Travels with a Kitsune (always open) [Chapter 3: The gate of water]

[Kitsune Ascendant]

*smiles* as e said, we are rather strong. besides, it'll be a rather cold day in at least seven distinct variations of hell before the local wildlife of a planet troubles me.

*Turns to the rest of my group*
While it is true that I feel more comfortable sleeping in the woods, there is a second reason I asked. I and sunheart would like an evening alone. speaking of which... snuggles, I don't believe you've been introduced to my two pets.
*two small squirrelfoxes, each about the size of a large squirrel that look almost like miniature fennec foxes appear from seemingly nowhere. their body is mostly a dusty tan, with muddy brown *
this is nim and mina. They're both very smart, probably as smart as any of us. nim's the boy with the brown stripe down the forhead and mina's the girl with the two stripes on her cheeks.  they are a bit impulsive and more easily influenced by their instincts than most of us. Anyways, could you care for them this evening?

[Snuggles]

"Sure, hopefully they won't be too much trouble... do they know any magic that might be useful to know about them?" Snuggles is still looking around for a large body of water.

[Kitsune Ascendant]

they have some magic, I'm sure. I don't have much idea what, besides a cloaking effect, but their aura is strong. they can actually take care of themselves for the most part, just don't let them wander too far or cause trouble.

[Zedd]

Hmmm well now...I wonder if where all prepared now...Snuggles you can keep my cloud for now as long you likes

[Kitsune Ascendant]

Well, the night's not getting any younger, so I think I'll head off. Since we're splitting up, how about we make this our meeting place tomorrow?

[e_voyager]

"yes a meeting place is important." said E " how about here around midday? and moonsoul i'm sure you're strong enough to deal with any saber cats or dinos without the need to kill them right?" as the robot as he scans his data banks for a subtable areas for all. " snuggles i'm sore but the nears lager a about 30 miles down river but if you wish there is some open land near the river that i uses as a sight to dig you one. it should take about 20 minutes if i return  to my normal forum." 

[Snuggles]

"No, no i need a natural formed lake... Is there mountains near by?" He then goes down to pick up the to 'pets' as moonsoul called them. "hey little guys, aren't you cute?"

[Kitsune Ascendant]

I will see you tomorrow around midday.  *speaking to nim and mina*
<see if you can help snuggles find that lake, huh?>
*transforms to my fox form*
I should probably ask before I leave. I'm planning on hunting for my evening meal, so is there anything in particular I should seek and/or avoid?

[DigitalMan]

DM grabs a handful of tea leaves for god-knows-what odd experiments he may have in mind, and heads outside to K2. With a simple command, the back of the truck is transformed into a veritible bedroom on wheels, complete with a blue-LED alarm clock set to let him sleep in excessively. While he much preferred sleeping on the hard metal armor of a giant war machine, a small comfortable bed would have to suffice tonight.

Concerned about getting some kind of traffic ticket, he attempts a quick bout of research to determine where one would be allowed to sleep in one's car.

[e_voyager]

e nods. "i can lead snuggles to the mountains about 4-5 miles up rives as you you avoid the saber cats and the vampires. there aren't many here but they do exists and the aren't really  all evil just people that have an odd dietary need. the try to avoid feeding on speaking entities but you my be mistaken if you run around in that form. "

[Snuggles]

Snuggles looks up at E "Really?  well what are we doing here lets go!" Holding out a hand so the two pets could get  up and around his shoulder.

[Kitsune Ascendant]

don't worry about that. I've got a sort of sixth sense for that.  *walks out and runs off into the distance*
[later]
this looks like a good place. *a spherical aura surounds moonsoul, slowly expands and brightens. as it fades, it reveals two bodies. the first, is moonsoul in her fox-form. the second, sunheart's body, is a similar fox-form with black fur. as the two forms finish materializing, sunheart nuzzles up against moonsoul affectionately and the two settle down next to eachother*
Sunheart: it's good to see and feel you. I must say, us having one body does lack a certain something.
Moonsoul: indeed it does. And it certainly is nice to actually hear your voice. it really is too bad we can only do this a few hours at a time.
Sunheart: which is why we're after that amulet. Though I still wonder why we can't craft our own.
Moonsoul: you know why. it was crafted by one of the prime, who brought many of the spirit races into existence. They had a more complete understanding of body and soul than any of us ever will, and the artifacts left behind are repositories of that understanding.
Sunheart: speaking of the amulet, do you sense it in this world?
Moonsoul: I sense something that's...different, but I don't know if it's the amulet. for that matter, I have no real idea if it's even in this plane. The feeling is rather faint. But let us worry about that later, it's too far away to invistigate now anyways. For now, I'm content to be by your side.
Sunheart: Spoken with true wisdom, as always. Now, how will we spend the rest of this fine evening? *licks moonsoul's ear*
Moonsoul: *laughs* quietly, I should think. goodness knows we've had enough excitement for quite a while. I figure we do a quick hunt for a meal and take it from there. I'm thinkg possibly a larger rabbit.
Sunheart: sounds excelent
*the two get up, and are soon off sniffing around for their prey. They both find a rabbit, which they bring back to the area they had chosen. they eat their meals in relative silence, though make it a point to share the kills with eachother.*
Sunheart: there's something more satisfying about a meal you have to work for, I think. Anyways, how shall we spend the rest of this night?

[e_voyager]

E chuckles and smiles as Moonsoul departs. he turns to Crystal "very well but lets take out time until we leave the village. my power systems react differently in this world and it's better to be organic but changing is not something i want to do in a place like this." with that e headed towards bridge so that they can follow the river the river.

E wonders what DM is up to but does not inquire or interfere as DM fines a satellite  link to the planets world wide web which informed him of the traffic rules for the general area of the country.

[Snuggles]

"Ok, Whatever you need E just at the end of this I kind of want to be near some mountains." Playing with Moonsoul pets a little bit moving on.

[Kitsune Ascendant]

Moonsoul: Do you ever wonder what it will be like when we find that amulet? How we will change?

Sunheart: I don't think we'll change that much. Our minds and souls will still be intertwined as they are with one body. that's what the amulet does, it keeps the connection between us from degrading. That's what currently limits our ability to hold these two bodies, isn't it?

Moonsoul: of course. It was just idle speculation, I suppose. Anyways, I estimate we have another hour and a half before we need to return to one body. Any ideas on how to spend that time?

Sunheart:hmm... Oh! I know! We can dance!

Moonsoul: dance? An interesting idea, sure, but where'd we get music?

Sunheart: no need. The stars and nature will provide song enough. All we have to do is...

Moonsoul: listen with our hearts?

Sunheart: close enough. now let's shift to our humanoid forms.

*both moonsoul and sunheart stand up and let their bodies take the humoind shape*

Sunheart: now, adjust your mind like... so. see?

Moonsoul: Ah! You're right, this is just the right kind of music.

Sunheart: *smiles* may I have this dance?

Moonsoul: *smiles back* of course.

*the two embrace, and begin a slow waltz through the forest*

Moonsoul: let's make this a little more interesting. *starts floating upward with each step*

Sunheart: ooh, this is interesting. *follows moonsoul's steps* not to close to any trees, now.

Moonsoul: oh, no worries about that. we'll be above the treeline in a few seconds anyways. I think that's a good height to be, so we'll level out there.

[e_voyager]

E skimmed the river bank calling to snuggles. "Come on it's just a little ways this way." As he skims not quite flying he feels his power core changing. his power it reaching for it's upper limit and stabilizing. his power would become infinite so long as he didn't get too hurt but at the same time he would have a came and could not incress his power. he needed to change soon. as his thoughts ran their course he began to see the cliffs of the mountain rise about them. "snuggles?  is this good ore do you want to go deeper?"

[Snuggles]

"Just cave will do can you find one?" Still keeping up looking for caves or something like it. "I am not here for the ore but in need some where the wind can't get to very easily."

[topher chee]

    Topher's head dropped to the side and he began snoozing again.  That tea knocked him out.

[DigitalMan]

DM lays down to sleep on the bed in the back of K2, curling up with a blue fleece blanket and a very bizarre plush toy. There is a sudden sound of pistons and gears as the canvas canopy on the back of the truck retracts, giving DM a clear view of the night sky and a great deal of fresh air.

For a few moments, silence; this is suddenly broken as K2 rockets vertically into the air, landing on a nearby building. Surely there would be no laws against parking on a rooftop.

[e_voyager]

the two travelers Snuggles and E ascend  the mountain panes going nearly 25 meters high before E's scanners lock on to a cave in moments  it takes a few minutes but the reach the cave. it extends nearly 40 meters deep with a 2 and 1/2  meter high clearance at the opening. " how is this Snuggles?"

mean while in the town  most of the lights have gone out as the town turns in with the exceptions of a couple of bars that cater to the town's night life and the few cops walking their beats. out of sight and in the dark the K2 goes unnoticed except for a startled occupant  and a few cracks in the buildings ageing roof.

[Kitsune Ascendant]

[after a few hours of dancing above the treetops]
Sunheart: As enjoyable as this is, it is getting late, and I have a feeling tomorrow's going to be busy, so I think we should this last bit of time talking about our plans.

Moonsoul: you're right. how about we land over there, by that waterfall.

Sunheart: looks good enough.

*the two land shortly, taking a few more steps on the ground before coming to a stop.*
Sunheart: now, I think the first thing I should discuss is which one of us is going to be piloting when we remerge. I'd like a chance to try out this phantom star thing firsthand, but I don't think it would be the best of ideas to spring this on that person without a little explanation.

Moonsoul: I think you're right. I'll start off, and after we get there and explain a bit, I'll let you take over. now, we should also start thinking about our next destination. Though we will no doubt want to discuss this with the rest of our travelers, I would like to come to that discussion with a few ideas in mind.

Sunheart: how'zabout the crystal lands? I hear they're particularly nice this time of year, and they've got their summer festival starting in just a few days.

Moonsoul: perhaps. there's also the cave of dreams. depending on which dimension we enter it from, that could prove interesting.

Sunheart: the international adventurers guild does offer some interesting packages, so we might want to try that at some point.

Moonsoul: and I am somewhat curious about where dm comes from. it sounds dangerously interesting from the bits and pieces I've heard.

Sunheart: speaking of dm, doesn't he have a zoid? It might be interesting to take the others to planet zi. I think some time not to far from the battles of the famous bit cloud would be stunning. heck, we could probably start our own mini-tournament if the others want to. though we might have to seperate ourselves and dm. our zoid types are rather fearsome by themselves...

Moonsoul: and our particular zoids aren't exactly normal, are they? Anyways, those are all good ideas. now, I think I see a cave inside the waterfall. I hear it's very peaceful in caves like that.

Sunheart: I know. I once did some psychic training in one of those. very good for calm and concentration. also kinda romantic if you like that sorta thing.

Moonsoul: yeah. just so long as we don't actually sleep in it. I'd have aches from the rocks for weeks after that.

Sunheart: okay then. just a little bit of time, then. *grabs moonsoul's hand* off we go!
*the two walk across the lake to the waterfall, letting just the edges of their feet touch the water, then jump through the waterfall into the cave. they sit, side by side, in the center. Moonsoul reaches for sunheart's hand, and the two close their eyes. a small of something not quite matter and not quite energy forms in front of them, then a second behind. the two balls circle around in an intricate dance, taking the shape of all four elements from time to time. other lights blink in and out, joining the dance which continues for several minutes. at it's end, the two stand and embrace, and the sphere of light expands. when it fades back in, Moonsoul is left in her fox-form. *

hmm... the ground is rather smooth here, and that waterfall does sound nice... but I know if I stay here I'll regret it tomorrow morning. even this form has limitations of where it can comfortably sleep. I think I saw a nice spot near the waterfall though, so that should work.

*with that, moonsoul exits the waterfall, pads across the lake, and digs a small den, using a bit of magic to help her. she curls up inside it, and is soon asleep*

[Snuggles]

Snuggles nods. "This is great. Alright on to work." he heads inside of the cave and while doing so also pulling out a small dagger almost out of thin air. "Right I am going to need some time here. Is that ok?"

[e_voyager]

e nods. " i'll be in the town but first there is something i must do." E half jumps have flies to the far side of the mountain in large leaps. when he lands he looks around. nothing but rock and sky. he checks his belts and sighed. it needs more power thin it can generate here on this world to work. still if he feed his own power in addition to the  power source it should work. he reaches into his  are and pulls out a capsule and tosses i to the ground. a full robotizer chamber appeared. he could only use the capsule on a few worlds and this was one of them. he checked the power source it was nearly depleted he sighs and  hooked himself into his routing his power into he chamber. it would take a little over and hour

[Snuggles]

Snuggles starts to carve into the wall symbols that goes onto the ground. He then starts to chant. He brings his paw and the knife up to the wall and the wall, symbols and the ground start to glow.

[Kitsune Ascendant]

*moonsoul is awakened by a strong magic field nearby*
well... That's interesting. fairly strong magic just starting, and runic if I'm not mistaken. if I weren't so *yawn* tired, I might actually investigate. now... I'm not going to be able to sleep with that nudging at the back of my head. gotta put up a dampening spell. *moonsoul closes her eyes and concentrates. almost imediately, a simple six point spell circle engraves around her, and starts glowing a soft purple* ah, much better. *goes back to sleep*

[Snuggles]

The magic suddenly stops and the knife drops to the ground but the body is not limp like usual. The body is now covered by rocks and pebbles and starts to pound around the mountain's cave and slowly moves outside and drawing more rocks toward himself.

[topher chee]

Topher sat up woozily and wiped the saliva from his right cheek.  "Dude what was in that tea....."  At that moment he fell back to the floor and back into a deep sleep.

[e_voyager]

an though Topher was sleeping well with most of the town there were isolated pockets of dissection.
The elder and master of the school were talking late into the night about what the elder learned in his travels and how the new visitors  may relate.
In the  upper portions of the mountains E has finish his charger and begun the process to replace his circuits and systems with flesh and blood. it was a painful process in this world but he deemed it necessary.  the process it self cut his off form all outside data. or at least that which was not viewable from within the chamber.
Lower in the mountains the entity that had been Snuggles had emerged form the cave startling a passing ground squirrel. whether it was buy chance or design was nearing the ledge and soon  it would either fall of be forced to change direction.

A stiff breezes blows though the woods where  Moonsoul is sleeping. the energy in the wind is dispersed around the spell that she had cast..

back with DM the K2 picks up and atmospheric spike in ionic activity. there are closings gathering over the mountains as well. it was almost as if a storm was brewing.

[Snuggles]

Snuggles' body was moving about. As is nears the ledge itself, it seems to try and move the the squirrel away from the ledge so it doesn't hurt itself. As it does so it moves off the ledge but instead of falling it turn and walks down the side of it still collecting rocks. Now that is has been collecting a lot of rocks it seems to be a barrier around Snuggles body.

[Kitsune Ascendant]

*curious, nim and mina follow snuggles*
nim:<I wonder what snuggles is doing>
mina: <don't know, but it looks kind of cool. some sort of elemental armor, maybe?>
nim:<maybe. let's keep following. maybe we'll find out>

*text in "<>" is in the squirrel fox native tongue, a combination of sqeeks, barks, yips, tongue clicks, and chitters.