[PRP] Rebellious Witch [Deimos + Rianon]

[nepsah]

While taking a walk in the woods Deimos comes across the Witch of the Forest

 

[nepsah]

There was going to be a hunt soon, but Deimos was not one to miss out on his routine walk through the woods. Since it was going to be cut short, he hadn't bothered with his mapping supplies. He definitely didn't want to get stuck out in the forest when one of those ridiculous events started up- chances were he'd get trampled or something. At least, that's what Thypion had told him and he wasn't about to discount Thypion's knowledge of how the hunts worked.

He was about to turn back to head toward his hive again, but something up ahead caught his eye... an unnatural glint in the dim moonlight. He knew he should really just leave it and go back to his hive, but... what if it wasn't there when the hunt ended? Ignoring Thypion's low growls, he trudged on ahead to see what it was. As he grew closer, he could only really discern that it was small, and probably metal... or a shiny rock? Either way, he wanted it and wasn't going to turn around until he got it.

Unaru

 

[Unaru]

Another night, another hunt. Rianon had become very methodical with running her interference with those blasted highbloods, thinking they had every right on Alternia to justify the atrocities they called sport. The little witch was perched in a treetop, dressed down in hemoanonymous clothing, making sure she stayed as hidden as was possible, something she had become quite adept at. Crowma, her ever present lusus, was blending in easily with the treetops. She had still yet to have to interfere with the hunts to help her charge. Rianon was lucky about that.
The 'games' would be starting any moment, and the little witch was getting her head in the game when suddenly..."What in Alternia?..." she muttered to herself, spotting the young boy trotting through the woods. Didn't he know about the hunts? What was he doing here so close to the start of one?
"What are you doing out here?!" rang Rianon's voice after teleporting behind the tealblood. "Don't you know a hunt is about to begin in the Murderwoods? Are you lost or something?" Her voice was a mixture of concern and urgency. Even Crowma rustled in the high branches, not having expected her child to blow her cover after already settling into her hiding position.

nepsah

 

[nepsah]

Aha! He finally got close enough to see what the object was- a discarded piece of metal. He bent over to pick it up, right when a voice rang out behind him. In the future he'd deny this, but the small troll literally jumped, emitting an alarmed yelp as he stumbled forward through the underbrush. He quickly turned around, eyes wide, expression somewhere between surprise and annoyance. "What are you doing?!" He didn't have any clever comebacks, in fact he barely had the presence of mind to wave Thypion down. His lusus was already eyeing the troll as if deciding whether or not he needed to step in.

"Yeah I know, I live around here." He huffed, feeling his pumpbiscuit start to slow down. Geez, it almost felt like it was gonna burst out of his chest a moment ago. "I was gonna be going back 'til you burst outta nowhere. I could ask you the same stuff y'know." He glanced around as he spoke, as if trying to figure out where this troll had come from. He hadn't seen any signs of other trolls when he was approaching. Finally he settled his gaze back on the other kid, "where did you come from?" Clearly he had his priorities in order. Ask the strange troll where they came from instead of getting out of an increasingly dangerous situation. Definitely a good plan.

Unaru

 

[Unaru]

Rianon didn't care about shocking the boy, she also didn't really care about what he was doing. Right now it was a matter of possible life and death, the little witch couldn't believe how blase he was about the encroaching hunt.
"Well if you live around here you should know how dangerous the hunts are by now!" she said in a chastising tone. She wasn't too much older than him, but she knew these woods inside and out. If he was going to last he needed to be more prepared.
"What I'm" doing isn't your concern. You need to get out of here now! She had her hands on her hips, waiting for him to bolt. She really hoped she wouldn't have to deal with this situation, but her thoughts were interrupted as she heard a horn blowing in the distance. "Oh no..."

nepsah

 

[nepsah]

"I do, I said I was about to go back to my hive, didn't I?" He scrunched his nose a little, not quite appreciating her tone. Thypion edged closer, giving Dei a pair of warning looks. He immediately changed his expression to something less... confrontational. He was in for a lecture later, that was for sure... "Okay, I'm going--" A horn. He froze mid-step, eyes widening a little. How long had it been since he left? Thypion's two heads turned to look in the direction the horn had sounded from. They probably weren't going to have enough time to get back to the hive now, but maybe if they ran...?

"You gotta go too. C'mon, Thypion can carry you too." He reached out to grab the other troll's hand, intending to bring her along. Clearly if he wasn't save, neither was she. "Maybe if we start now we can get out before they get here."

Unaru

please feel free to move dei around accordingly! ; )

 

[Unaru]

”There's no time...” the little green witch said as she heard the hooting and hollering of overzealous hunters in the distance. She had to think fast, this would be a tricky one. She would need to make sure to keep this kid safe, while also managing to save whichever unfortunate soul was caught up in the hunts tonight.
The greenblood turned to the boy's lusus. ”You need to hide, stay away from ANY troll. He'll be safe in the trees. I promise,” she didn't have the luxury of time to explain anything else to Thypion before grabbing a hold of Dei's hand and vanishing into thin air.
The two of them reappeared high in a tree top, where Rianon had been staking out the grounds previously. ”Don't move, and don't talk.” She instructed the tealblood, putting a finger up to her lips for emphasis as the girl clung onto the tree limb gazing out through the foliage, waiting for the hunting party, or the hunted, to come into view.

nepsah

 

[nepsah]

Or not. Deimos turned to look in the direction the hollering was coming from, feeling his stomach drop. Okay. Lesson learned. Don't go out before a hunt, ever again. If he lived through this one, anyway. He looked back to the other troll as she instructed Thypion to leave. His lusus didn't exactly like being told what to do by a stranger, but before the massive creature could reach out to grab Deimos, the girl had grabbed his hand and poofed!

He reappeared in the tree top, and only barely had the presence of mind to hang on once he'd regained his bearings. Wait, how did--? When-?? He blinked in confusion, too stunned to talk even if she hadn't warned him. Below, Thypion stared up at them, two heads clearly distressed. Dei waved at him hurriedly, mouthing 'shoo!' down at him in hopes he'd listen.

Thankfully, Thypion was not so stubborn as to put them all at risk. The hybrid snorted twice, then turned to trot off through the woods. He'd linger, but not close enough to be spotted very easily.

Deimos looked back to the girl, wanting to ask how they'd gotten up there and what exactly her plan was, but remained silent. He'd ask after the hunting party passed.

Unaru

 

[Unaru]

There was a great deal of waiting as the hooting and hollering approached, then seemed to branch off, then come from a completely different direction. Some times it could be difficult to tell where exactly these barbarians were trying to drive the "hunted."
Her concentration was impressive, though she seemed to be paying little mind to Deimos, so long as he wasn't causing any noise that could give their position away. Why did she seem so fixated on what was going on down below though?
Once it seemed as though they had been waiting around for sweeps, a ragged looking troll with some open lacerations leaving a trail of yellow blood behind them darted into the clearing below, two hunters hot on their tail. Now was the time to strike.
Disappearing from sight once again, the little witch reappeared...down there in the middle of the hunt?! The hemoanon girl tossed a bottle onto the ground from her belt, a thick smoke screen forming around the scene. Confusion could be heard from the hunters. Once the smoke cleared away, both the girl and hunted troll were nowhere in sight. It seemed to be quite obvious that she had been out in the murderwoods during the hunts for this particular reason. She actively threw a wrench in the whole ordeal. The hunters started screaming and cussing, having been foiled again. It seemed as if this weren't the first time something like this had happened.

After some time passed, the little witch reappeared up in the tree where Deimos was. She seemed relieved that he was still there, but still scouted the area for any remaining hunters. The hunters hollers had died down by now, perhaps they were heading back to base.
The young witch seemed mostly unphased by the entire experience.

nepsah

 

[nepsah]

The closer they got, the faster his bloodpusher went. This was by far the most terrifying experience he'd had in his admittedly so far short life. How could she be so calm about it? Deimos didn't dare move so much as a finger as the hunters drew closer- he wasn't sure he could even if he wanted to. While her impressive concentration was baffling, it was much appreciated. Deimos was feeling much like a fish out of water- totally unable to get a grip on what to do in the situation other than sit tight and hope they weren't discovered. It was completely out of the norm for him. He rather liked having control over what was going on, after all.

Soon enough, the yellowblood came into view. Rather miraculous they'd even made it this far. Try as he might to will himself to look away, he couldn't get his eyes to close. He wasn't exactly eager to watch one troll get massacred by a hoard of hooligans. As fate had it, he didn't have to. The troll disappeared, popping down below before setting off a smoke bomb. The fear he was feeling was still far too strong for him to react other than to blink owlishly at the place she'd been a moment before. They sounded like this wasn't the first time they'd dealt with interference-- wait.

Interference. In an official hunt. That was illegal. The realization almost knocked him out of his stunned state. What should he do? Tell? He didn't even know what her name was, or color... or... didn't this count as being an accessory? It wouldn't be safe to tell, then. He was brought out of his train of thought by her reappearance. She still looked rather nonchalant about the whole ordeal, despite the scouting of the area.

After a bit of struggling with getting his mind and mouth to cooperate, he managed to speak. Quietly, thankfully, "what was that about?" Perfect. Totally the best thing to say in the current situation.

Unaru

 

[Unaru]

The hemoanon girl seemed quite pleased with herself as the hunters slowly began to dissipate. Aside from the tealblooded boy getting mixed up in the fiasco, things couldn't have gone any smoother. Still, there was a great deal of waiting involved with the final precautions.
Once the tealblood spoke up, the girl finally turned her head to address him, her voice still hushed to be on the safe side. "Just be grateful you didn't have to face the hunters yourself." She said, in hushed tones, readjusting her position on the branch. "That was about fairness, evening the odds, and giving an unjustly prosecuted lowblood the chance to live their life. I'm sure you're a little baffled, but rest assured if you were to turn me in what you know about me couldnt' get them anywhere other than 'in the woods of Four Fronds.' I took a chance, and secured your safety first. It would be appreciated if you could return the favor and not speak of this." The girl still seemed fixated on the ground. One could never be too sure if an encore was ever scheduled. "If you have questions I'd be more than happy to answer them, but if you don't want to be involved in this I suggest you grab your lusus and make a run for your hive. The murderwoods are less than forgiving. Though I must say your survival instincts are sharp enough to keep out of trouble." She couldn't stress enough how glad she was that this tealbood hadn't caused a ruckus when she was in the middle of a mission.

nepsah

 

[nepsah]

Well, that settled that. Any thought he'd had of mentioning this incident to proper authorities was tossed out the window. She was right, he wouldn't be able to tell them anything about her except that she was in the forest. Which.... was a rather large place. "Okay. I'm not gonna tell, you're right." He slowly began to adjust himself into a more comfortable position. Clinging to a branch for dear life wasn't exactly doing wonders for him. "You do that a lot? Where'd you take them? Where'd you even get an idea like that?" The danger seemed to have passed for now- which meant it was time for curiosity to kick in. He wasn't about to climb down from the tree without Thypion there to get him- hell no. He'd rather wait where it was relatively safe for even a few more hours than risk navigating the forest solo.

"Well, yeah, I just lost track of time." He puffed his cheeks up a little in his retort. He wasn't dumb. Just a bit... disorganized. This one time. "I'm not getting down 'til Thypion comes back." He might as well make that clear- just in case she started getting any ideas about telling him to leave sooner rather than later.

Unaru

 

[Unaru]

Curiosity was always a better reaction than persecution. Once Rianon realized this tealblood was more interested in what had happened than turning her in, she was able to let her hackles down a bit. If it came down to it she could always just teleport herself out of there, so she didn't see too much of a problem in filling him in a little.
"Hundreds of times," she replied. Rianon was aware of the urban legends growing about her by this point. "And I take them far enough away that the hunters can't track them. After that," she shrugged, "after escaping a hunt, lots of trolls like to lay low."
The little witch eyed Deimos up and down. She wasn't sure how much she wanted to divulge, but maybe he would understand it. That would be a breath of fresh air. "I saw my first hunt a long time ago. I was really small still, but I was born with the gift of magick, teleportation from Alternia herself. Most trolls who end up in the hunts are just lowbloods who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. And it's hardly fair how outnumbered they always are!" she threw her hands into the air, getting a little heated. "So, I started to help them out. Since I was born with magick, I knew the right thing to do would be to use it to help."

nepsah

 

[nepsah]

He blinked, letting her answers sink in. She'd been interfering that much? And they still hadn't caught her? She might be around his own age, but that fact alone raised some alarms for him. He glanced down to the ground to see if Thypion was back yet. Apparently his lusus was still playing things on the safe side and hadn't returned, he couldn't even see the creature in the distance. "Oh, okay." It was a dumb answer considering the gravity of the situation, but he really wasn't sure what else to say. This was... an entirely different set of actions than he'd come to expect in the world. Obviously if a troll was being hunted, they deserved it, right?

But here she was, saying that it wasn't really like that at all. "That's how law stuff works though, there's lots of them and only one of you. Unless you got the beetles to get lots of people for you, I guess." He mumbled, expression slowly turning to confusion as he struggled to wrap his mind around it. "Even if they do it not.. hunt wise, right? 'Least I always thought that's how it worked." His expression finally settled on a befuddled frown. He hadn't really given it much thought- how... broken that system seemed. It didn't really affect him after all, he never got into real trouble and technically he was somewhere in the middle, not high or low.

"So... you decided to use your magick to fix it? What if... what if they really did do something bad? Then what?" Dei hadn't exactly... voiced that he'd realized how broken that system looked from the most simple of standpoints but he wasn't exactly thinking about keeping her up to speed on what he was thinking anyway. She'd figure it out. Or something. "Do you just get the lowbloods or do you help the others too?"

Unaru

 

[Unaru]

"And who do you think has all the beetles? All the strings to pull? Highbloods of course. To them lowbloods are nothing more than playthings, convenient scapegoats, or trash to be dealt with." She scoffed. There was little use in holding back now this boy had witnessed her in the act.
"I watch the hunts, closely." She stroked her chin, watching the ground, the hunt was most likely ruined for the night. But, she wasn't just going to leave this kid stranded. She'd entertain him until he felt safe enough to head back to his hive.
"If a highblood is in the hunts it's more likely that they did something wrong. I've learned to read trolls, how they interact with the hunters. It's impossible to know for sure if they deserve the sentence or not," she shrugged, "But it's still better to save a bunch with a few rotten apples in there then to just let them all perish in this biased and lopsided system." She grumbled. The girl obviously had some strong opinions, and she thought they were rational.

nepsah