Enemies In The Night
Seasonal Bonus Prompt/Pack Event
Knight
Fleet-footed
03-13-2021, 12:29 AM
Ever since his encounter with the supreme dire wolf, Artorias had been doing his best to keep patrolling the walls of the castle, keeping an eye out over the plains that surrounded the castle as if invaders could come cresting through the hills or emerging through the trees at a moment's notice. The fight with that dire wolf had left him down, but not out, the cuts on his face scabbing over and the limp in his hind leg no longer painful with each step. It had also left him overly cautious and wary. If a monster like that could exist and so casually breach their borders, what else could be out there...? This extended winter was unnatural and carried an air of danger with it. No one would be safe so long as it continued to bring about strange predators from somewhere deep within the realm of nightmares. And so he sat watch, ignoring the cold and the snow and the solitude while he remained vigilant for the safety of his home and his family.
So it was that the dark-furred young man was sitting atop the gatehouse staring out into the night, watching for any signs of danger. He'd seen Resin head off on a patrol, and while he wished to join her, his hind leg put up swift protest at the idea of extended exertion in the cold. He scowled, bright amber eyes piercing the veil of darkness like two burning fires, scoping out the trees where he'd watched Resin head off to. It was quiet... so very, very quiet. He shifted his weight on his paws, crunching snow beneath his feet. Humid breath hung in thin clouds with every exhale. A light shiver ran down his spine. Something felt wrong... It was the same feeling of discomfort that had come when he'd seen the supreme dire wolf. Fur bristled along the young male's back from nape to tail. There was tension in the air, so palpable he could tase it electrifying the cool breeze. Even the close roil of ocean waves on the coast couldn't soothe his anxious nerves. Something was wrong...
Resin's call shattered the stillness of the night and snapped Artorias' head in the direction of the cry. He could just make out her silhouette near the trees charging toward the forms of several hulking creatures that looked like bears but moved like lions. Mom! Cold dread gripped the boy's heart, and it was only a beat before he was springing to his paws and all but hurling himself down the stone stairs along the side of the wall, leaping down the last few to save time and snatching up his wooden sword propped against the wall while sprinting out of the gates. He caught sight of Ulric and Ezra both lumbering out just ahead of him, and he followed the dire man once more into the heat of combat. Artorias panted through clenched teeth around the hilt of his weapon, eyes focused on the pack of predators his mother had already engaged. Although he didn't quite keep pace with Ulric and Ezra due to his injury, he flung himself straight at the nearest enemy—which he realized were giant leonine cats—with a ferocious snarl.
The wooden blade of his sword made hard contact with the closest cat, clocking the feline so hard in the jaw that it stumbled to the side, dazed and confused. Artorias was relentless, leaping to the cat's other side with a spin to bring his sword back around to the other side of the cat's temple. The massive cat roared and reeled back while it tried to gauge what had just hit it. Artorias strategically positioned himself between the feline and his pack mates and mother, snarling and glaring while he paced back and forth in front of it. By keeping his momentum, Art was able to seamlessly transition into a bounding leap to the side when the cat swung a massive paw at him, its razor-like claws catching nothing but air and snow while the boy danced around his opponent. He had learned from his last fight in the snow that his movements would need to be more deliberate and calculated, and it was with that knowledge Artorias was able to maneuver around the cat's side, bringing his sword into the back of the cat's leg with a resounding crack.
The giant cat roared again in pain when its elbow fractured, suddenly unable to put weight on its front leg. Artorias continued to use his sword like a cudgel, spinning to bring the sword around into the knee of its hind leg and toppling the cat under its own massive weight. Once it was down, Artorias leaped onto the cat's side, dropping his sword to the ground as he switched to fangs and claws. He bit and clawed into the cat's neck, tearing flesh and tasting blood. The cat yowled in distress and swung at its attacker, catching Artorias in the side of his head with a huge paw. It made the boy's ears ring and head spin, but fortunately the cat's claws did not make contact with him. Stunned, Artorias was easily flung off of the cat, both rolling to their paws to get back up. Artorias picked up his sword while staring down his enemy, both predators holding their ground and daring the other to make a move. Eventually the big cat limped back a few paces, hissing at the wolf and showing massive saber fangs before retreating back to the trees.
Artorias snorted and growled in response, then turned—only to have another massive cat pounce and take him off his paws. Pinned beneath the unbearable weight of the giant feline, Artorias just had the clarity of mind to swing his sword up, locking the blade between snapping jaws as the cat tried to take a bite out of his throat. Artorias and the sabertooth growled and snarled as they struggled against the strength of the other, Artorias making sure to keep his sword wedged firmly int he cat's teeth so it couldn't bite him. Trapped in a stalemate, he began to look around for some trick to pull to gain the advantage. He found his answer between the big cat's legs, and the story Sirius had told him long ago about how he lost to a smaller fighter returned to him. Artorias growled and brought a hind leg into the cat's genitals with all his might. The cat yowled and all but collapsed on top of him as if his brain had short-circuited. Artorias used the limpness and weight of the cat to twist and roll it off of him, ending up on top of the bigger predator now and brought his sword down on the sabertooth's head with a battlecry and all the strength he could muster again and again and again.
The crunch of the cat's skull caving in was both sickening and comforting, and Artorias watched as the cat's body spasmed and went limp. Slitted yellow feline eyes stared into nothingness, glassy and empty, devoid of life. Beneath its head, the white snow melted and turned red with the sabertooth's blood, the coppery scent hanging in the air. Artorias savored his victory for only a second before he turned his burning gaze back up to the battlefield, scanning and finding his mother before rushing off the dead cat to go help her defend their home from the remaining invaders.
"Speech" | Thoughts | ”Corbin"
One big happy family
Artorias has two ravens named Corbin and Eira and a fox named Argent. Assume they are within calling distance at all times.
As his mate, Briar may enter Artorias' threads unless marked Private.
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Current time: 11-21-2024, 01:15 PM
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