Sometimes things go really right, and sometimes they go really wrong.
Ceartas had gone to check up on her colony of lab rats, expecting them to all be alive and healthy. What she found was the opposite of that. In the night, some predator had managed to track and find where she'd hidden them, broken into their pen and ate them where they rested, leaving nothing but a bunch of half-eaten corpses. They couldn't have even bothered to at least finish off the bodies; it was as if the creature was overwhelmed with choice and decided to just eat a little bit of everything.
A few rats had survived, miraculously, and some others had escaped - she could tell because she knew the exact amount of rodents she had. The injured ones were given a merciful, quick death. It would be much easier to acquire new ones than to heal the ones she had. And all the bodies she placed inside a wicker cage. The cage was lightweight enough and had a handle on the top that she could easily grab onto with her jaws. A simple turn-based hinge allowed her to lock and unlock the opening at the top, making it easy for her to just sweep the corpses up into the basket. She would have to thoroughly clean the area, starting with disposing of the bodies far enough away that it wouldn't attract any unwanted visitors.
This is what she did now. Grasping onto the cage with her mouth, she made in the general direction of the river. The weather this morning brought with it a somewhat chilly breeze, but the sun that occasionally peaked through the clouds often brief moments of warmth.
Eon had dipped into the nearby river without much thought, hoping to wash his fur. He hadn’t anticipated just how cold the water would be. Just days prior, the temperature was much warmer, but the chilly breezes announced the coming of much colder weather on the horizon. Holding his breath, the small canid had pushed his way into the cold river, only to regret it moments later. Now, he was stuck in a predicament. Did he get out and find a warm patch of sunshine to dry off beneath, or did he suck it up and stay where he was. Taking a startled breath, Eon sat in the water and groomed his fur. He was already here and wet; returning now would be a waste. He was, however, quickly distracted by a rustling of leaves on the opposing river bank.
On alert now, he would look up and quickly smell the air. It wasn’t anyone he recognized, but whoever it was carried an unmistakable Duskorna scent. He’d bring himself to a standing position and watch as a Dusty-colored wolf revealed themselves. Curious, Eon padded over. The water remained shallow enough that he could wade through without needing to swim. As he got closer, he noticed she was carrying some wicker cage. Sniffing the air once more, he could pick up the scent of rats. Confused, he’d pull himself even closer. What the heck was she doing with a cage full of rats? Were they pets?
“You need help?” Eon decided to shout out to alert his presence. He could see now the cage was indeed full of rats, but they weren't alive. It appeared their corpses were left half-eaten, and for her sake, he hoped they weren’t her pets.
the wolf's demeanor did not change much upon eon's arrival. the closest ear would turn in his direction, and her eyes briefly looked to his form before turning to look ahead of her. she would lower the cage down onto the floor when the question is asked, keeping her head low for a moment longer in a bow of greeting, before rising up again, “yes. a fox snuck into their pen and decided to have a feast; the non-sentient kind. ze pen is too large to carry on my own - it will come back again for an easy meal. i need to get rid of it,” she would look in the direction she had came from. by the time eon had arrived, she had already moved a good enough distance from the pen itself. so, she began to test the earth in front of her with her paws, then dig away at the earth.
Concern washed over the canine as she explained the situation. Anger began to well up inside him towards the fox, but he quickly released the emotion with a breath out. He decided to think of how he would help, as he was no bigger than a fox himself, and he certainly wasn’t very strong. Either way, he was determined to make himself of use here. “I’ll help you move it.” He was unsure how much truth his words held, but the truth was he was at least going to try.
He trotted up beside her and began expanding the area she had started to dig up. This was at least one thing he knew how to do, though the dirt clung to his paws now that he was wet from the river. He was annoyed that he would have to go back and wash himself again, but he was determined to help her out. Once there was a large enough hole in the earth, he’d step back to allow her space to bury the rats she had with her. “Just show me the way to their pen, and I’ll see what I can do.” he’d say, actively fighting the disgust he felt now that he was covered with mud.
As she began to dig, Eon began to dig with her. The time she spent in Verdantis and the times she's spent in his presence would let him know Ceartas was a woman of few words, preferring instead to communicate with body language if she could. Once the hole was sufficiently dug out, she would open the top of the cage and begin to sweep the carcasses into the hole. Eyes would meet his as she says, “It's too big to carry on our own - unless you have magic vor it?” Then, after another moment of thought, in which she began to fill the hole back in, she'd offer, “We could keep it there to lure the fox out,” in fact... Just before she finished burying all of the corpses, she'd take out the one at the very top that had only a light layering of dirt, and hang it between her teeth to show Eon the idea she had: bait. It might not be hungry anymore, but it could still be curious and want to store food. They could use that to their advantage.
She'd place the one corpse back into the cage, finish burying the rest, and begin to make her way back to the pen. Her tail would motion for Eon to follow, wanting to show him where the pen is.
“It's too big to carry on our own - unless you have magic vor it?” Eon's ears drooped in defeat. There was no way his light magic would lift a cage, nor his siren song, and being able to see into the future wouldn’t help either. “I’m afraid I don’t.” He’d reply, though the disappointment was short-lived as he heard Ceartas speak again. “We could keep it there to lure the fox out,”
Eon would perk back up at her response. “Good idea,” he’d reply, shaking his tails excitedly behind him. “We can wait a little ways away, downwind, out of sight so the fox doesn’t see us - then pounce!” he’d speak with confidence in his voice. “I bet the fox’s fur would make nice bedding or a cloak too!” He couldn’t help it as his creative brain wandered beyond the task at hand. They had to take out the fox first, and then he could worry about what the fur could be used for. What was important was making sure the fox wasn't there to kill more rats. "Just lead the way," he'd respond. His paws were now itching to pounce on the creature once it dared to reveal itself.
His idea would gain a nod from her. The sooner it was dealt with, the better. Looking at this situation positively, Ceartas had to admit that using rats as test subjects were difficult. When dissatisfied, they often took to chewing at the cage itself, requiring extra effort on her part to keep their knowing tendencies at bay. With all of Argaia's foreign fauna, perhaps she may find a more ideals species in which to use as a lab rat. If not, chinchillas would have to be her plan B, “I' know jus' how t' skin it und dry it, too,” she said, maw still clutching the cage, “I' i' a prac'ice I know vell,” so if Eon ever needed something turned into a nice pelt and didn't want to do it himself, he now knows who he can turn to.
After a few minutes, the two would arrive at the origin site. A somewhat secluded part of the forest, on account of it being a small opening mostly unbothered by any undergrowth, with just the trees to block out its view from both land and sky. The cage was a large, two story structure exceeding Ceartas' max height by a few inches. Though devoid of any carcasses and body parts now, it still has random blood stains splattered around its interior and immediate surroundings. The first story door to the cage was still hanging open.
She'd place the smaller cage down and, just before opening it and getting the rat out, would say, “These rats were not my pets,” its lifeless body would be placed a foot or so inside the first story, “I use them to experiment on new plants I discover, to see vhat they do and vhat the side effects are. There are many useful plants that can revolutionize the medical field, just sitting out there undiscovered. I aim to discover them.”
Then, looking around, she'd find a spot between a tighter batch of trees, and motion towards the hiding spot with her tail, before heading over there to hide.
Eon would nod to Caertas as she told him she was familiar with the skinning and drying process. Perhaps he could learn a few things from her if he couldn’t figure it out for himself. The idea of crafting a nice rug excited him, and he followed enthusiastically behind Ceartas as she led the way over to the cage, through the undergrowth to a well-hidden part of the forest. Eon had to admit, if it wasn’t for Ceartas leading the way and now, the pungent stench of blood, he probably wouldn’t have been able to find the area.
His gaze fell over the cage. It was large and could obviously hold a good amount of rats. He wondered how many she had kept in there before the fox had snatched them. Her voice would bring his attention to her direction, however. “These rats were not my pets, I use them to experiment on new plants I discover, to see vhat they do and vhat the side effects are. There are many useful plants that can revolutionize the medical field, just sitting out there undiscovered. I aim to discover them.” Eon watched as the carcass was placed in the cage. He was surprised at her words but supposed it made sense.
“So you’re a healer, then?” He’d speak, intrigued. Enya was also a healer, but she could use her will to heal wounds. It seemed Ceartas had a different, more complex way of doing things. Eon couldn’t help but admire her for the work she was doing. “That all seems very complicated,” he’d reply, though he kept his voice low, not to alert anyone around to their location. That would spoil the plan, after all.
He’d watch as Ceartas then found them a hiding spot. He’d follow, finding a comfortable spot beside her to sit and wait. The wind was luckily blowing in their direction. He’d lift his muzzle, giving it a sniff to see if there was any scent of fox. It certainly lingered about the area, and distinguishing new scents from old was challenging. After some time, he was able to pick up on a fresh scent further downwind. It seemed the fox was heading in this direction. Good. Everything was going according to plan.
His question is met with a nod, “Natural healer,” she'd clarify; none of that get out of jail free card magic healing. Though her expression was stoic and her eyes were trained to their surroundings for the arrival of the rat snatcher, she still responded to the next comment, “It vas. But now I have a systematic method for efficient discovery,” all too much to summarize, lest important details be left out, “In vact, I can show you a fruit of my labour. If...” she continues to speak low. Her senses alert her to the approaching fox, whose quick resurgence after such a buffet-based slaughter fest brought both internal surprise and disgust. Its greed would be its downfall, “...If you could hold the vulpine down long enough for me to put something in its mouth?”
“Natural healer, It vas. But now I have a systematic method for efficient discovery, “In vact, I can show you a fruit of my labour. If… If you could hold the vulpine down long enough for me to put something in its mouth?” Eon watched as the fox approached. It was nearly the same size as he was. Usually, he’d use some magic to help him out, but he wasn’t sure any of his powers could actually hold the fox down as Ceartas had instructed him to do. He would have to test his physical strengths this time around.
Even though neither of them was in danger, Eon couldn’t help the anxiety that washed over him..“Alright.” He’d speak quietly as he waited for the fox to get a bit closer. With a quick pounce, Eon would aim to pin the fox down and hold it long enough for Ceartas to put the said thing in its mouth. He just hoped she would be quick about it.
Roll for Strength: - Success: Eon is able to pin the fox and hold it down long enough for Ceartas to place the object in its mouth. Fail: Eon pounces but can't hold the fox down long enough, and it starts to run away.
