Panicked confusion (OPEN)

[Brandr]

The turbulent mind was a flutter of instincts, mostly of flight and fear and confusion. No rational thought managed to take control as the instincts raged, urging to get far away from any danger. The occasional stray thought from an animal reached the mind but it was too occupied to notice, instead getting fueled by the panic of birds and small critters happening in its way, sucking up the negative energy like a leech. It'd be a long time yet before logic took over from the reflexive instincts of flight.

Sam frothed at the mouth, panicking, breaths coming in harsh gasps. 'Flee! Flee!' his thoughts were shouting instinctively as he galloped through the forest at breakneck speed, not seeing were he was going, only running on blindly. Hooves crushed the grass, heavy metal horseshoes clinking against the occasional stones. Thu-thump, thu-thump, thu-thump his hooves went, as the large body forced its way through thickets and bushes. Ears drawn back and eyes showing more white than normally, the great bay shire rushed onwards, already covered in a thin sheen of sweat, both from panic and exertion.

The sound of water reached unresponsive ears as the panicked shire continued his mad rush, the sound gradually getting louder and louder. Still, the panicking horse was too preoccupied to notice, instead crashing into a small tree, earning a small gash in the flank with the accompanying sharp sting from branches. Sam reared, froth flying from his mouth as he threw himself viciously to the side, away from the sting of the injury. He did not notice the fact that he'd come to a river, running far below him as he rushed out onto the riverbank, sandy, bush-covered and dangerously steep. The bushes concealed the edge of the slope and Sam had no time to react, suddenly there was no earth beneath his front hooves and the great horse went tumbling down the slope, uprooting small bushes, whinnying in fright as he tumbled down, sand raining everywhere as hooves scrambled for support and then with a final splash he hit the river, sending up waves onto the shore as he lay stunned in the shallow waters of the shore.

[Windra]

Jaycob had to admit that this was a very intricate little Forest he'd found here. And a little too nice for his tastes. Birds fluttering about, squirrels yacking it up with one another, the occasional runny babbit (er, bunny rabbit ... ) jumping out of the bushes, noshing away on greens .. Compared to the big cities of earth, this place was unbearable. He preferred loud music, louder engines, and blaring horns. Never being a woodsy type, Jaycob found solace in quiet back alleys or abandonned lots. But he supposed this might be the only place where he could wander freely without his mutilated appearance getting in the way. Aside from the Underworld, that is.

Besides, the natural wildlife granted him with much-needed sustenance. After his encounter with the firey pony when first entering the woodlands, his flesh was seared and damaged in some spots. He may have been able to handle the attack when it was hitting home, but once the adrenaline died down, Jaycob felt the buzz of lingering pain. It wasn't bad. He'd dealt with worse. But it was certainly annoying. So .. a couple of rabbits and a stray deer later ... the boils were mended and the forest littered with scattered animal body parts.

His travels eventually found him at the river's banks. He had no need to drink from its bounties, as dehydration was a thing only his mortal life had suffered from. But cool water would certainly feel good against mottled, leathery skin. The very notion of it caused a sigh to release from his unseen mouth.

"'Aven't dipped'n a pool fer a while," the strange man chortled. He stripped all but his pants and left the clothing in a pile on dry land. Then he slipped into the river, its rushing waters pushing against the muscular form and making him struggle to remain upright. Jaycob waded deeper in until the torrent was brushing his firm shoulders. There he stood, arms out, palms open ... Peculiar tranquility. It made him miss the hot tub he'd acquired as a prominent gang member.

This silence was short-lived. It wasn't long before something came and crashed the party. And that something just happened to be a rather frantic -

"Horse?!" yelled the startled Jaycob, displeased at the intrusion. Tentacles thrashed beneath raging waters. "Anotha flamin horse?! I suppose ya jes' pop outta thin air 'round these parts wheneva ya feel da need ta buck n' bray?!"

He was thirsting for an argument, but received none. The equine simply lay there. Stunned. Jaycob wouldn't be having any laying about on the job! He fought against the current to inch closer, raising his voice to be heard above the torrent.

"Oy! Did ya hear meh?"

[Brandr]

The water was a shock, at first, bringing the chaotic mind of the shire out of the instinctive panic mode. Sam lay there, stunned, trying to comprehend.

There had been an explosion, the ground rocking beneath his feet and he'd just reacted on instinct, trying to get as far away from the danger as possible. The instinctive reaction had scared his sentient mind. He'd been completely beyond reason. Reacting purely on instinct, crushing through the forest madly.

A human voice distracted his thoughts, barely audible above the sound of rushing water. Someone was speaking nearby, maybe even talking to him? The one ear that wasn't under water swivelled, trying to locate the sound. The shire sighed, unable to focus when laying in the water. He snorted loudly, rolling onto his stomach and collecting his legs beneath him. He seemed fine, despite the fall. Maybe he hadn't broken anything. With another snort he heaved, forcing his mass out of the river. One frontleg shook slightly as he placed his weight on it, a dull aching making itself known. Sam frowned in displeasure but was relieved, at least he wasn't crippled.

He turned his head towards the sound, water dripping heavily from his thick mane. There was a humanoid form, maybe male his nose told him, struggling deeper out in the river. He smelled odd, distinctively not human, but that didn't bother Sam much. The forest had many different beings in it, after all.

'Hello.' he projected into the strangers mind. 'Are you in need of aid?' He quickly came to the conclusion that the yelling probably was connected to how the man struggled in the current. The shire took a step deeper, his mass easily overcoming the surging waters as he waded deeper, focused on rescuing the poor man.

[Windra]

If the damn horse was upset by Jaycob's nagging, it didn't show it. This caused quite a bit of inflamation to bite at the depths of the Wraithlord's decrepit soul. Was this whole blasted Forest filled with nitwits who would only nod when insulted? Booooo-riiing! He wanted an argument: a continued battle of wits with somebody who could take as much as he ould dish out! It was a sordid wish that was going to continue to go unanswered, it seemed.

Not that Jaycob would tolerate such insolence, anyway. If somebody did talk back to him, they'd likely be punished in cruel manners that would strike delight in only the darkest beings known to man ... and everything beyond that.

He was rather taken aback when the horse spoke to him ... without moving its mouth. It was asking if he was okay ... through ... telepathy? Such a thing was unnerving. Jaycob had heard that Reavers often communicated with one another by mind-speak. Wraithlords, too. But Jaycob found the whole thing rather annoying and unconventional. If somebody should telepath you when you were about to make an attack, it was surprising and often led to giving away your location by manner of spooked noises. This had happened to Jaycob on many occasions. He expressed his displeasure to the fullest each time.

But the horse could mindspeak just like a Reaver and just like a Wraithlord! Jaycob thought this queer, since he could not sense anything particularly amazing about the equine. If it was undead, the aura would show ...

The long-deceased Irishman was unnerved. He pointed to the beast with an extended index finger, voice wavering between threat and mixed confusion. "What manner o' ethereal being are ye?" He thrashed a tentacle as a warning. "And I'll not 'ave any excuses!"

[Brandr]

As Sam neared the man, he could sense an tad bit of surprise and confusion, not really all that odd since the large shire wasn't really speaking in the normal manner. He stopped and eyed the man, a little cautiously, standing with raging water coming all the way up to his stomach.

Gentle darkbrown eyes peered at the man before him, taking in the strange appearance. The man definitely looked like a fighter, but both his skin tone and scent was off, in a way Sam couldn't quite fathom. He wasn't completely human maybe? Sam's skin twitched nervously, showing his waryness.

'Yes, it's me, the horse.' he tried to reassure the man.

The man then pointed at him, projecting nervosity and a bit of aggression. Sam tried to appear harmless, lowering his head to appear smaller. The man spoke again, asking something of Sam that he didn't understand. A tentacle trashed, and only now did Sam notice the odd appendages. He stared some more, amazed and more than a little nervous.

'I'm sorry, I don't really understand speech. Not yet at least. I know some basic words like "food", "hay", "go", "shhh" and "shoo" but that's about it. Just think what you want to say instead, as clearly as possible. I don't go digging around in minds so it has to be clear. I apologize for the inconvenience.' The big bay shire somehow managed to look sheepish, snorting the mane out of his eyes with a casual flick of his head.

[Windra]

The horse was incorrect in assuming that Jaycob was reacting the way he was due to nervousness. But it wasn’t like the Wraithlord was capable of reading his mind and correcting the mistake anyway. At least Samwise stopped in his tracks. Jaycob wasn’t beyond attacking forthright without cause for vengeance.

If the Wraithlord thought that a telepathically enabled horse was weird, Samwise was certainly getting a view that was, at the very least, disturbing. There was no defining feature on his face. Mouth? Eyes? Nose? None of that. Not even ears! A question might have bee raised as to where the voice was coming from with no hole to burst out of. That … was a mystery for the ages. Indeed the skin did stretch when Jaycob spoke, and it contoured to mimic expressions, but that was about it.

And then there was the rest of him. Certainly brawny and built to fight, Jaycob was intimidating to look at. And not just because of those features. His chest looked like it’d been set on fire ages ago. Charred flesh replaced what would have been pectoral muscles and abs: blackened with veins of crimson where it was constantly splitting apart … though it was a wonder that there was no blood. It was a macabre feature that continued about halfway down both arms, where it transcended into the same mottled skin that stretched about his face.

More words spilled into the ruined man’s mind. Blatant ignorance of his question! But with good reason. Perhaps the horse hadn’t been born with English-speaking capabilities. That wasn’t so surprising. Every Wraithlord and Reaver descended from different planets where the language was different. At least through mindspeak they were universally understood.

I’ll grant you that, even if you do sound like a recorded message, Jaycob thought hard. The thick accent vaporized in telepathy. He really hated telepathy. And I’ll repeat what I asked. What manner of creature are you? Reaver? Wraithbeast? Those are the only beings I’ve ever known to speak with their minds. Snidely, he added, Though you’re far too clumsy to be a decent one.

[Brandr]

As the shire finally focused his eyes on the face of the stranger he noticed something strange. The man had no face. Sam didn't use his eyes to spot details much but there definitely was less there in the face than there should be. Even the somewhat blurry vision of a horse could see that. He wondered if the man had been born like that or if it was some other change, like he himself had experienced.

That led him to briefly wonder where the human voice was coming from, but the problem was so mindboggling that Sam merely filed it away in his head for later contemplation. Later, what a funny concept that was. The future.

He inhaled, catching a whiff of smoke. Unsettling. Maybe the man had encountered a forest fire? Then, the man finally spoke at him with his thoughts, and Sam was only too happy to answer to him. 'Hey! Yes, well I don't know what recorded means but indeed it's a sort of messaging, really. Since my throat isn't capable of producing human speech and my understanding of the sounds and words is still a bit limited. Much easier to just think at people.' The shire paused briefly, mulling over the fact. 'Does that make me lazy? I think it might. I really should start working on understanding speech, I guess.'

He snorted again, this time with a little humour in the sound, almost like a human laugh. 'I don't really know the creatures you're mentioning, never heard of them before. Do they have horses where you come from? You see, that's what I am. A horse. A shire to be exact, which is like this big kind of horse. And we tend to be a wee bit clumsy due to the size, yeah.'

Sam took a tentative step forward, his next few thoughts tinged with the emotion called concern. 'You smell like smoke, did you happen upon a forest fire? Are you hurt?'

[Windra]

Jaycob found himself quickly vexed. The shire wasn't so much as batting an eye to anythin the Wraithlord Apprentice said! Even the dullest of people could pick up on an insult and respond to it. Was the creature simply that naive? And rather daft, apparently ...

The man bristled as the horse asked whether or not Jaycob' planet had any of his kind. What, did the beast really think he was that stupid? What a stupid question, he thought. I know very well what a horse is. Earth has plenty of them! Do you take me for a fool, equine?

Despite his growing irritation, Jaycob withdrew his tentacles. They slipped back to his wrists, several times smaller than they had been. It wasn't waving a white flag or anything, but it was the closest thing to peace that the horse was going to get. As Samwise stepped forward, the Wraithlord remained where he stood - feet firmly planted in the river's bed. Questions about the charred scent lingering about his form caused Jaycob a sudden realization that nobody truly ... feared him the way they should have. That fact made him feel as though he'd been punched in the gut. Power of intimidation had always been his truest skill ... one that was utilized often.

Apparently Jaycob would have to earn a reputation here. Start from scratch and build up from that foundation. His earlier encounter with the fire-horse may have been part of the kick-start he needed. But even an idiot wouldn't wage war against a land he knew nothing about. That girl he met at the Edge was totally blank when it came to knowledge of Deep Forest. Best to drop his trigger-happy tendencies for the moment, then. Jaycob needed to wean some information from long-time residents.

What I mean is ... Jaycob announced suddenly, his voice instantly changing its tone to something softer and more precise. He cocked his head and crossed his arm, doing his damndest to look innocent. I'm a little lost. Only been in the Forest for an hour and already attacked by this barreling horse that conjured flames from its body. Would you believe that?! He inched up the river's sloping edge until his torso was visible above the water. Touching a finger to his chest, Jaycob dramatized a wince and a groan of pain. See? He burned me badly ... The cold water felt soothing ... So I'm a little perturbed at anything right now, to say the least. I was worried you'd attack me, too ...

[Brandr]

Samwise snorted calmly and nodded his head. 'Yes, horses. That's my kind.' He then hesitated a bit, shaking his head in confusion. 'What's a fool?'

The tentacles withdrew and Sam nickered softly, pleased. Somehow the man seemed less threatening with those appendages hidden. He was curious, of course, but his manners were not forgotten so he didn't pry about what exactly the man might be. Instead he focused on looking harmless. Some deep instinct told him he did not want to find out what those tentacles were used for. Whipping maybe? Whips were irritating.

The mans tone had changed and that reassured Sam even more. Maybe he had just startled the man, after all. He had been in quite a panic when he'd tumbled into the river, and Sam guessed that big, panicky horses probably wasn't something all humans and... humanoids dealt with on a daily basis. His humans had known how to react when a young horse became too panicky and Sam had watched them calm countless horses down, but that didn't mean that humans in general knew how to deal with horses. Sam had also seen many humans that seemingly had NO idea what to do with a horse.

Concern coloured his next thoughts. 'You were attacked? That wasn't very nice. And by a flaming horse. Is there a fire nearby that it had ran into?' Sam's skin twitched nervously and he swished his long tail, quickly looking behind him at the forest. No flames were visible. He drew in a deep breath. No smoke in the air. He snorted a couple of times, quite nervously and rolled his eyes before regaining control over himself. 'Fires and explosions... Seems like a very unstable forest, this one.'

He snorted again as the man stated he'd been worried about Sam attacking him, this time more in faked amusement. 'Oh, I'm a shire. I don't attack people, I run from them. It's the prey instincts, fleeing is the only option that comes to mind and it's really quite irritating, really. I don't spook that easily but when I do it doesn't matter that I'm a little more developed in the head department than most horses. I still get spooked and run.'

[Windra]

Good lord. This guy was totally oblivious wasn't he?

"Seriously?" Jaycob asked aloud, content with the fact that the shire couldn't understand verbal words. Which, all in all, didn't make sense. It was all the same language in the end, wasn't it? The Apprentice reverted back to telepathy, inwardly grating his teeth at the continued mental conversation. Lord no. That horse was creating flames. Like magick. Forming fireballs, even shielding himself with a wall of flame! He held a tone of awe in his mind, retaining naivety to the fullest. I don't know why he got so offended ... but either way, I suppose I'm lucky I'm not dead.

Jaycob chuckled on the outside and quickly covered it up with a sternly-set smile. Dead? Pfft! How could you kill that which would not die?

The shire mentioned something about the forest being unstable Perhaps. Jaycob never knew of a place that held so many creatures with various magical talents. But that wouldn't be considered totally off-the-hook, would it? He tossed a glance to the sky. It was growing darker, thick gray clouds forming a choking sheet skimming the treetops. Foul weather was approaching. And that wasn't the only thing ...

The tempo of mingling talk remained the same. As the horse explained his own temperment, Jaycob had to laugh. You don't frighten of much, do you? Here I was threatening you only a moment ago, and you didn't even blink. He had to admire the steadfast nature of this horse, even if it was getting on his nerves. Perhaps it could come to use in the future. What is your name, anyway? I can't very well call you 'shire' every time I want your attention now can I? Haugtily, the Wraithlord jabbed a finger at his chest and mocked a yowl of unintentional pain at 'forgetting the burn was there'. You can call me Jaycob.

Was the water suddenly getting ... warmer?

Jaycob's features contorted into a look of disgust. "Oh come on, you didn't ... !" Wouldn't it just be his luck if the horse urinated in the river upstream from him?!

[Brandr]

In his slow, calm way Samwise remained completely oblivious to Jaycobs bafflement. The man exclaimed something out loud and Sam could only nod his head up and down, a bit confused. He listened to the next few explanations with surprise and curiosity, he'd heard a bit of magic before but it was a concept that was completely foreign to the shire.

'The horse made flame?' Sam repeated, tone amused. 'Wonder if I'd be able to do that, I've never done it before.' He gained the sense that Jaycob was just as awed by this as Sam now was. Awed and fascinated. 'Wonder how that is done. I've seen humans create fire and flames but never in the form of balls and shields. Fascinating. And it was hostile towards you?'

Sam followed the man's gaze upwards and also saw the darkening clouds. That was generally not a very good sign, even he knew that much. He returned his focus to the conversation at hand, snorting at Jaycobs amusement when the topic shifted to his own temperament. 'I could trample you, probably, so you're not a danger. Or I could simply run away if you make signs of being dangerous. So why should I fear you before you do anything threatening? Horses don't work that way, we just react. Thoughts are in the way.' He stopped to think. 'Although, I think more than most. I'm not really sure if it's a good thing or a bad one yet. Oh, and the name is Samwise. You can call me Sam if you want, it's shorter.'

He nickered lowly, splashing the water around a bit with a hoof. Was it getting warmer or was he just imagining things?

[Windra]

Samwise? Laughter bubbled out of his mouth ... if one were there in the first place. Somebody had a fascination with Lord of the Rings ... I suppose your owner was Gandalf the Grey, too?

Now how did a gangster know about these thins? One might imagine he was a bit of a nerd as a child. Or he actually dipped his nose into a book every now and then! Oh god, the possibilities, and the horrors. Could you ever imagine somebody like Jaycob sitting down to a Dungeons & Dragons game? I sure as hell can't.

Anyway ...

He certainly didn't feel the need to re-explain everything to Samwise. Jaycob already made mention of Brandr's attack against him. Twice, actually. Best to just smile and nod before somebody gets his butt whupped. Somewhere in his mind's eyes, Jaycob envisioned himself strangling the shire's petty life right out of him. The Wraithlord was careful not to let that mental image get out into the open. Besides, they had bigger problems to contend with. Sam's plodding at the water told Jaycob that the horse was just as surprised as he was about the sudden rising temperature. And here was another cause for alarm ...

Fish.

Fish were bobbing to the surface belly-up all around them. So were gas bubbles. When they exploded, a noxious-smelling fume drifted into the air and Jaycob wrinkled his nose in disgust.

"Smells like sulfur." It didn't take long for him to put two and two together. Jaycob may have been a Brooklyn closet case, but he was knowledgable about the world around him. Yellowstone ... Mount S. Helens ... Dante's Peak ... Does this place have a volcano somewhere? It took only a second or two for the Wraithlord to wade out of the river, feeling the burning sensation clinging to his legs after seeping through the pants' cloth. "Nope. I'm not gettin' roasted t'day."

[Windra]

[center]OoC

Ellooooo ~?[/center]

[Brandr]

OOC: Yyeahaha here still and aware of this thread. Just a little busy with life. Here comes the sound of drums!

The big shire nodded with enthusiasm. 'Yes, I recall my master saying something about this Lord of the Rings being an inspiration for my name. His name was not Gandalf though.' The shire hesitated for a bit before projecting his next thought. 'I've always wondered... what is this Lord of the Rings?'

Suddenly something bumped into Sam's leg and he shied, surprised and a little scared. He nickered nervously and glanced at the water, only to see fish floating around. Everywhere. And the fish didn't look like fish were supposed to, they looked dead. The shire reared lightly, barely lifting his front hooves in the water but enough to make a small wave. The stench rising from the fish was awful and the shire felt a sense of alarm come over him.

The shire panicked, stumbling and trashing as he backed in a furious pace, ignoring the stinging foreleg. He had to get out of the water! 'Danger!' his mind shouted, unaware that he was thoughtspeaking out loud. For the second time today, Sam was in a mindless panic and he didn't stop to consider before he'd made it out of the hot water.

Finally back on the riverbank he stopped, breathing heavily and rolling his eyes at the river. Sam chomped a couple of times with his jaws, nostrils flaring as he snorted before finally starting to calm down. 'What... what was that?' he timidly projected once he'd gotten his thoughts in order, hoping he'd not been projecting his panic too much.

[Windra]

Jaycob immediately busted out laughing as the horse frantically clambered onto the riverbank. The equine's eyes had gone nearly white from shock and terror - a vision granted upon the Wraithlord before ... caught at the last moment before Samwise initially fell into the river. No doubt the four-legged beast was finding no amusement in this. But for Jaycob, well, his sides were busting and beginning to hurt. He actually had to lean forward to compensate for the hysteria-originating aches!

It wasn't long before many things began to change about the river. And it wasn't just he smell. Though the odor was definitely becoming more ripe, and the number of floating fish increased, it's surface hue was shifting to something out of the ordinary. No longer did it mock what was left of the brilliant blue sky or its oon-to-conceal gray obscurity of clouds. It was like somebody had gone upstream and dumped food coloring into its currents, for it was now a blazing turquoise - vibrant and luminous against the otherwise dull landscape. Certainly this was something that had never been seen before! Jaycob thwapped mentally at his brain, trying to remember if he'd seen something similar at one point. He vaguely recalled there being an aquamarine lake somewhere in ... Indonesia, was it?

And wasn't that one filled with acid?

A dastardly plan formed in his head. Allowing Samwise just enough time to catch his breath, Jaycob suddenly sauntered alongside the massive horse. "Poor fellow. You shouldn't be breathing in this torrid air." His voice changed - becoming smooth and delicate. Remembering that Samwise couldn't understand much verbal communication, Jaycob translated the sentence to telepathy while placing a gloved palm against one of its massive haunches. Muscles tensed. He began putting a substantial amount of weight onto Sam's body. Why don't you take a d -

The original intent had been to shove Samwise into viscous fluid and stand back to watch as the equine was burned to brittle bone and sinew. That wish vaporized when he noticed the ebbing of his fingers ... and then the arms.

Suddenly the world was much larger than he. Jaycob no longer stood as a man ... but slithered on the ground as a serpent sharing a similar color and texture as his human counterpart. There were stripes of purple, blue, black, and red on his body that marked where clothes and charred flesh had been. Grape-colored scales marked a v-shape between his eyes and down to the snout, made intricate by a hollow blue circular spot in its center. He developed eyes and they were the color of moonbeams - pale white. A mouth too! But when he opened it to exclaim his surprise and malcontent, nothing but a hiss spilled forth.

What manner of sorcery is this!? snarled the serpent in an accusatory tone at Samwise, coiling within itself and appearing ready to strike. Turn me back this instant! I will not be humiliated in this manner!

Meanwhile, a large bubble lifted itself beyond the river's surface. It grew in size with every passing second, threatening to pop.

[Brandr]

Sam breathed heavily a couple of seconds, flanks heaving and then almost forcibly calmed down his jittery horse-nerves. To his utmost surprise Jaycob was laughing at his distress. He had no idea where the amusement came from but the man was positively hysteric with laughter! Sam felt a small stab of annoyance and stomped a hoof lightly. This was no laughing matter!

He kept his eyes warily on the river, watching suspiciously as it changed, both the scent and the sight of it was significantly different from before. It became an oddly vibrant colour, too vibrant. Sam rolled his eyes, feeling the panic wanting to surface again at the impossible colour, but he quickly pushed the panic back down. No time for that now.

Suddenly Jaycob sauntered closer. Sam shied a bit, but relaxed as the man spoke to him in calming tones. He couldn't quite understand the words, but it was similar to how his humans would've reacted in a similar situation. Jaycob put one hand on him and Sam frowned, suddenly to pressure from the palm increased and he had to strain against it to not topple over, sensing something vicious from the man's mind. The draft horse was just about to leap out of the way and shout out in outrage when suddenly the pressure started rapidly decreasing.

He watched, wild-eyed as Jaycob turned into a serpent. 'What...?' he helplessly thought out loud. Big brown eyes watched in bemusement as the Jaycob-coloured snake hissed threateningly. He quickly stumbled a bit further from the river, mind a confused mess. 'What just happened??'

The snake -Jaycob- thought at him and at first Sam couldn't quite understand it, the confusion still raging in his mind. He forcibly shook his head with a snort, before glaring down at the snake. 'I- you turned into a serpent? How did you do that!?' He then saw the snake's coiled position and immediately stiffened. Snakes were fast, and this one might be venomous. 'Did you just try to push me into the river?'

[Windra]

The horse seemed totally offset by this odd occurence. But Jaycob didn't let him off the hook. He slithered with his newfound body around the equine's feet, doing the best he could to resist that tingling urge to nip at its heels a little with sharp fangs. Was he venemous? He had no idea. But one could only assume.

I was leaning on you, you daf - Cutting the insult short, Jaycob bitterly held his tongue with chagrin. It wouldn't do to set Samwise into a rage. Especially if he was the one who did this to him. That meant he was the only one who could change him back. And something that was irritated wasn't always cooperative. I was burned earlier, remember? I'm still in quite a bit of pain. Too much to hold up my own weight. He calmed his voice considerably, resorting to a tone that was unwavering and calm ... chillingly so. How did you do this? Change me baaauuuhh ... Uh ...

Strange white eyes focused themselves on the bubble forming at the river's surface. Nevermind the current - this bubble was ignoring it, unaffected and therefore unmoving. Jaycob realized not a moment too soon what this could mean. He also came to the starling conclusion that he could breath - something he had been doing this whole time, just unconsciously out of habit and with no real need. But here he felt something in his chest expand and was alarmed to think he may have functional lungs.

Quite suddenly, he slipped between Samwise's front hooves and slithered his way into the woods, moving as quickly as he could. His movements were frantic, as if truly terrified.

And just at that moment, the bubble belched open, emitting a cloud of noxious air. It extended first into the atmosphere. Mere moments later, several birds dropped dead from their birches, flopping where they landed and struggling to breath with lack of oxygen. Then the carbon dioxide plume stretched outwards .. creeping slowly to where Samwise stood, growing fainter with each foot but still potent enough to knock a full-grown minotaur to the ground.

[Brandr]

Sam stood completely still, paralysed with fear as the snake slithered around his hooves. He could easily crush the snake, but he was probably not fast enough. His skin twitched, tail doing a nervous swish. His deep brown eyes rolled once, before the big shire got himself back under control.

Apparently Jaycob had only been leaning on him. Good. The big shire relaxed just a bit. 'Oh, I... Sorry! I guess I'm a bit jumpy from all the stuff going on.' He snorted, trying to appear more calm than he felt.

'And I didn't do anything, I'm afraid. I thought it was you who could turn into that form.' The shire frowned. 'That must mean something else...' The snake suddenly broke off its -his sentence, and it also made Sam pause once he'd reached that thought. Jaycob was staring at something.

Sam was just about to turn around to watch whatever Jaycob was looking at but he once again got distracted, this time by the fact that the snake abruptly gave up stalking his hooves and instead fled the scene. Sam stood dumbfounded for a few seconds, when suddenly a loud belch sounded from behind him. He turned his head just in time to see a dead bird dropping dead and instantly flew into yet another panic. His mind completely shut off as he stormed into the forest, away from the terrifying river.

The big hooves almost stepped on the snake slithering along, but a couple of thoughts managed to break through the panic. The big shire had just enough sense left in him to pause, yell 'Hop on!' to the snake. He did not stay still for long, not caring nor feeling whether or not the snake obeyed through the dense haze of panic before resuming the terrified run away from the danger.

[Windra]

Hop on?! the snake Jaycob mind-shouted, his tone practically blistering with annoyed bewilderment. I don't know if you happened to notice ... BUT I DON'T HAVE ANY LEGS!

He was making his way as fast as possible using the scales along his belly. They pushed against dirt, propelling him forward. Snaked were truly strange. They could go so fast without the hinderance of added parts, slipping to and fro and between all obstacles without much trouble at all. For an instant he envied not being born in this form, and immediately confounded the idea in realization of the true danger behind them. That cloud of noxious, deadly gas wasn't receding. In fact it was getting closer. In no time at all they'd be breathing it in ... and suffocating.

With working lungs, Jaycob was now suspectible to being KO'd by a gassy damn river. What a way to go ...

But let's not forget who this is. He's conniving. He's a madman. A mass-murderer, even! Did you really think he would run off willy-nilly with a senseless horse? Of course not! His loathing for all thins breathing was rooted to the very core. Even as Samwise galloped past him, the serpent's mind was reeling with loads upon loads of ideas. The most recent stuck. And it took action.

I don't need to stay ahead of the gas. I just need to stay ahead of ... Quite suddenly, he slung his entire body in the equine's direction ... inadvertently tangling himself up in the four-legged beast's rear legs. ... YOU!

Realizing his placement in this unpredictable situation, the Wraithlord suddenly realized this may not have been the best idea, given that the horse was hundreds of pounds heavier than he ... and directly above. Guess who was gonna get crushed if Samwise came tumbling down?