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Post by Kitten King on Sept 1, 2012 0:14:55 GMT -5
“Yes - if you have any kind of tent, we should set up right over there,” Mika nodded, motioning to the slight shelter of some trees with her head. “There’s just enough leaves that it’ll shield it from any unwanted eyes, at least from above.” She dropped her own pack, pausing to stretch. The muscles in her back were used to the strain of carrying a pack after such long traveling, but it hadn’t been this well-supplied in a long while. She rolled her shoulders, unclasping her cloak and letting it fall beside her. Her sleeves beneath were just long enough to tuck under her gloves, and loose enough so that Shayla wouldn’t be able to see the ridges that lay beneath.
She raised an eyebrow at the suspicious gruel that Shayla had - was that supposed to be food? Xan took one sniff from where he sat, shook his head, and flapped off after Halcy. Eeyuck! He didn’t want to be anywhere near that! Besides, this would give him a chance to one-up the persnickety feline at hunting too, heheheh.
“...I am, but I think I'm okay,” Mika started saying, careful of the way she said it. “I have plenty for now.” True to her word, she snapped open the section of her pack that was food, and sorted through the bags of dried fruit and veggies, pulling out a fresh apple. She’d only bought a few of those, because they wouldn’t stay good for long on the road, but it was nice to have them. She also had a couple bags of jerky in there that, if ever asked, she would insist were backups for Xanthur. Most people accepted that.
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Post by Silver on Sept 1, 2012 1:26:02 GMT -5
Shayla shrugged as Mika pulled out food of her own, not thinking too much about it. She was probably just trying to be polite and use her own food. She couldn’t for the life of her figure out why Halcy had just darted like that, what was his problem anyways? This was gourmet stuff!
Halcy didn’t stop running until he was sure he was clear of the horrible gruel. Shayla tried to feed that to him every single night, and every night he refused. He never thought he would stoop so low, but he had actually begun to hunt the rats that were rampant in the run down apartment she lived in. They were gross, but definitely better than that. Either way, it was a skill that he had been forced to learn in order to survive that hellish existence. The stupid girl always wanted to cuddle and, god forbid, rub his ears. He hated that more than anything else.
A flash of silver whizzed by the corner of his eye, and in an instant he had pounced for it! High through the air he flew, ready to catch his prey!
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“Hm... How do you think they came up with it?” Shayla asked as she flopped down on her back directly outside of the tent, staring up at the night sky that was speckled with stars. “The names for the constellations I mean. There is the night-bringer...” She reached her hand up and began to trace images across the sky. “And the dawn-bearer.” She yawned as she reached into her backpack and pulled out a thick tome and began to jot something down in it.
“You know... In Mithras, you can hardly see any of the constellations because of the steam and smoke produced by the factories. The only star that is consistently visible is Valeria, and that is only because it is the brightest star in the sky.”
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Halcy was so close he could practically taste the gray jay in his mouth. However, instead of landing on his feathery dinner, he ended up landing in a puddle of something that smelled like old socks and Shayla's gruel. Gross.
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Post by Kitten King on Sept 1, 2012 2:13:49 GMT -5
Mika looked up from her own tent, where she had her old clay lantern lit. A book about the Dagurreo oasis was open in front of her, paintings of lush forest and sparklings ponds flickering with candlelight. She glanced up at the constellations, feeling a sense of comfort in them. They were the same back home, too... some had different names back home, but most of the big ones were the same.
“Probably where they sit in the sky most of the time, I guess,” she said, thinking about it herself. “The dawn-bearer sits in the east most of the year, and the night-bringer usually sits in the west.” She pointed up, tracing the constellations as she talked about them. “Might have something to do with what they are, too. Dragons and fire and the sun, maybe?” She didn’t know much about that - she hadn’t studied much, and symbolism was, for the most part, a little beyond her. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Just as the jay took wing, escaping Halcy, a blur of black caught it off-guard and had it pinned to a tree. It got out a single cry of surprise before Xan’s killing bite was on its throat. The black cat fluttered his wings, moving his catch into the branches of a tree and settling down there, purring as loud as he could in his glory. Hah! That suspicious, stupid silvery weirdo didn’t stand a chance.
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Post by Silver on Sept 1, 2012 14:25:33 GMT -5
It took every ounce of willpower that Halcy had to bite back a profanity. He didn’t want to give himself away though, not this early at least. If that weirdo knew that he could talk he would probably try and pester him every waking moment, not to mention fling insults directly to his face. No, Halcy was trying his best to be a normal cat, although the circumstances were making that increasingly hard to do.
He stared at Xan for a moment, munching on the bird that was supposed to be his. No big deal, there was probably plenty of prey in this forest. He didn’t really like the taste of birds anyways, too many feathers.
He eventually found a pond, and proceeded to jump in without a second thought. He needed to get that disgusting smell off of him, then he could focus on catching his dinner.
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Shayla nodded at Mika’s logic, flipping through the old tome of constellations and making marks next to the ones that she could readily identify. It made sense for the dawn-bringer to be a Dragon, a lot more sense than the myths and fairy tales that children were told about the representation of the struggle between the Shadowkin and the Lightwalkers. There were countless stories about them, but nothing even close to substantiating proof of their existence. However, out here under the stars and in the eerie quiet of the night, it was hard to think about Shadowkin without shuddering. “...Other than Dragons, is there anything else we should be avoiding in these mountains?”
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Post by Kitten King on Sept 1, 2012 14:42:59 GMT -5
Xan purred to himself, pretty content at his catch and smug as he watched Halcy trot off. He had his suspicions about that Halcy, but he was sure that they were probably wrong. He was actually hoping they could get along at some point... but he doubted it. He sure wouldn't be the one to drop his pride and ask for peace.
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"Hm.." Mika thought again, running a hand over her flowered hair in a nervous habit. "There's a number of other predators, but I don't think we'll have much problem with them. Cougars and shy and don't normally go after groups. Bobcats are bolder, but we're a little big for them. An eagle might take a shot at that cat of yours on a bad day, but with two people around I don't think it would be that brave." The eagles in the mountains were huge. Nothing compared to a roc or a thunderbird, of course, but still pretty big by normal comparison. "About the only thing I can think of is gryphons... but I don't think we'll see any. The mountain variety are pretty rare here, and they tend to steer clear of dragon territory." It was a possibility, she supposed - but not a big one.
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Post by Silver on Sept 2, 2012 13:42:49 GMT -5
Shayla nodded, feeling a bit more reassured by Mika’s words. Everyone knew how dangerous gryphons were to lone travelers, but she couldn’t remember ever hearing about someone actually being killed by one around here. Maybe the dragons scared them off.
“Well, it sounds like we don’t have too much to worry about then.” She responded, trying to convince herself as much as Mika. The truth was that this was her first time outside of Mithras, at least the first time she could remember. The unknown wilderness was much more frightening to her than the known dangers of the mechanical city. “Have you ever seen a Gryphon in person?”
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Halcy had been on the scent of what smelled like a rat for what seemed like an eternity now. Where was the damned thing? Every time he felt like he was getting near, the scent would disappear entirely. He would wander around for a while, then pick it up again in the strangest of places! Wait, where was he? The sound of Mika and Shayla talking had faded long ago, and he couldn’t even hear Xan munching on his bird anymore (not that it bothered him).
A strange crying noise came from somewhere in front of him, and that was the last straw. He immediately backpedaled and began to run in the opposite direction. Luckily for him, the faint sound of voices could be heard once more. He was about to burst through the brush and hide in Shayla’s tent when he forced himself to a screeching halt. That... wasn’t Shayla and Mika talking.
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Post by Kitten King on Sept 2, 2012 13:51:53 GMT -5
"Yes..." Mika said, nodding before she hesitated again. "Well. Technically only tame ones. Some people use them to get around in Dagurreo. They're more temperamental though, so most people still stick to pegasi." The quickest way out of the desert was to ride the fierce winds, and to get through them you had to use an equally fierce mount. She'd rode one only once - it was terrifying, but exhilarating. She wished she could always fly like that... it was in her blood, she supposed. To want the sky. That was why Xan had grown wings in the first place - to go where she could not.
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After quickly finishing off the bird, Xan sat back and was grooming his paws, before he realized he'd lost track of Halcy. Well... not like he should care, right? ...ugh. Curse his goodwill. He fluttered down off the branch, flapping close to the ground in an attempt to follow the other cat's scent. Things kept getting all kinds of muddled, however, and he found himself having a hard time with it. He paused in the air, trying to use his wings to kick up more scent, and frowned. The earth around here was very strong, but he could still catch the faint scent. That strange icy hint... it was unmistakable. He folded his wings, thudding down to the ground and pouncing after it.
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Post by Silver on Sept 2, 2012 14:03:40 GMT -5
Shayla nodded at Mika’s words, trying to imagine the strong desert winds. She had read about how hard it was to traverse the desert, and secretly hoped that she would never really have to try. Then again, the nature of her journey almost guaranteed that.
Speaking of strong winds... “Have you seen Sanctuary?” She asked, remembering reading about the floating Wayran city just last week. “Is it true that it not only floats, but that it is surrounded by fierce windstorm that never rests?” She had never actually seen the city of Sanctuary, but she had spoken with those who had, and they had said that it was nearly impossible to reach even on a winged mount. Only a Dragon’s wings had a chance of penetrating the strong gusts. Still, the idea of a city in the sky was almost too awe inspiring to pass up. Maybe, if she was lucky, she would get a chance to see it one day.
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Halcy considered running off, but his curiosity about why there would be anyone on this god-forsaken hill in the middle of the night caused him to linger. The slight breeze that picked was, unfortunately, carrying the voices away from him. Still, he could catch a slight word here and there.
“-head.... morning”
“blow- ….sky high!”
“won’t.... be anywhere..... there.”
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Post by Kitten King on Sept 2, 2012 14:20:47 GMT -5
"Only a glimpse. There were a lot of low clouds hiding it." She flipped her book closed at that point, rolling over onto her back to stare up at the starry sky. "The Wayrans aren't the most sociable. They like their solitude, and they do what they can to make sure they keep it." There was no doubt the clouds and windstorms were a work of strong magic. No surprise, really. Everyone knew that Wayrans were arguably to most talented in magical arts. They certainly didn't mind flaunting that either, using it in everything they could. She'd like to see a Wayran try to survive without magic for a little while. She'd bet they wouldn't last a day.
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Xan padded softly through the woods, ears perked for any sound. There was no trace of other cat paws moving through the undergrowth... but he could hear voices. Unfamiliar ones. He should ignore them though, concentrate on finding that stupid, fat, ugly... hey. The scent went the same way. Ha, probably just trying to pick up scraps, the lazy- he nearly ran into Halcy in his train of though, stopping at the last moment. The silver cat was poised even then, ears perked and listening. To what, though...? Xan tuned his ears in as well, trying to catch what Halcy was.
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Post by Silver on Sept 2, 2012 14:29:59 GMT -5
Shayla nodded as Mika spoke, her words confirming all of the things she had heard previously about the Wayran people. She had seen a few in Mithras throughout the years, but most of them were very unfriendly. She had learned that the best policy for dealing with Wayrans was to try and avoid them. They were incredibly easy to offend, and unnaturally suspicious of everyone, including each other.
“... It is getting rather late.” Shayla yawned, standing up to make her way towards the tent she had pitched earlier. “I wonder where Halcy is. It isn’t like him to wander off. Maybe Xan and him are playing!” The idea warmed her heart. Halcy was always so grumpy, it would be good for him to make a little friend.
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Halcy was so intent on the conversation he didn’t even notice Xan almost trip over him. The words were beginning to worry him. He couldn’t be sure, but it sounded like these people wanted to blow something up. That would definitely piss off the Dragons, and make their journey impossible.
“Should.... be doing this?”
“As-... get paid!”
“Suppose.... right.”
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Post by Kitten King on Sept 2, 2012 14:38:33 GMT -5
Mika had been thinking the same thing - it wasn't like Xan to be gone so long. She guessed he was just enjoying himself, from what she could tell earlier. Now her read on him seemed pretty neutral, and there was nothing to be worried abou- there it was. The familiar drop in her stomach that she felt when Xan's emotions went haywire. He was scared and worried. About what, she didn't know, but she could tell it wasn't good. She sat up, rubbing her forehead and beginning to worry herself.
"I don't know. Xan doesn't feel happy." She twisted around, staring out in the direction they'd run off. "Something's going on..."
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Fear rippled down Xan's spine, raising his fur as he realized what they were talking about. They... they wouldn't... but they would. He knew it, too. Nonono, he had to go back to Mika. Warn her, get them out of there. This was a bad idea after all, she'd been right... wait, he didn't know where or when! He couldn't leave yet! Oh man, this was really bad. This was really, really bad.
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Post by Silver on Sept 2, 2012 14:44:07 GMT -5
Shayla wasn’t sure what to make of Mika’s words. Surely she wouldn’t be able to tell- wait... Dryad, right. If Xan was upset about something, that meant that Halcy was probably in trouble too. She knew Halcy was tough, but at the same time she couldn’t help but worry about him. The problem was that she had no idea where they would be, and leaving the camp to wander through the dark woods seemed like a really bad idea. “What should we do?” She cried, her voice beginning to rise in panic. This was the first night, it was too early to have something like this happening already!
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Halcy began to bristle as the men continued to talk. He was pretty sure he knew what this was about... They were going to blow this part of the mountain sky high to make room for the mine and try and get rid of the Dragons that were protecting the borders. Who would be stupid enough to even attempt that? There were hundreds, if not thousands of dragons in these mountains, and if they figured out what had happened they would probably descend on Mithras like a swarm.
“...Be ready..... signal.”
“Take th- …. surprise.”
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Post by Kitten King on Sept 2, 2012 14:52:07 GMT -5
Mika got to her feet, moving towards Shayla to place a hand on the other girl's shoulder.
"Relax," she said quietly, gold eyes glowing faintly in the night. "For the moment, we wait - Xan's tough, and from what I could tell that puffball of yours is no pushover, either." She could sense Xan's fear melting back as she spoke, to be replaced with determination. "Give it a minute, and let's not overreact." She was very worried herself, but causing a panic between the two of them was not the way to go. She wanted to race into the woods as much as Shayla did, and if she was alone, she would have. But her first priority right now had to be keeping them both safe, and she planned on doing just that.
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Xan hissed softly, crawling silently up to be next to Halcy. His ears twitched, and he glanced over at the silver cat. No ordinary cat would care what these humans were saying.. or understand them. Hmph - he'd gloat on being right later. For now, he nudged Halcy gently, hissing in his ears.
"Hey Halcy," he said, remembering the cat's name from when Shayla had said it. "Puffball, if you understand me - what do you say to messing with these guys' plans a bit?" His own ambery eyes were shining in the night, and there was a fanged grin of determination on his face. If there was one thing these guys were not prepared for, it would probably be a pair of very smart cats eavesdropping on their conversation.
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Post by Silver on Sept 2, 2012 16:31:26 GMT -5
Shayla nodded as Mika put her hand on her shoulder, eyes wide with worry and fear. She wanted to make sure Halcy was okay. As much as he tried to play tough, she knew that he was just as naive about these kinds of things as she was, and it broke her heart to think he might be getting hurt right now. He may not have been a normal cat, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t afraid for him. From the sounds of it, Xan was a bit more street-smart than him. Hopefully he would make sure nothing happened.
“Y-yeah.” She finally managed to force out, listening intently for any sound of little paws. The cruel silence that responded was deafening.
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Halcy nearly screeched and blew their cover as Xan spoke to him. He had been so busy focusing on the men he didn’t even notice the other cat sneaking up to him. Dammit, he nearly had a heart attack! Luckily he was able to hold his cries inside. Unfortunately, it seems as though Xan had seen him listening intently to the conversation. ...It would be hard to pass that off as normal cat behavior, and under the circumstances, maybe it was worth working with Xan to take care of this.
He hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded his head. “Fine, but don’t call me Puffball.” He hissed, his fur ironically getting a bit puffier.
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Post by Kitten King on Sept 2, 2012 21:48:34 GMT -5
Mika was quiet, moving back to her own tent, her mind far away from the campsite. She could tell he was still worried, and a little scared, but he wasn't in any pain. Whatever he was doing, he was determined. She tried to focus more on him, see what he could... but she couldn't get a grasp on it. It required his concentration too. She sighed, scratching the back of her head and sitting down.
"...I think they'll be okay," she said after a moment, voice still low. "Whatever they're doing, Xan's determined to go through with it. Nothing we can do but get some rest."
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Xan's whiskers perked, admittedly surprised that Halcy could, in fact, speak as well. It brought up some interesting questions. They'd have time for that later, though.
"I don't know what you can and can't do, but all we need to do is spook them off. That'll give us enough time." With that he crawled a little closer, belly dragging in the dirt. His eyes glowed, and he pressed his ears close to his skull as he growled deeply. Almost time... he couldn't believe these people. He'd stop them, just wait and see...
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