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Post by T i G E R on Nov 28, 2009 8:44:46 GMT -8
Tyler soared among the mountain peaks, his equine body not quite streamlined, making for a lot of air resistance; but his powerful, huge eagle wings making up for the restrictions. He glanced around him to make sure Valefor was still following him. The griffin was seeking a dragon, he knew, and he had offered his help; his sharp eagle eyes were now scanning the peaks for signs of dragon haunts. "So – do you know what the dragon looked like?" he asked, raising his voice so as to be heard over the sound of the wind. Do you want them to meet Nora in this thread, or later? XD
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Post by Rebel Wolf Chris on Nov 29, 2009 4:52:24 GMT -8
((OOC| Whenever you like mate ) Valefor twitched his ears at the words. Sublty, he angled his wings, dropping the left and raising the right, gliding without a beat of his wings closer to the hippogriff who had, in an unlikely manner, become his ally. "I have few memories of the day." He growled, his deep voice meant to carry. "Though I feel... if I saw it, I would know it." He felt his claws itch the way they did when he thought of dragons and what they had done to tear his family apart.
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Post by T i G E R on Dec 7, 2009 8:04:42 GMT -8
Alright – one more post, then! ^^ Tyler nodded, narrowing his eyes thoughtfully. He didn’t know whether or not to feel reassured or nervous; gut instinct would be very important here, he realized. He’d never battled a dragon before; indeed, he’d only ever watched them from a distance. He shuddered involuntarily, then flapped his wings with extra vigor to regain his balance. “Alright,” he answered after a moment of hesitation. He flew on in silence for a while, swerving in and out of the mountain-peaks until he found a secluded one somewhere in the middle of everything. “This... should we go in there, do you think?” he asked uncertainly, trying to indicate the darker part of the mountains without becoming even less streamlined than he already was.
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Post by Rebel Wolf Chris on Dec 8, 2009 1:40:07 GMT -8
Valefor banked and pulled up slightly, hanging in the air as he slipped into a powerful updraft of air rising off the mountain's west face. A scowl touched his face, his dark eyes narrowing suspiciously. "Never fly blind." He advised Tyler, then swooped around and just a slight bit closer for a better look.
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Post by T i G E R on Dec 10, 2009 10:04:10 GMT -8
Tyler's eyes widened and he nodded. Never fly blind. It hadn't occurred to him before, but in the intensified danger, he realized it was simple but vital advice.
Just as he was following up behind Valefor, there was a flash of movement among the mountains, and he froze, almost losing his balance in the air. "What –?" he exclaimed, before stopping himself.
The dragon wasn't quite as scary as he had imagined it – her – to be, but she was certainly intimidating. She was bigger than him, and her wings looked big, out of proportion. The sunlight glinted off her dark blue and silver scales, and two sapphire-blue eyes were narrowed not at him, but at Valefor. For a moment, they looked angry. Then they became focused.
"Uh, look out!" Tyler cried rather lamely as the dragon began to circle overhead. He had no idea she was the one they were looking for. "Dragon!"
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Post by Rebel Wolf Chris on Dec 10, 2009 23:24:07 GMT -8
Valefor didn't need the warning. His neck fur bristling, ever muscle tensing in readiness, his dark, dark eyes focused upon the dragon's face.
This was the one.
Up went his head, the silver-grey beak parted, and from deep within came a noise of unimaginable proportions. Some mix between the roar of a lion and the screen of an eagle, the mighty warcry of a griffin.
With fast, measured, deliberate wingbeats, Valefor began to climb. She was bigger than he was, with a wingspan that dwarfed his. But there was no trade of fear or hesitation, nothing but determination. He never took his eyes off her for a moment, awaiting her first move. For surely she recognized him.
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Post by T i G E R on Dec 12, 2009 23:28:55 GMT -8
Tyler's eyes widened in confusion when he saw how hostile Valefor had gotten. He was not a particularly bright hippogriff, and it took him a moment before it suddenly dawned on him: Hang on. Could it be that this dragon is...? Then there was no doubt of that fact, because all the hairs and feathers on Tyler's back rose when he heard that terrible war cry. Oh. Yep. She's the one. Okay... he's climbing... follow him. Tyler felt fear grip him, but he forced himself to climb. You promised. You're going to stick with it. Making sure he was close behind Valefor, he watched the griffin out of the corner of his eye while paying most of his attention to the dragon before him. The dragon was entirely focused on the griffin – the other one, the half-eagle, was just a side meal. She'd been disappointed when this one got away – she'd wanted the whole family. How annoying. Now was her chance to finish him off. The griffin looked older now, but she was bigger, too. She could do this. Winter had taken its toll on her body, making her skinnier, her scales duller; but she was still quite strong. She didn't like killing... but she certainly liked reaping the rewards. Her belly growled. She circled in the air, keeping her beady eyes on the two smaller creatures who were rising rapidly, waiting for the griffin to strike first. She had a plan. She knew this pair wasn't going to run away; the look in their eyes (or at least the griffin's) said enough. So she had the advantage here. She would wait for them to strike... even though her fire breath was quite uselessly feeble in winter, she did have talons. Nora narrowed her eyes, waiting, watching. What is to be the outcome of this battle? XD Do zey kill her?
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Post by Rebel Wolf Chris on Dec 14, 2009 0:28:58 GMT -8
((OOC| I wouldn't want to kill one of your characters! Maybe they can have a bit of a tussle, then Valefor can get KO'd and she can escape, or something like that?))
Valefor knew she was waiting, could see every detail with the laserlike intensity of his dark eagle eyes. In his mind, in a subconscious part that thought with more images, distances and feelings than actual worded concepts, he was preparing. Distance, altitude, and speed of attack, all sotred in preparation.
And then, at the perfect angle and height, there was nothing left to do except fold his wings and plunge. If he remembered the hippogriff he gave no sign of it, silent and focused now.
Like a grey and white boulder he dropped, building speed, then with a subtle flick of his tail he adjusted to hurtle behind her, unsnapping like a loghtning bolt hitting a tree. Wings spread, limbs fared, and his talon and claws were raking at the length of her spine as he winged over her at high speed.
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Post by T i G E R on Dec 16, 2009 16:40:40 GMT -8
((OOC – *Slaps forehead* Took me about ten seconds to figure out what KO meant xD Okay, sure! ^^ By the way... nice avvie )) While Valefor was all focused determination, Tyler was a hesitant, unsure tag-along. He was beginning to regret what he'd done as he watched the griffin uncertainly. I have no idea what to do! I'll be more of a hindrance than a help! Then he blinked as Valefor suddenly dived, following close behind, even though he wasn't half as fast or at all prepared. He got in a few rakes on the dragon's scales before he was knocked out of the air by something hard. Spinning fast, he struggled to regain his balance. By the time he righted himself, the dragon was snarling fiercely at both of them, circling again, but closer this time. Nora was angry and more than a little surprised. She didn't hunt griffins that often, and she was surprised at how strong this one was. Perhaps he was fueled by anger. Moments ago, she would have felt sympathy at this thought; but now, with a searing sensation coursing through her back where he had clawed it, she didn't feel anything but malevolence. He wouldn't back off, she knew; she'd have to finish him. A whole family – how neat. But she knew she had to be careful. The hippogriff might be stupid – she could tell that – but it was still two on one. She kept her eyes on both as she circled, and then feinted a dive at the half-eagle to get him out of the way. It worked, but she didn't see, already streaking toward the lion's head – she pulled upward at the last moment so her talons raked beneath her, but she had no idea what she hit.
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Post by Rebel Wolf Chris on Dec 18, 2009 2:44:13 GMT -8
"Be careful!" Valefor, swooping sideways to regroup and renew his attack, had caught sight of Tyler spinning off on another tangent. What was he doing? Taking Tyler into his doom? The hippogriff might not be kin, but he was an innocent. Valefor felt cold fire burn through him, colder than the whipping breeze around him. He felt none of it.
Then Nora was attacking again and Valefor banked sharply, seeing talons flash by his face. The lion muzzle wrinkled in a snarl and he turned his steep curve into a flip, until his spine was level with the ground so very far below them. He felt a talon graze over the lower section of his ribs, felt the skin tear and the blood flow, but he refused to let himself flinch from the pain. "For my family, murderer!" He roared, snaking his head, and striking with talons, trying to gut her from underneath.
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Post by T i G E R on Dec 18, 2009 10:12:17 GMT -8
Tyler flinched at Valefor's warning cry. "Heek! Sorry!" he said apologetically, struggling to right himself. Maybe it'd help if I stuck out of this after all... But surely he could be of some help. Though he was terrified, he watched for his chance, gathering what courage he had left. He wasn't badly hurt – the dragon was paying much more attention to the griffin.
Nora roared furiously as she realized she hadn't hit her target. She looked around in confusion for a split second, trying to figure out where Valefor had gone, and then cursed when she saw the upside-down creature. She was too late to avoid his slashing claws, screaming as her unprotected underside was split open. He can't stay upside down like that for long. "You'll be with them soon enough," she snarled furiously.
She rose rapidly, hoping that the griffin wouldn't have time to right himself before she made her move; then, as quickly as possible, she dived, correcting her aim as she went. It slowed her down, but she needed to hit... He was faster than she'd anticipated.
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Post by Rebel Wolf Chris on Dec 20, 2009 23:42:43 GMT -8
And this time it was Valefor who had been just a split second too slow to dodge, coming out of his roll with claws and talons bloodied. He felt the incredible impact of the dragon smashing his left wing, immediately he spiraled out of control. With his free wing he dived away, whipping his tail in her face in an effort to confuse her, but he already knew from the grim ache in his damaged wing he was going down. He folded the other wing altogether an plummeted from the sky, calculating as he fell, waiting for the ground to grow close enough before he opened it, half landing and half crashing on the rocks below.
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Post by T i G E R on Dec 22, 2009 1:38:25 GMT -8
Yes! Nora thought as she struck Valefor's wing. But very soon after, she felt the lion tail whack her in the eye. She let out a scream of fury as she was momentarily blinded, and a weak blast of winter-weakened fire escaped her mouth – but Valefor was already plunging. Just as well. Singed meat isn't nice to eat.
She tried to get her bearings, but Tyler had seen his chance. She was confused and disoriented, even though she recovered fast. It's now or never, the hippogriff thought grimly, even though he was shaking. I said I'd help him – this is my last chance. And he dived.
By some fluke, his beak caught the dragon right above her eye.
He didn't wait for her reaction – he dived the fastest dive he'd ever flown, down to where the griffin had fallen, praying that she wouldn't follow.
And Nora didn't. Dizzy and furious, it was all she could to to land properly on the mountains before her right eye closed for ever.
* * *
Down below, Tyler had found Valefor. He was frantically scanning the skies, but the dragon had disappeared. He leaned down and tentatively shook the griffin. "Valefor...?"
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Post by Rebel Wolf Chris on Dec 27, 2009 22:56:50 GMT -8
Valefor became aware of an excruciating pain. What made it interesting was that it wasn't confined to a particular area. The ache began deep inside him and radiated out like a sun burned within. Stirring, he lifted his head and saw he'd managed to avoid a set of sitka firs, which he was now lying under on a bunch of assorted rocks and small boulders.
"I'm gonna feel this tomorrow." He mumbled, trying to sit up. His senses were groggy, but he was aware of enough that he was no longer being hunted by a dragon. This was fortunate.
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Post by T i G E R on Dec 28, 2009 19:53:58 GMT -8
"I'm surprised you're not feeling it now," Tyler muttered, staring anxiously at the wounded griffin. He wished he knew how to treat injuries; and then he thought gloomy, even if he did, hooves were too clumsy, talons and beak too sharp. Valefor probably was feeling it now, unless the shock was masking the pain. He tried not to panic, wondering who could help them out.
He scrambled forward and pushed the griffin gently back down with the side of his beak as he tried to sit up. "Don't just yet," he said, glancing upward again and trying not to feel paranoid. "She's gone," he said, scanning the skies. "Nothing to worry about, not immediately anyway."
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