18447/A Forest Patrol

A Forest Patrol
Date of Scene:	26 June 2024
Location:	Forest Edge
Synopsis:	Diana and Mercy spend a bit of time exploring the outer edges of the Enchanted Forest. Mercy gets to stretch her hunting legs.
Cast of Characters:	Diana Prince, Mercy Thompson

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Diana Prince has posed:
Since arriving on Themyscira, Mercy has been given a number of sight seeing tours, both of the Themysciran palace, and the city that it sits as a shining beacon within the heart of. She's been given a private cottage on the edge of the eastern side of said city, between the hustle and bustle of the Amazonian ccapitol, and the dense woodlands of the Enchanted Forest. What about it is exactly 'enchanted'? Well, that is a complicated question, and one that Mercy has been brought to a Amazon Ranger outpost to hear the details of.

Diana had met Mercy in the morning, at her cottage, where they'd venture back in to the city for a breakfast at a small- but very lovely- taverna on the edge of one of the waterways that swept through the city's center. After breakfast, the duo had ventured back to the east, where they took a side pathway that lead them out of the city, across a main bridge, and toward a break in the forest trees, where some visible buildings stood together amongst the trees.

This is where they are now, amongst those buildings, Diana dressed in a pale green skirt, a leather bodice, and a number of golden adornments across her body, while on her back she wore a leather satchel that was slung over her right shoulder.

The pair were greeted at the Ranger encamptment by a number of similarly dressed Amazon women, varying in height and hair color, expressive faces, all showing Mercy differing levels of happiness at welcoming a guest to the island, and their assigned post upon it.

Most of them were quite friendly though, including the Ranger Captain known as 'Rislie'. A redheaded woman, her hair tied back in two ponytails of braided fashion, she stood at around six feet in height, and seemed to be quite confident in how she carried herself.

The Captain had been introducing Mercy to others amongst the Ranger division, as well as giving general directions to the Outpost itself.

But now, Diana, Mercy and the Captain walk along a pathway at the Outpost's edge. They pause at a fence that overlooks a long winding path that leads in to a copse of trees.

"This is your best entrance to come and go from the forest. It will let you ensure that you're close to our camp, should you need us, and that you gain familiarity with this section of the forest first." She explained, looking away from the foreset toward Mercy, then to Diana.

She motions to Diana, "As the Princess has no doubt explained, this is an island of boundless beauty, but it also must maintain that beauty by fostering good health with the creatures that inhabit it beyond just the Amazon people. The forest has many creatures, nothing like what you are likely to have seen in the rest of the world, where so many of these creatures have long since gone extinct from."

Diana, showing a smile toward the Captain, regards Mercy on her right side. "In other words, you are on a very mystical animal preserve." She says, a happy expression showing on her face.

"One with peril, if you are not careful, too." The Captain adds on to Diana's words.

Mercy Thompson has posed:
    Mercy has done her best to drink deep the culture and sights of this place. Even if she has been far more fidgety and unable to stay still for very long at all. She's taken to wearing the looser clothing more fitting to the Amazons themselves. And she hopes nobody has minded any of her howling last night for just a bit of silly fun.

    She enjoyed the breakfast and hoped she wasn't keeping the princess away from more important matters, but at least she stopped suggesting that Diana ditch her. She herself is wearing her hair in a long single braid, and a looser almost poet shirt style tank top, and some khaki shorts along with some good leather sandals.

    She returns the greetings with warm smiles and waves even if she feels 'little' compared to many of them. The Captain was offered a firm hand shake from the shorter American in greeting. She's done her best to get the Ranger's names, but more importantly she's getting all their scents. It's easier for her to lock those in and file that away then it s to stick with a name. Doing her best to not seem obvious about the slow drawn in breath through her nose and over her teeth after each meeting.

    "Belive me I can respect and understand what it takes to keep a forest alive and healthy. Be it from beetle to lion. Not that I have much experience with that later." She just hopes to reassure Rislie about taking her words seriously. She looks back to Diana and asks, "Couldn't that be said of me? Being an mystical 'animal' that is not without her own perils."

    Facing the captain she offers, "I just would like the chance to do a little hiking, and maybe shift my form and prowl around. Get my nose in the dirt and stretch my legs. Don't get me wrong, this is a lovely island. I live on an island technically but I grew up in Montanna, the big sky state, and the magic or energy here makes me feel as if I had two dozen energy drinks every day. I need to -run- in that way you just go with the wind in your hair and don't stop until your lungs burn and your legs feel utterly spent. But before I even THINK of doing that, I got to know the lay of the land and be sure I won't cause problems. I'll be good, and do my best to not cause problems."

    Mercy looks a touch rueful as she adds, "But I do tend to be a trouble magnet and weirdness attractor. Feel I should say that in all honesty."

Diana Prince has posed:
As the Captain, and Mercy share words together, Diana watches them both, listening to what they say which gets little grins from her here and there. At the talk of being a trouble magnet, the redheaded Captain motions toward Diana. "Then you have that in common with the Princess, here." She states, which gets Diana to tilts her head to the side ever so softly.

"Ha ha..." Diana fires back to Ris, who just shows the Princess a small smirk, before she returns her green eyes toward Mercy. She nods once to her. "You are free to roam as you wish, and should you need aid, howl in bursts of three, in a similar fashion to your howls on the previous night."

Apparently those howls had gone noticed, and noted.

"I'll leave you two to it, then. Should you wish to join us for a patrol, we will be headed to the south eastern edge of the forest in just a few hours. We wish to check on the supply caravan coming in from the eastern mountains." She states, before she bows to Diana, and offers a parting word to Mercy.

Diana smiles to Ris, and waves softly to her, before she regards Mercy. "Well then, it seems you've earned the green light, so to speak... on getting to run and roam as you please." She hints at a grin again. "I am not surprised, either."

Diana motions toward the sloping pathway that leads down a steep hill toward the forested copse, that clearly gives way to much denser tree cover. She begins to move down the pathway, looking sidelong to Mercy. "I can linger along with you for as long as you wish too, or I can simply head back to the city and wait for you to return. Either way, I hope it is an enjoyable way to spend your time here."

Mercy Thompson has posed:
    Mercy's dark skin will get a fair bit darker on the cheeks at the comments on the howling. "I... don't normally do that. But I'll remember bursts of three." Yeah she's not used to that even if coyotes have been called the prairie singers." Mercy will return a bow to the captain in respect, "I may do that and join your women."

    Once the captain has turned to leave she arches her brow to Diana, "You aren't? Surprised I mean." She easily can fall into step and see about going on a hike. "I am not going to ask you to leave and wait for me. That said if you have things you need to do, please don't feel you have to stay on my account." She shifts her posture as they get to the denser trees. Mercy isn't as consciously aware of how she's soften her footfalls and becoming more aware of the world around them with her other senses. "So did you play in these woods when young? Got any good embarrassing stories"

Diana Prince has posed:
When the pair begin to slip in to the deeper parts of the woods, the pathway becomes a bit more rustic in its design, though it is still easily traversible, indicating a long history of use. Diana walks on Mercy's right, her hands moving to the leather strap of the satchel she is wearing upon her back. She hooks her thumbs beneath it, as she hears the woman's words beside her. With a light smile, she nods her head, before her eyes dart up, and to the south. She points in that direction. "My childhood treehouse was built just a short distance that way," she explains, lowering her hand back to her side as she smiles more openly to Mercy. "It is a multi-level oasis of childish fun, you /could/ say. But really, it was my mother trying to pre-occupy my mind on other topics, anything outside of fighting, and warrior training. She wished to shelter me from the hardships found within such martial studies. She designed the treehouse to be a place of education, and expression through creative means, and even if it was not /exactly/ where my heart lied in what /I/ wanted to focus on, I still have many fond memories of it all the same."

The pair venture over a fairly simple wooden and stone bridge that stretches over a small dry creek bed, with the looming trees surrounding them on all sides. The sounds of rustling leaves fills the ambience around them, as they step on soft earth upon the other side of the bridge, no more inlaid stones marking their path, leaving them on simply beaten dirt.

"Embarrassing stories, though?" Diana asked, as she glanced back to Mercy, grinning just a little. "I am biased, of course, and will admit to never having anything embarrassing happen what so ever." She fires back, before sweeping her eyes away toward the path ahead.

Her hands come together in front of her, as she laces her fingers together. "Unless you count that /one/ time... where I created a feast for the forest animals, and then began to paint them with what I self described as 'war paint', such as I had read about in some stories within the Great Library."

She glances once more to Mercy, raising her dark eyebrows up, as she has a knowing expression of her own follies as a child. "I wanted to command an army of forest friends, and... well... I have had a gnack with them since birth, so it only seemed natural."

A breath was taken, as the pair meandered past a stone sign post that had a number of old wooden signs indicating different directions to take at a intersection of paths just ahead.

"My mother was less than pleased to hear about a significant number of deer, and otherwise, all painted up in a variety of bright colors." She smiled softly to Mercy then.

Mercy Thompson has posed:
    Mercy is quiet as she walks along with Diana and taking in the story. She is smiling the whole time s they go and only breaks that as Diana 'admits' to having no embarrassing moments. She barks a quick laugh, "Without a lasso some of us can tell lies you know. But for you I'd almost believe it."

    Mercy cant help but give a bright open laugh though at the idea of little Diana and her army of cute forest critters all done up in war paint. "That's a much better story then any I have. If only there was a picture of it, but I can imagine it well enough. I can also only guess at the bewilderment from the rangers here."

The talk, the smells, the simple act of walking are helping Mercy to smooth out some of her excess energy. "I forgot to ask the captain on if there is anything I can hunt out here, but I should know the territory better anyway." She will nod to the bag Diana brought, "So what all did you bring with you on this little nature trail hike?"

Diana Prince has posed:
When they reach the intersection of pathways, Diana pauses the walking, as she regards Mercy again. She affords the woman another half smile before she glances at the strap over her shoulder. "Oh, just some water and food rations. I also bought a book to read incase you wanted to run off, and I would just spend some time enjoying the atmosphere of the place." She noted, smirking a little again, before shaking her head from side to side. "I have no pending engagements to rush off too, as you'd asked. Really, this is as much a small vacation for me, as it is for you."

She glances down the pathway to the south, one she knows all too well, though really... she knows the whole island like the back of her hand.

"It's funny..." she begins again, her stare recentering on Mercy. "I used to dream of leaving this place, when I was younger. But now, I look forward to getting to spend time within it again. Not to say that the rest of the world does not still excite me, and enthrall me... But... to be here, is to feel some measure of simplicity back in my life."

A hand is motioned to the south. "This path will lead back toward the grasslands to the south of the city." She notes, before then swaying her fingers toward the east. "This will go in to the heart of the forest, where you might run in to the Dryads, though their home is only visible if they wish it to be."

Her stare returns to Mercy, and she smiles very faintly. "That is the magic of this place, that energy you spoke of... The forest is a mythical creature of its own, and its larger when it wants to be, than what you see on the outside. One step in, can become three steps to get back. The way you navigate the forest, is based on your harmony within it. But... hunting is encouraged. The deer often stick to the areas close to the water, which runs northward from there..."

She points north down another pathway, "It leads from the peak of the northern mountain, giving the water of life to everything within the forest."

Mercy Thompson has posed:
    "I can understand that some. I think. I enjoy those little times when I can revisit with some of my past. Though maybe less so then you. I think my nature leads me to try and be more independent than is my own good at times." Mercy's eyes scan around to the locations as Diana points them out to her and where they lead.

    "I'd be very careful and not even think of going after a deer, especially on this island. I'm not a wolf and not with a pack either. Hunting in my shifted form I mean. Like this I'd be pretty sure I can hunt a fair bit of things." It is the trail to the east that Mercy's eyes linger on the most. "Shall we take a few steps that way then? Not that I'm looking to bother any dryads, especially near their home. It's just that area smells the most... vibrant? Like if you turned the saturation up on a picture to maximum." Mercy puts her arm in front of her, locks her fingers together and turns them palms out before she raises her arms in a big body stretch. "It's no wonder you respect nature so much more then most others in your sort of profession and back in the modern world. You got to see and learn from this."

Diana Prince has posed:
"That makes sense, "Diana quietly said back about the hunting. She was no stranger to it, but she certainly was a stranger to the transformation lifestyle that Mercy had lived. When the path was indicated, Diana nodded her head two small times, before they set out together down it. It was a bit wider of a pathway than the others that she had motioned to, and the visible sign of wheels stamped in to the earth could be seen, clearly indicating some kind of carts or wagon made their way down here routinely.

"A couple years ago, we had a situation unfold at the Doom Gate..." She glanced to Mercy as they strolled onward. "The Doom Gate being an ancient gateway to a very bad place, that the Amazons swore to guard for eternity. Something broke loose, and spread a disease that crept its way in to the edges of the forest. We had to put down a lot of infected animals to see to its end, which was a disheartening situation, but, we took care of it before it got too out of hand." She explained further, exhaling a short and sharp breath as the sounds of birds happily chirping, insects buzzing and the trees dancing to the motion of the wind surrounds them.

"That was the last time I interacted with the Dryad. I used to have a fairly regular connection with them, when I was very young, and was at that tree house every day." She stated, showing another small half-smirk for Mercy. "But yes, this place was ... it was a training ground, for what I feel represents my role in the world today. Helping the life that lives here, in similar... if smaller ways, to what I try to help in the world at-large today..

Up ahead, the pathway is split in two by a series of old statues that reach high in the sky a good thirty feet, each one depicting a different type of creature; Diana motioning toward them.

"These are the Statues of Athena's Grace," she explains. "They represent key figures of the wild spirits that give heart, blood, breath, and life to the forest."

From a tall stag, to a menacing bear, and beyond, offering even a statue of a mighty griffon, that has its stone wings spread far apart, with its beak wide open in a show of a mighty roar.

"There are many legendary animal species here, as well, and thus if your trouble magnet begins to pull upon them, make sure to run back to the beaten paths..." Diana warned, showing another faint smirk for the other woman as they strolled past the old statues.

Mercy Thompson has posed:
    "I could see the dryads warming up to a young you who chose to live in a tree house. I imagine she thought you were being a far more friendly and sensible Amazon then most." What with living in the tree house and all that. "Don't worry. I'm fortunately blessed without a male ego that prevents me from running away. I'm very good at that, and skilled at darting through a forest at speeds. Got a lot of practice as the proverbial cub if you will." Mercy has no intentions of staying and fighting if a griffon or some other mythical creature shows up to give her attitude. Nope, she'll bark/howl and bolt away.

    She looks at the statues a fir bit before she'll stroll past with Diana. "I can only imagine the shock for you when you first made it to the 'modern' world coming from here. I had a lesser extent when I left the pack to go to college." Mercy lets her arm brush Diana's own lightly. "Can be quiet the experience to suddenly learn what is your 'normal' is almost beyond understanding for others. Be it the experience of chewing burrs from your tail, talking to a ghost, or even just knowing that to feed you must hunt and the.... sacred nature of that act." Mercy goes on to say, "I always believe everyone, save maybe a vegan, should take an animal's life in their own hands and help prepare it to be food. It's important and fast food loose that greatly."

Diana Prince has posed:
As the pair continue down the line of statues that honor the creatures of the forest, they pass by a few more ominous ones, such as a statue of a three headed dog, and a hydra of all things. They might indicate the dangers that do lurk in this place, should one probe too deeply.

When her arm is brushed, Diana looks over to Mercy again, and offers her another hapy expression. "Well," she replies. "We live in a wider world that is rapidly forgetting how to take care of itself, if removed from their places of comfort, and if unable to put a screen to their face that can teach them everything in an instant. It is a fear I have, that some event may take place, that puts the world back to a more.. rustic point of existence, and there-by cause a devastation to the world's populace that may put everything in to jeopardy."

She smirks at herself, "But that is just a doomsday corner of my mind, and one that helps encourage me to do everything possible to keep the world moving ahead, and not losing ground, and falling back to a harder place again."

Her words are broken off, as a lyrical and melodic noise is heard up ahead. From behind a row of trees, a brightly colored bird, looking quite a lot like a Peacock emerges from the underbrush. It ignores the women a good 20 feet to the west, as it just meanders across the pathway they were headed down toward it.

Halted now, Diana watches the bird, before she looks toward Mercy. "Is your hunting urges growing?" She asks in a whisper, suggesting the beautiful feathered bird may have its moments numbered!

Mercy Thompson has posed:
    "I like to think we'll be fine. One I have faith, two I've seen people band together in crises, three the really old jerks are getting old and loosing to mother nature as they should." Mercy has a pretty carefree expression as she gives of her own armor against doomsday thoughts.

    The answer the the question on Mercy's hunting urges are likely to be as clear as Mercy's on face. She goes ice still, eyes locked on that bird. She just watches and listens seeing how it moves, judging the distance and how fast she may be able to change. Her lips spread into a wider, feral smile. "Yes. I am," her voice a whisper and eyes not leaving the prey. "Do you mind?" She is already crouching her legs a bit, flexing them, getting them ready for that burst of speed. Mercy may not have any weapons on her at the moment, but she won't need them. She can already see how this may go. The short chase, the cry of alarm, the flash of teeth and the breaking of bone. Mercy is pretty sure she can make this a bloodless and painless kill. Assuming she's given a go ahead on the hunt.

Diana Prince has posed:
The reaction that Diana saw in Mercy, caused the Princess to show a slight grin. Sure it is a lifestyle far out of the norm for that of Diana, but Mercy was a close friend, and one that Diana brought here for this very reason. It was a chance to get to see a different kind of reaction to what Paradise Island has to offer, and that alone is an intriguing experiment.

Diana was enjoying herself quite a lot with these visits from those not born upon the island. She'd grew up here by herself, as far as being a only child upon an island of adult women. Now, all these years later in to her life... nearly a thousand of them in fact... Diana gets to wander these old pathways with a friend, and see them interact with the same enchanting elements of this mysterious woodlands. She's liking it.

"Go ahead. Be who you were meant to be." The Princess said back, leaned toward Mercy's right shoulder, and keeping her voice low. "I'll just be over here there." She states, motioning back the way they'd come.

She'd turn to head in that direction, removing that satchel from over her head, and soon to flip its leather flap open, as she moved, and dug around for that book, and perhaps that bottle of water she'd brought for herself too.

Diana moved back quite a way, toward a low stone near the head of the line of forest statues, taking a seat there, she'd soon settle in to give Mercy all the time she wished, while flipping through the pages of her book.

Mercy Thompson has posed:
    Fowl are among some of Mercy's favored prey, that and rabbits or squirrels. "Thanks," is the soft reply to the offer of being freed. Like a crack of lightning, Mercy is off. She jumps out of her clothes, literal and figurative as she dives for the ground as her coyote self. Mercy has an itch that has needed to be scratched since she came here. She won't waste the bird either. She'll keep some fathers as a reminder, she'll eat almost all of it and offer some to the Rangers as well. But that is for after and when Mercy can think more like a human again.

    For now however. There is just prey and the predator. Mercy is running as fast as she can, when hunting birds you have to weigh them down and land that first all important hit. She's aiming for the neck, because if she can get a grip on that it will be over. She'll just have to shake hard and break the bird's neck then hold it down until the animal is still. Well.. and hope nothing else comes along to take the meal. She has the advantage in that NONE of the animals here are going to know her smell or the look of her. This means they may be too slow to respond to a hunter until it is far far too late.

    The hunt is fast, and plays out much as Mercy envisioned it. There's the intense flapping of wings, a cry cut off short, and then a muffled crack from a neck breaking. The deed done, Mercy will give a small little cry of victory before she shifts back. Feeling better, and nakid as the day she was born, Mercy walks back to Diana kill in hand. "Sure hope these are tasty!"

Diana Prince has posed:
For Mercy, it was time to hunt, for Diana it was just another moment of relaxation in the woods she crew up within. She opened her book, and found her place within it, simply resuming her read from where she'd left off.

It was not until Mercy returned, and spoke, that Diana looked up to see her in full glory form. She flashed a large smile, and tilted her head as she looked at Mercy, then at the bird she had claimed. "I promise you that they are delicious. If prepared properly." She responds, before slipping the ribbon bookmark back in between the pages of the book she was reading.

"Of course... I imagine you likely have different tastes than, for instance, I might... but if you'd like, we can have it prepared quite nicely. Not by me, of course, I'm not allowed in the kitchens," she states, grinning, before another light nod is offered. "But, should you wish it, I know many master chefs back in the city."

Diana sits straight upon the edge of that stone, its base surrounded by overgrown blades of grass, just off of the main pathway.

"Did you get yourself... satiated? You were not gone for very long, so I would imagine not...."

Mercy Thompson has posed:
    "Oh I'm sure I could eat into it here. But no, we found this together. So we should both share in it." Mercy honestly forgets how casual she can be with a lack of clothing, it's just another way to be for her and nothing more then that. However she will set the bird down near Diana and then jog off to get their clothes if they're going to be leaving soon. "Well we could always try and build a small contained camp fire out here and cook what we can."

    THe question makes Mercy laugh aa bit and blush. "Phrasing huh?" Teasing the princess just a bit. "I wouldn't say I'm satisfied but I hit the snooze button a bit. It felt like I could finally stretch out a cramped muscle for relief. I want to keep a feather from this, assuming it won't violet any customs for either country, and figured we can share a meal. Any extra parts can be given to the Rangers. I'm sure they can use it."

Diana Prince has posed:
When the bird was set down near to the stone bench that Diana had claimed, the Princess showed a half smirk back to the other woman who moved off to reclaim her clothing. "Well, that sounds like it was at least something." She states, before stuffing the book back in to her leather bag that leaned against her hip.

When Mercy returned, Diana had another bottle of water waiting for her, and soon as Mercy was ready for it, she'd offer it to her. "Incase you built up a thirst there." She adds, glimmering a playful grin toward the other, before she moved to stand, her bag held by its strap against her left thigh.

Another look was given to the bird upon the ground, then to the south east. "Yes, there is a campfire area at that tree house that I mentioned. We recently cleaned the entire place up, as well, so it should be a suitable site to prepare a fire here, if you wish to be in charge of the cooking process."

Her bag was lifted up to her shoulder, and slung across it, and another little grin came across her features.

"I'll keep myself from touching it until it is ready," she says, softly shaking her head from right to left. "I have a way of ruining every meal I try to make, that is not prepared in a microwave."

Surely she is exaggerating on her lackluster cooking skills!

Mercy Thompson has posed:
    "Oh thank you!" Taking the bottle she'll open it and start to drink from it some. "I was going to ask you or the Rangers about waterways in the woods and if there are any that are less safe or considered no hunting zones." Mercy will look to the east, debating the hassle of cooking the bird themselves and seeing Diana's youthful tree house, and that of going back to get a proper meal. She checks her own belongings, not having brought a knife. "Do you have a blade with you, because without one it will be harder to eat I think."

Diana Prince has posed:
The question of whether or not Diana has a knife earns a soft pat given to the leather strap over her shoulder. "In the satchel," she responds, showing a grin toward Mercy before she glanced back to the east where they had originally been headed, then back toward the woman before her. "I promise you that the forest does not generally have the hunt quite literally, walk up to your feet." She tells her, jokingly of course.

With a small laugh, Diana raises her right hand to brush aside a strands of hair hanging loose from her tied-back style. "I used to train with the Rangers, and we would spend hours looking for a Peacock like that to show its feathers in such a brazen fashion. Clearly it came to see who our guest was, and felt the need to sacrifice itself in your arrival's honor."

Now she's just being plain silly.

With another light laugh, Diana turned back to the western route, leading back toward that intersection. "We can prepare it ourselves, or head back to the city. I would imagine the Captain would get a kick out of the story of the bird throwing itself at your feet." She says, a big grin present upon her lovely facial features. She awaits Mercy to walk with her once more.

Mercy Thompson has posed:
    "Well if the forest provided so kind a gift then I should honor that and make an offering and savor this feast." She nods her head back to the east. "I think I'd like see your old tree house before we go but that can be for later." Diana's humor is making Mercy smile more then she has before the trip and helping her to feel a little better and more herself.

    Mercy will redress herself and pick up the bird as she looks over it, being around Amazons means she doesn't have to down play any strength like she may normally do. "Then let's go share this story and how we came to the prize. Then we can enjoy the meal together. I'm sure the Rangers here have a few stories to tell of your colorful animal war party as well." Mercy giving a mock threat to get more dirt on Diana as she turns back the trail they came from. "Thank you again those of the forest. I'll be back, I promise." Just hopefully not be the prey to offer itself up.