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Post by Kiera on Jun 17, 2007 10:15:22 GMT
The path winds its way through the forest from one side to the other weary travellers would do well to stick to it to avoid the dangers lurking in the forest beyond
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Post by Gabriel on Jul 15, 2007 20:11:27 GMT
He was here. He was coming.
Gabriel crouched in a high branch overlooking the path. He grinned a toothy grin, his mouth filled with more sharp canines than an average mouth should have. "He thought he could escape. Thought he could just leave after all he did to her. Oh, poor simpleton." He tensed up his body, hair beginning to sprout out in tufts. "I will catch him, make him pay, the murderer."
His body began to change drastically. His face enlongated into a muzzle, his ears made their way further up his head, became pointed triangles. His knees reversed, and he moved on all fours. Clothing and skin began to be replaced by fur. All his senses sharpened; he could smell him now, could hear him walking down the path. He began to see him on the horizon.
Murderer, murderer, murderer...
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Post by Arthas Orion on Jul 19, 2007 18:22:20 GMT
Arthas stopped in his tracks. Something was wrong, he could tell. Slowly, silently, his hand moved to the hilt of his sword. "Who is there?" He called out. He only got the sounds of the forest in response.
Damn, I must be hearing things. He removed his hand from the sword, but the other hand clenched into a fist. Better safe than sorry, I guess. The air around his clenched fist began to become heated, shimmering. He kept going along the path, every muscle tensed.
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kitty
Weak
mew mew >^w^<
Posts: 4
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Post by kitty on Jul 28, 2007 12:12:19 GMT
Farther up the dark path a small break in the canopy of trees gave forth to an area of direct sunlight, shining down between the branches of the trees and onto the dusty and leaf covered trail. It was here, on the edge of this warm, sunlit patch of the woods slept a rather rare and unusual creature who had decided to lay her head on a robust and warm branch of a well weathered tree that poked out into the sunlight with very little shading. From a distance it would be easy to mistake this animal for either a puma or other feral cat but if one were to get closer they would soon realize that she isn't your ordinary big cat.
She laid there, drooling a bit, and sleeping peacefully with her tail hanging off the side of the branch as well as her left paws, minding her own business. This part of the woods are generally not to accustomed to civilized beings so she felt no need to be more cautious in her choice of bed, not worried about poachers or other possible threats as in this neck of the woods she is the top of the food chain.
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz >-,-<
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Post by Arthas Orion on Jul 28, 2007 23:24:23 GMT
Arthas slowed down to an almost crawling pace as he saw paws hanging from the branch. It seemed at ease (at the very least, it wasn't leaping for Arthas' throat) and he could hear its light breathing. Snoring?
He edged over to the tree, still feeling a foreboding sense of danger from somewhere. He saw the hindquarters; it was obviously some kind of feline. Mountain cat? I'd better...
He exclaimed in mingled surpirise and confusion, louder than he really should have. The creature had a human face? Arthas' hand went to his sword, while the other one clenched tighter and began to sprout small licks of flame. What manner of creature was this?
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kitty
Weak
mew mew >^w^<
Posts: 4
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Post by kitty on Jul 29, 2007 5:49:29 GMT
The sphinx's ears shot up and turned to face Arthus as he spoke up in surprise in reaction to his noticing the somewhat human appearance that could be seen in the feline's face. Just as suddenly as her ears perked up did her snoring stop as well tail her curl upwards in curiosity and she yawned before turning her head in the direction of the noise that woke her only to see Arthus standing on the ground below the branch she laid on. She took one look at his sword and rather defensive pose and mistook him for a poacher, thus putting her self into a defensive mind set. "Merow! hissssssssssssssssssssssssss! Kitty no likes poachers mew!" More scared of him that he is of her she leaped from her place of slumber and begin to run deeper into the woods down the dusty path that snaked it's way threw the forest, in fear of being tagged and captured again just as she was when she was but a mere kitten. Making it several hundred yards up the path from Arthus, the sphinx noticed a small outcropping of rocks that formed a bluff which separated the forest into two different elevations. It was on the side of this rock formation that the cat found on the edge of the path a small cave, just big enough for her to fit her torso in. She ducked into this natural shelter, poking her head out to look back down the path at the direction that Arthus had approached her from, not letting her guard down, ready to pounce at the first sign of aggression.
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Post by Arthas Orion on Jul 30, 2007 15:52:33 GMT
Arthas tensed and seemed to curl inward as the creature leapt from the tree. A fireball appeared in his hand, ready to throw if she advanced, but she didn't; she ran away. Arthas relaxed then and, playing the scene over in his head, he belatedly realized something.
"It...spoke!" He stared down the path, dumbfounded. "A cat...with a human face... and it talks?" He shook his hand, dispelling the fireball in a flurry of fast-dying embers, and took a few hesitant steps forward. "Hello?" he called out to the creature, "I'm sorry if I startled...you..."
He paused, then laughed to himself. "I'm losing my mind." He declared with a chuckle. "All those years on the road have taken away what's left of my sanity. Look at me; I'm apporaching a wild creature that could kill me 'cause I think it can talk!"
He got close to the rock bluff and stopped, trying to get a good view of the creature. "Hello?" he tried again, "Do you understand me?" He kept his sword-hand away from the hilt, but he kept the index finger of his left hand warm, primed for fire magic if the need arose. "My name is Arthas. I'm not going to hurt you. Do you... understand?"
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Post by Kiera on Jul 31, 2007 13:30:01 GMT
Kiera watched one fine eyebrow arched upward as first the human like cat sprang past the tree she was perched in then as Arthas too appeared on the path. Looking down at him she grinned watching him he seemed apprehensive trying to appear outwardly cool but she knew he would be able to call upon anything he needed to defend himself with a split second thats where they were so different, he was always cautious wary of any situation whereas she would jump in without a second thought usually unprepared and over confident in her abilities to get herself out of trouble. She watched him before glancing towards where the creature was hiding curiously she was sure as a child she had been told stories of such things but surely that was all they were stories.............then again she had assumed that about Tullaris and look where that had gotten her. the thought of her ex lover and arch enemy crept upon her unbidden and she scowled tossing her head as though to physically shake the thought from her head, more and more lately he had been creeping into her thoughts as though she were waiting for news of him although there had been none for fifteen years or more now. Shaking her head she almost unbalanced her self grabbing for a branch she caught her breath tuking her feet under her so she knew she would remain hidden in the canopy above Arthas's head. Discovery was not something she wanted quiet yet.
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Post by Gabriel on Aug 4, 2007 15:21:13 GMT
There he was. Gabriel's hackles raised and his ears flattened. It would only take one leap and he could be on the man. His back was to the wolf; he'd never see it coming...
Suddenly he stopped his plans as an unfamilliar scent hit his enhanced senses. He looked over to the next tree, where a woman was staring at his target with equal interest. That would put a wrench in his plans; she would rat him out, he knew. Thinking quickly, he turned back to the base of his branch, where he had dropped his bag, and shoved his head through it.
He closed his jaws over an object which illuminated the inside of the haversack breifly. Suddenly a human appeared beside him, clad in leather jerkin and breeches. Gabriel pulled his head out of the sack and met the human's gaze. Approach that woman... do not make a sound. Ascertain what she's up to, and make sure she doesn't interfere. Gabriel ordered through a mental link with the illusory soldier.
Yes, Milord. The man silently crept from bough to bough, with the slightest rustling of leaves denoting his presence, until he got within sight of the queen. He didn't open his mouth, but still spoke via mental link to Kiera. Milord inquires after your motives. Do not make a sound, lest we all be discovered.
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Post by Kiera on Aug 4, 2007 22:37:45 GMT
Kiera sat back and watched the scene below nothing seemed to be happening after Arthas spoke and she relaxed in the dim sunlight filtering through the branches of her tree only to sit up sharply at the intruding voice in her mind. And who is your lord that makes these enquires? she spoke back in her mind her eyes roaming the trees beside her to match a body to the voice in her head.
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Post by Gabriel on Aug 5, 2007 19:15:00 GMT
A look of confusion passed over the soldier's face. He glanced back to his wolf-liege, who made a quiet sound like a sigh. Gabriel mentally hissed orders to the soldier, and the soldier nodded before turning back to Kiera with a more certain look.
Milord Gabriel asks the questions here. He explained, He asks again what your business is with the red-headed man below. The soldier glanced back to where Gabriel crouched, as if trying to confirm he had it right.
Stop looking in my direction! The wolf railed, Keep your gaze on her! She must not be allowed to interfere.
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Post by Kiera on Aug 5, 2007 21:58:18 GMT
Kiera smiled gently glancing back down at arthas below her her mind mulling the question over before she answered.
Well your lord must not know of who i am otherwise he would know not to ask such questions, but fi you must know he is a friend she answered carefully not giving too much away but just enough she hoped to satisfy the others curiosity
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Post by Gabriel on Aug 6, 2007 12:36:10 GMT
The soldier relayed what Kiera said, word for word, back to Gabriel, who was quickly becoming annoyed with having his train of though interrupted. Return to the scepter, you worthless thing. I'll talk to her myself.
Yes, Milord. In a blink of an eye, the soldier had disappeared. Gabriel got comfortable on the branch and began to transform again. He shrunk, feathers began to take the place of fur, his forepaws turned into wings. In a short while, he had turned from a wolf into a little robin. He flitted over to a branch right next to the queen.
"Do not be alarmed." He warned in his normal voice, and then he got to the topic at hand. "I'm amazed you'd consider such a worthless example of humanity a friend. But, of course, I suppose he wouldn't just tell you the truth about himself would he?"
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Post by Kiera on Aug 6, 2007 21:23:34 GMT
Kiera frowned as the soldier vanished and was soon reploaced by what looked like a robin, only when it spoke to her did she realise that all was not as it seemed.
"Oh? And how would you know what he had and hadnt told me?" she asked a mite cross at the assumptions the robin as making as well as the fact that it appeared arthas could possibly have been less than honest with her.
"Amd what would the truth be?" she enquired after a few moments one eyebrow arched in curiosity as she glanced down at the scene below her.
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Post by Gabriel on Aug 7, 2007 12:50:07 GMT
The bird made a soft, lilting series of cheeps; a parody of chuckling. Feeling the old, lucid version of himself returning for the first time in a while, he edged closer to Kiera. "I know he wouldn't tell you what I know about him. I'm sure he's been keeping up a grand lie of omission with you. And what an omission.
"Did you know he killed people? Oh, sure, those were troubled times. But I'm not talking about self-defense. No, this was cold, pre-meditated murder. I'll bet he conveniently left out his little revenge scheme.
"But maybe he told you that." He came in even closer, and an impossible smug look spread over the bird's features. "Did he also mention all the people he shamelessly manipulated? Certainly he trusts you enough to mention all the people he tore from their homes to risk their lives trying to settle his vendetta. Did he tell you of the woman he seduced into joining him, all the way to her grave? Poor girl...
"Oh, and perhaps all the innocents that got caught in the cross-fire?" His smugness seemed to spread all over his little body. "You must certainly be a special case if your good buddy Arthas could confide in you that well. Did he mention me, forced out of hiding due to machinations of his doings? Did he mention the little town he threw into a panic one night?"
He seemed to deflate then, and the smug look melted into a more melancholy one. "And did he mention a young woman who got herself mauled trying to stop it all?" He paused. "No? And here I thought I was looking at his 'friend'..."
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