[Closed] Suppression Request: Pine Devil

[restingslasherface]

Who: Jean & Marrow Island's Most Eligible Bachelor 5 years running, the Pine Devil
What: An attempt at diplomacy
When: [waves hands magically] Spooktober
Where: The woods
Warnings: Good fucking question, definitely something similar to psychotic hallucinations, and also gonna guess horror, potential violence, a lot of this will be up to the Pine Devil really

There's a chicken nugget in a wolf suit in the woods.

They are not lost; they know exactly where they are. They walk without hurry, hands tucked into the pockets of their 'business werewolf suit', because those hands are currently gloved in Cobalt Scar's weapon, and starting things off by flashing weapons might put things on the wrong foot. The objective is simple: locate the Pine Devil, which has been picking off locals and the contractors of the White-Haired Lady alike, and see if it can meaningfully communicate. Jean is well aware that it might be able to communicate and pretend otherwise, but they're willing to play hard ball to force the issue.

Acceptable secondary objective: learn if it can die, should communications prove impossible to establish. Jean doubts they could outrun the Devil over land anyway. At worst, they can figure out this thing's threat level.

To the untrained eye, Jean is casually strolling. To a hunter or a soldier, they're tracking. Where are you, creature? There's a chicken nugget in a wolf suit in your woods, and they want an ecology lesson all about you.

Comments

[hungerofthepine]

It is well known that the Pine Devil is notoriously hard to find. Generally, if you want to find it, it has to want to find you.

Thankfully for Jean, the Howler is hungry. And there's some poor sod wandering the woods after dark.

It keeps its distance, watching them with glowing ungulate eyes. Calculated. Patient. Tricky prey. It seems uncertain about them, refraining from pouncing as eagerly as it had for others.

[restingslasherface]

Glowing eyes on a night predator. Fascinating. Physics would normally dictate that this creature could, as a result, not fucking see, but given the information in the library that this world seems to have different physics ("magic"; Jean really must ask Doctor West more about this), they're going to simply make a note of this as a neutral fact.

They call out in a clear voice: "I'm willing to come in peace, creature of the woods. This is a diplomatic mission."

Stage one: contact.

[hungerofthepine]

Honestly, every part of this creature's biology is frankly insane and seemingly counterproductive to its existence. It's a predator, but has the eye shape of a prey animal. It has a skull shape like a cow or deer, skin pulled tight and gaunt over the bone structure, but it has the thick, sharp teeth of a predator that are exposed by its complete lack of lips. Its nose is a cavernous hole in its boney face. On its front limbs are claws and something between paws and fingers, and on its hind legs are cloven hooves. And yet, it has bat-like wings on its back, utterly enormous to carry its weight. What the fuck is this animal.

It just stares at them, completely passive to their words. It's hard to tell if the thing even hears them, much less understands. It huffs, sniffing.

[restingslasherface]

Nothing. Hrmm.

Jean's claws flex in their pockets. They are pointedly not looking directly at the creature, instead watching through their peripheral vision; a trick known to both hunters and soldiers, as most living things can tell when you're looking straight at them. "You may have reasons to be reluctant to communicate. I am prepared to understand them. However! Please consider: if you will not evidence intelligence, we will be forced into invasive discovery instead of diplomacy. That is, your role in the ecosystem will need to be determined, and part of that will inevitably involve you. Dying. Over. And over. And over again. To see if you get to live when the barrier goes down."

[hungerofthepine]

The Pine Devil licks its bare teeth with a black tongue. It lets out a low, wheezy growl, seeming reluctant to actually attack Jean. This could be out of some understanding, but it could also be because the creature can tell Jean is a fellow predator and its still assessing the risk associated with this particular meal. Perhaps its just wondering why they're just standing there, making sounds.

Its wings raise up and it snarls and snaps. A warning. Leave.

[restingslasherface]

Zelda would want Jean to be safe, but there are conflicting thoughts at play. There's some information gained already, but is it enough? The creature is making a threat display; threats are an interesting sign, as it indicates both fear of injury and the ability to understand at least animal confession, but one mustn't turn one's back on a predator.

And then there's the Wolf. What does it care about what Jean 'should' do? After all...

We are 'destined' to be the Big Bad Wolf.

They take a clear step back, and remove their left hand from their pocket. The blue fur of their claw is streaked with blood.

"Your current choice of prey cannot continue. You really, really want to sit the table on this one. I'm, hahaha, I'm being far more reasonable than I'm used to."

[hungerofthepine]

Nope.

The blood streaked claw comes out and the Pine Devil is officially done.

It's not unheard of. Though it's a powerful creature and able to go toe-to-toe with all kinds of prey, if it's ever outmatched or even just evenly matched the thing will bounce. It's clearly not stupid.

Lithe and agile, it zigzags its way to the top of the pine tree it sits in and simply takes off with a heavy wing-beat. Bye.

Of course Jean can attempt to follow it. It still has hunting to do.

Flipped A Coin

[restingslasherface]

It can fly. Jean shouldn't be surprised really, not after everything else in their life that can fly, but the part of them whose relationship to the laws of physics lies somewhere between 'videogame gore' and 'Naruto character' still instinctively protests.

They follow, hands back in their pockets. Now they're hiding.

[hungerofthepine]

The Pine Devil had not gotten far, having perched not too far off to stalk a deer. It seems not to notice Jean, only concerned with dinner.

[restingslasherface]

Jean hangs back and watches out of their peripheral vision. This might be enough information to leave with. They remember a...lecture, from Miss Tiphereth, about the Sweepers...

("People are bad to eat. Not just 'cause it's taboo! We're almost worthless for nutrition. By the time the energy in the environment gets to humans, entropy has decayed it dozens of times over, plus we're full of pollution and literal garbage. If an animal, including humans, is eating humans, either it has to, or it's really desperate.")

Miss Tiphereth is young, but she led the Floor of Natural Sciences. Jean has faith in her expertise.

They watch.

They wait.

cw: animal death, gore

[hungerofthepine]

In fairness, humans in Pumpkin Hollow are not quite so full of garbage. Perhaps a bit more lead than was strictly ideal, but far fewer preservatives and microplastics. Not to mention that it's hard to tell what the Pine Devil needs nutritionally, given its absolutely nonsense anatomy. But with that in mind, who's to say?

Either way, it seems that deer make for suitable backup prey. It stalks one for a short time, then pounces on it with claws out and begins to rip into the creature's belly.

Apparently, it does not eat the entirety of the creature. Just the offal.

And then, it flies off, leaving behind the carcass. Animal bodies remain a fair bit longer than humans before vanishing to regenerate, so the hollowed-out deer will lie there for a while.