Shroomish

Finding prey that wasn't infected with this damn mushroom, crystal, oozing infection was becoming more and more difficult. It even seemed like most of the beavers were crystalized in one way or another as they moved around their dams like they were in a fog. He sent Aquila out to try and find something worth hunting while he did some hunting and tracking of his own, but his black and chestnut eagle ended up coming back to him unsuccessful as well. He sighed and frowned while he considered what to do, pacing along the shore of the main land across from the island that had become his home for the season. He had a feeling that there was probably still some dried giraffe left from the hunt he lead before The Hallows' feast so if worse came to worse he could potentially go back to the castle and ask Artorias if he could take some supplies back to Fenmyre, but he'd probably need to ask Chimera before he did that. Besides, that wasn't a sustainable solution and really only created a temporary fix. What he needed was prey that wasn't effected by this glowing phenomenon.

He paused as he caught the scent of a boar, considering it for a moment. It was undoubtedly infected as well, but what if it was still edible? It was a possibility he hadn't really considered since something with glowing ooze and mushrooms coming out of it didn't seem all that appealing, but if it turned out that the issues only went skin deep then it might be worth at least trying to butcher one of them and see if maybe the problem wasn't as dire as he imagined. Ezra gave Aquila a signal and waved the eagle forward to be his eyes from the sky while he began to follow the wild boar's trail. He and Aquila had grown up together so they worked together seamlessly, the eagle directing him toward whatever it was that they were hunting and giving him a heads up whenever there was something that needed his attention, all without words. He moved through the trees around the dam, following the trail of their current target. He could already tell from its scent that it was also infected, but he pushed on, determined to test his hypothesis.

Pale blue eyes landed on the boar and he saw that this one had thick clusters of mushrooms growing all along its back and neck and a few even growing from its ears. It was pretty heavily infected, but it still was not the worst he had seen. He remained hidden in the shade of some of the trees, peeking out past some brush while he watched it. It was rubbing its tucks on a tree, gouging through the bark and into the wood with each swing of his heavy head. The tree looked like the boar had been at this for quite some time and upon closer inspection Ezra noticed that the skin around the boar's lips and face was cut up and splintered, but that didn't seem to stop it. It made him wonder if whatever was making he mushrooms grow on the animal was also effecting it's brain so badly that it was just stuck in this weird, destructive loop. It made him even less sure about his chances of this being a viable meal option, but he was already here so he might as well follow through with it and see what he could find out.

He quietly stalked forward on practiced paws, curving his path to make sure he stayed behind the entranced boar that was almost half way through sawing down this tree with its worn and fractured tusks. He kind of felt bad for the poor thing and briefly thought to himself as he crept up on it that this might just be a mercy kill if nothing else. The boar barely put up a fight as he leapt forward and latched his teeth onto its throat, large paws pushing into its shoulder with the impact of his lunge to shove it to the ground and pin it there. There was some thrashing, but it was less like it was trying to get away and more like it was still trying to throw its head side to side like it was still tearing apart the tree. Eventually it finally fell still after crushing its windpipe and ripping a chuck of its throat free. He spit out the bite that he had taken from it and sighed, looking down at the boar with a frown. The wound he made immediately began to sprout more mushrooms and he shook his head, turning away from the boar as he fought off the sick feeling in his stomach. No, the mushroom infected ones definitely weren't fit to eat. He didn't know if the crystal ones would be any better, but he wasn't sure he wanted to try it.

WC: 828/800

Ezra Adravendi