Well, Phooka You Too [Open]

[Windra]

"I've gotta admit ... this isn't quite what I had in mind ... "

It was evening in Deep Forest. Spring had taken a dirt nap some time ago, giving in to the strangling heat of summer. Rising heat wasn't easy to contend with when you were stuck working on a building that had no air conditioning unit. Nt that they could accommodate one. After all, technology was limited in this mystical land. Lamps were replaced with torches, ect. No wifi. No television. No traffic signals. And certainly no running fans.

At least the building's windows were built with some strategy. They were on the walls facing common wind directions, beckoning cool breezes to slip inside. With temperatures slowly crawling into the high 90's, such a minuscule draft did little to evaporate the sweat on working foreheads. Had they any other choice, their current endeavor would've taken place outside with greater exposure to the air. All the necessary ingredients, however, restricted them within the building until it was completed.

"An' what were 'ou expectin', eh? Dat I would wave mah 'ands around, and POOF her out of 'ou?" retorted a thicker feminine voice, accent mildly resembling that from the nether regions of Haiti.

"Yes?" Naira shot back with a sheepish grin, submissively holding out her arm.

The Anubian sitting across from her snatched the half-dragon's limb into her grasp and made a noise. "'Ou know me bettah dan dat, girl! The Voodoo arts require great dedication an' alchemy, not some mystical 'ocus pocus." Large, pointed ears quivered atop the canid's elongated skull. Black-furred with strange tribal markings died onto her body and clothed with an odd garb tethered together with ropes and bits of bones, this being was a peculiar sight to see.

"Deep Forest spoiled me," the other chuckled, bracing for the feel of metal on flesh. "Those that live here can breathe fire or fling electricity from their fingertips. Doesn't exactly take a whole lot of effort." Burying the point, she a finger on her opposite hand and conjured a quarter-sized tornado. It danced briefly upon her claw before diminishing.

Sheikka snorted. Though the Anubian Reaver was outwardly disapproving, Naira had been around her long enough to know when the priestess was amused. It was a good feeling: having an old friend back in one's company ... especially when said friend was thought dead. But a lot of things had happened lately. And not everything was nearly as it seemed. Sheikka here in flesh and blood was proof enough of that.

The two of them were sitting in the kitchen, next to the cooking spit. Sheikka pulled Naira's arm taut over the hanging pot while looking about with her free arm, bringing it back holding a cask made of worn leather. It took only one movement to pop the top off. The Anubian sprinkled it into the pot slowly, whispering words in her native tongue without once stammering. Some of the herbs within the unknown concoction crackled and popped when exposed to the blistering heat at the pot's bottom. Naira thought it smelled oddly of chicken noodle soup, and restrained her urge to laugh. Sheikka was deeply concentrating now. She was prone to becoming extremely aggravated when interrupted. The thick silence was broken only by the High Priestess' chanting and the chirp of cicadas outside.

[Windra]

With silence as the only background music to this random moment in history, it was fairly easy to hear anything that might be approaching. Sheikka was the first to hear it, what with her sensitive capabilities. An ear pivoted in the direction from whence it came, but that was the only reaction earned, so tuned into her work was she. Naira noticed the sound briefly afterwards and turned her head, brow raising. The noise was familiar enough - padded feet trotting along near the inn's entrance, slowly making their way across the main hall. Her first thought was that it might be Felix making his way back from the packlands. This was almost immediately dismissed by the size of the shadow being cast into the kitchen when it came within distance. It was huge!

So too was the beast. And black-furred to boot.

Naira looked briefly taken aback. "Wha - ACK!" She quickly withdrew her arm, surprised by the searing pain drawn against her skin. Seeing the momentary distraction as a blaring invitation, Sheikka had raked the ceremonial dagger she held across the half-dragon's flesh, spilling enough blood into the searing pot before Naira reacted.

The Anubian chuckled softly under her breath. "If 'ou'd been paying attention ... "

"Good gods, you're rough," Naira hissed in a tone of mock-hurt. She rubbed at the spot with gloved hands, staring wistfully while the skin began the hastened process of healing. In the time it took her to run her dainty claws up her arm, the slice had sealed and was vanishing from sight. "A bit of a dom, aren't you?" the humanoid inquired jokingly, throwing a grin the Anubian's way.

The response was a smug look and a, "Well, I can't 'elp it if I am ... ah ... more adventurous than 'ou." Sheikka pulled a wooden spoon from the counter and stirred the pot. More chanting spilled out of her maw in the Anubian's native language. A thick, charcoal-hued smoke spilled from the cauldron's opening, smelling faintly of beef barley. It would have been possibly invigorating, evoking hunger in those who caught its scent ... so long as they didn't know the ingredients.

Pain on the arm slipped to mild sensitivity. Naira massaged it, cooing something under her breath, all while staring right across the room at something big. And black. And furry. She knew it was no wolf, for it was far larger (Mithren be damned, those wolves would be jealous of this monstrosity!) A bit on the shaggy side, the four-legged beast found a spot of content along the far wall and plopped down there as if it was where he ... or she ... belonged. Beady red eyes clung to its skull with a soft glow about them and they stared across at Naira while its bushy tail thwapped excitedly on the floor. A long pink tongue lolled out the side of its mouth. Huge and intimidating though it may have been, the pointy-eared hound looked about as dopey as a happy Great Dane.

"Big ol' Blackie's here again," Naira told Sheikka once the High Priestess had stopped chanting. The Anubian had removed the pot from the fre and was now in the process of molding something within her hands. Naira snuffed out the still-burning flame with a pitcher of water. "Third time this week."

"'Aybe it likes 'ou?" Sheikka stated, pausing in her work to look up and stare. Seeing the added attention, the dog's tail-wagging grew in intensity - so much that it actually rocked the canine's whole hindquarters. "'Ou are sure it isn't a resident dat 'ook a liking to da place?"

Nemo shook her head. "I've never seen it outside of the inn. The few times I tried following it, he just ... vanished. Like a ghost."

"Black dogs are supposed 'oo be ill o-mens."

"Yeah, so are owls." The two exchanged knowing looks. "But I'm still here, so ... "

[Windra]

Silence fell only when Sheikka turned her attention once more to the simmering pot. Clawed fingers folded in upon themselves, kneading and working at whatever was nestled between furred palms.

Naira hissed something incoherent under her breath before looking up, still rubbing at her arm's sore spot. "Are you through with me?" she asked casually, keeping her voice below a normal tone.

Sheikka responded by taking the molding clay from her hands and slamming it abruptly on the table nearby.

Naira took the hint. "I'll get us some tea, then," she said with a nod, quietly slipping out of her chair to saunter across the room. Her steps mingled with the occasional glance over her shoulder. The dog sat there though it all: unperturbed, unwavering, and certainly not disrupted from his tail-wagging enthusiasm.

While Naira made a mess of sifting through pots and pans, trying to find the kettle, Sheikka hones in on the clay-beating with an intent look etched all about her canine features. With hands clenched into fists she buffeted away at the pliable stuff. She stretched it out and rolled it back up and smashed it thin again. This continued for about five times before she finally rolled it into a ball and used her thumb to press a well into the center.

"'Ou'll be feelin' da effects shortly," the bestial woman announced across the room to Naira, who had finally found the kettle and was filling it with water.

"Gopher it."

Sheikka was careful about lifting the pot since it was still hot. She began her chanting ... beginning as a whisper with the first few drops and growing louder with every passing second. It was amazing how much of that fluid the claw could actually hold. But every bit hat was placed in the well seemed to simply vanish as if being soaked up by a sponge. The material, initially a cream yellow, began to slowly turn a scarlet red.

"Jeeze," muttered Naira, who sank to her knees just after placing the kettle over heat. Multiple hues of colors shone before her eyes with brilliance. Hallucinations along with the strange sensation of being lighter than air gave her the rough impression of being drunk. "I feel like I've had a lobotomy." That was the best way she could describe it. Her head suddenly didn't feel full anymore, if that even made sense.

[Pandoras_Box]

((OOC: Many pardons if it seems like I'm guessing at details... it's mostly because I am, lol. I assume this is a building in the forest, but if it's not, or if you have other landmarks I should note, let me know, and I can edit my post. This is a character I've come up with as of this afternoon, and I hope he works out.))

Paw-step. Paw-step. Paw-step. Paw-step.

He was thinking about his feet again. His feet fascinated him.

Paw-step. Paw-step. Paw-step. Paw-step.

Really, they did. He had four of them. And as if that wasn't strange enough, they had thick, calloused pads and blunt black claws, and black fur that rippled up his limbs until they turned into red fur that covered everything else.

Paw-step. Paw-step. Paw-step. Paw-step.

Even stranger? His front feet, the ones he clearly but-not-that-clearly remembered picking things up with? No thumbs.

He didn't have any thumbs.

Paw-step. Paw-step. Paw- he tripped up and stumbled.

How?! Why?! He gazed at his fore feet, feeling bemused.

Sniff. Sniff. Sniff-sniff-sniff.

Well, that's interesting. His animal brain was confused. He'd never smelled this smell before. But his human part of the brain knew that a lot of smells in this forest were unrecognizable. However, one smell that he clearly recognized was the smell of smoke. The animal brain was wary of smoke. Fires were dangerous. But the human knew that smoke meant fire, which meant warmth and food and comfort and light.

All the things he currently didn't have.

He stopped thinking about his feet (it only made him trip up anyway) and trotted through the dappled shade of the very tall trees in this, on more than one occasion, kinda creepy forest.

He was a maned wolf. Long, thin legs, lean body, narrow head, big ears. Reddish brown fur all over except for the black on his legs and muzzle, and the creamy white fur in his ears, under his jaw, and tipping his tail. He was a little on the big side for a maned wolf. Don't ask him how he knew that. He could never remember how he knew anything about maned wolves.

Or why he was one.

A building appeared between the trees. Smoke rising from it's chimney. The smell of a hound. Of that odd scent he'd picked up. Of other odd scents. Of wood and stone. Of... food?

He considered his options. He could ask for a hand out. (Because that wouldn't be embarrassing or anything!) He was hungry, which the animal part of his brain could accept (often times were hungry), but the human part became fixated on things like that. He could walk away, and save face (and go hungry). He could stay, and find out what the odd smells were (but did he really want to sit and smell strange creatures? That was weird.)

He strode up to the open doorway of the building and peered inside, not sure what to make of anything yet.

He then utilized his most surprising skill: his voice.

"Um... hello?"

He learned that he could speak early on, after realizing that his screaming was more human than animal. It took time to learn how to use the strange new mouth and throat, but the result was incredibly clear and concise, though occasionally he rolled his R's in a very canid manner. (He had decided to ignore the fact that it was also impossible, and that surely some strange power indeed was at work, because he was absolutely certain that maned wolves did not talk. Not like humans, anyway.)

"Anyone home?"

[JunoZXV]

((It's been ages but I was pestered to post... *Cracks off rust from RP portion of brain*))

Sometime else: "FOU-"

Here, now, at this moment. Whizzing through the tree tops as if he had been thrown poofed Juno though a temporal space... portal thing. What was only a moment for him accounted for a forwards/backwards/wherever he was at this moment.

"-L?"

Speeding to the ground.

THUD!

"Powerful... word."

Groaning with the freshly bruised impact of kissing the dirt, the pirate got up. Pink hair shimmering in the wind, the light glinting off his ruby colored eyes... his ears picking up the noises of-

Of course then his nose took over and completely ruined the moment. Turning he poked his head into the conversation going on and quipped.

"Hey, whatchu cookin'? Soup?"

[Windra]

It was the canine in the room that picked up on the slightest of sounds first. Its head rose, blazing red eyes peering with curiousity into the next room. Ears pivoted, attentive and alert ... giving it the general impression of a guard dog up until it began to pant, tongue lolling out of its mouth, and thump its tail hard against the ground. A voice carried over from the inn's entrance. While the dog quivered with happy excitement, Sheikka paid little to no mind of what was going on. Her chants became louder and harder. The clay beneath her visage continued to shift into its strange red form ... turning darker in color, stranger in complexion, and did Naira just see it twitch?

But Naira wasn't totally paying attention. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head. At some point all the lights had gone out, leaving her mind feeling empty and cold ... strangely muffled. The voice that had been Scarlet's fell silent. Was it tamed? Or pulled out?

The endless drone of Sheikka's mantra eventually drilled off into silence. Her clawed thumbs pressed against the clay face of her creation, forming deep indentations which blinked when the Anubian retracted.

"Eeht iz done," she stated simply, stepping back with something smug tugging at the corners of her mouth. Her posture was rigid and her arms were crossed, but any keen observer could catch the hint of success floating about her body like a thick aroma.

Naira groaned, slowly rubbing her eyes as if that would restore color and brightness to her world. Though her head did not ache, it felt stranger than before ... Peering through half-closed orbs granted her the vision of blotchy colors and blurred edges. Everything slowly receded to normal, but she didn't move for fear of vertigo taking hold. "How did it - "

So much for that resolve of not budging.

THUD!

Something limber and black and pink came crashing into the wooden floor just beyond her feet. The Reaver immediately jumped backwards with a yelp. That would have been okay if the stove wasn't behind her. Which she struck with a great deal of force, knocking the kettle onto her chest ...

Time to count her lucky stars. At least the water had only been lukewarm, and not scalding hot. Negative points: her shirt was now soaked clean through. Naira waited for the blood to quit rushing to her head before sighing nonchalantly, scooping the kettle from its resting place on the floor.

"Of course it'd be Juno."

Sheikka and Naira both glanced up at the roof. There was no hole. So how in the hell did the pirate wind up -

PIRATE.

The Anubian's face twisted into a scowl. She looked between the Reaver and the pink-haired Neko with growing dislike of the situation. There was no denying what had happened in the past. They all knew what it was that Juno possessed. How Naira could be so casual around the Black Cat didn't bother Sheikka as much as it annoyed her.

I know how you are, so I'll behave, Sheikka's accent-less mental voice poked through to Naira's own, engaging in a telepathic conversation. But if that Kuroshard makes one wrong move ...

Naira waved a dismissive hand. She felt her shirt and frowned. "Joy ... gotta change. Be right back." And with that, she slipped out the room through another door, grinning slightly while passing Juno.

Sheikka's ears twitched and she snorted. Reluctantly facing the pirate, she drew a claw before her face and gestured at the clay figure laying atop the table. "Not food. A 'agical brew. 'E are drawing Scarlet''s essence from Naira, and implanting eet in ahn object."

At this, the humanoid shape of red shifted and moved. The arms wobbled. The eyes fluttered. It was ... alive?

"Whoooooaaah," spilled a small, familiar voice from the orifice that was its mouth, tiny in volume to match its miniscule size. "I think I'm trippin' balls ... "

[Pandoras_Box]

"Hello?" he called again, when no one appeared.

The maned wolf with dark intelligent eyes stood curiously in the doorway. He could smell the hound. His big ears twitched, easily picking up the sounds within. Two... no, three people? There was chanting, a low drone which, though he could hear it clearly, couldn't make out the words of. A loud thump, the clatter of something metal and the splash of water. The hound was panting. There was a rapid thumping noise. Perhaps he was wagging his tail like dogs usually do?

He poked his head further inside. Roomy. Homey. Chairs and tables. A large hearth. The smell of food previously cooked, and various drinks, and wood smoke. A deeper snuff. It vaguely reminded him of some place...

But the memory zipped away before he could get his hands...paws... around it. He sighed, licked his nose, and strode in cautiously, peering around into the dimness.

"Anyone home? I was wondering if maybe I could possibly beg a piece of meat from you..."

No one in the first room, which left the dim doorway across the room.

"Hope you don't mind me being in here," he said, and went to the door and peered in.

And there was the hound. The thing was huge. He recoiled a step or two. It's eyes were glowing red! He felt a bristling along his back. Without even thinking of it his mane had risen up long the back of his neck and shoulders, making him look bigger.

"Nevermind. I'll come back later..."

[JunoZXV]

(Sorry this is all that came to mind.)

"Oh... still looks like soup to me."

Juno replied then got a coy smile

"Dare you to implant her into an undergarment. Come on you know she'd have the time of an afterlife with that."

[JunoZXV]

(Double post, ignore!)

[Windra]

OoC
You fail at life, sir.

--

The comment caused Sheikka to raise the ridges above her eyes in disgust. Share was not beyond making a few crude jokes herself ... but considering how much energy she'd put into bringing Scarlet back right this very moment ... the amusement escaped her. Her maw parted a little to release a faint and lifeless, "Haw,". And though Scarlet's clayform fidgeted where it was, the Anubian's eyes never left Juno's body. Her stare was so intent it could burn a hole clean through him, had she lasers.

"Sexy!' blurted the red figure. It was really moving now, slowly shifting one limb and then another. Eventually it grew less awkward over its motions and pushed itself into a sitting position. If this was Scarlet, she was nothing like before. Maybe only a foot tall, and lacking any definition to her body. No hair, no features, a very round face ... and when two round spots opened in the head, it became clear that she lacked eyeballs. Yet she could see well enough, because her neck pivoted and she was staring at the room with shock and awe like she hadn't seen the world clearly before. She hadn't. Scarlet looked at her doughy arms, her simple legs ... and then her chest.

At this point, the clay jaw dropped.

"Where's mah rack?!"

Now Sheikka had to stop staring at Juno, only because her facepalm got in the way. "Eehtz a work in progress," she muttered disdainfully.

Scarlet gave her flat chest a squeeze with utter disapointment. Then she looked up, getting an eyeful of Sheikka for the first time. "Puppy!" Then to the actual dogs in the doorway. "PUPPIES!" Finally she looked at Juno ... and Scarlet pointed enthusiastically. "PINK! Dang, yer hot! No wonder Naybee wants ta - "

THUD!

Sheikka gawked as Naira, who had by this point returned downstairs with a clean and dry shirt, unceremoniously dropped a Gallifreyan encyclopedia on the moving and talking Dough Girl. "Whoops. Wonder how that happened," she deadpanned, lips tight and expression rather cross.

"You - I - But," stammered the Anubian Reaver, arms out to her side as if she was ready to wring somebody's neck. Which she did, grabbing Naira by the throat and throttling her. "VAT IN DA RIVER STX WAS ALL DAT HARD LABOR FOR?!"

"D-d-d-d-d," Naira tried to reply. She let Sheikka do her thing for a moment before finally prying frustrated claws away from her neck. Grooves were carved into her skin where Sheikka's claws made rough contact. They healed instantaneously. "Don't worry. I've got more blood. We could do it again." Even then she was rubbing her temple. A migraine was coming on with Scarlet's preemptive return into her mind. Her vision was already splotching with a technicolor rainbow.

Sheikka withdrew with a frustrated sigh. "Fine." She swung around, ears pinned backwards against her skull, and scoured the shelves for something useful. Her fingers drifted until they came to a mason jar, which she snatched up and handed to the half-dragon with a gaze that reeked of irritation. "Use this. With d'ere, 'ou'll be busy very soon."

Naira took the jar with a grin. "You're moody, grandma. Did you take your pill today? Green, remember, not blue."

"Shut up."

"My, what big teeth you have."

Nemo craned her head to peer at the two canids lurking nearby. One was reproachful with its hackled raised, clearly expecting a fight ... which was also clearly not going to come, considering how the black-furred, red-eyed mangy beast simply thumped its tail at the possible threat.

"You don't need to go. Things are probably going to get very interesting here in a bit," advised the woman to the younger wolf-thing. She pointed at the black dog with the hand holding the jar, extending a finger to gesture in its direction. The canine, in turn, looked directly at her. "He's been taunting me for weeks now. I'm finally going to catch him today." Unexpectedly, the strange creature barked as if in challenge. Naira issued a chortle and disappeared into yet another room and away from them, calling back, "Make sure it doesn't run away!"

Meanwhile, Sheikka busied herself by dusting off the encyclopedia. She uttered a disdainful sigh while gazing at the red lump that had one been a successful revive and slowly scooped it into the pot again. "She been after dat dog fer a while now," said the Anubian through her cleaning. "Gonna start tradin' with neighborin' communities ... needs a mount."

[Pandoras_Box]

The hound only looked at him stupidly.

Some guard dog, he thought. His wolf side remained wary.

He shook himself, forcing his mane to settle.

"Sexy!" said a tiny voice. He cocked his head, large ears twitching. He scanned the room, but couldn't see who was speaking.

"Where's mah rack?!" He blinked. The strange person sitting by the fire slapped her hand to her face. The voice seemed to come from near her person. She was holding something in her hand, but he couldn't get a good look at it due to angle. Was there something in her hand?

"Eehtz a work in progress," she muttered.

He moved further into the room, eying the hound warily, but the drooling beast only watched him with interest. He looked back at the gypsy-like creature, and noticed her own decidedly canine features. Where on earth did he end up?

He thought he saw something small and red move on the canine woman's palm.

"Puppy!" The tiny voice shouted. "PUPPIES!" The voice seemed to be coming from a tiny, red figure, crudely molded from clay, sitting in the woman's hand. Borochi had seen so much weirdness, he wasn't surprised by much lately, but this... was pushing it a bit. The figure waved a limb at the bright pink, dashingly dressed creature standing in the room.

"PINK! Dang, yer hot! No wonder Naybee wants ta - "

THUD!

The maned wolf jumped at least several inches. A large and heavy looking book had flown out of nowhere and smashed the clay figure, silencing it. He looked up, and spotted the thrower of the book, a creature who looked to be half human, half reptile, walking down the stairs above them. He gaped, jaw hanging open slightly.

"Whoops. Wonder how that happened," she said flatly. Her bearing suggested she was annoyed. Borochi considered leaving again. His strangeness meter was starting to climb quite high. His eyes seemed fixed on her large, clawed feet. He tore his gaze away.

"You - I - But," the other woman sputtered. Her arms were out, staring at the crushed figure. Without even knowing these people, Borochi knew that-

The woman grabbed the half and half creature by the neck, shaking her in anger. "VAT IN DA RIVER STX WAS ALL DAT HARD LABOR FOR?!"

-that a violent outburst was imminent.

"D-d-d-d-d," the creature choked. She finally clawed the woman's hand off her. The claw marks across her skin healed instantly. Borochi blinked. Not even a bruise left? "Don't worry. I've got more blood. We could do it again." She started rubbing her temple. Headache perhaps. Being throttled was likely to do that to you.

The other sighed. "Fine."

She spun on her heel and started scanning shelves, back stiff with indignation.

Borochi settled back on his haunches, pretty sure he was in no danger- for the moment. He licked casually at a foreleg, rearranging the hairs, as the two creatures bantered with each other. He had learned the importance of grooming from his canid instincts. it keep the fur clean. Allowed him to spot and remove ticks... of which he's had way too many lately. He cocked a hind leg and started scratching vigorously at his side. Oh yes, ohh yesss, that felt so good...

"You don't need to go. Things are probably going to get very interesting here in a bit." The half and half creature was speaking, and he realized belatedly it was to him.

"Huh? Oh!" He stopped scratching, embarrassed. He sat up, and licked his nose nervously. "Sorry. Yes, thank you kindly."

She pointed at the hound, who looked directly at her. "He's been taunting me for weeks now. I'm finally going to catch him today." The canine barked loudly, challengingly. The half and half creature chuckled and disappeared into another room. "Make sure it doesn't run away!"

"Er..." Borochi said. He and the hound locked eyes for an instant, and looked away.

The gypsy-wolf-woman busied herself with picking up the book and putting things to rights again.

"She been after dat dog fer a while now," she said. "Gonna start tradin' with neighborin' communities ... needs a mount."

"Ah... is it a game?" he asked, having absolutely no idea what they were talking about.

[JunoZXV]

"Mount?" Was Juno's reply to all the insanity in the room. "I knew Nai was pent up but not that bad."

There was a pause in the air as if timing was hanging around waiting for an audiable groan. He then noticed the talking wolf.

Wolf.

Dog.

Canine.

The thing that chases cats up trees.

"IjustrememberedIhavetogo..." Juno replied turning a complete 180 and bolting for the door he had entered from only to trip on the floor.

THUD.

So much for grace.

Pooka that.

[Windra]

"Ah ... is it a game?" sputtered the other canid, sounding extremely confused at the whole scenario. Sheikka gave the smallest smile in response to his inquiry

"'Ou ... could say dat," she tried to explain, waving a hand before her face as if to materialize an image before herself. The distinct aroma of sandalwood incense permeated the atmosphere quite suddenly. "Eets like a Kelpie of legend ... or 'ou familiar with dat?" She paused long enough to allow chat intervention before continuing. Her eyes watched the other dog now, but she stole casual askance glimpses at Juno - wary, as always. "A Kelpie is a being known 'o lure victims een, like a Siren ... And dey will drag the unwitting rider to zey're deaths."

She extended a doggish finger in the larger black canine's direction. It's red eyes lit up unexpectedly. Really, they flashed so brightly that the Anubian had to avert her gaze. There was no reason for this random behavior. While Sheikka rubbed the residual orbs of light from her vision, the canine panted and thumped its tal harder against the ground. It was growing excited. you could tell by the way its whole body shook with every flap of it's rear appendage.

"Phookas ... which is vat zis beast is ... behave a little differently," Sheikka muttered with disdain heavy in her voice. Clearly she was not amused. "Zey vill lure a victim in by challenging eet ... But ... to ze one who accepts ze challenge and conquers it, ze beast will loyally ride zem through battle."

"Mount?" retorted a sly Juno. "I Knew Nai was pent up but not that bad."

"Says the man who overcompensates with a huge flying ship." quipped Naira back. She arrived from the other room with the mason jar filled with blood, cap screwed on tightly. She shot a devilish, daring grin at Juno, all the while rubbing her very sore neck. "And a huge sword." She was, of course, referring to Rose Red ... Where had that ginormous blade gone anyway?

Naira handed the jar to Sheikka. The Anubian looked it over with a critical eye before nodding in acceptance and returning to her working space. A series of chance spilled from her mouth while she labored over the pot ... cringing and stopping only when Juno decided to wig out. His escape for the door was hindered by his lack of grace. She did, however, smirk ... and Naira guffawed at the pirate's expense.

"She hit the flooooor," sang the Reaver with a twinkle in her eye, "next thing you know ... "

No time for that!

Perhaps Juno's ... not so entrancing movements stirred the Phooka to complete enthrallment? Who knew. But suddenly it was on the move. Claws scrabbled against hardwood floor as the dog got onto all fours, loping towards a fallen Juno -

- and leaping over him, bounding through the kitchen ... into the main room ... pausing only at the front door, whereupon it turned and uttered a single loud bark who's volume was enough to rattle the glasses perched on their shelves. Then it was gone - shoving the door open with its massive snout.

"Oh no you don't!" growled Naira, quick on the dog's heels. She got to the door just as the Phooka's tail disappeared through the entrance. Nemo didn't hesitate to see if the others would follow her - she was outside in an instant.

[JunoZXV]

"Clearly she left her brains in there." Juno replied after getting up, gesturing to the vial of blood meant for Shiekah to work with. "Doesn't she remember what happened just 5 or so minutes ago? You get to work on making scarlet and 'Zzzonk!' out like a light for her."

There was a pause in the air, as if a parallel was being drawn for some comedic purpose.

"Guess I'll go after her pho- ph... swearword, unless there's something you want me to do before I go bounding off hap hazardly."

[Windra]

Jar clasped tightly within her claws, Sheikka's snout wrinkled in disgust at Juno's words. Once upon a time she greeted the pirate with humor. Now there was nothing left but a sense of deep foreboding that troubled her ever-wary mind. The Anubian held the crimson-filled glassware up to a candle and peered through it carefully as though looking for imperfections. Long jackal ears swiveled to where Juno stood, yet they were the only things to face him. For the first time all night, Sheikka was intentionally averting her gaze. But with that frown ... it was clear to see just how much she approved of the current situation. Or rather, how much he disapproved of the pink elephant in the room.

"Do vat you vill," said the Anubian in a rather dull, toneless droll. She swirled the bloody cocktail before setting upon her working table. The crimson clay mold was left alone where it lay, alone and disregarded. that was alright ... It was merely a test run. Now to move onto bigger, better things. "She iz capable of handling 'er own but appears to enjoy your company ... "

There were footfalls from beyond the kitchen - dainty and padded, barely making a sound. Sheikka was aware of this but the noise was familiar. She offered it no worry. After all ... the scent that lingered in the air along with it was very much familiar. "Anybody home?" called a jovial voice, singsongy and happy. Felix's head peeked around the corridor. His yellow eyes settled briefly on the Anubian, looking surprised, before glancing at the pirate and strange dog. "What happened? Nay just flew past me."

"Ze Phooka again," explained Sheikka with a smug look. "Eet took off."

"Reckon she'll get it this time?" he asked, bemused. There was a great big grin on his face. Sheikka could only assume that he was returning to the inn after seeing Lorelei. He'd been in high spirits ever since meeting the kitsune shifter. "I mean, this is only the fifth time ... "

"Eet keeps tracing ze same path through da woods, headin' out to Eaveson Canyon well out in ze west."

"Finally got predictable." Felix looked behind him and beyond their vision. His eyes were on the ground. "I'm gonna dig through some of her vinyl. Do you mind?"

Sheikka waved a dismissive hand. "Just make sure 'ou keep eet down."

The Dhole nodded. He looked one again to Juno and offered a grin. "Nice to meet'cha, stranger," he said with a chipper swing in his voice and a nod of the head. With that he turned on his heel and waltzed into the living room. There was an old Victrola nestled against the wall with rows upon rows of records: some new, some as ancient as the machine itself. Soon the melancholy tunes of various Frank Sinatra songs came billowing through the halls, bouncing off the walls ... low in volume as requested, but hauntingly smooth.

Undaunted by this random event, the Anubian stared Juno down with a sudden stern and dangerous glare. "But know dis ... ," she growled, suddenly seething. "Ve know about 'ou, and Kuro ... You make vone wrong move ... " She trailed off on a very harsh note and pivoted to the newest matter at hand. There was work to be done ... if Scarlet was going to come back to life.

--

Well ... this was unfortunate.

Naira had taken off at a sprint behind the large black dog with bright red eyes. Evidently this was not nearly quick enough. The canine was quicker on his feet than she recalled. Was he getting faster by the day? Surely he'd only been here a moment prior! Flicking her tail in mild annoyance (and the thrill of the hunt), the Reaver sauntered her way through trees and bramble. She passed an inquisitive Felix on the way through Deep Forest but didn't pause to say hello, leaving the Dhole looking rather miffed and highly confused.

She only paused when coming to a clearing. There was a pattern in the grass indicating something had been through there ... Certain parts were bent here and trampled there. Nemo followed the supposed trail at first, only changing direction when a bark from not so far away caught her attention. With a sharp ninety-degree turn Naira was hot on the trail again. She could see a patch of something big and obsidian in hue looming in the distance, growing farther and farther away ... getting smaller and smaller with increased distance being placed between poacher and prey.

The Phooka was going to go his usual route. Even from here, Naira could see the beast take a swift left turn into the mangrove swamplands, its large figure vanishing between sticks and oversized roots. This was typical. And a trick Naira had fallen for countless times beforehand. The last chase had her drowning in a pool of quicksand. Yeah. Not doing that again. She veered right, dashing silently onward with her next destination clearly envisioned within her mind. Too bad I can't just teleport there ... The thought stirred a cauldron of bitterness in her stomach. She reached a clawed hand into her pants pocket and rummaged about until withdrawing a small, oval citrine stone roughly the size of a half-dollar. It was smooth and well-rounded. It rolled unconsciously between her fingers - an action that normally would have alleviated some stress. In this case it only brought to light what had to be done ... and formed a tight knot of dread in the depths of her very being.

Every day she fought a very strong urge to simply toss the object into one of the heavily forested areas of Deep Forest, never to be found again. It would have been relieving to say the least. But the truth of the matter was there was no avoiding it.

While the Phooka made his round-about way though the woodlands, eventually coming out the other side and doubling back as he normally did (intent on tricking his pursuer, who had now wizened up to his games), Naira struck out west. Eventually she came upon Boundary Mountains. A series or markers (in the form of knife etchings from Naira's own obsidian blade) carved in stone led her to a narrow path paved between boulders through centuries of erosion. Cliff walls several miles high jutted up on either side. They were remarkably smooth - possibly the result of some ancient glacier long since melted. It was a strange little alcove, left completely undisturbed for nobody knew how long ... Draconic talons plodded along without hindrance or pain on the soft soil. The earth here was probably extremely fertile, judging by its color alone ... Why did nothing grow?

Probably the lack of sunlight ...

Indeed ... The crevasse was very, very dark. Naira lacked a lantern. She navigated by trailing her fingers along the limestone walls. Aside from the occasional stumble upon something she didn't see, the journey was relatively undaunting. Jarred nerves would oftentimes send the Reaver looking over her shoulder. Of course it was nearly pitch black at times. If somebody were to follow her, Naira would be none the wiser ... though they would have to be awfully quiet to get by undetected. This place was as silent as death.

It was a straight shot to the canyon from here. Two long hours passed before the Reaver finally found herself at the path's end. Dusk's dimming light flooded the passageway's expanded exit. Beyond it lay a magnificent sight: Eaveson rivaled the Grand of Earth in several ways. What made this place so magnificent were the strange and peculiar hues of layered stone. When reflecting the sun, they glittered and sometimes glowed. Literally glowed. Night was a spectacle here. It was like a rave without the music. Beauty without comparison, though the several sheer drops were enough to instill fear in anybody who was unsure of their step.

Sighing, Naira pressed her back against the firm rock wall and crossed her arms. It would be only a few minutes before the Phooka would arrive at this destination as well. She hoped to catch the beast by surprise. Until then ... there was nothing like taking in the scenery.

[JunoZXV]

"I wouldn't worry about Kuro. You're keeping him at bay." Juno replied with a flat tone to Shiekah's threat there. Making it abundantly clear that ill intentions were at bay. As for what's going inside Juno's body well... we can take a look:
_____
"Hey pass the popcorn will ya? Things are gonna get good."

"Ire-man, don't get cha panties in a twist! It'll be there a'fore the boy leaves the house!"

"I'm just curious about that cameo. Who was that guy with the orange text?"

"I dunno, but if ya even thin' 'bout goin' afta him. Ye hav anootha thin' a coomin'"

"Pssht, You kidding? These demigods are BOORING."

"Hey Kuro's not trying to break out is he?"

"Nah thin's are cool here. We're about to watch ya go after the gal."

"Oooh sweet save the recording!"

BING!

"Popcorns done!"

_____

Yeah, no threat there. In some parallel universe that was going on in Juno's mass community of Souls, Kuro and Shiekkah were basically roommates that were getting along. Probably memories from a more twisted fun time.


But now with focus back in on current events and that long odd pause for the introspection of voices Juno headed out the inn door following Nai's footsteps shouting:

"Hey wait up for me! HI HO!"

Clearly that last word was meant as a...

DANIGIT JUNO! I'm trying to keep this PG!

[Windra]

During the canyon trek, Naira heard the plodding of footsteps. that, couple with the familiar drifting scent of cinnamon and sugar ... It was easy to tell who'd been following her this entire time. Especially when the pace quickened and a feminine voice called out, "Hey, wait up for me! HI HO!"

Arms still crossed, Naira looked down the darkened crevasse as Juno revealed himself. She rose a brow in mock-bewilderment. "Ho?" she asked in a tone that was vaguely, vaguely, irritated. Slowly she uncrossed her arms and gestured to him with clawed fingers. "What can I say? I learned from the Master."

With a flick of her tail, Naira pushed herself off the rock wall and began pacing back and forth. The mountainous pathway opened up to the canyon, yes ... but there was a rocky slope before them, pocket-marked with deep animal dens and indentations formed through years of chance meteor strikes, before ending with a sudden mile-long drop. It wasn't steep enough to warrant a safety harness lest they tumble off to their 'deaths' (for Juno at least ... Could he even die? That bullet to the head sure as hell said he could.) They could probably walk around the slope until finding a spot to descend on ... But where was the fun in that?

Naira carefully stepped over a hole she knew belonged to a copperhead and slid her way towards the slope's edge. Using the heel of her draconic feet, the Reaver braked in time to avoid a nasty fall. Peering over the edge filled her stomach with a butterfly sensation. It was a lot like being on a roller coaster ... just when you hit the top of the incline and start barreling downwards. Naira extended her right hand, palm up, and concentrated on forming a ball of wind energy between her fingers. It swirled there in mid-air, no bigger than a volleyball but with the energy potential to grow larger. She suddenly threw it to the ground before her feet and it flattened into the shape of a board, levitating a few inches off the ground but swirling with just enough wind to unsettle the smaller pebbles beneath it.

"Been learning some tricks," she told Juno, then quickly thought about what she said and pointed at him threateningly, adding, "No, not like that! Anyway, Moon Moon" - she paused briefly to look off-camera, then glanced back - "will show up down there, soooo ... " Naira stepped onto the windboard, giving the object a quick whirl by circling Juno really quickly. She brought it to a halt by the canyon edge and snapped the goggles over her eyes, grinning at him. "Who needs snowboarding? See you at the bottom. Allons-y!"

With that she tipped the board ... and began rocketing down the canyon's edge vertically at excessive speeds. But not straight down! She was far too content with twirling every which way 'til Sunday, enjoying the whimsical fun of the whole thing as much as she could until the Phooka showed up.

[Windra]

OoC

*Brushes off the accumulating dust.*
Oh hell naw. D:

Psst ... psst!
Or should I go 'Post ... post!'?

[JunoZXV]

"Wait wait wait. Moon moon?"

There was a long pause as he watched Naira hop down the cliff and go after the Phooka.

"It's name is moon moon? And you've been stalking it for months?"

He was seriously evaluating the competence of Naira at the moment. But seeing that she was out of earshot he just went about kicking a snow pile. Only to hear a low growl from behind him...

Deep, gutteral, canine.

It was Moon Moon.

And it was gonna get a thing.

"Ah nutbunnies"

[Windra]

Heh ... Maybe Naira was out of earshot. But she was no normal human. Acute senses picked up on Juno's feminine tone and she laughed at his seeming doubt while trailing down the valley at gravity-defying angles, grinning all the way. Now here was a thought. Mindspeak ... If she thought his way, would he hear it? Reavers could only telepath with other Reavers, but since Juno held a part of Kuro ... who knew? She'd lost her ability to devour souls as well as teleport. Communicating through thought might be impossible for now, as well.

Worth a shot. Naira cleared her mind and pushed some mental words in his direction. He's skittish, she explain, amusement trailing her mental voice. It appeared to us for a few minutes every couple of weeks. Whenever we'd get close he'd run off and vanish. Thought at first it was a stray mutt, but after seeing some oddities, did research and found out what it was. He got more and more ballsy but still ran just as quickly whenever we tried to catch him. Besides ...

Naira's zig-zagging ventures brought her back to where she began. The air-board swept up and over the cliff. She managed to keep it hovering in mid-air, several feet above the ground ... and looked down at the pirate with a very impish grin.

"You think you could do any better, he-who-nearly-soiled-himself-at-the-sight-of-dogs?" Nemo taunted verbally, sticking her tongue out at him. "I don't think anybody carries diapers that'll fit scaredy cats. By the way, he's behind you."

Moon Moon stood growling at Juno, peering at the neco as though he were the next best thing to a chew toy. Under ordinary circumstances, aira would have jumped to Juno's defense. But this wasn't Spades, or Clubs, or Diamonds. Nor was it Kuro. It was a dog just a little bigger than the average wolf. And really, it was funny. Naira was kind of looking forward to watching the cat-man flee in terror. The Phooka was on the move before the chance to evade could be taken. He dashed forth, leaving trails of black smoke in his wake ... and pounced upon the pirate. Far from the rabid, frothing beast he was a moment ago, Moon Moon assaulted Juno with very sloppy licks to the face. Think Beethoven. Naira had to cover her mouth to conceal the loud laughter that very much wanted to escape.

But then he stopped.

Moon Moon was gaing intently at Juno but you could tell from the way his eyes seemed to glaze over that he was looking past the cat-man. His right ear swiveled west and Naira glanced over in that direction, confused. Perplexion suddenly turned to terror as all color drained from her undead face. Clearly Moon Moon was more perceptive than both of them. She hadn't even heard them coming ... but the sight of them certainly filled her ears with the thunderous drumming of blood pounding past her ears.

Several shark-like fins were ripping through the stone. Four in total, each the size of a sailboat. Worst yet? They were purple ... and went hand-in-hand with the permeating stench of stagnating flesh.

"And this is another reason I wasn't keen on following Moon Moon out here ... ," Naira hissed in a whisper. The Phooka turned and was off like a shot, knowing just what was approaching and certainly not wanting to be there when they fully emerged. "Sandworms."

Bana's pets were still running rampant in the Wastes. A sudden intense wave of rumbling came from behind her and the Reaver ducked out of the way just in time to avoid being clamped by dozens of large, sharp teeth from a fifth Worm. Putrid flesh did knock her off the air-board, though, destroying the concentration keeping it's shape tangible. Naira landed on her feet, stumbling backwards and nearly toppling off the cliff had her tail not managed to find a balancing point. These Sandworms were different. They were small but they were many, and surprisingly quiet to boot.

#5 penetrated the earth before her and slipped out of sight. Meanwhile the other four were drawing closer. Naira's hand found the scimitar's hilt and she pulled it slightly from it's scabbard, reflecting metal off the sun's rays.