# Marius vs Mambi



## Mambi (May 28, 2020)

<_the sun shines majestically along the shores of a beautiful lake...the birds tranquil in the trees as squirrels scamper about dutifully. Suddenly a shimmering hole appears in the air, and a sleek black cat emerges, his eyes glowing brightly as he steps onto the soft grass. The glow fades as the portal closes and the cat speaks to the skies_>

Attention those who watch the multiverse...*may the next fight begin!!!
*
In the one corner...we have the portal casting cat himself, *@Mambi !!! *<_the cat turns and bows playfully, waving at nobody>
_
In the other corner, we have the original bird of prey himself, the avian chaos himself, *@Marius Merganser !!! <*_another portal opens and the bird tumbles out of it surprised, landing in the water with a sputtering splash as the cat laughs.>

<the cat giggles softly as you swim to shore> _Sorry, couldn't resist, but yet...wanted you to feel at home right away, because I care! Anytime you're ready, sunshine! <teehee>


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## redhusky (May 28, 2020)

PRED OVER PREY!
GO KITTY! GO!


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## Marius Merganser (May 28, 2020)

Cats! _<Marius mutters under his breath as he reaches the shore.  He shakes his body and ruffles his feathers in an attempt to splash the cat>
_
Now then. My name is Marius _<he says with a bow>_ and *I'm* a merganser _<he adds proudly as he returns to full height of 3.5 feet>

<He twirls his long pointy stick with a flourish before pointing the business end directly at the cat and charges>  _


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## Mambi (May 28, 2020)

<_the cat simply laughs and opens a portal in front of you, as you and your stick disappear into it, reappearing facing the water and coming within feet of falling in again, as you turn back towards the grinning cat_> 

Marius is it? Pleasure to meet you then! <_bows and opens a portal behind himself and falls backwards into it disappearing with a wave.  You hear laughter as you watch him re-appear tumbling out of another portal a few feet away beside you, and flashes his razor-sharp claws with a wide smile> _You're gonna be a fun toy, I can tell! <_giggle_>


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## Marius Merganser (May 28, 2020)

It is, Marius.  And are you ATLAS or P-Body?  (That's a Portal reference.) _<he whispered, breaking the fourth wall>

<Turning his attention back to the cat, Marius leaps backwards and twirls his stick as he cautiously continues to walk backwards toward the shoreline.>
_
Careful, you're not the only one with pointy bits _<Marius opens his bill enough to show off the many, sharp serrations>_


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## Mambi (May 28, 2020)

More of a smarter GLADOS fan myself <t_he cat looks at the open beak and grins_> Awww, that sure looks sharp all right. You hungry? Here! <_the cat opens a portal directly in front of your mouth, and lake water pours from it carrying a fish with it depositing it in your beak. The portal closes as the cat laughs harder at the flopping fish tail_> Always good to fight on a full belly and a nice shower! <_the cat ducks and rolls to the side as you shake off more water, again_>


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## Marius Merganser (May 28, 2020)

_<Marius tosses his head back, flipping the fish into the air and catching it again head first into his bill. He swallows it whole, as mergansers do>_
Oh, sorry.  Did you want some? _<shooting the cat a smug smile>  
<He continues to step back until he's wading in the water and beckons the cat to follow>_


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## Mambi (May 28, 2020)

Thanks on that, but more of a tuna fan myself...sorta! Cooked doesn't hurt either <_winces and wiggles his whiskers, then grins and slowly walks towards you by the water...just placing the tip of his paw in it_> 

Damn, if I have to be wet, I'd prefer warmer. <_sigh_> Ah well...you get what you got! <_he takes a few steps back and runs towards the bank in line with you. As he approaches the water, he takes a dive into the water between you both, and at the last second opens a portal above the water and falls into it soundlessly. As you watch him disappear, you are suddenly drenched by a large splash from behind you as the cat cannonballs into the water. He instantly disappears from another portal underwater by your feet and re-emerges on the shore, dripping wet as the water follows him from the hole to the shore but still laughing as he closes it behind him>

_Ok, gets warmer after the first dunking...as you can see! <_teeheehee_> Now...let's see what *you* can do, aside from point a stick at me and retreat that is. <_snicker_> I'll swim more in a moment once the fur gets used to it. <_grins and shakes to dry off_>


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## Marius Merganser (May 28, 2020)

That drowned-rat look does nothing for you. 
_<Marius casually does the backstroke in little circles>_
And there's no need to retreat when the best you can do is splash a waterproof duck.  Besides, you're the one who just retreated.
_<Marius stops short and reaches into his pocket, pretends to pull out a cell phone and hold it to his ear as if to answer a call>_
Hello?  Yes, he's here...OK.  _<He mimes returning his cell phone to his pocket and taunts the cat>_ Aw geez, Mambi!  Rick Sanchez called.  He-he-he said he wants his portal gun back.
_<He grabs his pointy stick and watches for a portal to open so he can stab wildly around him>_


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## Mambi (May 28, 2020)

Retreat? HA! I prefer to call it a withdrawal to safety that allows me to plan...ok fine, "retreat" is quicker to say in the heat of battle! But such an ugly word...<_sticks out toungue_> Still, you're right, I really should do a little more than splash the duck, I'll give you that. Not the best plan...but I have many MANY others! Did you know for example that lava hardens almost instantly in water?

<_you wonder what he means when a portal suddenly opens several feet behind you. From it comes a wave of heat and a reddish liquid hits the water with an explosion of steam, blinding you as it hisses. You feel it rushing the water back as you try  and wave away the sudden hot fog, hearing the water boiling from somewhere in the fog. Suddenly the hissing ceases and a breeze forms, and as the steam fog clears, you see a new rock formation has formed behind you cutting off the lake with no sign of the cat. You then hear him laughing from atop the peak of the mini-island>_ Good view from here, feathers! Makes me hungry for some steamed duck! <_laughs and tosses a small pebble at your head with a grin_>


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## Marius Merganser (May 28, 2020)

_<With a flick of his wrist, Marius bats away the pebble with his stick.  Recovering from the shock of seeing an island, he sneers>_
So you've gone from splashing me with water to splashing me with...water vapor?  Ha! No need!  The hens think I'm pretty steamy already.  _<Dramatically runs his fwingers though this crest>  _Know what I mean?  Yeah, ya do!
...Anyway, now that the water's nice and warm, why don't you join me?  _<He pats the surface of the water next to him then readies his stick>_


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## Mambi (May 28, 2020)

<_the cat laughs merrily at the comment on the hens_> Hahaha, well you're about to break a few hearts after this match! I'll try and leave you still looking pretty if I can help it, but no promises!!! <_the cat laughs wickedly and flashes his claws again. He quickly opens a portal beside himself and dives in, crashing into you from your left side suddenly from a shimmering hole that appeared out of nowhere and slashing at your stick as he falls, shaving some wood from it as he lands in the water as well. You recover instantly from the fall of course, while unfortunately for him, the cat splashes about trying to stand in the subtle shifting currents of the water_> 

Ok...crap, crapcrapcrap...maybe not the best plan??? <_he smiles at you innocently and shrugs while wiping his eyes, hoping you don't notice he can't form a portal right away..._>


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## Marius Merganser (May 28, 2020)

_<Marius strikes at the disoriented cat, whacking his side with his stick; it's not a particularly devastating blow, but it looks like it stings at least.  He dives under the water leaving barely a ripple and grabs onto Mambi's tail...>_


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## Mambi (May 28, 2020)

<_the cat winces a little at the stick whacking and shaking his head to try and clear the water from it, yelps suddenly as he feels his tail suddenly grasped tightly_. _He closes his eyes and flails wildly, splashing and thrashing all about as you maintain your hold on the wild cat. Then with a sharp sting you feel a random swipe of the cat's back claw slice lightly on your arm and you reflexively let go as the shock of the sudden pain shoots through you, sending the cat tumbling in the water ungracefully. You examine your cut while the cat sputters and tries to wipe his eyes frantically...small shimmering holes opening and closing around him randomly as he tries to regain his bearings and escape to regroup...>_


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## Marius Merganser (May 28, 2020)

_<Marius drops his stick to grab his wing-arm and it floats away unnoticed.  While the cut isn't horrible, it's more than enough to damage his carefully maintained feathers.>_
Aw, not my speculum! 
_<He glared at the cat and flared his crest before slipping beneath the surface again.  He propelled himself like a torpedo directly at the cat, hoping to latch on before he can portal away>_


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## Mambi (May 29, 2020)

<_the cat sputters more as he wipes his eyes harder trying to clear them, and searches frantically for any sign of his avian opponent. He looks down and sees at the last second the bird rocketing towards him underwater. With a high-pitched scream, he quickly opens a portal in front of his feet and the lake starts to drain through the hole, taking you with the whirlpool. With a splash, you fall through the hole on the top of the island, landing on the rocks with a wet thud as water continues to pour through it by the gallon. The cat closes his eyes and jumps through the water hole and water-slides to the island beside you, everything dripping wet> _

I am *not *going to need a bath after this caper, for sure! <snicker> But *you *might! <_a small portal quickly opens in front of you and a plume of volcanic gases and dust engulf you, stinging your eyes and throat_> Let's see how YOU like it, birdie! <_giggles and ducks for fresh air as he closes the portal and waits for the dust to clear to see it's effect_>


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## Marius Merganser (May 29, 2020)

_<The dust starts to settle and the cat sees the silhouette of Marius on bent knee and lowered head.  The air clears and Marius slowly stands, wobbly at first, his feathers disheveled and covered in ash.  Already breathing hard, he glares at the cat and breaks into a sprint leaving little puffs of ash with each step.  In only a few feet of distance he flaps his wing-arms and once up to speed becomes airborne.  Like a missile locked on target, he barrels in Mambi at full speed with a pointy bill in the lead.>_


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## Mambi (May 29, 2020)

<_the cat laughs at the bird's direct approach_> Haven't we been through this already? All I need is a second and...<_as you run towards the cat at full speed, his eyes glow and a portal forms mere inches directly in front of you. Moving too fast to stop, you fall though the portal and find yourself suddenly face-to-face with a large transport truck in the middle of the highway. With a scream you turn and dive back into the still-open portal just as it closes and you hear the cat laughing maniacally...> 
_


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## Marius Merganser (May 29, 2020)

_<Marius emerges through the portal of origin just before it closes, clipping a nanometer off his mangled tail feathers .  With no time react he collides head first into the cat, knocking both of them to the ground and sending them back several feet.  The cat tries to recover but Marius pins down one front leg.  As the other comes up to claw him, Marius is forced to bite the arm; it's not a lot of bite-force but it hurts and if Mambi tries to pull away, the serrations will do some damage.>_

Er've gert you newr! _<he says with his bill clenching tight and struggling to stay on top>_


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## Mambi (May 29, 2020)

<_the cat yelps as he feels your beak around his arm, like sandpaper made of knives against his skin. He reflexively stays still, knowing thrashing will only make things worse. Looking up at the bird pinning him, he knows his options are limited and starts to panic. Taking a deep breath, he tries one desperate gambit...forming a portal suddenly below you both, he falls through it dragging you along as you hold onto his arm and he screams in pain. Falling completely through with a surprising splash, you both find yourselves suddenly deep under the middle of the lake, the cat's head quickly sticking out of another portal as he starts sputtering and gasping for air, the lake water rushing around his neck. As you hold onto the cat's arm, you realize YOUR head is still totally submerged and you feel your lungs starting to burn as they cry out for precious air...burning more and more with each passing second! Finally you are forced to let go and surface as the cat falls through the hole and you see him land back on the island as you gasp for air. He examines his bleeding arm and grins> 
_
Oooooo...you are very good when you want to be! No more underestimating you it seems...<_licks lips and plans his next move..._>


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## Marius Merganser (May 30, 2020)

_<Marius breaks the surface of the lake and gasps for breath, dejected that he lost his grasp.  Seeing the cat on the distant shore, he takes the time to splash a bit, washing away the last of the ash and cat fur and return some order to his feather alignment.  He was quite displeased with how much preening he would require.  Having caught his breath, he collects his forgotten pointy stick as it gently floats by.>_

You like that, huh!? _<he smiles>_ What else you got?

_<He starts to casually swim towards the shoreline>_


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## Mambi (May 30, 2020)

<_the cat grins an evil grin_> You want to know what I got birdie? I can portal from anywhere to anywhere! I've been playing around but if you want a real taste of the chaos...this one's gonna hurt! <_he cracks his claws and his eyes glow brighter then ever_>

<_Silently as you are swimming to shore, a portal suddenly opens beside you and without warning a large dolphin barrels into you knocking you onto the shoreline. As you roll over and try to adjust to land, you suddenly find yourself  facing a portal and looking at your own backside. Spinning around you see the same thing from the other portal! During your distraction, the cat leaps at you with his claws from your side and slices your stick in half as he flips over you and lands gracefully on the opposite side. He laughs and dives aside as the portals suddenly shift and opens in front of you...just in time for the horses from a nearby race track to barrel into you, trampling you and knocking you back into the water as they splash and whinny in the water with surprise. The cat dives into the other portal as you shake your head...just as a shadow appears around you. You look up just in time to see the open maw of an angry tiger shark emerging several from a portal above your head as the cat laughs wickedly from the shoreline having fallen safely from a portal in the sky...>_


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## Marius Merganser (May 31, 2020)

_<Without a little cocktail umbrella to hold over his head, Marius cowers in a ball and the shark lands mouth first over him before flopping into the water.  It swims off and Mambi stands on the now duckless shoreline watching the shark slip beneath the surface.  He scans his surroundings and the still water, but it's eerily quiet.  After a few moments, the cat smiles to himself, believing it was over and turns to admire the horses.>_

wooo-hooo!
_
<Mambi stops short and scans the horizon but sees there is nothing but stillness.  He turns back toward the horses but then he hears it again.  Louder this time...>_

Wooo-hoooOOO!

_<The cat focuses his gaze at the water beyond the horses and stares with wide eyes and mouth.  Just below the surface, the shark is barreling toward him with a very determined little duck riding on its back.  But the duck's maniacal laughter didn't cause him to panic for he knew sharks can't go on land!  The cat's smug smile suddenly fell away, for that was information that the horses didn't know. As the frightened horses stampede away from the shark and into his direction, the cat turns to open a portal but it was already too late.  He is knocked over and trampled before the horses disappear into the portal which closes behind them.>_

_<Meanwhile, the shark turns hard before beaching itself and Marius hops onto the island.  When Mambi comes to, he looks up to see the duck standing over him, pointing what's left of his stick at his face.>_

I'm BAAAACK!


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## Mambi (May 31, 2020)

Ouch! <_the cat rubs his head_> Ouch, ouch, ouch!!! Nice one though...I give you that! <_snicker_> Anyway welcome back! Nice stick..if not a little shorter I see. You're far too wet though after all that, even for a duck. You need to dry off a little, you stink of shark rot!!! <_He digs his back claws subtly into the ground and as his eyes glow, a portal opens above him in front of your chest. From it a hellish hot wind blows you backwards as the cat holds on to the earth tightly.> _The planet Mercury has some wild weather this morning, doesn't it? _<He rolls to the side and the portal shifts...suddenly a hellish heat emerges from it singing your feathers and boiling the water around the portal opening, a blinding light emerging from it dazzling you> ._..but not as hot as the surface of the sun I bet!!!

Awww, too hot? Here, let me help! <_as you try and stand up, another portal emerges from the other side of you, and a freezing gale and snowy blizzard suddenly hits you, burying you in a pile of ice and snow. The cat laughs as the portal closes and the pile steams in the hot sun, your singed feathered body both shivering and sweating a the temperature extremes it just went through> _


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## Marius Merganser (May 31, 2020)

_<Marius pops his head out from the pile of snow and shakes the excess from the top of his head.>_

I guess you didn't know the red-breasted merganser's range extends north of the arctic circle.  We swim in ice water all the time.  How about YOU!?
_
<With that, Marius throws two wet snowballs at the cat, striking him in the face with a satisfying "piff" sound.>_

You can throw the whole solar system at me, but this duck doesn't back down!

_<While Mambi scrambles to wipe the from his face, Marius hops out of the snow pile and once again collects his half-pointy stick as he charges.  This time, he uses it to sweep the cats hind legs out from under him but continues to run past, on the lookout to avoid any portals>_


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## Mambi (May 31, 2020)

I did not know that about your species actually...<_the cat gets cut off by a face-full of wet snow. Shaking it off, the cat suddenly finds himself launched upwards but flips in the air and lands on his feet gracefully as you zip past_>

...just like you forgot cats always land on their feet as long as they have room to move! <_he strikes a pose as you look around frantically...then his glowing eyes light up brightly and he smiles widely as he gets an idea._..>

<_he digs deep into the ground with his claws and lays low as you remain alert for portals. He knows he's not going to catch you in that trap again...but he smiles as he knows he doesn't need to_> 
You're right...I COULD throw the whole solar system at you! <_a small portal opens and you hear an ominous rumbling sound as the surrounding air starts to rush into the hole viciously_>

But why limit myself to THAT when I have the whole *universe *at my disposal??? <_he laughs hard as suddenly you feel yourself being sucked relentlessly against the hole, your feathers and beak and arms being pulled hard by an invisible force_> Like things such as the* black hole* that fuels the binary star system on the edge of the *Milky Way??? *<_you desperately throw your stick across the hole to stop yourself, and watch as it holds for a moment then shatters it in the middle from the pressure as the splinters fall into the void_>

Kinda *sucks*, doesn't it? <_the cat laughs uproariously at the pun as you try to fight the irresistible force trying to forcing you through the tiny hole, the winds roaring around you as they pool into the void of the portal's hole_>


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## Marius Merganser (May 31, 2020)

Ah, phooey. 

_<Feeling himself being pulled to the portal, he claws at the ground, desperately trying to not get sucked in.  He looks over his shoulder, noting his distance from the portal ever decreasing.  He knew there was no way he could resist those type of forces.  Marius scowls at the cat who appears to be thoroughly enjoying the show, then Marius suddenly salutes him and completely lets go.  Flipping to face the portal, he lets it pull him as he flies toward it.  At the last minute, Marius furiously flaps his wings for vertical flight.  Turning airspeed into altitude, he barely manages to clear the top of the portal while his momentum carries him past it.  He crashes on the ground behind the portal, rolls to a stop, and manages to get on his feet.>
_
What's the matter, cat?  Can't beat an unarmed duck?


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## Mambi (May 31, 2020)

<_the cat smiles an evil smile_> 'Unarmed duck' you say? What a novel idea! <_another small portal the size of a fist appears beside you sucking your hand into it, then while you are trapped, a second one quickly appears on the other side sucking in your other arm. You feel your arms being pulled harder and harder almost out of their sockets securely as the cat saunters up to you grinning_> 

The twin black holes of the Andromeda Galaxy are pretty strong...I wonder what would happen if I widened the portal any? <_you feel your fingertips getting tingly from the blood pooling into them as your feathers start to get pulled out of their follicles_. _The cat sits down well out of reach of your feet and simply smiles as he watches you struggle against the impossible gravity, your crest opening wider as you feel yourself being slowly pulled apart by the small portals. You fight to keep your eyes open as the winds howling around you from the air being sucked into the dual voids blow dust an debris into your trapped face, stinging you.>  _

Just say the word and it all stops my friend...<_you feel your shoulders starting to dislocate a little as the pull becomes irresistible_> Had enough yet? I can close them anytime and it all ends like that...<_the cat grins wider as you strain harder..._>


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## Marius Merganser (Jun 1, 2020)

It's not...really...your win...unless...YOU finish me..._<Marius says through labored breaths and watering eyes, desperately holding back a scream.>_


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## Mambi (Jun 1, 2020)

<_with your arms trapped, the cat walks well around you and approaches you from behind, careful to avoid any potential bites or kicks as you are held in place securely by the portals. With the smile of a serial killer, he lifts his paw and extending a single razor-sharp claw fully, holds it to your neck and grabs the back of your head as you try harder not to give in to your fear and pain_>

If you _insist _then...it's your call, but come on...it takes *days *to get blood out of my fur so _please _don't make me do this! I have a date tomorrow night and want to look my best...<_giggles and presses the claw a little harder against your throat_>


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## Marius Merganser (Jun 1, 2020)

_<Marius' body writhes almost uncontrollably as the dueling portals are on the verge of pulling him apart. He lets out a scream, distracting the cat just enough for an attempt to bite the paw at his throat, but he's only able to nip him while his head is being held.  The duck's satisfaction is short lived as his left wing fully dislocates.>_


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## Mambi (Jun 1, 2020)

<_the cat yelps and pulls his clawed paw back as you nip his arm, and growls slightly at your resiliency. Seeing your wing dislocate, he releases his hold on that paw and allows it to dangle helplessly while the other portal continues to pull you fully up to the shoulder into it as the feathers gets ripped out. The cat holds his paw, glares at you and opens another portal above your trapped head, the glowing fiery shockwave of an exploding supernova approaching the opening by your head as you peer inside in fear, the winds rushing into the voids. He approaches with his claws extended as you brace for the incredible impact...> _Say it...say iiiiit...come onnnn.....


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## Marius Merganser (Jun 1, 2020)

_<As the feathers anchored to his bones are ripped out by the portals' force, Marius can only manage a primal cry before losing consciousness>_


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## Mambi (Jun 1, 2020)

<_seeing his foe passed out, the cat instantly releases his hold over him and the portals vanish, dropping the unconscious bird to the ground hard. The cat stands over his broken body with a satisfied grin and cries out to the skies_> 

*I think we can safely call that one my victory...though I freely admit, I could not make him give up! I beat him physically, he beat me in spirit, and I bow to him!!!
*
<_he opens a small portal and reaching in, retrieves a small vial. He pours it into your open mouth as the portal closes and instantly your bones start to knit as the cuts close..._>


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## Marius Merganser (Jun 1, 2020)

_<Within moments Marius gasps and pulls himself to his feet.  He inspects his pristine feathers and successfully tests his wings before glaring at the cat. Then trying to suppress he a smile he says>_

Hey! What about my stick!?


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## Mambi (Jun 1, 2020)

<_the cat laughs and a portal opens between you. From it, splinters fall to the ground in a rough pile as the portal closes> _That's pretty much the extent of what's left...I'll carve you another one, promise. 

Good fight!!! <_the cat bows humbly_> You're a tough one!!! Respect to the feather! <_he makes a gesture with his paw, bows his head, then looks at you_> I do hope the serum's got you put back together well enough though!!!

<_a portal opens behind him as he smiles and waves, and you recognize the club lobby in it_> Thank you for a wonderful time!!! <_falls backwards into it as he laughs_> Have funnn... <_he disappears as the portal closes behind him_>


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## Marius Merganser (Jun 1, 2020)

_<Marius looked at the pile of splinters dejectedly>_

Cats! _<he muttered under his breath>_

_<And with a running start, took to the sky>_


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