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Post by demikara on Sept 2, 2020 18:29:24 GMT -6
"I'll get animal control here urgently." Maria said and stepped away to make the phone call to animal control. She pressed the issue with the operator, making it clear that this was Maria the police officer requesting immediate assistance for a wild animal, and that no, it could not wait. There would still be some kind of wait of course. It was Dallas after all and animal control was always overwroked. But hopefully in the meantime they could keep the weirdly and grossly self healing coyote in one place.
Molly watched with horror. "That's...right that's terrifying." she pulled a talisman out from under her shirt and channeled magic through it. "My family will be here once they get the message. It shouldn't take long." And they could figure out where the coyote went, assuming it hadn't run away entirely. She really had to get the binding off. "I'm going to petition the council to have the binding removed. It's getting in the way of work." she kind of needed to be able to access other planes to do her Ratatoskr work, but also to deal with any extra planar entities like this one for MCU.
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Post by littlekreen on Sept 2, 2020 18:39:06 GMT -6
The coyote's legs stopped twitching as the front and back, held against the ground, swung further forward. Quivering muscles from the cut torso lurches upward and over before the legs twitched in unison underneath even to support it. Breathing started with a sharp inverted bark as the legs pistoned up and down in a drunken swivel. A momentary struggle forward licked a broken can off the ground. Distracted remembrance stopped it from going ahead with a weak step and turn with the soda can held in its mouth toward the three standing there. Back legs barely kept up even as the coyote turned to stare at them with a pair of missing eyes locked at them. A pair of canine's pupils missing but for a flickering flare in the socket as violet orbs replace them in each socket. A bit of mealy red drips from its nose as breathing passages clear.
A warbling voice of the aged came from between teeth drooling red around the flattened can, "kaawosă. Taibo."
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Post by Circe on Sept 2, 2020 18:52:54 GMT -6
Xiaolian largely ignored Maria, this was no longer MCU business, but something else. "Terrifying.. but it does tell us something." The affinity for metal and self healing made her question things. "Tell me, what did you do with that worm before the solstice?" Xiaolian asked the Ratatoskr and waited for an answer. Things weren't adding up, and this had quickly gone above half the team's pay grade.
What she hadn't expected was the animal or creature to move even more. Scrambling back up from the pavement, Xiaolian scowled as it coughed and then spoke. "I stand corrected about it possibly being mute and dumb.." She grumbled, hardly in the mood to deal with yet more chaos.
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Post by demikara on Sept 2, 2020 19:03:30 GMT -6
"I called you about that, I could have sworn. There's a planar breach in an apartment in the slums. The Jinhai are there and have it largely under control, but I reported it up the chain of command for Ratatoskr." he hesitated a moment. "It's being monitored, but we can't...They should have tried to get ahold of the guardians. We can't seal off planar breaches." The Jinhai had it arrested, and the rattoskr were playing guards on the other side. "You don't think this came through it?" Had it somehow escaped? It spoke at least, so that was something. Molly addressed the coyote this time.
"Do you speak english?" There was a moment and a beat and she switched to fae. ["If you don't speak english, do you speak fae?"] That had worked last time, at least.
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Post by littlekreen on Sept 2, 2020 19:32:47 GMT -6
The tail started to wag in jerky motions as it eyed Molly with its ears perked toward the Xiao then Molly from the conversation. Wisps of eyes dart from place to place as it sways on its forelegs. The bleeding stopped though the fur was deeply soiled.
The body shook as the coyote sat down with the coarse lilt of an old man and a similar wobbly turn up of its mouth in English toward Molly, "Maybe."
The coyote's mouth opened for the can to vanish inside as a bark gurgling from the bottom of its throat loosed at its feet. A faint metallic surface light struggled to hit swam over to the blood spot on the ground. Faint fluid movement feverishly snacks on mechanical steel bits covered along the ground. It eyed Molly's legs and the tail stopped for a moment.
"Poor pair of caged hawks, " Said it with a throaty singsong before looking at Maria, "learn to fly fast, little bird."
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Post by Circe on Sept 2, 2020 19:38:14 GMT -6
Xiaolian stared at Molly for a minute, before she looked over at where Maria stood on the phone with dispatch trying to get animal control out. Swearing, she tried to remember if she had ever gotten a call about it. "Fuck.. no. There was so much going on that week." She replied, as fear and guilt washed itself over her. She was spread too thin, between the court, MCU, and Guardians. "If someone can get me there, I can seal it." She added quickly. At least she thought she could seal it, it might require some help from others, but it could be done that much she was certain.
"But I mean.. it's.. possible?" Xiaolian answered Molly, unsure herself. Never had there been so much chaos and uncertainty recently, how had Heaven overlooked it so much? How had it even allowed it exist? Surely there was something being done. But then the animal answered Molly's questions, and cryptically. That always made things that much more difficult. "And maybe isn't an answer." Shen then said to the coyote, watching as it eyed Maria. This had the potential to go from bad to worse.
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Post by demikara on Sept 2, 2020 19:45:24 GMT -6
"Zander can take you. Alex and Pwyll can play bodyguard in case of other creatures." Molly said simply. Right. Having it sealed off was the important part. She put herself between the coyote and Maria who had a hand on her gun now, read to draw it if needed. "What are you doing here?" Molly asked. "Do you need a ride home?" It would be best if it came willingly after all. It seemed to be able to think at least which was better than not. Of course, that also meant it could think and so could probably think of tactics. Regardless, she didn't like the reminder that she was caged her and it was clear looking at her that she took offense to the description. She'd be set free eventually. She just had to prove herself, somehow, and convince the council that she had reformed.
Maria kept a handle on her gun, not drawing it just et, and kept her eyes on the creature. What the hell was going on? The coyote was now talking. It had been run over and very badly injured and now it was whole and talking. She didn't know of any unseen creatures shaped like coyotes that could talk. They could exist though, and she was well aware. Either way, back up of a sorts was on the way and they'd have something they could safely grab the coyote with. Assuming it couldn't get out of it.
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Post by littlekreen on Sept 2, 2020 20:48:53 GMT -6
The grin returned as the small phantasm flitting nearby shot back then up the muzzle opening to speak, "[GLURK] Maybe is always an answer. Would you like more? You smell ... ignored."
A whine as the gash in its side squirmed the distended belly firmed and pulled upward. The hip quivered as the coyote shifted on its haunches as a clearer old voice said to Molly, "I am home, little caged hawk, and there are new toys in my den to play with."
The grin continued with a look at the two of them in stares scrutinizing their eyes with its own, "If your cage went away, and you could live free, would you let others put you back in?"
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Post by Circe on Sept 3, 2020 17:58:33 GMT -6
Bristling at the Coyote's comments, Xiaolian did what she could to hold her cool. This was not the time to get into an argument with something that likely could have had the three of them for lunch if it wanted. "What are you we to call you strange one?" She asked tentatively. Names had power, almost all of the Unseen knew that, and there was little chance she was revealing anything past lieutenant to this creature. But once she had at least a name, she could figure out who they were dealing with.
The moment the creature had spoken, it had turned into a being instead of entity for Xiaolian. Which meant she needed to be more cautious with her words and even thoughts. There was a spectrum of things that it could be that they had encountered, from a low level spirit to a diety. But, she wasn't about to answer it's question about a cage.
If Xiaolian's suspicions were correct though, it was looking less and less likely to be a spirit.
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Post by demikara on Sept 3, 2020 18:10:20 GMT -6
That was a good sign that there was trouble afoot wasn't there? "I'm rather stuck with my cage. But I would never let another be put on me, if I could be rid of it." Never. She'd run before letting them put her in another binding. This one was terrible enough. "But I'll go about getting it removed the right way, all the same." She wasn't cheating out of it and ending up owing a strange coyote looking creature. "How would you play? There are rules to follow." She pointed out.
Humans were easy enough to play with, but there were rules. Even with the unseen in the open now, everyone was keeping things as quiet as possible.
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Post by littlekreen on Sept 3, 2020 19:49:45 GMT -6
Coyote bobbed his head at Xiaolain, "What I've always been. Just an old Coyote looking to fill his belly. Your other little hawk meets a white wolf with a tired old soul. Once I ate monsters for the first people. Don't we all just like the taste?"
The coyote's mouth opened showing a weaving glint inside then closed it, "Today, I eat fish. Maybe tomorrow we are fish. Maybe the day after the lake drains and we drown. Maybe little fish and the worms learn to eat poachers. Maybe we don't bite the fisherman and they throw us fish. Maybe the lake floods its banks instead and drives out mice that hawks and old Coyotes must eat. Maybe they're lake monsters instead. Maybe they pet old Coyotes and make Taibo leave the fisherman alone. So many maybes."
A wet staccato yip pealed as the Coyote laughed, "Little hawk, and it's never wise to bite the fisherman or play with an angry ursa major. They'll put you in a cage. I heard hawks screeching and came to see wether there is food or fire."
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Post by Circe on Sept 3, 2020 20:09:40 GMT -6
Xiaolian's mind slowly ground to a halt as she realized who and what she was talking to. Every world had it's own legend about a similar creature, but Coyote or Coyoteway as he tended to be called on this plane was to be treated with extreme caution. While not inherently malicious, he did tend to get entertainment out of misleading and tricking others. "Fish... Jīnglíng..." She groaned now realizing something. There were cracks in the seal at the ranch, and it had allowed the Jīnglíng to get out; possibly allowing other things in too. That was how Coyote had gained purchase in the world again, especially since it was likely that something had happened to the veil or barrier between the tree and this world.
"Forgive me Coyote. Few of us have the taste for such work anymore." Xiaolian said politely. She should have known a god when she saw one, but apparently she had spent too much time with the humans. "If you mean Zhen.. then yes he mentioned it." He hadn't, but it was best to go along with it, and besides it seemed to be easier to get information out of this than out of Zhen himself.
"There is fire however brother Coyote. I fear that there is a breach on this plane that will cause even greater harm than yesterday's happenstance storm."
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Post by demikara on Sept 3, 2020 20:19:52 GMT -6
Yesterday's storm? What happened on the solstice that Xiaolian had handled? What storm? She looked between Coyote and and Xiaolian, brow furrowed. But the planar breach she knew about. She just couldn't do anything more than she had done. She had sent a message up the ranks and tried to get Xiaolian's attention, but it had fallen by the wayside. She knew it was guarded on the other side, but that was the most that could happen. "Jingling- Planar fish? What are planar fish doing in Dallas?"
What the hell. That didn't make any sense. At least Coyote was eating them. Those damned pests were incredibly hungry and would eat every bit of metal they could get their teeth on. How had some made it here? Molly could deal with a sitrep right now. "I know of a breach, but the Jinhai have it under control, given we can't seal it." Surely she would ahve received a call if planar fish had somehow slipped through.
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Post by littlekreen on Sept 3, 2020 21:20:42 GMT -6
The violet-eyed coyote looked out toward Mazar then a poorer section of the city, "More than fire, hawk, an old mountain moved under stormy skies. Is it the mountain's fault that it moved? Is it wrong for renewing the land it finds itself in? Would it not still care for those that care for it? Worry for poachers in your den that can move mountains like the Great Spirit but lay waste. A pestilence of poachers or a poacher of pestilence. Maybe its the second. Maybe that's worse."
Coyote sniffs at the ground, "What would you do if a poacher puts metal in your flesh, little hawk? Maybe you would pull the arrow free. Maybe the arrow keeps your lifeblood in. Maybe you would press harder. Maybe just an arrow in a silent forest. Maybe the arrows are from poachers instead of mountain monsters."
It sits on its haunches with a long breath, "There is always a way to steal a fish from the fisherman no matter how tight his basket. A way to best a poacher by a cunning hawk or wolf. Maybe you would protect the fisherman because they give you fish."
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Post by Circe on Sept 4, 2020 14:34:19 GMT -6
Xiaolian looked at the Coyote and considered things for a moment. Was she really a hawk ensnared in the hunter's net? Was that why everything was so wrong? "I do not believe that it is the fault of the mountain or the land..." She hesitated. A war of words, and cryptic words at that was something she had limited experience in. It was one thing to have a god address you, but it was another thing for you yourself to address it. "It is pestilence and corruption either way Master Coyote." Xiaolian finally said.
But the question about the arrow did give her pause, "I would remove it if I were able. But it is not possible." She added, ignoring for now the fact that there would be questions from Maria and Molly later.
The breach would have to be sealed immediately, but she would have to disentangle herself from the God whose curiosity she'd recently acquired.
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