her own. His default nature is not that of a hunter, but the owl instinct does creep in around the edges as they walk through the forest, his eyes and ears working overtime to scan their surroundings.

(This is raw wilderness, something that he can appreciate. There are no scars upon the landscape, no blemishes from a human hand. No overgrown cities tearing apart the landscape, even if this version of his soul cannot remember such.)

His voice is soft, only loud enough for her to hear when he speaks.

"If you would like to hunt at some point, I would not mind it. Though preferably not any birds," he adds.

[brave_kreyu]

Kreyu's dress is short, knee length white linen. No point in wearing anything fancy when you're going to be tromping through the woods. "I might," she replies, voice soft. "There is good game in this area."

Skellig's supernatural hearing picks up the sound of men on horseback and hunting hounds headed their way.

[27_53]

He is not certain just what game it is that the hounds and huntsmen are after (there are quite a few 'prey' options within their range, several deer, many rabbits, perhaps even a boar - though he doesn't know fully what THOSE smell like) but he can sense the sounds as well as the vibrations through the earth beneath their feet.

"Hunting party," he mutters softly. "Still quite a ways off. Not sure if they've scented us or something else."

He points in the general direction of travel they're coming from.

[brave_kreyu]

Kreyu frowns. "There are no settlements near here, not even a village on this side of the ocean. A very long way to come, for a hunt."

As the hunting party gets closer, the hounds begin to bay, they must have picked up a scent. The pack of hounds comes right to them, baying loudly as they come into the clearing. They circle around Skellig and Kreyu, still baying. They, or something like them, must be what the dogs were seeking.

Kreyu glances at Skellig, utterly confused. The men on horses are coming toward them too, not far behind.

[27_53]

The knowledge that there are no settlements nearby sets Skellig on a bit of an edge, his demeanor shifting - and then once the dogs enter the cleaning and begin to bay as if they've picked up the 'scent' of their prey, the edge sharpens.

He Does Not Like It.

"Not sure if I can distract all of them," he mutters - he tries to 'nudge' at a few of the dogs, and it only somewhat works to shift their attentions away, causing barks and yips of confusion - where a human would normally simply find something else to focus on. His eyes glance up to the trees surrounding the clearing - there are branches they could perch on, but they'd still be nearby and within range of the dogs' scent capabilities.

"They typically do not hunt owls," he says. "Flush birds, yes, but it's...strange, their behavior."

Fight or flight? Skellig has no interest in being chased all afternoon. But this is not 'her' territory, and does not know what standing she may have on these lands, if anyone has claim to them at all...

[brave_kreyu]

"No one claims these lands," she whispers to Skellig just before a handful of men on horseback burst into the clearing. They're heavily armed, with long, bronze tipped spears and a few with bows. (One MIGHT hunt boar with such weapons, bears, or even larger beasts.) The way they move, the way they carry themselves, their ease with their weapons, these are not bandits, not untrained thugs.

The horses and the dogs are fine beasts, well kept, and the glint of gold jewelry among the men confirms that they are wealthy and almost certainly nobility of one kind or another. (Only nobles have time to spend hunting like this or train consistently in the arts of war.)

One man says something to the dogs that Skellig doesn't understand, but must be a means of calling them off, as the dogs stop barking and circling, go to him instead.

All of the hunters are watching Skellig and Kreyu. Two in particular are looking at Kreyu with an expression that is only just shy of a leer. One of those men makes a comment to the other tone in a tone that suggests a ribald joke or comment of some kind, and the other of the pair laughs.

The hunter wearing the most gold approaches Skellig on horseback. (He SHOULD dismount, Skellig knows, as Kreyu has taught him some of the etiquette of this era. Clearly, the man considers himself so far above Skellig that he has no fear of being rude.) He speaks, his language the one Skellig knows from their village but accented as if the man doesn't speak it very often. "You must have the scent of what we hunt on you strongly, for the dogs to react so."

[27_53]

Skellig can play aloof and distant if he has to; it isn't something that he has a ton of familiarity with, and he would much rather play the part of the 'wealthy beyond your wildest means and incredibly generous rich guy' compared to this type of nobility - at least the personas of the two who are practically leering at Kreyu.

Even with his wings hidden by the amulet, they still flare against his back, and he is careful to keep his attention focused on all of the hunters, their horses, and their hounds. Horses do not typically care for Skellig, as he is unsettling, but these ones are well-kept and trained in the art of being handled in even the most stressful situations, so their reactions are minimal.

"They are well-trained creatures," he offers as a compliment. Clearly, this man is used to those, based on his stature. But Skellig specifically does not offer any honorifics, as he feels it would be worse if he misspoke. "What is it that you hunt on this day?"

With his careful eyes (his glances are too quick to notice to the human eye) he is counting the numbers of spears and bows within the party, the number of arrows within the quivers that he can see, small blades upon the belts of some of the men, the number of dogs. While crafting in his head a plan, should he need one...

[brave_kreyu]

They are well armed and well supplied, with multiple spears and many arrows.

The prince accepts the compliment. "We hunt a dragon," he tells Skellig, proud and certain of his skill.

Kreyu boggles at this for a second, then LAUGHS out loud. "Then you are the greatest fools to ever live." These men, with their tiny weapons, intend to hunt a DRAGON?

The prince and his companions do NOT like her laughter or her words, not at all. Anger ripples from them. "Your woman ought to mind her tongue," he tells Skellig, voice sharp, as if Kreyu were a misbehaving dog.

"There are rumors of an island near here where three of the beasts are often seen. We seek the blood and the heart of the gray one." He shifts in his seat, eyes Skellig thoughtfully. "You must have been close to the beast's spoor to excite the dogs so. Must know where it dens. Cooperation will be rewarded."

[27_53]

"Pay her no heed," Skellig mutters, rolling his eyes in Kreyu's direction, waving his hand at her. "She is...uneducated. I did not choose her for her brains," he adds, shooting a 'knowing' smirk in the direction of the uncultured idiots on horseback who were leering. "There were better reasons."

It pains him slightly to say it, even if it is only a falsehood to keep up the appearance of the relationship dynamic between the two of them. They will exact their payback later!

(Knowing that he now has a bit of the upper hand in this dynamic, he decides to play along.)

"I have seen the beasts," he continues. "And know where they den. They are tightly bonded creatures; fiercely protective of one another. They are often seen only when the veil between the worlds is thinnest. Even with a party equipped such as yours is, it would be very risky to approach. I have not ever seen any of them kill with my own eyes," he adds. "But I have seen the aftermath, while wandering these woods and this land...the remains of their prey on rare occasions when there is something left behind..."

Skellig turns his attention in the vague direction of the coast, eyes distant.

"Once a few moons ago, a great whale carcass washed upon the shore, and the marks upon it were from no creature of the sea. Slashes from talons wider than my own chest," he motions at his shoulders. "Ribs cracked and splintered by fearsome teeth, the organs missing altogether. It could only have been a dragon that took down such prey..."

And they think bows and spears and hounds will do the trick? They truly ARE fools. But he does not discount them, not yet.

"Why is it the gray one you seek most of all, I would ask?"

[brave_kreyu]

Kreyu KNOWS he's trying to trick them, but even so she has to fight not to roll her eyes when they just casually accept the explanation that she wasn't chosen for her brains.

Most of the men look a little daunted at his words, but not the prince. "The red is said to command fire, the white lightning, it would be foolish to battle creatures who can command the elements themselves. The gray is but a beast, not touched by the gods." Clearly, whatever stories he's heard don't have much resemblance to the truth.

"And a beast can be lured into a trap with the right bait and weakened, or taken unaware." The others seem to perk up a bit at the news that they aren't going to be fighting 'fair'.

[27_53]

Skellig also perks at the knowledge that they might not be fighting fair. He is curious.

"Makes sense to choose the weakest," he 'admits'. Knowing full well that Kreyu will take great umbrage at being considered the 'weakest' dragon compared to her brothers. "I am curious, how would you work to trap it?"

And then he pauses. After all, the prince did offer compensation in trade for Skellig's knowledge, and he would be interested to know just what that would entail.

"I admit I have studied the beasts for some time," he says. "Watched how they interact with those who fear them as Gods, worship them. I am not a hunter by nature, so never would I be able to take down such a creature. But I would offer my insights...for what compensation would you give in exchange?"

[brave_kreyu]

"They prefer human flesh, especially of those considered beautiful," he glances briefly at Kreyu. "Like your woman there, but...untouched." He smirks slightly, quite sure that if Skellig didn't choose her for her brains he's surely 'had' her many times.

"Such can be readily acquired for gold in this region, once we know where the beast lairs." While neither the brood's territory or the kingdom Skellig and Kreyu live in along the Mother River keeps slaves, many of the OTHER kingdoms in the region do. "We already possess a poison potent enough to cripple the beast, once it takes the bait."

"The favor of a king, when the beast's head proves my prowess and grants me the throne," he replies in answer to compensation. "And as much gold as you can carry, once the beast is slain."

[27_53]

Skellig's expression shifts, turning slightly negative. "In all my years of studying the beasts, I have never seen the gray one choose such a..." he turns to Kreyu, looks her over as if he is judging her. "...fragile offering. The white one, perhaps," he adds. "But the gray one prefers strength, power, and experience."

He points at one of the men in the party who has not yet spoken up or made himself known. "Such as your man there with the bow. I have seen the gray one devour such an offering in a single bite, reward the villagers who bound him to the altar handsomely. He might make a better bait..."

He is non-committal in tone - let these fools believe what they wish, so they can gather greater information from them. While he abhors the idea of Kreyu's head being presented on a pike to this 'king' as the prince speaks of doing, he knows that these men are no true threat.

"But if you would prefer to gather an untouched innocent as you have heard, where would be best? The entrance to the lair is located near the coast," he motions again that vague direction. "A solid day's ride."

[brave_kreyu]

Damn it, Skellig! She was doing SO WELL at keeping a straight face, and then you had to bring up her preferring strength, power, and experience, binding someone to an altar, and her 'devouring' the offering in a single bite.

She moves close to him, buries her face in his shoulder, her whole body shaking. She probably LOOKS like she's weeping, distraught, but Skellig can tell she's suppressing laughter instead.

The prince looks thoughtful, "The strong and experienced can also be purchased in Te'ratan," he replies. "But I would scout the lair before we purchase bait, even if it is a solid day's ride from here."

[27_53]

Skellig nods, takes note of a 'spare' horse being led by some of the other hunters near the back of the pack.

"Our home is between here and the lair of the dragons," he says. "I would lead you, if you would prefer to get there before nightfall, watch them as they come and go. I would use that horse for my wife and I, and will leave her when we near the trail that cuts off to our dwelling, then continue on with you alone. I would not subject her to such danger."

Clearly, his wife is already VERY DISTRESSED! Skellig strokes her hair soothingly. Poor woman of his, so very tender and fragile. His plan in his mind is clear - there is another wider clearing a half day's ride from here that they flew over, a meadow easily big enough to accommodate her shape. And he can let her off 'near their home' before they enter it, allow her to slip away between the trees, run away to safety...

[brave_kreyu]

Kreyu grasps the shape of his plan as soon as he starts to lay out his request. Her clever love.

Unaware of what will surely befall him, the prince nods in agreement. "Of course, you could not risk her safety," the prince agrees. "You are welcome to the use of the horse, for now. I would prefer speed in travel, for just the reason you described."

Getting on the horse is an...interesting affair, all told. Kreyu is able to help him a bit without it being too noticeable, but he might need to cheat with his magic anyway.

[27_53]

Cheating is absolutely necessary - Skellig uses a hint of his magic to get the horse to stay settled (it is a very good thing this is a trained horse who is used to being mounted/dismounted by men wearing armor, carrying weapons, and the sort - it may never have been ridden by a pair of creatures such as themselves) but his hand on the animal's neck lends itself towards calm, as does Kreyu's knowledge on how to actually ride one.

Briefly he debates whether she should sit in front of him or behind; the horse is large enough for either, but since she is in a dress (and Skellig does not want any of the men in the rear catching a glimpse of her ass) he settles for the former. Once they are situated, his arms wrapped around her body and reins in hand, they set off.

The hounds have found the scent of their earlier walk through the woods, so it is easy enough to assure the prince that the party is headed in the 'right' direction as they begin baying furiously and pick up the pace of their run. (Thankfully, only one rider follows at the same speed, while the rest trail behind.)

Once the horses have become spaced out a bit as they move through the underbrush and trees, he leans forward and places his mouth at her ear, keeping his voice low enough for just her to hear: "You know I meant none of what I said."

[brave_kreyu]

"I know," she whispers. "It is a clever plan, my heart." That such lies about them have spread worries her, but there may not be anything she can DO about it.

Riding a horse strains muscles neither of them are used to using in this way, so Kreyu is VERY glad when they reach the part of this ruse where she gets to dismount. "Please be careful," she tells Skellig. It's only partly an act, she doesn't want him to get hurt.

[27_53]

"Of course, my love."

He offers her a smile, then turns the horse to rejoin the rest of the pack - they will need to gain some speed, catch up with the hounds who have still been hot on the 'trail', their excited barks growing softer as the distance increases. It feels strange to be leaving her 'behind' in such a manner, even through he knows that it is all a ploy.

Once they have resumed the 'chase' (and Gods, does Skellig want to be off this horse, every muscle in his body is already screaming in protest and the increased speed does not help) his focus is attuned to her heartbeat in his ears, listening.

"There is a meadow we must cross soon," he calls to the prince. "It is the only place along this trail where we may be exposed, so we should use caution. I have never seen sign of the beast there, but it is lush with prey - most excellent for hunting deer at this time of evening."

[brave_kreyu]

The prince is not happy to hear about the meadow, but he grunts in acknowledgment. "We will just have to trust the gods to protect us," he calls back.

Skellig can hear the heart of her dragon shape, hear the sound of her wings, LONG before anyone else. That should give him time to prepare, before they hit the meadow and things get....exciting.

They are roughly in the middle of the meadow when Kreyu dives down out of the sky, roaring in anger! The horses are well trained, but NOTHING could have prepared the horses for this. The first of the hunters to die is thrown from his panicking horse, trampled to death as the horses flee in a panic. The hounds head for the trees at speed, yelping and howling in terror!

[27_53]

The hounds are the lucky ones - they are simply dogs, and have better sense than to be making an effort to capture and kill a dragon! Running in terror is truly the best choice!

Skellig was mostly prepared for the horses to panic; perhaps not quite this much panic, his horse frantically rearing and making an effort to shed the weight of the rider (him) in an effort to flee. Even with using his wings to correct his 'flightpath' as he is unceremoniously booted off the rear of the animal, he rolls quickly to his stomach on the grass to avoid getting kicked or trampled, nudging both the animals and other hunters HARD to avoid him.

Definitely not the most graceful dismount.

Grunting, he pushes himself up to his feet, then uses his wings to make haste for the nearest edge of the meadow, ducking into the trees - knowing it is probably wisest if he simply stays out of the way and allows her to take care of things. The hunters are no match for her, even with their bows, arrows, and spears.

(But even as he leans against the trunk of a tree and watches her handle things, he can feel fear and the sick taste of his anxiety rising up in the back of his throat as he sees arrows fly through the sky - they bounce harmlessly off of her scales, but the memories are still too vivid in his mind to ignore entirely.)

[brave_kreyu]

Kreyu can sense his distress at the arrows, so she goes for the archers first. She swings her tail around, flicks it at them. Against another dragon, it would do little more than sting. Against a human, things are far, far messier.

The prince and his closest companion just have spears, and they've realized just how BIG she really is. They try to stab her anyway, aiming for an eye. but her talons are longer than their spears and she swats at them as though they were annoying insects. She doesn't even really have to AIM as even the most glancing of blows is deadly with her mass.

"Ugh, such a mess. And such a waste," she rumbles. "Such lies they had been told."

[27_53]

Skellig's anxiety level lowers slightly once the last of the hunting party has been swatted away into (literal) oblivion and she speaks to him - but it is obvious from his response that he is still a bit nervous.

"I knew they were truly no match for you," he allows more of his weight to lean against the tree trunk, exhaling heavily. There is a faint tremble in his legs, and it is not all from having been on horseback (or kicked off as awkwardly he was) to blame. "Fools, thinking their weapons could harm you. They were no match for you..." He pauses only briefly, concern creeping into his voice as he looks over her shape. "...you are not injured, are you love?"

There is nothing visible he can see, except for the 'mess' on her scales from her dispatching the group. He is certain she is fine, he witnessed the ease with which she got rid of them all. And yet...

[brave_kreyu]

"I am not injured," she assures him. "You were not hurt, were you?" she asks, concerned. There's so much blood and viscera that she can't tell by scent if he's bleeding or not.

[27_53]

"No, I am fine." Skellig shifts his feet, stretching his arms over his head and allowing his wings to flare open just to be certain. What he feels is simply soreness - especially below the waist. "I landed a bit...awkwardly, but it is nothing serious."

Plus, his body is still very glad to no longer be on horseback, for many reasons!