You Wash Your Hands, You Come Home Clean...

Ashiel was on patrol. A brutal rainstorm had swept through north western Auster last night, bringing with it torrential rain and flooding. Thankfully the pack had been safe inside the castle but the courtyard and garden were now at least ankle deep in water. Mud clinged to his paws as he moved further into the garden, trying his best to make his rounds. Mæva was left in the care of his family so that he could back to his usual tasks and build his body back up. He'd done far too much lazing about lately and was looking to get back into what he deemed respectable shape for a warrior.

Above him flew his companion, Griff. The bird had been silent most of the morning. That was fairly typical. The pair knew each other well enough to get most thoughts across without actually speaking and the silence itself was a nice break from the constant chattering of Ashiel's daughter as well as the ribbing and teasing of his mother. Ashiel loved his large family, he really did, but some days he just needed to get out of the castle.

"Ashiel! Be careful, there's something in the water." Ashiel halted immediately at the bird's warning. His senses sprung into high alert. "What is it Griff?" The bird swooped down to land on his shoulder, intense eyes peering ahead to the creek that ran along the southeastern side of the garden. It had flooded dramatically into a sludgy, slow-moving river. His brilliant green eyes, scanning the river and trying to see what his companion was looking at.

"Talk"

Words: 265

Pyralis raced through the courtyard, took a flying leap and landed with a splash in a large mud puddle. The muck sprayed up around her, covering the lighter parts of her coat. She was full of excess energy this morning and was in desperate need of releasing it. Since she couldn't maul her son or various other relative she decided to just cut loose in the swampy courtyard. She'd have been content to stay there if the sight of her son's companion hadn't caught her attention. Oh? What was her son up to this particularly soggy morning?Well, what kind of mother would she be if she didn't tease her son on sight? She let out a bark to Alkali, her hawk. The bird gracefully flew down out of the tree she'd been perching in while she preened herself and the pair took off after Ashiel and Griff. Pyralis trotted along with a spring in her step. Enjoying the splash of water when she noticed her son stopped. He seemed pretty agitated and for a moment she considered just racing toward him and tackling him right into the mud but Alkali's body language shifted enough to let the older woman know that something was amiss. She walked quietly, well as quietly as she could in the shallow water, next to her son. "Ashiel?" She turned to see what he was looking at when she noticed the round shape of a scaly back and two eyes staring at them. A massive crocodile was floating gently in the swollen creek, moving slowly toward them. "Talk" "You" Think

Words: 260
Ongoing Total: 525

He had been patrolling the territory this morning, despite the flooding that most of the pack lands were under. Still, mud and water wouldn't deter the male from his duties. He had been feeling particularly restless as of late, noticing how the pack seemed a bit quieter as of late. He, of course, hadn't been the most active around here, either. He'd been out most of the time tracking down his siblings but to no avail. He decided to cut them as a loss and move on. He wasn't close with any of them anyway, but a small tiny part of him wondered what they were up to. His goal today was to try and find Malleus so he could learn more from the man. He hadn't yet bothered to ask the alpha to help him train and grow stronger, but now was a good a time as ever, right? He came in from the opposite direction of where Ashiel and Pyralis stood. Water and mud sloshed around his feet and most of his white markings were practically the same color as the rest of him. He spotted the two standing several yards ahead of him, though something seemed a little strange. First off, they were standing there staring at something. And in his head, that was a bit unusual. He double checked to make sure it wasn't him they were staring at, but as his gaze followed what they were looking at, he saw it. Between him and them, there sat a large reptilian creature with beady eyes. His own gaze narrowed, and he made sure to keep his steps quiet until he stopped a good distance away. He glanced up at the other two for a moment, the question "What are we going to do about this?" clear in his eyes. ""

Word Count: 303
Total Count: 828

You Wash Your Hands, You Come Home Clean...

The air was warm and sticky, clouds still stretched across the sky, threatening more rain. Ashiel didn't turn his attention from the spot where the crocodile lay in weight, not even when his mother approached him. The crocodile seemed agitated and it was definitely aware of the presence of the wolves. That made it dangerous. A gentle chirp from Griff pulled him out of his intense stare and as he took in the full situation he noticed one of the younger Risen members. Azazel if he remembered the name correctly. The young man was staring at him, clearly he noticed the crocodile and had the same question that Ashiel had. What were they going to do about it? Ashiel knew they had to do something. They couldn't leave a dangerous predator like this crocodile so close to Risen territory. Especially not with a bunch of growing pups that would probably give into their curiosity and go after the crocodile, potentially walking right into disaster.

Ashiel turned to his mother. "We need to get that thing out of here. I have no idea if we'll be able to kill it but one thing is for sure, we can't go into the creek after it. That's where we'll be at a disadvantage. Mom, can you lure that thing farther inland." If there was anyone that could annoy the crap out of another animal in order to get it to go after her, it was Pyralis. "Griff, fly over to Azazel and let him know the plan. Once we get the crocodile on land we'll keep it distracted while he crosses the creek. By then we should have it surrounded." Ashiel hesitated. And then what? He turned his gaze to Alkali. "Then I want you two to blind it. If we take out its eyes it will be a lot less dangerous. I don't know that we'll be able to kill it but maybe we can drive it out of here." Even blinded the jaws would be dangerous so he didn't want to try and get after the things throat. He had seen jaguars pierce the skulls of similar repitiles but this crocodile was particularly large and he didn't want to risk anyone getting hurt trying to find out if a wolf's jaws could do the same.

Griff nodded and took to the air, flying over the flooded creek to Azazel. "Greetings! Ashiel wanted me to tell you that Pyralis is going to try and lure the crocodile out of the water. She and Ashiel will keep it distracted to give you time to cross. Once you have we'll need your help to corral the creature so Alkali and I can get a shot at gouging out its eyes. After that I believe we'll try to chase it off but we're not sure. What are your thoughts? Do you know of a good way to kill the thing?"

"Talk"

Word Count: 484
Total: 1312

Pyralis nodded in agreement as her son spoke. She didn't like the idea of leaving a crocodile so close to home with her granddaughter getting to that age where she could roam all over the castle. With the flood waters there was no telling how close that thing might get to them in search of food. She listened as Ashiel laid out his plan and nodded. It sounded good to her. Both she and her son were massive wolves but she still doubted the effectiveness of her teeth against the large, scaled beast. Honestly, she wanted to give it a try and see if she could kill the thing but she knew the risk. If that creature managed to get a hold of one of them it would be all over. She watched as Griff flew over to Azy and she stalked forward through the slushy mud toward the creek. The crocodile was as the creeks edge but it was still out far enough that it could completely submerge itself if it chose. That was no good. Pyralis watched it for a moment and realized her usual methods of creating annoyance were not going to work. She had to be smarter about this. Pyralis flopped on her belly into the dirt and began to flail about like some sick or injured thing. This immediately caught the crocodiles attention. There was a chance the flood waters had displaced it from its usual feeding grounds. Perhaps it hadn't eat in a while. Whether it was truly hungry or just acting on instinct the crocodile came gliding across the water, right up onto the muddy back. Alkali circled above her companion, watching and waiting. Pyralis was good and covered with mud by the time the thing crawled within five feet of her. Alkali let out a shriek and Pyralis leapt to her feet, twisting back as the crocodile lunged at her. It missed, seizing nothing but mud as she scrambled back. Now if Azy could block the things retreat they'd have a good shot at it. "Talk" "You" Think

Word Count: 345
Total: 1657

mk we've got the word count! Now we just need to deal with the crocodile. w00t!

He warily watched the reptilian creature now, waiting to see what the others wanted to do. While he waited, he began to study the beast and search for any clues that would expose a weakness. So far, the animal was too submerged for him to be able to see one yet. Gaze returned to the pair, and he watched as Ashiel's companion flew towards him. The bird explained the plan to him, and he nodded in agreement. When Griff asked what he thought and if he had a plan, he thought for a moment. Every creature had a weakness, and he was sure this one did. Hed had seen Jaguars take on crocodiles before during his expeditions, and if a jaguar could do it, why not a wolf? He looked at the crocodile again and watched as Pyralis did her thing. Surely he could spot a weakness somewhere... Zoning in further, he got a peek of the beast's underside as it climbed onto the bank. Then he figured it out. "It has a weakness. The underside is softer and more vulnerable. Tell Ashiel that if we want to kill it, we'll have to somehow force it to expose that. Otherwise, we can just chase it off and make sure it knows not to return." He glanced at the creature again, watching its movements. "And tell them to watch out for that tail. It could knock one of us around pretty hard if that tail makes contact. I'll handle that part, the more we can subdue and hinder it, the better chances we have. Gouging its eyes out is will help immensely." With that said, he began to cross the creek towards them. He kept his awareness at an optimum level, just in case the crocodile decided to turn around and come after him. Sure the beast was more comfortable on the water, but Azazel was sure he'd be able to get away should it decide to come for him. His steps were slow and careful, body low in the water so as to minimize splashing. He was sure that if the crocodile spotted something in his element, he wouldn't hesitate to go after it. ""

You Wash Your Hands, You Come Home Clean...

Griff nodded as the younger wolf spoke before he flew back toward Ashiel. Ashiel, meanwhile, was focused on his mother who was doing an excellent job luring the crocodile onto the shore and farther inland. He gasped as it lunged, just missing his mother. She just had to cut these things close!  While the crocodile was focused on Pyralis, Ashiel shifted to it's left side and lunged for it's left hind leg, his fangs ripping into the flesh in a bite and run approach. Hurt and angered, the crocodile twisted around trying to get at him but Ashiel raced away, circling back when he was sure he had enough distance between him and the crocodile that it wouldn't still be following him.

Across the creek he could see Azazel was wading the creek and his companion flew over to him and called out. "Azazel is on his way! He believes that the creature may have a weakness we can exploit to take care of it permanently. He says the underbelly should be soft enough that we can would it enough to kill it." Ashiel nodded. Now the question was how to get the thing on its back.

Ashiel dove for the crocodile, working with his mother to distract the crocodile. They were each on either side of it and soon Azazel would be behind it. Then maybe they could work something out. One thing he noticed was that when the crocodile tried to twist around to get them its head and upper body were lifted up. Perhaps with the use of their flying companions they could get it to lift itself off the ground enough for them to flip it over but he wasn't sure their weight would be enough to pin it. Griff flew up next to Alkali and the birds circled the crocodile then suddenly dived.

"Talk"

Pyralis skittered and danced just out of reach of the crocodiles jaws. She was on one side, Ashiel on the other with Azazel coming up from behind. This was thrilling! This was exactly the sort of event she needed to brighten up her day. She could bathe later. Alkali continued to circle above them, keeping her shark eyes open for their chance to rip into this scaly foe. She had little love of reptiles except a few kinds of lizards that were simply good to eat. She heard Griff's report and nodded eagerly. She wanted to kill the thing. She had no idea how but it sounded good to her. Licking her lips she dove at the creatures neck just as it turned its head, trying to shift after her son. Her fangs ripped into the side of it's neck as she bit and ran, skittering over its back just as it rolled. Pyralis yelped in surprise but managed to leap out of the way. Mud flew up into the air.  The crocodile grumbled and hissed, twisting back around for Ashiel who had just bitten into its left hind leg again, worsening the wound there. As it lifted it's head, trying to get at the face of the much taller wolf Griff and Alkali folded their wings and dived down, talons extended. The birds struck true their talons ripping into the eyes of the crocodile, blinding it. Pyralis let out a cheer. The crocodile flailed about in obvious pain then started trying to move back toward the creek. "Talk" "You" Think

He watched the others begin their assault from his position in the water. Ears flattened to his head as he lowered himself further until his jaws were barely grazing the top of the water. He blended well enough that he doubted the creature saw him, but he still needed to get closer so he could attempt his plan. They needed to expose the crocodile's underside somehow, but as he watched the others attack the creature, he figured it out. He finally made it to the bank where the others were, and like a bat out of hell, he ran in and launched himself at the creature's tail. Jaws closed around the crocodile's appendage, ears pinned against the infuriated hissing of the reptile. Azazel kept his limbs loose to move with it, to try and help him avoid injury where he could. Azazel chomped down as hard as he could, tearing into as much skin and muscle as he could. The scales were strong, but his determination was stronger. He was mostly focused on trying to tear up the crocodile's tail, but he heard the birds swoop in and attack the beast's eyes. Azazel let go for a moment, jumping back and away as the Crocodile turned around in an attempt to get back into the water. With a malicious grin, he dove in towards the Crocodile's bloodied tail to finish his work. Jaws closed over the open wound he had left, and when he bit down as hard as he could, the crocodile whipped around in an attempt to grab at him. Azazel was smart, however. He followed the movement's of its tail while using his weight to keep it from reaching the water. The crocodile flailed back and forth in an attempt to reach him, but it didn't have the flexibility to do so. He continued to worsen the wounds he had created, and he was sure that by the time he was done, he would have a crocodile tail trophy to hang up. He hoped that the others would take the chance of his distracting it to move in and deal more damage, or deal the killing blows. ""

You Wash Your Hands, You Come Home Clean...

Ashiel kept up his assault, leaping nimbly out of the way of the crocodile's jaws. He dove again to bite at the creature's left hind leg and kept up his assault at that particular spot, dancing out of the way just in time though at one point he wasn't quite quick enough and the crocodile seized a nice chunk of fur from his tail causing him to yelp in pain and surprise. When Azazel burst onto the scene the young man latched onto the crocodiles tail and sent it into a tizzy but thankfully he was able to keep out of the way of the beast. All the same, this was getting more and more dangerous. Thankfully his and his mother's avian companions struck true, blinding the crocodile. It thrashed and rolled in pain, seeking quick escape which was difficult to do with one wolf latched solidly onto it's tail and two more constantly picking at it. With the loss of its sight and the overall saturation of the landscape it was not easy to figure out which way to go towards safety.

The croc was clearly in distress and as it flailed it's head upward he caught his mother's eye. They were going to go for the creatures throat at the next turn. "NOW!" he yelled as he dove, jaws opened to seize the left side of the crocodiles throat, just below the corner of its jaw. He bit down, forcing his teeth through the creatures flesh, shaking his head in an attempt to bleed the creature dry but not to hard so that he might lose his grip. Ashiel hoped that from his location it would be difficult for the creature to twist around and get at him should he lose his grip.

"Talk"

Pyralis cheered as Azy ripped again into the beasts tail. There was a good smearing of blood from the young male's attack. She caught her son's look and nodded. When the crocodile reared up again she moved in tandem with her son, her own jaws locking onto the right side of the crocodiles throat just back from the corner of its jaws. It was strung between them, its strong body twisting and flailing. Both she and Ashiel managed to hold on, partly due to the creatures front half being partly suspended by the pair as well as it's tail being badly damaged by Azy. The reptile couldn't get the leverage it needed to twist out of their jaws. To make matters worse, when it tried to turn to bite Pyralis, Alkali and Griff flew into action. The second the crocodile's jaws were shut the avian duo clamped their talons into over its jaws, piercing flesh and pinning the jaws shut. The wait felt like ages. A few times Pyralis lost her grip and had to swiftly regain it before all their gains were lost but eventually the damage and blood loss became too great for the reptile to sustain. When it finally died Pyralis dropped it and winced. Her jaw shivered, the muscle's exhausted and cramped. She flopped down a few feet away as Alkali hopped over to join her. During the struggle the poor bird had hit the mud and one of her wings was completely drenched. Pyralis managed a crooked grin. "Well… that's one way to start your morning exercise. "Talk" "You" Think