Air Raid [Open]

[templeguardian]

WHO: The Sky-Snakes (templeguardian) and anyone who wishes to react to them
WHAT: The Sky-Snakes have filled the Rivelatian Skies
WHERE: Rivelata Skies
WHEN: Day 161-167 (Thurs. Sep 4 - Wedns. Sep 10) -- all day, for one week

Comments

[fuckingdevilbat]

Hiruma was taking a nap, as he tended to in the afternoon, especially after a hard day's training the other day. He snored lightly into the pillow in the master bedroom.

His ear twitched in his sleep. Again. The sound causing it to twitch finally woke him from his slumber. He lifted his head and turned his ear towards the direction of the sound. In his stupor, he wasn't sure what that high pitched screeching and hissing was.

Then it occurred to him. He knew that sound. It was the sound of his bats in the attic. But it wasn't a sound he'd heard before, it was... a distress call? A distressed call layered with scratching and wings flapping and something else.

Hiruma growled and made his way to the attic, only to find his roost of messenger bats being assaulted and killed by sky snakes. Sky snakes?! In the ATTIC? Hiruma was incensed. He grabbed a shovel (he couldn't remember why he had a shovel in the attic, but how useful!) and broke the window to allow his bats to escape. The small creatures were more than capable of outflying the snakes once they were out in the open. He trusted them to come home when it was safe. Hiruma used the same shovel to club the snakes over the head and chop a few in half.

His fury was not unnoticed by his batty side. His hand throbbed as he threw the shovel down and headed back down the stairs.

"CLAIRE WE HAVE A SNAKE PROBLEM!"

[fuckingblondie]

Claire had been home for about half an hour from training with Bruce, spending some time just with herself, getting something to eat together while looking over the recent news in the journal. The door to their bedroom was closed, which told her that Hiruma was taking a nap-- nothing unusual about that, though it did leave her with nothing really to do.

Not with Kotaro gone, her dad out, and Musashi... somewhere...

Not to mention that he didn't really seem to feel too comfortable around her. It was weird looks and a slightly awkward air around. She really wished he got more involved, but... couldn't have everything, right? It would probably come to pass eventually when he'd get used to her, or something.

She heard the noise. Didn't realize that Hiruma was awake, however. Brow furrowed, she cocked her head at the stairs, about to head upstairs when--

"WHAT?!" in a second she was running up, eyes wide as she saw him climb down from the attic. "What's go-- what happened?!"

[fuckingdevilbat]

Hiruma growled furiously and held up the limb corpse of a dead skysnake.

"THIS! THESE WERE IN THE ATTIC, EATING MY BATS!" He threw the bat angrily on the ground and stormed down the stairs and peered out the window, something he did when he was angry away.

However, he didn't expect to see what he saw.

"Oh fuck," He whirled on Claire, hand throbbing. Hold off for a second, please hold off. "Where are the other three?!"

He didn't need to wait for her answer, though. Couldn't. He could already feel the nausea from his intense need to protect, protect his roostmates, protect his home.

"D-dammit, not now! This isn't important enough!" He reached for one of his guns but it was already too late. His fingers were stretching painfully.

"F-f-fuck."

[fuckingblondie]

Claire stared, wide-eyed, at the snake in his hand. "They-- they fly?!"

What a horrifying concept.

"I-- Hiruma, I don't think-- this is-- I mean--" He stalked off angrily and she felt somewhat helpless. It didn't stop there, however, not when the worst happened, almost promptly.

"Oh fuck no," she muttered, shaking her head, rushing over to his side. "Kota has been gone for a bit-- dad went out, and I don't know where Musashi went. Is there-- goddammit, is there anything you want me to do? What do you want me to do?!"

[fuckingdevilbat]

"YES THEY FLY WHAT DO YOU THINK THE WINGS ARE FOR?"

He growled as the transformation spread. Oh, it hurt the same as always, but he gritted his teeth and bared it. These triggers were sort of ridiculous. He pulled off his shirt just in time to keep it from being ruined.

"Sshhhh..... It's.... important you.... find them and get them inside." He collapsed on his knees as the fur spread and bones cracked, "The snakes are aggressive and v-venomous."

"B-but don't go outside or..... gragh.... just... fuck it." Thunk. Face, meet floor.

[fuckingblondie]

"Goddammit, goddammit, goddammit," she muttered under her breath. This was horrible.

"You didn't get bitten, did you?! Fuck-- If they're outside and I'm staying here then I can't get them, I don't--"

Swearing again, she tore at her hair, kneeling beside him. "What do you want me to do?! Shouldn't I help?! I won't be affected by the poison!"

[fuckingdevilbat]

He growled and hissed until the pains had passed. For now, his eyes were clear, sane.

But not for long. He looked at Claire, having temporarily forgotten she could heal. He stood up and groaned, rubbing his head with completely formed wings. "... Right. Go find them. But be CAREFUL!" he snarled.

He hated sending her out, he really did. But he was worried about the others who could not heal. He shook his head and gestured to the gun leaning against the wall. "Take that with you!"

He could feel his sanity slipping, and he knew he had to get outside NOW before this rage festering in him found another target.

[fuckingblondie]

Nodding, she grabbed the gun. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. Take care of yourself and try to keep a clear head, okay?"

Oh god, this wouldn't be Hiruma for too much longer. "Please be okay-- kill snakes, not people. Concentrate your anger..." she wondered just how much of this would stick with him when his sanity left him, but it was worth trying regardless.

"Please, please, please be careful, I love you, okay, remember that," she whispered, kissing him on top of his head before running off and down the stairs and out the door.

This was going to go very badly.

[fuckingdevilbat]

Enough would stick with him. Like a manta. Snakes, not people. Serpents only. .... Bird people if they got in his way. But no, mostly snakes, only snakes.

He growled and went back to the attic as Claire went downstairs, his eyes and form already shifting to their feral states. Soulless eyes, bigger teeth, more powerful jaws. More monstrous. He made his exit through the window he'd opened in the attic, rolling out and opening his wings with a loud "FLAP".

Snakes immediately swarmed the new threat in the sky. The bat would have none of it. He screeched, loud enough for anyone on the island with above-normal hearing to hear him, and he took a bite out of the air in front of him, grabbing two snakes at once and chomping them in half.

He used both vision and sonar. The sonar layered on eyesight gave him a simple, clear view of the creatures around him, allowing him to easily outmaneuver them, flying with much more skill and range of motion than any bird. He used the skills that allowed huge swarms of bats to fly together without running into each other to avoid each and every diving snake. He tucked his wings and dove after a larger snake trying to flee. He snatched it in his back claws as he pulled up mere inches from the pavement and brought the squirming, chittering creature to his mouth.

Snap went the head in his mouth as he beheaded it in one smooth bite.

Several down, many, many more to go.