[open] Croc's Wet 'n Wild Garden Party

[vvaylon]

Croc wakes up, snout in the mud.

It's not a pretty awakening. Tranquilizers just wearing off, his mouth feels like cotton's been stuffed inside of it and his head aches with the force of a hundred angry bees. So he does what any self-respecting beast would do, and roars; it's loud enough to frighten the gaudy birds from the trees and make the geese squawk back angrily. A drake wanders near; it's punted five meters away, and minus a head.

Still sodden and now very angry, he makes a beeline for the river, crashing through the undergrowth and bringing down the particularly weak saplings that had the gall to be in his way.

Water. Cool, and it's still muddy, but it's river mud and therefore acceptable. Croc settles in with his nose above water and waits for the pounding in his head to subside.That may take a while, and far longer for his temper to follow suit; pity the poor soul who ventures near!

Comments

[dustless]

And which poor SOUL might that be? Frisk's, of course. They still like the gardens, after all, and the sound of things being destroyed naturally catches their attention from fairly far away.

They dart around fountains and tear through bushes themselves, following where the noise came from even after it stops until they're at the site of destruction. Then they slow, picking their way through the wreckage until the glint of the flowing river's visible through tattered leaves and broken branches.

...They think they're being quiet.

waylon: oh look bite sized

[vvaylon]

The thing about animals is that most of them have extremely keen senses of smell. Croc can smell them coming, even if he hadn't heard them stomping around like a lame bull.

That's a little uncharitable; perhaps he is blowing it out of proportion. Croc lays in wait along the bank, waiting patiently for the child to venture further. He growls, low in his throat; sounds like a pissed-off rattler. Despite doubts, he decides to speak.

It's not like Frisk has experience in FLEEing giant, angry monsters with sharp teeth-- wait.

"What're you doing down here all alone, runt?"

-~-

[dustless]

Instinct screams for them to freeze when they hear that noise, and so they do--but they're still pretty close. Their shoes sink into the mud.

When they hear the voice, though, they lean forward to peer into the water, spying at least the general shape of him. Big monster, looks like.

"Um...I live here." In the castle, and their new sleep spot actually isn't too far away.

[vvaylon]

"Ya live here?" Not for much longer, his thoughts crow. The fish in the river are slimy and unsatisfying, and Croc thinks; just for a moment and no longer, of a crocodile dragging a deer into the water.

--and all in due time, but maybe he'll try and find somewhere less in full view of whoever may decide to wander the gardens. He shifts up until his shoulders are out of the water (Frisk may notice that he's huge) and stares them down; a copse of trees looks fine enough, and shady, and maybe he can stick the leftovers there if he doesn't finish.

"Come a little closer."

[dustless]

Crocodiles in the sewers. That myth hasn't died even in Frisk's time, and that thought crosses their mind. Walking over grates in the city, peering down, searching for a glimpse of green.

As much as they might not realize the precise degree of danger they're in, they do know that tone isn't good news. The mud squishes beneath their shoes as they rock in place, preparing to move if they must.

"Why?"

[vvaylon]

"I don't like your attitude, kid."

His nostrils flare, catching the heady scent of fear that he can sense coming from Frisk. It's somehow less satisfying on a kid than on a grown guard, with a gun besides. It's still good.

Croc steadies himself on the bank, clawed feet catching hold of a rock studded into the mud.

And then he pounces.

let me know if this works/anything needs to be changed~

[andthebat]

And at about the same moment, so does the Batman.

A roar loud enough to terrify the birds is definitely loud enough to catch the attention of a Batman with sensitive hearing; and the garden has enough trees, crumbling follies, and castle wings for him to stay in the air when he makes his way towards the source of the commotion. And a mossy statue overlooking the river gives him a place to perch when he spies something big and green moving towards something small and brown.

Killer Croc. Frisk.

Batman doesn't even think before he moves, before he leaps onto Killer Croc's back, his arms wrapping around Croc's neck, letting an ear-piercing shriek rend the air.

[dustless]

Green hurtles their way and Frisk's thoughts go from 'considering where to dodge' straight to 'TEETH TEETH TEETH--'

They fling themselves to the left and backwards, feet tangling in reeds, screaming in tandem with the Batman's shriek when they slam down into the mud, elbow catching a rock. They don't think to get to their feet or even flip over to crawl, they're just scrambling away with the back of their pants dragging through the mud further.

[vvaylon]

"NO!" The Batman's-- and no, it's not Kirk, because Kirk is albino and doesn't have that damn protective instinct. Croc watches his snack scurry away and growls, leaping fully out of the river-- the Batman in tow-- in an attempt to catch them. The Batman is strong and he'll have to pay attention to him soon, lest he actually pass out from the pressure encirling his neck. "You ain't gettin' in my way again, Bat!"

Ironically enough, it seems that the Batman's transformation followed the nickname, instead of in reverse, as Croc's had. (Of cours,e that's what he thinks.)

"I'll eat you whole!"

[andthebat]

Frisk's screams ring in the Batman's ears. He can only catch glimpses of them scrambling backwards in the mud, as he wrestles with Killer Croc. Even with his arms around Croc's throat, there's no way Frisk can make it to safety at that speed. Batman's shriek stops.

"Get up!" He screams. "Run!"

He needs to buy them more time; Batman shimmies forward, keeping the choking grip on Croc's neck, and sinks his teeth into Croc's face, sharp little fangs scraping the nubs around Croc's eye.

[dustless]

It's mostly the fact there aren't blurry teeth headed right towards them is what gets them to their feet, barely. Frisk's ears are ringing, but what does that matter, they need to go--

But, but, but they're filthy and the mud's made everything slick, so they can't run, they can only struggle away at a pace that would be considered respectable in any situation less dangerous than this.

[vvaylon]

Croc keeps roaring, tossing his head back and forth and simultaneously trying to buck the Batman off like some sort of rodeo horse and get his claws into Frisk. Would he have kept up this long if the Batman hadn't shown? Of course not. He could venture in during dark and find something bigger, tastier, than a panicked prepubescent. But the Batman's here. That makes it his personal goal to rip into whatever he's trying to protect.

--some other time. Black swims in his vision and he retaliates by leaping onto solid ground and rolling onto his back.

[andthebat]

From the glimpses he gets off Frisk the Batman call tell they're not moving fast enough and- it isn't their fault, they're covered in mud, they fell down, and they're a child, but Batman still grits his teeth at the complication. He can't help them while his arms are full, trying to slow Killer Croc down, and Croc's jerking around like a panicked horse.

But then Croc seems to have an extra burst of energy, and he drags the Batman along as he leaps onto the solid ground nearby. Batman loosens his grip, letting go entirely before they hit the ground, and rolls to the side. A second later he hastens to his feet, on guard for Croc's next move.

[dustless]

Croc keeps roaring, Frisk keeps moving. Slogging. They're not going the way they came entirely, they can't work out which way that was, and the mud's rising higher around their legs even though they're not going into the river.

One of their shoes gets stuck. They leave it, and then they kick the other one off into the water where it splashes, and they're going a little faster that way. Less for the mud to try and swallow. (If they sank, would they drown in the mud or would they fall under the castle? Stupid thought to have, especially right now, but it's there anyway.)

Without pausing, they glance over their shoulder. How close is the crocodile monster? How's the Batman?

[vvaylon]

Croc's ploy works; the Batman, not a fan of getting crushed, abandons Croc in favor of letting go. It doesn't mean that he's given up; a baser animal would turn on him and rip him to shreds. Croc knows that somehow he always gets back up again.

A child won't. He continues on, legs kicking up thick sprays of mud behind him, trampling the shoe.

"You're already dead-- stop running!"

[andthebat]

Of course spite would be the decisive factor in Killer Croc's next course of action. Croc turns tail and runs back to the mud where Frisk, damn it, is still struggling to run free of the muck. At least they seem to have made some progress, but it's not enough.

The Batman darts forward, grabs Croc's tail, digging his talons into it, and violently wrenches him back. "We're not done here, Croc," he snarls. He braces his feet against the ground, as much as he can this close to the water.

[dustless]

Their feet slam through the mud onto something more like solid ground--some hidden boulder maybe--and that gives them enough purchase to fling themselves forward--

"Not 'cause of you!" they shrill.

--they land on their hands and knees, but it's on dirt this time instead of river mud, and they scramble to their feet in a second's time, and now they can actually run.

[vvaylon]

Croc can't leap in pursuit, because the Batman's latched onto his tail like the largest parasite in the world. He lashes out at Frisk for a few more seconds-- roaring all the way, until he slips back on the slippery mud.

Then he turns on the Batman once Frisk is clearly out of range, free to flee and Croc foiled. (For now.)

"You made a big mistake, bat."

[andthebat]

The Batman raises his hands, defensive, but prepared to strike at the first opportunity. He moves to circle around Croc, water and mud sloshing under his feet, speaking as he moves. "I'd be more concerned about my own hide if I were in your position."

It's a more confident statement than it has any right to be; he's not sure how much Killer Croc knows about his situation, but they're a long way from Gotham City and Arkham Asylum. No GCPD to haul Croc away once the Batman's knocked him down; here, he's on his own.

[vvaylon]

"I ain't the one looking like he'd make a good coat, Bat." Because this is a strange bat, indeed; all of the muscle and glares with a bonus of actual fur and wings.

But this also means no body armor, which means more chances for Croc to really sink his teeth (or claws. He's not picky when it comes to beating a bat) in. He slides forwards in the mud, aiming to bodyslam the Batman-- and topple them both into the river.

let me know if you need more to work with here

[andthebat]

There's an almost imperceptible furrow that forms in the Batman's brow at Croc's remark. Something about it seems off. Whatever. Banter isn't the priority right now.

Croc tenses and the Batman takes a quick step to the away from the river, whipping his wing up to protect from the splash of mud and water. Need to tire Croc out, he thinks. Need to lure him towards dry land.

bats: catches on that somethin aint right me: just screaming

[vvaylon]

Croc doesn't want to leave the mud. Even if he can't quite move, neither can the Batman; and he has the advantage of sheer bulk. Hell, rolling over wrong (right) could crush the Batman.

He swipes out again, voice hitching in a savage laugh; it dies halfway through, replaced with a snarl, driving them both towards the swell of the river.

i think i'll let croc's next attack hit him?

[andthebat]

Probably not as much of an advantage in terms of bulk as Croc is used to- this Batman is actually a bit taller than Croc, and retains the muscles-on-his-muscles build. On the other hand, it's a case of fur versus scales- an attack from Killer Croc is probably going to hit harder than one from the Batman.

Which is why it's so vital that he doesn't let Croc get a hit on him. Batman takes another side-step, away from Croc's swipe, only to find himself slipping in the mud. Batman flaps his wings, letting out a quiet hiss, automatically moving to right himself.

[vvaylon]

Croc's huge, but somehow the Batman's even bigger. But as he's thinking-

Scales trump fur, every time. Croc barrels forwards, aiming to headbutt the Batman's chest-- if it hits right it'll hurt, maybe crack a rib at worst, but Croc wants him in the water. Not bleeding out in the mud.

It's a very specific sort of revenge that he has on his mind-- it ends with the Batman dead, but only after that kid's dead.

i am assuming croc is wearing his vest as opposed to, i'unno, a clown costume.

[andthebat]

It's the sort of crude attack the Batman would normally be able to dodge easily enough, but with half his attention focused on keeping his balance in the slick mud, he can't quite move fast enough to get out of the way entirely. Killer Croc's shoulder and the side of his head slam into the Batman's abdomen, and the air whooshes out of Batman's lungs with an audible gasp. Batman topples forwards, his hands scrabbling onto Croc's back, finding purchase in the cloth of Croc's vest.

yee. also: bats gets a dunking, leave it at that?

[vvaylon]

Croc laughs. It's more of a huffing growl, but the Batman will know it's a laugh by the way Croc's maw stretches-- not to bite, not with the angle. His claws do scrape down the Batman's sides in an attempt not to make him let go, but to hold him there.

They keep going, Splash! into the water.

[andthebat]

The Batman feels Croc's claws scraping down his sides, and it doesn't exactly hurt, not in the moment, but he can feel his pulse start hammering. Panic. Not good. And they're moving back fast, he has only a second to think before they hit the water.

Batman takes a deep breath, holds it, and then his entire world is submerged in muddy water. He can hardly see, he can't breathe, and Croc's claws are still piercing him. If he tries wriggling out of Croc's tight grip he'll get sliced up more, so Batman lets go off Croc's vest, and begins to claw at Croc's face.

[vvaylon]

Croc smirks as they're submerged; this is his territory. This is where he takes and keeps the upper hand, and especially on this big, furry beast.

And then he's roaring in pain and rage as the Batman claws at his face, his eyes, and switches from trying to pin the Batman down to actively throwing him off.

IF he is, he'll find Croc swimming away through the stream.

croc: mwahaha i got u now bats- OH GOD MY EYES

[andthebat]

It's not pleasant to have a crocodile roaring inches away from your face, but the Batman ignores the ringing in his ears in favor of his dogged attempts to make Killer Croc let go.

It works, maybe too well- Croc's claws wrench out of Batman's sides, and he's forcefully thrown aside. He breaks the surface of the water immediately, slamming into the muddy banks, coughing and gulping down fresh air. His wounds sting, and are seeping clouds of blood out into the stream. At least Croc's the only predatory animal he has to worry about.

Blinking furiously, trying to clear his eyes of filthy water, Batman glowers after Killer Croc.