The Mystic Forest

Tiamatt watches the forest below her slowly settle down, her eyes once more scanning the area of signs of the strange girl. Her attention is suddenly shifted elsewhere as she hears yet another noise and glances down at a man sitting on the forest floor down below her. "another intruder.." She darted down to the ground, wings to her side before flaring them out to stop her decsent, growling at the stranger. "Who are you? leave this place!"

*jumping her mare over a fallen log, fyre wove her way through the maze of trees, just barely keeping the white buck in sight*
come on....come on....*she coaxed the mare faster, using the beast's fear as additoinal motivation for speed*
just a little closer...*she could see the fleeing stag before her now, darting like the wind, with black death rushing right behind it. she shifted the reins to her left hand, and with her right, began to steady her crossbow*

*slowly picking himself up with a groan, he stares around in a daze from his fall,
only to see a dark figure coming towards him in haste, causing him to quickly stand,
with his left hand reaching behind him as if to ready*
..leave this place? *still recuperating from such a long drop*
..I have only come her to enjoy the peace and quiet. Which appears to have been misleading from what I see now..

Tiamatt growls, eying the new stranger carefully. "this forest normally is peaceful but unfortunately, there is a hunter currently here." She twisted her head around as she heard noises in the distance, seeming almost to come closer before looking at the stranger. "I suggest you find safety, stranger. If peace if truly all you want then you may stay here."

*twitching her finger, she triggered the bow, shooting an arrow right into the left tendon of the buck's back leg, causing it to stumble*
gotcha...*she whispered smugly, and swung off the rushing horse while it was still in motion, grabbing onto the antler of the buck with her free hand. spreading her wings wide, she brought the frantic buck to a halt and threw it to the ground, letting the mare gallop on through the trees without a rider*

*with a light groan from the small pains inside him, he pulls his hand to the side of his face*
Stay here for safety..? With this commotion of animals around us..I don't see how it is possible..
..but none the less..go take care of this "intruder" that's causing all this fuss..
*slowly taking steps back, watching the dragon, he presses his back against a tree,
slowly sliding down to sit himself on the soft grass*...I'll stay out of the way.

Tiamatt looked that stranger for a moment before turning her head towards the sounds she could still hear in the distance. "alright then.' Tucking her wings tight to her side, she ran toward the sounds, also catching the scent of the horse and its rider as the wind shifted directions. "they're closer then i thought...." Picking up her pace, she raced forward stopping as she caught sight of Fyre and the buck. "I see you caught you prize"

*with a smug grin at the dragon, she dug a claw into the jugular of the white buck neatly, ending its life painlessly, and without spilling a drip of blood on its hide, but for the one blood soaked left calf*
yes...and ill be going now...
*she lifted the buck onto her shoulders with ease, then paused, as she realized her mare had not yet returned*
mmm...seems it shall be a long walk...*she murmured, glancing down at the mare's hoofprints to the north*
ill collect my mount and be on my way then
*with a nod to the dragon human, she set off on foot following the horse's prints*


*the mare burst into the clearing where rush sat, nearly plowing him over, and instead, got her flying reins tangled in the low hanging branch of the tree. with panicked eyes, the mare struggled to free herself, the cloth wrapped sword flaling from the back of the saddle*

*with his moment of being alone, he lets out a sigh; having his hand pull away to his face to rub the side of his left rib cage*
..this is what I get for not being ready i guess..oh well..time is the best way to recover.
*pulling his hand away from his side, he suddenly notices the galloping horse coming towards him;
with no time to react, he quickly shields his face as a reflex, waiting for their collision*
.........? *slowly opening his eyes from no collision, he realizes the horse had been caught by a branch,
quickly causing him to stand up, to just slap his forehead with his palm*
..why must animals be the death of me? Might as well be with all this fright they're giving me..
*slowly approaches the panicking horse*

Tiamatt growls lightly as Fyre picks up the buck. "If you ever return to this forest, keep in mind that i will not tolerate hunting again." She watched the strange girl follow the hoofprints in the soil before following, rememebering the second stranger further on in the forest.

*rolling her eyes, fyre kept her pace steady*
ill be back for your own hide one day, dragon...*she said softly after the dragon had flown away* its only a mtter of time before someone puts a reward out for you....


*the frantic mare, began to buck and shake as rush approached, still frightened from th dragon, and from the loud sound. but her many years of serving fyre had taught the mare to be obedient, and she quieted down when the boy approached, tail still swishing as her hooves danced around the fallen sword in the dirt*

*surprised by it's calm nature as he walks closer, he stares at the horse curiously*
...how odd, this horse's behavior..your well trained, aren't you?
*slowly kneeling down closer to the sword that had fallen to the floor, his hand begins to dig through his pocket*
Alright..stay calm now..no need to freak out again..I got a treat for you..

"heh, " Tiamatt glanced down at the girl, hovering quietly above the trees and watching Rush just a short distance away.

*pausing, fyre heard voices, and quickened her pace, she let out a high pitched whistle for her mare as she neared the clearing*

*giving a small tug on the reins, still caught in the tree, the horse bumped her muzzle down by rush's hand in expectation, standing very still now, her racing heart calming. her ears pricked forward as she heard the whistle, but the concealed treat was her main priority at the moment*

*fyre stopped just before the clearing, sensing eyes above her. looking up slowly, she peered aroun for the dragon*

Tiamatt continued to hover quietly above the trees, eyes watching the two intruders carefully. Tuning her eyes to those below her, she tried to listen to what was being said.

*giving a small smile from the horse's interest of the treat, he slowly pulls out a peppermint candy,
with the candy's wrap twisted tightly at the ends, like any candy would look if wrapped*
...not sure if animals like these..but I sure have a taste for them. I'm sure this is better then just some sugar cube a horse would normally eat..
*still kneeling down, he unwraps the peppermint to lay on his palm, slowly extending it out to the horse*
...alright horse..take the candy and relax..and no freaking out.

*shifting the buck on her back, fyre moved into the clearing just as the mare took the candy gently from the boy's palm*
*with a sharp hiss, fyre snapped at the mare, causing it to give a tiny jump and look in her direction, nearly stepping on the sword*
*eyes slitted, fyre set the buck on the ground and appraoched the mare and boy*
i see you've found my horse...
*her eyes drifted down at the mare's feet*
and my sword...be careful with that, its wrapped for a reason...
*unaware of the dragon so close, she stood more at ease, with her hand on her hip, and an amused smile*
got a name...boy?

Tiamatt landed gently in a tree, using the leaves for coverage and also keepign downwind to keep from startling the horse. Sighing quietly, she shifted to her human form, watching the two below her.

*from the surprise of the woman's voice, he stands himself up quickly to see her,
noticing her odd appearance as her eyes remain slit while she drops a corpse from her shoulder;
abit uneasy from this, his face remains calm, staring into this eerie woman's eyes*
... I'm guessing your the one that caused all this ruckus with the animals?

*chuckling softly, she reached up to untangle the mare's reins from the branch, keeping the amused, and slightly smug look upon her face*
nah...though i love to make an entrance, to cause such a ruckus whilst im hunting proves to be quite unpleasant
*laying the reins back over the mare's neck, she bent to retreave the sword*
what caused the noise, i suspect, was the dragon i encountered earlier. i doubt many other creatures could cause such a disturbance
*rising slowly, with the sword in both hands, she studied the boy, then noticed the mask. with a nod towards itm she asked* what is that?
*she then took a slow step back, suddenly worried that the dragon may still be around, and after her kill*

Tiamatt smirked at seeing the girl's sudden uneasiness and stood up silently on the branch. Glancing down the buck, Tiamatt thought for a moment before her smile widened. "Alpha" she whispered. A strange rip seemed to appear in mid air as the white sword revealed itself in front of her. Glancing down again at the intruders below her, Tiamatt gripped the hilt of the sword, a light green glow eminating from the blade. With in seconds, the buck was on its feet, darting back into the forest while Tiamatt smirked, dismissing Alpha with a wave of her hand and leaning against the trunk of the tree.

*listening to her calm yet untrustworthy voice, he looks back to the unfinished mask that was left on the floor,
looking back at her with a calm expression on his face*
A hobby...*from his word, another woman sweeps down from a tree he did not recognize,
taking a step back to avoid any conflict from this new guest and her actions*

*fyre blinked from the boy's strange reaction, and his step back. turning quickly, she saw the girl who had confronted her before leaning against the tree. and she didnt see her white buck anywhere. nostrils flaring in anger, and turned her back on the boy and stormed over towards the smug looking girl, beginning to unwrap her sword*
where is it?! where is my kill?! *she demanded angrily*
*the mare began to prance in place nervously, and sidled over slightly behind the boy*

Tiamatt laughed lightly, crossing her arms over her chest. "I told you, this is my forest. Hunting is not tolerated. That buck's time will come but that time is not now." She smirked as she continued to watch the strange girl's temper flare.

*a bit surprised from the sudden resurrection of the laying buck,
he continues to take steps back, concealing himself under the shade of the tree,
only for the horse to interrupt his path*
Huh..? *turns to see this frightened animal, placing a hand on head*
..hey..this is apparently your master..why be afraid?