...just another day on Carcosa?

[Alethan]

Gibbering checks his movement, unshoulders his bow and moves into cover.

[Merctime]

Sorrows unlimbers bow and nocks an arrow, also moving quickly to seek some concealing refuge and prepare to ambush. He will focus his sight nearest the disturbing of the bushes, but will cast glances all about in short bursts.

[Grognardsw]

Blood Skald of Doom passes those first days of travel in troubled thought, wondering what the strange visions mean, where his wandering will bring him, and why the blue and yellow man are here. His mood is dark and song-word is not expressed.

The albino reaver of the north starts at the sounds of the giant thing approaching. He moves to the right behind cover and nocks an arrow to Verses of Pain, hoping to gain a surprise flank attack on whatever threat is soon to burst upon them.

[Blackrazor]

You move into cover behind thick trees, arrows ready to fly. The vegetation, a stones throw away, quivers, and a tree is shoved with such force it falls sideways, caught by it's neighbors before it can hit the ground. Avians and skitterers flee. Another tree is shoved aside, and now a third, getting closer. The beasts snarling howls, are accompanied by growling barks, many of them.

Coming into view is a massive shape breaking a tree in half, as it shoulders it's way through it, barely hindered. It snarls in rage as it's great clawed paws propel it's bulk forward. You also see two, no four...no now six smaller furred beast chasing beside and after the massive ursine behemoth. They bark, pounce and bite at it.

The dark furred monster is nearly two men tall from ground to it's steep humped back. The beast could easily rest it's head on top of Blood Skald, it fangs the length of a hand, it's claws even longer. Growing out of its bulk on the left flank is a conjoined ursine monstrosity. The thick head of the sharp fanged twin roars, spitting saliva. The beast twin's one arm, grows at an odd angle and does not touch the ground and is massively muscled. It swats menacingly at the leaping canines.

This unwholesome freak of nature's wrath is covered in old scars, a few broken spears protrude from it bulk, as well as many broken arrows, a handful of arrows however look new and are darkly feathered.

The area on either side of the brook is clear of tress, though flimsy yellow green shrubs with broad leaves line its banks. The brook and it surroundings, are a dozen or so paces away.

The best shot, will not occur until it reaches the brook. Though you wonder if your arrows will be enough to drop such a beast as it seems to have weathered a storm of attacks launched by warriors and hunters from past battles.

[Grognardsw]

Blood Skald of Doom, arrow nocked, holds off on firing. He thinks the beast may well run by them given it is being pursued by a pack of hounds. He wonders if those newer arrows stuck in the creature mean there are other humans nearby, perhaps a village. The beast's obvious trail could be followed back.

[Alethan]

Gibbering also notes the hounds and fresh arrows in the creature and holds his position, wondering who might hunt such a beast...

[Merctime]

Sorrows scans the areas just around where the beast is, and where it came from. Does there appear to be any signs of noise or movement other than the other smaller creatures yapping at it? As in from following hunters?

For now, Sorrows is content as seem his fellows to watch and see this drama unfold.

[Blackrazor]

The beast and it's pursuers crash into the clearing. Upon closer inspection, you see that the pack of barking critters, are strange indeed, all thick black fur with ferocious maws ringed with sharp fangs. The pack's gait is odd, accounted for by the their larger forelimbs and squat hindquarters. They do not run, so much as pull and jump forward.

The massive brute, turns quickly to face the pack, which now surround it. The thing turns again and roars at the pack, which seems undaunted by the ursine's aggressive stance. The black monsters stand nearly as tall as Gibbering, and one bite could easily consume a limb or three or more.

Both heads roar a challenge as it bolts forward, it bowls over a black maw, but is quickly contained by its mates. This continues for many heartbeats, the great thing surging forward, the black maws cutting it off, when a loud sharp whistle pierces the air. It's high pitched staccato a message of some sort, one you know the black maws understand as they growl angrily and launch themselves at the thing. The attack has begun.

To you right across the brook, fifty paces away, a dark figure in a brownish hooded cloak appears. It is shaped like a man, and carries a very large black bow, you notice a sword as well, short and broad at the figures hip. A large quiver of arrows on its back.

It nocks and arrow and approaches the fight.

[Grognardsw]

Blood Skald of Doom holds his fire, easing bow string back and arrow down. He watches the cloaked man. A hunter, a link to knowledge of this strange land Blood Skald finds himself in. He watches from cover.

[Alethan]

Gibbering likewise does not move from his position, interested to see how the action plays out. He keeps his arrow set to bow string, just in case.

[Merctime]

Arrow remaining nocked, Sorrows will also just keep eyes (and ears!) out until something new has arisen. He will begin to scrutinize this new brown-cloaked figure, searching it/him and trying to spy any detail as to whom or what this might be.

[Blackrazor]

The black maws hurl themselves at the beast biting and clawing, while the slowly approaching archer lets fly a dark feathered arrow which sinks deeply into the beast's leg. The beast does not even flinch, as it shrugs off the black maws, a new bleeding wound on it's neck from a vicious chomp. Lurching forward the ursine twin's massive claw bats a black maw out of the air as it leaps, sending the sprawling thing thudding into a nearby tree with a yelp of pain, it gets up slowly and charges back into the melee with a noticeable limp.

Another arrows sinks deep into the beast as the black maws tear at it, opening gashes on his legs and sides, while it clumsily swats back wounding two more maws.

Closing in, the archer lets loose another dark arrow which strikes the snarling monster in the chest, three maws ferociously biting the thing's thick legs, giving as good as getting as the monster rakes and bites at the agile hunters.

More than twenty heartbeats have passed since the battle began, when a deafening dual roar erupts from the beast as it breaks through the pack of barking maws and charges the surprised archer, whose rushed arrow misses. The massive monstrosity rends the archer right then left. The figure screams in pain as blood explodes from the claw wounds. The archer collapses dead or near death, the wounds look horrendous, the bow falling from his grasp. The maws yelp in surprise and jump in growling and snapping, their fur standing on end like jagged daggers hoping to protect their fallen ally.

[Grognardsw]

Blood Skald of Doom sees the stranger fall before the feasome beast. Dead men tell no tales. Has Blood Skald lost a source of answers to where they are? The reaver waits, hoping the beast will fall to the hounds or run now that its hunter is down.

If the beast does leave, Blood Skald rushes out to help the downed man hoping he yet lives.

[Merctime]

OOC: this area has alot of trees, does it not? If there is a suitably large tree in the area, say, far-ish to a side of his fellows, and it appears that he can move at a dead run in time to climb some of it, he will do so. My intention here is distraction... To whoop and holler, wave arms about, as Sorrows dashes for a tree that he may climb to possibly receive some safety from the larger creature.

If he can run and then climb a decently solid tree, that's what he will do. If there isn't a suitable tree in a suitable distance, he will remain hidden with bow-string to cheek and await opportunity to strike if the larger creature appears gravely wounded by the smaller ones.

[Blackrazor]

Sorrows thinks upon the situation. The beast is more than twice his height and that is on all fours, is very fast and strong enough to snap the boles of the tress here in half, or uproot them. Sorrows could run and scale a nearby tree with out much difficulty, and beat the beast up it. His safety up there .... there is only one way to find out.

[Merctime]

...Sorrows will definitely await the events with bowstring taught in that case!

[Alethan]

Gibbering waits to see what happens next now that the black-furred animals have lost their apparent handler.

He does not speak. In fact, he stands so still one might think him a statue, were his skin chalky white instead of yellow in color.

[Blackrazor]

The bear beast roars again at the wall of snarling maws whose dark fur bristles in anger. The loyal creatures stand their ground as the monstrosity sniffs, snorts and paws the ground. They advance a step, maws low to the ground, hindquarters raised, ready to pounce. The massive mutant turns and retreats into the forest to lick it wounds.

The threat gone the maws turn their attention to the fallen archer, who stirs slightly when one of the critters nuzzels him with it's snout.

[Grognardsw]

Blood Skald of Doom puts his weapon away and slowly, cautiously, steps forth from cover. His hands out in what he hopes the hounds will take for meaning no harm. The northerner will approach and see if the prone hunter is still alive, and if so will tend to his wounds as best he can.

[Alethan]

Gibbering shoulders his bow and returns his arrow to its quiver and likewise slowly steps out into the clearing.

He does not approach the body of the hunter, though, instead intent on listening for the return of the large creature.