The PORT Team

"Jaws, we can't keep this up..." Nerissa spoke as she went to his side, sporting a terrible gash in her tail that cleaved the thing right down the middle. Jaws winced at the sight of the wound, knocking a wingull or two away. "If they keep attacking, I won't be able to swim at all." He swallowed, unsure of what to do. What could he do? He glanced back to the others, but could only catch brief glimpses of them between the wings of the terrors that had now turned to them. Gulping, he looked back to the dewgong as he tread water beside her.

"...I don't know..." he whispered back. Going back to the cavern was a bad idea. Trying to get on land was a bad idea. Swimming into open ocean was a bad idea. There was no safe place for them to go, to try and rest and fix her mangled tail... but then again, there had never been a safe place to begin with... Composure crumbling, his eyes went to the open waters. Maybe there was some sort of reef or underwater cavern they could reside in until she regained her strength? There would be no repose here in the shallows or on land... It was their only bet.

"We... we could swim out into open water. Lose these birds? Lose the assholes underwater? Wrap your tail and maybe hide out until you're fit again to swim?" He dispelled another few birds, then looked back to Nerissa. "It's our only shot."

Garland watched the scene from afar. Still stood atop his rock, gifted with a rare tranquillity as the erratic movements of the group drew the undead to them like a beacon, he shook his head, disappointed. And they’d had such potential. He commended their efforts, fighting valiantly to protect the wounded Dewgong – the female constantly rising and falling beneath the choppy waves – but it was just so disorganized. No doubt someone was going to get hurt.

Unable to hear the conversation, Garland could only see the blood and glimpses of each of the creatures within the feathers and water. Still, it didn’t look could for little Nerissa.
“Honestly,” He muttered to himself, exasperated. “Gotta do everything yourself,” Extending his soaked wings and giving several harsh beats, a Whirlwind was soon forming around the bedraggled avian. The whipping air was quick to dry his form, a technique he wished he’d thought of sooner, as he soon directed the attack towards the heart of the flock. A generous portion were swept away, a chorus of indignant caws emerging as the winds carried them far out to sea. Of course, there were a few stragglers still lingering, but no doubt, Jaws would make quick work of their miserable existence.

Shaking his lithe form, the remaining droplets quickly lost, Garland looked himself over to find his entire form had earned a red tinge. Smirking, almost pleased at the pinkish tone his feathers had adopted, the avian lifted himself from his perch with a few flaps, gliding towards the group. From his aerial position, the damage was a lot more evident. There was a lot of blood – he could only hope that it didn’t all belong to Nerissa.
“What’s the plan, Boss?” Garland called down, circling the gathering. Eyes constantly flitting for sign of the flock, pleased to find them temporarily vanished over the horizon, he expected that they would make a return in due time. In the window of their absence, they needed to act.

Bass flails his paddle-shaped tail, breaking apart the interplay of currents until his Surf attack loses all it potency and collapses into a splash that does no damage but slops a wave of water over them.
"Sorry 'bout that." Bass says with a sheepish grin and a twist of his whiskers as he turns to survey the fleeing flock, reaching out his crackling whiskers to drive off some stragglers who think better of attacking alone.
One of his golden whiskers lashes around the wings of one of the undead Wingull's and sears the flesh to a charcoal crisp, unable to fly with only one wing the sea bird tries to fly away before falling into the water and beginning to drown. Other stragglers simply fly away to regroup. "Yeah you better run! Is everyone o.k.?"
The Whiscash's first thought is to check on his Swanna babe but she seems fine, if a bit grumpy, the stained water tinting her feathers a very pretty shade of light pink.
The Dewgong, nervously little thing, doesn't seem as good with a cut in the base of her white tail. The Feraligatr looks over her with concern and Bass matches that concern as blood fogs the water.
The battle hasn't gone as well as he had hoped but at least no-one has been eaten.
"Well I don't know much about medicine but a seaweed bandage might help that out while we get her somewhere safe. Kelp should do." Bass says sagely, flicking his tail. "Want me to go get some Crocodude?"

Before Nerissa could give her reply, more wings flapping caused Jaws to jerk, his instincts fearing that it was more fucking birds come to try and peck his eyes out. But his flailing was for naught, as when he looked up, it was Garland's now quite pink form circling them. His body eased with a relieved sigh, eyes following the avian's form. At least he'd made it. “What’s the plan, Boss?” he called down, and as Jaws opened his mouth to answer, he found he couldn't. He didn't know... other than hiding Nerissa away until she was healed, he couldn't think of anything... and that would mean going where Garland could not stay-- underwater.

Sooner than Jaws could react, Bass emerged as well, his large face staring at them both. "Well I don't know much about medicine but a seaweed bandage might help that out while we get her somewhere safe. Kelp should do." the fish commented uncharacteristically, his voice tinged with wisdom. "Want me to go get some Crocodude?"

Being the only one in their small group with hands, Jaws nodded to Bass, wanting to keep by the wounded Dewgong's side to hel her keep afloat. With her tail sou wounded, any strain would only make the wound much worse and more painful. Thankfully, the seawater was sure to help clean it... even if it made it hurt like hell. Jaws made a motion to Garland with his head to land in the water, not wanting to shout too much. The horde would be back, and Nerissa was the beacon to lead them. "...We... We need to get her somewhere safe," was his conclusion, his voice low. "With her bleeding like this, we need someplace safe and easy to defend... but... I don't know. I don't know what else to do." He lowered his head, lost in the decisions he was trying to make.

"We... we could swim out into open water. Lose these birds? Lose the assholes underwater? Wrap your tail and maybe hide out until you're fit again to swim?" Nerissa looked at Jaws in fear, already terrified of how far they had gotten in this water. And he wated to go deeper? "It's our only shot." At his words she knew he was right and nodded slowly. "Okay. As long as I'm not alone..."

Garland and Bass circled the pair, most of the flock dealt with. Bass offered to fetch seaweed for a bandage and Nerissa felt a little guilty for how she had previously thought of the fish. "...We... We need to get her somewhere safe. With her bleeding like this, we need someplace safe and easy to defend... but... I don't know. I don't know what else to do." Nerissa placed her injured fin over Jaws's arm, smiling up at him softly. "It will be okay, I'm sure. It's not as bad as it looks."

After all, how much more could go wrong with their little group?

((Okay guys, since everyone else is already leaving do whatever next round, lol. Nerissa's last post will be the next one just so she can reach the next badge level and then she will go inactive.))

Garland could hear little of the conversation below, circling aimlessly above them and relishing in the cool air running through his tinted feathers. He looked down to catch Jaws’ gesture to land, the Swanna emitting a exasperated groan and settling for lowering his altitude. Flying around them, his wings skimming the lapping waves every now and then, he caught a close glimpse of Nerissa’s injury. The blood, the scent, the fear etched across her pretty features. He couldn’t help but be reminded of past victims, a small smile touching his beak despite himself.

“With her bleeding like this, we need someplace safe and easy to defend... but... I don't know. I don't know what else to do."

The Swanna would have liked to empathise with their panicked leader yet found his heart shut from his plight. Even with the Dewgong’s attempt at soothing his nerves, insisting she would be okay, the bird remained typically aloof. Sighing, trying to appeal to his darkened heart, the avian looked back to the dotted flock in the distance. The Hurricane had swept them into the distance, but those bastards were known for their determination. With Nerissa’s injury they’d be back. Looking back to the stricken lovebirds, he sighed.
“I’ll keep the birds distracted,” He announced, knowing it was the best he could do in the situation. He was of no use in terms of finding a haven or nursing the female’s injury, but battling, killing, was his speciality. Gaining altitude once more, a few powerful flaps of his wings propelling him away from the group, he called back, unable to leave his admirer hanging. “Bass!” He called, craning his neck around to throw the fish a final wink. “I’ll miss you!”

Garland wasn’t coming back.

Turning away, headed straight towards the approach flock, Garland would make good on his promise, however. Vito had wanted him to become a better man, abandon all the meaningless bloodshed of old in favour of helping the needy. Killing the birds to protect the group was his first step towards sainthood. Smiling to himself, he looked to the skies.
“Hope you’re paying attention,” The swan muttered to himself, chuckling. Slowing his pace, Garland had reached the flock of his undead brethren, greeting them with another Hurricane. The attack swept them back over the horizon, the waves lapping in the air as the winds touched the exposed ocean. The Swanna flew straight through, attack after attack fending them further out of view until both flock and hero were gone.

(( Leaving post! It’s been lovely RPing with you all! <3 ))

Even with Nerissa's quiet, soothing attempts at calming Jaws, there was little that could be done with his anxiety. Bass already disappeared, Maelstrom had vanished long ago... and as Garland circled them, he could already feel the bird's resolution for leaving as well. It was good, though... where Jaws planned on trying to take Nerissa, he wouldn't be able to follow. He silently thanked the bird's intelligence for being able to pick up on such subtlety... whether he was aware of it or not. “I’ll keep the birds distracted,” Garland commented, veering away from them back to the mass of white steadily coming closer. Jaws watched his retreating form, knowing that he likely wouldn't see him again.

"...Thank you," Jaws muttered, his gratitude filling his mind as he willed it toward the bird, unwilling to call back out to him. He knew that Garland would be ok; his attacks flinging the birds further and further out to sea. With a resolute sigh, he turned back to Nerissa, eyes searching hers. He was bound with her now, for better or worse. He had to make sure she was ok before going anywhere else.

"...You ready, Nerissa?"

((Feel free to close it out, Phoe. This is Jaws' leaving post, since you're going to deactivate Nerissa next round. Make the ending nice enough :3))

Everyone was leaving. Nerissa used her smaller flippers to try and keep her head over the water, the pain in her tail becoming too much, and watched as not only Bass vanished but Garland as well. She kept watching until his white form was no more than a dot in the distance before it too vanished, leaving just her and Jaws. At least he was leading the birds away so that she could find somewhere safe to heal. She looked to the Feraligatr at her side, a male she had only met the day before, and felt closer to him in that moment than she had in her whole life to anyone in her clan.


"...You ready, Nerissa?"

Nerissa smiled sweetly and nodded her head, taking one last look at the sky as though saying goodbye to a friend who was no longer there. "I am," she whispered. She allowed the larger reptile to lead her down into the deep waters. Nerissa wasn't sure what they would encounter along the way but the one thing that offered the Dewgong comfort was knowing that whatever lay in store they would be together. Fate was surely a mysterious worker in the way it brought the two to meet, but it had proven to be the most significant part ever of the female's life.

As the two descended into the dark waters below, where even the light did not capture, something shimmered. Crystalline form entangled by string waved slowly to the shallow beats of a white tail. At each rise a NeverMeltIce caught the sun, twinkling like a small beacon of hope even in the murky water. A sudden flash broke the illusion of stillness and then again all was peaceful. But something was different, the light kept catching the cracks and points more erratically than before. Closer inspection revealed the small piece of ice floating slowly to the bottom, sparkling until finally hitting the sands below. It fought to reflect the last of the sun's light until it finally failed, smothered by the sand of the ocean floor.

The tail that had once been carrying it was nowhere to be seen.