Stormdancer soars along with a small flight of other gryphons, scouting the Tyber river, far below. So far, every break in the water's ice has proven to be made by deer or gryphons. But now and then a crack in mid-river has shown, a small breathing-hole that lets them know the Raigaa is still around.
Three flights of tangle-netters also ride the winds with the Grylra fliers - one from Windhaven, and two from Grylra... in addition to the now well-trained elite speardropping wing. Spread out over several kilometers of sky, it would be difficult for most creatures to realize they actually flew together. But to a gryphon... this would be an intriguing force indeed.
Aubri spearheads the dropper wing, a spear clutched in his own claws as he stares at the monochromatic ice, watching for movement, or fresh holes..
Kibbe follows after the grouped gryphons, struggling gamely along.
In the distance ahead, a scout's smooth and steady flight is suddenly changed as he flares his wings and loops back. A slow, even circle, gazing downward... then a sharp flicking roll - unmistakable gesture of something of interest. Below, what seems just another deer-water. But... the half-melted snow leading away is subtly wrong and different - marked by many deer hooves, but also... something else. Something well hidden and concealed, but... something else.
Aubri immediately angles toward the motion, gripping his spear more tightly.. He gives a single whistle and the spear droppers move closer in toward him. They'll only get one shot..
Deep in the woods, three kilometers east of the river, the Raigaa feeds quietly. The days spent in the water were well worth it, for the gryphons seem to have lost her completely. And the time spent studying the habits of the deer paid off nicely as well. But eating underwater is annoying, and it feels good to eat something warm and bloody, like the deer she caught not long after coming from the river last night.
Stormdancer's somewhat distracted posture tightens and focusses as well, a soft whistle, and a shift in flight. The woods here are sparser than elsewhere... easy enough for a skilled gryphon to fly between. A fair amount of low growth, but not enough to really interfere. All eyes focus below, now... spotting the subtle trail. It becomes easier to follow, once up into the trees - evidently the Raigaa was rightly confident that it was only by the riverside it's tracks would truly be searched for. But what it hadn't counted on was those tracks ever being found.
Aubri follows the trail for a brief half mile, then spots somthing under the trees.. perhaps it's just a shadow, or.. too big to be a gryphon.. he moves lower, trying to make sure of the target before attacking. The Raigaa will have a hard time getting into the river, anyway, with the thick ice sheet...
The Raigaa pauses in her meal, perking her ears as she goes quite still. The blood of her kill is all cleaned up from the melt-dirty snow... all tracks for quite some distance around obliterated. But still... the gryphons have much keener eyesight than they had counted on, and obviously they're very determined hunters. But not enough so that she hasn't already fed off another one, who's body will likely not be found until spring thaw, if ever. She watches one group of gryphons soaring in the distance, and frowns. Still they hunt her. Time to lay motionless and wait until night again.
Stormdancer growls quietly, cursing the terrain... but he hadn't truly expected to be able to tanglenet the creature for a much-desired revenge. No amount of pleasure that might be derived from that is worth the slightest chance of her escape. With a subtle gesture he waves the tanglenet groups back... time to let Aubri's group do their job... they can try for a snare if the Raigaa somehow escapes the rain of deadly iron.
Aubri bobs his head at Stormdancer almost imperceptibly, swooping over the raigaa.. there. He doesn't give any indication that he's seen her, but he most certainly saw the outlines of a leonid creature far larger than a gryphon.. ascending again, he motions toward the target, silently indicating a positive identification.
The Raigaa lays utterly still, eyes slitted, as Aubri passes overhead. A silent curse... this is far too close. They must have picked up her trail somehow! Ridiculous creatures... how can they think they could possibly best her? But another few moments and she realizes... there's a large force in the air. If they pass again, it's time to run. The failure of the others to meet with her definitely indicates something has gone wrong. And though she had hoped to bring down the prize even without their help, and take all the honor as her due... this is not something worth risking her own life over. Powerful paws shift subtly, digging cups into the snow-packed ground, to ready herself for a spring away, and toward the river again.
Stormdancer nods slightly as he sees Aubri's gesture and the direction of his gaze. He, too, can see the subtle outline under the well-made hide. He tilts his head, and his flight banks away, as if their attention had been drawn somewhere else, making sure that they do so well in view of whatever might be hinding there.
Aubri signals his group to form up, ascending rather than diving, preparing to drop the spikes from far enough above to punch through the tree canopy..
Deep under her temporary shelter, the Raigaa remains tensed, as one group of the birdlings banks away, and the others climb up and out of easy view. Perhaps they've found another trail... or perhaps it's a ruse to make her relax, and move. She is patient, and she is thorough... she can easily remain motionless for another hour... until sundown, if need be. And if they return... she is quite willing to give up this chase for the heritic and his lover, and return home, to proper darkness.
Stormdancer's group continues their slow bank westward, back toward the river... seemingly continuing their patrol, but in actuality preparing to cut off the Raigaa's escape, should the speardroppers fail to hit their mark.
Kibbe is having trouble keeping up, and is rather tired, so he starts to slowly circle down by the river, looking for a convienient place to land, even as he notices that some of the other gryphons returning.
Aubri signals and rolls into a steep dive, as do the other gryphons.. they plummet together in a triangle, speeding downward, then release the spears and break rank after rank, exploding out from the center.. ten spears plunge through the canopy with sharp, metallic noises.
The Raigaa's caution seems to have been rewarded, as she spots the gryphons diving, and she tenses. Let them come closer, too close to abort, and she'll make her break, deeper into the trees. And then they break... was it a ruse? And then, too late, she realizes... they're using weapons.
The ten spears rain down, crossing the space between claw and ground in only a few seconds. Crashing through the foliage, their sound is a bit subdued by the snow and slush... though a couple crack sharply into the heavy wood, most simply slam into the wet earth and vanish. And from the concealing arch of carefully woven brush comes... nothing.
Aubri rolls over as he speeds away from the impact, pulling a tight split-S down into the woods, his wings flaring sharply to keep from moving suicidally fast.. he shrieks into the clearing, claws at the ready..
Stormdancer's group tenses as the speardroppers break away, readying for the anticipated explosive charge of the Raigaa... wishing they were there to fight it straight on. Save for those who've actually witnessed the last fight, and are far more understanding of exactly what they're up against. Stormdancer himself tenses as he spots Kibbe's descent... skies... what a bad time to be running out of air! But his attention returns to the Raigaa... where is she?
There is no response from the brush... no charging roar of answer to Aubri's skree... only silence and motionlessness. Waiting, perhaps, for that last possible instance, to strike as the others did, in sudden fierce springing leaps?
Aubri loops back past two thick boles and lands in the clearing, watching, listening..
Kibbe has absolutly no clue what he has sorta stumbled on, instead, he lands close besides the river, then trots over to it to take a drink, cracking the thiner shell of ice with his beak easily, where the deer, and others had broken the ice up earlier.
Leaves disturbed by the passage of the iron shafts flutter quietly downwards onto the form of the Raigaa. A slow shift of weight to the side and foreward... a sudden motion of the head sideways, followed quickly by the shoulder... and the great beast droops. Through it's skull, a single iron spear, absolutely dead center and fully through, coming out somewhere under the jaw. The heavy muzzle slacks open, blood drooling out onto the muddied snow. One spear appears to have gone fully through the Raigaa's left side, only a glancing blow, another remains stuck there, only very slightly deeper.
Aubri takes a deep breath and relaxes. It's all over. He screeches suddenly, a victorious cry rising above the trees!
Aubri gives out a loud predatory skree!
Stormdancer banks sharply as Aubri skreees... tensing... no... it's a scream of victory! He ruffles out his feathers, then screams in answer, as do most of his flight, the air over the still woods ringing with the fierce shrill cries.
You issue forth a loud predator skree!
Kibbe starts a little, wings snaping open, and propelling him into the sky, glancing around to see where the sound is coming from, then circling around towards Stormdancer.
Stormdancer flares his wings, backwinging slightly to slow himself, then drops sharply down through the trees. Hoping that perhaps there's some life left in the creature... but it takes only a moment to realize that there's no chance of that. "Skies..." he mutters, then grins. "Good hunt, Aubri! Your group's to be congratulated!"
Aubri crooons and bobs his head. "Thank you.. I'm going to give the scouts several days off to catch up on sleep and.. other things." He flops in the snow, panting a bit. "Skies... it's about time. Tomorrow we can go tell Rhenemet it's clear."
Stormdancer remains standing, as the others start to land here and there, scattered through the woods, and walk to see their enemy's body. He pants slightly, his beak gaped, tensions he hadn't even realized were there, fading. "Well done, all..." he calls, as the body shifts slightly, one great hindleg slowly sliding out, as the weight comes off it, causing a few to flick their wings and watch carefully, before noticing the killing strike. "Ahhh, skies." He finally flops down in the snow as well, watching as the others come up and nudge at the body, murmuring among eachother quietly. "We'll all sleep better tonight."
Aubri glances at Storm and chuckles. "We'll ALL sleep tonight."
Aubri stretches. No more night guards in the hills..
Stormdancer rolls his neck and shoulders slowly. "That's the truth. Your scouts and the guard will have first rights on the meat, of course... though I know some of them won't want it, it's their right. It's a good fur, too... though I don't think we dare trade on it, mrhrhr?"
Aubri hrrrs and nods his head.. "The head is ruined at any rate.. perhaps we'll just skin it for the chicks..
Stormdancer rouses a bit, and nods. "That's perfect," he agrees. "It's a good, big hide, and they'll enjoy it. And no fights about who deserves it more than someone else."
Aubri churrrs and nods. "Exactly..and it'll get use.
Stormdancer laughs quietly, rousing a bit for a moment, to change out the air under thick dark feathers. "They'll have it nicely torn up in a year or two," he chuckles. "I just hope they don't remember the smell TOO well, when Rhenemet and Nefer return." He mmmms, and rouses a bit. "And speaking of Nefer... we have a reward to claim, mrhrhrmmm?" he chiurrs quietly.
Aubri laughs a little and flicks his tail. "I admit the idea had crossed my mind.." He chuckles.
Stormdancer gapes a broad grin. "Well, we'll see how things go tomorrow." He eyes the cooling body, the pool of blood spreading from the slacked muzzle. "It would be easy to hate these creatures, if we hadn't experienced the others first. I can only imagine how those who meet some of the... less pleasant Shkrill must feel about us. Well, those who survive it."
Aubri hrrrrs and nods. "Give Nefer a chance to offer, first, okay?" he grins, nudging you with a wingtip.
Stormdancer cackles! "I don't know... I was hoping it make it very difficult to speak at all..." he grins.
Aubri laughs and swats at you with his wing!
Stormdancer laughs merrily, rising up onto all fours and shaking himself out vigerously. "Well... I'll take a group back to Grylra, to fetch some carry nets, and a few skilled hide flensers. You want to stay here and guard the body, or just assign someone to it?"
Aubri rumbles. "I'll stay.. everyone else can go back home now." He waves his wings. "Do as you like," he announces. "No patrols for three days!"
Stormdancer nods. "Then rest well... I'll probably return with them, if I can manage it. I'd rather be here, truth be told."
Aubri churrrs and nods. "Hurry back.."