| Details for Swift Arrows Attack |
| Summary: | The Swift Arrows centaur herd chase down the Starchaser herd, driving them to take refuge at Hogwarts. Some of the Starchaser warriors stand against their foes with a little help from the humans. |
| Date: | September 5th, 1940 |
| Location: | Hogwarts - Forest Fringe |
| Plot: | Centaur Civil War |
| Related: | Hogwarts Field Day |
| Characters |
           
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Prelude
«"Give us the star piece and we will let you live in shame!» The head of the warriors of the Swift Arrows demands. «"Refuse and we will not stop at killing only Torrigan!"» The grip the warrior has on the rope around the beaten and battered chiefs throat is tugged to make Torrigan turn purple and choke. Even strangled the chief tries to speak to keep the peace. «"We do not have it."»
Stomping her hooves Ealisaid approaches the line of warriors and their captor as the Starchaser village burns around them. «"For many moons we have been harassed by your herd. Accused of honorless deeds and now you burn our village and threaten to murder our chief?!"» The female spits at the hooves of her enemy. «"Torrigan is the only reason that this herd has stayed our arrows and blades. Don't be fools. Release him and go. Leave us be! Or else."» The bramble socks she wears around her hooves scratch and stomp at the dirt that's becoming thick with ash.
The leader of the war party, with a green scarf tied around his forehead, drops the rope binding Torrigan and he is kicked. Ealisaid helps her chief up and passes him into Cyrene's care when she spots the Swift Arrows signaling each other. «"Take him and run."» «"To the castle"» is a direct order from their chief and it is heeded without question.
At the same moment the Starchasers make a bolt to the south, the war party leader, Baelom, finally vocalizes their plan. «"Kill them all and find the piece!"» Ealisaid and those Starchaser warriors still alive and uninjured after the brutal siege of their village form up at the back of their herd. It is a battle the whole way through. Many of the herd fell on the way. But finally, finally the Starchasers brake out of the forest fringe on the edge of the campus.
Field Day
Continued from Hogwarts Field Day
Professor Kettleburn has been gently explaining to Rubeus Hagrid why he can't take one of the Cornish Pixies out to pet it. But when Melody addresses him, he looks away from the half-giant lad to listen. "Hm? I don't he-…oh, bollocks. PREFECTS!" He bellows suddenly.
But before Kettleburn can deliver instructions to the Prefects, the sound of hoof-beats overtakes the noise of the carnival atmosphere. The ground rumbles faintly with the vibrations of many heavy hooves pounding the earth. As eyes turn toward the direction of the sound, the Forbidden Forest, the treeline suddenly bursts with activity. Dozens of centaurs, all clad in green, pour out of the forest, spilling onto the open fields of Hogwarts' grounds. In the distance, the lumbering figure of Ogg the groundskeeper can be seen trying to wave the herd off, but they pay him no heed, speeding past before he can reach them as they angle toward the grassy knoll.
Ealisaid trills out a war cry as she takes up behind her herd. She is already pierced by a few arrows and her face is sprayed with blood. While her equine legs gallop after the herd her human form twists at the hips and in rapid fire launches as many arrows as she can back into the forest. When her hand reaches to the quiver and finds it empty her bow is passed off to another in the herd rushing by and she skids to a halt. Turning back around to face the forest she pulls her leather and wood shield from her back and draws a large axe from her belt, an unusual weapon for a centaur, especially as it looks like some human wood cutter's axe. She stands her ground glowering at the forest and shouting in the language of her people towards it. One does not have to speak Centaur to gather what she is saying is most likely challenges and insults.
A dozen or so powerful looking centaurs form a line beside Ealisaid, the blonde centauress, all with weapons drawn and facing the forest. Then the forests' edge explodes a second time, this time spewing forth another herd, all clad in dark green, howling and hollering war cries and brandishing spears and bows.
Cyrene gallops at the head of the first herd, along with several other centaurs surrounding a central figure — a much older centaur. As the herd nears the ribbons ringing the festival grounds, the dark-maned centauress lifts her bow over her head with both hands. "Help us! PLEASE!"
The first herd, in the purple wraps and sashes, spreads out and slows to a halt as they reach the ribbon border, none crossing it. Cyrene, the female centaur with the tendril-like hair, casts her bow to the ground. "Please," she begs to the nearest humans she sees, which happen to be Lissie, Madeline, and any other students nearby. "Our Chief is hurt. We come in peace. Please!" She raises her voice in panic, glancing back at the conflict arising between the pursuing herd and the handful of warriors engaging them.
Ealisaid shouts to her left and shouts to her right at her fellow warriors. The axe in her hand twirling in agitation and intimidation towards the enemy herd. Every other warrior that is armed with a bow about face so their strong back legs are able to buck anything that comes out, with their bows pointed the same direction. Staggered between them facing the forest chuffing and gnashing their teeth and belting out war cries are those equipped with more short ranged combat weapons. When the enemy war party comes bursting forth from the forest hooves, arrows, clubs and blades all flurry. Ealisaid rears up and the sharp brambles woven like deadly socks around her front hooves strike out at a centaur twice her size. With a snarl she takes a heavy blow from his club to her shield. The crunching shock wave is loud and rattling as the shield breaks under the club's impact. But she only buckles a moment and as she rights up she swings her axe is a slash upwards that strikes her enemy in the belly and he goes tumbling back towards the forest, his human portion trying to hold closed the opened wound.
Ogg seems to have found a club…which may have recently been a small tree. He comes rushing in to join the line of purple-clad centaurs, swinging his club wildly and batting back several centaurs with unexpected strength.
Ealisaid regains her hooves when the warrior next to her kicks with his back legs and uses his bow as a stabilizer for her to help her stand back up. A quick nod of gratitude is given to the warrior and then a centaur in a green sash is right on top of the centaur that's just helped her. Her comrade screams and then is silent and crumples. Rage embodied, Ealisaid adds to the pile by leaping on her enemy and just bashing her broken shield down on the enemy. She bites, kicks and slashes at him in a wild whirlwind of attacks screaming in her tongue, «"Cowards! We don't have it! Fools!!"» The line is breaking and when she realizes she's literally beating on a dead horse her eyes wildly take in the surroundings and briefly check behind them all to check on the non-combatants to make sure they aren't in any danger from the humans.
When she sees that her Chief is being taken safely to the pavilion, Cyrene turns her dark eyes back toward the conflict where her herdmates are in battle. Picking up her bow, she takes off at a gallop to join the fray, launching arrows at the enemy archers making things difficult for the warriors in purple.
Cillian just steps back and aside and out of the way, hand moving to his head as it seems everybody else has things in hand. He opens his mouth and shuts it as he takes a deep breath, hand moving to his hip and his wand still gripped tightly as he looks past the purple centaurs to the conflict towards the forest, exhaling softly. Then he takes off running towards the forest, skidding to a stop towards the back of the herd as he sings softly to himself, "As I was a-walking down Paradise Street, To me way-aye, blow the man down. A pretty young damsel I chanced for to meet. Give me some time to blow the man down!" Just until he can get a good glimpse and he raises his wand when he can get a good view and he's taking a few steps backwards but his main focus is making sure the /bad/ centaurs aren't getting too close. He sees a flash of green and a bow and he's aiming for four legs. "Tarantallegra!"
"Cap'n!" Madeline hisses quietly as Cillian starts moving closer to the battle - and follows after him. He shouldn't be on his own out here. Better that they watch each others' backs. Right? Her heart thudding in her chest - she aims a spell at another of the green-clad centaurs. "Reducio!" she calls - more softly than she had from a distance.
Landon gulps but nods moving forward. He cannot simply sit and watch as others react and so he quickens to catch up, wand raised "Impedimenta." he calls, aiming the spell to slow one of he assaulting centaurs at least buy the others sometime.
When one of the weapons shrinks - visibly and before her eyes, much to the bafflement and consternation of the centaur who had been holding the bow, Madeline has to fight the urge to giggle with glee and clap her hands. She decides to do it again - aiming at another bow. After all, the long-distance weapons are the greatest threat to the other students. "Reducio!" she calls softly, being awarded with the same result as before. Those bows won't be firing any arrows today! The second centaur throws his bow to the ground in disgust. "If we can keep this up, they won't be able to fight each other," she murmurs.
The fifth year had caught up and at least his spell had slowed one of the assaulting centaurs down, making them well less of a threat or at least easier to avoid or be hit with a separate spell. Landon will continue though, as the fight still rages on. Taking aim he again calls"Impedimenta." trying to slow another centaur down. He is trying to keep track as well of where everyone is and that none of the students gets harmed.
Ealisaid strikes at her enemy again with a vicious snarl but her axe lodges in his shoulder leaving her open for an attack and her own forearm is suddenly spurting with a spray of blood from a slash across the center of it.
Ogg roars with a bellowing, "OGG!" He seems to actually really understand the who's who and now that some students have joined in he does his best to swing his tree in a huge sweeping arch to try to keep the centaurs away from the students.
"Beautiful Mad…" Cillian comments to Madeline, catching a glimpse of her and staying close while giving a chin-up to whoever else has joined them. "I told ye this island would drive us bloody mad…" And he is quick to point to another Centaur's legs with that wand. "Tarantallegra!" Add another dancing Centaur. Hopefully. Its hard to dance with four legs, or so he'd hope. "I feel the need to find me pipes." He murmurs to himself as centaur number two finds their own rhythm and he's looking around thoughtfully.
The just recently hexed centaur seems rather displeased with the young Gryffindor attacking him with vile magic! He shakes his head as he tries to fight against the spell and he tries to shoot an arrow at Landon but there's no motion behind the act. The arrow is only half drawn before it's released and the arrow skids and stops in the grass before it reaches Landon.
The Dancing Centaur twists and twitches angrily because his body is not fully under his control but he does his best to clomp and clobber the little human pest who enchanted him and gets a few kicks and swings in. But then Ogg's tree wooshes too close for comfort and the centaur jigs away to escape further dishonor in the forest.
That small little bow might not be so amusing any more because it's hurled in the direction of Madeline with an enraged roar. The centaur then quick as he can pulls a spear from its sheath on his long strong horses form. The way he's looking at Madeline, she's most likely his next target with it.
The little bow hits her on the head, and the girl lets out an 'Ow!' reaching up to rub where it hit with her left arm. "Ooo! I get to keep a tiny- …bow," Madeline exclaims, the statement trailing off into alarm as the centaur, still glowering at her, pulls out a spear. "REDUCIO!" she repeats - this time a bit more desperately. She's relieved when it does shrink - but it's not small enough to entirely reassure her. She starts edging towards Ogg - after picking up her new, tiny bow. Perhaps picking up the bow wasn't wise. She shouldn't have taken her eye off the centaur - because when she does, that's when she finds herself with a spear lodged in her thigh. This time the 'ow' isn't nearly as articulate. It's more of an "Argh!"
Landon looks to the centaur he'd just hit with the jinx, slowed in speed but still able to raise a bow. He is lucky that the jinx seems to throw off his control and the arrow lands just in front of him. Still too close he moves to the side before aiming his next spell at the same "Locomotor Mortis" he calls hoping to further throw off the centaurs aim or stop him from firing. Though the spell hits and the centaur tumbles he also had time to loose another arrow, which strikes and sticks into Landon's non-wand shoulder. "Aaaaah." he lets out as pain and shock shoots through him. He still holds onto his wand though and watches the centaur, looking away for only a moment as Madeline is struck. "Evans get behind me."
Okay, Cillian does throw himself out of the way, or tries to, but it isn't all that good as he's still river danced upon, kicked and such by one of his victims and he's curled up on his side on the ground, gasping and grunting before shakily raising his head to see Madeline's situation and he's rising a shaky hand to try to whisper and murmur a distracting charm. "Aliumauro…" Okay, so that didn't end up how he expected. There's no leeks coming out of the Centaur's ears, he's just standing in a lovely garden of leeks. And is that a stone dagger being drawn? It is. But Cillian achieved his objectives. "Oi! That's right ye four legged warrior with no honor! Ye dare strike a /female/! That's right, come at me!" He's rolling over onto his knees and attempting to get to his feet. Dang bruises.
Ogg batters a few more centaurs down and from the castle comes a small mob of Professors, finally! Dumbledore at the lead with wand pointed before him, a cheetah (yes, a cheetah) dashes past the group leaving them in the dust and is the first to arrive at the forest fringe and springs into action leaping on the back of a Green Sashed Centaur, claws and sharp teeth sinking in. Dumbledore has two enemy Centaurs turned into bunny rabbits that hop into the forest and Veridian unleashes a spell that causes a long deep trench along the enemies horsey behinds to collapse down with a strong, "Deprimo!" It sends several of the Green Sashed Centaurs sprawling down into the trench, there are even a few audible cracks of bone and screams of pain. Slughorn is trailing behind as he's a bit pre-occupied juggling some potion bottles in his arms as he huffs and puffs to keep up with his colleagues.
Ealisaid is honestly not being attentive to the children, her duty is to the Herd, not the humans. But there is a very quick moment of an impressed flash that these kids came and put their lives on the line. When the trench forms behind her enemies she barks a few orders in her own language and those warriors at her sides with shields lift them up and charge forward just enough to try to get more of the enemy to back into the trench on top of those already in there.
As Head Girl, Elspeth's first concern has to be the students that are in immediate harm's way. She lets the Professors leap to the battle stations, turning her steps towards them. As Ogg is keeping the centaurs as bay with swings of his tree, and she notes an arrow sticking out of one of the students, she gives a parrying swish with her wand and a strident 'Protego' which gives a sudden burst of shimmering, translucent looking air, just as a centaur manages to get around the Groundskeeper's swing. Caught by surprise, she looses her footing when she suddenly slams into the shield charm, and stumbles backwards. A few other arrows that were inbound bounce back, clattering around the centaur who sputters something that is probably not fit for children's ears, if it could be understood, before turning and dashing off into the woods. The shimmer disperses soon after, but at least a few arrows have been turned aside.
With the professors there, Madeline suspects the centaur armed only with a knife will be too busy to bother stabbing a child. That's a relief. She doesn't want Cillian hurt. Still clutching her tiny-bow 'prize' - and pointing her wand - Madeline goes back to her original game plan while trying to retreat, limping step by limping step. "Reducio!" she calls, just after a strange, shimmery shields appears between her and the centaurs. Where did that…? She watches another bow shrink to half size before she adds, "Com'on, Cap'n. The professors have this." She turns and starts hobbling away - only then spotting Elspeth. "They got me in the leg!" she says indignantly. There's an undertone of pain to her voice and expression as she tries to limp away from the battle. But also some pride.
Landon seems prepared to defend his fellow students regardless of the arrow sticking from his shoulder. If Evans wont take his word he will move to step nearer to the younger students, prepared to step in front if need be. The non arrowed arm still holds his wand and he watches the centaur with the knife. Then he blinks as a cheetah goes wooshing by and attacks the centaur in question he side glances not taking his focus from the battle all the same to see the Headmaster and teachers approach. The called shield charm is a welcome thing. The moment doesn't last long as a centaur gets bounced off it and the shield will fade. "Impedimenta!" he calls after leveling his wand again. If they will indeed back away from the battle he'll stay just in front to be certain.
Oh thank Merlin! Professors. Cillian could kiss that cheetah and the bunny rabbits alike as he takes a deep breath and holds his side but he raises his wand once more and takes in what's happening before he notes the trench and the new formation and he gives a small nod, taking another deep breath as his eye patch has been knocked askew, revealing that creepy eye and his focused two eye gaze. He hears Maddie as well. "Locomotor Mortis!" Is uttered with a flick of his wrist and wave of his wand focused on a fleeing centaur, exhaling when the centaur who was running, trips over his own feet.
The Cheetah is thrown from the back of the centaur that is joining his herd in trying to high tail it back into the Forest. In the rolling tumble off of the centaur the flurry of motion ends with Professor Pettigrew standing with wand in her hand and gesturing with it and her free hand, "Back to the castle." She instructs the injured students. The tone is filled with motherly tsk, but there is a small exchange of glancing with Madeline, Landon and Cillian, her little Gryffindor cubs that reads a bit of pride in them. "Now."
Professor Slughorn smashes a bottle down into the grass between the separating 'armies' and a wall of smoke is soon knitting itself together. "Back you four legged fiends! Back!" He himself is backing up quickly to give the injured kids some restorative potions helping to herd them to the infirmary so that their wounds can be tended to more fully. The rest of the professors go to check on the Stargazer Warriors. When Dumbledore approaches the centaur that fell to Ealisaid's flank he gets a growl from the only female in the group. "That is for us." She does speak English! But the English soon changes back to the tongue of her people and she starts ordering around the other centaurs. Reluctantly she leaves the dead to be tended to by those who have that duty. Her duty is done, for now and she limps after the humans that invite them all to heal and rest closer to the castle.
Now that the threat has been chased away and blocked, Elspeth lowers her wand. "All right there, Longbottom?" she asks, going over to give the smaller Gryffindor (Evans) an arm to lean on as they start herding the rest towards the castle. "Better your leg than your head." There's a bit of a smile from the Ravenclaw as she helps the girl limp along. She looks over to Cillian, and gives him a little nod, as well, letting Landon help him if needed.
"Yes Professor thank you Professor!" Madeline calls promptly - before holding up her prize bow. "Look! I did the shrinking spell!" Given how she struggles with Transfiguration, she's inordinately pleased with herself. Maybe that was what the girl needed to succeed. A pressure situation. And it couldn't have hurt that her targets of choice were non-living. She doesn't protest the help from Elspeth, adding, "It hurts, though." Still - she doesn't complain more than that as they walk back to the castle. The stairs up to the infirmary do get a dismayed look, but she manages.
The fifth year's wand is stowed as they are ushered to safety. Landon looks over to Elspeth nodding "Hurts, will live. Thanks Rosen." he points to the arrow stuck in his shoulder as if its not obvious but he gives a smile though. "Nice shield." He compliments though of course he'll help any who may need it on the way back towards the castle "Thank you professors. Headmaster." he says of course though he'll be shipped off to the infirmary to have the arrow removed and get patched up.
"Of course professor, thank ye professor…" Cillian replies softly when he's given instructions. He has no souvenirs save for ya know, bruises on his bruises and a lot of pain seeping into his stepped upon/kicked bones and he tucks his wand back away as he nods politely to Elspeth when she's helping Evans and if Landon provides him help, he'll take it if not he just limps along. "I tink I just felt me own lungs callin' me all sorts of horrible names…" He glances back towards the centaurs with a dreamy sigh before continuing after them all.