IC: The Sun Never Sets, IC thread for The Sun Never Sets Options

[pbangarth]

Stogie stretches out by the fire and calls Jake to him. Jake curls up in the crook of Stogie's knees... then jumps up, runs to the bushes, relieves himself, and returns to curl up once more. Within seconds both are snoring.

[phlapjack77]

Smohalla steps to the trees, his image blurring and shifting until his clothes drop from the eagle now present.

The eagle flies to a nearby pine that has a good view of the campsite and alights on a branch.

Throughout the night sharp eyes keep watch on those sleeping below.

[Tecumseh]

It should come as no surprise that the eagle's eyes are sharp as monowhips. One could hardly ask for a better watchman. He keeps guard over his friends sleeping peacefully below.

[ Spoiler ]

While they sleep, the forest comes to life. Smohalla easily picks out the small rodents skittering about in the underbrush. There are owls paying close attention too, occasionally leaving their tree branches with a whisper to snag a mouse below. The first hour passes without anything very large or very threatening presenting itself. Stogie, Jake, and Ellesar sleep comfortably next to the fire, kept warmn by its continual heat.

The second hour passes quietly too. Suddenly, there's rustling in the bushes. Smohalla, alert to the movement if not the sound, flits across the clearing, sailing over the fire, to get a better view. He finds a black bear poking around, investigating the perimeter of the fire's circle of light. It's very late in the year for a bear not to be hibernating yet, but it has been a warm, dry autumn. This bear looks pretty fat, but he probably wouldn't mind a midnight snack before it turns in for the winter. The remains of your dinner might have drawn him to the group.

[phlapjack77]

Smohalla's left wing dips as his right wing rises, bringing him in a wide circle around the fire.

His slow, spiralling flight gives him a good view of where everyone is relative to the intruder.

He especially keeps his eye out for Jake.

The descent ends with him landing at the edge of the campsite, in full view of the bear.

The eagle spreads his wings out to the full 2.3 meters of wingspan and hisses.

[pbangarth]

Jake jerks awake at the sound of Smohalla's hiss, and shakes himself when he notices the smell of the bear. Somewhere in the depths of canine intelligence, a murky thought almost forms, "Gettin' old." He pokes Stogie with his nose, till Stogie swoons awake. Jake slithers over to the other side of the fire and watches the story unfold.

[Tecumseh]

Ellesar dreams about his friend from the Elven Peace Force that he hasn't seen in a while. Jake dreams about this great dog agility competition course that Stogie designed for him once. Stogie dreams, his leg twitching occasionally, about added recoil compensation for his shotgun.

[ Spoiler ]

The bear sees Smohalla. It stands on its hind legs, rising to its full height to get a better look. Smohalla quickly judges the bear to be almost as tall as his own wingspan. The bear probably outweighs him ten times over too. Mmm, maybe twenty.

After considering the situation, the bear decides that it is too late in the season for unnecessary trouble. It continues to circle around the campsite, eventually heading toward the lake to get a drink and sniff around for any remains of the fish from when they were dressed. It plods away, looking for meals of opportunity.

[phlapjack77]

The posturing was effective, the intruder warned off.

Wings spread to intimidate now beat the air as the eagle takes off.

Once more he settles on a tree branch overlooking the campsite.

[Tecumseh]

Smohalla eyes the forest, cautious of any potential threats. He watches Ellesar sleep, the elf's aura swirling with dreams.

Stogie blinks hard, confused by his surroundings. He's been woken up out of his deep sleep cycle and is feeling disoriented as a result. He's had about two hours of sleep but really needs a third before he's going to feel fully rested.

[pbangarth]

Jake comes back to Stogie's side and settles in once more, ears perked up. Stogie tries to read Jake's senses, and gets the faintest of images of a bear with wings. Shit, boy, can you keep your dreams to yourself? He rolls over and shifts a bit closer to the fire. Soon he is snoring.

[phlapjack77]

Smohalla lets the excitement of the moment slowly leave his system over the course of the next hour.

As his heartbeat returns to normal, he feels the effects of the day wear on his alertness.

He descends from the tree and assumes human form again.

Ellesar is awakened with a gentle shake of the shoulder.

It is your turn for watch.

Be aware, there was a bear prowling nearby.

With this, Smohalla lays down by the fire and lets sleep claim him.

[AtroposReborn]

Upon feeling the hand on his shoulder Ellesar grabs for the hatchet by his side. His body begins to catch up with his mind as he realizes it's just Smohalla. He eases up, slipping the hatchet into a notch on his suit. "Good morning to you brother. Or perhaps I should say good night. Go rest and let me worry about the bears."

The elf takes his post up against a nearby tree close to the coast of the water. From a strap on the side of his pack he pulls his bow and begins to restring it. He watches over the campsight, listening closely to the sounds of the night.

[Tecumseh]

Ellesar leans against his tree, eyeing the clearing. He slows his breathing to listen to the forest - not that he's been taught to do that, but it just seems like the logical thing to do.

[ Spoiler ]

An owl flies over after a moment and perches on a branch about five meters above his head. The owl stares down at Ellesar. It flaps its wings and hoots, examining him closely.

The elf hears a branch break in the distance. He squints his eyes in the direction of the sound. Even with his low-light vision, he can't see anything through the thick trees and bushes. There's another rustle in the same vicinity. It sounds very clearly like something is moving through the underbrush. It's big - at least the size of a metahuman, or larger. It seems to be moving in a circle along the forest floor, avoiding the light cast off by the campfire. Ellesar tracks the sound as it proceeds around the campsite. It makes it about three-quarters away around the clearing, stopping directly behind the tree that he's leaning against. He guesses that whatever is making the sound is about fifty meters behind him.

The owl spins its head around but doesn't move. It looks down again, focusing on Ellesar, its gaze boring into him.

[AtroposReborn]

Notching an arrow to his bow Ellesar begins to back away from the tree. He moves to the right, attempting to peer around the tree. This had better not be another troll....

[Tecumseh]

Ellesar peeks around the tree and sees...

[ Spoiler ]

more trees. Whatever was moving has stopped moving, but it's hidden behind the forest beyond. At least Ellesar now has the campfire to his back, which saves him from the glare of the fire. Between the firelight and his natural low-light vision Ellesar can pick out details in the landscape, but whatever's moving is blocked from his standpoint.

The owl hoots again, watching the scene below.

[AtroposReborn]

Ellesar keeps the arrow held fast in its location with his left hand. With the other he squats down and picks up a small stone. Without taking his eyes off the trees he tosses the stone in the direction that he heard the noises.

[Tecumseh]

Ellesar has a pretty good arm. He whips the stone into the darkness, barely managing to avoid hitting his hand on the tree trunk during his follow-through. He feels pretty clever about his stone-throwing idea as he hears it break through some leaves and small branches en route to its destination. There's a light *thump* as it connects to its target, followed by the annoyed growl of a large animal.

He can't be sure, but it sounds like the bear never really left. He glances around behind him at the campsite. He sees the remains of Stogie's dessert, which might appeal to the bear's less-discerning palate. There's also his own pack, which contains some rations that the bear might like. Ellesar's a good runner and figures he could outrun Stogie if it came down to it. That's a relief.

[phlapjack77]

Smohalla sleeps, dreams

Soaring high above, searching...

Fallen leaves below

[AtroposReborn]

Ellesar begins to back away slowly, recalling his basic survival training. He fingers the shaft of the arrow, keeping it straight against the bow. The barbed head gleams in the light of the campfire. He calls out to the darkness, his voice calm and smooth. "I know you are there. If you can understand me then come on out. I mean you no harm."

The adrenaline claws at his nerves.

[Tecumseh]

There's a grunt in the forest and the sound of leaves rustling. From the sound of things, it (whatever it is) is moving away. After a minute of movement trailing off, there's no sound to be heard.

Only another hour to go before it's Stogie's watch!

[AtroposReborn]

Ellesar allows himself to relax as he hears the noises trail off. He remains where he is, keeping his eyes towards the trees.

[Tecumseh]

Ellesar kneels near his friends, his bow ready as he scans the darkness surrounding the circle of light. His only company is the owl perched on a tree branch above the clearing. It watches his movements attentively, never stirring or pursuing any prey.

The minutes tick by. Ellesar paces the edge of the clearing, looking out into the darkness. He hears the nighttime sounds of the forest but no sounds of movement to indicate that anything is approaching the campsite. The temperature continues to drop, Ellesar's breath crystallizing into a fog whenever he gets too far away from the fire. His hands start to go a little numb, exposed from holding the bow.

He reaches the end of his shift. He feels fatigued, both from the previous day plus the stress of warding off animals in the night.

[AtroposReborn]

His eyes weary, Ellesar makes his way back to the others. The fire warms his skin as he nears it, causing his fingers to ache as the feeling returns to them.

Upon reaching Stogie he nudges him awake gently. "It is time to be up, friend. Hopefully you have rested wel...." A yawn breaks his speech. "Ah, excuse me. There was an unknown creature that approached earlier and it had me on my toes for some time. Must have worked up more adrenaline than I thought. Well I'm off to sleep. Hopefully the owl over there will keep you company throughout your watch as well." With that the elf lays down and promptly falls asleep.

[Tecumseh]

Stogie wakes easily, his adept abilities granting him wakefulness and a clear head after only three hours of sleep and one strange dream. He's greeted by the cold night air as he sits up, although the fire helps ward some of that away. The flames don't seem to be any dimmer or any cooler from when he went to sleep.

The owl flies off, gliding into the night.

[pbangarth]

The rest Stogie had snatched in a few hours is more than enough. With a mighty stretch he rises from his place by the fire, pulls his jacket closer around him, and walks the perimeter of their little camp.

Jake raises his head to watch Stogie, but drops down again when his master takes a seat near the fire. Stogie watch. Safe.

[Tecumseh]

Stogie, having finished circling the clearing, takes a seat next to the fire. He picks the log where the ork had been sitting, which is close enough to the fire to be comfortable but not so close that the fire blinds him of anything happening on the other side.

He flicks his sight to the astral for a moment, but that's not productive. The forest is so alarmingly bright with life that the entire thing might as well be on fire. He switches back to his human vision, which, however limited, at least allows for a better contrast between safe, stationary things - like trees - and unfixed, lethal things that go bump in the night.

Stogie's currently enjoying that mental alertness that often accompanies someone for the first few hours after a good sleep. He's feeling sharp and easily picks out the details of the surrounding scene. Nothing seems out of place, so he closes his eyes and focuses on the sounds of the forest instead. There's a wind that moves the tree tops high above, but the camp is sheltered enough not to feel it too acutely.

Ten minutes pass and Stogie's starting to wonder how he's going to pass the time when he hears a branch snap. It's probably fifty meters out, well beyond the wall of plants and trees that block his view. He listens again and hears another crunch, sounding like dry leaves and needles grinding together underfoot. He pauses, wondering if he can smell the newcomer - his enhanced abilities are good enough to try. Inhaling deeply, he feels the brisk rush of the cool forest air fill his head. However, whatever's out there is downwind and Stogie can't smell it. Of course, being downwind might suggest that whatever it is might be tracking your scent upwind, but that would only make sense if you were in a wilderness area surrounded by potential predators.