The water comes on and Num and Kintla are able to control the hose as it comes alive in their hands, arcing the water twenty feet past the doors of the barn and along the edges of the mowed grass, where the short grass met the high grass of the unmowed, unharvested fields. Then the stone that Peanut threw starts to scream, and the wake in the grass indicates that something is moving its way...
Figuring that the others have the water under control, though not exactly sure what they were going to do with it, Peanut sees that the wake in the grass has turned towards the howling pebble that she threw.
Taking the precious time she has to try and see who the cat was after, she bravely starts running in the direction the cat was hunting. Looking for anyone, expecting the little mouse family they found in the barn.
Theodore watches this plan play out from the sidelines, silently hoping it works. Spraying the cat is a gamble...if it fails...well then dragon will know exactly where the torrent of water came from. Nervously, he prepares to tap into his strange power. If it becomes necessary, he can try to access the fabric of reality. If he can do that, perhaps he can pull some of those strings. Strings attached to the dreaded feline. Of course, he couldn't kill the cat, but perhaps he could put it to sleep...
If Dragon does not leave and moves to attack anyone, Theo will cast sleep centered on him, (though he will try not to catch anyone in the 20ft ring). 27hp if he needs to cast it.
Peanut rushes into the high grass, and Clive is fast on her heels. They're in the weeds before Num has time to traverse the hose. Plunging into the weeds, though, has no immediate pay off; they see nothing in front of them as they dive into the high grass after survivors. There are trails going in all directions, but save for the direction some of the grass is pushed, it's almost impossible to figure out where the barn-denizens have gone. No doubt they've ventured into and out of the barn many, many times in the last day or two, and these trails could have been at any point in that time.
The little pebble keeps screaming as Dragon gets to it, but then everyone can hear the cat stop moving as someone, either Peanut or Clive (it's hard to tell in the overgrowth) makes a noise loud enough to be heard by the others, and definitely by the cat.
The screen door on the back of the farmhouse bangs. One of the human children is then out back calling Dragon's name and shaking a dish of food, making noise enough to get the cat's attention, but it doesn't seem like Dragon is moving in the high grass...
Dragon seems to get....bored? Deterred? Something. If it's either that the thrill of the hunt has lost its luster, that the kid calling him is more compelling, or the water itself being a deterrent, it's hard to tell. But the grass shuffles as the cat moves back toward the farmhouse and in the direction of the kid calling him.
The barn has seen its fair share of activity this night. None of the folk living there seem to be too eager to go back toward the barn as things cool off...for the moment.
Back toward the house, the dog can still be heard in the yard. And of course the cat went that way too.
Night is in full effect now, and of course, there is the owl, or owls, to worry about. The question becomes...where to go next? It seems like it's time to get away from the barn...
Peanut had been frozen stiff after sensing that Dragon had noticed them, but once the cat bounded off towards the house, she starts breathing again. Heading back towards the others and making sure Clive is with her, she hears Num's suggestion. "Hmm.. not a bad idea, close and in the opposite direction that that cat ran off to. I'm game. I could definitely use a breather, that was way too close!!"
"Chickens have their own dangers..." Jerad says after turning off the water and abandoning his position at the hydrant. He's seen chickens get aggressive, but they would be significantly less dangerous than the two legged folk or the cat or dog. So... "But it may be the best option for now."He looks back in the direction of the rosebush, "Oh, I do hope your parents don't worry too much."He glances at Theodore.
Noting that the cat has been distracted, Theodore refrains from casting his spell. "Chickens sound very exciting! Yes, let's go there!"He sounds excited, though the excitement fails to mask the slight quiver of fear in the young rat's voice. "They will be worried, but I'm sure they will be happier once they know that we are making the safer decisions." He replies to Jared.
"Chickens!" The pika's eyes sparkles. This is the first time Kintla has ever seen a domesticated chicken in her life, and of course, this gets her excited like every activity out there.
She bounces to the front of the group, humming... then stop in her tracks, then she lets out the biggest, loudest gasp imaginable. "Wait! Chickens are omnivores... will they eat us!? We have to be careful, alright? Because—" All of a sudden, she lets out a yawn, starting to feel groggy. The sun is setting and nighttime is coming, and that's more concerning than any other predators out there—unlike rats, mice, and hedgehogs, pikas are diurnal, meaning they forage for food during the day and sleep during the night.
"—It's past my bedtime..." She pinches herself in the cheek, "It will be exciting to say the least, but I hope everything goes on quickly because I have to sleep really soon. Let's go." She says, now with much less energy this time.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference."
Clive returns with Peanut "Chickens might be safe enough. Whoever started that fire might come back to try and finish the job, and as curious as I am to who and why, I would rather not stay in case they decide I am fuel for the fire too."
There is little opposition then from the party to leave the barn and proceed on to the chicken coop. They head around to the east side of the barn and then north, quickly leaving the easy-travels of the mowed barn lot and delving into the tall, unkempt grasses between the barn and coop. Stars twinkle overhead against a sky that is clear as the freshest stream, and a cool breeze rolls through seed stalks over their heads, carrying with it the promise of fall, and the threat of a first frost that could be as soon as days away.
There is a thin strip mowed around the fence that keeps the chickens in their run during the day, so it's easy to traverse once the party emerges from the high grass and slips through the rusty woven wire and into the chicken lot. A few refugees from the barn have already come this far, apparently not ready to risk staying in the barn the same night as the fire. Some of them are foraging along the ground between the coop and the fence picking up missed seeds and corn kernels for supper.
The coop itself has been buttoned up tight for the evening. Farmer Fitzgibbons has also started trying to keep the rats out at night, once he started realizing how much chicken feed was being pilfered in the evenings, and so a heavy 2x6 has been leaned against the coop door so nothing can go under it. A brick holds it firmly in place.
Of course, everyone (well, anyone who ventures near the chicken coop ever...) knows about the rat hole near the corner of the building. It goes under the foundation and comes up in the back of the coop beneath the nesting boxes.
Clive decides before trying to go into the coop, by either method, the best course of action is to check it is safe inside the coop. He has a quick run around the coop looking in to make sure it doesn't look like anyone is in there who might wish a mouse harm. (Perception 21)
As the pika goes from being very excited to very tired, Peanut watches her with interest. "Where have you been living on the farm? I haven't seen you before. I mean, true I haven't met a lot of the ones I've seen tonight," she smiles pointedly at Theo, "but I'm curious where it is you call home?"
As they get inside the fenced in area, Peanut searches for some food, she finds she is much hungrier after all the excitement than she realized.
Then she chuckles as Num tells Clive where the way in is, her little paw over her mouth and runs to follow Num where it will be nice and cozy.
Clive returns just as the party begins to delve into the tunnel behind Num. Num moves further into the tunnel, past the entrance, revealing the labyrinthian network inside. He can see that the tunnel branches three directions as he moves forward, but can't tell to where...
There is nothing dangerous inside the tunnel entrance. It's just dark as it descends into the earth...
The water comes on and Num and Kintla are able to control the hose as it comes alive in their hands, arcing the water twenty feet past the doors of the barn and along the edges of the mowed grass, where the short grass met the high grass of the unmowed, unharvested fields. Then the stone that Peanut threw starts to scream, and the wake in the grass indicates that something is moving its way...
DM of AURYN: The Measure of Devotion - Escape from New York
Figuring that the others have the water under control, though not exactly sure what they were going to do with it, Peanut sees that the wake in the grass has turned towards the howling pebble that she threw.
Taking the precious time she has to try and see who the cat was after, she bravely starts running in the direction the cat was hunting. Looking for anyone, expecting the little mouse family they found in the barn.
Num nods at Kintla, indicating the moving grass headed towards the pebble.
Num gets ready to move the flow of water to the same spot to intercept the moving grass just as it gets there.
Theodore watches this plan play out from the sidelines, silently hoping it works. Spraying the cat is a gamble...if it fails...well then dragon will know exactly where the torrent of water came from. Nervously, he prepares to tap into his strange power. If it becomes necessary, he can try to access the fabric of reality. If he can do that, perhaps he can pull some of those strings. Strings attached to the dreaded feline. Of course, he couldn't kill the cat, but perhaps he could put it to sleep...
If Dragon does not leave and moves to attack anyone, Theo will cast sleep centered on him, (though he will try not to catch anyone in the 20ft ring). 27hp if he needs to cast it.
Clive, seeing Peanut move to where dragon came from, dashes down and joins her searching.
After joining more my signature got out of hand so I am now a proud member of the extended signature club!! :)
Peanut rushes into the high grass, and Clive is fast on her heels. They're in the weeds before Num has time to traverse the hose. Plunging into the weeds, though, has no immediate pay off; they see nothing in front of them as they dive into the high grass after survivors. There are trails going in all directions, but save for the direction some of the grass is pushed, it's almost impossible to figure out where the barn-denizens have gone. No doubt they've ventured into and out of the barn many, many times in the last day or two, and these trails could have been at any point in that time.
The little pebble keeps screaming as Dragon gets to it, but then everyone can hear the cat stop moving as someone, either Peanut or Clive (it's hard to tell in the overgrowth) makes a noise loud enough to be heard by the others, and definitely by the cat.
The screen door on the back of the farmhouse bangs. One of the human children is then out back calling Dragon's name and shaking a dish of food, making noise enough to get the cat's attention, but it doesn't seem like Dragon is moving in the high grass...
DM of AURYN: The Measure of Devotion - Escape from New York
Num guides the water stream to where he last saw Dragon, looking to spray the cat now that there are others out in the grass.
(6 +5 if Strength to guide to right spot, or +3 if considered a distance weapon )
Dragon seems to get....bored? Deterred? Something. If it's either that the thrill of the hunt has lost its luster, that the kid calling him is more compelling, or the water itself being a deterrent, it's hard to tell. But the grass shuffles as the cat moves back toward the farmhouse and in the direction of the kid calling him.
The barn has seen its fair share of activity this night. None of the folk living there seem to be too eager to go back toward the barn as things cool off...for the moment.
Back toward the house, the dog can still be heard in the yard. And of course the cat went that way too.
Night is in full effect now, and of course, there is the owl, or owls, to worry about. The question becomes...where to go next? It seems like it's time to get away from the barn...
DM of AURYN: The Measure of Devotion - Escape from New York
Num drops the hose once it's clear Dragon has left.
He looks around for the others.
"The flightless bird house?" Num suggests. "It's close. They're noisy but not too dangerous."
Peanut had been frozen stiff after sensing that Dragon had noticed them, but once the cat bounded off towards the house, she starts breathing again. Heading back towards the others and making sure Clive is with her, she hears Num's suggestion. "Hmm.. not a bad idea, close and in the opposite direction that that cat ran off to. I'm game. I could definitely use a breather, that was way too close!!"
"Chickens have their own dangers..." Jerad says after turning off the water and abandoning his position at the hydrant. He's seen chickens get aggressive, but they would be significantly less dangerous than the two legged folk or the cat or dog. So... "But it may be the best option for now." He looks back in the direction of the rosebush, "Oh, I do hope your parents don't worry too much." He glances at Theodore.
Noting that the cat has been distracted, Theodore refrains from casting his spell. "Chickens sound very exciting! Yes, let's go there!" He sounds excited, though the excitement fails to mask the slight quiver of fear in the young rat's voice. "They will be worried, but I'm sure they will be happier once they know that we are making the safer decisions." He replies to Jared.
Sensing enough are on board with the direction, Num starts trotting off towards the bird coop.
"Chickens!" The pika's eyes sparkles. This is the first time Kintla has ever seen a domesticated chicken in her life, and of course, this gets her excited like every activity out there.
She bounces to the front of the group, humming... then stop in her tracks, then she lets out the biggest, loudest gasp imaginable. "Wait! Chickens are omnivores... will they eat us!? We have to be careful, alright? Because—" All of a sudden, she lets out a yawn, starting to feel groggy. The sun is setting and nighttime is coming, and that's more concerning than any other predators out there—unlike rats, mice, and hedgehogs, pikas are diurnal, meaning they forage for food during the day and sleep during the night.
"—It's past my bedtime..." She pinches herself in the cheek, "It will be exciting to say the least, but I hope everything goes on quickly because I have to sleep really soon. Let's go." She says, now with much less energy this time.
"The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference."
—Richard Dawkins
DM—Stories From The End of The World: Episode I
Clive returns with Peanut "Chickens might be safe enough. Whoever started that fire might come back to try and finish the job, and as curious as I am to who and why, I would rather not stay in case they decide I am fuel for the fire too."
After joining more my signature got out of hand so I am now a proud member of the extended signature club!! :)
There is little opposition then from the party to leave the barn and proceed on to the chicken coop. They head around to the east side of the barn and then north, quickly leaving the easy-travels of the mowed barn lot and delving into the tall, unkempt grasses between the barn and coop. Stars twinkle overhead against a sky that is clear as the freshest stream, and a cool breeze rolls through seed stalks over their heads, carrying with it the promise of fall, and the threat of a first frost that could be as soon as days away.
There is a thin strip mowed around the fence that keeps the chickens in their run during the day, so it's easy to traverse once the party emerges from the high grass and slips through the rusty woven wire and into the chicken lot. A few refugees from the barn have already come this far, apparently not ready to risk staying in the barn the same night as the fire. Some of them are foraging along the ground between the coop and the fence picking up missed seeds and corn kernels for supper.
The coop itself has been buttoned up tight for the evening. Farmer Fitzgibbons has also started trying to keep the rats out at night, once he started realizing how much chicken feed was being pilfered in the evenings, and so a heavy 2x6 has been leaned against the coop door so nothing can go under it. A brick holds it firmly in place.
Of course, everyone (well, anyone who ventures near the chicken coop ever...) knows about the rat hole near the corner of the building. It goes under the foundation and comes up in the back of the coop beneath the nesting boxes.
DM of AURYN: The Measure of Devotion - Escape from New York
Clive decides before trying to go into the coop, by either method, the best course of action is to check it is safe inside the coop. He has a quick run around the coop looking in to make sure it doesn't look like anyone is in there who might wish a mouse harm. (Perception 21)
After joining more my signature got out of hand so I am now a proud member of the extended signature club!! :)
Num watches the mouse, Clive, run around the coop with a fair bit of curiosity.
"The way in is over here," Num says, going over to the hole that leads to the tunnel.
He waits for Clive to stop running and then heads down into the hole and tunnel to lead the way.
As the pika goes from being very excited to very tired, Peanut watches her with interest. "Where have you been living on the farm? I haven't seen you before. I mean, true I haven't met a lot of the ones I've seen tonight," she smiles pointedly at Theo, "but I'm curious where it is you call home?"
As they get inside the fenced in area, Peanut searches for some food, she finds she is much hungrier after all the excitement than she realized.
Then she chuckles as Num tells Clive where the way in is, her little paw over her mouth and runs to follow Num where it will be nice and cozy.
Clive returns just as the party begins to delve into the tunnel behind Num. Num moves further into the tunnel, past the entrance, revealing the labyrinthian network inside. He can see that the tunnel branches three directions as he moves forward, but can't tell to where...
There is nothing dangerous inside the tunnel entrance. It's just dark as it descends into the earth...
DM of AURYN: The Measure of Devotion - Escape from New York