From: howemuchtrouble	Date: February 2nd, 2011 03:16 am (UTC)		(Link)

Keegan had no trouble in keeping up with Professor Baer as they worked their way out into the swamp-like forest. He was practically buzzing with energy, more than he had been after the briefing. This was exciting. Dangerous, yes, but that's what made it a thrill.

His eyes automatically went to the trees as Baer pointed out the reason for this area being a good place to hide. "Wonder if anything is home, then," Keegan replied in the same sort of quiet voice as he moved along as quietly as possible.

	From: cantspell	Date: February 6th, 2011 12:19 am (UTC)		(Link)

Ciaran eyed the upper branches of the trees in the dark, stepping over branches in his muddy boots. This wasn't really a monster hunt for him. For one thing, he didn't think they were monsters: as of yet they didn't know how sentient these creatures were, and how could you label something a monster if you weren't sure whether it was acting on more than instinct? From the reports of missing students and the attack on a senior, it seemed that these things acted out of hunger rather than malice.

It wasn't a hunt either. Some of the students had, no doubt, been under the impression that it was, but how could they possibly understand this new, alien creature by simply killing them off? No, this was research. Rather hands on research, but research all the same. If they could find more of them, perhaps youngsters, they could find out more about their lifecycle and possibly put some theories forwards on why they had ended up in the woods by the school.

For Ciaran, these shape-shifting, face-eating bats were rather interesting.

He gave Keegan a sidelong glance and shruuged mutely before looking up again. This was definitely a good place for the creatures to hide during the day but he had to wonder whether any of them would stay here. It didn't seem likely that many students would wander so deeply into swampy territory; if the creatures had killed those missing kids, they must've left their daytime hiding place to hunt.

There was a good chance they weren't home after all...but then how long did they hunt for? What time? How often did they need to feed?

Ciaran sighed through his nose. The sooner they could find out more, the better.

	From: crescentcitynpc	Date: February 6th, 2011 03:18 am (UTC)		(Link)

"We think that this is early enough in their wakeful period to perhaps catch it or them as it leaves to go hunt for the evening. They seem to prefer later starts when it comes to hunting."

Grant moved and spoke quietly, now making his way to a very large tree, almost choked with the Spanish moss that was so prevalent in this area. He looked up into its pitch black canopy for a long while before calling the boys over toward him with a soft word and a beckoning hand. "Think we may have something here."

	From: howemuchtrouble	Date: February 6th, 2011 03:34 am (UTC)		(Link)

Baer's theory made sense, or seemed to for the brief moment in which Keegan actually paid attention to what the Professor said. Keegan's attention was elsewhere, his gaze darting around their surroundings. The only surprises he liked were the good ones.

He turned in time to see Ciaran shrug, giving a small one back in return with a look that spoke of 'oh well' before his eyes went back to searching the blackness above them. At least until he heard Baer speak again, beckoning the both of them closer.

Not wanting to startle anything or anyone, really, Keegan didn't bother to answer in any way other than to carefully move closer to the teacher.

The grip on his wand tightened and his face was full of interest as he took the steps forward, attempting to be quiet, and yet also trying to see what it was that Baer had found.

	From: cantspell	Date: February 6th, 2011 11:47 am (UTC)		(Link)

Was there a mic hooked up in his head? Ciaran threw a quizzical look at Baer over his almost disturbing timing before turning his attention back to the trees. It was probably just a natural progression of thought; he'd never spend a day outside of detention if any of the faculty had the barest hint of telepathy.

Ciaran moved forwards, glancing momentarily at the wand in Keegan's hand and how white his knuckles were from the grip. Ciaran's wand was still wedged down the side of his boot. Unless he wanted to stab this creature in the eye, keeping it out was going to be completely useless. Hell, it was probably more of a hinderance; at least if his hands were free he could use them to pin this creature down, should it attack. He'd never petrify it, so what was the point in trying?

Like Keegan, Ciaran was now looking at the canopy above them, trying to make something out of the darkness.

If the one at school wasn't the only creature then...how many would there be?

	From: crescentcitynpc	Date: February 7th, 2011 02:13 am (UTC)		(Link)

"Boys, do me a favor and spread out around this tree. If it's up there and it comes out, I don't want it to get away." Grant moved around the tree to his left. It was an older tree with a decently wide trunk - wide enough to warrant having the three of them circle around it.

Unfortunately for Professor Baer, in his own excitement to hopefully capture one of these things, he neglected to look at his footing as he was just getting to the other side of the tree. A dry twig snapped under his foot, seemingly loud in the quiet woods. He froze. Looking up into the tree he paused, waiting for something to happen. After a few tense moments of looking up, he relaxed slightly. "Looks like no one's home..."

But that wasn't exactly true. For there was a creature up there, another Deathmantle. It had woken up when the three of them had moved toward the tree, and had been moving into position as Baer had moved forward. Now that it had a face to focus on, it launched itself at what it could see. Jaws open, it silently flew right toward Keegan's face.

	From: howemuchtrouble	Date: February 7th, 2011 02:55 am (UTC)		(Link)

At Baer's instruction, Keegan moved off to the side to begin moving around the base of the tree. His wand was lifted and ready in the case of anything suddenly moving out of the tree, but it seemed it was not needed at first.

His gaze glanced quickly to Baer when the sound of the twig snapping almost echoed around them. Keegan's eyes then stayed up at the tree in that long and tense silence that followed to see if the noise roused anything.

So, when nothing came flying from the tree and the Professor spoke, he relaxed. The wand came down and his attention went to Baer as he opened his mouth to speak. Though, the words never escaped his lips. He saw a flash of motion from the corner of his eye and turned in time to see, well, something closing in on his face rapidly.

With the moment of time he had and in his surprise, his left and free arm raised instinctively to shield his face. Then it seemed as if everything happened at once. Keegan felt the searing pain in his arm, felt his grip tighten on his wand as he thought to bring it up, in defense, he felt himself loose his footing as he attempted to move backwards away from the thing and instead ended up on his back with a Deathmantle attached to his arm.

	From: cantspell	Date: February 9th, 2011 12:38 am (UTC)		(Link)

He didn't even realise that the creature had dropped on Keegan until it had its teeth were embedded in the boy's arm.

In a moment too swift to repeat as a conscious act, Ciaran pulled his wand from down the side of his boot and threw a stinging hex at the creature. His attempts at petrification were...still not accurate enough to try on something that close to a human being, especially when said human being was partially attached to the something in question.

The creature let go of Keegan's arm and whirled around, focusing all of its attention on Ciaran. Shit.

He made a grab for underneath the animal's mouth so that it couldn't bite him, but its shape was so flimsy that it simply folded up on itself, bringing his fingers closer to its teeth. It didn't seem picky about which part it bit into, but it certainly seemed to want the face and neck area over anywhere else.

Ciaran wrapped his hands around the edges of what he assumed were its wings to try and keep his flesh attached to him and not the creature.

This had been a lot easier in his head.

	From: crescentcitynpc	Date: February 11th, 2011 04:29 am (UTC)		(Link)

Grant's reflexes were rather good. They had to be when you took care of magical creatures for a living. But even he took a few moments to react to what happened at the base of that tree. Seeing Keegan go down, the creature on top of him, and then Ciaran having the courage to go in with the hex and then bare-handedly grapple with the Deathmantle, Professor Baer took action.

He came around the other side of the tree from where he was, wand already out to perform the petrification spell. Since Ciaran was positioned facing him, with the creatures back displayed for his spell, it hit the creature with force. The effect was, naturally, instantaneous. The Darkmantle froze where it was in Ciaran's hands, stuck in the position of trying to get its jaws around his fingers.

"Shit. You boys alright?" He saw that the Darkmantle had gotten its jaws around Keegan's arm, and he figured that Ciaran had to have a few scratches at least from its claws, if not a bite or two. "Here, let me get this thing off of you and then I'll take a look..."

	From: howemuchtrouble	Date: February 11th, 2011 04:43 am (UTC)		(Link)

Keegan was about to attempt to fire off his own spell to get the thing off his arm when he saw the flash of a spell and it let go. Though it wasn't exactly a clean release and the boy grimaced as it turned on his classmate.

It took him a second to get himself to focus to act as the Professor petrified it. Keegan pushed himself up to sit and looked at Ciaran and the motionless Deathmantle.

His arm burned and stung with every movement and he was pretty sure there was blood all over his arm. So naturally his answer was, "I'm fine, Professor," as he went to ignore the pain and push himself back onto his feet.

	From: cantspell	Date: February 12th, 2011 08:29 pm (UTC)		(Link)

Ciaran breathed a sigh of relief when the creature finally stopped moving. Because the animal was such a mutable shape, it was difficult to keep in position and somehow it had managed to get its mouth in chomping distance of his fingers.

Not a good prospect for a musician.

He glanced at Keegan, who was bleeding but on his feet again, and then at his own hands. They were scratched quite a bit, and at some point the creature had bitten his wrist, but nothing serious. "I'm okay," he shrugged.

From: (Anonymous)	Date: December 15th, 2013 10:50 pm (UTC)		(Link)
ecvhcihk@gmail.com

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