Phoenix Rising

Hunting Thread for the SWP!

The Sun would soon set, turning the scorched earth into a cooler-more survivable atmosphere. The birds that dared flock the cloudless skies would seek sanctuary, while those smarter would wait for nightfall... For once, Ismailia would be thankful for the shadows.

Despite the heat that burned Rionnach, Ismailia was cool. Cool as the ice that tainted her righteous veins. For she had to be, others depended upon her to succeed. She could survive on the basics of berries and water, but she would not stand for the populace to starve. As honour bound to the King and his command, she would do her duty. But it was not just honour that rested like heavy-plated chainmail upon her shoulders, no. It was the desperate need to prove herself. To her family. But also to herself. At the encampment, she could hear the wails of the starved and cries of the scared children. It was a traumatising sight, one that burned a newfound anger and determination. She would not let them down.

A glance was given to her fellow Imperials. "Perhaps we best move soon? We stand more of a chance if we hunt in the shadows." Perhaps she was out of line, speaking so earnestly; but with a skittish glance back to those that had failed; starving, dehydrated and sun-exposed, it was a risk she was willing to take.

Once the parties had been assigned, Ismailia spent no time dallying. She was not the best tracker; she was more physically suited to taking down prey, then homing in. But if she were to progress, it was a task that had to be perfected. She wanted Nassar and Ankh to hear of her success, she wanted to even see Kvothe proud. For a brief moment, she thought of Khepri. Would he be proud? Did she want him to be? Conflicted flickers sparked within her chest; clamping those icy jaws shut. Now was not the time for idle thoughts, no. She would deal with that problem later.

Fortunately, it was not too long until she caught a whiff of something within the air. "This way!" She barked, rushing those slender icy paws of hers into a quicker, loping gate.

This was what she had been born of. A natural disaster, much like the one that was devastating Rionnach as a whole. A burning heatwave that dried up the rivers that freshly flowed through Melrose and the surrounding areas. Snow that once blanketed the mountains didn't even have the time to flow into fresh melting water, but was taken by the sun immediately. Vedette had been one of the first on the scene for those in the Lowlands. As the home she grew up in, it was hard to see those she once knew as neighbors with heat exhaustion written all over their face. Even though she faced what seemed to be a time of desperation in her hometown, she kept a straight face. Throughout the whimpering children and the sobbing mothers, she led them towards the Mainland, in a search for more habitable homes for the time being. After a few trips, she wandered Redwood, helping where she could. She caught wind of a hunt that would be set for those in hunger pains and immediately joined the task force.

When paired with a few others, Vedette greets each of them with a nod of her head. She hadn't been introduced to many of the other cadets within the short period she'd been in the Army. Her first task had been to scour the Highlands in search of anything that might be amiss. Almost all alone within the snowed regions of the North, she was too far for anyone to really reach her. She'd returned quickly after one of the colonels sent a messenger bird informing her of the need for her presence in the Lowlands. And then, that's how she ended up here, with soldiers she didn't know. Though she wasn't intimidated in the least. She held her own way before she joined the Army and was sure she could help out with something as simple as a hunt. Ismailia takes charge almost immediately. She follows in tow of the orange woman, set to her right side to take on any advances that she might make. After moments of tracking, the woman makes a sharp announcement; catching Vedette's attention, she sees the flicker of movement and relies on her legs and instinct to propel her towards the prey.


@Ismailia

R

amses hadn’t seen a natural disaster like this before in his lifespan, but then again, he wasn’t that old. He had just turned three a little while a go, so there was still plenty in his life to experience. This hadn’t been one of the many things he’d hope to know. The wails of those starving to death promised to plague his dreams, the emancipated forms of the dead and dying, staring at his passing patrols with hollow eyes. It was enough to cause a fire to stir in his heart, but there was so little for him to do when faced with a calamity of this magnitude. Mother nature was a force to be reckoned with, and far too powerful for anyone mortal to defy, but the Imperial Army wasn’t known for backing away from challenges. If anything, the cries of the suffering steeled the hearts of the proud.

It was why they stood here together, preparing to hunt for a meal that would feed the hungry mouths that filled the atmosphere with such a sad song. Ramses remained quiet, his pools of sunshine falling on Ismailia and then Vedette as they took point in the party they’d been assigned. Ramses’ white paws danced over the terrain’s surface, muscles rolling beneath his coat of white and brown as they stalked into the shadows as a unit. His ears flicked on top of his cranium when the lady of orange announced she’d smelled something. His keen golden gaze was quick enough to see the flicker of movement before it was off, but so was the party.

He threw his weight into his paws whilst his hind legs shot him off, propelling him after the flicker of tail as it attempted to flee for its life.

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

@Vedette @Ismailia