16476/Themyscira: On What Wings Dare he Aspire

Themyscira: On What Wings Dare he Aspire
Date of Scene:	03 December 2023
Location:	Enchanted Forest
Synopsis:	The Amazons investigate what has been spooking the (flying) horses, and find out that it's a flying metal horse responsible. There's something very wrong with the automaton, but fortunately it doesn't explode. There are questions to answer, and it's possible a trip to visit Hephaestus may be the only way to get answers!
Cast of Characters:	Donna Troy, Caitlin Fairchild, Diana Prince

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Donna Troy has posed:
    It had started that morning with a unicorn hunt. These aren't that uncommon on Themyscira. Unicorns are varied creatures, but the most dangerous of the /monokeros/ are monsters. When the rangers of the Enchanted Forest had reported back to the palace with news that they had been tracking the spoor of a /Kartozonos/, a terrible threat to both the Amazons and the other creatures of the forest, Caitlin and Donna had volunteered to go and take care of it. The news they had returned with was potentially more concerning.

    The /Kartozonos/ had been pursuing three pegasids. The normally shy and gentle creatures live on the heights of the tallest mountain on Themyscria, rarely straying from their plateau. When they do, it's almost never into the Enchanted Forest, where they cannot extend their giant wings. It's not good territory for the magical, near-immortal horses of the tribe of the great Pegasos. Once the mount of Bellerephon millennia ago, who now consents to allow none but Diana ride him - at least without Diana appealing to him, for though he is not and never will be truly tamed, he is very fond of Diana. The tribe of Pegasids are smart creatures, certainly compared to the normal dull intelligence of horses, and know better than to come down into the forest. That three had found their way there meant something must have greatly disturbed them. Making this news of even greater importance was the fact that two of the three had been young; pegasid foals are rare indeed, and there are few things that will rouse the Amazons as much as wishing to ensure they are safe.

    The three pegasids, lead by the black mare Donna has named Kallisti, had flown off back to the mountain once Caitlin and Donna had lead them safely from the forest and dealt with the Kartazonos, but the forest was now full of Amazon rangers, examining the traces of their journey in search of clues. Diana of course was leading the mission, because it seemed inevitable that it was going to require a trip to the mountain plateau, and both her way with animals in general and her relationship with the king of the pegasids would be invaluable.

    Donna, Caitlin and Diana wait for the reports of rangers at a clearing close to the base of the mountain itself, which abuts the steep side of the mountain. The first few hundred feet of that stone vastness are forested, but not far above cliffs tower over the Amazons. It's a hard climb. Much easier for those who can fly.

    "We are still looking searching the area for signs," Argyra, a captain of the rangers, reports. "But so far we have no indication of any other than the three already reported by Aikaterine and Basileia Troia. And no indications other than the foul spoor of the Kartazones of what might have driven them here. We think whatever caused them to descend did not follow them, and they met with the Kartazones only after they had reached the forest."

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
No one's ever really pointed it out to Caitlin yet, but the redhead has become a rather talented tracker. Many subtle details that others might miss, she picks out with her exceptional vision and talent for noticing small details, no matter how mundane. She's listening with half an ear while nosing around for clues, quite literally in this case, as she sniffs something in the air that stands out to her keen senses. Much like the others, she's dressed in hunting gear and armed with her titanic compound bow and a wide-bladed boarspear that's as tall as she is.

While Argyra finishes her briefing, Caitlin walks over to join Donna and Diana. In her hand is a little fluff of feathery down, with a lustrous sub-surface ivory sheen that makes the unicorn down distinctly different from swans or geese. "Is it possible that whatever chased the pegasids off the mountain, also chased down the Kartazones?" she inquires of the other Amazons. "Predators don't usually like to leave their hunting area to chase prey, and Donna said that they're fairly uncommon around here."

The mountain is given a baleful, troubled look, then Caitlin drops her eyes to her sisters. "Which raises a larger concern: What's nasty enough to run off an evil unicorn?"

Diana Prince has posed:
Diana had grown up on the fringes of the forest. As a child, she was obsessed with adventure, exploration, and the very idea of expeditions by heroic Warriors headed in to peril to preserve the safety of others. Stories such as these had been the fuel for the fire that lit up young Diana's very spirit.

As she had aged, the allure of the forest had begun to wear away, adding to the overall discontent Diana had begun to have toward her people's homeland. She had begun to see the forest for what it was, amazing and beautiful, but limited in scope and possibilities. It had become one more reason for Diana to seek 'more' in her adventures, as she transitioned from child in to adult.

Now, having embarked on untold numbers of wild adventures, Diana had a renewed love for her homeland's truly enchanting forest. She felt a need to protect it, to preserve it, and to help wherever, and whenever she could within it.

Today, she'd brought Jumpa along, as he traversed the forest better than her horse was able to. Dressed in leathers, and a pleaded skirt of deep green. With her dark hair tied back in a braided ponytail, and her shoulders adorned with a quiver of arrows, and crossed over by a recurve bow, Diana lets her eyes roam over the trees around her as the reports come in. Her eyes move toward the Ranger Captain, who gets a gentle downward nod of her slim pointed chin.

"Perhaps it was simply a change of pace, for our mysterious winged friends." She offers the others around her, attempting to really just lend a possible calming idea to the nature of 'what' was behind this.

With a knowing small smile though, Diana regarded Donna and Caitlin. "Did you truly see, or sense, anything nefarious at-play with all of this?' She /has/ to ask, for the benefit of not jumping to dire conclusions.

Meanwhile she dismounts from Jumpa's saddle, her sandaled feet touching down on the soft forest floor, as her Kanga mount lets out a chuff of a response, bumping the side of his head against the Princess' shoulder, an affectionately playful gesture, rewarded with a touch of her right hand's fingertips across the side of his chin.

Donna Troy has posed:
    "More nefarious than a kartazonos?" Donna asks Diana with a wry smile. "No... not really. It's just... well we had to wonder what would drive the pegasids to come into the forest, where they cannot easily simply fly away. To me that seems like something must have put a real fear into them."

    Donna leans forwards to reassure her mount; a horse, not a Kanga. She's always preferred horses as a mount. There's a Kanga of her own back at the palace that's dear to her, but she prefers the stability and predictability of a horse to the power and ability to jump obstacles a Kanga provides its rider. While back at the palace she had changed into her proper armor, and had brought her sword, lasso, bow and a pair of spears with her. In contrast to DIana, Caitlin and the rangers, she looks dressed for war rather than a hunt.

    Argyra shakes her head to Caitlin. "The Kartazonos would not have been on the mountain," she says. "It's too steep for them. That's why the pegasids live there -- very little can reach them. They come out of the deep forest sometimes, but I have never heard of a Kartazonos on the mountian."

    The ranger captain looks sideways at Diana, but keeps addressing Caitlin's thoughts. "You should be more concerned at what is nasty enough to run off the winged ones. They are very defensive of their young. For the two foals to be split from the herd with just a single adult guarding them, that suggests the herd was scattered in panic. We estimate there are a hundred and fifty to two hundred of them in total who make the mountain their home. Basileia Diana, we will continue our search here, but I do not think we will learn much more down here. I recommend you make a trip to the plateau and see what can be found there."

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
"It was horrible," Caitlin tells Diana, more bluntly. "I've never seen anything like it before. Like as good and pure as pegasis are, it looked that much angrier and ...evil. It would have killed the three of 'em, and me and Donna too, if we'd let it. There aren't a lot of predators who kill for pleasure but I got the sense the Kartazones is one of them."

The mountain is given one last gimlet-eyed stare and Caitlin looks at the Princesses and deflates her shoulders with a helpless shrug. "Well, rock-paper-scissors for who's gonna give me a lift up there," she informs them. "I'm not too worried about falling off, but I'm pretty sure if I grab the wrong ledge I'll trigger a nasty landslide," she advises the duo.

Diana Prince has posed:
For a moment, Diana held the reigns of Jumpa's riding harness, while she listened to the responses the others provided. She gave them each a soft smile in-turn before she turned from the group, and began to let her eyes roam the soft grass beneath their feet. She began to wander...

While the others spoke, the Princess stepped across the soft earth toward a edge of trees to the south and west of their current location. Her eyes trailed across the grass, the damp patches of mud, rock, and flecks of forest leaves all gently being tossled by the wind moving across them. Eventually, Diana's eyes rose up to stare in to the forest itself, toward the seeming heart of it. But it was Caitlin's words that drew her attention back, and appearing beside the larger woman, Diana placed a soft hand upon her right shoulder. "Even you will not bring down the mountain, Lovely Caitlin..." She says in a warm tone of her calming voice. With her hand leaving Cait's shoulder, Diana regards the Captain who gets a gentle nod, before her eyes move between Donna and Caitlin. "If the threat is as you say, then something rather unusualy most assuredly is taking place. We should ascend then.." She notes, her eyes upon the Captain alone. "Keep watch here, we should not be too terribly long. If you see anything..."

The Amazon Rangers have their horns to call for help, and she need not finish the thought!

Donna Troy has posed:
    Donna grins as she dismounts her horse and hands his reigns to one of the rangers, as amused equally by Caitlin's concern at bringing the mountain down as Diana's gentle yet somewhat teasing response. "I'll take you up," Donna tells Cailtin. "Diana can take you down again. Or you can jump if you like, just try not landing on one of the rangers and it'll be fine. C'mon, put your arms around my shoulders, we'll be there in no time."

    It's certainly an advantage having a few flying Amazons around these days. A thousand years ago the rangers would have been preparing their mountaineering gear for a tough half-day's ascent. It only takes a couple of minutes before Diana and Donna, with Caitlin holding on, come down gently on the lip of the plateau, two thirds of the way up to the peak.

    The flat area wraps around the sides of the mountain, making a space averaging about a half mile deep and four long. The plateau is grassland, deep green in color, well-watered by the rains running down the peak that rises up, less steeply than the ascent from the foothills, to the peak above. It is windy up here, and cooler than the flatlands below, though still pleasantly on the warm side. There are trees scattered around in small forested clumps, but it is mostly open space up to the edge of the mountain where it falls away precipitously on one side, and the rocky slopes leading up to the peak on the other, where a good number of cave entrances can be seen.

    There is no sight of any of the pegasids on the open plain of the plateau.

    "They shelter in the caves when the weather is poor," Donna says, unslinging her bow and reading a trio of arrows in her off hand. "They may be hiding in there. Though if they felt in danger, they might not want to find themselves stuck in a cave with only one way out. It's possible they're hiding further up the mountain. What do you think, Diana?"

    This is a place where people rarely go. It's the first time for Caitlin of course, but Donna and Diana have both been up here probably more than any other Amazon in living memory, simply because it's so much easier for them to get here. There is however a tumble of stone blocks in the distance that marks the ruins of some ancient building, a sign that in former years someone, the Amazons presumably, had thought it worth building here.

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
At least Donna doesn't give Caitlin /too/ hard of a ribbing. Caitlin is being a little duplicitous, of course; she's a fantastically strong climber and has no fear of failing or falling. There is some truth to the element of a landslide, after all ancient old shale and crumbling boulders isn't exactly an ideal place for a 350-pound woman to land on.

Once they're up, Caitlin takes a moment to check her gear. Quiver un-capped, spear readied, and her massive compound longbow in her hands. An arrow is slipped under her thumb and she only then takes a moment to appreciate the scenery. The view is incredible; the plateu itself is a sight to behold, but the view of the island of Themyscira behind them deserves to be appreciated as well. It's a deceptive sort of place, where one can almost see the shores and almost see all of the forest, but not at the same time.

Magical.

"All right. Well, we should probably check a few of the caves to see if the pegasides are /in/ there," she suggests to the other two women. "If they've all run off like our friends did, that's bad news bears for this little excursion."

Diana Prince has posed:
Diana had spent most of her life on the island, but it wasn't until the past 40 years that she learned how to fly, and became a master of its intricacies. When she'd returned to the island for the first time in nearly a hundred years, she'd gotten to show off a bit with the new abilities she'd learned in her time away, flight was one that still impressed many of the women of Themyscira, in both Diana, Donna, Cassie and otherwise.

Diana touched down on the edge of the plateau and was soon to walk gently across its grassy flat surface. her eyes moved across the plateau, having indeed been here many times before, and very happily gotten to share coming here with her sisters in recent years.

She turned toward the two with her here today, and showed them a soft smile. "We should be able to bypass searching the caves." She tells Caitlin, as she strides toward Donna, her hand coming up from a small leather pouch sewn in to the side of her oiled leather bodice. From it, Diana pulled a pale ivory flute, that she offered toward Donna, who would likely know what it is indeed.

"I was given two of these a long time ago, and recently gifted one to Cassie for her birthday. This one, I share with you." She says to Donna, glimmering a grin toward the other dark haired woman. "See if you cannot let them know that we are here to help them..." She tells her sister before she moves on over toward that small structure upon the plateau.

Moments later and Diana has hoisted herself up on to one of the stone ledges, gingerly finding herself a place to sit, her hands resting on either sides of her hips, as her long legs cross together over one another, extended out before her.

Donna would know the melody to play, as they have most assuredly been here before, to practice the tune that would summon the mythical creatures.

Of course, unless, something is very, very, wrong!

Donna Troy has posed:
    Donna returns Diana's grin with interest, taking the flute with a smile and a nod. This is indeed one of the reasons why Donna had been eager to return to the palace with the news rather than following the three rescued pegasids in the impetuous way she is more generally prone to. There are more than three of the creatures to worry about, and Diana was the one who had a way to find out where all of them had gone.

    Donna strides across the grassland towards the ruins of the temple, a few hundred feet away. There, she knows, is where the flute must be played to summon one of the tribe of the pegasi. It's an ancient compact; the Amazons protect the winged horses, and they in turn can be called on for help by a bearer of the flute. Diana herself doesn't really need it; the king of the winged horses is her friend and always willing to help, at least if he can be found. Donna secretly hopes that one day the rare black mare Kallisti will similarly become her mount, but though as Caitlin has recently observed Kallisti is clearly fond of Donna, they're not at that stage yet. The pegasids do not trust easily.

    Donna had memorized the tune years ago, the very first time Diana had brought her up here to meet the Pegasids, half her life away. The haunting notes rise up, echoing from the old tumbled stones of the ancient temple, and seem to become one with the winds.

    There is movement in the mouths of several caves. The sharp eyes of the three Amazons can make out the cautious motion of equine heads investigating the sound of the flute from the edge of the shadows, but none seem to be coming closer.

    Donna continues playing, the melody picking up and filling the cool air, but the pegasids still do not come from the safety of the cave mouths. And then, in the distance, a sound of wings is heard, and a dark shape approaches in the sky.

    There is something not quite right about the sound. The beating of displaced air is accompanied by a discordant note, the slightest hint of a screeching as of metal on metal. The dark figure of the winged horse gets closer, it's great wings casting long shadows across the plateau as it flies in from the direction of the sun.

    Suddenly the cave mouths are empty; the pegasids have retreated back inside.

    Donna's playing falters, then suddenly she stops. She lowers the flute, and raises her spear, backing away to where Diana and Caitlin wait. The winged horse in the sky gets closer and closer, and the beating of its wings sounds distinctly /metallic/. Then suddenly it drops below the sun, the shadow falling away and sunshine glinting off feathers of steel and a skin of bronze. Two eyes of gold glint in the metal head, and a mane of silver wires rustles as the metal pegasus steps forwards, towards Donna.

    Donna lowers the spear, continuing to back up, and glances quickly back towards Diana. She has no idea what to make of this, and hopes her sister does!

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
Caitlin has an arrow nocked the moment she realizes this intruder is not one of the locals. They clearly are afraid of it, as witnessed in their retreat. Muscles under her golden bracers stand out in taut relief with the half-tension she's exerting on the bow. Even half-drawn it could easily puncture light vehicle armor, and Caitlin's packed out both penetrating tips and broadheads to deal with whatever's menacing the noble flying horses.

"Donna?" she asks warily, watching the intruder like a hawk. She chances a glance at Donna only to find the same startled surprise on her friend's face.

"...Di?" she manages in a low whisper. Neither of them are pressing the attack on the magnificent metal steed, so Caitlin bides her time by walking a semicircle away from the other two so the women aren't a convenient single target in case they're rushed.

Diana Prince has posed:
If one pressed Diana for possible things to have happen after playing the flute, what actually happens would not have been ever upon her list of possibilities. In fact, when she looks out toward the sun, to see the shadows playing across her vision, Diana rises up to her full height once more, with a crease crossing between her dark eyebrows, as a look of puzzlement crosses her facial features. She raises her right hand up to shield her eyes from the rays of sunshine, and takes a series of quick steps toward the grassy stretch across the plateau, while Donna backtracks, and Cait spreads out their positions.

The metalic creature lands, and Diana's hands drop down to her sides, as she eyes it carefully. Initially her mind wandered toward a notorious beast of legend, metal wings, man-eating... infamous avian threats.

But this wasn't that. This was somethingt else.

A very quick glance was given toward Donna before Diana simply stepped forward, and toward the silvery-maned creature.

She made eye-contact with it, her green skirt flowing around her thighs as she stood in a semi-wide stance, on her guard just in case...

"Greetings." Diana said then in Themysciran. "You are an unexpected arrival. We are members of the caretakers of this island, and friends of the Pegasus that inhabit it."

Can it understand her? She doesn't rightly know, but this is a better start than simply drawing weapons and smashing them against the glinting metal form of this new found fantastical creature.

Donna Troy has posed:
    Donna flashes Caitlin a quick shrug of the shoulders to indicate she's as puzzled by the apparition as Caitlin is herself. As Diana seems to be taking the lead in trying to communicate with this artificial pegasus, Donna follows Caitlin's circle a little way, keeping herself halfway along the arc from Caitlin to Diana so that the three are equally spaced out.

    The creature keeps its eyes on Donna, but those blank gold orbs roll a little from side to side in the head, flickering now and then to keep a track of where Caitlin is going, then back to Diana. It keeps advancing steadily towards Donna, but as Diana addresses it, it pays more and more attention to her.

    The creature is mechanical, that much is clear. It's certainly no kind of robot Caitlin has seen before, though. The body appears to be bronze, and bears a light verdegris patina visible in the crevices of the musculature, just a faint tracing of green copper carbonates that show it has been weathered, though perhaps not for very long. There are no joints, no visible articulation, yet the apparently solid bronze legs bend at the knee as if bronze were flesh and bone, and the carven musculature seems to ripple as if real muscles were moving beneath some less rigid skin.

    The creature does not answer Diana's words, either in Themysciran speech nor in the ways of animals that she can normally read. As much as it looks like a real horse, as perfect the sculpting that has gone into creating it and as similar its motions are to those of a living horse, it somehow just doesn't give off those subtle forms of animal communication that Diana is able to read so well. She gets no sense of its intent whatsoever, and that's disquieting.

    The creature gets closer.

    "Is this one of Hephaestos' creatures?" Donna asks, spear point lowered to hold the creature at bay if it gets too close. "Diana, I had not heard tell that Hephaestos had crafted a Pegasid. Who could have asked him to do this? And why would it be here?"

    There is a loud warning neigh -- not from the bronze creature, but from the air above -- and it is accompanied by a flurry of wings. From higher on the mountain, a flight of a dozen pegasi swoops down to meet the three amazons. Two powerful winged horses, gleaming white in the sunlight, land beside each of the three in their own personal pegasid guard. Two more land behind the automaton to keep it surrounded. Three, lead by the black mare Kallisti, come to the ground between Donna and the approaching automaton, and Kallisti gives a neigh of challenge, warning it to come no closer. Largest of the twelve, Pegasos himself lands beside Diana, his great wings beating the air in the direction of the automaton a few times before he folds them across his back and steps close to the princess.

    The automaton finally halts. It rolls its eyes, and paws the ground. Smoke bellows from its nostrils, and it arches its head high in the air to bellow, a very un-horselike sound, and flames flicker between its great steel teeth.

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
Now that the intruder is significantly out-numbered, Caitlin relaxes her grip on her bow a little. None of the Pegasids seem to be indicating aggressive intent, either, so it's less likely that this is some predator and more like an un-welcome stranger.

Moving very deliberately she hangs her bow from her belt and slides her fingers over to her left forearm. A few touches to the concealed controller and Caitlin activates her ever-faithful pet drone.

"Stealth mode. Passive scan. Fly casual." The words are almost sub-vocalized, though the other two Amazons will have no issue hearing her whisper. It's a game the Titans have played for years, to pass messages to each other in public.

Who knew Wally's four-week ventriloquism class would come in so handy?

Her drone has been reconfigured; it is no longer a rotor-drive device but has been turned into an ornithopter that flies like a dragonfly. With a near-silent beat of wings it makes a wide, lazy path towards the mechanical monster and starts scanning for... well, anything that might give them a hint.

Diana Prince has posed:
With the arrival of the winged allies, Diana is quick to afford the one that comes to land beside her a momentary glance. Donna's questions draw Diana's eyes back to the metallic equine, and its display of flared flaming feelings of being surrounded.

"It would seem that the likely source." Diana quietly says in response to Donna, not looking toward her sister, as her attention remains on the metal one. With her hands still at her sides, Diana raises her right up, as Caitlin's little flying friend begins its focus-scan.

Diana starts to approach the metal horse, her right hand up, palm out toward it. "We are not your enemies." She states, still having no idea if the words mean a thing at all to the beastly construct.

Hephaestos has created many things at his forge, none of which individually would ever make Diana think he was capable of something like /this/ but individually a lot of the elements did add up to at least point a finger toward the bearded smith. In fact, the metal of Diana's bracers gleam in the rays of sunshine, glinting the light right toward those golden eyes of the metal horse, in the same fashion its own body reflects the light all around the plateau, and the many who have come to observe the strange creature.

Diana does something potentially unwise, she approaches it close enough to try and lay her right hand upon its face. She's testing the creature, Donna and Caitlin would likely know it quite well too.

But she's also potentially opening herself up for a rough attack, should it choose to be violent toward the Princess, rather than a potential new friend...

Donna Troy has posed:
    "Diana!" Donna calls out urgently in warning as she approaches. It's true that the pegasids had not been showing aggression, but they had been showing defensiveness, and they are not naturally very aggressive creatures. The pawing of the ground and the bellowing from the automaton had not exactly filled Donna with confidence as to the automaton's intentions though.

    Donna is not the only one of that opinion. Pegasus, the king of the Pegasids, neighs a loud objection as Diana starts forwards, and he grips Diana's quiver in his teeth, to urge her back. The other two pegasids that had accompanied him to flank Diana close together in front of her to try to stand between her and the automaton. The opinion of the winged horses is pretty clear.

    The automaton gives another bellow, and his head thrashes from side to side. "It seems... conflicted," Donna says, voicing a sense that all three of the Amazons get.

    Caitlin's drone sends back scan data that indicates to her that there is no electrical activity in this 'robot', and that the articulated joints are indeed apparently solid metal, which really shouldn't be bending the way those joints bend. There's nothing in Caitlin's readings that indicate that this is anything other than a metal statue of a pegasus, which is somehow moving. This kind of conflicting data is something Caitlin has seen many times before, when magical things are the subject. There is one oddity she has no explanation for in the data; the local mass of the creature seems to shift as it moves around, implying that it is filled with some fairly dense liquid, and the readings imply that the liquid is very hot.

    Kallisti looks back at Donna, and nickers at her, lowering and quickly raising her head. Caitlin will recognize the meaning as clearly as even Diana can read it. Kallisti had behaved the same towards the two foals in the forest. Back then Kallisti had welcomed the help of Donna and Caitlin in protecting the foals, but now with the strongest of her tribe beside her, the black mare is planning to protect the Amazons!

    "Kallisti, no!" Donna says, stepping forwards. "We are here to protect you. Go! All of you, go! Let us deal with this!" Kallisti snorts back. There's clearly something of a battle of wills between the black mare and the Amazon, and neither wishes to back down.

    The Automaton gives another bellow louder and more pained than before, and suddenly rears up, thrashing its hooves threateningly at the two pegasids that are trying to stand between it and Diana. The hooves come down just short of the pair though -- it's still not attacking.

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
Everyone's getting agitated; mortals, demigods, and horses and automata alike. Crowd science applies to any organic, thinking creature, and it's a topic Caitlin happens to be very well versed in. As Diana and Donna start wrangling with their respective pegasids, and the automaton responds to the threat with a defensive posture, it seems like things are about to kick off.

Abruptly an absolutely ear-splitting whistle blast echoes around the plateau. It was likely heard at the base of the mountain-- possibly as far down as the city itself. Caitlin can be /very loud/ when she wants to be. It overrides all the tumult wracking the group.

Her fingers lower from her lips and she holds her hands aloft to show there's no weapon in hand. Since the Pegasids are getting riled up in their concern for Diana and Donna's safety, Caitlin steps slowly forward into their scrum line. None of the horses have any particular attachment to Caitlin so she isn't as likely to produce the fear/aggression response. Once she's through their ranks she keeps pacing steadily towards the magical metal creature that manages to act so very equine despite being made of precious metals.

"Easy, easy," Caitlin soothes. When it rears at her she stops moving, but keeps her hand held aloft until it settles down again before she starts going forward. "All right, synthetic horse with biomimicry, behavioral patterning, probably no digestive system BUT...maybe it mimics other known behaviors," she says, mumbling through her process. Caitlinreaches behind her hip with her free hand and brings forward a piece of Themysciran fruit jerky. Caitlin takes a bite to show it's safe, then puts it in her palm and offers it to the artificial horse as a peace offering.

Diana Prince has posed:
It was Diana's nature to approach someone who was in a strange place, clearly unsettled, to try and make peace with it. She felt the tug to the back of her archery gear, however, and it caused her to send a look back toward the Pegasus behind her right shoulder. A soft smirk was sent its way before she looked next to Donna. "It is an unnatural creation, but that doesn't mean that it is not imbued with the soul of something that was once as natural as the other Pegasids... Perhaps it came here because it is searching for a home, and a place that can explain to it what it is..."

An arguably idealistic viewpoint of the creature's possible motivations, but many have called Diana such before.

Over her left shoulder, Diana sees Caitlin now moving in with that treat, and so as not to overwhelm the metallic construct, Diana takes a step back, raising her right hand over to place it upon the side of the Pegasus' face, soothing it with her touch, reassuring him that she is safe, and never truly intended to put herself in to danger.

Cait though, she might be about to get her fingers bitten right off!

Donna Troy has posed:
    "Caitlin, no! Come back!" Donna calls out. "This is obviously what scared the pegasids, and they are trying to protect us. Listen to them!" She tries to push past Kallisti to get to Caitlin, but Kallisti is being obstinate and blocks her path, spreading her great black wings out like a shield. Perhaps Kallisti, who first met Donna when she was thirteen, thinks of Donna as a foal who needs protecting.

    The two pegasids who had flanked Caitlin show some alarm; that they don't know Caitlin and have no particular attachment to her or not, Pegasids are very smart animals and they have clearly been given the job of protecting Caitlin. As she moves forwards, they move with her, trying to nudge her aside to keep her back from the automaton.

    Pegasus nuzzles Diana's shoulder, but the reassurances of Diana's hand isn't enough, and again he tries to urge her back by taking the strap of her quiver and gently tugging it to urge her to put more distance between herself and the automaton.

    The bronze pegasus does not sniff at the jerky Caitlin proffers as a real horse might. It eyes her with those blank golden orbs, shuffles back a step, and bellows at her, it's head lowering and its ears pinned back. "Cait!" Donna calls out. "That's warning behavior, move back!"

    Donna tried to do the exact opposite, pushing past Kallisti, who pushes back. Donna takes a grip of the black mare's nose and presses down gently but very firmly, which causes the winged horse to make a startled chuffing noise. Foals shouldn't be that strong. Donna does not however wait for Kallisti to process this, and instead takes off in a great flying leap that takes her over the top of Kallisti and the other two pegasids accompanying her, to land a dozen feet behind Caitlin, spear outstretched. "Cait! Back away!" she calls out.

    The Automaton's eyes roll, and it paws the ground again. It's silvery tail thrashes from side to side. It takes a sudden step forwards, towards Caitlin, and its teeth snap with a loud metallic clank -- but it bites just short of Caitlin's fingers. It's almost as if it is fighting its own instincts, split between attacking and not.

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
"I know-- I know! Donna, would you please stop antagonizing it?" Caitlin demands, rather tersely. Her entire attention is focused on the metal construct in front of her. When it lunges and snaps, to her credit, she flinches just a few inches away before calmly presenting the treat once more.

She holds one hand back to forestall the other pegasus while her eyes stay intently focused on the mechanical wonder. Red hair shifts across her shoulders with a little tilt of her head. It's a magic construct; normal rules don't apply. But then again, some patterns are constant through nature, and Caitlin listens with her heart as much as her ears as the creature chuffs and emits warbling metal whines.

"It's ... out of tune," she says, a beat later. "Sick, or injured. Maybe both. I can hear it in the metal. It sounds ...wrong. It doesn't ring like it should," she says with a mournful tone. By slow inches she steps back, and primes a toss before gently lobbing the jerky at the metal bird. "I don't think I can fix it," she adds a beat later. "Maybe ... if I knew how it was made, I could try, but..."

Heavy shoulders rise and fall in a sigh and she looks back at her dark-haired sisters. "I don't think I can do anything for it. Maybe the best thing we /can/ do is ease its suffering before it shuts down."

Diana Prince has posed:
Diana attempts to stay the worry of the Pegasus behind her left shoulder, by placing her left hand gently upon the side of its face. She spares a soft spoken word to it, before Donna's leaping motion draws her eyes, right to the brandished spear.

"Donna..." diana quietly says to her sister. "Let us not rush to solve all our problems with the pointed tips of our weapons..."

Her eyes drift, then, to Caitlin. The words that the redhead eventually offers causes the Princess to draw in a breath through her totally normal sized nose. "Caitlin." She quietly speaks over to her after the jerky was tossed. "Is there anyone in the city that you think might be able to assist with this?" She asks. "If so, I think you two should go and fetch them, while I offer to stay here with our visitor... Perhaps one of the machinists, or a historian from the library? I am sure they would be quite intrigued by our new friend."

Throughout what she says, Diana continues to gently stroke a thumb over the side of the face of the winged horse beside her, as it continues to clutch her arrow quiver by the edge of its metal clasps.

Donna Troy has posed:
    Donna is outraged. "/Me/ antagonizing it? You're the one throwing meat at a robot!" she calls to Caitlin.

    The two pegasids that had been flanking Caitlin move past Donna to flank Caitlin defensively again, heads lowered as they watch the automaton closely. Donna takes a few steps forwards too, coming to stand beside Caitlin as she backs away, her spear still outstretched to cover Caitlin from any possible charge. "I mean... I think /it/ thinks it's one of them. Or, it's trying to be. So offering it food is kinda taunting it. Automata don't generally eat. Besides, horses don't eat meat." Indeed the automaton makes no effort to consume the thrown jerky, or indeed pay it any attention. It stands still, wobbling slightly, and giving off a faint creaking.

    Donna seems as incredulous at Diana's injunction as Caitlin's. "This thing is behaving erratically and the Pegasi clearly see it as a threat and trying to tell us to keep away. If it goes through with its threats to charge, yeah I'm going to have my spear handy. Diana, I love you for wanting to be everything's friend, but this thing is not acting friendly. It's barely restraining itself from attacking."

    "Io," Donna suggests, relenting a little. "The time she's spent at Hephaestus' forge... she'd know about this kind of thing if anyone does. But... why is it so hot?"

    Donna has a point. The air above the automaton shimmers slightly with heat distortion, and even from a distance, a distinctly unnatural warmth is coming from the machine. The readings from Caitlin's drone had suggested there was something very hot inside the automaton.

    "Cait, can you fly your drone around it and see if you can see anything... odd?" Donna says thoughtfully. "I'd suggest checking its heels, but... horse. The traditional placing might not be ideal. Look for something like a gas cap."

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
Caitlin hesitates, then sends the drone on another quick lap around the automaton. "Yeah... yeah, I see something that could be a filler port," she admits. The drone is recalled to hover near Caitlin and she waves at it to activate the recorder mode.

"Io, we've found some kind of metal pegasus up here. It might be Hephaestus' work but we can't be sure. It's..." she glances at the horse. "/Somewhat/ calm for the moment, but I don't know how long that will last. We're up near the pegasid nest, so it might be a challenge to get anyone up here. My drone will act as a transceiver for us. Thanks!"

With a short series of gestures she sends the drone zipping towards Themyscira on its buzzing wings, making the best course towards the other Amazons.

Once the drone is gone she weighs the situation, chewing on her cheek before speaking. "It might calm things down if we at least separate the automaton from the organics. Right now everyone's really on edge and it might be sensing that it's in some kind of danger."

Diana Prince has posed:
"But it is not attacking." Diana counters her sister, even though she lets it lay there. Instead, her eyes travel over to Cait's drone, and she visually watches it sweep in and around for another scan. Another breath is taken, Diana's eyes dart up to the heat that is clearly distorting the atmosphere above the metallic equine. "I will help those who may have interest in coming up here, find their way." She then states, before she turns to the Pegasus beside her, and strokes a hand down the side of its neck.

Without any fanfare, Diana hoists herself up on to its bare back, her hands going to the back of its shoulders, up near its mane.

"I will fly to the city, and escort any who believe they might be able to offer aid." She says, as though it was already decided, and with a twitch of her thighs, and a kick of her heels, Diana urges the Pegasus mount to start toward the edge of the cliffside peak, making sure to steer a wide berth around the metal beast, the wings of her own natural flying horse spreading out to flex and prepare for a launching flight.

Donna Troy has posed:
    "Nor am I, but I'm ready to defend the Pegasids -- and us -- if it does," Donna retorts.

    She's definitely the more warlike of the two sisters. Maybe it's just that Donna is younger and more rash than Diana, but it's a curiosity that Diana was raised with a major influence from Antiope, who was ever more warlike than Hippolyta, the most pacific of the four original sister-queens, while Donna never knew any of their mother's siblings.

    "Di, we'll ask Io to meet you at the city gates. There's no way she won't want to see this."

    Donna gives a nod to Caitlin. "That potential filler port may be the cap on the vein. If it's anything like the Bull of Minos that Hephaestus made, it'll have single vein running through its body. If it attacks, that's a likely weak spot. However whatever you do, do not get splashed by anything that comes out of there."

    "Separating them would probably be a good plan, but I'm open to suggestions how. The Pegasids don't exactly seem inclined to leave us alone with..."

    Donna is interrupted by the automaton suddenly loosing stability in one of its forelegs, and nearly crashing to the ground. This spooks the living Pegasids, who respond with a series of whinnies and neighs, and then start attempting to herd Caitlin and Donna away from the Automaton. Perhaps they have a similar notion to the one Caitlin had. Donna however ignores both the attempts of a pair of the creatures to herd her away by backing up towards her and beating their wings, and Kallisti trying to grab her belt in her teeth and pull.

    The Automaton staggers uneasily back to its feet and raises its head to give another very un-equine bellow, which ends in a gurgle as a trickle of glowing red fluid oozes out between its teeth and leaves scorch marks on the grass. "It doesn't see very... stable," Donna says. "If Diana doesn't hurry with Io, I'm not sure this automaton will still be moving by the time they're back."

Diana Prince has posed:
The mighty wings of the Pegasus spread wide out on either sides of the muscled mount of pure white hue. With a powerful thrust of its form from the rocky cliffside, the magical creature throws itself in to flight, with Diana atop its back. Leaning forward upon the creature, Diana keeps herself stable with a practiced ease, as unsaddled riding was not an uncommon skill for any Amazon warrior to obtain over the centuries of daily training.

Rather than flying high toward the city, the Pegasus flies low over the forest below, causing the Rangers at the base of the mountain to look up from where Diana had left her horse, Arrow, the women watching the flying mount disappear over the Enchanted forest's canopy.

Diana's eyes look to the east, and then to the west, before she stares past the bobbing head of the Pegasus she rides upon, her right hand gently patting the side of the creature's neck, offering a sense of reassurance to the beautiful beast. With only a point of her finger, Diana indicates where they are to fly to, and the creature responds with a twisting turn of its course.

Down at the city gates, the main bridge in to the city of Themyscira, throngs of women coming and going from the farming fields, and training grounds beyond the city's perimeter, all pause to look up at the sound of the winged Pegasus on approach. Whispers turn to louder conversations of what would herald such a rare occurence, but when the flying creature draws close enough, Diana is spotted atop its back, and many begin to utter the Princess' name.

When Io appears at the main archway at the inner edge of the bridge, Diana soon comes to touch down upon the bridge's surface itself, with the various citizens of Themyscira spreading out to make way for the Princess upon the Pegasus.

The sound of gentle hooves clopping on hard stone, usher in the arrival of Diana to where Io awaits...

"We have an issue, your presence is needed." She states, simply, her right hand extending down to offer help to mount the creature at her flank.

Donna Troy has posed:
    Io gives Diana a quick smile and a brisk nod in greeting, though there's no disguising the look of mixed curiosity and concern on her features. "So I have heard, princess," she says as she takes Diana's hand up and sits behind her, slinging the straps of a heavy leather bag over her shoulders once she's safely perched. A toolkit -- Io rarely goes anywhere without one.

    Io gestures to where Caitlin's drone hovers close at hand -- and judging by its movements, it seems to intend on following Io along. "Aikaterine's mechanical servant carried a message, and showed me some images. Certainly the creature looks like some of the Forge God's work, though I cannot tell for sure without seeing more closely. If it is indeed a creation of Hephaestus then it must be damaged; his work does not have the kinds of flaws this thing has. Either way, you were right to come for me."

    "However princess, we must make haste. Troia and Aikaterine were telling me through Aikaterine's flying mechanical servant that the creature was behaving more and more oddly, but that was a few minutes ago. Since then, there has been complete silence!"

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
The best the two Amazons can manage is, indeed, to separate the injured machine from the rest of the herd. Pegasus are smart, /very/ smart, but they are also horses and both of the women know how to handle them. No shoving or pushing; just gentle backing nudges this way and that to make sure none of them decide it's time to be a hero and kick the automaton. Caitlin stays nearest the machine, and gives it wary glances once in a while just to make sure it also isn't going to decide to spontaneously pick a fight.

Relief floods her fair features at the sound of wings and she turns to wave at Diana and Io as the two older Amazons arrive on the scene. "<Greetings, sister,>" Caitlin bids Io once she's on land. "<I think this machine is on the verge of shutting down. Molten fluids are dripping from it and the heat is intense. The Pegasus think it is threatening them, but at this point I'm concerned it's just going to overpressure and explode.>"

Diana Prince has posed:
With Io riding on the back of Diana's saddle, the two make their way back across the island, keeping low over the canopy of the forest below. The shadow of Diana's flying mount sweeps across tree tops, grassy hills, and swaths of blooming flowers nestled in amongst various groves. A herd of deer rush across the grassy lands beneath the winged beast, as it carries its riders back toward the mountain cliffside.

"They have not responded." Diana says back to Io, who clutches the Princess around her waist, peering over her shoulder to view the mountainous peak that they rapidly approach.

When they come around a bend in the rocky face, the pair are greeted with the sight of the situation as it unfolds. Heavy wing swipes carry gusts of wind across the side of the cliffs, as Diana directs the mount to land again, its powerful legs impacting hooves against the soft earth and hard stone that makes up the cliff's ledge.

Quickly, both women begin to dismount from the pegasus, Diana aiding Io with a single hand to help her down before the Princess turns toward Donna and Caitlin, "What has happened?" She asks, looking to the metal monstrosity versus the others of the Pegasi family.

Donna Troy has posed:
    It's not hard to guess what has been keeping Donna and Caitlin so busy. The automaton keeps making attempts to charge at one pegasid or another, though it's struggling to stay on its feet now and the attempts are being headed off by Caitlin. The pegasids in turn keep doing mock charges towards the automaton in the vain hope of startling it, and those charges too have to be headed off in case the equines urge each other on too far and mock charge becomes real charge. There really needs to be more than two Amazons to deal with this combined number of metal and flesh creatures, and the pair is looking a touch desperate.

    "Its behavior is so erratic they're convinced it's a threat Di," Donna replies. "And I'm far from convinced they're wrong. Though I'm not sure it's in a state to be much of a threat." She sends a concerned glance Caitlin's way. "Caitlin advised against us trying to move the automaton in case lifting it puts the body under too much pressure."

    Io studies the automaton intently, circling it from a safe distance. She crouches down to investigate a burned patch of grass where a splash of the fluid now leaking from the automaton's leg has come to rest, and stares with puzzlement at what she finds. "This is just metal," she declares. "Steel, I think. As similar as this work is to lord Hephaestus', it is not his. Hephaestus animates his creatures through ichor. My guess is someone has found a way to enchant molten steel as blood in place of the ichor, but I have never before heard of such a thing."

    "And Aikaterine is right. This creature may burst. We need to separate it from the living creatures, if it bursts this close to them, they are likely to be injured."

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
"I can see deformation under the metal skin and impurities forming where the metal is oxidizing," Caitlin tells Io helpfully. "It is producing a huge amount of thermal energy. I can smell the carbon burning off and converting into iron dioxide. I don't know if there is any kind of a runaway reaction-- I'm glad it's puking just metal and not plutonium," she mutters.

The redhead chews her cheek, thinking. "It's gotta be well over two-thousand degrees. I can handle a fire or something but this might give even me blisters. Diana's lasso is magical, so it's burn-proof, right?" she asks the elder Princess. "I am pretty sure I could tie a slip knot, sling it around the guy here, and one of you two can fly it out a safe distance and drop it on the lake or an ocean. Fortunately if it does explode in midair, the slag will solidify into metal before it even hits the ground."

Diana Prince has posed:
While Io and Caitlin speak, Diana moves in a slow perimeter around what puddle of gunk they are inspecting. She gives it a moment's glance, before her eyes return to Donna, then back to the Automaton itself. She listens to both Io, and Cait's summation of their belief on what is happening, and what can be done. It is when her lasso is mentioned that Diana glances down at her hip where the golden twine hangs looped against her right side. She places one hand against it, feeling the indestructible rope against her bare fingertips before she grips the coils with her leather wrapped palm. She pulls it free from her harness clip, and spares another glance toward Donna. "I will ride it away." She tells the trio of them. "I would prefer to do it with its blessing, but if nothing else, I will force it to leave this cliffside."

She steps toward the creation then, "Before I start this, I am just going to say it out loud..." She starts, glancing back to the other three. "I am very concerned how something like this could be created, and likely originate from our island no less. No one amongst our people would design something like this. If it came from the outside world... then I have all new concerns."

With that stated, Diana catches the eyes of the Automaton, as her lasso begins to glow a golden shine, illuminated like the rays of the sun itself. She moves toward the metal beast, preparing to put lasso to neck!

Donna Troy has posed:
    "It is important I am able to examine it," Io urges. "Let's not throw it into the ocean. Perhaps if it could be dropped into the snow at the mountain's peak? But Diana, do not try to ride it. It's dangerously hot, and may explode beneath you. If it could be raised at both ends at the same time for more support...?" she suggests.

    Donna gives a nod and passes the end of her lasso to Caitlin. "Good idea Cait. If Diana and I approach it from either side it will focus its attention on us. While Diane prepares to lasso its neck, approach it from behind and try to get the slip beneath its hind legs as it backs away from us. When it steps into the knot call to Diana to throw her lasso and once we've got both ends, Diana and I can lift simultaneously. Io, can you see to the pegasids while we do this? We don't want them charging the automaton while we're trying to catch it."

Diana Prince has posed:
A smirk is given to her younger sister, as Diana softly shakes her head. "I do not fear the molten interior. But, as you wish." She relents as her lasso is swept over to be held within both of her hands, letting the twine glide through the fingers of her left hand as she gets a good loop formed, as she had countless times before. She watches the other three women spread out as well, noting the reaction to them moving around the Automaton, as well as the behavior from the other Pegasi. Diana takes up position on the right side of the metal creation, as she watches Donna line up across from her, and Cait at the flank.

With a look in to its eyes, Diana exhales lightly, before she nods toward her sister.

What followed was pure speed, and honed accuracy with her most reliable sidearm. The golden lasso is sent flying outward, with the others likely moving within moments after her own. The brilliantly glowing rope snares around the creature's shining neck, before it is pulled taut, and Diana pulls upon it, taking away all slack and keeping the Automaton from fleeing any further away from her. With her own stance ready now, feet apart, muscles tightening, Diana calls out.

"I am ready. To the mountain peak!"

Donna Troy has posed:
    Donna circles the other side of the automaton from Diana, and the creatures metallic eyes swivel nervously as it tries to watch them both. It backs away a little, and Caitlin's able to slip the loop of rope on the ground behind it for it to step into. When Diana throws her lasso, Donna takes off upwards at the same time, pulling her own lasso taught. The creature is caught front and back at the same time.

    The moment it realizes what has happened, the automaton starts bucking wildly, trying to free itself from the pair of ropes. The metal skin sizzles where the two lassos touch it, but the heat does nothing to the unbreakable ropes. As Diana and Donna pull in different directions the beast is soon too pinned between the taught ropes to move. Donna nods to indicate her readiness to Diana, and follows her sister's lead upwards as they take the automaton to the snow-capped peak.

    Once the creature's feet leave the ground it unfolds its great metal wings and flaps vigorously but to little avail. Its feet churn, attempting to pound the ground that is no longer beneath them. It simply doesn't seem to have any meaningful response to being carried; there's no attempt to struggle free but instead to make some simulation of flying, as if acting on some kind of automatic routine that tells it that if it's in the air it needs to flap its wings.

    The rear left leg of the creature twitches increasingly in flight, and flecks of molten steel drip from it, falling to the ground below to leave a trail of scorch marks in the ground all the way up the mountain to the peak. When the two sisters lower the creature into the snow there's an immediate /whoomph/ of expanding steam that sets their hair flying and sends a column of cloud high into the sky. The creature shudders and cracks form along its skin, but it does not burst, it simply grinds to a halt. After a few final motions, it's as still as a bronze statue.

    "I think... that's it, Di," Donna says. She looks a little sad.

Diana Prince has posed:
Throughout the transit of the creature toward the mountain's peak, Diana continues to fight with the motions of the Automaton when it might pull, tug, or attempt to resist, but one might say that this is not the Princess' first rodeo...

With Donna's aid, they sky-lift the metallic beast to the puffy white snowcapped mountain, where they deposit it. The burst of steam gets Diana to momentarily turn her vision from it, to look away... It is when she looks back, to see the slowly cooling form of the creature, that she too feels pangs of sorrow spiking off within her heart and soul.

When it is clear that it has fallen motionless, Diana pulls her lasso away again, the rope swiftly looping around her right bracer, as Diana takes a few steps toward it, her legs deep in the snow up to her knees. She exhales, softly.

Her eyes cast across the creature's shining metal spine, toward her sister. She nods once toward her. "Now we have to find out the origins of it. We cannot have more of these arriving to the island, let alone anything else made as dangerously as this was..."

She looks toward it again, the snow melting around it, as the blistering chill of this high altitude location keeping it nicely cooled. If nothing else, the mountain has a new, quite interesting, statue adorning one of its snow peaked edges.