Armando cast a quick look at at his beenapping companions to make sure they were ready. Each wanted something from the beehive he'd found so they'd struck a deal. He would be getting some honey, the mangy dog would be getting the queen bee - Armando didn't know why and he didn't care to ask - and the wolf...would be getting whatever it wanted as well. Now that they were all satisfied with the arrangement, it was time to get to work.

In his paws Armando had a small bough from a pine tree. Tied to the base of some of the needle clumps were long fern fronds. It was the best solution he could come up with for chasing the bees away. He was hoping if he just lazily waved branches at them they'd shoo versus getting all angry and stinging the crap out of him and the canines.

Feeling ready, he nodded wordlessly to the canines letting them know they could proceed. They each had a part to play in this and though they were strangers, Armando was hoping they could be enough of a team to make this work. He really wanted the honey. It had so many applications. Plus, it tasted good.

WC: 206

Sunder eyed the raccoon-cat skeptically but after casting a glance in the wolf's direction moved forward and got ready to work. The beehive had been built in the rotting wood of a fallen oak tree and the bees appeared to have been doing well for themselves for some time as the comb looked as though it were bursting from the tree's seams. It ballooned out of a crack in the tree trunk like the belly of a bloated carcass. Though the wax was a cheery yellow the sight struck Sunder as ominous. He hadn't forgotten his last encounter with bees. This would be worth it in the end, though. He'd heard if you could catch the queen and put her somewhere you want a hive to "grow" the other bees would follow. He wanted to put that theory to the test. Bees were useful and he thought he could market them to a pack that placed a lot of value on growing their own medicinal plants. Of course, he didn't know of any packs like that, but they had to be out there. He couldn't imagine the kind woman who took care of him when he washed ashore living in any other kind of place.

Using his claws Sunder gripped the thinner side of the split in the tree and began to heave downwards. He wasn't putting all of his weight into it. The goal was to crack the tree open, not bust the thin side off. All he wanted to be able to do was widen the hole enough to reach inside and dig around. At his paws was a little glass jar. There wasn't a lid to it, just a piece of tough leather he was going to twist around the top, but that was going t obe where he put the queen once he found her. From there he'd take her to the box he had waiting. Maybe transfer a few of her bees and some chunks of comb so the rest would know where to find her. That was the plan, anyway.

WC: 346

For once he had arranged stuff with strangers, this was his first time being a team with someone for a common goal.Well his pack was an exception of course but this time he was doing so with complete strangers,and he wasnt sure if this was going to work,but all he would do for now was to have faith and due hos part of the deal,to help get the hive that rested in there. He wanted to stay away from his pack, for now,his defeat in the Raid went heavy on him,he felt bad and he just wanted to distract himself,maybe honey too but not something he would cry for. His part was in using smoke to calm the bees.And the small creature(Armando) handled him a log with fire, of well. As each of them started their act he was going to begging his. Urasa helped him with another log, and there he tried to send the smoke the Hive's way, seeing how the bees started to disorient.He wasnt sure if he was doing it fine but he was doing his stuff as he thought it could be done. If one asked he felt curious about the hairless wolf(He doesn't know about what a dog is) ,how could it be possible? Well he shouldn't be that surprised,in the Armada many wolves held unusual features. Long fangs,wings,spikes anything. wc- 226 "Speak"

With no small amount of trepidation Armando watched as the naked dog began to pull at the thin sides of the fallen tree. As Sunder did this, Armando noted a steady rise of bee activity at the entrance to the hive. The bees appeared more curious than anything else. Alert and wary, sure, but their slow, inquisitive movements did not hint at (at least as far as his untrained eye could tell) a growing hostility. The wolf, Dunkan, was ushering the smoke towards the hive and this, combined with Sunder's excruciatingly slow movements appeared to be keeping the bees mellow. He could only hope it remained this way. In all honesty they would be quite lucky if it did. Bees had a fearsome reputation for a reason; it was not unearned. Creating a sweet, energy dense food was not without it's risks and for that reasons the bees were well equipped to fight off would-be thieves.

Smoke or no smoke the bees that were determined to take flight did. Their patterns were a bit lazy and they seemed unsure of the thick blanket of smoke, and briefly Armando wondered if he should let those be. After noting that, drunk on smoke or not, they seemed awfully interested in the naked dog, he decided to remove them as best he could.

Gently he began to "brush" at the bees with the pine bough. The action was far too gentle to be considered a 'swat' even though it was roughly the same motion. When he caught sight of one looping towards Sunder, Armando would reach out and with slow, careful movements direct it away from him. Most bees complied easy enough. Only the occasional renegade required a second send off.

WC: 288

The log was giving him a bit more trouble than he had anticipated. When Sunder had first laid eyes on it he had assumed by the rotting underside and heavy moss growth that the tree had been down for many, many years. Now he was not so sure. The wood still had a strong grip; time had not yet worn it down to the barely held together sawdust stage he had first assumed it to be at. That was a shame, he'd been hoping for an easy heist, but this was the lot he had to deal with and Sunder wasn't one to complain. Rather, he would keep working it and settle for hoping it broke easy while he did his best to make it happen that way.

Sunder pushed down on the open edges of the log in short spurts. He would push and relax; pausing to gauge both the damage done and the state of the bees. Then he would press again. In this way he continued for several seconds, more or less "rocking" the thin edge away from the main body. Only once did he stop completely. Sunder could feel bees crawling on his back and in a moment of chilling panic, froze in place. After a beat he unstuck his tongue and muttered in a low, deliberately calm voice, so as not to stir up the bees, "Canya getda bees off my back?" He wasn't talking to anyone in particular. He just wanted them off before they started stinging. Sunder had heard that once one was moved to sting, the rest nearby would join in.

Knowing their time was limited, he then forced himself to continue before either had a chance to help him. He just needed to get it done and trust that these strangers cared enough about their deal to see to it he wouldn't have a reason to bail on the project early. Sunder then pressed down on the log firmly. This time he was rewarded with a dull pop that signaled the the thin side had cracked. "An' we in," he breathed before gently pushing the entrance wider and inserting a stick to hold it open. With his paws free he then could reach inside and pick at the comb. He was so excited by this that the growing activity of the bees was lost on him. The break in the wood had not been lost on the hive and the worker bees were beginning to work their way up from the bowels of the log in search of the reason for the disturbance. Any second now they would begin to take flight...

WC: 441

The job seemed harder than he thought it would be but far from discouraging he felt even more determined to get this done,he wasnt going to give up,he wasnt one to do so anyway. And there the two other creatures made their part as Dunkan kept the stick on fire within his jaws, trying the smoke to land where it should. All the way over the hive.He was sure the bess wouldn't take too long before starting to do what they did best, sting whoever broke through their home.

And as he guessed some aimed for the hairless dog as he was the one closest to the entrance. The dog spoke about the bees on his back,he then would swag the stick just a few inches above the male's back but far enough to dont cause any scratches. And his action caused the bees there to go for him, ready he swag the log again but toward the bees, getting some in the way,but not all.And as the hive finally was freed, hundreds of bees flew off some going after he. Again he repeated the previous attack again and again. Some of the bugs stung him on the nose and near his eyes, forcing him to close them. But keeping with his attack.

At the end he managed to get almost all of his attackers down to the soil until no more went after him.He had won.

wc-235

WC Total- 1742

As soon as the haired canine swept the bees off the naked one's back all hell broke loose. Suddenly there were bees everywhere. Armando began to swat furiously at them with his branch. He did his best to sweep them off the dog and to shoo them away from the wolf, but as soon as they turned on him and started to buzz around his face the shooing became all about self preservation. Let the canines save themselves; he wasn't getting stung to hell. No way.

Alternating between his branch and his paw, Armando swatted and squashed bees left and right. Thankfully his plush fur tangled up most of the bees and didn't give them access to his skin before he brushed them off, but every once in a while a lucky bastard would find a thinly furred place like his nose and sting him there. Those he made a point to smash. The rest he tried to just shoo away since he knew the hairless dog wanted to start his own hive with them.

At last no more bees came after them. After a few moments to make sure they were really gone, Armando let the end of his branch brush droop to the ground. To the dog, he said, "Did you get it all?"

As the bees began to attack Sunder hunkered down and began to work furiously. They were passed the point of worrying about being careful. Now was the time for a frantic pace. He split the comb and removed pieces at a lightning pace. The drone of the bees was now at a crescendo around him. At first when they started to sting he ignored them, but as they began to target more sensitive places and the stings started to pile up he couldn't help but yelp occasionally. His bare skin was defenseless.

Rushing clumsily now, he dove into the hive and finally managed to find the queen. Using a bushy twig he coaxed her into the jar he'd brought, snapped the hide over the top she she was trapped inside, and then wrapped up the honeycomb that Armando wanted. "Done!" he cried at last and then leaped away with all of their prizes in tow. "We go! Divide spoils safely elsewhere!" With that said he made a run for the nearest bee free clearing.