[FINITO] Meet the Reaper [Jenn]

[Vyn]

Imre sat on his branch, as still and quiet as...well, death, but with his corvid eyes bright and alert. The light was fading fast and, to his dismay, Imre soon heard the very thing he did not want to hear.

There was something moving below, something that did not sound like his siblings or even Vren.

Shifting on his branch, Imre soon caught sight of the slinking cat-sized creature which was quietly trying to decide whether or not to eat the strange person Imre had found. Nuh-uh, he wouldn't allow that. Quickly he shifted, hopping off of his branch flying up further to locate in order to locate a stick which might break and make a useful club.

Upon finding one he would dart back down, poised one-legged on his vantage point and ready to distract the little thing with a well-aimed throw if his siblings took too long to arrive.


Poe, meanwhile, waited patiently as Parzi took flight and disappeared upstairs. She barely moved a muscle in the time Parzi was gone, but her anxiety was clear in her ruffled feathers and wide eyes. Imre was out there...alone.

When Vren arrived, looking interested and eager to go, Poe knew better than to shuffle or dwaddle. She moved in quick little hops with quick shuffles in between, moving as fast as her broken body would take her. "Parzi, you can lead him up ahead...you two would be quicker and I can catch up."

The last thing Poe wanted in the world was to be the reason something awful happened to poor Imre.

[The Jenn]

It would take the small group only about five minutes to arrive after leaving the tower, but that would be enough time for the spiny creature to continue to approach Lior. It sniffed the air, then inched closer, intent on its business. Slowly its mouth opened, filled with just as many spiny teeth as its spiny fur suggested, and it went to take a bite of the prone feline's leg.

---

As much as Parzifal didn't want to let his sister take up the rear of any party, especially in the dark of late evening, he didn't want his brother alone for any longer with prone prey to attract the forest's predators. "Alright, Poe... we won't be too far ahead, but just come as quickly as you can, okay?"

The urgency of the moment drove him to hop at a fast clip, the human man striding along beside him, purple robes swishing against the forest covering.

[Vyn]

Imre trembled where he perched, eyes wide. There was no way they'd make it back in time, none at all. Imre would have to do something.

By the time the beast leaned in to take a bite, Imre was off of his perch and diving toward it. He had to come far closer than he was comfortable going, but in coming up behind the beast he was able to launch the stick at the back of the creature's head and avoid -- he hoped -- the majority of those dangerous teeth.

The moment the stick left his talon, Imre was gaining altitude again and preparing for a second strike. If the stick didn't delay the creature long enough for Parzi and the others to arrive, then Imre would simply have to go at it with his claws and he really didn't like that prospective.



Poe nodded quietly, glad that Parzi hadn't argued. Imre was more in danger watching out for that stranger than Poe currently was and both males could move far more quickly without her weighting them down.

"I'll be right behind you." She offered as a quiet reassurance, still shuffling along as quickly as her hobbled frame could carry her.

[The Jenn]

Rather than getting a mouthful of fur and fresh, bloody meat, the spiny creature got a jolt on the back of its neck and head that shoved its face against Lior. It whipped around, body going seemingly twice as large as it had been before as it buffed up and bristled, its body absolutely covered in sharp spines like a cat-sized porcupine from hell - beagle-sized now, in appearance at least. It let out a high-pitched snarl and lunged for Imre's leg as he flew up, but missed it by a hair's width and dropped back down. It wasn't made for jumping, was much better at fast trundling across the uneven ground of the forest floor.

It also wasn't made for outright combat. It was more of a scavenger and an opportunist, picking off the kills of others or snapping up a quick bite where it thought it would have a chance. It was most definitely a carnivore, though, whether the meat was alive or dead. Its natural defense in the face of a more determined or aggressive predator, its spines, was usually enough to deter anything after the initial barbs.

At the attack from above, it recognized a loss of opportunity and made to scuttle away. It wasn't up to an all-out fight and could only defend for so long until the predator developed an alternate strategy.

About three minutes after it had gone, Parzifal and Vren arrived on the scene. The crow's head immediately whipped around to catch sight of his brother's pale feathers.

[Vyn]

There was, Imre had to admit, a dizzying thrill in fighting and -- in turn -- the risk of injury. The jaws snapping at his leg sent a chill rushing up his spine, but Imre managed to keep from faltering and soared out of range. Quickly he was circling around, debating his next course of action as the adrenaline pumped through his veins.

He'd have to be careful...or risk falling in love with this thrill.

And then the beast was gone, trundling off through the trees in face of the resistance -- however puny it may have been -- that Imre displayed. Sighing quietly, he retreated to his branch for the remainder of his short wait.

As Parzi and Vren arrived and Imre met eyes with his brother, the mixed Corvid swung down once more and glided toward his brother. His heart was racing in it's cage, but he was grinning a little. "A scavenger came," he announced in a quick, quiet breath "and I chased it away with a stick." He was proud but he was also wise enough to swiftly turn his pride to urgency. "We should move him before other things come."


Shuffling at her quickest, Poe hurried after Vren and Parzi as they gained distance and vanished through the trees. It wasn't a long walk at all but anxiety had Poe all but tripping over her own feet (something which could've been potentially dangerous with bindings like hers).

Gasping with exasperation the finch at last gave up and did a small hop into the air before quickly activating her Diamond ability. Flying had, thanks again to her bindings, always been a last resort for Poe. The inability to properly lift her legs made most instances of flight awkward and ungainly unless she used her ability...and even then that had its own limitations.

For now, however, a short glide to Imre shouldn't be too hard.

[The Jenn]

Parzifal couldn't tell if the way his brother's eyes were dilated was from stress, fear, or some odd rush of adrenaline. He didn't care so much what happened to this weird, cloaked feline, not with the bizarre sense of forboding he'd gotten, but his brother... "I'm just glad you're okay," he said quietly, wings fluttering into place from the ruffled state they'd assumed while hopping. "Poe isn't far back, so she should be here in just a minute."

In the meantime, Vren was examining the two prone forms with interest. "A Highlander..." he muttered, pleased. "Still alive, but in bad shape. Wonder what rank and suit... looks thin. Easy enough to carry." He shifted forms slowly. It wasn't something he did very often, going into one of his other forms, since human suited his personality and profession far better than either of the others. He would be able to carry the feline much more easily as a biped, however.

The cayman-ferret cross was short but powerfully built, his reptilian mouth filled with row upon row of sharp teeth as he grinned and bent down to heft the prone form. "We can leave the other one here to keep the predators away. It doesn't look nearly as interesting. The foaming at the mouth indicates disease as cause of death, so we don't want to touch it at any rate. Keep your distance."

Lior hung limply from the man's arms, fully unconscious and liable to stay that way for quite some time.

[Vyn]

"I'm fine, Parzi! Don't worry."

He grinned a little and bumped against his brother lightly before stopping to listen to Vren's quiet muttering. A Highlander, hm? He didn't look like any Highlanders that Imre was used to seeing. This, of course, only piqued his interest further. He would've inched closer, except that Vren had switched to bipedal form and Imre had never been fond of getting all too close to that tooth-packed mouth of his.

As Vren strode off, Imre turned to see Poe drifting into the clearing. "Poe!"


It didn't take long for Poe to catch up with the rest of the group with her half-flying half-gliding pursuit, but her landing was awkward and just a little painful. The jarring of her talons touching back to earth caused her to shudder and slouch heavily, but she regained her composure after a moment.

Blushing beneath her dark feathers, she lifted her attention to her brothers to assure they were in one piece.

Imre was fluffed up with adrenaline but in one piece nonetheless. He opened his beak in excitement and she briefly lifted a wing. "My nerves can't take it, Imre. Let's just go back home, it's far too dark."


Imre smiled and chuckled ruefully but nodded after a moment. "Alright."

[The Jenn]

Parzifal returned his brother's reassuring bump, then turned his head to watch in fascination as their master transformed. He would be able to do that someday... but he had to grow first. Maybe when he finally managed to get it, the man would find him mature enough to be freed? Or would it be some other criteria? He'd never given specifics...

The crow turned his head at the sound of wings and winced along with Poe at her landing. He could practically feel the jarring sensation himself, so evident was her reaction, and he shuffled over to preen her neck for a moment above the bindings where the feathers had fluffed awkwardly. She was never able to get those herself. "Alright," he echoed their brother, strong agreement in his voice. He wanted away from the corpse and the dangers it posed just as much as she did. The prospect of having the creepy stranger in the tower didn't make him feel much better, though. At least their master could contain him.

Vren glanced over at his servants, then turned and began the brief return to his home. Parzi hopped after, this time staying next to his sister and keeping one eye on Imre. He hated it when he wasn't sure that either of them were safe. It always made some small part of his brain insist that he was failing them, however irrational it may or may not have been.

Once they were all inside, he carried the unconscious feline past the clutter, through the small path that he just barely squeezed through in his bipedal form, and dumped him carefully on the kitchen floor.

[Vyn]

Poe sighed softly, eyes closing as Parzifal began to preen the feathers around her neck and binding. Her neck was slightly sore from the awkward landing but the grooming was always relaxing. "Thank you, Parzi." She smiled faintly before slowly beginning to move after Vren and Imre.


Imre watched his siblings for a brief moment, but as Vren began to move away the young bird followed in his wake. He remained close at the man's heels, eyes ever locked on that stranger in his master's arms.

So strange... Imre never got to see strangers, outsiders specifically and -- as nervous as they made him -- he also couldn't help his curiosity.

Poe, on the other hand, didn't agree at all. Strangers were frightening, all around. Some could be trusted, with enough time, but not ones that appeared out of the blue with dead men and carried around such disquieting auras. Tulgey's were supposed to be the ones with the 'weirdness', right?

As they ventured inside the house, Poe slowed down even further and drew closer to her brother. What was going to happen when the stranger woke up?


Imre remained his sister's polar opposite, pushing into the kitchen after Vren and looming beside the unconscious feline. "What are you going to do with him, Sir?" He murmured with polite interest.

[The Jenn]

Parzifal couldn't help but be confused by his brother's interest in the creepy stranger. They'd had much nicer visitors come through before, ones Imre hadn't taken any sort of special interest in. Was it just the weird, spine-tingling feeling they'd all gotten before that had attracted his attention? That seemed kind of backwards, but he didn't say anything until they'd gotten home. One wing went around his sister as she drew closer and he tucked her against him comfortingly. He wouldn't let anything happen to her, not while he could help it.

Assessing the physical condition of the Highlander, Vren changed back into his human form and went over to the sink. "First things first, I'm going to see if I can rehydrate him a bit. Hopefully he's in good enough condition to get some water down on his own. Do you see his gums, the color? That's a sure sign of dehydration. He could also use a few good meals once he wakes up, provided that he's worth keeping alive. Imre, go upstairs and gather a few blankets for the floor. Parzifal, check his suit and rank for me. Poe, calm down and just keep an eye on him for any sign of awareness."

The crow reluctantly drew away from his sister to do as instructed. The 'sense' of wrongness no longer emanated from him, but who knew when it would come back and what would be the trigger? He gingerly flipped back a portion of the cloak with his foot and drew in a quick, surprised breath. "Master, he's a King of Hearts."

Eyebrows raising slightly in surprise, the man came over with a shallow bowl of water and attempted to get a bit in the feline's mouth. "Well, that's worth keeping alive for informational purposes if nothing else. A Highland King of Hearts. Hmm."