The forest, dark and dense with brush and thorns, seemed oddly still.
Cool autumn moonlight cascaded down through the trees and cast shadows, twisting to the eye, and dried brown leaves littered the dirt.
Rern the hairless rat was out foraging for food.
Every few steps he would take he'd grab his dagger and hack at the foliage to clear his path, cursing in some unknown language.
He was not from here.
The woods were foreign.
And he felt like he had company.
((OOC-
@The Skarzs )
Argunath stalked through the trees, looking for a spot to sleep the night. His attuned ears twitched as they caught the sound of somebeast moving in the darkness.
The cougar stopped, and listened.
Whomever it was was coming closer, though Argunath couldn't tell exactly where they were. So he waited.
Gathering his wits, Rern proceeded forth at a cautionary pace, dagger at the ready.
That scent...did it belong to a wildcat? He padded to a quiet halt.
No...
It was certainly not wildcat. Although it was similar, it was foreign.
Clenching his teeth, the rat found himself grimacing coolly, a low growl rumbling in his throat as he stroked his chin.
"Hello, yes?" he called out disarmingly, gaze shifting to and fro. "You are seeing me...I am no fool."
The creature came into view: A rat with no fur. Argunath watched him motionlessly, thinking of what to do. Then the rat spoke.
"Hello, yes? You are seeing me. . . I am no fool."
Argunath moved. "I'm here, stranger."
Rern's eyes flicked mysteriously in the moonlight.
"Make yourself seen," he growled.
Argunath moved closer, not caring of the branches that snapped beneath his feet. "Behind you."
He stopped a short ways away from Rern. "Who are you?"
Rern whirled, paw growing white from his nonrelenting hold on his blade.
His initial thought was to turn and leave without another word, his suspicions having already been confirmed--it was not a wildcat but something similar. Perhaps a foreigner like himself.
The hairless rat sucked in a sharp breath. He had to stall for time as he jumbled over words in his head. What was the saying...?
"Unimportant."
Silence; he flicked his ear.
"What are you?"
"A cougar." Argunath looked down at the rat. "You're not from this land either."
"Yes." Rern's furless head bobbed rhythmically as he observed Argunath from eartop to tailtip.
His eyes slowly dilated. They had locked on the pack attached to the cougar's side, the smell of food having hit the rat at once, smack in the nose.
Paw still on his dagger, he shuffled closer.
Argunath took a step back, putting one of his big paws on his sword. "Hey! Stay back. I'm not in the mood for trouble."
The rat did a hopskip towards the stranger and groped the air for the bag.
The other was unable to avoid the searching paws, and he felt them latch onto his pack. He growled as he reached for Rern's neck with an armored paw.
Rern gasped and let go so he could duck.
Because of their large size difference, he was able to swoop through the space between Argunath's legs and the ground, allowing for a timely escape.
That cougar looked like he wanted to kill him!
Rern had never stopped to look and see if his adversary decided to give chase. He stopped running once the cougar was out of sight, back pressed against a tree so he could catch his breath.
He'd get the pack.
OOC-
A post. Be proud. Get your party spinners cos "Congrations, I dun it!"
Argunath watched as Rern ran off, and he did not take his eyes off the rat until he could no longer see him. The cougar turned and stalked off into the darkness, keeping his ears attuned to any sounds of pursuit.
After some time he found a small clear area between trees, where the moss grew thick and soft on the trees and ground. He took off his chestplate and gauntlets, laying them aside as he unrolled his blanket and leaned against a tree to rest.
OOC: I figured it would make a more interesting fight if he didn't have his armor on.
Rern swiped his brow, ears twitching with adrenaline as he gathered himself and began stealthily doubling back through his haphazardly-made path, one thing on his mind: his prize.
The hairless rat soon picked up Argunath's scent trail, and by pointedly following it, he soon found what he was hoping to.
He ducked into the bushes to watch.
Yes, that was indeed the cat--just lying there.
And the beast's armor was off!
A sly grin spread across Rern's face.
Argunath's pack sat leaning against his body, the strap looped around his arm as he slept.
OOC: :P
Rern tip-pawed out from his hiding place and stealthily approached Argunath, wringing his greedy little paws together. He cautiously grabbed a twig up off the ground and crouched, fitting it lightly between the loop of the strap and the other's arm, careful not to graze fur.
Ready...
The rat grinned, maneuvering the pack off of the cougar.
It was all well and good until the branch dipped a bit too low and made contact.
Rern caught his breath.
Argunath was sleeping fine until he felt a bug bite his arm. He scratched at the offending insect drowsily.
But it wasn't a bug, it was something hard.
He felt the object, his mind swirling as he tried to figure out what it was. Then he grabbed it and sat up suddenly, looking around with bleary eyes.
"The hell?"
OOC-
Lol.
IC-
Rern gasped and abruptly yanked the pack free of its owner, then turned and started running.
Argunath shook his fist at Rern. "You pale little thief! Come back here!" He quickly grabbed his sword and leapt after the rat, having a harder time fitting through the trees than the smaller rat, but still gaining on him with his long strides.
Rern exhaled an exotic curse or two and then shouted over his shoulder, "No! Never!"
He threw himself down to slide under a clump of overhanging thorns and then started running again, reaching to unhook his bow from his back.
Argunath would have caught the rat soon had he not gone under a thick patch of brambles. The cougar growled in frustration as he found his way around them, then set off in pursuit again.
Rern skidded to a halt behind a large tree and continued to attach an arrow to his bow.
Argunath was coming into sight...so the rat sent the deadly weapon from his paw!
Argunath yelled in pain as the barbed shaft thudded into his shoulder, and he stumbled in his steps. He dove to the side behind a tree in case more arrows should follow.
The cougar felt his shoulder, and his claws came away covered in blood. The arrow did not go all the way through; it felt like it had scraped his bone as it deflected off.
He risked a quick glance around the tree.
Rern frowned and peered out almost in unison with Argunath, beady eyes bloodshot and flicking around. He mentally congratulated himself for a shot well done--but the cougar was not taken care of yet.
He groped for another arrow, meanwhile putting on a cruel smile.
"Last chance for you...you give me the bag, yes?"
"You've wounded me now," growled Argunath, tugging at the arrow. "You're a deadbeast, rat."
He had no time to pull out the arrow without tearing muscle, so he broke the shaft off and flung it to his right as he dove to the left for a other tree.
Rern watched as Argunath moved, brow furrowing.
He maneuvered around his tree, keeping one paw ready to loose his arrow at all times.
"Why do you hide?"
Argunath didn't answer, but looked around for another tree to get to. There was one, not too far off, with a thick bush growing beside it.
He ducked low and sprung for it, tucking and rolling to make himself a smaller target.
Rern stepped out from behind his tree, arrow pointed but not released at the cougar. He was trying to figure out the larger animal's game...but! There was not time for that.
Gritting his teeth, he fired off another arrow.
Had Argunath not been wearing the armor on his legs he would have been crippled, as the arrow bounced off the steel with a sharp "ping!"
He scrambled behind the tree and went over his plan in his mind. If he could distract Rern, he might have a chance to get closer. He took hold of a branch from the bush and pulled violently, causing the bush to shake.
Rern growled and launched two arrows at the bush, tail lashing.
"Coward!" he sneered. "Are you dead yet?"
Argunath stayed silent, listening for any sound of the rat as he felt the ground for any rocks he might be able to throw. Nothing.
He went held his sword ready, and waited for Rern to come check the bush.
OOC: Not trying to force him to do anything.
Rern squinted, lifting a paw to scratch his furless head before growling and padding over there, bow raised and trained on the bush at all times.
He halted and nudged a branch out of the way, clearing his sight trail for the middle of the bush.
Nothing.
The rat curled his lip and turned, spotting Argunath crouching on the ground!
With a growl, Argunath rose up and launched himself at Rern, swinging his sword for the rat's head.
Rern let out a hoarse scream and lost his footing, falling hard on his back just as the sword would have ripped through his neck.
The rat rolled hurriedly out of the way and tossed his bow to the side, fumbling angrily for his dagger.
Argunath regained his own footing, and immediately went into a ready stance, eyeing down the rat. He did not wait long before taking another cut at Rern's arm.
Rern looked up, his heart leapt into his throat, and a shriek escaped his jaws as the flashing metal sliced downward across his arm, like one would cut an apple.
Gasping through pained, infuriated tears, the rat hopped up and took a stab at Argunath's middle.
"You d-die!"
Argunath gasped sharply at the pain of Rern's dagger stabbing into his side. His own strike had not done enough to stop the rat, and they were now both bleeding.
The cougar growled dangerously. "You first!"
He roared and crashed forward, aiming a powerful kick at Rern.
Rern hopped, grunting, out of the way, and doubled behind Argunath to again grab at the pack, hoping that the stab would at least hinder the cougar for the time being.
The cougar tried to swing around to backhand the rat, but the pain of his side didn't allow him to hit with full strength.
Rern caught the brunt of the blow but was only made to stumble back rather than fall because of the general weakness of the cougar's attack.
Gathering his wits, he lunged, slashing with his dagger.
Argunath jumped back, then cut down with his sword. He could feel the anger growing within him, and he let it come over him.
He roared terrifyingly, swinging wildy with his weapon and pushing at the rat. The feeling of his pain left him, and he saw nothing but his opponent.
Rern's breath left him. The rat screamed in terror and scrambled to get away, just barely parrying the cougar's blows long enough to break off and run.
Argunath roared again and leapt after Rern, breaking branches out of his way as he closed the gap.
Ignoring the wound in his arm, Rern turned a sharp corner and scrambled up a tree, wrenching himself up and over the branches.
The higher he climbed the thinner they would get...and thus the rat narrowed his eyes and hurried upward. Those thinner branches would not be able to hold his pursuer for long.
Argunath slid to a halt at the tree. He looked up at the rat. "Are you scared?" he yelled, chopping at the tree with his sword.
He paced about, calming himself gradually. "I can wait, rat. But how long until you must come down?"
"You will tire!" Rern shouted down, ripping off a piece of his tunic to tie around his arm. "You may have food, but soon your eyes will close. Then I will come down."
Argunath said nothing, but looked to his wounded shoulder. It was still oozing blood, as was his side. The sting of pain could be felt again, and he winced as he moved.
He needed to cauterize his side, and possibly dig out the arrow head.
The cougar looked up in the tree again, then began gathering materials to start a fire.
OOC: Do we want to time skip?
OOC-
Sure. Want to start? Your character is doing stuff. Unless you'd rather have another "Rern-in-tree" post. ;)
Argunath paced around the tree, experimenting with the pain in his side. He cauterized both his wounds, having taken out the arrow head, but that didn't stop them from hurting.
Now, the sun was beginning to rise, and he had not slept at all. It wasn't the first time he had been awake this long, but it was not comfortable. Rern, however, must have gotten a little sleep.
But now he could see properly.
"Hey, rat," he called. "Are you ready for target practice, or do you want to come down and I'll let you escape?"
Rern yawned tiredly and opened one slit of an eye to peer down at the cougar. So, the beast was still here, much to his disappointment. He sat up straighter (for he had been slumped against the back of the tree) and stretched, and then began to scratch behind an ear--giving off the vibe that he was completely unmiffed and had not a care in the world.
Silence.
"What? Let Rern go, Cat?" said the rat at last, as if noticing Argunath for the first time. He draped his tail over the edge of the branch. "I know it. You speak a lie."
Argunath held up a long stick, the tip still burning. "See this? It's a javelin. I can sharpen this, and more, and kill you there. Or you come down and run. You choose."
"Hmmmmmmmmm," said Rern, scratching his chin. He analyzed the area with his beady eyes before glaring down at his aggressor, a taunting smile slowly overcoming his rattish features.
"You do it! You stand and throw sticks, Cat!" he called. "Rern will do it his way while you do that."
Before Argunath could throw it, the rat jumped out of the way and climbed higher, as fast as he could go. All he had to do was buy time.
Argunath growled in anger. Stupid rat was going to play the long game. And the cougar was in no mood to play.
"Very well, rat," he said with a slow smile. "Wait as long as you want."
With that, Argunath smothered the fire with dirt, picked up his javelins, and walked away, back the way he had come. Once he figured he was out of sight, he began jogging, searching the forest floor for his footprints from the chase. There was the place where he had hidden behind the tree. And the rat's bow, cast aside in the fight.
Argunath picked up the bow, then pulled out his sword. Putting the bow against a tree, he swung his sword and severed the weapon in two, wood and string, dropping the pieces to the ground and continuing on.
OOC-
Wow.
IC-
Rern waited for Argunath's scent to grow dim, stale, before edging out onto a thick branch and propelling himself from it to land in the arms of another tree. His needlelike claws hooked in deep to the tree bark, and his chest rose and fell rapidly. He had almost missed the jump.
Tenderly, the foreign rat maneuvered around the thickest branches of tree, eyes set on a small stream that ran eastward.
Catching his breath, Rern inched to the edge of the branch, afraid it would break under his weight.
He jumped.
Splash!
Argunath looked about to determine which way he had come from. There, broken branches and disturbed earth.
He followed this, and then came to the bramble patch. Now he was getting closer. The cougar massaged his side. He would have to slow down a bit if he didn't want to rip open his wounds.
Shivering from the sudden onset of cold, Rern trudged through the lake. The water went up to his knees; it was better than leaving paw prints.
Now...if only he could find his bow.
Quietly, not once removing his paw from his dagger, the rat walked down the river.
A little further, thought Argunath. He drank from his canteen, and stopped to take a glance behind him. No sign of the bald rat, but the cougar furrowed his brows in thought nonetheless. If the rat was so intent on getting his provisions, then he would track him down and possibly kill him in his sleep. The cougar rubbed his eyes. And he was so tired.
He had to keep going. Find the rest of his things and move as quickly as he could. Do his best to cover his tracks. He had no intention of coming across Rern again.
Once Rern had splashed downstream, he climbed out and lingered around in the sun, drying off.
His tail lashed. That insolent cougar, off on a giddy trip through the woods with his--Rern's--provisions!
Once the Furless One had claimed something, he had claimed it. His teeth gritted in unsuppressed aggravation.
OOC: Soo. . . What now? :P
OOC-
I was going to have him loop around and go after him.
Good, his stuff was there.
Argunath stooped down to pick up his belongings, and winced. He looked at his side, where Rern had stabbed him, sticking a finger through the rip. It came away with blood. The cougar lifted up his tunic to look at the wound. It was bleeding again, not very badly, but still bleeding. He poured some of his water on the stab to clean it, then drank some. He would have to find more, and get to a place where he could stitch himself up.
Lowering his tunic again, Argunath put on his breastplate and backplate, trying to ignore the pain.
Rern doubled back and crept along the riverbank, stealthy as a snake in the middle of the woods. Now that his trail was untraceable, Argunath was fair game.
The rat bounded ahead quietly, and faster, until he passed the trees they had slept on and picked up the big cat's scent.
A cruel grin curled wickedly up to his snout. Below him were paw prints--CAT paw prints!
"You are dead soon, Cougar."
Argunath began walking East, carrying everything he had. He ate sparsely from his provisions as he walked, keeping his eyes and ears open.
The sun shone through the trees, warming the cougar. He readjusted his pack, and continued on.
Rern crept closer, and soon he spotted the cougar.
He giggled to himself. The animal would have no idea he was there.
But there was one problem: the armor. The rat cursed and ducked down behind a bush.
OOC: How did he catch up so fast? :P
OOC-
You want another "he walked" post?
OOC: I was going to have Argunath find another stream and rest there a while, giving Rern time to find him.
OOC-
Uck. I'll edit it.
OOC: I'll post anyways.
BIC: Argunath soon came to some rocky ground where the trees were thin, and the sound of running water could be heard. He breathed a sigh of relief.
He got to the water and filled his canteen, taking a drink of the clear cool liquid. Then he unbuckled his chest plate, and inspected the wound again: it still had a thin trail of blood running from it.
The cougar went into his pack and pulled out a small roll of thread and a fishbone needle. One, two three stitches. He gritted his teeth as he washed the injury again. Getting wounded was one thing, but hurting oneself was another completely.
OOC-
I'm just going to pretend my post didn't happen but also be brash and ask a question. You want Rern to stumble along him now?
Yes
Rern approached unaware, stopping for a breather on his side of the bank.
His whiskers twitched when he suddenly picked up a new scent; that of the cougar...
Ears swiveling, the rat ducked out of sight behind a bush and stared across the river intently. Where was he?
There, across the stream, and venerable too! He grimaced in annoyance. If only he had his bow...
Argunath pulled himself back into his breastplate and backplate, strapping it back together. Then he turned to the river to crouch down and wash his paws.
OOC: Maybe he could throw a rock or something?
The cougar had some nerve. Did he not expect his foe to double back and hunt him down until at last the provisions he held were property of the rat? Seconds ticked by tediously, and Rern watched.
While Argunath put on his armor, Rern bent down and fished about in the water, at last coming up with a hard, smooth stone. He pulled back, chuckling nastily, and flung it at his adversary's head.
The stone hit Argunath on the right side of the top of his head, and he stood up with a howl of pain, clapping a paw to the growing lump. His paw came away with spots of blood.
He looked across the river angrily, through the tears that came into his right eye from the impact.
The bald rat.
Obviously he felt that his life was no longer worth living.
"You give me food or you die now, Cougar!" Rern screeched, hopping down and tramping irately through the stream towards Argunath.
"I let you go once. You're dead now."
Argunath drew his sword and held it pointed at the approaching rat.
The rat did not flinch. "You did not let me go--Rern is too fast for you!"
He whipped out his dagger and mimicked the motion Argunath had made with the sword, a coy smile playing knowingly across his face. He planted his paws in the grass. "Now, will big and strong Cougar come and catch me, if he can?"
Argunath said nothing, not taking his eyes from his opponent as he considered his options. Rern was quick, that much he knew. It had saved his miserable life already.
Of course, the cougar was no snail either.
Taking a step back, Argunath leaped into the water, right at Rern.
He had been expecting this. Still, a garbled scream escaped Rern's throat as he threw himself into the water off to the side of Argunath, surfacing quickly and with a giant gulp of air. Yes. His plan was working.
He, unlike his foe, was not weighted by heavy armor and fur.
"Cat did not get it!" the rat laughed.
"You think I haven't dealt with a little water before?" yelled Argunath, sending a swift cut at Rern.
Rern yelped and tripped, avoiding the cut but going down in the water for a moment.
When he came up, he was wet, and angry.
"Rern was wrong," he spat. "You have."
In his claw, he clutched a rock that he had grabbed when he fell. Now, he hurled it strraight at Argunath's snout.
The stone hit Argunath's chin with jarring force, knocking his vision out for a moment. He stumbled backwards into the stream.
Rern raced forward, swinging his dagger wildly.
"Ha! Cat got your tongue? Heheheh."
Though he could hardly see straight, Argunath did his best to fend off Rern, using his much longer reach to create a cushion zone until he could stand up
OI! POST!
Rern scowled in frustration and rained down another hail of attempting blows, as he would not let this cougar overpower him. He could not.
Argunath blocked what he could, most of Rern's cuts glancing off his armor. But the rat only had a knife, and was within Argunath's reach.
He grabbed for Rern's throat with a large gauntleted paw.
"Gak!" Rern gasped, feeling the claws close around his throat.
He desperately tried to pry them off.
Throwing his sword aside, Argunath used both paws to choke Rern, using his size and weight to try and push the rat under the water. He could feel another rush of the Bloodwrath coming, and he roared as he let it envelope him and gift him its maddened strength.
Rern tried to claw at him, but gradually his struggling grew feebler, until at last he went limp in Argunath's paws.
Argunath held Rern's still form under the water for a little longer, then lifted him up. The rat's eyes were dull and murky, no light left in them as they stared sightless into the sky.
The cougar dropped him into the stream, and watched as the water rushed about his body. "Congratulations," murmured Argunath. "No single creature your size has ever been so close to killing me."
With that, Argunath retrieved his belongings, and wandered off into the wilderness.