%20pngg.png)
"Well, it depends. They don't like it, that's for sure. But a strong Ice Deorn can just use ice or rain or somethin' to douse the flame. Luckily, I doubt we're dealing with a strong one today since it's not full-grown yet. I think we could safely use fire to fend it off if we have to." He thought some more. "Did it show you its human form?"
She shook her head, thinking. "No. I don't think it's particularly aggressive, though, because the moment I was out of its territory it calmed down and retreated."
"That's a good sign, if it's not overly ambitious or hungry for a fight." Rick thought for a moment longer, then shrugged and started walking. "How about we plan on finding its den and destroying it, that'll throw it off-balance and make it think twice about stayin' here–especially if we use fire to do it. After that, we see what happens and play it by ear, hey?"
She observed the plan for a minute, silently thinking.
"Well… that'll work. It seems a tad cruel, but I imagine it's the only way to keep it from coming back. Okay," she finished.
"Yeah, it's a little mean, but it can always rebuild somewhere else. We just gotta be careful to keep track of it the whole time and don't let it attack us. I'm thinkin' we'll take turns trashing the den while the other stands guard. Sound good?"
(btw I was thinking that maybe this Deorn will end up joining their traveling group, if I can think of a way for that to work. Would that be okay with you?)
(Sounds good to me!)
"Okay sure. Let me stand guard first? I've never had to hurt a Deorn, so you can set the example and I'll follow."
(Okie dokie! I gotta go do chores next, but I'll be back later ^^)
"Alright. It may not be in the den when we get there, so watch our backs good. If you see it, the main thing is to use fire to keep it at a distance. If it gets close, our chances of success go way down." Rick stopped at the edge of the territory, looked around to make sure the Deorn wasn't nearby, then forged onwards, trying to be as stealthy as possible. "Here we go. Lemme know if you see it."
Charlotte stationed herself a few feet in front of Rick, scouring their surroundings for any drop in temperature, mist, rustling, the ripples in the lake nearby… she was on edge, senses heightened, her training kicking in again after years being dormant.
It didn't take long to find the den. It was a messy thing, dug straight into the riverbank and shored up with mud and dead reeds. There were tracks everywhere–both human and animal–and remnants of past meals littered all over the ground, but the creature itself was nowhere to be seen. Rick peered inside the den carefully, then started gathering more grass to use as fuel for a fire. "I'm gonna knock down the walls and light the whole thing up. It'll smoke like crazy so mind the breeze."
Charlotte nodded her assent, keeping her gaze trained on the forest.
Rick got right to work. The den was in fact very badly built, and in minutes the mercenary had reduced it to a pile of wet earth. Piling the grass on and around it, he deftly lit a match and tossed it on top. The grass was much more dry and brittle than it looked, and a second later it began spilling out huge clouds of white smoke. Rick added more grass, as well as a few dead branches from nearby.
At first, there was no movement or sound from their surroundings. But as the smoke filled the air and rose above the marsh, it soon became far too obvious to ignore. From the north, not nearly far enough away to be safe, came a loud splash and the sound of something calling out very angrily.
Charlotte was already advancing towards the water. Halfway down to the bank she grabbed a thick stick and, wrapping the end with bark, stuck it into the fire.
Holding out the makeshift weapon, she stationed herself at equal distance between the water and the den, turning to face every new splash as the Deorn grew closer.
A moment later it burst out of the water, somehow seeming even larger than before. It was about to lunge at Charlotte when it caught sight of the flames and balked, hissing loudly. Up this close, its eyes were like sea-glass. It began to circle the pair, its fins flaring open and closed.
"Don't give it an opening," Rick called, scrambling to find more fuel to burn. "It ain't scared right now, just confused. Try to keep it that way, they don't think so well when they're caught off-guard."
It's been so long. I'd forgotten how intimidating they can be.
Though she was recoiling at her core, she stood her ground and began waving the stick at the creature, creating trails of sparks around and leadimg off back towards the water.
The creature bared its teeth at the sparks, flinching away if they got too close, but didn't retreat even one inch. Rick was right–it did seem much more puzzled and disgruntled than afraid. It stalked after Charlotte, and after a moment the temperature started to drop again. The shallow water along the bank crackled quietly as ice began to form over it.
"Don't get too far," Rick reminded her. "I'm almost done here."
She circled back around, grabbing handfuls of moss as she went. Knowing that moss burned quick, bright and wild, she set some balls of it on fire and threw them at the water, melting some of it, ignoring the sparks and small flames licking at her bare arms.
The rest of the moss went to a line between her and the Deorn.
Rick nodded. "Nice!" Having completely destroyed the den by that point, he made a torch of his own and came to stand beside Tanrial. "We can get outta here any time," he muttered, "But I think we should finish makin' ourselves clear first. Let's try to make him retreat–He'll know we're trying to reclaim the land if we do that."
(Wrong rp XD)
"I'll follow your lead." She squared her shoulders, making herself seem taller next to her burly companion. The bough was still burning strong, and she brandished it diagonally in front of her. "There's more moss slightly behind us. We can throw it directly at him, see if it scares him off slightly."
(lol it happens XDD)
Rick scooped up a clump and hefted it, then set it on fire and pitched it directly at the young Deorn. It leaped aside in surprise, landing in the water with a large splash. Rick picked up some more moss, straightening to make himself as tall as possible.
"You might as well just pack your bags and leave, pal," he called. "You ain't wanted around here, and we're gonna keep pesterin' you until you clear out."
The Deorn didn't stop hissing. Then, unexpectedly, it spoke. Its voice was strange and rough, but sounded like that of a teenage boy. "Who are you people?"
"We're defending the people who you're bothering, kid. That's all you need to know."
She kept her voice soft and not unkind, though her expression remained stony.
"Why do you care?" The creature snarled. "You're not even from around here."
Rick shrugged. "Well for one thing, we care about our own species, and for another thing we're gettin' paid to do this. Now are you gonna leave quietly or not?"
The Deorn's claws dug into the mud. "No. I just got here and this place is mine now. I'm not leaving!"
"Listen. It was yours when there was a trace of you. Now? It's as if you'd never been here. You can't lay claim to a place that, as you've said, you've just arrived here."
(brb, back in a sec)
(well that took a little longer than expected)
"Now get," Rick growled, taking a threatening step forward. "This ain't the place for you."
The Deorn moved back slightly, almost without seeming to realize it. His fur was still bristling, but now his head was tucked into his shoulders and his body language was leaning more towards defensive rather than domineering. Rick saw their chance and took it.
"Now!" Lifting his torch, he threw the burning stick as hard as he could, directly at the Deorn. "Throw yours too, Miss Charlotte!"
(it's alright)
Charlotte hesitated, watching the young Deorn scared into submission. This wasn't what she was used to. She had never hurt these creatures, only tended to them.
But now, it seemed it was necessary. Rick had thrown his, telling her to do the same, and hadn't she said she'd follow his lead?
She threw. The stick flew forward with burning speed, whizzing past the Deorn's head and straight into the lake, leaving a significant but not fatal burn mark on the side of the creature's head.
"Scram."