Fight:Zootime Shenanigans

Larket Zoo

Mahri meanders among cages and enclosures, staring at the animals and creatures contained within. Some are looked upon with sympathy, others pity and some with mild facination. It is a sad day, she thinks, when a person feels the need to cage such beauty. Even the horrors of the natural world losing their freedom in such a way seemed a tragedy to the lycan. However, she'd gotten herself into enough trouble of late, so the contemplation of giving these imprisoned beasts their freedom is quickly set aside. Catching her lip between her teeth, the woman turns to leave, giving one last glance at a pacing tiger behind iron bars.

Satoshi's thoughts run along the same pathways as the lycan's, but unfortunately the masked feline doesn't have the good judgement to keep them as merely thoughts. As the mage moves to the door of a hyena's cage, a soft screech alerts her to the arrival of her impish familiar. The imp, taking the form of an arctic gyrfalcon for the moment, glides in a circle above the feline's head twice before opening his talons to drop his prize. A ring of keys. Catching the pilfered zookeeper's item, Satoshi salutes the imp and tosses him a quick command of, "Go, distract." before turning to unlock the cage door. Even as the hyena lunges out with a happy cackle, the feline is onto the next cage and setting loose a slavering little beast that resembles a fanged, hairy pixie. The mage works quickly, using the sparse time provided by her imp harassing zoo workers to release a small menagery of animals. Pity their new found freedom is being used to attack patrons of the zoo... One particular one, an underweight, blindfolded, and grouchy basilisk, has an eye--or nose--for the departing lycan and promptly goes lunging blindly after her.

Mahri is alerted by the clang of cage doors that something was happening. With a scowl, she turns, wondering if the zookeeper had neglected his duty and forgotten to close a cage. It's a good thing she'd turned then. Silver-grey eyes widen in alarm, the blind and emaciated serpent's maw opens wide, wicked fangs dripping with venom as they make to close around the petite female. Leaping out of the way, a rather large pit in the ground opens in the ground where she'd been standing when the basilisk's snout plunges down. Quickly, the lycan is getting to her feet and facing the beast. Her dagger won't be any use against this thing, so it's not even reached for. Instead, archane words slip from between her lips. The words wrap around the serpent, the druids words seeping into it's mind to calm the raging hunger that drives it. Coiling about itself, a low hiss issues from scaled jaws, the triangular head swinging slowly back and forth as a forked tongue flickers out to taste the air for the lycan's presense. Slowly, those words never stopping, the druid walks to the beast, a hand raised to pull the blindfold off gold-slitted eyes. Scales shutter over them, a blink or two later and larger prey is caught in that infrared vision. Sensing the danger too late, the released hyena finds itself to be the snakes first meal in months. Breathing a sigh of relief, Mahri darts her own eyes about, seeking the culprit and coming up with a dark figure, slinking from enclosure to cage. "Hey!" she calls, boots pounding the ground as she races for the feline. A feline who's scent she knows. "What in all the hells do you think you're doing!?" Behind her, belly scrapes over her trail. It seems, she's gained a devoted protector. The basilisk rises up behind her, his own protest hissed just as that sinewy body flows over her head, winding towards Satoshi faster than the lycan can run. Curved fangs as long a simitars flash with a pearly glint as a similar lunge is made towards the ice-mage.

Satoshi fortunately turns at the words to look at Mahri and not the hovering basilisk, sparing the feline a meeting with that infamous deadly serpent's gaze. And, just as fortunately, when the mage turns around it's with a cage door still in her grasp, something that serves as a hefty shield when the snake lunges for her. While spared the lacerations of that wicked beak, the feline isn't spared the cracking of a few ribs and a nasty blow to her head when she's slammed violently and sandwiched between door and cage wall. Retaliation doesn't come from the little cat however, but rather the beast she's just freed. Maybe it's out of hunger, fear, aggression, territorial nature, or even a kinship with Satoshi, but the animal in the cage suddenly charges the basilisk with a call caught between a screech and snarl. It's a remarkable species of gryphon, really, rather than a cross of eagle and lion this one looks to be a hybrid of snowy owl and snow leopard, less hefty and more sleek, a beauty of whites, silvers, and blacks. And well-armed with killing talons and beak, all intent upon latching on the basilisk and turning him into shredded snake. Satoshi, slumping to the ground once the pressure is released from the door after the gryphon's pounce, blinks dizzily around the door at Mahri and offers a painful shrug. "You always ask that. Do I ever have an answer? Oh, behind you." A quiet warning to the lycan that she's currently being charged by a bewildered rhino.

Mahri isn't concerned with the safety of the eagle headed snake, not even when feathers start to snow down upon the pair. A hissing squak answers the challenge of the gryphon, fanged beak snapping for a leg as a tail whips around to coil around the leopard body. Mahri is just about to scold the feline for her carelessness when the thunder of feet and Satoshi's warning have her turning around. The rolling eyes of the rhino, which seems to have a larger than normal belly, alerts her to the state of mind the animal is in. No amount of words are going to calm the pregnant charger. Not on her state, so it's with a swiftness born of a desperate need to live that the cryomancer will find the door pulled off her slumped form and clanging closed behind the lycan as she takes the gryphon's place inside the cage. The bone horn is faster than she this time. Unable to move back from the bars soon enough (a sense of deja vu' shaken off at this point) she finds the blunt tip boaring into her thigh as a lowered head plows against the cage. It's a good thing that Rhino's have horrible eyesight, else Satoshi might have found herself the next target of the raging beast. That doesn't stop a growl from errupting from behind the feline though. Stalking behind her is a grey wolf, hackles raised as canines are bared. Ribs jut from under a ragged coat. Ill treatment and starvation motivate the wild canine, and the injured cat seems to be on the menu. Clearing her throat, one hand clutching at her thigh to staunch the flow of blood, the lycan raises a brow and issues a droll warning, "Behind you."

Mahri 's sanctuary rattles as the rhino jerks and shakes her head, trying to dislodge her horn from between bent bars.

Satoshi's split attention between rhino and lycan, and a bird-headed beasty brawl, is lost as the warning is heeded. And just in time, as the cat turns to greet a lunging wolf's maw, reflex throwing her left arm up to let fangs sink into bracer and flesh as she's bowled over by the skinny mutt's momentum. As she tumbles backwards Satoshi curls her legs between herself and the wolf, lashing out in a sharp kick to the animal's belly while simultaneously tearing her arm from its jaws. With a yelp, the wolf goes sailing, carried by the force of its original pounce and the feline's kick until its path is stopped abruptly by a blockade. A blockade of leathery gray hide in the form of a trapped and angry mother-to-be. A wolf bouncing off her side seems to be the ticket to push her over the edge, and with a bellow the rhino bucks her head, tearing the door from its hinges as she turns to smack the lupine aside like a boney ragdoll. With yet another pair of animals distracted with each other and no longer focusing on lycan or feline, Satoshi can stumble back to her feet. Just in time to witness the appearance of another creature newly broken free of its cage, a horror of a monster if ever there was one. Massive. Hungry. And in possession of a one-track mind. This is a walking destroyer, massive gaping mouth eagerly taking in the wolf in a single gulp, shortly followed by the rhino. Not even the violent thrashing of its still living prey seems to stop it as it lumbers forward, tawny body almost too round for paws to be of use at all. Beady black eyes settle on Mahri then, the scent of blood picked up by a nose surrounded by whiskers and making its maw drip with saliva. With a delighted, rumbling squeak the giant hamster bounds toward the open cage. Satoshi is quite simply to horrified at the sight of prey being a predator to make a move to assist Mahri or flee.

Mahri is alternately glad for the door to be ripped off, she didn't have a key after all, and horrified as a giant twitching nose followed by saucer sized eyes and platter ears replaces the only exit she has. "Dear Gods, what's next." Saber like teeth, yellow and razor sharp, snap at the lycan just as she reaches for the dagger at her thigh. Cursing rather eliquently, the rodent's teeth nip her right arm, the flesh parting easily beneath the torn sleeve. At least it's her left arm and not the right which is used to draw the dagger from the sheath and slash across the furry nose. Gritting her teeth against the squeal of pain, she keeps slashing, narrowly missing being tossed about by a grasping paw. With each step she drives the hamster back, the lycan takes one forward. For a moment, she wishes she'd kept the cutlass. At least she wouldn't be so upclose and personal with this thing. Finally, there's enough room to squeeze through the opening, which she does. "Fine mess ye got us into, Kitten," she growls, limping her way to the feline's side. Narrowing her eyes, she looks up just in time to see Basilisk and Gryphon disengage. The wounded rodent chattering in pain enough to draw their attention. Common prey between the two, the overgrown hamster has no chance when they both pounce, tearing with claws and beaks. An assistant zookeeper has caught the attention of the gestating rhino, something she will regret when the lumbering animal charges the hapless woman. As for the other zookeepers, they look to be chasing something flying about their heads, snatching at clothing and hair alike. "We should probably go while the gettin's good." Reaching down, the alpha tries to grab the cyromancer's arm to haul her to her feet. A pause to sheath her dagger happens before that though, having forgotten completely she held the weapon.

Satoshi is obliging enough to let herself be led away by Mahri, only holding back long enough to give a shrill whistle to her impish familiar. An answering screech of a snowy owl confirms he understands to find her again when all is safe. But then... there's a second screech, of the same vocalization but a good deal louder. It seems the gryphon has answered the feline's call as well and is now following behind the retreating pair, half-hopping, half-flapping along as it holds the bloodied remains of the hamster's forepaw in its talons. The basilisk, once an enemy now an ignored companion, has a similar idea in mind for tailing the druid. "Hellfire... I hope the wanted posters at least have good portraits of us. Et hefty rewards," the mage comments with a half-smile as she trots along, uncertain of where her mask has disappeared to and figuring it's something she'll regret. If she was capable of regret, that is. For now, however, the cat is mostly amused by the chaos unleashed, and the lovely new pet she's come away with. "Wonderful day for a zoo visit, non~?"

Mahri glances back, thankful that the basilisk chose to close his eyes while he followed, going by scent and sound to follow her. While the hubub behind them seems to be calming, the remains of the hamster cleaned up, Mahri arches a brow at the feline, noting that she at least had hidden her face whereas the lycan was in plain view. "At least one of us will be pictured well enough.." is her reply. It's also rather difficult to walk with one leg practically useless and blood dripping from the other arm to leave a crimson trail behind. That is at least obscured enough by the slithering of her newfound companion. It's strange that no one seems intent on keeping the beasts and returning them to their cages. Of course, with all the confusion, who's to say that they don't belong to the unlikely pair.

Satoshi chuckles to herself as she occasionally looks back at the monsters following them like stray puppies. "Well, at least you have a new friend to take care of any bounty hunters, hm?" It's as the feline is grinning at the comment that her imp, now as a white merlin, swoops up to them with a soft trill. He seems immensely pleased with himself as he settles on Satoshi's offered wrist, and in his talons he holds what looks like a cap of fake brown hair, plucked from the zoo manager's head. Satoshi rewards her familiar with a stroke of his chest feathers, even as she looks sidelong at the hobbling Mahri, brows arched. "Think we can ransom the head of hair to eliminate any bounties~?" Blackmail? What's that? This is a perfectly innocent feline. And that's an innocent grin, not an impish smirk.

Mahri smirks as she glances over just as they make their way between the zoo gates and to an uncertain freedom. "Oh, I doubt it. I'm sure he's got a toupe somewhere to cover the spot left behind." Was that a joke? Surely not, what with the lines of strain that deepen around her mouth and at the corner of her eye. Pausing, the basilisk stops as well, just to her right and away from the feline and griffon. Eying the cold-blooded serpent, the lycan gingerly slides onto a scaled back. Better to ride the willing thing than waste energy walking while loosing blood. Even if the wounds had started to close and the bleeding had become no more than a slow seeping.

Satoshi pauses to eye the lycan and serpent duo curiously a moment before glancing around almost warily. "I think, Puppy, this es where we part ways, for the time being. Something tells me parading down a city street with two known zoo animals might be a little too conspicuous, even for moi." Even the imp nods in agreement with this, along with a hoot from the gryphon before Satoshi makes a quick bow. "So, adieu, I suppose. Until next time. The chaos is always more fun with you around, after all~. And, don't go dying from blood loss, or I won't get to invite you to the wedding~!" Throwing a salute--and having the gesture mimicked by small and large bird wings--Satoshi winks and makes a hasty departure from the strange duo.