As the posse of them seemingly got to a defensive position, Nike too instinctively crouched lower as Timaeus drew and nocked his bow and arrow. The woman reached for the throwing knives she had tucked into her belt, picking up one for each hand, her eyes focused on the rustling bush. Standing in between Timaeus and Lazaros, at an angle behind Vangelis, Nike could almost feel the palpable tensity that was rolling off her companions. In a way, she guessed she should look as tensed as she felt... yet all she felt at that moment was a blinkered sense of focused on the rustling trees.
And then Timaeus gasped.
Nike was too well trained to look, but as the arrow whistled past her eyes, she bit back a small curse, her upper arms tensing as the next thing she knew, Vangelis's yell, the burst of the mountain lion from the brush and the flying of the crown prince's arrow seemed to all happen at the same time. As much as she wanted to bowl Timaeus's head over for such a rookie mistake as loosening his hold on a ranged weapon, she knew better then to do so now.
Like Vangelis, her first instinct had been to loose her throwing knives. Aiming at the beast just as Vangelis rolled out of the way, Nike let loose both of them held in each hand, one embedding itself in the side of the lion whilst the other missed its target entirely. The one that managed to find purchase in the lion's hide however, seemed to do more then just hurt the beast. The feline yowled, yet the small knife seemed to do more then just hurt him. Its shaggy coat, longer and thicker due to the colder weather seemed to protect it from most harm, yet the sudden impact of her knife on its side made it roll, disorientating it a little and throwing it off its one-aimed course to run directly at them, just enough for Nike to grab Timaeus's scruff and drag the younger one out of the way.
"Watch your hold, Captain!" was her only growl of warning, almost throwing Timaeus to the side as she dragged out another two throwing knives. The mountain lion was getting to its feet groggily then, the arrow still embedded but broken, whilst her knife it had managed to knock out of his side entirely. The golden eyes of the obviously angry lion swivelled, and settled on them. By then, Nike had managed to back away to where Vangelis had rolled, hopefully with Lazaros following them.
As if it were sizing them up, the tail of the shaggy but sleek feline lashed dangerously, large paws padding slowly as it crouched, looking for all the world as if it was ready to pounce on them. Nike knew that if the lion pounced, they would have no way out - four of them were not well equipped enough to deal with a two hundred pound, angered predator. "Injure it from a distance first. We will not be able to handle it at full capacity. Aim for its legs." It was common strategy - take out its mobility, and then it becomes an easy target. But of course, as one tried to take out two or three of its legs, one must always keep alert of its presence. "Lazaros, hang back. Your sword would be of more use when its tired and unable to move- and when the rest of us run out of steam." the Commander tossed a grin at her friend and fellow Commander, before her focus swivelled back on the lion.
Using her two other knives, she threw again, cautious of the fact that she had limited knives to throw, with only a dozen or so more strapped on the belt around her waist. She tried to aim true, and cursed again when the other knife was lashed away harmlessly as the lion swatted it away. The only one which found purchased was against the shoulderblades of the lion, only managing to anger it again, as it came charging once more, causing Nike to dive to the side as the feline aimed at them like an arrow to a bullseye.
The Valaoritis boy had fucked up. There was no other way to put it and Timaeus knew it as he saw the loose arrow fly past everyone’s heads. Oh gods, he just fucked up big time. The color drained from his face as he realized his mistake. This cannot be any worse, he silently thought as he scrambled for another arrow as if he could just hide what he had done.
Little did he know it could be much, much worse.
When the mountain lion leaped forward from the brush, Tim didn’t know how to react. He was practically frozen into place with a mixture of shame, shock, and fear. That probably made it easier for Nike to grab him by the back of his neck and toss him to the side like an overeager puppy dog climbing onto furniture he was not allowed on. He was sent stumbling off to the side, behind the human wall that was now Nike and Lazaros. His face burned with embarrassment as the commander’s words sunk in. “I didn’t mean--” He cried out, but he let the defense die on his lips since he knew it would fall on deaf ears. This was not the time and place for such a protest and quite frankly it was going to get him nowhere.
All he could do was shake off the last bits of snow and reload his bow and make himself useful.
He did exactly that, hanging back, he tried to regain some pride by attempting to attack the beast from a distance, but he could only get one or two shots off. It wasn’t safe to let loose anymore. His comrades kept getting in the way. Realizing that this method would never work, Timaeus looked around wildly before his eyes settled on a nearby tree as a small smirk crossed his face.
Looks like it was time for Tim to think outside of the box.
Timaeus carefully inched back towards the tree, trying not to grab the attention of either the mountain lion or the other men. His footfalls were careful as he heard Nike’s instructions to aim for the feet. Okay, got it. Timaeus quietly thought as he kept moving for the tree. Aim for the legs. Aim for the legs. Luckily, the Pine was nearby and it took almost no time for his back to nearly be brushing up against the towering trunk.
With a glance to make sure no one noticed, he quickly ducked behind the back of the tree. Timaeus unloaded his bow and swung it onto his back. Sticking the loose arrow between his teeth, he immediately reached from some of the lower hanging branches to haul himself upwards into the foliage. His arms screamed in exhaustion, but no audible noise left the boy’s lips. He moved with an almost unrivaled speed and precision, utilizing the skills he unknowingly honed just by living in the shelter of Eubocris’s stone walls. He was practically a billy goat, climbing was just as natural to him as running.
In only a few moments, Timaeus had climbed to a suitable height for what he planned to do. High enough to stay out the Mountain Lion’s reach, but low enough that the strong branches would still be able to hold his weight. Carefully balancing himself on the tree limbs, Timaeus shimmed to the front of the tree and positioned himself in a place that he could clearly see what was happening on the ground below. Although his climb did not seem to be noticed by the mountain lion thus far, his absence surely would have. That’s why he leaned forward a bit on the branch he was crouching on in order to force it to dip down, revealing his position to the other men if they looked in the direction of the arrows that were to come.
From here in the tree, Timaeus had a clear view of the mountain lion that was unobstructed by friends. Wordlessly, he pulled his bow off of his back, eager to make up for his failed arrow just a few moments ago. No longer held back by waiting for an order that never came, he quickly took the arrow held in his teeth and reloaded his bow. Tim’s arms still ached, but he did not need to hold the arrow back as long. Following Nike’s command to aim for the legs, he aimed his weapon at the beast. Then, when he was sure the others were out of the way, he let go of the arrow. Flying quickly through the air, Timaeus hoped that its aim was true.
But he was not stupid enough to wait and see, instead, he simply pulled another arrow from his nearly full quiver and lobbed off one after the other. He may have completely messed up on the ground, but with a little luck, this wouldn’t be the case from his higher vantage point in the tree. After all, he was a Captain of the Men of Heights.
As soon as the prince had finished speaking, there was soon a new chill on their air. However, this time it was not of the weather. This was something more primal, something more animalistic. A chill went down the young commanders spine as he stood there, unsheathing this longsword. It seemed as it was not only him that had this strange feeling.
There was soon a rustling in the bushes near them but a figure could not be made out. It was unsure what this beast was but it was now as though it was stalking them. The little party of four had now become the prey for this animal, if you could call it that. Lazaros squinted, trying to see into the bushes to see if he could make out any features of the being that lay within. However, nothing could be seen. Laz heard the young Colchian lord draw out his bow as well and ready it with a arrow. It would seem they were all readying themselves for the fight that loomed above their heads.
A quick glance over to Timaeus, he noticed the visible shake in his arms. Was this terror? Or was this merely the fact that he now had pulled back his bow in a ready position and his muscles were not trained to be held for long. There was a drop in his gut as he stood silently and watched as the mental and physical strain of the man was clear. How long could he hold out? However, soon those questions would be answered as if out of no where, a bundle of snow landed upon the lords head and took him and even Laz by surprised, causing Laz to flinch and the young man holding the bow taut to release his hold and sending their arrow lurching forward. Again, Lazaros's stomach sank as he watched it sail into the push that held the whole reason they were all nervous in the first place.
With the arrow launched into the brush, a loud roar came from inside. Laz did not flinch this time as he was prepared for some sort of reaction, he just wasn't sure of what. That is until the loud roar erupted around them. The arrow had made contact with the beast within but from what happened next, clearly had not stop nor slowed it down. But what came towards them was not a bear. No, this beast was much worst than a bear. The commander next heard the yell of the prince, confirming this. "It's not a bear!" He too shot his bow, launching an arrow into the beasts shoulder and then rolled out of the way as the mountain lion sprang towards them and charged after them.
Nike was the next to react, throwing her knives into the lions side with a few missing entirely. The ones that did make contact seemed to affect the lion enough for the other commander to grab a hold of Timaeus and pull him from harms way, for now. Lazaros had flung into action and lept to Vangelis's side, his long sword ready to swing. However, Nike began shouting out commands, telling him to stand back and ready his sword for when the beast was tired and they were out of options as his long sword would be more affect then. He gave a nod and stood at the ready. He heard the last bit of his words and returned the grin. The two of them were used to battle and the small glints of humor was a way to make a hard fight just that little bit easier.
Lazaros then noticed that Timaeus was missing. Where had the young lord gone? Did the big cat take him when they were looking? No, that couldn't be. They had their eyes on the beast since it had unveiled itself from the brush. Where could he have gone? As if his question was answered by the Gods, a glint of metal caught his eye and he looked up into the trees. Half expecting to see yet another mountain lion, he saw the man. He has perched himself up in the tree and was then beginning to shoot arrows down towards the lion. It was a stupid move but at the same time brilliant. "Good shooting! Keep it up!" Lazaros yelled up to him and then put his attention back upon the fight on the ground.
Unlike the others, Lazaros did not have a ranged weapon so he would have to wait for the beast to get into sword range. Then he would be able to wreak havoc along side them.
"Careful Nike!" Not only would he have to watch for the lion but also for the arrows being shot from above.
The mountain lion appears rabid as it refuses to take their attacks or strikes as warnings to flee. With arrows half embedded and cuts and marks over its shoulders, it continues to charge and pounce at different members of the group in turn, as they strike and roll to safety.
The animal returns with regularity to a particular point in the undergrowth before striking out again. A point in amongst brush and directly beneath a strong bow of a tree.
So far the whole situation seemed off. What was wrong with this big feline? It did not seem to care that they were shooting arrows and striking at it with large swords, even the knives sticking out out its hide were not deterring it. It was so odd to see something fight so hard when it could just run and flee the other direction. Lazaros had never seen something so strange in all his lives. Sure, bears might stick around and fight but a cat after taking so much damage, most would have fled.
He was deep in thought while he watched the others dealt with the cat. They seemed to be distracting it enough that it had yet to really pay him much attention. He was further back than the others anyway, waiting for his time to strike with his sword. His own commander had told him to wait and he would do just that. The other were tiring the cat out so Lazaros figured he would be able to take the cat down when the time was right.
It seemed as though that the time was nearing quickly as the cat continued its onslaught of fighting. The others still shooting it with arrows yet some not all had fully punctured the hide of the big cat and had bounced off. Then it disappeared into the underbrush again. This made Lazaros's stomach jump. They could not let the cat get away nor could they let it have any sort of upper hand on them. They had to get it out of there. Was this his time to attack? He readied himself, his own legs ready to pounce but yet he held his position. Not yet.
From where Vangelis had skidded into some vegetation at the side of the mountain path, he was able to witness the fight objectively. Only occasionally, did the big cat come near him, preferring to keep its attention on those in closer reach who appeared more the threat. A wild animal knew no danger in the bow and arrow Vangelis held, nor the fact that it could offer danger to the creature from a fair distance.
Upon catching an opportunity or shot, Vangelis launched a total of four arrows at the creature. One deflected, catching the animals' hide only slightly as he made a sudden change of direction, the other three hit him at different points in the upper body, but wild cat skeletons were hard to judge. They were fluid and moved with more grace and change than a deer or boar. And as the arrows stood stark upright in its hide it was clear Vangelis had failed to hit a target between the bones of the lion's frame.
Gritting his teeth, Vangelis narrowed his eyes and watched the creature's pattern. He moved in a series of jumps and leaps, always returning to what he believed to be the safety of some underbrush beneath an overarching tree. It was typical of an animal to behave as such, guarding a safe haven point or territory - if only to have a space to return to free of attackers.
When the animal made a darting motion at Nike, Vangelis threw power into his legs, leapt the rocks beside the tree, his boots hitting and digging in hard, and the quickly reached for the nearest branch. With a scurry and climb that only two heartbeats, as he heard a grunt from his female Commander as she avoided yet another attack, Vangelis was able to swing a leg up and over the tree branch.
Heaving himself up to sitting position and then hooking his boots up under him so he sat crouched upon the bow that juddered at his sudden weight, Vangelis looked down towards the bush that the lion seemed to prefer and waited. Trying to catch the eye of Timaeus or Nike - who had the longer range weapons in order to attack without risk of injury to themselves - Vangelis indicated their way to frighten the beast. A jolt of attack in its personal space would send it retreating back again, it's rear to the base of the tree where it believed itself to be safe. Directly beneath Vangelis' perch on the over-arching bow.
Unsheathing one of his dual swords and pausing in place, Vangelis waited for the right moment, blade glinting in the now darkening sunlight.
Busy with trying to make sure she didn't become a bowling pin for a hungry, large and ferocious feline, Nike did not notice Timaeus scaling the tree at all. By the time she recovered from her dive to safety, arrows seemed to have embedded themselves in the body of the feline, judging by the pained yowl he gave. With dirt in her clothing, grass sticking in every which direction from her cropped hair, her eyes widened, looking up, and then grinned when she saw the younger Captain upon a branch. Flashing him a quick thumbs up, only to realize when she swivelled her head back, that the cat had disappeared from sight.
Straightening up in surprise, Nike looked around in her attempt to spot the mountain cat, her hands at the ready on her waist. The throwing knives she had was quickly dwindling, so every shot she took now had to count, and she was careful to not react with no reason to. Her eyes watchful, Nike crouched lower, until the lion leapt out of the underbrush again, snarling with its teeth gleaming in the winter sun.
It was odd, the actions of the wild animal. Why would it be attacking, when animals such as these usually fled the scene when attack, unless they feel cornered? And with plenty of chance to escape once they disappeared in the underbrush... why would it keep coming back?
Her brows were furrowed in confusion as she crouched lower still, eyes watching as its tail lashed dangerous, beady golden eyes darting from one human to another, as if the lion was attempting to figure out which one to go for first.
But Nike did not want to give it a chance to attack.
She had heard rather then seen Vangelis leapt into the tree, and she knew without looking that Lazaros still hung back from what Nike had advised earlier - she and Timaeus were the only ones who could attack from afar. So she circled away from the beast, so she could direct the beast's rump against the tree where Vangelis was perched on, against the two wielding swords. There, Nike smirked, as she pulled out two of her throwing knives and in quick succession, threw them one after the other, aiming for the eyes of the cat.
Reaching back into his quiver, Timaeus could feel that the arrows he had were quickly dwindling. Knowing that he did not have any reserve weapon for when he ran out, Timaeus became more careful with his shots as a result. Instead of lobbing them off whenever he saw an opportunity, he watched the beast, trying to see where it was going in order to prepare for more forceful blows. It was then that the youngest of the party, like the others before him, realized that there was something odd with the cat’s behavior. For some reason, it kept returning to the brush and then would race out again, almost as if it was intent on killing the group before it would leave as any sensible animal would.
He couldn’t afford to dwell on this though as time was something that was not on their side. Instead, Timaeus only used the information to carefully line up his next shot, landing his arrows in more vital places. However, the beast seemed unfazed by the fact it was quickly becoming a pincushion. His jaw clenched in frustration, not understanding why this animal wasn’t behaving as it should.
Luckily, before his annoyance could lead to more sloppy shots, a nearby movement caught the boy’s eyes. Glancing upwards and through the brush, Timaeus saw Prince Vangelis also up a tree; a sight that he might have cracked a smile at the sight if it hadn’t been so serious. The Kotas man signaled for Timaeus to assist Nike in distracting the beast and leading it towards him. With a curt nod, Timaeus turned back to the beast on the ground below where Nike seemed to be doing a fantastic job on his own, but when Timaeus could see the animal try to break the trap, he fired off more volleys to further pen it in.
Without realizing it, the Valaoritis boy only had a handful of arrows left.
Reaching for another one, he watched Nike pulled two daggers from his belt and wordlessly Timaeus understood what the commander was doing. “Aim for the legs.” He quietly muttered the commander's orders from earlier to himself as he turned his arrow towards the beast. He didn’t have to wait long for Nike to let loose her weapons and Timaeus let go of the arrow. If all went well, it would rip through the beast’s paw and keep the daggers on track to blind the beast.
Vangelis waited, perched and careful. The creature followed its known patterns as any animal did when in fear or desperate. At just the right moment, Nike launched her daggers at the same instant that Timaeus loosened the string of his bow, sending shape metal towards both the creatures face and legs. The animal reared up, frightened of the attack towards its eyes and attempting to dodge the arrows fired low. The animal lost balance on its hind quarters, fell backwards onto its rear and then scrambled and rolled so put itself in the underbrush, directly below Vangelis.
Without thought or hesitation, Vangelis dropped from his branch. He didn't jump or cause the branch to judder and alert the animal of danger. Instead, she simply stepped off of it, his sword in hand, blade facing down.
Gravity ensured the force behind his weapon, all he had to do was give it a steady hand, a relaxed elbow and the right aid.
Within a heartbeat, Vangelis dropped from his bough, landed with feet either side of the fallen, scrambling creature, and had buried the blade of his sword deep into the side of his chest, his aim drew this time; between the ribs.
There was only a singular moment of tense muscles and a shocked gasp of pain from the animal and then all was still.
Leaving the sword embedded, despite the creature obviously being dead, Vangelis swung a leg back around and moved to inspect the creature and its carcass. His eyes were shrewd and his lips thin as he hunkered down beside the creature and reached out. The tips of his fingers brushed at the animal’s mouth and came away with bubbling white foam, as it seeped through the creature’s teeth. Vangelis pulled at the creature’s fur, turning up its eyelid so he could see the animal’s eyes better. The pupils were blown wide open.
Sniffing as he stood, Vangelis caught whiff of that smoke again as he turned to look towards the others.
"Everyone okay?" He asked, clocking eyes with them, before glancing back down at the dead creature at his feet. Something wasn't right in these woods...
The threat of the beast has been extinguished but the threat of the wild is still lurking. Where is the bear that is supposed to have attacked humans and settlements - despite it being winter? Why has this animal breached the safety of its den to attack instead of flee? The group look around themselves as if searching for an answer among the trees and leaves and can smell the cloying smell of burning from the north. The wind blows hard and a deep cold is setting in as the sun sets.
Does Nike of Acaris...
1. Retrieve a token of victory from the animal they've now slain.
2. Propose they make camp for the night and continue the hunt in the morning.
3. Suggest continuing on their journey to hunt for the bear.
Sure enough, with both the young captain and Nike working together, the deranged creature was pushed right into the corner they wanted them in, and Nike held off her last few throwing knives just as Vangelis fell in out of seemingly nowhere, his sword poised just to give the mountain lion a fatal stab embedded right in between its ribs.
The moment the feline fell in a deadened heap at her general's feet, and only then did Nike straighten up, a satisfied smirk on her lips. Flicking the two knives she held in her hand, she slid them right back into the belt, jogging over to collect the few she could spy, before heading over to the general just as he checked on everyone's wellbeing.
The woman give a curt nod. Over the years, Nike had developed to be a woman of little words, be it by circumstance or if it was simply her nature, she would never find out. But whatever it was, she simply casted her gaze down on the creature, and frowned when the closer proximity brought to her attention the froth around the teeth. She may not have much knowledge regarding wildlife, but even Nike knew that an animal frothing around its mouth, added on to the way it was behaving earlier, was simply not right.
As Vangelis, she smelt the smoke as the wind picked up again, but by the time, the sun was beginning to make its descent. The group had hours left, but it was still precious hours, and they had to remember they needed to reserve enough time that would allow them to return to the township of Lyncaea before night blanketed the area and limited their vision. Being caught in the wild, regardless of whether they were military armed soldiers or not, was a dangerous matter, especially when the temperature could change drastically without the safety of fire and walls.
Looking up as if gauging their time, the Commander ran a hand through her hair, and then gazed further into the trees, in the general direction she suspected the smoke was coming from. "We promised Lyncaea we'd hunt a bear." she murmured, a tone soft enough that only those standing around her would hear. Nike was nothing if not beyond responsible, and she didn't enjoy the idea of the people in the province living in fear another day. The bear had terrorized enough of the Colchian men and women, and judging from the deranged mountain lion they had just fell... the Lyncaean's would have many more animals breaching the forest line to attack if they didn't do something about it.
"I think we need to hunt more then just the bear. Something's wrong in these woods." Nike finally muttered, using her boot to kick at the lifeless carcass of the lion. Her gaze was steely and sharp as she levelled them on her companions. "We should do something about that, should we not? No matter how long it takes?" To a certain extent, Nike would defer to whatever her General decided of course. She was a soldier trained to obey through and through, but that didn't mean she wouldn't toss her own ideals and wishes out there. Besides, Timaeus and herself were running short on ranged weapons, and she had only managed to retrieve half her throwing knives. If anything, they needed to recoup, and if the journey to return to Lyncaea was too far, then perhaps a night time camp would suffice.
Vangelis' expression was neutral as he nudged at the large animal they had collectively brought down, but he nodded his assent with Nike's thoughts. The commander was right. They were here to perform a duty and that responsibility did not end the moment danger was brought to their attention. What was more of a concern, was the number of weapons and ammunition they had lost in the process of fighting the lion, when there appeared to be more than simply the bear to be fought against between now and the completion of their task.
With a steadying inhale and a slow exhale as the most logical steps seemed to fall into place in his mind, Vangelis turned to look at each of his accompanying men.
"Agreed." He stated to Nike, before turning to look at the other two. "Timaeus, find what you can of our weaponry. Some of it will be salvageable and we have limited stock. Find what you can to make replacements while you're at it." While there would be no replacing knives or blades lost, sharpened limbs of trees would make valid arrows - especially if the ends could be retrieved from their previously used munition. It might involve digging inside the lion's carcass to find them, but needs must if there was no sharp flint around.
Turning his attention to Lazaros, Vangelis looked out around the trees in their immediate surroundings.
"We're not going to get any further in the dark." Vangelis confirmed with decisive action. "We'll need to make camp if we're to find this bear tomorrow. Find suitable grounds and start on clearing an area that's easily defended. I doubt any creatures will attack provided we stay out of their territory but just in case we need to find something with advantage."
His gaze landed on Nike, his female Commander who had already suffered a dislocated shoulder and snake bite on their journey so far.
"Find us some firewood." He told her. There was no need to inform her that the drier the better, for they had each lived rough on campaigns before. Only a military newcomer would know not to select damp wood for burning. "I'll find us some food..."