Hunters Hunted in the East Wood Part Two - RPLOG
Participants
Date
15/8/2013
Log
Delve looks to Smokie, a pleased expression on her canine face. Even the one bad eye seems to rally, almost pointing the same direction as the good eye. Almost. Brushing a lock of her ruler-straight, jet-black hair out of her face, she calls over, "You've got a scent? Good enough to track? Right on! All right, boys n' girls," the coyote woman says in a more businesslike tone as she puts away her sampling tools, re-shoulders her backpack and nanite collector, then rises. "There's not much wind, but try to be aware of even the slightest breeze, and watch your step. Don't want to give the sonofabitch any warning." Drawing her combat knife, she gestures with the blade in a broad fan-shape, although carefully so as not to hit anyone. "Scent trackers, on the mark with Smokie and I. Others, fan out and look for conventional sign, or just follow us and keep your eyes, ears, and noses out. Time to hunt this fucker down."
Angus nods, looking over to Arimia and eyeing her sword. "When we encounter it, I think Arimia and I should take it head on while everyone flanks us. Any objections?" He really didn't want to put to many people in harms way on this, and he didn't mind a few bullets in his back along with claws raking at his front if he could take it down fast. He frowns, holding his hammer at the ready in both hands as he fans out. His eyes open, nose flaring and his ears swiveling at the slightest sound as he trys to remain alert.
Alkain hmms at Delve and nods at that, "Understood." as he looks around catiously while getting his Mauser out of it's holster, he follows after the others and looks to Angus with a shake of his head, "No problems here."
Smokie pursues the scent as far as she can, as fast as she can. Even clothed so modestly, she moves like an animal in the woods. Who said anything about not being used to the woods? She IS a little slower due to her pregnancy, but only people who have worked with her before can tell. Her paws leave only shallow tracks in the grass, earth, and moss, as, hunched over, her nose greedily takes in the scents of the forest
Arimia takes a deep breath to catch the scent as well, but lets Smokie lead the way, slithering along behind the coyote with her sword out. As she goes she mutter, "No, I said. I don't want the infection forming a helmet with a HUD and radar. It would make my snakes uncomfortable, and I'm attached to the little buggers. Next time I should just ignore that."
"Finally got a scent? Good!" Now finally away from the body, Dio gives his shotgun one more check, knowing that he'll probably be needing to use it in the near future. "Are you sure about that, sir? Engaging the thing in melee combat may not bring optimal results. And I do have a spread shot weapon... I may have to get closer and give it a good flank." The lion waves his shotgun around for emphasis and soon follows after Smokie and the bunch, choosing to spread out a bit.
Delve, too, moves with remarkable silence and grace through the dense, deeply-shaded undergrowth, although with more of a practiced than primal ease. She does her best to remain protectively ahead of the others, as if feeling responsible for their safety. To judge by her frequent glances and ear-flicks she is keeping close attention on where each member of the group is at any given moment while still devoting most of her attention to following the scent and watching the woods ahead. It's a lot of multi-tasking, and there's a slight edginess to her motions, as if she is less skilled at this sort of group behavior.
This is one of the densest, darkest parts of the East Woods, but the sensitive noses of the scent-trackers aren't hindered by such petty problems as lack of light. Once the scent is discovered, it's very easy to follow, simply due to its uniqueness. Not avian -or- reptilian, it has a subtle flavor of both, blended with an almost humanlike signature, but with a weird overtone like nothing any of the trackers have ever smelled before. Those who have encountered dinosaur mutants will recognize that part of the unusual scent is dinosaurian in nature, at least, but it is still something new... and unknown.
The density of the wood becomes an advantage in some ways, as conventional trackers quickly begin to notice subtle signs of the passage of other beings along the scent trail. A broken twig here, a tiny crushed mushroom there. Arimia is the one who spots the footprint first, however. In a spot where the hardpacked soil scattered with woodland debris gives way to a deeper layer of duff, and here, a two-toed, saurian footprint is clearly visible. Oddly, it appears to have been left by a bipedal creature slightly -smaller- than human size.
To Angus, before the footprint is discovered, Delve nods and agrees quietly, "Just make sure you don't kill it unless you have to. And if you do, make sure there's enough left for this baby to do its job," she adds, patting her nanite collector fondly.
The Coyote smiles, giving a nod in understanding. "I'll do my best, but I can't make any promises sadly." Turning to Dio he eyes his shotgun, and cringes a little. "Alright, good point. I'll not go throwing myself at it just yet."
The Coyote smiles, giving a nod in understanding. "I'll do my best, but I can't make any promises sadly." Turning to Dio he eyes his shotgun, and cringes a little. "Alright, good point. I'll not go throwing myself at it just yet." Angus pulls the strap of his hammer back over his head and moves it behind him, before he draws his Revolver he didn't give to Smokie. And pulls his Tomahawk to wield in his other hand.
Delve I observed that you two seem more than just ICly attached :) Congratulations! How long have you been together? Have you gotten to meet offline?
Alkain hmms? at Dio and sighs with a nod, "True..." he then peers at the tracks once they are spotted and shakes his head again, "You said it was a taur right?" he looks to Delve curiously as he ponders a bit, "Looks bipedal, here..."
Smokie sails right on by the footprint, still following the scent. She overshoots the group some, and doesn't notice she'd almost out of view of them until she hears that their pawprints have stopped. She frowns, turning back to look at them, drawing out her mate's revolver just in case. "What's up?" she says, a little wary.
Arimia pauses by the footprint and looks it over, using her hand to guage the rough size of it. She pokes around at the ground to see about finding more, before looking around at the trees and saying, "Smells like those things from the museum, almost. The dinosaurs. The print reminds of that as well. Too small for any of those, though."
Dio begins remembering the times he went hunting in his youth, picking up the trail and using the aid of his sharp leonine nose. He looks down at the large footprint along with some of the others, trying to see if he could recognize it. "You're right, ma'am," he comments at Arimia. "It does remind me a little bit of those museum mutants." The lion brings his shotgun to his other hand as well, now wielding it with both hands. "We must be getting quite close."
Delve is with Smokie and also misses the print until called back to it. Peering down at the print curiously, Delve kneels, removes her pack, and gets out an L-ruler and a small digital camera. As she places the L-ruler carefully beside the print, then lines up a photograph, Delve replies to Alkain, "I tried to describe it before, but the thing is damn hard to describe. It seems biologically impossible, to be honest. Another reason I want the fucker alive if we can manage it. It's like one of those meat eater dinos, the two-leg ones... but a taur version."
