OOC Note:
Andre followed closely behind Clover as she led the way to the pile of debris that obstructed the caravan's path. Upon arriving before the blockade, the hyur analyzed it with a subtle eagerness, a perhaps noticeable but lightened expression of puzzlement forming over his features. Something about it appeared... unusual. The way the branches had been stacked did not lend very much to believe that it had been a natural occurrence; it was messily placed of course, but not so much that it would have been unreasonable to wonder if it had indeed been man-made. The male's eyes followed along the the length of the pile to the left of the road, to where it greeted the base of the grassy slope from which it has presumably fallen or been blown down. Oddly still, there were no obvious signs of movement.
The thick layer of grass that carpeted the slope wasn't significantly tall, no more than a few ilms in height, though regardless... it still should have been fairly easy to detect any disturbances that would have been expected to come about from such large branches and rocks tumbling downhill.
The hyur glided his eyes along the slope while humming a bemused tone as the scene left him somewhat bewildered. His azure eyes quickly looked back and forth around his surroundings as though seeking an answer from elsewhere, though it didn't take long before the lack of which caused him to lose interest and return to squat before the mound of branches. He reached his arm in a small arc before him to form a claw which then gripped the other's wrist to gently slide the length of the woolen sleeve covering his forearm further up until it reached his elbow; moving then to repeat the process on his opposing arm. With his shirt at least partly safe from being sullied by the muddier branches, he moved closer and reached both of his exposed arms far in to the dampened pile of branches, collecting the largest bundle that he was capable of carrying before withdrawing and returning back to his feet. Casually, he then turned, naturally expecting to see Clover - whom had been beside him but moments ago - walking back toward him in search of another branch or two; instead, however, he saw Clover not walking, but running... fleeing it had almost appeared in fact, her direction taking her off of the main road and downhill amidst the trees.
Andre's brow quickly furrowed as the unexpected sight both puzzled and worried him greatly. While it wasn't unlike the girl to go running off after something that caught her interest, it didn't seem quite like something that Clover would do in this particular scenario, particularly when she had been so eager to assist with the task at hand. To say the least, it wasn't something that he had quite expected, let alone one that he could rationally justify to himself.
"...Clover?" his voice chased after her weakly, too quiet for it to so much as be overheard by anyone nearby.
His eyes quickly retreated back over his shoulders, looking about himself and examining anyone who may have been nearby before speaking again.
"I'm sorry, I'll be back in a moment!" he called out to the others so as to not cause them any alarm, if possible, before he pushed himself into a jog and hastily cast away all of the branches that he had been carrying as he reached the end of the road. The immediate section of the lower slope that dropped away from the path's right flank was significantly steeper than the rest of the land and made it difficult to traverse downward, especially with a quickened pace. Numerous hollows, carved naturally from the structure of the land and the weather it had suffered, were littered beneath the long and tangled blades of grass that concealed the uneven topsoil that lay between the narrow trees; all of whose existence seemed to serve no other purpose than to conspire with the exposed tree roots in order to hinder Andre's movement in an attempt to cause him to stumble headfirst into the soft ground.
Luckily, however, he managed to avoid a scenario similar to the one at the river months previous... this time, at least.
"Clover! Slow down a moment..!" he called to the oblivious girl with a voice just low enough for the others not to hear as his distance from her slowly but surely closed down.
-----
"Now! We should charge now!" a guttural voice anxiously croaked free from out of a concealed beast's leathery gullet.
"For what reason need we tarry? Let us away!" another throaty voice echoed the former's wishes before stealing a step forward with eager suggestion. The thin layer of fallen leaves failed to protect much of the fragile soil that was repeatedly torn and tossed by the sharp talons which decorated his restless feet. He was halted however, as a thin, yet muscular arm was cast out before his path by another in total defiance.
"You will wait for my order" the deeper voice directed clearly, delivered with a harsh tone that was not made to be argued against.
Hidden within the darkness, not far above from where the caravan had come to a stop, the Ixals shuffled restlessly - their weapons gripped firmly under their gnarled fingers as they awaited the words that would grant them freedom from the thick patch of woodland that concealed them from the view of the unsuspecting travelers below. Their numbers were significant, accumulating to more than what the men and women below could ever hope to fend off even were they all apt fighters, as was the beastmens' intention. Intimidation tactics - used to ensure a quick and clean process.
The leader, evident by his superior armour and greater stature loitered just behind the border of where the penetrating, morning light clashed against the woodland's resilient pool of shadow. His thick, coriaceous skin was a dark and morbid shade of grey that blended fairly against the flaky tree bark in whose shade he patiently resided. The caravan's driver was the victim of the creature's persisting watch, his beady, green eyes flickering analytically with every subtle movement the hyur man made - waiting for him to tie down the chocobos and to turn away from the hill from where the beasts would soon charge.
It didn't take long before a deep breath, that resembled the hiss of serpent, escaped the creature's grotesque beak, having now been finally greeted with the sight he had been waiting for. The man whom his gaze has vigilantly stalked had, at last, secured the chocobos to a nearby tree and had moved on to assist with the removal of the debris; a diversion of their own making. There was no quick escape for any of them now; nor would the spooked birds cause confusion should they wish to charge off alone.
The leader growled lowly with decision as his misty, deep-set eyes met with those of his impatient second.
"Show death to any who would challenge Garuda's might"
The beast's eyes lit up with delight upon hearing his commander's words, his gaze not taking long to return eagerly forward.
It was time now.
For the shortest moment, an odd and deathly silence fell upon the forest. Each one of the Ixal that stood quietly in formation became perfectly still with anticipation as they awaited the final order from their leader. They watched with both excitement and intent as the towering, horned monstrosity before them turned to look on down the slope once more and introduced the distinctive sound of metal grating off of metal to resonate loudly throughout the air - their leader's weapon now drawn and hanging low by his side in readiment.
"Seize them."
![[Image: mountain-path-2_00445413.jpg]](http://wallpoper.com/images/00/44/54/13/mountain-path-2_00445413.jpg)
Andre followed closely behind Clover as she led the way to the pile of debris that obstructed the caravan's path. Upon arriving before the blockade, the hyur analyzed it with a subtle eagerness, a perhaps noticeable but lightened expression of puzzlement forming over his features. Something about it appeared... unusual. The way the branches had been stacked did not lend very much to believe that it had been a natural occurrence; it was messily placed of course, but not so much that it would have been unreasonable to wonder if it had indeed been man-made. The male's eyes followed along the the length of the pile to the left of the road, to where it greeted the base of the grassy slope from which it has presumably fallen or been blown down. Oddly still, there were no obvious signs of movement.
The thick layer of grass that carpeted the slope wasn't significantly tall, no more than a few ilms in height, though regardless... it still should have been fairly easy to detect any disturbances that would have been expected to come about from such large branches and rocks tumbling downhill.
The hyur glided his eyes along the slope while humming a bemused tone as the scene left him somewhat bewildered. His azure eyes quickly looked back and forth around his surroundings as though seeking an answer from elsewhere, though it didn't take long before the lack of which caused him to lose interest and return to squat before the mound of branches. He reached his arm in a small arc before him to form a claw which then gripped the other's wrist to gently slide the length of the woolen sleeve covering his forearm further up until it reached his elbow; moving then to repeat the process on his opposing arm. With his shirt at least partly safe from being sullied by the muddier branches, he moved closer and reached both of his exposed arms far in to the dampened pile of branches, collecting the largest bundle that he was capable of carrying before withdrawing and returning back to his feet. Casually, he then turned, naturally expecting to see Clover - whom had been beside him but moments ago - walking back toward him in search of another branch or two; instead, however, he saw Clover not walking, but running... fleeing it had almost appeared in fact, her direction taking her off of the main road and downhill amidst the trees.
Andre's brow quickly furrowed as the unexpected sight both puzzled and worried him greatly. While it wasn't unlike the girl to go running off after something that caught her interest, it didn't seem quite like something that Clover would do in this particular scenario, particularly when she had been so eager to assist with the task at hand. To say the least, it wasn't something that he had quite expected, let alone one that he could rationally justify to himself.
"...Clover?" his voice chased after her weakly, too quiet for it to so much as be overheard by anyone nearby.
His eyes quickly retreated back over his shoulders, looking about himself and examining anyone who may have been nearby before speaking again.
"I'm sorry, I'll be back in a moment!" he called out to the others so as to not cause them any alarm, if possible, before he pushed himself into a jog and hastily cast away all of the branches that he had been carrying as he reached the end of the road. The immediate section of the lower slope that dropped away from the path's right flank was significantly steeper than the rest of the land and made it difficult to traverse downward, especially with a quickened pace. Numerous hollows, carved naturally from the structure of the land and the weather it had suffered, were littered beneath the long and tangled blades of grass that concealed the uneven topsoil that lay between the narrow trees; all of whose existence seemed to serve no other purpose than to conspire with the exposed tree roots in order to hinder Andre's movement in an attempt to cause him to stumble headfirst into the soft ground.
Luckily, however, he managed to avoid a scenario similar to the one at the river months previous... this time, at least.
"Clover! Slow down a moment..!" he called to the oblivious girl with a voice just low enough for the others not to hear as his distance from her slowly but surely closed down.
-----
"Now! We should charge now!" a guttural voice anxiously croaked free from out of a concealed beast's leathery gullet.
"For what reason need we tarry? Let us away!" another throaty voice echoed the former's wishes before stealing a step forward with eager suggestion. The thin layer of fallen leaves failed to protect much of the fragile soil that was repeatedly torn and tossed by the sharp talons which decorated his restless feet. He was halted however, as a thin, yet muscular arm was cast out before his path by another in total defiance.
"You will wait for my order" the deeper voice directed clearly, delivered with a harsh tone that was not made to be argued against.
Hidden within the darkness, not far above from where the caravan had come to a stop, the Ixals shuffled restlessly - their weapons gripped firmly under their gnarled fingers as they awaited the words that would grant them freedom from the thick patch of woodland that concealed them from the view of the unsuspecting travelers below. Their numbers were significant, accumulating to more than what the men and women below could ever hope to fend off even were they all apt fighters, as was the beastmens' intention. Intimidation tactics - used to ensure a quick and clean process.
The leader, evident by his superior armour and greater stature loitered just behind the border of where the penetrating, morning light clashed against the woodland's resilient pool of shadow. His thick, coriaceous skin was a dark and morbid shade of grey that blended fairly against the flaky tree bark in whose shade he patiently resided. The caravan's driver was the victim of the creature's persisting watch, his beady, green eyes flickering analytically with every subtle movement the hyur man made - waiting for him to tie down the chocobos and to turn away from the hill from where the beasts would soon charge.
It didn't take long before a deep breath, that resembled the hiss of serpent, escaped the creature's grotesque beak, having now been finally greeted with the sight he had been waiting for. The man whom his gaze has vigilantly stalked had, at last, secured the chocobos to a nearby tree and had moved on to assist with the removal of the debris; a diversion of their own making. There was no quick escape for any of them now; nor would the spooked birds cause confusion should they wish to charge off alone.
The leader growled lowly with decision as his misty, deep-set eyes met with those of his impatient second.
"Show death to any who would challenge Garuda's might"
The beast's eyes lit up with delight upon hearing his commander's words, his gaze not taking long to return eagerly forward.
It was time now.
For the shortest moment, an odd and deathly silence fell upon the forest. Each one of the Ixal that stood quietly in formation became perfectly still with anticipation as they awaited the final order from their leader. They watched with both excitement and intent as the towering, horned monstrosity before them turned to look on down the slope once more and introduced the distinctive sound of metal grating off of metal to resonate loudly throughout the air - their leader's weapon now drawn and hanging low by his side in readiment.
"Seize them."
![[Image: ecec20e41f.png]](https://puu.sh/xvMxb/ecec20e41f.png)
Characters: Andre Winter (Hy'ur) / K'nahli Yohko (Miqo'te)
