On The Prowl [OPEN]

[Jinko]

A field of emerald dominated the landscape, the colors of various birds and other wildlife occasionally appearing to disrupt the green dominion. Silence was also heavily favored barring the chirps and calls of the animals. All told, it was quite peaceful. The color and the sound were disrupted together by a figure walking through. Clothed in a long dark cloak, they seemed more than just a little out of place. They shook their head back, the hood of the cloak falling off.

A woman, and a Tiger Taguel at that, was beneath the hood. She closed her eyes in order to concentrate, her telltale ears twitching as they listened for sound. The cries of the wildlife, the tweeting of the birds, the gentle rushing of water from a nearby stream... Ah. There it was.

The piercing cries of the Mauthe Doogs.

Jinko opened her eyes, looking towards the source of the sound. She'd heard about the pack of monstrous hounds when she passed through a nearby village. While they only ravaged crops and the beasts of slaughter now, it was only a matter of time before they upped the ante and started properly attacking the villagers. Luckily it was only the "normal" breed of the hounds. A small pack of them wouldn't be a problem for Jinko. On the other hand, their elder siblings would certainly provide an issue.

A paw rose out of her cloak and placed the hood back on her head, careful not to tear the cloth with her razor sharp claws. She then carefully stepped through the forest once more, departing the field of emerald for a place soon to be painted red. Despite the... issues that plagued her, the Monsters were still a problem she strove to fix.

[Rodrigo Finch]

"Oh, dear..." Rodrigo sighed, scratching his head as he looked around. "This isn't the way to Arcadia. I'm sure of it now. Or am I?" He couldn't help but smile at the silliness of the whole affair. Of course, being hopelessly lost was serious business, especially if he had no idea where, if any, the nearest town was and he generally wasn't equipped for surviving out in the wilderness for any length of time. Still, it was not as though he were in any significant danger. After all, the forest was a safe enough place, bandits aside, and even they tended not to bother with men of the cloth. All he had to do was the same thing he had been doing since he left the abbey: one step in front of the other until he encountered something.

Of course, it was only after he started hearing howls and yaps that he suddenly remembered just how dangerous travel alone could be. Mauthe Dogs burst out from the bushes, growling and advancing with sights on him. "Easy there..." the cleric said, taking a cautious step back and raising his staff in front of him. "You really don't want to eat me, and I really don't want to have to hurt you. Just stay...s-stay back."

[Jinko]

*A moment ago...*
Jinko briefly stopped in her tracks once more, her ears twitching beneath her hood. She removed it again, listening intently. The Mauthe Doogs' calls were starting to change direction, as if they caught the scent of... She moved off towards they direction they seemed to be moving, listening intently. She could vaguely hearing something once more, the sounds of... a traveler? Damn! She didn't bother with her hood, instead taking off at a breakneck pace.

*Currently...*
The monstrous hounds' growls turned louder and louder as they started to approach. At least 4, maybe 5 in total, their eyes were set upon the sickly sweet cleric of a meal. One of the beasts lept forward, jaws opening wide to take a bite. At least someone else was on the Cleric's side though.

A figure burst out of the bushes just in time to tackle the Mauthe Doog, sending it flying back against a tree while the other hounds growled ruefully and barked in consternation. The figure quickly interjected themselves between the Doogs and Finch. With a bit of calm after their entrance, the animal ears gave way to the fact that the person before him was a Taguel. She briefly turned to look at him, before looking back at the Mauthe Doogs. "Stay behind me. I'm not sure how many of them are around."

[Rodrigo Finch]

His hands trembled. Not that he was particularly afraid of being eaten. No, that was certainly a thing, but more pressing was the fact that if he could not run, and he could not talk them away, he might have to actually consider defending himself. And that would mean having to actually hurt another living creature, something the young cleric had zero intention of ever having to do. Unfortunately, while he was flummoxed by indecision, the Doogs were closing in. He could only hold his staff up in a panicking defense as...

...one of the monsters attacking him was shunted aside. He blinked, suddenly aware of a back of a head in front of his field of vision. A head that had animal ears on top of it. Rodrigo was confused, but too relieved to examine too closely. He nodded his head, swallowing his fear long enough to speak a few words. "O-okay. Please be careful. Um... if you could scare them off rather than hurt them too badly..."

He kept his staff at the ready. It was the closest thing to a shield he had, and if all else failed, he always had magic to fall back on. He could only hope this could be ended with a minimum of bloodshed, but from the look of those creatures, this was not going to end in a civil fashion.

[Jinko]

"Scare them off...?" She had a feeling this traveler had not run into Monsters before. And judging by that staff he carried, he wasn't exactly fit for proper combat either. "Just... stay behind me." As Jinko spoke, she kept her eyes upon the Mauthe Doogs. The monstrous hounds began to attempt to circle around. The wounded beast rose from nearby the tree, running straight for her.

It leapt through the air once more as it prepared to go for the Tiger's jugular. For a slower fighter, the hound might have been more successful. But for Jinko, the hound was met with a swifter death. From Finch's perspective, he would see the Mauthe Doog hurtling through the air and then being pierced by the claws of a large furry arm that was quite like that of a tiger's.

The woman before him adjusted her cloak, rolling it over a golden tiger's head that was part of her armored shoulder. Her arm was very definitely an oversized animal's. Her claws caught sunlight, showing the crimson stain upon her paw. "BACK BEASTS!" She kicked the corpse at one nearby where it had come from, her leg now revealing it's odd animal appearance as well.

The Mauthe Doogs continued to growl, but more importantly, they started to back off as well. One turned and ran. Soon another followed suit, and in time all 4 remaining hounds were gone. Jinko relaxed her pose, adjusting her cloak once more so that it covered herself entirely once more. She turned now to look upon the traveler once again. The staff and his clothing spoke of one of those Human... what was it? "Religions"?

"The Mauthe Doogs do not retreat without intent to return. If you seek passage through the forest, I can help you. But I'd suggest turning around." The taller individual looked down at the Cleric, her golden catlike eyes looking upon his frail form.

[Rodrigo Finch]

"I...I thank you." Rodrigo offered a respectful bow to his savior. "Were it any other creature, I feel as though I might have managed an escape by myself. T'would appear, regrettably, that it was not to be today." A note of genuine regret seeped into his voice as he spared a glance at the dead creature on the road. "My name is Brother Rodrigo Finch, of the Abbey of Saint Aramis. As much as it pains me to inconvenience you further, I fear I must ask for your aid a bit longer. I must get through these woods and on to lands where my healing is required. I... cannot offer you much of anything, but I can at least promise to heal you if you get hurt. Just... one moment, I pray..."

The cleric moved beyond the woman to kneel before the dead monster, putting a hand on its flank. "I suppose it could not be avoided. I'm sorry it had to be this way, you poor creature. I don't know if the Light will take you, but know I do not begrudge you your instincts." With a heavy sigh, the cleric rose to his feet. "As we were, then?"

[Jinko]

"Wanting to scare off and then pray for Monsters that were looking to kill and eat you..." Jinko shook her head. "You Humans are so odd." Still she stood there, waiting for the Cleric to finish his prayer for a deceased beast. Even before... certain events, the Humans were oddities to her. They warred against each other, yelling and screaming obscenities to incite themselves and their foes. And yet... Then there were the Humans like this one. The ones that would pray for their foes, the very ones that tried to kill them.

Shen then nodded as he rose and talked about continuing on. "You do not need to worry about payment. You know the path to where you are going, correct? If you do not, I'll lead the way. These forests are well known to me."

[Rodrigo Finch]

Rodrigo gave a little, almost imperceptible frown, a frown that those who knew him knew was a sign that he was about as angry as he was ever likely to get. "It was still alive!" he insisted. "It still knew pain and hunger, like you and me and every other creature. Just because nobody would mourn its passing doesn't mean its passing is to be ignored." And just as suddenly as his dander "raised", his slightly-raised voice gave way once again to his normal meek volume, this time with slightly redder cheeks. "I'm sorry. I'm not mad at you; what you did was righteous and well-intentioned."

He looked down the path, his blush deepening as he remembered the situation he was in before the attack. "Um... perhaps you should lead the way. I'm... not entirely confident of the way forward at this point... Thank you so much, Miss..."

[Jinko]

"Jinko."

She shook her head a bit more. Humans...

"We'll stick to the roads for now. The Mauthe Doogs will generally avoid them, barring a lone traveler or a group smaller than their pack. That said. Unless you have a specific destination in mind, I will simply lead you to the nearest large village. You'll be safe there." She turned, starting to walk ahead of the priest. "I do not see many travel along these roads alone unless they are skilled warriors. Are you new to the north, Human?"

[Jinko]

The tigress continued to walk on, leading the way to the next village. The Human continued to talk as well, the talking seemingly putting him at ease. She preferred silence herself, but it didn't truly matter right now. She saw him to the goal. And then she left once more.

Back the way she came first, though. Those beasts were still out and about. They needed to be dealt with, one way or another. Her ears twitched after a moment and she stood there in the road, awaiting what she expected to come. Brush erupted with noise as the four remaining Mauthe Doogs appeared. They circled about their prey, reading for the strike.

The first leaped forward at her side and Jinko struck quickly, claws burying themselves into the beast's hide before another shot forward as well, the tiger reacting quicker than expected and smacking the beast aside. It was the third that came from behind that managed to gain some ground, though it only managed to bite into the cloak she wore.

Jinko made a swift turn while ducking down before smashing her shoulder into the third beast, sending it sailing away with cloth in maw. The tigress stood with arms outstretched at her sides, claws ready to strike at whichever one tried to come near now. They were down to three. The Doogs growled and barked, communicating in their own feral language much like that of true hounds.

The three charged at once, trying to overwhelm the Tigress.

Three more monsters lay dead after that.

Jinko grimaced, looking at her torn cloak, not really seeming to care about the blood that stained her hands. Yet even then, there it was. She looked at her hands now, or what they had become, rather. She looked at the blood the most intently.

Jinko always did wonder what monster blood tasted like.

She licked at her paw and grimaced further. What a horrid taste. What in Gaea's name even were these things ultimately? Creatures spawned from something most foul. Staining Gaea so thoroughly. No, the tigress could not have that. Gaea was a precious thing, yes. Everyone was a part of Gaea, should do their best to protect it. Not like the Humans that blissfully fought amongst themselves. Not like the Dragons that arrogantly roosted in their caves or their gilded towers.

Fools. Fools one and all.

They ought to be slaughtered.

The tigress shook her head suddenly, sharply. Audible cracks and pops coming forth as she did so. No, not slaughtered. They didn't need to be killed. Just... Just taught a lesson. They needed to realize what lurked nearby, what threatened to consume them all without distinction.

Yes, yes that was it.

She lowered her paw, she wasn't sure how long she'd kept it lifted now. How much time she wasted just standing here amidst four corpses of foul creatures. She wrapped the remains of the cloak around herself. She could buy a new one or something soon. For now, she just... needed to go. Far. Far away. The thing was hungering. She could hear it.

Jinko walked off into the woods.

[John]

John finished scrubbing what monster blood he could get out of his fur at the moment out. He was mostly unharmed, the three Mauthe Dogs on the other hand, well they were no match for his superior power. He stood and looked around the woods. He was looking for an old friend's pack, the Silver Claws. The Howlers were in good standings with them, and were welcome on their hunting grounds. Unfortunately, he had been unable to find any trail or sign of them, just a few Mauthe Dogs. There were a lot of them in these woods apparently.

He resumed his search of the woods, working in a pattern. Still he could find no smell of wolf. He pressed on when out of the corner of his eye, he saw something shine. He jogged over to it in pulled up a pendent, the pendent of the Silver Claw pack. The scent had long been washed away by rain. He put it into his pouch. No one had heard from the Silver Claws in a long time, but did not think of it. He renewed his search, not giving up hope yet, when he hit a fresh sent; more Mauthe Dogs. He growled even though he was in standing form and took after the trail. The trail slowly started to yield new scent from it, one of a taguel.

[Jinko]

More monsters. Lovely.

The Mauthe Doogs were more active than the tigress had previously thought. Still, they did not prove a challenge for her, however. It was their bigger brethren that could, but she had not seen one of them yet. A good sign, in this instance. The three-headed ones were bigger, stronger, faster, and even worse, more vicious. Still, a couple more rabid beasts lay dead.

Jinko sighed, walking over to the nearby stream. She began to wash her paws, starting to catch another scent on the winds that occasionally blew by. A wolf, a couple more Doogs. She finished her cleaning and rose up again. She paused first though, listening intently. The wolf was nearing her position judging from the sounds she heard that way. The Doogs were scattered, hunting and howling out.

The tigress decided she'd await this wolf first.

[John]

John pushed down the steam. He could hear many of the dogs calling out, hunting. He had not ran into more of them, yet, but he knew it was just a matter of time. He continued after the scent, and it was smelling less and less like taguel he would know. Suddenly his hair spiked at once, he could sense something close, something dangerous. He stopped and focused. The things were coming from two directions, one side seemed to only have one, the other had more. The smell that smelled like a taguel seemed to come from the direction of the single thing, and was very close. "Identify yourself!" He called at it, ready to fight. The other side drew closer. 

[Jinko]

"Identify yourself!"

Bushes rustled as the tigress emerged from some tall foilage. Her hood was still down for the moment, showing the telltale signs of the whisker-like markings on her face and the orange furred striped ears that marked her as a Tiger Taguel.

"Hm. You aren't one of the usual wolves from around here."

She began to look sideways though, as another piercing howl echoed through the woods.

"They are on the approach." She paused, listening intently before frowning. "10 or 11 from the sounds of it. The last two packs must have united."

[John]

"Hm. You aren't one of the usual wolves from around here."

"Usual? Do you know were i can-" He was cut off by the howl of Mauthe Doogs. The other taguel went on.

"They are on the approach. 10 or 11 from the sounds of it. The last two packs must have united."

"Last two? Maybe right around this area, sure. Formalities will have to wait. I can assume you can fight?" With this he dropped to the ground, turning into his beast form. He then lunged and locked fang mid-air with a Mauthe Doog, landing while violently shaking, snapping the monster's neck. He looked over to see how the other taguel was going to fight. He then turned to face the oncoming monster pack.