Catalin|Poldora

[Kender Bard]

Catalin was a little larvae, as her family affectionately referred to her. Calling her a 'cub' just didn't seem to fit right for a Bug-affinity, especially not for one who almost resembled a caterpillar in many aspects. She was old enough to crawl, but her crawling resembled the scootching motion of her affinity.

The tyke had been set down while her mother tended to the other children in the brood. Not one to sit still for long, the babe had crawled off without anyone noticing. Now it'd been a few hours and she wanted to return home. She had no idea where she was, had no concept of the difference between "Seere" and "Poldora". So, stopping abruptly, the babe began to cry.

[adris]

(Man, I just felt sorry for the poor girl seeing how long she has been here, so while any excuse for this detour of charry is kind of twisted I just wanted to post here, take it at whatever pace you want I know its not top priority.)

A woman wandered up curiously, having seen the child from a distance and wanting to be absolutely sure of what she saw. After figuring that much out she progressed, now worried more for the child then her own safety. The woman wore very elegant armor, shined to a gleam and with a metallic mask of matching glimmer tied to her face with a leather strap. She has however gone under a recent name change.

"Whats wrong little one? Have you wandered too far from home?"

[Kender Bard]

The baby girl stopped crying and looked up at the stranger, semi-faceted eyes gleaming. Two feathery, delicate antennae twitched from her forehead in the direction of the woman. "Mamama?"

[adris]

She dropped to a knee, she never knew that a bug could be so... cute. She always thought that part of being a beast was left to the cat and possibly turtle affinities. She didn't know about touching the young one, much less picking her up or carrying her anywhere. The rules for ownership and parenthood in the Beastlands are strange she remembered hearing. Then again she just didn't have it in her to leave the child alone out here.

"Well, I'm not your mother," adding 'you should thank the forces for that' under her breath, "but we certainly can find her. Lets see, if I had to guess you crawled in a straight line."

She reaches down to pick the girl up, having decided it was the best course of action, and then carefully searches her surroundings. She just needs something, anything in order to know which way to go. Deciding that beast or not the girl was just a baby and thus drags her feet when she crawls, she wanders down the first animal path she sees that would be passable.

[Kender Bard]

A sharp eye could pick out a faint trail through the new grass that likely the baby crawled through. Catalin, safe and sound in someone's arms, simply snuggled in and enjoyed the ride. As they walked, a few butterflies flitted over and alighted on the baby, and the woman carrying her.

((Should I give them some trouble or shall they enter Seere unimpeded?))

[Toyoll]

((If you need me, don't hesitate to ask! I'm glad this thread finally started))

[adris]

(I was thinking about asking for trouble, unless you want to wrap up the thread fast. If nothing happens on the trip I can only see it getting one or two posts longer seriously)

[Kender Bard]

((Let's have some trouble then. *grin* I'll PM Toyoll.))

[Toyoll]

((VISUAL AID!-->toyoll.deviantart.com/art/Field-Cockatrice-73361704))

Not too far away, a pair of Field Cockatrice wandered about, following the trail of the young Catalin. The scent was faint, as she was still a babe, but this just make the cockatrice salivate. Easy meals were the most delicious.

The two reptiles, brothers actually, were merely juveniles themselves who have decided to stick together for the time being. This made it much easier to track and bring down prey.

One brother lifted his vulture-like beak to the wind, they were closing on said prey, but another scent was added to the mix, the creature's mother? He craned his neck around to look at his sibling, he simply growled. This wasn't anything new. Beasts, after all, were something they dealt with daily.

Their minds as one, they crept away into the grass and stealthily flanked the humanoid, waiting for the right moment....

[adris]

As a warrior the woman was always at the alert for threats, but outside of this didn't show any immediate signs of awareness about being stalked. She held Catalin close to her, but loose enough that she can be safely shifted during a possible attack.

"Lets hope I'm going the right way... I guess I could always head South until I come out at the valley of the mountain though."

This act was one step in the road she thought, a child all alone was a test from the forces themselves. It simply had to be, perhaps Efil was finally listening to her prayers again. Until every death has been atoned for, that was her vow.

[Toyoll]

The first brother crouched low, his shoulders rolling and muscles straining, quivering with anticipation. He would be the distraction, while his sibling would be the ambush.

With a deafening screech, the first field cockatrice exploded from the grasses and bounded towards his victims, big, heavy, powerful and horrifying. The stench of the creature's breath sent even the flies scattering, his small, feral eyes locked onto the woman with intense hunger.

[adris]

The worst part of the ambush was having to make sure the child came to no harm while being jostled as little as possible. She swung at the beast purposefully with her free forearm, willing to let it bite her armored gaunt if need be. Frantically she searched for a place to place the child before this got too far out of hand. She figured putting Catalin in a tree would be as good as anything else and started backing towards one, keeping an eye on the assailant.

[Toyoll]

((Since Kender hasn't replied yet...))

The first cockatrice clamped his powerful jaws around the woman's gauntlet and tore viciously with his foreclaws, trying to over power his prey, but not pushing for a kill.

That was his brother's job. It was his turn.

With a second bone rattling screech, the sibling threw himself at the woman from behind.