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Post by Zazu on Feb 24, 2007 3:23:19 GMT -5
Do you ever wonder what happens in the Lerai Forest in the dead of night? If all goes according to plan, this RP will lead into the Palandasya Exodus TP.
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Post by Zazu on Feb 24, 2007 3:25:54 GMT -5
CHARACTERS
Chiro, juvenile fruit bat--a megalomaniacal and adorably delusional little creature.
Roho, adult spotted hyena--a worldly traveler with more patience than is good for him.
~~~~~~~
Kiruuke - Lerai Forest
This forest is a place that comes into its own in the dark of night, and the cool touches of the starlight. Land here extends for miles; traveling through the tangle of woods tends to be an adventure, be it a very dangerous one. Toward the west, the forest gets warmer and moister, and the trees are replaced by greener, thicker species that seem to tower further skyward like arboreal sentinels. Throughout the forest itself the trees intermittently give way to clearings, while in some places they become thick and nigh-impassible. The grasses through the trees are dark and soft, branches throughout. Birds of many types flit and flutter, singing to the slowly disappearing blue sky in the canopy of the massive forest.
Exits:
[Northwest] to the Swamp Thicket
[West] into the Jungle Primeval
[East] into Palandasya Lands
If you go far enough into the blackness, you're bound to find something as unfamiliar as bright colors are without the clarity of light. Here's a very black forest on a very black night. No moon in the sky. Clouds over half the stars. There are a few flickers of dim luminescence off some of the plants that carry moisture, and the very occasional blink of a living eye. Here, Roho the Thief takes his sleep. This is how he likes it. Unwatched...and unwatching. The hyena lies crooked, bunched up against the base of a tree, and snoozes deeply.
There's something to be said for the concept of a silence drawn from the presence of ambient sounds. Sounds that are constant and unchanging so much that when they halt into actual silence, the silence that was there would be broken. This 'silence' is much like that of the presence of a nearby waterfall, rushing loudly and constantly until it no longer registers to one's hearing. From the middle of the common noises of the jungle comes another sound that fits right in. Ripping through wind, leaves and branches, high up in the trees themselves. But as it comes nearer a new sound errupts, sounding much like a massive limb being snapped in half, far up in the canopy. All of the commotion of the regular sounds has drawn to a silence thanks to this. The eerie presence of non-silence from a lack of the familiar sounds existant on the air. It makes it easy to hear a subtle fluttering in the wind as something small tumbles straight down from the treetops into the underlying bushes with a hiss of living plant to catch it. ..Or at least break its fall before impacting the soft ground beneath. *Thurmp*
/Thrump./ That's the cue for the pillow of darkness to rise from his limpid journey and emerge, slowly, into the world, shrouded and half unreal though it is. Loud crackling sounds have a way of making the night seem more real, which is disconcerting in its very conception. "Hrrrrrmp!" reverberates the sound of the hyena's diaphragm, setting various pieces of the forest into action in their small ways. He needs to wake up. His voice is heavy and dripping with thickness, even before it speaks a word.
The bush that the sounds ended at goes quiet again, the local silence slowly being filled once again by the sounds of the forest as they seep back into the darkened woods like a rapid infection. And as the silence of non-silence returns, it would almost seem as though what just happened hadn't really happened at all. Until the bush starts moving again, though not as loudly as before, "Ugh." A small, raspy light voice grunts, "Now where am I? What did I hit?" Rustle, shake, "A bush?! Was I flying that low? When I rule this forest I'll have you turned into a snake's nest, you measley little twig! Now unhand me!" Shake, shake, snap..
The carnivore gives his body a little stretch and emits a quiet yawn. He treads with groggy steps to the bush. His dark eyes peer inside with great scrutiny. Out of the relative calm, he speaks. "You would do that to a plant whose only crime is failing to get out of your way?" he asks, his voice measured. This hyena is on the large side, for a male of his species. He's imposing, and very shaggy. It may be wise to answer him.
"What? Who said that?" The small creature spins his head around once, large eyes peering all about, though it doesn't seem as though he sees anything even though he looked right at the Hyena only a second ago. But after something, he seems to be aware of everything, "Oh. A quadruped." The comment is rich with the venom of sarcasm, "Lack of mobility is no excuse for delaying the inevitable of my rule!" The animal shoves his way free of the short plant, lifting his wings high around him in the dark area, "All who stand in my way shall fall and worship me as their lord!" He walks at this point right into a large root, bumping his nose, "Hey! Who did that?!" The critter's wings flail for a moment as if he were blind all over again, and then it's as if he can suddenly see again, "Oh. A root." He cranes his head upward, at the tree so responsible, "You I shall make into a termite mound!" Not the quietest of individuals. Quite a voice for being so small.
The hyena turns just slightly to follow the movements of the manic bat with his eyes. "You would blame the entire tree for the crimes of its basest elements?" he asks with just a tinge of mockery, echoing his previous comment. A slight breeze happens by, blowing his fur upward, where it hangs for a second before setting somewhat horizontally.
"I would condemn this entire forest for being in my way! Its only saving grace were the fruits I've tasted, and so the rest of it shall be spared of my wrath. Only the most worthless of shrub and tree shall be doomed a horrid fate such as these unnecessary weeds." As the bat articulates his evil measures, his wings assist him in explaining and emphasizing, lifted here, thrusted there. His large ears stay directly upright, firm and unmoving. Much like a hood ornament.
Roho turns his body to face the bold little creature directly. His own ears are kept relatively close to his head, although they're large enough to be rather imposing should he choose to swing them out. "You are clearly a being of the most discriminating tastes. I imagine that a world under your rulership would be mostly barren, as only the objects, plants and people meeting your most exacting standards would be allowed to remain." He stands silent for a moment, apparently taking this thought seriously. "It is a chilling thought," he says.
"And I would have it no other way!" Exclaims the bat in a sinister fashion, "And first from these two examples the lands shall witness and be absorbed into my control for fear of something of a similar manner befalling them. It is only how the way of a king works. I am not to be blamed for my heritage as a ruler!" He brings a wing over his chest to brush it down, driving dust and twig from his coat as he settles down, "And what would be your name, then, mongrel?"
The slight pause before the hyena answers serves to punctuate the fact that he does not answer at the whim of this fruit bat, but at his own pleasure. "Roho," he says. "If you want to know what it means, you can know me further. You are a prince?" He sits down slowly, compacting soft sprouts in the loam underneath him. The air is getting quite cold.
"KING." The bat replies in near shock, "I am second to no one! Were it not for your glancing bouts amusement I would tell you a most horrific future for yourself when I am your king! However, I shall spare you such a fate this one time, as you may not have been aware since it is so dark out and you could not see me in my true glory." He crosses his wings, if it were even possible, stuffing a tapered wrist into the crux of his opposite wing as they knot together, "Roho, is it? I am Chiro! Soon to be lord of everything you know and love! So know it and love it before it is mine!"
Roho settles down easily onto his ample belly. He regards the bat through his speech with mildly curious eyes and a wealth of hidden emotion. "It's many a megalomaniacal mind that's fizzled out before you, and I've known one or two," he says. He sniffs the air for several seconds, then returns his attention. "I wonder whether I ought to be collecting the delusions of you and your kind, as treasures, before /their/ season of extinction. Go on, then--I'm listening. Tell me by what power you expect to take control over all that is."
"Aha, but you have yet to witness the masterful mind of lord Chiro at work! It may only start with a hint of a gleam of hatred in one's eye. A creature, small, but effectual in an action to dominate or terrorize will be driven by sheer need for vengeance to find a means to rise above his enemies, and so he enlists assistance of others, larger and stronger. The hatred becomes rumor, the rumor becomes slander, the slander becomes war. And the Bat becomes King." Chiro explains with excitement and much flailing of his winged arms, "Makes sense to you now, yes? Brilliance deserves to be King, I know."
The hyena is now engaged in patient conversation. His low, gravelly voice makes a strange contrast to the fluting mania of the smaller animal. "It is not brilliant to have reinvented the concept of power," he expounds. "To control power and wield it wisely...well, I might believe that a flying creature like yourself could have such ability...but for your overconfidence." He clears his throat. "The more you boast, Chiro, the less likely your boasts will come true...and the less need for them too, I might add." He concludes with a sound that's like the reverse of clearing his throat.
"Overconfidence? There is no such thing as overconfidence! And as I become king I shall make certain everyone knows such, by outlawing its use! I've no time for words that will delay me in my efforts to reach my rightful place as ruler." Chiro nods to his last sentence, eyes closed, "It may be a journey, but one I am prepared to make." Those large leathery wings of the bat suddenly throw wide open, "The world shall be mine! And all who live upon it!"
"Somehow," rumbles the large hyena, "I doubt that. I do not envision that you will find it at all easy to attract followers, as you seem to think it will." He stirs, falling back into a sitting position, with his forebody facing the bat and his hindquarters askew. "Go on, then. Show me how you win a follower. Show me by what measures your army grows. I'm listening."
"Apparently you do not understand the methods I intend to use. Perhaps they are /too/ keen for you?" He looks like he's about to explain, but he stops himself, his wings dropping to his sides, "But if all I do is stand here talking about it, I will never become king! Now is the time for action. My plan is already determined and I must see it through!"
Roho nods sagely. "Yes, of course. You have no choice in the matter. What, then, is the first step?" asks the hyena placidly.
"Step one is rather simple, you'll see. I only need to find a herd, a clan, a troop, a pride, a gaggle.. A group of animals that travel together. And observe them for a day." Declares the bat with the single clawed digit of his left wing pointed treeward, "Intricate and still very easy to accomplish. That's where I was on my way to until it became dark so suddenly!" He begins pacing in a small circle, "And from there shall begin the fall of all else, and the rise of myself."
Roho nods again. He breathes out slowly, an ominous sound under the breeze. "All of those things may be hard to find," he cautions. "One, though, is quite doable. So when you've observed your group...then what? Or do I have to wait to be educated?" His stomach rumbles, and he gives it a good shake that sets it burbling more quietly. "Is there a reason you haven't done any of this before?"
"All of the time before was spent cultivating my brilliant plan for domination. And now that I have it, I shall rule!" Chiro declares, winged fist held high, standing proudly, "Step two shall consist of using what I've learned of the group to encourage a strong dislike with another group they mention in my observations. Could be their enemies, or their friends. I shall riddle them with lies and deceit. Then I shall find this other group and do the same, informing them of both things I've heard and things I've fabricated to make them hate the other. Back and forth with this and they will fall prey to anger and a need to fight a war with one another." As he explains Chiro continues to pace, the tips of his wings dragging little lines in the underlying grass and dirt.
Roho's eyes glow brightly in a strange, subtle way, given that they have no noticeable color. He stands up with some slight effort. "That does sound like a fine plan," he admits dryly. "I suppose I might even be interested in seeing it in execution. Academic reasons, you understand. Game theory and all that." Again, the hyena clears his throat, and it conveys some blend of sentiments that aren't easily disentangled. The air begins to warm again.
Chiro stops with a grin, eyes passing around and...looking at a direction that isn't Roho, "Ahh, you've caught on to the quality of my work, it seems. Perfect timing, as now step three begins. From here I watch, weaving only what extra webbing is necessary to ensure a violent erruption of chaos and vengeance between the two groups pitted at one another, and as I decide which group will benefit myself the most, I shall determine if they need help. Should they need support, I will seek out a third. This group I shall call forth as a calvary for the group I want to win, bringing them just in time to rescue and ensure their victory, and sealing the faithfulness of both the lasting groups into my clutches. They shall all be thankful to me for my assistance. The fools."
"Quite," says Roho. "The fools, indeed. Well, Chiro...as you have taken it on yourselves to wake me--and as I feel I've slept just about half as long as I should have liked--I hope you'll not take it badly if I drop off once again. I do have some odd habits, after all, such as sleeping in the midst of night...but I'll be glad to accompany you to your first triumph. These first three steps should be quite illuminating." He growls, but it doesn't seem hostile, just a natural admixture in his innards.
"Sleep?" Chiro huffs, puffing his chest out, "Sleep is for the weak!" And that's when he feels a need to yawn. Widely. "Oh. ..Very well, perhaps sleep isn't such a bad idea. But tomorrow! ..Tomorrow, we begin my domination. And for your service, I shall name you something useful and highly-regarded under my rule." He begins slinking off back toward the bush he fell into before.
Roho sits down where he is and curls his small tail about his posterior. "Indeed. I suppose a good traveler can always make room for another title...especially if it's well-earned." He slumps into a sleeping position. "Or amusingly so. Until the morning, companion."
Chiro vanishes into the dark of the darkened bush beneath the darkened canopy of the darkened trees. It's a lot of dark. But as was said before, it's a really dark place to be. A small rustle here and there preceeds that all too familiar silence from non-silence, with frogs, insects and other animals making various night-time noises throughout the forest.
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