snowblindrpg | [log] Event: Howl [open]

[log] Event: Howl [open]

Characters: everyone
Location: The sort of location M.C. Escher wishes he'd thought up.
Date: nights 211 & 212
Summary: I hunt for you with bloody feet across the hallow'd ground
Warnings: potential for violence, death, and psychological horror; please note in subject lines if any specific warnings come up!

like some child possessed, the beast howls in my veins
I want to find you tear out all your tenderness

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

You are quite close now. Be careful you don't trip.

[ There are walls around, but one thing the Cat has noticed is that there is very little by way of railings or other safety measures. Part of the trap, no doubt. ]

The Trickster is a god of my world. He goes by many names, and often causes trouble simply for the joy of it.

[ Castiel stumbles a bit on the first step going down and has to throw his arms out for balance, but manages to stay upright. The rest go more easily, now that he knows how far down each step is from the last. ]

In the world I was made to watch, the name 'trickster' refers to many beings - some godly and others not, though they all take a similar attitude towards chaos and mischief.

This seems too orderly to be the doing of any I'm familiar with.

Careful.

[ He only sounds tense because he doesn't like being bounced like that. ]

There are other trickster gods, but only one called The Trickster. Kyprioth, I believe, is his next most common name in the Mortal Realms.

I do think he would enjoy this sort of nonsense-place.

Sorry. [ He does take care to keep surer footing after that, and doesn't trip again even when he reaches the bottom of the stairs. ]

It's possible I just can't appreciate the amount of nonsense without being able to see it for myself. [ There's only so absurd a situation can seem when you're being forced to extrapolate what's going on based on a tiny fraction of your senses. Most of what he's experiencing is the strange gravity and inconsistent space, which is strange, certainly, but not so much more than some of the other places he's been. ]

I think we're on the same level as it now. It's somewhere behind us - do you see a path that circles around?

I do not. But I would not be the least surprised if the door directly to your left led somewhere other than to your left.

[ This is the kind of nonsense he's talking about. ]

[ Castiel nods and turns left, feeling along the wall until he finds the doorframe, the door, the handle. It takes him a moment of fiddling with the latch, but he opens it, and when he does he feels another shift in gravity, and has to preform an odd half-step half-hop to keep from sliding along the new floor as he pivots 90 degrees from his previous orientation. The once-vertical door is now a rectangular hole in the floor behind them.

He blinks slowly, turning in place and craning his neck as he tries to get his bearings again. ]

I've lost track of it. Wait. No, it's there. [ He points. ] Straight ahead, seemingly on the same level as we are now.

[ The Cat sinks his claws into Castiel's jacket during the change, just trying to hold on. He's a cat, curse it all, he shouldn't have trouble with this kind of thing. ]

Perfect. If you can point out its light and get me close enough, it should be a simple matter to retrieve it.

[ Thankfully it's a sturdy coat made out of relatively thick material. Not as thick as Norfinbury's weather calls for, but thick enough that a cat's claws won't cause him any trouble. ]

It... will be easier for me to do it. I can see it well enough to anticipate its reactions. You should wait here. [ Which is true, the creature does pose a much lesser risk to him than The Cat. It passes its precious light back and forth between each of its four mouths - falcon to elephant to locust to wolf - and if Castiel should fail to snatch it away before any of them bite down then he at most risks the loss of a hand. The Cat, conversely, risks a broken spine or crushed skull.

There's more to it than that, though. He knows by now that these are not his brethren, only cruel facsimiles, but the idea of standing aside and watching as someone puts Uriel down is... not one he particularly cares for. ]

[ He doesn't particularly like this approach, but he does know he's limited by size and shape. Castiel is right. ]

Very well. There is a ledge five feet to your right that goes on for some way. Don't forget it's there.

[ Castiel kneels down to allow The Cat to more easily jump off his back, then straightens up again, eyes fixed on his target. Wolf to falcon to elephant - taking it away will be easiest if he intercepts it between the locust and wolf - the wolf's teeth are dangerous, but the locust's mandibles are neither as sharp as the hawk's beak or as flexible and long as the elephant's trunk. ]

I won't.

[ And with that said, he breaks into a run. ]

[ The Cat hops down, and stalks back and forth at Castiel's feet. He dare not get too close o a monster he can't see, but if the Angel seems to be in trouble he will interfere regardless. It's what he's always done. ]

[ This will be unpleasant. This pretender is nowhere near as large as Uriel's true form would be relative to a human and a cat - if it were, then taking the light from it would be an insurmountable challenge in a quite literal sense - but it still has a considerable advantage in size. And assuming all of its eyes work there will be little point in trying to sneak up on it. Speed will be his greatest asset here.

Castiel leaps at the creature's back and grabs onto its wings, using its feathers as handholds to haul himself up its back. Naturally, it is less than cooperative in this endeavor. It thrashes, screaming from each of its mouths - a howl, a trumpet, a screech and an insectoid clacking, all underscored by an unearthly ringing. The furnace of mock-holy fire that serves as its central body burns hotter and hotter, scalding Castiel's hands as he struggles to keep his grip and reach towards the light as it swings by him. His fingertips brush it but don't quite reach - almost knock it into the wolf's waiting mouth, but that won't do. He won't get another chance at this, the skin of his other hand is beginning to blister from the heat and his grip is weakening so he lunges with all his strength and all but shoves his arm into the beast's toothy maw to retrieve the light.

The moment his fist closes around his prize, the creature disappears and Castiel drops, unceremoniously, to the ground. ]

[ Every hair on the Cat's body stands on end, his back arched, his tail rod straight and low to the ground. He doesn't like this, not a bit.

But he doesn't interfere, not until Castiel drops. Then he races to the angel's side, inspecting him closely for damage. ]

[ He's weakened by the struggle and stunned by the impact, but conscious, and he raises the light up so the Cat can see it before it vanishes into thin air, just like the beast. ]

It is done.

[ An attempt is made to get back up onto his feet, but it falls short partway through - trying to push himself up with his burned and bloodied hands is much more difficult than anticipated, not least because under normal circumstances the wounds would have already healed. Pain that lasts like this is not something he's accustomed to, and he needs a moment to adjust. It's fine. There is time for a moment of rest, isn't there? ]

[ He yeowls a little as Cas almost falls on top of him, but settles in to knead his shoulders. ]

Rest. We are alone, for now.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[log] Event: Howl [open]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

brief description of burns

no subject

no subject

no subject