[tw: for some dead npcs]

when the raid struck it had been unexpected, violent and sudden - traps by the tangled ones were sprung against false creatures, snaring dummies and snapping twig legs - for Silent knew the tricks of the enemy and so he had taken to rooting out as many as he could first.

And thus when the attack had come, it had been brutal - and in the ridges of the heart of this watery graveland.

The beast himself roared in a voice of thousands, echoing up as the tendrils ensconced within his rib mouth lashed out and broke necks - his twin jaws wrapping tight and crunching down on the skulls of far smaller than he creatures.

The skeletal tail lashed out and broke the ribs of the dog pouncing for him, leaving it to suffocate on its own blood and collapsed lungs - while an unfortunate cats squealing cut off as the jaws of silent’s Chest crunched down upon it and tore it apart

All around him his pittians surged and the forest echoed into the night with screams and war cries.

Something was terribly wrong. Something had gone sour.

The last few days fell back into a blur, his spawn arriving to the depths from which he called. Wading into that deep dark water and letting the current of blood and war pull them under. Something strange and bloomed within him, a foaming at the corners of his mouth, a horrible convulsing at the back of his throat if he tried to drink. He had been aimlessly wandering, even into the desert did he carry himself, and back, towards his charred, rotten wood. No sense or meaning to his direction, his jaws snapping at everything close to him. Mindless. Endless.

Eternally parched, but he damned the well from which water sprung.

When Silent called for raid, for war, he was there. Curious, towards the back. Unspeaking. Perhaps he had nothing to say. Perhaps he'd been too far gone to bother voicing his own drivel.

But he was here now, managed to stick with the pack, even in oppressive heat, even as they traversed towards the heart of Tanglewood. He'd been here days prior, perhaps that was the root of this evil seed within. Or had it only been the start, with his tearing into the wolfdog with blind fervour. A tremble rolling through his stinking hide.

And so he stood at this precipice, edging ever slowly away from something resembling sanity. As Silent tore into those unnamed, as a yellow serval pounced at his tail with the heart and guts of a lion, Worm slunk away.

Weaving between buildings like water come the tide, he finds his prey. Pale fur, dark mask, something out of a strange dream. He lunges without thought, without aim beyond the simple natural instinct to maul. His teeth meet cloth and tear it from the smaller wolf's face, and their eyes meet, if only for a moment.

He can feel his movements growing stuff. Sluggish, or was it the next stage of something he was left unawares? His jaws find their shoulder, closing on flesh, as saliva froths and his eyes are wild. Blood soaks his tongue and his jaw locks, something wrong, ssome...thing...

It's like time is frozen. They know more than he does, staring at his maw, at the bleeding slobbery mess he'd made. Trying to peel away, to save themself from something they could not defend against. His jaws finally loosen, after an eternity, and they shove him off, away. His muscles lock, in his legs and his throat constricting

He couldn't move. Couldn't breathe. His tongue was jammed deep into his throat and his face was twisted into something vile and painful. Death came slow, enveloping him as he could only scream and fight something beyond his control. Beyond any of them. And his mouth foamed, even as he stiffened. Mixing with the blood and dew.

The pale wolf was long gone.

And the beast died alone.

the thing about the walking abomination was, that while he felt pain - it was in an abstract kind of way, he could stance himself from it.

Though needless to say for the bravery of the small leader was a tad in vain if for one it now meant the bright yellow cat was now in full range of a face full of tendrils. Silent’s neck made an obscene snapping noises as it swung around behind him to where he’d felt the impact and the feel of claws digging into the carapace of his skeletal tail.

Foolish, but brave, Leader to leader it was then,

Silent’s tendrils that wreathed his haunches lashed out attempting to crawl across and entangled themselves across the smaller leader [member=601]VIGENERE CIPHER.[/member] , trying to choke or restrict any movements - it would be quite a bonus if he could simply knock the other out and carry him away.

But a struggle beforehand was always welcome, it kept things from being boring,

Of course then another ran up to him and had the gall to scream at him to go away

He almost, almost, laughed - what naive child was this?

Silent leered at the dragon, both sets of teeth a morbid skull grin ”child you should have stayed away” the comment was almost said Blasé as though he were brushing dirt from his shoulder,

The shambling monstrosity struck quicker than he looked (and needless to say if VIGENERE was still caught up in his tendrils, the leader would no doubt be tugged along for the sudden movement), one gruesome arm striking out in an attempt to catch [member=1277]DELILAH.[/member] ‘S wing and break it viciously enough to bar flight for the pink draconic tangler- there would be no escaping to the skies for advantage, not if he had any say abt it.

[primarily fighting Vigenere, secondary attack on Delilah]

chaos, the battle unfolded before him. the more weaving between the dark shadows as a blip in most's radar, a light, speckle of sun, bursts from the murky waters that felt too cool to the touch to any passerby. throughout the entire battlefield, there was an echo in everyone's mind, a chill setting into the atmosphere that was hard to place, easy to dismiss considering the moons, but one less natural than meted the eye.

silentgrave, stormed into the fray, his large figure an easy target, and he clashed like the titan he were against the small frame of the tanglewood's own flash of golden-gold. the leader; a bright visage that jack wished to smear across the ground, but ah; he was too small to smear someone, too small to do much than watch; hell he looked more like a kit- if it weren't for the armor rippling across his form. ice and bone alike creating a spine of shards along his back and braced his shoulders. fangs clacked against each shoulder, signifying his power; his right to be here.

beside, there were others of the marshlands to destroy. the lust and want to prove himself brought with it the need to single out, to make an appearance, and to make it worth it. there were two people, standing- watching the spectacle, and jack felt something in him churn in disgust. peace, the wyvern called, there was no peace, there were no such thing as peace here.

and his target was choosen. in the shades, hidden in the treches of murky water jack would exhale slowly, ice blue eyes seeming to glow from under the shade as he let a torren of chilly air- the [glow=#add8e6,2,300]ice[/glow] unfold from his bones into the water around him.

within the next breath, three ice daggers were crafted, and a blow towards the elder dragon [member=1277]DELILAH.[/member] they were in quick incoming sharp bladed points aiming to shred through scale and cut against bone; even with their focus on silent, jack wouldn't be deterred from his prey. the point of a raid was hardly to fight fair, after all.

each blade was aimed to hit center mass. along the tail, chest, and along the turned shoulder joint if silent's attack were successful

[primary attacking delilah!]

[permission given from maple to knock out and kidnap Vig here]

the electric shock rather had the opposite effect that the Tanglewood leader no doubt hoped for.

For everything about Silent was never designed to give up the ghost as it were - and so rather than writhe in pain - though it was painful - and release the yellow coated menace, they only tightened around him, one winding around the leader’s crown emcirclEd throat slowly slowly cutting off the air until Vigenere fell unconscious from the lack of oxygen,

Silent, sensing his prey go limp, smiled to himself - even as his chest, which formerly seeemd to be odldly plated now split and opened wide as two tendrils as long as either of his forelimbs unwound and slithered back over him to grasp the other.

And in the seconds they had grasped purchase upon the unconscious tangler, they whipped back and pulled him inside the maw of the Ardent - which to an outsider no doubt looked like he’d eaten the unfortunate Vigenere.

But no, this Tim the mouth would not chew him up, no this time it merely made transport far easier - a living cage almost.

Just as Vigenere was imprisoned, did the Ardent feel heat start to lick at his ears and tendril tips, singing the tips of them - enough to jump away and back, all eight limbs gripping the earth as he roared at the pink dragon.

”attack me and you hurt your precious leader” the abomination hissed, already edging away - the fight was going strong and while he’d like to indulge, they had the ultimate prize already.

Still,

”RUIN THEM AND TAKE YOUR PRIZES, THEN RETREAT!” he’d retreat but already he had auxiliary forces in mind to send on his stead.

Oh he’d love to stay but really, he couldn’t risk this prize, so as the fighters took their kills and trophies, he would back out, prize secure in his grasp.

[ill be sending in Susurrus to replace Silent since the Ardent would logically retreat with his capture being so high risk high reward.  ]