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The Missing Lynx, Part 5

Plots Within Plots

The tiger spit, both verbally and literally, blood and saliva flecking his lips. "You'll never get away with this!"

Lira laughed. It was a soft and beautiful sound, entirely fitting for the lovely gray-furred vixen, and she stepped forward to knee the merchant sharply in the groin. He gasped harshly, his ears slicked and his eyes crossed, and he collapsed to the ground with a pained whimper.

"Of course I will," she grinned. One leather-booted footpaw planted against the cringing tiger's shoulder as she pushed him firmly to the ground, and her violet eyes swept across the rest of her captive audience. There were a dozen, all told, numbering both merchants and guards and one very unfortunate passenger. "I always have."

The vixen pursed her lips, her saber twitching about as she pointed it toward one of the other merchants. "Don't you agree?"

The other tiger sputtered desperately, eager to avoid the same cruel treatment. "Yes! Of course! You always get away with it!"

She smiled, feigning a blush. "How kind of you to say so."

"Lira, we're just 'bout set over here."

The fox glanced to her fellow bandit, a scarred cougar with nine fingers and studded leather armor. Her muzzle split into a jagged, sharp-toothed grin. "Fantastic!" And to her guests, she smirked. "Once we get the last o' the gold loaded, we'll go our way and you can go yours. No one needs to die!"

She paused, glancing sidelong to the corpse at the side of the road. That overly eager guard had made the mistake of fighting back when they had sprung their ambush, and now he was studded with so many arrows that he resembled a porcupine. It irked her a little. She was a bandit, not a murderer, but the stubborn guard had left her men little choice.

"Well," she smirked. It was important to keep up appearances. "No one ELSE needs to die."

'Lira Talonas!'

The vixen winced as a voice cut through her brain, her ears splayed wide. That was something she hadn't felt in years - half a decade, at least - and it was something she had hoped to never experience again.

"Agh," she muttered. One hand set to her temple, her tail bolt-straight behind her. Her whole body was tingling. "What the hell!?"

'I have need of you, Talonas. Come to the Blood Woods at once!'

Lira's ear twitched, her eyes squinted shut as she reflexively winced. Already, the voice had set her brain to aching, and the pain was quickly filtering out to the rest of her body. "What? No! Fuck you! Besides, aren't you supposed to be dead!?"

The prisoners glanced to each other, more than a little nervous at the bandit's sudden one-sided conversation. The two thugs guarding them exchanged glances as well. It was a disconcerting sight.

'Death has no hold on one such as I! You of all people should know this!'

The vixen winced again, and she was quick to reply. The voice still hurt of course, but she was swiftly growing accustomed to the thunderous boom. "Great, so yer back. I'll throw you a party. What the hell do you want from me?"

'I do not repeat myself! Come to the Blood Woods, or else!'

Lira snarled. She led an army of thieves and highwaymen that spanned three countries, and had amassed enough wealth to make a king blush. She refused to be threatened. Besides, The Bitch Queen had been dead for five years - what was the worst she could do?

"Or else what?"

She almost immediately regretted the rebellious utterance as agony spasmed through every nerve in her body. The vixen gasped and fell to her hands and knees, her body shuddering uncontrollably.

The voice was softer now, carrying the steely tone of a promise rather than the menace of a threat. 'Else I will snap your lovely body like a dry reed.'

Lira groaned, sucking in a lungful of air as she tried to recover her wits. Almost at once, she felt the blade of a knife at her throat. Fingers clutched at her ears and wrenched her upright, and another voice hissed against the side of her face.

"So this'z the great Bandit Queen of legend?" The voice was nasty, with the nasal slur that came from having a nose accustomed to being fractured. "A crazy old fox with voicez inn'er head and trouble controllin' her body?"

The throb in her brain instantly receded. Her eyes were sharp again, and she glanced to the prisoners. They were all still there, but for one, and the two guards she had posted over them were on the ground clutching fresh wounds. The only one who was missing was...

"So," she snorted. "Not a passenger, after all?"

The rabbit at her back smirked, pressing the blade more firmly to the bandit's throat. They had disarmed him of course, but they had missed the knife in his sleeve. They always missed the knife in his sleeve.

"'Fraid not, luv." He chuckled darkly, his long ears perked as he glanced about. Some of the other bandits had noticed the unfolding drama now, but they dared not approach while he held their leader at knifepoint. "But if it's any conzolation, yer gonna make me very rich. You've pizzed off a LOT of people."

Lira snorted again. Honestly, a single bounty hunter? That was almost insulting. It also meant that she had overstayed her welcome in this region, so it was time to move on to the next.

The rabbit growled in her ear, the blade pressing close enough to draw blood this time. "No ztallin', luv. Yer gonna tell your men to back off, and we're gonna take that carriage to the nearezt town." He raised his voice, looking to the other thugs. "You hear that? I don't care about yer thievin'! You can keep the gold and do whatever you want to theze traderz, but the Bandit Queen comez with me!"

She laughed softly, her ears perked as she shifted ever so slightly. Her heels planted against the ground, her muscles tensing ever so slightly. "Okay, you're the boss. But can I make a counter offer...?"

"No," he snarled.

"Well," she kept smiling. The fox spoke again, but this time she wasn't addressing the bounty hunter. "Will I be compensated?"

The rabbit grunted. "What? Courze not-"

'You will be richly rewarded for your services.'

Her grin broadened, her bushy tail flicking lightly against the lapine's stomach - and lower. The rabbit found it very distracting, but not TOO distracting - and he certainly didn't protest. What could the vixen possibly do with her tail?

She chuckled, her ears twitching. Honestly, The Bitch Queen always got her way. "Fine, I'll take the job. If you could just...?"

The bounty hunter's patience had come to an end, and he jerked at the vixen's ears again. His gutteral voice twisted into a snarl, and the blade pressed close enough to lightly score the soft flesh beneath. "The hell are you-? AGH!"

The rabbit's knife fell from his suddenly numbed fingers. It felt as if he had plunged his hand into a bucket of ice, or a vat of molten steel. The pain seared all the way up to his elbow, and was quickly joined by a sharp pain in his nose as the vixen jerked her head back into his muzzle.

"Nnf!"

Lira turned swiftly, the knuckles of one clenched fist rapping the stunned bounty hunter on the jaw hard enough to loosen a molar and send starbursts of pain across his blurred vision. His head snapped to one side and he stumbled down to one knee. She gracefully stepped around him, twisting his good arm about until the shoulder joint popped out of place - and then the bandit's hand came in low.

"Hnk!" The rabbit froze now, half curled against the vixen's fist. Her fingers twitched as she adjusted her grip, to get a firmer hold on the stricken male's most tender organs. Really, he had been impressively sly in his approach, but posing as a passenger meant he had been forced to forgo armor. That was a fact that the fox gleefully exploited.

"Oooh, nice." Her tail flicked behind her, and her ears slanted forward. The bounty hunter's right arm was useless now, paralyzed by The Bitch Queen from half a continent away, and his left arm wasn't much better. She locked her free arm about the lapine's throat, dashing any hopes he might have of a daring escape, before giving him a less-than-tender squeeze. "You've got a decent pawful down here, 'luv'."

The rabbit squirmed a bit, and the fox responded by digging her blunted claws into her hold far more firmly. The twin glands quivered in her grip, the familiar round targets wavering ever so slightly as the malleable orbs squashed to conform to the shape of her clenching paw. He didn't say anything, barely managing a pained whine.

Lira smirked, her wrist flicking lightly. The subtle motion was enough to violently twist the lapine's sac halfway about, until the cords were crossed and the organs were rearranged a full one-eighty. The fabric of his cloth trousers groaned under the strain, but the sound was drowned out by the rabbit's much higher pitched utterance. He swiftly rose to his toes as the vixen tugged upward.

The fox pursed her lips, her tail swaying playfully. "Shame to ruin 'em. Let's hope you didn't kill my boys, else I'll have to kill yours."

She glanced sidelong, an ear perked. "Gorgo, are they alive?"

One of her other men, a portly possum beastkin who seemed the antithesis of a classical bandit, hastily rushed to his fallen fellows. There was a moment of silence and then he bobbed his head. "Yeh. He attacked to cripple, Miss Talonis, not to kill. Miko is gonna have a limp, though."

Lira's smile faded, her ears twitching forward as she regarded the pained lapine in her grip. "Really."

And her wrist twitched again as she twisted the male's sac about even further. It was a casual motion and her demeanor was calm, as if she were doing nothing more than turning a doorknob. The flesh and fabric grew taut in her grip, and with another motion she had stretched the unfortunate bounty hunter's tender pouch to its utmost limit. The cloth of his garment was already shredding against her clawed grip, and the soft flesh beneath it wasn't terribly far behind. Another flick of her wrist and the organs were apt to start coming off in her paw.

That thought did have some appeal. But it would be messy, and she was almost a full day's travel from the nearest decent bath house.

She frowned down at the lapine, savoring the wet mewling sound that her every movement goaded from his throat, and she finally relented. The pressure was eased ever so slightly, and her gaze flicked back toward the possum again. "Put them in the merchant's carriage. We're taking that, now. The horses too."

One of the tiger merchants quickly protested. "N-... no! If you make us walk back to town, we'll be slaughtered by wandering monsters!"

Lira snorted, absently digging her thumb into one side of the lapine's package. The bounty hunter made another wet, desperate sound as his left orb was pressed halfway out of shape. He weakly bucked back against the vixen's body in a halfhearted attempt to break free from the painful and humiliating hold. It was a futile effort, though - he had already lost far too much strength to actually fight back.

"Should've thought of that before you hired a bounty hunter."

"B-... but we didn't...!"

The vixen paused, her free arm absently shifting lower to curl about the rabbit more securely. His legs were giving out now, his muscles growing so strained that he could barely keep himself upright. With her grip reaffirmed so snugly, she glanced back to the merchants. It actually did sound like they were telling the truth.

"Well," she mused. "I suppose we can return your guards' weapons before we cut you loose. That should at least give you a fighting chance."

And she finally relinquished her grip on the lapine's tortured loins, her hand drifting away only to be replaced a split second later as she harshly pistoned her knee into his groin from behind. The bounty hunter uttered a faint soprano whine as he went up onto his toes, and then he collapsed in a boneless heap as Lira pulled her arms away entirely.

Lira smiled back toward the merchants and their guards, her hands set to her rounded hips and her gray tail swaying cheerfully. "Any objections?"

A sputtered chorus of 'no's and 'absolutely not's were piped up, and the vixen nodded smugly. She pivoted about, moving toward the carriage - but she paused as she tossed one more glance toward the fallen rabbit. He may not have killed her men, but Miko was going to have a limp.

It was only fair if the hunter went away with a limp, too.

Another of her men - a grizzled hound with tattered ears and an eye patch - spoke up. "Gold's packed, and the carriage is ours. Ready to go when you are."

Lira kicked the rabbit onto his back, then pressed the wooden heel of her boot against the hands he was so desperately clutching to his crotch. It looked like the paralysis that had claimed his limb was beginning to wear off. A pity it was far too late to do him any good.

"One sec, Krigg," she rumbled contently. "Just need to set an example."

The hound hesitated, then nodded. If it were up to him, he'd just slit the bounty hunter's throat and be done with it - but there was no denying that the Bandit Queen's approach left a much longer-lasting impression. Still... the sight always made him more than a little uncomfortable. "R-... right, take yer time."

Lira grinned, bearing down against the male beneath her heel. "I always do."

Ten minutes and a lot of screaming later, the vixen was riding in the carriage. It was a little cramped, sharing the enclosed space with the two wounded bandits and the possum, Gorgo. True to her word, they had returned the caravan guards' weapons before they had left, but everything else had come with Lira and her men.

And true to her word, she had left the lapine intact-... but 'intact' was such a relative term. He would have a limp for a long time to come, and there would probably be a lot less bunnies in the bounty hunter's future - but he still had a pair. Of course, given how long it would take said pair to heal, he'd probably regret that small mercy every minute of every day for the next month or so.

She smiled a little to herself, folding her arms behind her head as she leaned back in her seat. All things considered, it had been a halfway decent morning, and now she was looking forward to enjoying a leisurely afternoon of counting her unfairly large share of the coin her gang had seized.

Of course, then she'd have to give some serious thought to moving her operation again. Bad enough that the locals were sending half-assed bounty hunters after her, but now The Bitch Queen was back up and about?

Well, at least Cygna had been stupid enough to give her forewarning this time around. If that undead lunatic thought that Lira Talonis was going to leap at the chance to work for her again, she had another thing coming.

But still, best to hedge her bets.

"Gorgo," she murmured thoughtfully. "Do we still have any wizards on our payroll?"

The possum furrowed his brow, a tattered notebook and a cracked pair of reading spectacles appearing from within the folds of his over-sized vest. His beady little eyes squinted, and pages were flipped with alarming speed. "Oh, ah, yes. Three of them."

Lira tapped her muzzle, her head bobbing slightly. "Send out some runners. Check to see if any of those spellslingers can put together a top-notch nondetection spell for me. I need to go invisible for a while."

Gorgo arched a brow, his expression quizzical. "Oh?"

"And while you're at it," the vixen mused. "See if you can find us some gigs further south. Time to move on, I think."

Her aid nodded smartly, flipping further into his notebook to start reviewing potential leads for their next big score. "Of course. How... ah, how far south?"

Lira snorted softly, her ears twitching back a little as she peered out the window to admire the passing scenery. "South. South-south. As far south as we can go, 'fore we run out of land. Coppertown or Gallow's Haunt- ah, wait, is Baron Guro still bringing that shipment of antiquities through Southport? That might do."

She paused, the slightest frown marring her otherwise lovely features. She could only hope that some hero or another would come along and plant Cygna back in the dirt again, before the old hag realized that Lira had no intention of showing up.

"Trust me," she murmured. "We'll want to put as much distance from Old Amazonia as possible. Something big is going down, and I want no part of it."

***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****

Cygna sat silently for a moment, but for the slightest twitch of one borrowed ear. Despite what that filthy bandit might think, she wasn't stupid. Her astral form was still abroad, acting as the proverbial fly on the wall.

Lira's scheming was neither unexpected nor unmanageable, but it was an unwelcome distraction. There were other far more important things to tend to. Still, that kind of disobedience couldn't be overlooked.

And really, it's not as if she needed the bandit alive. She just needed her body to be reasonably intact.

Really, as cute and top-heavy as her current frame might be, almost anything would be an improvement. This feline - what as her name again? Helen? No, that wasn't right. Something similar to that, though. She allowed herself a second of distraction on that thought, but ultimately decided that it wasn't important.

There was something wrong with the body. Or the mind. Or the soul. Perhaps all three. Cygna felt energized and exhausted at the same time. There was a burning pit of raw energy somewhere in her gut and the welcome throb of potential in her skull, but there was also an odd sense of resistance. It was no immediate threat, but it was always there in the background. It tugged at the edges of her malignant consciousness every time she flexed her arcane abilities, like glue against fur.

Or maybe it wasn't the body? Maybe it was her? Perhaps she had spent too long as an intangible spirit, sealed away in the gaudy piece of costume jewelry that was now draped about the lynx's shoulders.

Well, she could-

Cygna's introspection was interrupted by a low and unpleasant growl. For a split second she was almost alarmed, her glassy eyes flicking open to wary slits as she scanned her surroundings for unseen attackers.

The growl repeated, and she almost blushed. No, that was her stomach - or, ah, the feline's stomach. It had been so long since she had last possessed a living body, that she had almost forgotten the basic biological requirements for survival.

Another unwelcome distraction.

"Azura," she practically spat the words. "Come here."

Somewhere far behind her, through half a mile of twisting tunnels, she could just barely pick out the sound of metal scales scraping against stone. Clearly the dragon had heard her, where ever it had gotten off to.

A long moment passed, and then another. And another. And another. Cygna sat quietly, completely still and silent but for the occasional twitch of her tail and rumble of her stomach. Her irritation was evident though, and it festered away at the back of her borrowed brain.

Clearly this was some pointless display of rebellion on the lizard's part. Zura loathed her, that much Cygna knew - but she also knew that the beast was terrified of her. She might drag her feet, and grumble under her breath, but the dragon would do as she was told. Or else.

Finally the dragoness slithered into the cavern, her pace slow and deliberate. She loitered at the room's entrance for a moment, looming in the shadows like a monstrous copper gargoyle. She had made it halfway through the book that Cygna had foisted upon her, and it was just getting good. Honestly, at the moment she wanted nothing more than to get back to reading it, so of COURSE The Bitch Queen needed her to perform some menial task.

Zura stifled a sigh, carefully tempering her tone to something between polite reverence and a disinterested yawn.

"Yes," She rumbled softly. "My Queen?"

Cygna swiveled about, her feline form moving more adeptly now. She was rapidly growing accustomed to the unfamiliar bones and muscles that made up her new body, although there was still a distinctly unnatural twitch and sway that marked her movements as unnatural.

"I'm hungry." She huffed, almost sounding petulant.

Zura blinked. That wasn't quite what she was expecting. "Oh," the dragon murmured. "Well, ah, I can get you something to eat."

The feline-thing bobbed her head, those glassy eyes fixed on the reptile's face with an unwavering, unblinking stare. "Please."

The dragoness turned slightly, thinking for a brief second. What did beastkin eat again? Bugs and roots? Trees? Water? It had been quite some time since she had last had a beastkin visitor, but she definitely remembered that they didn't eat the same things that dragons ate.

Cygna twitched slightly, one corner of her mouth curling downward. "Azura."

"Hm?"

The necromancer was silent for a moment, then sighed. She couldn't read the dragon's thoughts, but the beast's fleeting confusion was obvious. "I don't eat rocks."

"Oh," Zura bobbed her head slightly, her toothy maw curling into an innocent smile. "Of course. Well, I have some-"

"Or scorpions." Cygna interjected. Her tone was even, but her words were pointed.

"Well what about-?"

"Or poison of any kind." The Bitch Queen continued.

The dragon's fist-sized eyes rolled in her skull, her thin tongue flicking lightly over one of her sharper teeth. She didn't say anything, instead giving the necromancer a moment to finish.

Cygna's head cocked in one jerky motion, so abrupt that it almost threatened to snap her neck. "I need food. Do you understand?"

Zura waited a second longer, until she was certain that the cat-thing wouldn't interrupt again. "Well," she drawled slowly, continuing once it became evident that Cygna had said her piece. "I have a garden. Do you eat fruit?"

The lynx brightened, her own pink tongue flicking over her lips hungrily. "Oh, yes. Why didn't you mention that earlier?"

"Well I tried to, but-"

Cygna turned away, signaling the end of the conversation by displaying her back to the towering beast. "Get me some fruit, at once."

Zura curled her lip, twin plumes of acrid smoke jetting from her nostrils as she barely suppressed a derisive snort. Honestly, she could only be pushed so far. Thoughts of murder drifted into her sloped skull once more, briefly displacing her caution.

The Bitch Queen sighed, as if the thought of basic courtesy exasperated her. "Please, Azura. Quickly."

The dragoness let out a slow breath through clenched teeth, shedding her fury like a handful of old scales. It was comforting to know that Cygna at least feared her enough to at least make a token effort. She bowed her head with feigned obedience. "At once, My Queen."

Cygna waited a few long seconds, until the dragon had departed. She knew that Azura would almost literally drag her feet, so that left the necromancer with some time to kill. Her eyes flickered shut, her chest stilled as she ceased to breath.

Her mind cast outward once more, her thoughts given intangible form as she turned them toward more immediate concerns...

***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****

The sun rose over Blood Wood, and for a fleeting moment the twisted trees were almost beautiful. The light filtered through the vibrant orange leaves, causing every shadow to glow with an unnaturally sanguine hue. A few small animals stirred. Muck-crows salvaged about for refuse to eat, and bloodmice flitted from bush to bush in search of hapless insects to feast upon.

A chill wind rushed through the trees, sending each and every animal fleeing back to the safety of their cozy dens. The wind carried with it an odd malevolence, and a veiled presence that permeated every shadow.

Veridia was startled awake, sitting up straight as her canine ears flicked and twitched about. Her muscles were a little sore and her back ached - both symptoms of having fallen asleep while sitting upright - and almost immediately her nostrils were assaulted by the thick stench of burnt meat. The fire had burned low, and the chunk of elk meat hanging over it had blackened into a charred mess.

There was an odd sensation - something sinister and familiar in the air, but it was quickly fading. Within seconds it had dissipated entirely, leaving the husky to wonder if she had simply imagined it. Perhaps it had been the lingering remnants of some half-forgotten dream?

She glanced about, shrugged, and plucked up the skewer. Charred or not, it was still good eats. It was just a little crunchier than usual, was all.

"Morning."

Veridia squeaked a little, almost choking on a muzzle of overcooked venison. Raffina drifted past her, with only the slightest smirk on the cheetah's muzzle betraying her amusement at the canine's surprise.

The feline flopped down onto one of the raised stones they had dragged around the fire pit, stretching out languidly before she kicked off her boots. She loved those boots, as impractical as they were, but she had been wearing them all night. It was nice to let her feet breath every once in a while, lest they should suffocate entirely.

"Hey," she mused. She sniffed at the air lightly, eying the heavy skewer in the canine's hands. "Can I get some of that?"

Veridia clutched the sharpened stick a bit tighter, as if readying to defend her kill - but then she caught herself. This was hardly her youth, and they were still miles from Amazonia proper. There was no need to fight to the death for every scrap of food. Besides, there was plenty to go around, and the feline HAD been the one who had caught most of it to begin with.

"S'more in the bag," she mumbled around half-chewed gristle. She gestured with one finger, then found the time to finish swallowing before she added. "Packed a bunch of it up last night, soon as it was done cookin'. We've got about ten stone worth of meat left."

"Ugh," Raffina muttered. She reached toward the indicated bag, though, quickly coming up with one of the many wax-paper wrapped bundles. Her claws sliced through the twine, and she eagerly started stripping off chunks of cooked and salted elk. "Just say pounds. Gods, and here I thought Rhaelyn was the only person alive who still used those archaic measurements."

The husky arched a brow, but didn't say anything. Instead, she simply chewed on another chunk of well-charred meat, watching as the cheetah voraciously tore into her own meal. Apparently she was hungry.

That made sense, since Raff hadn't bothered to stick around long enough to eat the evening prior. Or talk. Or sleep. In fact, this was the most she had even bothered to say to the canine, thus far into the journey. To be honest, her sudden sociable demeanor was a little disconcerting.

"I mean," Raffina mumbled around her own food. "Seriously. Twenty paces this, ten stone that. It's like the guy wants to sound as smart as possible, even though it makes him look like a total tool."

Veridia cocked her head ever so slightly, her jaw stilled as she stopped chewing on her own food. Now she simply watched the cheetah.

"Mnf," the feline uttered a satisfied grunt. It had been just half a minute, and she had already devoured close to five pounds of preserved elk. It was both impressive and horrifying. What made it even more impressive was the fact that Raff was still managing to talk between every bite. Veridia couldn't help but wonder just how much chewing was involved in the process.

"Like, he always drops these obscure words and archaic terminology, just knowing that you're not going to have any idea what he's saying-"

The cheetah paused now, briefly wiping her muzzle with the back of one leather sleeve. "Mm. And Gods forbid you should actually ask him what the hell he's talking about, because then you get lectured for half an hour about how stupid you are. Not that he actually calls you stupid, but he lays it on pretty thick. Seriously, how hard is it to-"

"Its, uh-" Veridia finally interrupted, taking another second to swallow her food before she continued. "Its about a hundred 'nd fifty pounds. A little over ten stone." And a pause, before the canine grinned a little. "Or, uh, 'bout a hundred 'nd forty now."

Raffina hesitated, glancing down at the bundle she had torn into. Ten pounds of venison, and it had taken her the better part of a minute to devour it. She almost looked embarrassed - almost - but then she caught herself. The torn and stained wax paper was crumpled into a tight ball and discarded into the fire pit.

"S'good," she grunted. "I mean, I've had better, but it was pretty good."

The Amazon chuckled, offering the blackened skewer to the cheetah. The burnt meat had been almost completely stripped from it but the feline still eagerly accepted it, gnawing at the charred bones with her many sharp teeth.

"Thanks," Veridia mused. "I think."

There was silence for a moment, but for the the rustle of leaves against the wind and the feline's overly enthusiastic eating. Bones were splintered and the delicious well-cooked marrow was sucked out, before the most inedible bits were deposited into the fire as well. Then, finally satiated, Raffina uttered an entirely inelegant belch.

"So," the canine smirked. "You didn't come back last night."

The feline shrugged casually, stretching out on her back as she draped half-on and half-off of her stoney seat. "Yeah, so?"

"So I went lookin' for ya," Veri persisted. "To, uh, take second watch."

Raff shifted a bit, peeking sidelong at the other beastkin sitting across the fire. "I know. I saw you. I was in the trees right over-" her tail flicked, the tip wagging toward a copse roughly fifty feet distant. "There. Saw you walking around. Would have said something, but I didn't want to give away my position."

The husky arched a brow once more. "Did you sleep in there?"

"Nah," the feline shrugged again. "I don't sleep."

Her tone was casual, as if she were simply commenting on the weather. It took Veridia a second before she realized the absurdity of the claim.

"What, uh, d'you mean y'dont-"

"Like, ever." Raff mused pointedly. "Even after sex. Really weirds the guys out, you know?"

Veridia scrunched up her muzzle, her ears twitching forward. "That's, uh-"

"Really weird, right?" The cheetah grinned now, absently folding her arms behind her head as she stared skyward. "Anyways, don't worry about it. Gave you plenty of time to read your stupid book. And, like, to flirt with my ex-boyfriend."

The canine paused, her expression sliding to a careful neutral as she absently set one heavy hand to the book at her side. She had made good progress into the novel before eventually succumbing to sleep, but not quite enough progress to get to the good parts. Thus far she had only worked her way through five chapters of badly written prose about interspecies politics and The Gryphon Queen's odd fascination with chess.

Veri couldn't help but wonder how much of that the Alleycat had simply made up. The idea of a gryphon playing chess was beyond absurd.

"Oh, erm-" the husky tried to put on a casual grin, but subtlety wasn't her strong point. "We weren't flirtin' or nothin', hun. Just shop talk, with maybe a little teasin' on the side. Its fun to mess with Rhae sometimes. Guy's wound way too tight."

Raff snorted, her body relaxed but her tail flicking just a bit too rapidly. Try as she might, it was impossible to completely hide her irritation - a thousand years worth of genetic muscle memory saw to that. "If you say so, Veridia. But you don't have to lie to me. I mean, I saw the two of you together last night."

The canine hesitated for a split second before opening her mouth to reply - but the cheetah was still going. Honestly, they had been traveling together for a full day already, and the feline hadn't said more than five words to Veri. Now, all of a sudden, she just wouldn't shut up.

"Not like I even care," the cheetah grunted. Her tailtip flicked faster, thumping rhythmically against the ground. Okay, fine, so she cared a little. "Guy's totally not worth the trouble, right? I mean, like, talk about high maintenance. Its always 'proper etiquette' this, and 'stop kicking me' that. Seriously, he's not even that great in the sack. I mean, like, the first few times, sure, you get a pass if it's a bad lay. That's a freebie because you're still a virgin. But he still sucked at it even after we'd been going out for a whole year-"

"Stop!" Veridia held her hands up in front of her, as if to ward off the torrent of lurid commentary. "Raffina-, uh, izzit okay if I just call you Raff?"

The feline paused, sneaking another sidelong glance toward the canine. "Yeah, sure."

"Raff," the husky smirked. "I promise you, I've never slept with Rhaelyn. I, uh-"

"Sure," the cheetah smirked. "I mean, how could you even find the time? Must be killing you, trying to romance the guy with that fucking catbird bodyguard shadowing him twenty-four-seven. Like, seriously, I can't believe the damn thing even sleeps with him. I'd heard he got messed up on his last run through the Gryphon Territories, but how paranoid can he be?"

"Uh..." Veridia rolled the uncertain sound on her tongue, then smirked again as she averted her gaze. "Yeah, sure. Kira is dedicated, that's for sure."

"Thanks!" the hen chirped. The tent flaps parted, and the gryphon strolled out into the camp proper. She paused, sitting down at the edge of the firepit between the two beastkin before her eyes narrowed slightly. "Why are we talking about me?"

The husky smirked anew, absently gesturing toward the gryphon with her hard-earned novel. "Aw, nothin' much, hun. Raff was just commentin' about how I must be put off, what with you makin' Rhae keep it in his pants while we're on the road."

Kira blinked, her head cocked quizzically. "What."

"Sure," Raffina smirked as well, although her gaze remained fixed on the sky. "We both saw it. Rhae was ready to fuck Veridia right here by the fire, and you came out to cock-block him."

The hen's head cocked further, until the entire world was tilted onto one side. She repeated. "What."

"Tch, and here I was startin' to think that Rhae might be out of practice, too." The cheetah chuckled, her ankles absently rolling as she waggled her toes. "I mean, I figured he hadn't been hit in the nuts in five, maybe even ten years. Good to see someone's still keeping him on his toes, so to speak."

Kira peered at Veridia now, hoping that the canine could shed some light on what, exactly, was happening. This time she tried phrasing her confusion as a question, instead of a statement. "What?"

The Amazon simply shrugged in response. It was new to her, too. The cheetah's overly friendly and familiar banter was unnerving, but a welcome change from her previous icy facade. At the very least, it allayed some of Veridia's concerns about the cheetah trying to murder her while she was sleeping. But only a little.

'She thinks Veridia and Rhaelyn are sleeping together,' the little voice explained patiently. 'And she's jealous. She's trying to act friendly so she can figure out how serious their imagined relationship is.'

"Oh," Kira muttered sarcastically. "Good. You're back."

'Yes,' the voice snorted. 'Good to see you too. Now stop talking to yourself, or they're going to think you're crazy.'

Raffina shrugged, taking the misdirected comment in stride. "Yeah, sorry for staying out all night. I was just telling Veridia that I don't sleep, so I'm fine with keeping watch. But hey, seems like you had things well in hand-"

And a pause, as the cheetah lifted her head. "Er, you have hands, right?"

The hen snorted, holding up one of her forelimbs. Sure her fingers ended in long, curved talons, but she still had hands. Clawed and scaled, of course, but there were perfectly good fingers and a thumbs. "Um, yes?"

"Good," the cheetah grinned. "Rhae was always a horny bastard back when we were teens. Guess he still is, from what I saw last night."

Kira froze, her feathers rousing and her fur standing on end. "L-... last night?"

"Sure," Raffina drawled, not missing a beat. "He was all over Veridia, and you had to break things up. I saw you pop him in the crotch, too, when he stepped out of line . Poor guy dropped like a rock."

'Aw,' the voice murmured, a distinct note of disappointment to its tone. 'You hit Rhaelyn in the balls, and I missed it? Did I miss anything else?'

The hen blushed ever so slightly, her gaze wandering skyward as she looked a little evasive. It felt kind of odd, hiding something from... er... from herself, so she just focused on hiding it from the others instead. "Oh, uh, yeah. That's... that's what happened. Gods, I have to keep such a close eye on Rhae. Every time I look the other way, he's wandering off with another floozy-"

"Hey," Veridia chuckled. Not that she was offended. SHE knew what the two had done, the evening prior. Despite their obvious efforts to keep it quiet, the husky had keen hearing - and those tent flaps didn't block out much sound. "Careful."

The gryphon paused, then stuck her tongue out a little. "Not that you're a floozy. I mean, uh, the other-" She stopped, evaluated the direction of the conversation, and then abruptly changed the subject with all the subtlety of a warhammer to the face. "Oh, hey, is there any meat left?"

Raffina chuckled, shifting against the dirt without sitting up. She hooked the heavy satchel with one foot, then shoved it a few inches toward the hen. "Plenty."

"Good," Kira grinned as she eagerly pounced onto the bag. She claimed one of the bundles within, struggled with the knotted twine for a moment, then opted to simply tear the package open with her beak. "Gods, I'm starving."

Veridia hefted her novel again, splitting it open as she tried to remember where she had left off. Her eyes flitted across the page, fixing on the chapter heading. Ah yes, there it was. _ Chapter VI - Awkward Encounters and Painful Mistakes _. That sounded promising.

"Bet you are," the husky smirked. "Prob'ly worked up a hell of an appetite, right?"

The gryphon almost choked on her food, spitting up bits of cooked venison and mangled wax paper. Swallowing hard, she could feel her face burning beneath her feathers, but she managed to keep herself silent for a moment. Well, silent but for the choking.

"You, uh-" the cheetah arched a brow, glancing sidelong at Kira. "You okay over there?"

The voice chimed in again, far less polite in its inquiry. '... what in the Nine Hells is wrong with you today?'

Kira swallowed hard, sending a fist-sized hunk of meat, paper, and twine into her gullet. Her throat hurt a little, and she briefly debated whether wax paper was supposed to be edible, but she was sure her stomach could sort things out for her. "W-... well, er..." She paused, then bobbed her head a little. "Rhae and I stayed up late, doing research."

"Thought they called it interspecies diplomacy, these days." Veridia murmured under her breath. Then, louder, she chuckled. "Research, huh? 'Bout what?"

The gryphon casually waved two talons in the air, trying to emulate one of the panther's many dismissive gestures. "Oh, uh, you know. Boring history stuff. Stuff about the War."

Raffina furrowed her brow, glancing toward Kira with an odd look. The war had only ended a handful of years ago, and she thought for certain that a mercenary like the gryphon would have gotten involved. "You weren't there for it?"

"I was twelve when it happened!" Kira tried to sound defiant, but then winced as she quickly realized it came off as defensive. Sure she had heard about the war, but it had never pushed as far as the Deserts, and the merchant clans had understandably remained at the fringes of the conflict.

The cheetah sat up a little, both brows arched. Her mind wasn't nearly as fast as her body, but she could still do the math. "Wait, so you're, like, nineteen?"

"Twenty!" Kira snorted. Honestly, why did everyone make such a big deal about that? Were other beastkin really so useless during the first two decades of their life? Kira had labored for the Freetraders Guild since she was six, and had crippled her first bandit when she was ten.

She opened her beak to state just that, but something stopped her.

'Yeah, uh...' the voice murmured uncertainly. 'You probably shouldn't tell them that.'

Raff smirked, shaking her head a little as she brushed off the hen's obvious irritation. "Look, it-... I guess I thought you were older for some reason. But it's not like I'm an expert in catbird biology or whatever. Forget it."

Kira grunted, but she didn't say anything.

There was awkward silence for a moment before Veridia glanced over the top of her book. She sighed, closing the novel and setting it back to her lap. "So, uh..." and a faint grin split her muzzle, before she murmured innocently. "You two were doin' research all night, then? Guess we should let Rhae sleep fer a while longer, then, yeh?"

Her irritation vanished, and the gryphon found herself doing her utmost not to blush again. She failed. "Y-... yeah," she mumbled. "That's, um... he's really tired. And, um... you know, he... he hurt his leg...?"

The husky grinned a little wider, then gestured toward the hen's half-finished meal. "Well, fine. Don't see the harm in givin' him another hour or two to recuperate. Finish yer breakfast, and we can use the time to get to know each other a little better."

Raffina rolled her eyes, but grudgingly stretched back out next to the fire. She was eager to get an early start, but she wasn't going to be the one to drag the panther out of bed. She was still hoping to somehow find her way back onto his good side. "Yeah, sure. Whatever."

Kira cleared her throat, then absently snagged the hunk of charred elk with her hooked talons. The corners of her mouth curled upward, the heat of her embarrassment fading some as she bobbed her head mutely.

Really, all things considered, this was turning out to be a surprisingly pleasant morning. It was doubly refreshing, after the wonderful night that had preceded it.

"Well," she mused thoughtfully. "I was bought and raised in White Palm, by a Tan'ari trader named Siriq Albdyd-Tan'ari..."

Veridia nodded politely, her attention focused on the gryphon as the creature spoke. Even Raff twitched an ear, listening attentively from her spot across the dying fire - despite her feigned disinterest.

"Not that I care," the cheetah grunted. "But why the hell would a bunch of traders and swindlers want to buy a catbird hatchling? No offense, but I'm not really seeing the resale value..."

Kira snorted, grinning despite the thinly veiled insult. "Trust me, you wouldn't BELIEVE what kind of trouble those guys get into. Angry customers, rival merchants, bandits, pirates, rogue wizards, suspicious merchandise..."

Raffina twitched one of her ears, her eyes rolling slightly as she peered sidelong at the hen. "Fine, yeah, I get it. Can we skip ahead to the part about how you first met Rhaelyn?"

"Oh," Kira blinked, but bobbed her head in a slight nod. "Well, uh, we first met in the Gryphon Territories..."

***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****

"I swear to Questor," the hapless woodsman sputtered. "I swear! I was just hunting!"

Arvesk snorted, a low growl rising from his throat. The black wolf towered over the much smaller beastkin, silently contemplating his words for a few long seconds.

The ratkin whimpered, his fingers clasped tightly and the fur of his cheeks matted with tears. "J-... just let me go, and I swear I'll never set foot in the Blood Woods again!"

The wolfwere snarled again, terrifying the stammering beastkin to silence. The rodent was almost certainly telling the truth. He had been found wandering around the southern stretch of woods by himself, with nothing but a sling and a hatchet - and he certainly hadn't put up much of a fight when the lycans had confronted him.

Still... at the very least, he might make a decent meal. Game was scarce in the forest these days, and Arvesk certainly had no qualms about eating the occasional beastkin.

He paused, his nose twitching as a pungent scent struck his nose. Had the-?

"Rrf," he grunted. He turned, loping away from the pathetic creature, and just as quickly his two packmates shadowed him. His tastes might not be the most refined, but even a wolfwere couldn't help but balk at the thought of eating something so eager to soil itself.

"Then leave," he growled. "And never return."

Arvesk waited a scant moment, just until the beastkin's frantic footfalls had faded into the distance, and then the wolf sighed. There were only a dozen in the hunting party, and they had almost ten square miles to cover. To make matters worse, they hadn't the slightest idea what they were supposed to be looking for.

But there was no point in questioning orders. The Goddess had spoken, and it was their place to carry out her will.

Three more of his packmates drifted into the small clearing, their bestial forms shifting even as they came into view. With the sound of grotesquely stretching muscles and the cracking of reshaped bones, they rose unsteadily onto two feet before the lead wolf spoke.

"Two travelerrs on the western roads," he rumbled. "Merrchant and guard."

Arvesk nodded ever so slightly, his ears twitching. "You questioned them?"

"We, err..." the wolf hesitated, and Arvesk couldn't help but note the blood flecking his teeth. "Yes. We, rr... 'questioned' them."

Arvesk narrowed his eyes, looking to the other two lycans that had accompanied the first. They shifted uneasily and neither seemed eager to meet his gaze. After a long moment of silence, the Black Wolf sighed again.

"Fine," he grunted. He could hardly blame his packmates for their actions. They had spent the entire morning hunting, and what was the point of hunting without the occasional kill? "Check southwest next, near the edge of the Ash-"

He paused, his ears twitching upright as if hearing some distant sound. Around him, his packmates stopped what they were doing and followed suit. Several long moments passed in silence, but for the rustle of wind through the dry leaves and the croak of an occasional muck crow.

The silence suddenly broke, and every lycan in the clearing looked to their elder. Arvesk curled his lip, his teeth bared. "Summon the others. We hunt!"

A symphony of cracking bones and twisting muscles filled the small clearing as the creatures shifted back into their bestial forms, and a second later their voices raised in pitched howls. In the distance their cries were echoed by their distant companions, and almost instinctively they all began to lope toward the same destination.

Arvesk was the last to shift, his body twisting into a monstrous wolf-beast that dwarfed his fellow lycans. In his humanoid form he might be mistaken for a beastkin, but now there was no mistaking him for anything natural. His eyes blazed crimson, his dagger-sized fangs gleamed, and his head reared back as he added his own terrible voice to the chorus.

The Goddess had spoken, and for better or worse it was their place to carry out her will.

***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****

Rhaelyn stirred, shifting against the tangle of pillows and blankets he was draped against. His eyes flicked open, sleep banished in an instant, and he took a moment to study the ceiling.

Where was he?

Oh, yes, he was in his tent. He was on another adventure, and once more the fate of the world rested squarely on his weary shoulders.

He sighed.

The panther's gaze flicked to one side, then the other, but it only took him a second to confirm that he was alone in his tent. He had already suspected as much, since Kira would have been sprawled atop him otherwise. It was one of he rmore endearing - if inconvenient - habits.

To be honest, her absence was something of a relief. He needed a few moments to himself, and he was thankful to be spared the awkwardness of 'the morning after'. Well... for a few moments, at least.

"Gods," he groaned. A hand settled over his eyes, and his ears twitched back a little. Ah, right, he and the gryphon HAD just slept together, hadn't they? Five weeks of clumsy romance and death defying adventure had finally culminated in an awkward night of equally clumsy love-making.

He groaned again. What had he been thinking? What could have possibly possessed him, to make him think that this was the time or place for that kind of monumental decision?

Oh, right. Hormones. Maybe he really WOULD be better off if he just let some opportunistic femme fatale castrate him.

"Rhaelyn," he muttered to himself. "You're an idiot."

He stayed there for a moment longer, stretched out against the mess of untidy bedrolls. A small part of him really wanted to just go back to sleep - to forestall the inevitable awkward conversation - but the more sensible part of him quickly quashed that urge. With a soft grunt, he forced himself upright and into a sitting position.

His whole body ached. There was no one particular reason for that, but rather there were a million. He had spent the bulk of the day prior marching about, and sleeping on the chaotically piled heap of cushions certainly hadn't helped, but a goodly portion of the blame fell squarely on Kira's feathered shoulders.

Not that their, ah, activities had been unpleasant. No, far from it. It had been awkward, of course. Awkward and clumsy. The beastkin and the gryphon were both built very differently, and Kira constantly seemed to forget that her hands were covered in hooked talons. But still, they had spent the better part of an hour trying to get it just right before exhaustion had finally set in and spoiled their fun.

Rhaelyn rubbed at his side, wincing as he ran his fingers over the red lines that traced just below his ribs. Despite her painfully obvious inexperience, Kira's enthusiasm had been commendable - if somewhat disconcerting. His arms and chest were scored with at least a dozen shallow cuts where her talons had stroked just a bit too hard whilst the hen had been caught up in the throes of passion.

He shifted a bit more, an ear twitching forward as he cast his gaze around the tent. Where had his pants ended up? The mage winced again as he gingerly rubbed at one thigh, the bruised muscles protesting as he forced himself up onto his feet.

Yes. Pleasurable or not, 'awkward' was an appropriate term for the evening he had just shared with the gryphon. That was something that might improve with time and practice, but-

A new thought suddenly occurred, and Rhaelyn struck himself smartly on the forehead with one hand. "Ah, shit."

Had Kira been a virgin? Could that have possibly been her first time? That would certainly explain the awkwardness, and the- well, no, that could just as easily have been attributed to their difference in species. Still, it was a thought that he couldn't just dismiss off-hand.

What was he- should he say something to her? Or, er, maybe he should ask her now, after-the-fact?

No, he quickly shrugged off THAT notion. No matter how he approached the subject, he couldn't imagine any way that such a conversation would go well. But then again, if it HAD been her first time, would she be upset if he didn't make a show of how good it had been?

He snorted softly, rapping his knuckles against his forehead again. Honestly, if there had been a time for that, it was last night. What was he supposed to do the morning after? Send her a card? Maybe assemble some kind of flower bouquet?

Ugh, no. Gods, what in the world was wrong with him this morning? Every thought that popped into his head seemed somehow stupider than the last. It was like his brain was rebelling, and intent on tricking him into finding some new way to goad the hen into finally neutering him.

Tch, and after he had managed to go almost an entire day without being hit in the crotch, too.

Well no, wait. That wasn't entirely accurate. The panther took a few unsteady steps, absently stretching out his muscles as he took stock of his assorted appendages. Yes, there were a few superficial wounds scattered about his person, but-

He twitched a bit, reflexively wincing as he gingerly cupped his fingers against his groin. No sense of nausea came rushing forth, and his stomach seemed perfectly settled. For once there was no blinding agony. To be honest, that was almost surprising.

Granted, there was the slightest twinge of an ache there - the faintest pain that reminded him he was still recovering from bruises he had received two days earlier. But still, in the grand scheme of things, that was nothing.

Rhaelyn let out a soft sigh, equal parts relieved and disappointed. He was already half-dressed by the time the oddity of his reaction had struck him.

The panther's brow furrowed a little, his fingers fumbling against the buttons of his shirt before falling still entirely. The relief he felt was fully justified, of course, but why in the world was he disappointed?

He frowned, and a moment's thought was more than enough to think of a thousand different reasons he should feel disappointed. Disappointed in Kira. Disappointed in himself. Disappointed in the world in general, and his place in it.

Yes, he had a thousand reasons to feel disappointed - maybe even more. But none of those reasons felt right. He was clearly disappointed about something else entirely, although he couldn't imagine what that might be.

He grunted, trying to shrug off that nagging sensation. He finished buttoning up his shirt, then cast about for his pants. Ah, there they were, right near his-

The panther fell still again, his gaze falling on the triangular swatch of silk that had been discarded near his rumpled clothes. He hesitantly picked it up, briefly inspecting the odd garment. It was hardly fashionable - vibrant purple silk decorated with silver buttons and intricate patterns of golden thread. Really, it was something that a noble might wear if he had more money than sense.

He sighed, and strapped the codpiece on anyway. It was the sensible thing to do, no matter how silly he might feel about wearing it. Technically it should have gone on over his pants, but he wasn't about to be caught dead openly wearing such a garish garment. Especially not amidst the current company he was keeping.

Then again, amidst his current company wearing that enchanted garment was almost a prerequisite.

But there it was again, that slightest twinge of disappointment - and he hadn't the slightest idea why. It was almost as if...

"No," he muttered to himself reproachfully. "I am NOT a masochist."

He repeated that line to himself a few more times, as if it were some perverse mantra, then finished getting dressed. A few seconds were spared for grooming, and he finally moved toward the exit. He had no idea what time it was, but he was certain that the others were waiting on him. In fact, the entire world was waiting for him.

"No pressure," he murmured to himself. "You can do this, Rhaelyn. It's just a quest, like any other. You've saved the world before and you can save it again."

The tent flaps parted, and the unnaturally cool air of the dimensionally displaced sleeping area was washed away. The muggy heat of summer quickly took its place, and the mage squinted as the brightness of mid-day assaulted his eyes. It was clearly well past sunrise, although from the position of the sun it was still an hour or two before noon.

His companions were all in easy view, the three women sitting about the long-dead campfire as they talked and laughed. They hadn't noticed him yet, so the panther slowed his step, his ears perked. Of all the things he had expected to see, friendly conversation had not been one of them. It was a pleasant surprise.

Rhaelyn shrunk back a step, into the shade cast by his magical tent. It wasn't that he really intended to eavesdrop, but he was a little curious to see what his companions might have found to talk about.

Veridia was grinning a bit, her ears slanted forward as she gestured toward the hen. "Really? So that was yer first time?"

The panther's blood ran cold, his own ears splayed. Did Kira have no sense of tact or restraint? Honestly, he was still trying to decide how he felt about the previous night's antics, and the hen was already advertising about it?

Kira blushed a little, but she bobbed her head. "It was. I mean, um, it's not really something that I had ever even thought to try, honestly. It, um, never really came up in Whitepalm, and with drakes..."

The hen paused, then uttered a chirping giggle. "Well, uh, drakes are built differently."

Veridia laughed, but she didn't say anything. Rather, it was Raffina who spoke up this time. She was still sprawled out on her back near the fire pit, opposite the husky and the gryphon, and still feigning disinterest. "So, how'd he take it?"

Kira paused, her back arching a bit as she looked thoughtful. "Well, uh, lots of squealing and mewling? Kind of like, um... well, have you ever seen a gryphon hatchling?"

Rhaelyn blinked. What in the world was THAT supposed to mean?

The cheetah snerked, not quite succeeding at biting back a laugh of her own. "So, like a kitten then?"

Kira considered that, then shook her head. "No, definitely a hatchling. Mewling like a kitten, yes, but also with a lot of high-pitched squawking."

Rhaelyn sighed, both relieved and mortified at the same time. Well, at least their evening together was still a secret. Not that the current topic of discussion was much better, though.

The gryphon blushed a little, oblivious to the panther's presence. Her eartufts perked, and her tail flicked playfully behind her. "Honestly, it was kind of cute. I mean, Rhaelyn is already cute, but-"

Raffina arched a brow, pouncing upon that word. "Cute? You think Rhae is... cute?"

"Erk," Kira swallowed her words, then quickly forced herself to nonchalance. "Well, uh, I mean for a beastkin. He's, um, he's no drake, though. That's for sure. Ha ha... ha..."

It wasn't terribly convincing.

Fortunately, Veridia was quick to come to her rescue. "I would'a said handsome," the husky drawled. "But cute works. Rhae's always had a good sense o' style, and he's got that whole perfect symmetry goin'. Don't haf'ta be a pantheress to appreciate good lines and well-groomed fur."

The cheetah narrowed her eyes, flicking her gaze back and forth between the two. Finally, she settled her ire onto the canine. Between the two, the husky was clearly the more valid rival for the panther's affections.

"Fine," Raffina huffed. "So he's cute. Especially after he's just been kicked in the 'nads."

She paused pointedly, then split her muzzle into a vaguely ugly leer. "I mean, hell, that's why I slept with him in the first place, you know?"

Well, Rhaelyn had certainly heard enough. His ear twitched, and he stepped from the shadows. He was no master sneakthief, but to the others it was as if he had simply appeared from nowhere. "I'm not... interrupting anything, am I?"

Kira squeaked, her feathered mane poofing out comically. Her wings flexed, and she quickly set to smoothing her feathery fur back down. "N-... nope! We were just, um, having breakfast and talking about-"

She faltered, and the voice chirped up at the back of her brain with a quick prompting. 'The weather.'

Kira nodded eagerly. "The weather!"

The panther eyed Kira dubiously, and the hapless gryphon cast her gaze toward the husky.

"Oh, uh..." Veridia hesitated, then offered a slightly crooked grin as Rhaelyn looked to her. "Sure, yeh. We were just eating and chatting. Feel free to join in, hun. Plenty of meat left."

The amazon paused, then slanted her gaze toward the sniggering scout. "Right, Raff?"

Rhaelyn slid his own gaze onto the obviously bemused cheetahkin, his own expression carefully neutral. She sat up and met his gaze evenly, a broad grin on her muzzle.

"Nah," Raffina shrugged. "We were talking about you."

Kira slapped one taloned hand against her beak in exasperation, and Veridia offered the hen a consoling pat on the shoulder. Then, both dog and beast joined forces in staring invisible daggers at the smug cheetah.

Rhaelyn took the reveal in stride, though. After all, it was hardly much of a surprise, given what little he had already heard of the conversation. And, of course, it was perfectly in character for his ex-girlfriend to so bluntly crash right through the bush that everyone else seemed intent on beating around.

He rolled his eyes, his tone lilting in undisguised sarcasm. "Really."

Raffina seemed entirely unabashed, one hand flicking dismissively as she continued to grin. "So, like, have you ever actually actually met a gal who didn't punt you between the uprights, Rhae?"

Rhaelyn arched a brow, but otherwise remained both silent and motionless.

"I mean, hell," the cheetah smirked. "I spent the past ten years thinking I was the only one who'd ever given you a swift kick or five, but now I'm finding out that-" She paused for a split second, then flitted her eyes to the dogkin. "Veri, have you ever?"

The Amazon balked. "Have I...?"

Raffina snorted, her smirk persisting. "Kicked our boy here in the stones."

Veridia hesitated, glanced to the panther, then cleared her throat. "Er, no comment."

The cheetah laughed. "THAT'S a yes."

Rhaelyn stared at the scout even harder, as if trying to ignite her with his gaze alone. Although honestly, given his status that might not have been beyond his ability. Still, the cheetah seemed unaffected.

Raffina smirked. "Who else? That lynx we're looking for?"

The panther finally sighed again, rubbing gingerly at the bridge of his muzzle. It just wouldn't be a proper adventure without a migraine. He steeled himself, then rolled a thick layer of sarcasm into his voice. "If you're quite done wasting my time, could we get back to saving the world? Before Cygna's minions murder us?"

The cheetah seemed ready to say something sarcastic in return, but Rhaelyn quickly cut her off. "That IS what I'm paying you to do, is it not?"

Raff paused, then scowled, but she didn't argue. As fun as it was to tease the mage, he had a point. She was a professional, and she had a job to do - no matter how ridiculous that job might be.

"Fine," she grumbled. "But we're talking about this after."

Rhaelyn grunted, one hand still rubbing at his forehead and the other gesturing dismissively. "Fine, fine. Whatever. Just... could you and Veridia go break down the camp now, so we can get moving?"

Raffina eyed the panther for a split second longer, but grudgingly nodded. She slipped away without another word, as silent as a ghost, and Veridia was quick to follow.

Kira cocked her head a bit, peering sidelong at the wizard silently for a moment, before finally sidling a few steps closer to him. And then a few more. And a few more. Finally, she was pressed up against the side of his leg, her beak nudging uncertainly at his closer hip.

"So, uh..." Her voice faded as the gryphon found herself at a loss for words.

Rhaelyn heaved another sigh, heavier than the others. "Kira."

The hen lifted her head, peering nervously up at the much taller panther. "Er, Rhaelyn?"

A moment of silence passed, as the mage glanced back toward the others. The husky was busied with repacking their supplies, while the cheetah seemed intent on wiping away any trace of their passage.

Finally, one corner of the panther's mouth curled upward in a wry smile. "Next time I decide to go adventuring with one of my ex-girlfriends, I want you to punch me in the balls. Hard."

Kira uttered a chirping giggle, her tension vanishing in an instant. The panther was such a charmer - he always seemed to know just what to say. Her head bobbed eagerly, her acknowledgement a tad too enthusiastic. "Okay!"

Rhaelyn tried to look dour, but the hen's giggling was infectious. He chuckled softly, his closer hand stroking over the gryphon's ears as he murmured reproachfully. "Well, you don't have to sound so EAGER about it..."

She paused, then tried to roll her feathered shoulders in a casual shrug. It didn't quite come off the right way, due to her quadrupedal nature, but her intentions were clear enough. Kira did her best to sound disinterested, but there was still a definite gleam in her eye. "Oh, uh. Yeah. I mean, er, whatever. If I have the time, I guess."

The panther smirked slightly. "Better."

Kira grinned back up at him. "Yeah, I thought so too."

Rhaelyn spared another quick glance about the campsite, to make absolute certain that the others weren't watching. Once it looked clear, he leaned down to give the hen a quick and affectionate kiss on the beaktip.

"Sit tight, Kira." He straightened back up again, just as quickly, steadfastly ignoring the blush that had overtaken the gryphon's features. "I'm going to go pack up my tent, and then we'll be on the road again."

Kira worked her beak a few times, trying to will away the rush of blood that was suddenly heating her cheeks and ears. "Y-... yeah, um. I mean, uh, of course. Yes ser."

The panther smiled slightly, his step slowing before he had wandered too far from the flustered beast. His whiskers twitched, and he mustered up his courage before sparing her another quick glance. He murmured low, his tone soft enough so that only the hen could hear him. "Ah... and last night was wonderful. Thank you."

"W-... what? Really? I-" The gryphon faltered to a stop, her head jerking up just in time to spy the noble making a swift retreat. She quickly rose to her feet, as if to pursue him, but she stumbled to a halt after just two steps. She was blushing even harder now, and grinning like an idiot, and she certainly wasn't in any condition to press the issue.

'What was wonderful?'

Kira's ear twitched, her grin fading just slightly as the voice reasserted it's presence in the back of her brain. Her eyes rolled slightly, but she steadfastly ignored it, instead focusing her attention on preening her mane. She licked at her talons, then raked the moist tips through her feathery fur in smooth, even strokes.

The voice persisted. 'Kira, what did I miss last night?'

She grumbled faintly, casting her gaze about for something - anything - to focus her attention on. Anything other than that nosy thing squatting in her mind. Her eyes fell upon a book resting near the edge of the fire, where the husky had left it.

"Oh," she murmured. Her talons planted back to the earth, and she lurched over to the abandoned novella. "This is..."

The gryphon gingerly eased the book into her claws, studying the cover. Yes, it was definitely the same one that the panther had seemed so eager to keep from her the evening prior. The cover bore the image of a panther and a gryphon standing side by side, and those odd squiggles were-

_ By Beak and Claw, A Gryphon's Tail. _

Kira winced, her eyes lidding shut to wary slits. At first she thought that obnoxious little voice was speaking again, but no. This was different.

'Open it,' that smug little voice purred. 'Go ahead. Take a look inside.'

"I, uh..." she hesitated, but only for a split second. Her thumbclaw worked against the papery thing as she tried finding a good grip against it, finally succeeding at folding the novel open to some random page.

"You moron!" Kyra hissed, the words tumbling from her beak with inexpert phrasing. She wasn't adept at speaking the common tongue, but she was sure her tone would be enough to get the message across. Still, it was best to hedge her bets. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Kira winced, a sudden spasm of pain cutting through her head just behind her eyes. She almost dropped the book, her head jerking back slightly as she tried to blink away the sudden ache.

'Sorry,' the voice murmured. The pain eased steadily, and finally faded to nothingness. 'There, try again.'

The hen kept her gaze averted this time, uncertain as to how she should proceed. This was... it felt wrong. She was illiterate - the merchants who raised her had never thought it worth the effort to teach her to read or write. So how was it that she could suddenly make out these chaotic scribbles?

No, there was something wrong with her. Wrong with her head. She hadn't spent much time amongst her feathered kin, but she was fairly certain that gryphons didn't suddenly learn how to read in a single night.

'Oh stop being such a hatchling,' the voice sneered.'Just look at the book again.'

Kira frowned, but complied. It wasn't that she felt a sudden urge to obey the thing in her brain, but rather she was suddenly consumed with an odd curiosity. Would it work again?

She eased the book back open, her talons clumsily creasing the spine as she tried to find the same page she had left off on. Her eyes flitted over one page as she-

Ray-Lynn's muzzle twisted, his teeth clenched tight as his body spasmed with renewed agony. It felt as if someone had swung a mace up into his groin, and his hands were already clutching desperately against his aching twins as he uttered out a choking hiss of pain. The impact of the hen's beak had been pure agony, but the aftermath was an all-too-familiar nausea that gripped tight at his gut, and with a pitiable moan he tumbled down to his knees.

The gryphon gasped, jerking her eyes away from the page again. No, that wasn't reading. It was... well, she didn't THINK it was reading. But then again, she had never actually read anything before, so how would she know? Still, it was a strange sensation. Her eyes had barely touched the page, and those words had come tumbling into her skull like an upended sack of pebbles.

No, this definitely wasn't normal. It couldn't be.

The voice sounded smug now. 'You're welcome.'

"I, uh..." Kira rose unsteadily, the novel dropping numbly from her taloned fingers. She snapped her beak shut, her thought going unvoiced. No, she was going to have to talk to Rhaelyn about this. She was beginning to think there might be something very wrong with her brain.

Gods, how could this day get any worse?

***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****

"What about Vangoth?"

Zura cocked her head to one side, absently mulling over an icosahedral-cut ruby that was precariously balanced between two talons. "Mm? Oh, no, he's dead."

Cygna frowned, her large ears twitching back in a fleeting expression of dismay. "Really? But he was half-demon. He had the strength of ten beastkin and could heal from any wound. How in the world did-?"

The dragoness glanced back toward The Bitch Queen, then shook her head ever so slightly. "He tried to assassinate some barbarian lord from the Permafrost Mountains a little over a year ago. He failed."

The lynx-thing sighed, then bit into the apple she was holding. She grunted, finding that her fangs couldn't quite get the job done. Instead, she ended up with an apple stuck to her face. Prying it off of her teeth, she grumbled. "Well, maybe I could raise him from the dead..."

Zura flicked her tongue over her non-existent lips, then absently popped the ruby into her mouth. A few quick grinds of her teeth were enough to pulverize it into glimmering powder, which she eagerly swallowed down. Licking any errant specks of ruby dust from her copper-scaled muzzle, she finally spoke.

"No, they never found his body." She adopted an appropriately disgusted expression, her reptilian eyes half-closed. "I'm fairly certain that he was eaten, bones and all."

Cygna wrinkled her nose. "Oh, well, that IS problematic. So, not Vangoth then. What about Baron Shadow?"

Zura plucked up a diamond now. The stone was roughly the size of a beastkin's fist, and cut flawlessly into the shape of a tetrahedron. To the fuzzy little bipeds that infested Skarn it was worth a fortune, but to the dragoness it was little more than a snack. And, to be perfectly frank, it looked delicious.

"He's unavailable."

The Queen scowled slightly, but her gaze was fixed on the apple. She was trying to peel the fruit into something that her borrowed teeth could manage more easily, but the cat-thing's claws weren't quite large or sharp enough. Finally, she tossed the mauled fruit aside, and plucked up another one.

"Here," she grunted as she lobbed the apple at the dragon. "Cut that apart for me."

The massive beast blinked, but dutifully snatched the apple out of the air. Her own claws played over the thing, and she handed a dozen evenly cut slices back to the petulant necromancer.

Cygna was slightly mollified, and eagerly sucked one of the slices into her muzzle. Oh, it had been nearly a decade since she had gotten to actually eat something. She ground the fruit between her molars, pulping it and savoring the juice that spilled over her tongue. Gods, that was almost better than sex.

She devoured another three slices before finally fixing her unwavering gaze back on the bemused dragon. "Why isn't Baron Shadow available?"

Zura uttered a rumbling chuckle, a sound like grinding rocks and hissing acid bubbling from her throat. She mulled over the diamond in her hand a moment longer, then popped that into her maw as well. She didn't even bother chewing this time, instead swallowing it whole.

"Mmm," she mused for a second before glancing back to The Queen. "Well, the last I'd heard, some second-rate warlock out of Gallows Haunt had sealed him up in an Urn of Sorrows. I think he's on display in a private collection somewhere."

Cygna growled softly, although the sound didn't come out quite right. The lynx's throat wasn't equipped to properly handle her disgruntled utterance. Biting another apple slice in half, she grumbled indistinctly around the half-chewed morsel.

Zura arched one scaled brow, leaning a little closer to the lynx-thing. "Excuse me?"

"I said-" Cygna swallowed her mouthful, then spoke more clearly. "That it's a shame. I really could have used a wraith for the job I have in mind."

The dragoness arched both brows now, but she tried not to sound too eager. "Well, if you would just tell me who the target is, I might be able to make a few suggestions."

The Bitch Queen grumbled a bit more, perusing through the assortment of fruit that Azura had brought her. One ear perked as she spied a few cherries, and she snatched one up. Rolling it between two fingers thoughtfully, she mused. "Veridia."

Zura hesitated, her armor-plated spine rippling as she pushed herself halfway upright. That was a name she hadn't heard in some time. "Oh. Really?"

Cygna grunted, pinching her fingers together until the cherry split apart between them. That was a little satisfying, although not nearly as satisfying as it was when the cherries were attached to a mewling slave. She popped the ruptured fruit into her muzzle, then wiped her juice-slicked fingers against her faux-leather armor.

But she said nothing. The name left a foul taste in her mouth, and she was not eager to repeat it.

The dragoness hesitated, then pressed for more details. "How close is she?"

Cygna plucked up two more cherries, attached to each other at the stem. Musing over the fruit for a few seconds, she finally tilted her head back before lowering them both into her gaping muzzle. A flash of sharp teeth, a spatter of crimson juice, and they were gone.

"Mmn," she mumbled around the pulped morsels. She wiped her muzzle clean with one hand, then glanced back toward the dragoness. "Close. Too close. Perhaps a day or two distant. If I had more time, I'd just sic The Dogs on her."

Zura tilted her head, gesturing with one copper-hued talon. "Well, what about the lycans? They're not too far..."

"Tch," Cygna snorted softly, her head shaking in two sharp motions. "Please, they'll barely even slow her down. Those stupid beasts are worthless. At best, they'll buy me enough time to call upon someone who can actually get things done."

The lynx-thing sighed, then popped another apple wedge into her mouth. She chewed for a few seconds, swallowed, then muttered in irritation. "Besides, she's not alone."

Brows arched delicately, the dragoness leaned ever so slightly closer. Her tail snaked out, almost completely silent but for the soft rasp of paper-thin metallic scales, and she stole a cherry out of the bowl she had brought The Queen.

"Oh?" She mused politely, her tail whipping back about before the necromancer could spy it. She plucked the fruit up into her hand, and flicked it into her toothy maw. It was barely a morsel for a beast of her size, but it was a nice change of pace from her usual fare.

She didn't even bother chewing, instead curling her powerful tongue about the cherry and crushing it with one flex of that slick muscles. It lacked the hearty tang of a scorpion or the satisfying crunch of a gemstone, but it was still nice. The juice had an acrid tang to it that mingled nicely with her naturally poisonous saliva.

Her tongue flicked out nimbly, whipping away any trace of juice on her lipless mouth, and she prompted the queen again. "Who?"

Cygna grunted softly, her eyes narrowed as she rolled her gaze sidelong. Azurana thought she was SO terribly clever, but it was rather hard to miss the twitching and swaying of that armor-plated tail. The necromancer hooked the edge of the bowl with two fingers, then shoved it toward the beast. She wasn't all that hungry anymore, anyway.

"Mm, two catkin and a-" She hesitated, her head cocking slightly. "A... gryphon, I think."

Zura gleefully laid claim to The Bitch Queen's leftovers, lifting the bowl to her scaled muzzle and devouring the contents in two great gulps. Her tongue flicked against the inside of the copper bowl, wiping it clean with a faint acrid hiss. She almost considered eating the bowl, too - but no, she liked this bowl. Instead, she stretched out and perched it on a stone shelf that had been hewn into one of the walls.

Then, she turned her attention back to the conversation. "Catkin traveling with Veridia. Hm, you don't think it's S-"

Cygna scowled, her interjection just a bit too eager. Her tone was equal parts hatred and disgust, with the slightest hint of fear... and perhaps a smidgen of lust. "No! It's not, ah... not him. It's a cheetah and a panther. The, ah, panther smells a little familiar, but..."

The dragoness blinked, her own unfathomable mind swiftly connecting the dots. Not that it was terribly hard, though, given her recent reading project. "Oh, is it Ray-Lynn?"

Cygna furrowed her brow. "Who?"

Zura hesitated, then smiled a little sheepishly. "Er, I mean Rhaelyn. Of the noble Clan fa Soren. Apprentice to the Archmage Tyrian Morado, heir to the Violet Cowl, and hero of the Free City of Ma'Karach."

"Oh," recognition dawned in the lynx-thing's dead eyes. "Yes, him. How did you-?"

The dragoness feigned modesty, drawing herself up as she set one clawed hand to her armored breast. "Please, My Queen, let's not forget who co-ordinated your network of spies during the ten year campaign."

Cygna waved one paw dismissively, "Yes yes, I remember. Fine then, who would you recommend? I suppose if Veridia and this Rhaelyn fellow are traveling together again, then the rest of their filthy friends can't be far behind. I'll need someone quick and deadly."

Zura perked a bit, the corners of her mouth curling upward so subtly that the expression was almost invisible. She had been carefully steering the conversation for several minutes now, but apparently the manipulations had been entirely unnecessary. If THEY were involved, then it left the door wide open for just the suggestion she had been hoping to make.

She almost purred, "What about Katsumi Nightshade?"

"Oh!" The necromancer perked as well. "Oh, yes, dear Katsumi. She was always so good. A bit hard to control, perhaps, but... yes, she would be perfect!"

The dragoness flicked her long tongue over one of her many sharp teeth, before musing delicately. "Slight problem, though. She's been dead for almost five years."

Cygna chuckled, one brow arched as she eyed the beast dubiously. "As if that poses any real obstacle. You're the one who brought her up, so I take it that you know where her body lies?"

Zura rocked back, her yellow eyes closed to slits as she smiled. "Oh, yessss..."

***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****

Forgetown was always one of the most inhospitable of beastkin cities. Between bandits, hostile trade practices, and boilers filled to overflowing with angry fire elementals, the death rate was always higher than that of most civilized settlements.

Still, unique elements nonetheless drew beastkin from fra and wide. Craftsmen came to work the magical forges, wizards came to study the potent enchantments, merchants came to buy unique wares, and healers came to keep everyone else alive. But even with the finest healers and necromancers that Skarn had to offer, the inevitable still occurred from time to time.

The winds rustled around the small, simple grave marker. The stone bore no name, but only the delicately etched epitaph: Sister and Warrior, Forgive Her For Her Sins. It stood in the shadow of a much larger tombstone - one bearing the likeness of a handsome tiger warrior.

'Katsumi Nightshade, I have need of your-'

The wind picked up, and the sky darkened ever so slightly. Clouds rushed to blot out the stars, and the ground cracked. The assassin had always been strong of will, as stubborn and vengeful as they came, and those were both traits that made the blessings of unlife easy to bestow.

Just as quickly, blazing white runes lit along the walls lining the small graveyard.

'Ah! Damn it-' and the voice faded abruptly, the foul presence dismissed in a bright flash of light.

A moment later a door cracked open, not far from the tombstones, and the light of a lantern spilled over the two graves. A white-furred tigress, petite and lovely despite her worn features and tired eyes, stepped hesitantly into the enclosed area. She had felt something - but whatever it was, it was gone now.

She paced about the small yard, inspecting each of the six graves carefully in turn. They were friends and family, each of them, so the healer had a deeply vested interest in their sanctity. When she reached the last grave marker, the smallest and simplest, she frowned. Yes, these runes had flared recently, but the grave itself remained undisturbed.

The tigress murmured a few words, her paw set to each sigil in turn. One by one, they hummed back to life, ready to rebuff future attempts at overt necromancy and undead intrusion. The wards were powerful - powerful enough to cost her a week of her life with each one she renewed - but they were effective. Perhaps the most effective in the continent, drawing as they did from the unique energies of the city.

She smiled to herself, a thin and sad expression, as she studied the marker for a moment longer. Then her eyes flitted to the larger tombstone next to it, and her hand reached out to caress the leg of the stone tiger that gazed down at her. It had been almost five years, and it still hurt as much now as it had on the day of his death.

"I love you, Nocht." She wiped away a tear, her ears flicked halfway back. She drew in a deep breath, trying to bring her emotions back under control. She had guests, so she couldn't stand around in her back yard moping. The healer sighed. "And I miss you every day."

No. No one would be stealing away any of the bodies here, for they were under her direct protection. Especially her beloved husband and his misguided twin sister. Definitely not her. Katsumi had been cold and deadly in life, and she shuddered to think what the assassin would be like in undeath.

She stood silently for a moment longer, only looking up when the door cracked open again.

"Hey, Gale, you comin' back in?"

The tigress glanced up, quickly wiping away another tear. She cleared her throat, perked her ears, and forced a pleasant smile back onto her muzzle. "Oh, yes. My apologies. I was just checking on the runes. I, ah, sensed that something was amiss."

The centaur ducked her head down, clopping through the door and peering about warily. She reached back as if to ready her bow, then grunted as she realized she had left the weapon inside the healer's home. "Anything I should know, hun?"

"No," the healer shook her head briskly. "Just a hostile spirit trying to awaken one of the interred. But the wards held, and I've already recharged them. Everything is fine, Al."

Alandrea hesitated, eying the tigress suspiciously for a second, but then she smiled and shrugged her shoulders. "Well, alright then. Get yer tail back on inside. Saga's just finished preppin' the game, and Gar's already gobblin' up all the snacks."

Gale laughed softly, the delicate sound brightening up even the gloom of the graveyard. She stepped lightly between the markers and slipped back over to the centaur's side. "Of course. And you tell Garant that those snacks are for everyone, not just him."

The filly snorted, grinning as she wheeled about. Her head ducked down so she wouldn't bump it against the doorframe. "Yeah, you try tellin' him that. I ain't about to get b'tween a barbarian and his food."

The tigress laughed again, waiting until the centaur had managed to work her way back through the door. She felt a little guilty - she had never thought to make her home more 'taur-accessible. It was something she'd have to take into consideration the next time she spoke to one of the sandcats from the Builder's Guild.

"Well," she purred. "I'll try. Has anyone rolled up a healer yet?"

Al chuckled, disappearing into the living room, but her voice drifted back to the tigress. "Sure, Gar's runnin' a cleric. How 'bout you do up a thief to round out the party?"

Gale twitched her whiskers, her tail flicking. "Do we need a thief?" And a pause, before she smiled again. That was a silly question. Every adventuring party needed a thief. "No, forget that I asked that."

She flitted her eyes back to the gravestones once more, her gaze lingering on one marker in particular. She sighed again, then eased the door shut behind her as she went back inside. She was glad that she had so many friends to keep her spirits up, but...

Tch, she hoped that the game didn't run too late into the evening, because she was going to need time to investigate this spectral intrusion. Perhaps see if she could trace it back to its source. But for now she had other obligations.

"Hm," she murmured to herself, drifting into the living room to join the others. "Maybe I'll try rolling up a bard..."

***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****

Two hundred and seventeen miles away and ten seconds later, Azura was mildly perplexed. She had predicted a number of possible outcomes to her circuitous plotting, but she hadn't really expected this. She leaned over beastkin, and jabbed her carefully with one copper talon.

The lynx stirred.

"Oh," the dragoness mused unconvincingly. "You're not dead. Well that's a... relief."

The feline groaned faintly, rolling onto her side as she set one hand to her temple. She had a headache - although to call it a headache was an understatement. It was like calling a mountain heavy, or calling the sun bright. The beastkin could almost imagine her brain throbbing, as if it were in the midst of attempting to escape her skull.

"Ugh," The lynx mumbled. "Never... drinking again..."

Zura paused, her massive body falling entirely still. There was something different to the feline's movements. To the tone of her voice. The beast arched a brow, leaning in so close that her hot breath washed over the smaller creature's prostrate form.

"Elin?"

The beastkin twitched slightly, as if even the quietest utterance from the dragon was enough to send a spike of white-hot pain through her head. She groaned again, louder and more melodramatically, before rolling onto her other side. She whined, this time. "Tiiiaaaah, not so loud!"

The dragoness couldn't help but smile a bit, her long neck arching and her head cocking to one side as she studied the petulant lynx for a few long seconds. She had already played this game with the beastkin once before, so she knew how it went. Any minute now, Elin would-

Elin snapped her eyes open, and sat bolt-upright. She didn't quite look at the dragon that was looming just beside her, instead focusing her gaze on her knees. Not that there was anything wrong with her knees, but for a few scrapes and bruises. She just really, really, really didn't want to verify that she was sitting next to a dragon.

Azura waited a few more seconds, then cleared her throat politely. It was an odd sound - like rocks tumbling in a barrel, over the peculiar bubbling sound that so resembled that of a raw egg dropped into a red-hot pan.

The lynx drew in a deep breath, and then another, and another, until she was right on the edge of hyperventilating. Still, she somehow found the resolve to force back the panic that was so quickly rising from her gullet. Elin swallowed hard, then closed her eyes lightly.

"So, um..." Her voice quavered, but the words were clear enough. "You're a dragon, then?"

Zura's smile broadened, and her head bobbed slightly. "I am."

Elin was silent for a moment, as she let this revelation sink in. Finally, she spoke up again. "Are you going to eat me?"

The dragoness made a face, her lip curling back some. "Ew. No."

"Oh, um... good." The feline's response was quicker this time, but she still kept her eyes closed. Now that her grogginess was fading, she could actually feel the impossible heat radiating from the thing next to her. It was more than a little unsettling.

Another long moment passed, and Elin finally opened one of her eyes a crack. Rolling her gaze sidelong, she darted an uncertain glance at the dragon, and her voice quavered again. "S-... so, uh, what do you want from me?"

The beast considered that question for a scant second, her own gaze dipping to the gaudy necklace draped about the feline's neck. The gaudy black stone resting against her cleavage was pretty enough, but dull and milky. The phylactery was clearly still empty, and several potential questions bubbled up at the back of Zura's throat.

She bit them back, though. It was doubtful that Elin would be able to answer any of them. Or at least MOST of them. There WAS one thing that she might know...

Zura shifted subtly against the mound of precious stones, the metallic scales lining the sides of her neck rasping against each other as she leaned her head into the feline's field of view. She resisted the urge to giggle as she saw the tiny thing tense up, instead twitching one of her clawed forelimbs about to plop something onto the lynx's lap.

Elin glanced down, dumbly, but recognition quickly set in. Was that...?

"What can you tell me about this book?" Zura purred, her slit pupils fixing on the novella. Her tail twitched behind her, and she paused delicately for a few long seconds before finally speaking again. She almost sounded... eager.

"And, ah... do you have any more of them?"