Lycanthropy And How to Survive It

[Matchsticks]

The crow flitted from branch to branch, unaware of Viti's presence--his full attention on the cow herd below.

The wolf-beast singled out a cow--a limping one, and Matchsticks noted this with some approval-... But oh shit. OH SHIT THAT'S THE BULL! he realized, seeing another darker figure come barreling around from the side of the herd.

"Hey--HEY!" he called down, sputtering in his rush to form a coherent sentence. Black wings slapped at the air as he struggled to fly around the fight, higher up.

Unfortunately, he only caught sight of Ganymedes again right before the bull was timed to strike, his cawing shout entirely unhelpful: "THE BULL IS COMING-"

hey, uh, warn Gany in time??

Rolling 1d20: 4
Fail

@Viti

[Viti]

VITI

When the bloodthirsty wolf began their hunt, Viti froze on his branch ready to jump and take flight in case they were actually coming for him. Luckily, it was the herbivores that the shifter was after. The crane could only watch and wince at the gruesome scene unfolding right in front of his eyes, when the predator sunk their fangs into the cow's soft flesh and tore open its side. The sound of tearing muscles and snapping bones sent cold shivers down Viti's spine.

It wasn't pretty at all, the kill that is. Viti wasn't bothered by the hunt or the dead cow, but the way that it had been executed. No grace no nothing. Where was the control? There was none. Not that he had any idea about the predator's mental state, for now the crane thought that this creature simply enjoyed killing. Spreading his wings, Viti decided to move a bit closer and while doing so he heard someone's loud shouting.

Landing on top of a dead rotten tree stump, about one and a half meters high, the crane too saw the very angry looking bull that the crow had been screaming about just now. "Hmmm…this could turn ugly for the wolf." Was what he mumbled, but unlike the black bird Viti did nothing to warn the predator. In fact, he would love to see a good show between the larger creatures! Which one was stronger and faster? Who would come on top? But that stupid crow, don't scream and ruin the moment…

"Shush you fool! You'll ruin the show, let them be." Viti raised his voice in hopes of having his words reach the crow. That being settled, the crane directs his gaze towards the bull once again. Would it have its revenge?

@Ganymedes

[Ganymedes]

Now, the wolf wasn't smart, and that could be a good thing, for the human within was intelligent and could convince the wolf to do things, if deemed reasonable enough. Persuasion was an art form that had been perfected.

But right now, it was a matter of if the wolf deemed the bull to be a worthy adversary or something too dangerous to bother with.

The wolf darted to the side, more nimble than the large bovine. They growled and circled around, tearing at the dead cow's legs to try and at least take some of it with them when they inevitably fled. It was already dead, the bull didn't need it anymore. Not that the bull had the brains to understand this.

But giving up a hard-earned meal? They wouldn't do so easily.

Ears flicking to the birds, their chatter an annoyance, they snarled, growling at them in hopes that they'd get the hint and shut up.

@Matchsticks

Dodge the bull's horns.

Rolling 1d20: 11
Success

[Storyteller Dark]

The bull flashed past in a blur of black and rusty red beneath, speckled white across its legs; sleek black-tipped horns swept up in a powerful arc, hitting nothing but air. It skidded to a halt in plumes of loamy dust, snorting, and stared around with dumb aggression before swivelling, alert and fierce, searching for Ganymedes in the dark.

Hateful eyes picked out and settled back on the wolf-beast as they tried to rip some meat free--they'd get mere handfuls before the bull again charged, head dropping low, hooves tearing at the dirt.

Find Ganymedes again fast enough to stop them getting food, or be oblivious in the dark?

Rolling 1d20: 16
Success

[Matchsticks]

"HEY, I'M WITH THEM," Matchsticks crowed--in defense, sort of, of Ganymedes but entirely against the werewolf's actual "stop yelling" sort of wishes. Matchstick's red eyes narrowed.

"Hey, aren't you the one I tried to help in the stupid stone forest with the STUPID THORNBEASTS?" he continued to caw, agitated now. He leapt from branch to branch in flurries of black feathers. "You said I was a traitor! I TRIED to help. ...Can't do much about that, though," he added, staring down at the bull.

Ganymedes would have to sink or swim on their own. Unless...

"HEY, I GOT AN IDEA!" Matchsticks crowed. And he fluttered away. He'd left his matchbox not far off, and he knew how to make fire from it, now, at least. He picked a stick--one he could carry, long enough not to burn himself (...this time), and flipped it this way and that. This, of course, would take precious seconds, and Ganymedes would be on their own until then.

...They'd probably be fine.

Matchsticks pried the matchbox open, plucked a match out (and a few more fell to the sides) with his beak, and started swiping it over the sides of the matchbox itself.

Nothing happened, and he glanced back with a crow. "FIRE ISN'T WORKING!" he cawed, and good luck making sense of that.

Firestarter

Rolling 1d20: 10
Fail

@Viti

[Viti]

VITI

Soft hum rose from the depths of the crane's throat when the two down below prepared for another showdown. A strange sense of excitement began to build within his chest, he hadn't expected the wolf to be able to dance like that. Even the shifter's low growl and piercing glare couldn't kill his fun, ah, perhaps there was some beauty in their brutality after all?

Then the crow spoke again, causing the taller bird to click his tongue. "You are spoiling the-" They knew each other? "-fun?" The edge in his voice had gone dull and confusion took its place. "Hmmm, did I now? " Wait, yes, they had all been there and- "Oh…" His tail feathers still hadn't fully recovered from that.

Once Viti had caught on with what the crow was talking about, the crane chuckled and offered the black bird a crooked smile. "Yes, I did say that. The whole thing was a farce." It was amazing that they had succeeded in their task.

Back to the topic at hand- it was clear that Viti didn't care what he had spoken and to whom back then, the other Chosen were still useless in his mind and thus didn't require much space in his memory. There was better use for that space.

As quickly as it had appeared, the crane's smile faded away after the crow cawed some more nonsense. "Goodness gracious, what is he up to now- fire??" He mumbled, unimpressed and chose to not lift a finger to aid him or the wolf in that matter.

@Ganymedes

[Ganymedes]

Ganymedes snapped up what they could before trying to dodge the bull again, growing more and more angry as the stupid beast persisted. The cow was dead! Was it blind or something? Stupid?! Both, perhaps, judging by how it squinted through the gloom. Too late, they turned, having been too greedy trying to eat what they could.

Horns dug into the meat of their rump, a high-pitched yelp of pain breaking free of their maw. They were sent up into the air, tumbling over themselves before sprawling on the ground. Stupid- stupid bull! Stupid cow- STUPID BIRDS!!

"SHUT UP!!!", the wolf raged, ears pinned and eyes bloodshot, "SHUT UP BEFORE I EAT YOU INSTEAD!"

Annoyed, in pain, and more than a little pissed off, the wolf bared it's teeth, rage drowning out the tiny voice in the back of it's head. That stupid bull was going to regret attacking it.

@Matchsticks

Dodge again.

Rolling 1d20: 10
Fail

[Storyteller Dark]

The bull again skidded to a halt, half-turning for a moment.

It was brief--poignant, had anyone who might have actually cared have seen it: rolling brown eyes settling on the bloodied body of his pale cow.

Well, one of them, anyway.

Rage, backed by power: the bull turned, churned back into motion, dust kicked up at his heels as he dropped his horns for Ganymedes: aiming to impale.

Ganymedes needs a 9+ to avoid; they may choose to flee the slower bull at any time without a roll--unless they wind up injured and slowed.

The bull attempts to gore Ganymedes.

Rolling 1d20: 9
Fail

[Matchsticks]

"A farce? What's a farce? You're a farce," Matchsticks retorted from his now somewhat-distant place, but it was halfhearted, absent. His focus, beak-down, was on the matchbox in his claws.

He struggled again to yank one out, to light it; fumbling and shaking a little with adrenaline. He wanted food; could Ganymedes get it for him? The last thing he wanted was for the wolf-guy to give up and just fly off, although... "He's not just gonna STAY THERE! You can run away and come back later, you know!?" Matchsticks added, in a loud caw of questionable advice.

Questionable, because Ganymedes wasn't the only predator in these woods--and certainly not the largest. They might well returh to find that a pack of Thornbeasts or the like had claimed it--and good luck getting a meal then.

Fire flared up, abruptly, between Matchstick's toes. A caw of surprise--and then he was quickly maneuvering the match to the branch, its resin quickly smoldering and catching with a blackening, foul-stench plume of smoke. "I GOT IT!" the crow cried--and if it wasn't clear what he'd 'got,' he came barreling out of the darkness a moment later toward the bull.

It was a little late on the charge, but at least Matchsticks and his flaming stick would be there for... well, for whatever happened next.

Firestarter-

Rolling 1d20: 16
Success

@Viti

[Viti]

VITI

Did the crow have stones between his ears? Ah, no matter. "It seems like your vocability is still lacking." Was all that Viti said in return. Calling the black bird an idiot just because he didn't know one word would be unreasonable, although it was difficult to say what kind of character he truly was. The crow was all over the place, it was intriguing and somewhat annoying at the same time.

Finally the wolf snaps and promises to eat the birds, if they didn't shut up already. The agitation in those sharp eyes was a clear indicator of their dwindling patience. When would rage blind them for good, when would they lose it all? The bull had already left its mark on them, surely it wouldn't be long from now. The crane would love to see that moment.

Alas, he might not witness that moment because the crow had finally crafted some sort of…plan to help the wolf, maybe? Viti wasn't certain, to him it looked like the black bird was flying towards his death with a burning stick in his claws. Since when have crows been able to make fire?? What was even happening anymore…? "That crow has a deathwish." But then again it was rather similar to the way that he had attempted to help the crane not too long ago.

@Ganymedes