No Rest for Fiendish Fliers (Open)

[joan]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: E2E2E2; width: 420px; padding: 15 5 15 5px;] JOAN i got bills to pay, i got mouths to feed, there ain't nothin' in this world for free Joan perched herself at the top of one of the higher trees in the area, having just finished a cursory sweep of the area to look for predators. She was one of two birds in charge of leading the hunting and gathering party for this particular shift. She had flown ahead of the group to scout the area a bit and make sure they'd be undisturbed when the rest arrived. Scouting complete, she was waiting for the rest of said party to catch up, and as she waited, she planned. During the discussion on where the group was to hunt, she had suggested hunting the Analoya's hunting grounds for a reason. The trees would offer adequate cover for those both on the ground and in the air, while the forest environment offered plenty of food in the form of prey from both land and air. The group could be split up so that they might search for prey from any of the food sources. The trees would allow lookouts a place to perch and keep an eye out for predators (and prey alike). If the group were hunting in Bellator's fields for the abundant prey found there, they risked accidentally attacking an actual Bellator herd member, which the group might construe as a declaration of war with their lack of proper leadership., Any lookouts would have no good regular vantage points other than being in flight over the meadows, which would tire them out more quickly. She hadn't suggested Nilda's land because more of Nilda's lands bordered Lawaii's mountain range, compared to the tiny area where Lawaii and Analoya shared a border. This meant that upsetting the Nilda was less strategically worth the risk in Joan's mind. If hunting on the lands of either was enough to spark a fight, Analoya had less of an opening into Lawaii lands than Nilda, unless Analoya went through Nilda's lands. The peregrine retro had put a good deal of thought into her suggested hunting location. She was also already putting thought into how she and her co-lead might best split the group up. They would have to do some quick assessments once the full group showed up regardless, since there was no telling who would actually show. For all she knew, it might be only the two of them. They would have make sure no one was on their own and that everyone was divided up and put to tasks in a way that suited their strengths and weaknesses. There were some raptors that were better suited to taking prey from the water than others, and that wasn't a skill that wasn't needed since the tainting of Analoya's waters. Anything taken from their river would be unfit to eat. There were also raptors that were better suited to taking other birds, rather than taking prey from the ground. And if any of the seed eating birds were among the group, there was plenty for them to do as well. It was a risky move, taking prey from Analoya's territory. They were still hurting from the poisoning of their river, and it was certain that the wildlife in the area was also hurting, they drank from the same water source as the Analoya and one could be sure that a good deal of the animals in the area that would be prime prey for the birds would have been affected. But again, Joan had put a great deal of thought into the location she had suggested. All those animals looking for fresh water would be moving through Analoya lands towards the best source of water in the area, Nilda's precious lake. If the birds started from the boundary between the two territories and worked their way inward, and back around, they had a good chance of catching prey that was on the move to a new water source. This suggestion of hers, though... it risked angering the Analoya pride if anyone caught the hunting party. The pride was already reeling from the poisoning of their water, and she was sure that if they caught the Lawaii poaching animals from their lands, especially since prey was sure to be scarce with a lack of clean water, well... woe be to them who were caught and unable to get away. But Joan had already prepared herself for that possibility. If any of the hunting party was caught, she had prepared herself to take responsibility for what had been her suggestion. She was playing with fire, and she'd lash herself to the stake before she let anyone else get burned. no there ain't no rest for the wicked until we close our eyes for good

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[Deleted]

dark blue, dark blue
have you ever been alone in a crowded room?

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It was quite the shame, Pariah thought, that she was just as gutsy as this other bird. If either of them had any semblance of logic left in them they would realize that as soon as they were caught, they were as good as dead. If she had been thinking clearly, the snowy owl retromorph would have called it suicidal. She wasn’t thinking clearly, though – the thought of Lawaii’s ever dwindling food supply nagged at the back of her head and forced her to ignore the tentative voice in her head that suggested Analoya’s lands may not have been the best place to hunt. She didn’t want to be the spoil sport, either; what kind of bird would she be if she shot down another’s idea if they weren’t sure how it would work? After this mission, when they had more experience in this poaching of sorts, she would put more consideration into the wisdom of stealing another tribe’s food, especially one as devastated as Analoya after the poisoning of their water. She would be willing to stand by Joan’s decision, though. She had agreed to it, and that put at least a fraction of the responsibility on her own shoulders. If she, and all the other birds, had stayed behind the hunting mission couldn’t have succeeded. Too often the opposing force targeted the leader when just as much blame fell on the followers.


Pariah was indeed following Joan, in both the metaphoric and literal sense. The peregrine was fast, faster than her by a twofold. To redeem her pride the snowy owl insisted that she was the more silent flier of the two; what use was it to be fast if everything could hear you coming from a mile away? Pariah set her brow, letting her powerful chest propel her through the air. Along the way she caught a warm air current, and drifted along it, gliding out of the air pocket when she spied Joan’s form, perched atop one of the taller trees. She aimed for the nearby tree, white feathers contrasting the dark foliage as she landed, swiveling her head to face Joan, though her talons stayed firmly gripping the branch. “You’re gutsy.”

[/i][/color] Pariah’s voice, for once, held an air of compliment about it. She didn’t take to other birds well, so she surprised herself when she continued. “I like that about you.”[/i][/color] Her rich amber eyes glittered with the adrenaline that was already pumping through her system. The joy of the hunt was also prematurely ruffling the feathers on the back of her neck, making her look so much bigger than her meager six pounds.


“Got a plan?”[/i][/color] Pariah asked, swiveling her head around to check for other birds that may be coming. She figured if she was going to go along with this crazy plan, she was going to enjoy it by attempting to make a friend. It was a novel idea, she smirked to herself, making friends. She ruffled the feathers on her wings nervously, wondering where everyone else was. She was sure that Joan was going through the same analytics she was. There would be almost no use of those raptors who were used to aquatic hunting – the poisoned water would have killed off most of the aquatic wildlife, and seriously sickened the others. They wouldn’t want to disrupt a healing ecosystem, either. The seed and nut gatherers, though, would have a field day. Summer was a great time for plants, and there were nuts and seeds by the beakful, assuming your beak and stomach were designed to process them. Pariah’s, unfortunately, was not. The snowy owl once again glanced to the sky. Assuming that attendance improved, it might be hard to have one whole hunting party; two or three smaller parties would most definitely be more efficient. She once again thought of the comment she had made to herself about being a quiet flier – even if all the birds in Lawaii shared that gift (and many did not), it would be like a thunderclap if ten or twenty of them went hunting in the same area. Pariah sighed. It took guts to make a move like this. If Pariah was nothing else, she was recklessly brave, and she was more than prepared to answer for her recklessness.

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[Anita Gellard]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 520px; height: 468px; background-image:url(http://i43.tinypic.com/2vsi1rk.png)] Although she had at first been wary of the idea, raiding the Analoya’s hunting grounds seemed a necessary step if her flock expected to last through future seasons. The Lawaii’s range, while expansive, was relatively short on prey of all sizes, and the flock’s hunting parties had found themselves drifting further and further from their home, driven by sheer need. The summer was often the best and worst time in trying to find food; while there was ample prey elsewhere, it was also easier to pick off by other groups, and squabbles were common. Ann had warned them all to avoid fights if they could, especially if said fights could bring warfare to their front door. So, they often chose their battles wisely, stole only what they needed, and didn’t stick around long enough to be discovered. If all went well, she hoped that today would be of a similar pattern to past hunts. She was also aware that treading into Analoya’s territory was not something that they wanted to take lightly – while the cover of the forest might help to protect them from being found, it was also prime territory to be ambushed. It was the cats’ territory, after all, and she knew that they knew every inch of it better than she or her flock did. The birds were not the only ones who ruled and roosted in the trees. As it were, this hunt was also a test for one particular jager amidst her flock who had shown promise not only in hunting, but also planning; the Lawaii were in need of a derde – someone with the ability to communicate all of their ideas well. So today, Ann would be keeping a very careful and watchful eye. Truly trustworthy members were oft hard to come by, but she hoped that Joan would prove better than the last member who had tried to snatch up the rank. That hunt had failed miserably and the large hawk who’d conducted it had been forced to maintain their lower position instead of rising. Rising – they were always looking to rise higher, gain altitude, but any who tried to come close to her own position were beaten back rather soundly. For now, she held her leadership with all the cold and calculating dignity of a queen as she followed behind Joan, several other birds trailing behind her. Banking sharply to the left in a flare of wings, she eventually entered the area where the other two birds – Joan and Pariah – had already settled down in. She could hear them whispering in the rough tongue that retromorphs spoke, their voices louder than normal inside her head . She was used to it by now, at least. The enhanced hearing that the Keepers had equipped her with was useful, if annoying. Ann landed beside them in a delicate ruffle of white and black feathers, and twisted her head to watch the five or so other birds perch on a nearby branch. They would serve as additional hunters and gatherers, for the species she had brought were mixed. After briefly taking each member into account, she peered back at the two females again, black eyes switching between them before greeting them evenly, “’Tidings to you both. …I trust you have everything planned out, Joan? Let’s hear it, then.” She paused, then cocked her head to one side consideringly, “Make sure your fellow jager hear it too, of course – they have come to assist you in your hunt. It seems you are not the only risk-taker in the bunch,” she said, a smile evident in her tone.

[joan]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: E2E2E2; width: 420px; padding: 15 5 15 5px;] JOAN i got bills to pay, i got mouths to feed, there ain't nothin' in this world for free Joan's head swivled around, following the movement of the snowy owl as she settled on a nearby tree. Joan knew of this particular bird, Pariah, a loner by all accounts. Pariah had pointed out, when they were discussing the plan, how much more quietly she flew compared to the daytime hunters, and Joan agreed that it was a good quality to have. A certain amount of stealth would be required on all accounts for the hunt to succeed. The peregrine jager examined Pariah as she spoke, complimenting Joan on her ballsy plan. "With great risk, comes great reward," Joan responded. She didn't say much else in response to the owl's approval of her, she'd reserve her judgement of the bird until after the hunt was finished, though she had to admit that it took equal guts to follow another into the mouth of danger. Pariah requested to know if there was a plan, prompting a curt nod from the peregrine. She didn't have a chance to go over it with Pariah before she caught the flash of black and white feathers that announced the arrival of their Leier. Joan knew all too well what the presence of the Leier on this hunt could mean for any bird lucky enough to catch their leader's eye. She was sure that the others who had volunteered for the hunt also knew. While Joan had suggested the location and was formulating a good deal of the plan, it was any bird's game and all had an equal chance of winning Anita's favor. Anita addressed Joan and Pariah, indicating that Joan should explain the plan to everyone. Joan steeled herself, there was no going back now, and lives depended on everything she said next. She'd thought her plan out carefully, and taking stock of the birds that had arrived with the Leier, she knew that it wouldn't require many changes. She'd planned to divide the larger group up into smaller groups, as it had been pointed out, it would be too suspicious and cause too much commotion for them to all travel as one. "Alright," Joan started, casting her gaze over the birds gathered, "we're going to divide up into smaller groups and move out from this point. Don't travel more than a half-hour's flight from this point, any further and you're risking being too far away for help to arrive if you need it." She examined the group, using her wing to point out the seed gatherers and three of the larger, more combat capable raptors. "This group is going to be gathering seeds, berries, nuts, and anything that isn't meat. Remember not to spread yourselves out so thin that you can't see eachother," she started to explain. "I want you," she indicated the raptors again, "to be their escorts. Keep an eye out for the Analoya and other preadtors. If you stay up in the trees and out of sight, it'll draw less attention to the others. If trouble does find you, you get them out alive, leave any supplies you can't carry. We're not here to fight, only to hunt, but there's also no need to get yourselves killed over a seed or two. If there's trouble you can't handle, send someone ahead for help." Joan once again extended her wing, pointing out an eagle amongst the raptors she'd chosen to escort the group. She knew enough about the raptor to think him capable of taking charge of the smaller group should there be trouble, "I'm leaving you in charge of this group should decisions need to be made." She let her eyes linger on the gather group until they had all affirmed that they understood their jobs, or had asked any questions they might have. Joan turned to the remaining raptors next, sizing up those who were left. She quickly divided them up into two pairs before turning to the snowy owl who had been right behind her upon arrival. "Pariah, you're in charge of this group," and Joan indicated one of the pairs. "I would recommend two birds on lookout and one bird hunting. Once the bird hunting has caught their prey, switch out. But," she started to add, "ultimately, I'll leave it up to you to decide how your group hunts." Joan pointed to the last two raptors remaining and motioned to her side, "you two are with me." She paused for a moment, giving everyone time to take in what she'd said again. The peregrine swept her gaze over the group, "Everyone take note of what I'm about to say... We can lay out all the best made plans we want, but there's always a chance something will go wrong. Think on your wings out there, adjust as you need to," she explained. "Don't assume that you're safe just because you're in the trees. Cats climb. Some of them climb really well. Some of them are quite capable of catching a bird that's taking flight from the ground. If either of our two groups that are taking prey manage to catch anything, don't sit around with it for too long, the smell of blood will attract the cats. Hunt what you can and make your way back here. Regardless of what you've gathered, everyone should be back here by midday." The peregrine puffed herself up as she took in a deep breath. She'd said all that she had planned to say, or all that she could remember that she'd planned to say. Something always gets forgotten when you're about to leave to do something important. Exhaling, her gaze rested on the pied crow that they all called leader, "Leier, I figured you might want to choose which group you're flying with or possibly fly between them, I will leave that decision to you." With that, she addressed the flock again, "Does everyone understand their jobs? Is everyone alright with how this is broken up," her gaze rested specifically on Anita, Pariah, and the eagle in charge of the gathering group, "Are the two of you good with this?" ((OOC: Pariah, I'm pretty much leaving your little group up to you to direct as you wish. You can choose what species the two birds that are with you are and how you want to do your hunting. Figured I'd include the suggestion so that you'd know what I was planning for my little group. That way you could plan a different method if you want. If you want more than two other birds, let me know and I can rearrange my numbers in this post to reflect that. Grace, I figured I'd leave it open for Anita to decide who she wants to go with or to be able to go between the groups to keep an eye on everything as a whole. If there are any questions or concerns, please let me know. I'm hoping that my plan is clear enough, but I'll try to better clarify anything that anyone is confused on.)) no there ain't no rest for the wicked until we close our eyes for good

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