07.11c: Into the Woods

[The Raven]

The Raven will dart ahead to "scout" as well.

[kitsunenotsume]

The birds would notice that the forest canopy is particularly dense, allowing only brief glimpses here and there of a grey-attired figure. The man - as may be reasoned based off his dark beard - seems to be running erratically from tree to tree as he clutches his left arm, always keeping a solid timber between himself and whatever he keeps looking back to at regular intervals.

[Joshua]

Shortly behind him is a golden cat-like creature* that is crashing through the underbrush with less noise then it should have. It's about the size of a horse, and shakes trees as it bounces between them. It has a large mane and is clearly chasing the hapless figure.
______________
*: There have been reports of a (the?) Manticore earlier.

[The Raven]

The Raven surveys the situation for a second or two, then decides that this situation requires the deployment of a drop bear*. So he finds a reasonably large branch, lands on it, shapeshifts into a black bear, and drops onto (at?) the manticore. Of course, the Raven doesn't really have enough mass to cause serious damage to a manticore, unless he scores a perfect hit, which is unlikely at this speed, but he hopes to at least distract it.

________________________________________
* - Perhaps the the manticore should have invested in drop bear repellent.

[ShadowOfPreservation]

Even before any scouting reports come back in, Lyra will take the unofficial lead by heading in the direction of the commotion. "Lets check out that noise before we do much more exploring," she says.

[Krajk]

Although Krajk isn't ignoring the conversation as the group proceeds through the forest, it's clear the forest is his main focus; he knows where his companions are, even if he's come to the conclusion that he knows much less about anyone's capabilities than he'd like or had thought previously, but he doesn't know (yet) where the external threats are. That may be half the fun, but it's also most of the danger. When the first sounds of crashing become audible he actually almost perks up, the whole* of his attention focused for one brief moment on the as-of-yet unseen creature. Then, despite the growing sounds of what has to be a sizable being, he actually smiles a faint smile and (of all things) seems to relax a bit.

(*Well okay, more like 95%. Alys has got him beat for paranoia, but the only time he's not paying at least some small amount of attention to his surroundings is when he's flat out unconscious.)

[Joshua]

Going completely aggressive is a valid combat tactic for those hoping to distract. Falling at something that's more agile than you and can fire poisonous spines through a canopy of trees while you have bad stuff... is just asking for it. A volley of said spikes connects with Raven in mid-air. Thankfully, between his ability to twist, shift and the bear's thick fur, only one finds its mark, a grazing scratch that sends a truly disproportionate amount of pain lacing through his body*.

On the plus side, the Raven's drop attack does force the manticore (which you still haven't seen a full view of yet) to stop its forward momentum and double back to get around him. Losing a significant amount of time and distance from its quarry.
_______________
*: As most shapeshifters have high endurance, this doesn't really slow down the drop-bear. Also, while its poison is similarly archetypically strong, only a direct hit would pose a significant danger to someone with a good rank endurance.

[The Raven]

A little poison never hurt anyone. His mission accomplished, he decides to leave the rest of the 'fun' to the rest of the forest party. They wouldn't want to be left out. (The Raven is feeling considerate today.) The Raven bounds off towards the grey cloaked man, unless the Manticore is chasing him, in which case he'll head directly for the rest of the party. (Black bears are pretty fast!)

The grey cloaked man, if he were not already moving in the correct direction, will soon come across an arrow (made out of sticks, probably) pointing him in the correct direction. (yay warfare)

[kitsunenotsume]

As the great beast slows its chase and turns to bound after the black-bear*, the former quarry continues away for a short space, before leaning on the trunk of a nearby tree and panting heavily. Taking full advantage of the brief moment of respite the grey-attired man pulls out a ribbon of cloth and binds his limp arm in a hasty sling, before kicking apart a nearby hastily-erected directional marker and jogging after the trail of the two creatures at a tired lope.

________
* - checked with GM on this

[ShadowOfPreservation]

Lyra has been alert ever since they entered the forest but is practiced in scanning her surroundings surreptitiously. As a result, she appears mostly calm as she leads the group through the trees towards the sound of the last crash. It's not long before she slows her pace, now pointedly taking note of the signs of a struggle: some sort of quills embedded in a tree, disturbed earth, 2 sets of paw prints, and booted footprints...all heading in apparently the same direction. She quickly scans the sky for any sign of either of their avian scouts before picking up the pace and following the clear trail.

To the others she says, "I'm not sure exactly what we're dealing with but one of those sets of tracks is from a bear I think. I don't recognize the quills." While she's yet to draw a weapon, the gauntlets of her black armor now seem to fully encase her hands, making her potent claws even more imposing.