Notail Simulator Beta (4/4)

"Well, if you say so, you can leave then, but you have to take this. =3"

You hold out a knife for tiger kid to grab. He seems suspicious of it but takes it from you.
"Thanks E-2732! I'll make sure to keep this knife safe to remember you by. >=3"
"I don't want you to remember me; I want you to stab someone with it. I have too many knives. That one is never going to get used at this rate. =3"
"Oh.... >=3"
"I guess I'll use it then? >=3"
"You better. =3"

Tiger kid takes a few steps back, trying to figure out if it was ok to leave yet.

"Goodbye then E-2732! >=3"
"Remember if you die out there an alligator is going to rip you to shreds in the afterlife, and you'll be gone forever. =3"
"I...... >=3"
"Have you considered a simple goodbye to you too? <:)"
"That too! Bye! =3"

Tiger kid laughs slightly and waves to both you and E-4. He and West leave to head for the exit of the woods.

You worry slightly for him, fearing he would end up like your friends from before......

Fortuna rolls a 20 sided die. A 13 is rolled.

But you have a good feeling he'll be alright.

Fortuna rolls a 20 sided die. A 8 is rolled.

You spend the next month training the prophet while a team heads in to get a quick overview.

The prophet doesn't react well to training but doesn't attempt to run off. It merely huffs and refuses to move at worse. Intimidation training isn't going too well. You thought taming Slithers, a creature much bigger than you would be harder than a horse but so far you've been wrong.

The prophet lets you ride it, but it decides when it moves, not you.

For now, you accept this.

At least the light shows are beautiful. Everyone likes to watch them at night.

You're not sure what it's trying to tell you all though. It seems to be some story. Every day it gives you bits and pieces, but it appears to be out of order and hard to follow.


========================

You're finally brought into the deeper levels of the temple. It seems scouting isn't going too well without you. The others are scared of the "invisible beast" that attacked last time. They haven't been attacked yet, but do not wish to risk it when they have someone like you who can see them.

E-4 walks with you, reminding you over and over not to drink the pesticide puddles littering the halls.

It's hard not to, but you don't drink the pesticide.

The group heads down the center path. A rough and dry wind speeds past you as you all head for the light at the end of the tunnel.

The tunnel leads to the very middle of the temple. Large platforms both reach for the sky and drill into the think sickly looking mist down below. E-4 points over at a waterfall spilling out a steady stream of green liquid and falling into the land below.

"Who needs this much pesticide? =3"
"Someone who really hates insects. <:)"
"Who can hate a bug? They're always so happy. =3"

You point at the tailmic of one of the other notails who hums back with interest at you looking at it.

You find yourself confused when you hear chirping. You thought it might have been the tailmic but one of the others point up to a nest on one of the towers.

There was a baby bird about the size of you, and it seemed angry with something.

Fortuna rolls a 20 sided die. A 14 is rolled.

A shadow comes over the land as the mother arrives. She heads right for the nest, not noticing the group and you at all. She lands at her nest, and you scan her out of habit.

You tilt your head at the entry as you try to make sense of it. This wasn't written as cute and friendly as the other entries were. It also seemed as if it wasn't addressed to you, but meant for another party. How strange.

"E-2732 is this really the time and place to be scanning creatures? <:)"

You spin your head back. Your group has already started to hightail it out of there. You twist back to look at the nest.

The mother isn't there anymore.

A shadow overtakes you. You attempt to run but the mother lands, nearly crushing you as she uses her foot to block the path.

Fortuna rolls a 20 sided die. A 16 is rolled.

She least she didn't seem aggressive. Instead, she clucks as she bobs her head in an attempt to gain attention. Your attempts to escape the same way your group did fails.

Fortuna rolls a 20 sided die. A 8 is rolled.

She is done with your attempts to escape. She has given you more than enough time to finish your tantrum. She grabs you with her talons and weaves in and out of the forest of towers. The bridges connecting them swing side to side to make way for her entrance. She carefully places you on her nest once she lands and leans downward to consume half of your vision with her face.

The stress of fearing death had blurred your sight. You don't move in hopes that she leaves you alone, but she's far too intelligent for that. Her pupils repeatedly contract and expand in excitement and interest.

You stick close to the bottom of the nest and refuse to make eye contact as best as you could. When dealing with a predator much more massive and powerful than you, there are two paths of actions you can do.

Stand your ground or ignore them.

She reeled her head back to lunged, and you knew you made the wrong choice.

At least until you opened your eyes and watched her peck and shake her baby who screamed in an attempted to flee from her attacks. The mother drops the baby, this time closer to you. The sickly looking child continues to screech at its mother. In response, she puffs up in anger and waits, no longer excitedly vibrating her eyes at her painstakingly crafted nest.

When the child doesn't do what she wants she continues with her onslaught.

This time you don't look and keep your face against the nest.

The cries of the baby get weaker and weaker until you hear the mother leave. At that point, you hear nothing more. You pick yourself up ready to figure out an escape plan for your predicament only to come face to face with the baby.

Still alive, barely.

It hobbles over you, each step a struggle until it finally reaches you. It huddles with you as if you were another chick in the nest. It feels much safer with you, a stranger than it does with its own mother. You hate the feel of its dirty and bloody matted feathers but don't push it away from you.

You feel pity for the creature not only on the Neo's door but because this is likely the only semblance of kindness it has ever gotten.

It will be short lived though.

Looking around the nest, you view a cow like capture creature with its back legs broken. Most capture creatures do not feel pain, and this one has been in the nest for so long it has given up hope of escape and has reserved itself to waiting for starvation.

You pick yourself up to your feet while using the baby to balance yourself, still slightly dizzy from the unexpected air travel. You hear a crack below you.

The nest is made of bones.

Not the bones of creatures such as the bovine.

Not the bones of notails.

Not even the bones of the unknown dead inside the temple.

Bird bones. You have never seen so many bird bones in one place before. You take a glance at the baby.

Someone isn't winning the M-class of the year award anytime soon.