Furrae Chronicles: Webs of Destiny (IC) [M] {2}

[Nikki]

Xzeliea Walks out the door, impatient. "alright, yeh pansies. ei'er we get this show on the road or i leave yeh all behind." she says, a drunken slur once again dominating her speech.

[Arcalane]

Smirking as Gareeku heads downstairs and outside, Arc exits via the window, landing neatly, carefully and quietly. Keeping his rifle over his back, but his pistol casually in hand and his other hand on the pommel of his sword, he moves around towards the front of the building, walking slowly and confidently...

Then straight past the group. He nods at Gareeku & Paladin and twitches one ear almost coincidentally as he heads on toward the Temple.

If either of them understood it, it was simple body language. I'll meet you there.

[Hilary]

Anzimani followed Arc out, hopping off the windowsill. She unfurled her black wings and beat them once to ease her descent-- her bones were relatively fragile, and it wouldn't do to break an ankle before the trip even started.

She scowled after the mercenary, obviously still not completely trusting, but shook it off as she refolded her wings, clearing her expression.

As she joined the others at the front, she pulled a slightly bruised peach out of her pack for breakfast.

[Gabi]

Not feeling the need to make a smart comment, Gabi simply joined the group as they left the inn and headed towards the temple.

[Tapewolf]

It would have been quicker by Warp-Aci, Jakob thought to himself.  Teleporting would have been quicker still, but not many people could do that unaided and he didn't want to get Arc suspicious.
Why are we out in the open like this?  Jakob looked around, trying not to show that he was actually quite nervous.  Disguised as a raccoon, he had less to fear, but since there seemed to be a price on his head once more, he was in no mood to take chances.  And that was without the threat of the kidnapper.

[Gareeku]

"Let's go...the nearest Phoenix temple is a couple of day's walk from here, but we should cover quite a bit of ground..." Gareeku said to the others, taking into consideration the fact that it was still early morning. Pulling the hood of his cloak over his head as he began to walk down the path with the rest of the group, the wolf looked at Xzeliea with a slightly raised eyerbrow. Gareeku would have normally made a good-natured comment back, but his current mood would suggest otherwise, his mood being a result of the recent events, and the dull headache that seemed to be plauging him since a week ago. Also noticing Jakob's subtle nervousness, the wolf put a hand on his old friend's shoulder.
"If we try to hide low, it will make the search more difficult. Besides, we'll be able to handle ourselves should anyone decide they want to cause trouble." Gareeku said to the raccoon beside him.

That evening, the group were walking through an area of quiet countryside. Rolling meadows were visible as far as the eye could see, broken up the occasional cluster of trees. Arriving at one particular cluster of about half a dozen trees, Gareeku turned to the others.
"I think we'd better stop here for the night. Even those of us who do not have to sleep need some rest." Gareeku said to the group.

[RJ]

"Gotta say I'm not used to stopping really when it comes to travelling..." Blaze mused, glancing at some of the others. "But, taking a rest can be nice too I suppose. I'll take care of the fire if you want."

The squirrel cubi cleared a patch of dirt before gathering up some fallen branches. After setting it together, he casually placed a ball of fire into the wood. The fire crackled as it took hold.

"That should last until morning," he advised before sitting with his back against a nearby tree and staring up at the sky for a moment.

[Tapewolf]

Seeing what Blaze had done, Jay hurried over to the fire and looked at him.  "Are you sure that's a good idea?" he asked.  "There's someone out there who has kidnapped at least two fully-trained 'cubi, and it's even money that he's after us too.  A fire is all well and good, but it could draw unwanted attention to us."

He pondered it for a while.

"I daresay your fire magic is better than mine.  Do you think you could tweak it so that it doesn't smoke too much, Mr..."  Jay paused, suddenly realising that he didn't actually know the squirrel's name.
"You know, I don't think we've been introduced.  The name's Jay.  Jay Farrow."

[RJ]

"I've been studying fire magic my entire life- so I know my way around it." Blaze's mouth twitched into a quick smile. "I've made it so after a certain distance, the fire becomes hardly noticable. I can place a limit on the smoke too, maybe even channel it into the ground below us instead."

The squirrel stuck a hand out. "And the name is Blaze... Blaze Joybringer."

[Gabi]

"Joybringer!," Gabi exclaimed. She had a tendency to join conversations whenever they caught her interest. If she was intruding, she didn't notice until later.
"Now I know it can't be a coincidence. You must be related to Raine Joybringer, aren't you?"

[Paladin Sheppard]

With both sets of wings hidden again, Paladin rode his bike up to the group.

"Well our trail looks clear, but I've still got a feeling we're being tracked somehow..."

The armored wolf swung off the bike after kicking its stand down. He smiled as Gabi posed her question.

[Nikki]

Clothed once again in her black robe, Xzeliea sits at the base of a tree, growling slightly, making marks in the ground. every so often she throws what seem to be...bones...upon the markings, studies them, then makes more marks. after a bit, she is still again, but obviously agitated, her tail thickening as her fur stands on end

[RJ]

Blaze glanced over at Gabi. "Yeah, she's my little sister... Well, twin sister." He gave a slight grin and shook his head. "Hard not to think of her as being anything but like a little sister with the way she acts."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "So I presume you're a friend of her's? She always has more friends than enemies it seems..."

[Gabi]

Gabi smiled at the comment. "Yes... That's good for her, I guess. We met 2 years ago, when I first joined an adventuring crew much like this one; we'd been through a nasty fight and I'd exhausted my magic, but 2 of us were still badly wounded, and she saved them. She helped us a lot. She's a very good healer."

[Tapewolf]

"Yes," said Jay, somewhat distracted by the sight of Xzelia, who appeared to be casting runes.  "Yes, I've met Raine too.  A good-hearted person.
It's good that you've concealed the fire, too.  Among other things, I'm still worried about the cat, Arcalane.  I'm just not sure it was wise to let him go off on his own.  It may be that he really is off to get a head-start at the temple, but it's also possible that he's doubled back, and I don't want him to see the fire.  Out here, without the protection of the other patrons of the Smoking Dragon, we could be in real trouble if he decides to try something."

Jay paused, wondering how much to tell Blaze, when another thought struck him.  "And what if he's going to set up an ambush at the temple?  He could kill half of us before we knew what was happening."

[Gareeku]

Hearing the conversation between Blaze and Gabi, Gareeku smiled.
"She is indeed. If it wasn't for her, those who were injured would have certainly died."  The wolf said after Gabi had finished speaking, the warm smile still on his face as he reached out to shake hands with the cubi squirrel, "I don't think we've been properly introduced. The name's Gareeku Manoko, it's good to meet you."
Turning to the raccoon, Gareeku frowned.
"I won't let that happen." the wolf said flatly.

Meanwhile, Li was sat in a branch of a tree, observing Xzeliea.
"What'cha doing?" She asked curiously, her green eyes blinking as she spoke.

[Hilary]

While the others were talking, Anzimani had flown up to the top of one of the taller trees and deposited her pack on a limb. She swung herself down through the branches to the rest of the group and flipped over so that she was hanging upside down from a lower branch by her knees, glancing curiously over Xzelia's shoulder at the runes.
"If you want, Jay, I could set up a simple trap. We'd quickly be warned of anyone coming."

[Gabi]

"Oh! And I'm Gabi," Gabi added, only just realizing she'd done it again. "Sorry, things happen so fast that I keep failing to introduce myself. Nice to meet you, Blaze."

She extends her hand to the squirrel, but as Gareeku turns to look elsewhere, she can't help wondering what he's looking at, and turns to look as well.

[Nikki]

She looks up to Li " trying to figure out if we're being followed...or if we aren't..." she purrs. sniffing the air once again, she growls. "i don't like this..."

[Gareeku]

Noticing Gabi looking at him, and then looking in the same direction he was, Gareeku smiled slightly.
"Beautiful, isn't it..." Gareeku said quietly, "...the sunset, I mean..."
The golden glow of the sun was now turning the surrounding area the same colour as it began to disappear behind the mountains in the distance. Gareeku's face then began to display a look of discomfort as the dull ache in his head became temporarily stronger, before dying down again. It was then that the wolf decided to share something that he had chosen to keep a secret for quite a while.
"Gabi...what I am about to tell you is something that I do not want repeated to anybody else..." Gareeku said to his friend as he turned towards her, "...I don't have a lot of time left. I'm dying."

[Nikki]

The femme's ears twitch as she overhears Gareeku's words. almost as if arrows have pierced her whole body, she goes limp. turning to look at Gareeku, she holds back on saying anything, yet at the same time, she cannot hope to hold back the tears that seem to come on their own. she then covers her head with her robe, hoping not be noticed, as usual.

[Gareeku]

Out of the corner of his eye, Gareeku noticed Xzeliea's reaction and sighed.
damn it...me and my big mouth... the wolf thought to himself in self-annoyance, before walking over to his friend and sitting next to her.
"I take it you overheard what I said..." Gareeku said as he put a hand on Xzeliea's shoulder, "...but I'm not going anywhere yet. I promise you."

[Tapewolf]

Jakob had been preparing to ask to Xzelia about her casting when he caught the last part of Gareeku's conversation with Gabi.  A wave of horror passed through him causing his raccoon form to waver for half a second, but he recovered quickly.  Using a combination of stealth and a small amount of shapeshifting, he concealed himself behind the tree.

Did I honestly hear him say that? he thought to himself... but yes, he could feel Gabi's emotions and realised that he had indeed heard right.  This was confirmed a few moments later as Gareeku spoke to Xze.

He doesn't want anyone to know, Jakob thought, with a lump in his throat.  I'll have to pretend I didn't hear.  But my Gods, I'm going to have to keep a close eye on him now.  As if we didn't have enough trouble already.

[Hilary]

Anzimani cocked her head as she heard Gareeku's words.
Curious... she thought, noting the other's reactions. She hadn't known Gareeku long at all, so the news didn't affect her as strongly. She was more interested than distressed.

The pheonix slipped down quietly from her branch and onto the ground. She padded around to the other side of the tree, then walked about fifteen paces away from the group.

She picked up a small stone and touched it with one fingertip, then pulled it away slowly, a thin string of golden magic extending from the rock to her finger. She muttered a soft word and the string disappeared. It was still there, but not visible to the naked eye.
Setting the rock back down, she circled the camp, still trailing the invisible string from her finger. Occasionally she would touch a tree trunk, rock, or bush, creating a ring around the group. If anything larger than a forest animal crossed the laser-like line, she would feel it, the magic string tugging at the power still left inside of her.

[RJ]

"Oh, nice to meet you..." Blaze responded, smiling from the praise he had heard over his sister.

His smile dropped as his ears twitched, just catching Gareeku's words.

Damn, he thought quietly, that doesn't sound good.

[Gabi]

Gabi gasped. Her mind was full of questions, but she couldn't quite put them in words. She also felt sorry for Gareeku. She tended to care for others by default, but even if she hadn't, Gareeku was one of those people worth caring for. It was definitely a blow. When he spoke again, she became aware of the general reactions and felt the need to apologize.

"I'm sorry," she said. "It took me by surprise, I couldn't shield my thoughts in time."

Thoughts kept fighting each other for the use of her mouth. The need to make up for her carelessness defeated the questions for the moment.
"Is there anything I can do for you?," she asked.

[Paladin Sheppard]

Sitting away from the group Pal felt the shocked emotions pass across the camp.

'This cant be good.'

[Gareeku]

Hearing Gabi's words, Gareeku smiled softly at her, getting up and putting a hand on her shoulder.
"I wish there was, Gabi..." the wolf said, "...Don't be sorry, maybe its better out in the open."
Looking around, Gareeku forced a reassuring smile as he had guessed that most, if not all of the group, knew about his secret. Saying nothing more, Gareeku turned and walked away to a quiet area nearby.

"Gareeku..." Li said to herself quietly as she watched him walk away.

[Arcalane]

~~Meanwhile~~

Arc had been making good time through the forest, mostly because he knew the area and was used to forest environments. That didn't stop him from being jumped by three bandits.

He didn't know it, but he was only a short way from his "allies'" camp when the three showed up. They didn't look like they'd been on the job long - three honest guys who'd turned to crime for one reason or another, almost certainly. So when the leader stepped forward, grinning like an idiot - obviously trying to impress his friends - Arc merely smirked.

"Let me guess... my money or my life?"

The bandits grinned, advancing forward.

"Then let me pay you in bullets."

Unholstering his pistol, two shots quickly dispatched the lesser two, and a running kick knocked the third to the ground. The third, attempting to roll over to get away, soon found a boot on his chest, and a swordpoint at his neck.

"I suggest you tell me what you were stalking around these parts for..."

[Tapewolf]

Jay slunk back from behind his tree.  A wave of unhappiness had spread through the camp like a disease.  It was pretty obvious that everyone now knew about Gareeku's illness, yet there seemed to be a silent, unspoken pact not to discuss it openly.

Suddenly Jay's ears went up and he crouched low.  There were gunshots in the distance.
Oh shit, he thought.  Oh shit, not again!

"Did anyone else hear that?" he said, in a low, urgent voice.  "That gun-toting feline maniac has killed someone, I just know it."