Modo Animalium

Alsashun suppressed a giggle. It wouldn't do to get caught laughing when their leader was so serious. He was the alpha now. She should have been given an award for keeping a straight face after all that happened. "I do so appreciate your concern for my dignity Naosu, but please let me reiterate that anyone who wants a ride should feel free. I assure you we'd make record time." She drooped her tail as a courtesy to Octavia, making it something convenient to climb up if she so chose. "Besides," Her blue orbs caught his red once again. "You're itchy, a ride in something soft might be soothing. At least until your skin loosens up a smidge more." She broke her gaze with Naosu and caught Torix's "And please don't worry about that, Octavia can ride in front of Rik'Tik, followed by Naosu. You'd be two beings behind her." She said cheerfully.

Rik Tik was either completely unphased by Naosu's outburst or he completely ignored it. Instead he hopped down from Alsashun's back and started to dance. He danced over to Torix and took a pinch of black powder from one of his many bags and dashed it on the Kitsune's head. "Der mon dat be helpin dah spidah problam fur a waiAl mon." He then danced over to Naosu and gave him a big crushing hug and patted him on the head. "Der der itchy hiss hiss is alright mon." He put Naosu down and then leaned in his facial expressions became seriously for only a second as he whispered just loud enough for Naosu to hear. "I kno wat I reyspect mon...it be U who should be havin more respect fah those around you includin dah dead mon we may yet be closah to dem dan any livin creachah you be waaned. He instantly snapped back to his crazy and picked up Ocatavia placing her gently upon his head. "Der ya go spidah lady ya can ride upon meh head Ay don mind. Jes don be layin you eggies mon." He then danced back up upon Alsashun's back and howled with laughter.

Torix yipped when he felt himself stop by his tail, panting in relief when he realized nothing was on his head anymore. He only vaguely noticed Naosu's glare, staying still more out of exhaustion than anything else. He sneezed when he felt the powder hit, feeling it tingle a bit and hoping the witch doctor didn't mix up his voodoo. The speed spell was still active when he got up unsteadily, nodding slowly. "Thank you, Rik'Tik. It should help, and sorry Naosu. I can manage my own pace Alshashun, I'd still rather not be that close to a spider. And unless there's anything else, I want to get research done tonight. When and where should we meet tomorrow?"

Naosu rubbed his temple with his tail. Rik'Tik was right. He had thought he was done with his youth getting the better of him.

"I apologize everyone. I'm upssset at the councccil and the fact that during the meeting my ssscalesss started to itch which meansss i need to ssshed. I will say Alsashun that your offer isss tempting but i'd probably get arresssted for being curled around you plusss asss big asss you are my lady I am ten feet long and weigh a hundred poundssss or more. Even for you my weight and length would be problematic."

Naosu moved in a circle a bit for some relief from the itching. He thought about what they should do. It was still early evening and so they had time do stuff. Well except the fact he'd be a little slower at night.

"For now let usss go to the local inn. It's jussst down thisss main road. It'sss called Igsssil Iguana'sss Nest and Den Inn. The sssun isss sssetting ssso i'm gonna ssslow down a bit ssso if you all wisssh to go ahead feel free. You can go gather your ssssuppliesss now or after we ssspeak at the inn becaussse i need a bit more in depth of ssssome of your abilitiess so i can come up with a formation for usss to move in tomorrow and it musst be done before we ressst." Naosu waited for their responses or for them to walk of. in the mean time he kept shifting around so the path would rub his itchy belly.

Alsashun listened diligently to Naosu, but when he came to the part about abilities her ears went back. She had hoped she wouldn’t have to mention anything about her mind reading. Even though she’d give it away sooner or later by accidently answering a question that wasn’t asked yet, she still had reservations. Beings treated you differently once they knew you could invade their privacy in such a way. It felt good to be around animals that didn’t know. Her entire pack had, and it all but turned them against her.

It wasn’t any easier to make a decision with the competing scents of Torix and Rik’ Tik’s magic. Aside from the general smell of magic, the kitsune’s smelled of roasted meat and wildflowers, while the colobus’s had a very potent carrion aroma to it. She found neither smell unpleasant, but both of them together were quite overpowering.

Still struggling with whether or not she should reveal her main talent, she decided to go with one of her lesser abilities first. “I can smell magic.” She spoke up. “I don’t know if it’s something you will be able to utilize, but it sometimes aids me in assessing a threat.”

Octavia scrambled off down Rik'tik's back, keeping off to the side of the group before anyone else got the idea to use her as a sombrero again. "Jeeze, every two seconds I'm either a decoration or being asked not to lay babies in a companion. I'm not even pregnant!" She sighed, going back to her old friend and resting on his back as a rock of sanity. She used her abundance of legs to give the area she was resting on deep tissue massage, a side benefit of studying anatomy as a ninja. It was nowhere near a cure, but she thought it might be enough to earn her fair and give them an excuse to catch up- she wasn't in a rush to get to the inn.

As the conversation continued, she spread her gaze between the speakers as they each had their turn. Her gaze lingered briefly on the wolf as she seemed to contemplate what and if she wanted to share something before her confession about scenting. Octavia wondered if that was the whole story, but with nothing else to judge it on for now she waited until she better understood her body-language tells to try and delve for more. "That's a very unique talent to say the least, and anything for surveying an area can be useful. I'll try and stay in sight for you, since I don't create much in sound or scent."

"Interesting and useful, but not entirely unheard of. Though..." Torix shook his head, refocusing his thoughts. He'd have time to get to know his companions later tonight, and ample time to learn even more as their mission progressed. First he had to request books at the library, and plan the evening a bit better now that he was thinking more clearly. I'll have to remember to thank the witch doctor for his voodoo properly at some point. Doesn't change needing to buy those spells again... And then again in the morning once I know what mythic beasts might be involved. And a bit of research on spell scent as well... It's rare enough among mystic species, I don't think I ever heard of a wolf with it.

"I'll meet the rest of you at the inn. If we leave in the morning, then I need to have research at least started tonight so we don't waste too much time at the shops at dawn. I shouldn't take too long." Without waiting for proper responses, Torix dashed off towards the magic shop first, hoping it wasn't closed just yet.

Rik'Tik jumped into the nearest tree with practiced ease without making a single sound. He found the tallest tree in the nearby area and sat in its highest boughs. Once there he sprinkled some more of his powder and whispered phrases in a language that sounded more like a cross between a tortured pig and a water buffalo. The area became cold and sterile and no sound seemed to enter the consecrated ground. Rik'Tik closed his eyes and fell deep within himself. He fell through the blackness and came out the other end rising from the pool taking a breath for what felt like the first time. He was surrounded by water except for one small island which he quickly swam too.

He sat himself down in the middle of the Island and for a long time just stayed there silent. There was something here that he rarely ever got to enjoy ...silence, silence from the dead, ....silence for the voices of his many shattered personalities....., just...pure....silence. He took a deep breath and reached into one of his many pouches and produced a small silver rod. He placed the rod into the ground in front of him and began to concentrate on it. His magic worked so much better when he was here inside himself but he could not stay for long or risk losing himself. His barrier only held up for so long, without it his body would be an empty vessel for any wandering spirit to take, and while eh could fight his way back into control...he has done so before, there was no telling what damage would be done...and he had no intention of adding yet another voice to the many.

He concentrated more energy into the silver rod until it started to vibrate and spark with energy. The energy shot upwards in a beam and exploded into a thousand stars filling the void with eerie light. He concentrated and the stars started to shift and turn creating strange images. Foggy at first, but after a while the images became clearer. He could see animals running in fear of something. He could see homes destroyed and villages burning. He had seen all this before but what he truly wished to see was beyond all of this. Yes deeper deeper he must go to find the true answers. As he reached a familiar point he could feel it long before he could see it. A strange blackness clouded his vision. Once again he had failed to be able to discern what the root cause of the strange happenings was. Suddenly he felt a cold hand grip him and thrust him back to the void on the island. His silver rod crumpled to dust which he scooped up into a bag with an absent mind. "Damet...whay can I nevah see fatha mon..." He grunted in frustration and knew his time inside himself was coming to an end. He dove into the water and immediately began to sink drowning in a sea of voices and personalities as his sanity was slowly ripped to shards once again.

Rik'Tik opened his eyes and smiled goofily as the spell broke and the area once again returned to the realm of the living. "Rik'Tik Tik;Tik taki tooo tooo, many voices der be in me ead but der be only one Rik'Tik" He sang this strange tune to himself as he headed for the Inn. He knew not why he headed there or that there was even an Inn but he felt like this was as good a way to go as any.

Naosu sighed somewhat contentedly as Octavia massaged his back. He thought on Alsashun's ability and what she was hiding. He had an inkling as to what it may be. He had felt something in his mind before when he had met her eyes. It was something to think on. He watched as Torix and Rik'Tik wandered off. He motioned for Alsashun to follow as he slithered down the street toward he inn.

"Your ability is interesssting. I have heard of it before in ssseveral ssspecies including your own. It will be very ussseful i assssure you." Naosu said conversationally. He knew that Alsashun was hiding something and from how he was reading her it might be something that she was disliked for.

"You know among my people I'm ssseen asss an omen. I am a white sssnake. Did you know that Princessss Kussssanagi was a white ssssnake? Ssshe wasss one of the leadersss who ssstopped the thousssand yearsss warss. Sssshe helped form the councccil. Her great grand ssson wasss alssso a white sssnake. Born jussst before the ssssnake/weasssel warsss. The sssseeersss of my people have noticcced that white sssnakesss only appear before timesss of great sssstrife. For me though it issss even worssse. For many of my people ,asss mmossst of the world knowsss, are all asssssasssssinss and politicciansss and lawyerssss. I am a doctor. I heal insssstead of hurt. It issss my way. Sssso if you need a ssssypathetic sssoul to talk to i will lisssten."

By the time he had finished they had reached the inn. He nodded to Alsashun and slithered inside. He turned his head ever so slightly to see the sad eyes he was getting from Octavia. She had heard some of that but not all. When he had told her he only mentioned being looked down upon because he was a doctor. Never about being a white snake. He had also not spoken so saddly as just then. When he slithered into a room with rocky walls specifically for snakes he spoke.

"I'm ssssorry Octavia. I never told you about that you know who i am to ssserpent ssssoccciety. Being given thisss resssponsssability issss difficult you know? I'm glad your here my friend."

Octavia pretended to be looking around as she heard her old friend and the wolf talking about omens. But as soon as they were alone she knew that Naosu knew enough to see through the facade. Bluffing was easy, especially on missions when everything was kept down deeper within herself. It was made even easier by most creatures knowing little of the emotional cues of spiders, their arachnophobia working to her benefit. But she had neither of those here, and really didn't need them. So it was with little hesitation that she began talking again as soon as he called her out on the cue of her eyes coming together.

Her legs relaxed their kneading ways and settled down across him in a sort of hug. "I knew we shared the burden of being looked down on by a society that doesn't know any better. It is the instinct of the ignorant, and instincts are hard to ignore- but I would like to think that this group has the wisdom to see what they do not. While others may blame you for what is to come, I personally believe that they should be thanking you. To have an omen is to have a warning of what is to come, and my experience has always shown me that allows us the chance to do something. If we had no omens, by the time we realized something was wrong it may well have already been to late to save anyone, least of all ourselves. So on behalf of those too stupid to do so, I thank you for being born different."

They stopped talking, a moment of silence lingering between the two as Naosu started the process of trying to force his skin to shed. She kept close watch to make sure her legs wouldn't be caught between him and the wall, his shedding starting toward his front. After the delicate area of his face had a clearance of the skin layer, the peel making it's way past his jaw, she saw where she could help. With the precision of her training and the delicacy of claws that narrowed into needle like tips, she hooked and pried at the layer as it drew back, coercing areas that caught and applying steady firm pressure where it was about to lift, hurrying the process along. It would've been a strange sight to any onlookers, her legs almost rippling beneath her like a centipede as the layer of skin passed below for her to turn around; a spider helping a snake shed it's skin. But in the privacy of the shedding room, it was just someone helping a friend in need, being there for him when he needed her most.

Naosu with Octavia's help was finally free of his skin. He looked at his now glossy white scales and realized he had almost grown a foot. No wonder his skin had been so tight. He was now 11 feet long. The last 8 inches came in. Naosu sighed in a pleased way. Then he thought on what Octavia said and smiled.

"Thank you my friend. For both your wordsss and your help. Having you here makes thingssss a bit eassssier Octavia."

He slithered onto a bed made of leaves. He felt Octavia still clinging to him and spoke.

"We have so much to do. This won't be easssy at all. I'll admit thisss i'm sssscared. The othersss are my resssssponsssebility. I alone have many enemiessss both from my own landsss and abroad. I worry that we will be up agaissst insssssurmountable oddsss. I'm not really leader material. The only reasssson i'm leader is becaussse of who i am. I normally travel alone but now i'll be in a group. I jussst don't know what to think in thisss situation."

Naosu shook his head and sighed deeply at the end of his words. He waited to hear what his oldest and pretty much only friend had to say but she had fallen asleep. He shook his head amused and laid down to sleep himself. Things would truly begin tomorrow.

Torix sat in the library for several hours, looking through tome after tome of creatures and legends. His search was coming up drier than he had hoped, and time was against him. He could only look through so many books before he'd have to rest for the morning, and all he found was an ever-growing list of what the creatures likely weren't.

"Kappa... Rarely leave watery areas. Too vulnerable the further they get from their home rivers. Ghouls... Don't leave graveyard areas. No chance of so many gathering as an army. Tengu? They're just as likely to abduct someone and drop them in a random town for a joke, or try to start a war blatantly. No subtleties from the bird-monkeys."

The kitsune sighed, stretching and looking at a new book. "Cù Sìdhe... Mystic dog. Could explain the wolf well enough, at least canines aren't unheard of with spell scent, though it's still strange to hear such an otherwise mundane breed." He shook his head, turning to a different chapter in yet another book. "I will just have to accept that for now, as it's taken far too much time from my research already. The library closes soon, and the only mythic I found that could be related are the Zombie and the Draugr. Neither of which would be intelligent enough to gather on their own... What's this?"

A full-page image of two creatures caught his eye, the most likely suspects he could believe. "Manticore. A monstrous creature, lion scorpion and shark. Interesting... Poison in the tail and the spines. And Chimera. Head of a lion, a goat, and a dragon. Body of a lion. Tail of a dragon. Hind legs of a goat. A vile hybrid no matter how you look at it. Poison in its claws and fangs. An army of either would take a considerable amount of power, and they are unusual enough that their poison..."

"I'd have to ask the crawler. And hope she doesn't hold it against me that I don't remember her name... But she sounded familiar with poisons. But if it's not a disease..." He looked around at all the books, flicking his tail to send them flying back to their shelves in resignation. "I will have to gather a more comprehensive tome for research on the road. If the assumption of it being a disease is wrong and it's actually poison, then the army might not have any direct relation to it."

The silver fox stopped at the gorilla bookkeeper's desk as he left, requesting an index tome of a multitude of mythical creatures for loan the following day. It had been a long day, and very hectic for him. A part of him hoped Alshashun was still awake when he arrived at the inn. It was always nicer to rest with company, and wolves weren't far enough from foxes that he would be disgusted at the idea of sharing a den with her for the night.

Naosu's words, though kind, had done nothing to make
Alsashun less wary of coming forward with her ability. The scars ran too deep.
After everyone had finished talking she elected to spend a quiet evening of reflection
in the den section of the inn. The accommodations were spacious even for her. “Oh
wise wolf, you’ve misjudged me.”
She spoke aloud as if the wise wolf could hear her. “I don’t know if this is…”
she didn’t finish. It wouldn’t be right to doubt the wisdom of Nymeria. She was
the only wolf that had ever truly accepted her.





Laying with her head between her paws, she shifted her tail
to a more comfortable position. Feeling it brush the wall as she adjusted it
made her remember how grateful she was to have been born a warrior. Besides
getting to keep all of her tail, being a warrior was highly respected. Though
her status didn’t cancel out any hate due to her gift, she often thought that
had she not been born into such an important position, her pack would have
discarded her completely instead of barely tolerating her.





Alsashun attempted to fortify herself. She argued with each
negative thought that came into her head. She told her anxiety that she must
have faith in herself as well as her new comrades. It was working, but not
well. The dust in front of her nose stirred up when she let out her large sigh.
She sneezed a few times before settling back down. Fighting back the urge to
howl forlornly, she continued to lay in the den’s darkness, sleepless and alone.

Torix yawned as he entered the inn, reviewing what he still needed before leaving the next day. I've got the hover shard and gust shard again. Shouldn't have wasted them like that in the first place, though... The best protections against Zombies and Draugr are likely flares and binding bursts. Chimera would need more advanced binds because of their three heads... I don't think my wind could cover that yet, so best to plan to knock them down or make walls. Manticore are best with the walls as well. A few wind armours wouldn't hurt, though.

"Alsashun?" Torix paused as he entered the den area, noticing the large wolf. He padded over to her, preferring company to curling up alone. "I didn't expect you to still be up this late. Restless? Or worried about what we might run into out there?" I wonder if she knows any legends or creatures that might be relevant... Though I should probably avoid bringing up too much this late, best to wind down and rest. "And... Sorry for the poor introduction earlier. I just... I've never been able to deal with spiders well."

Alsashun fought back a chuckle when she remembered the earlier scene. "I think I'm more restless than anything else...Nervous really..." She thought for a moment on whether or not to spill her guts. Her ears twitched back slightly, Torix didn't seem the type to judge, but they'd only just met. "I've never really been in this kind of situation." She was referring to the mission, and the fellowship it required. "But my insecurities are as numerous as they are boring. So if you don't mind my being nosy, did you find an abundance of useful information at the library?" Alsashun asked, genuinely curious.

"That depends on how you define "useful." It was a library, so there was plenty of information." Torix flopped onto the ground nearby with a sigh. "The only abundance were creatures it couldn't be or wouldn't be. The only ones that really stood out were Manticores and Chimeras, but only if I'm wrong on thinking the disease is a disease and not a poison nobody's familiar with. The army I couldn't figure out at all... But I was also assuming the two were related, and that could be wrong too." Torix didn't pause for a response, rambling slightly from how tired he was. "Beyond those two creatures, the only ones I found that would ever build into army-size were Zombies and Draugr. Easy enough to take care of, only threat will be numbers. IF it's actually an army. But I'll be stoking up before we leave tomorrow, and will try to get more research done on the road." Research I should have spent more time on today... But at least I limited the possibilities some.

Alsashun cocked her head. It was a lot more information than she'd bargained for. "Well that's somewhat discouraging, but at least you have the patience for all of that research. I've never been one for books myself." She didn't really know what else to say or ask, but she didn't want to go to sleep either. Which was stupid. Tomorrow was the beginning of all of their destinies, a good night's sleep was sure to be a necessity. "Are you scared?" It was a dumb question, one asked out of desperation. Hopefully Torix wouldn't be offended.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't." Torix yawned, stretching and getting more comfortable. Now that he was away from the books and starting to relax, he realized exactly how tired he was. "I've never had to deal with a crawler for long periods of time- Oh! You meant the mission!" He looked over at the wolf, gauging her emotions as best he could. "I wouldn't let it worry you too much. Yes, I am afraid of what we don't know. But at the same time, the council didn't seem too worried, so they at least believe we can succeed. Relax, between me and the snake you don't need to worry about dying."

The silver kitsune yawned again, barely awake anymore. "Of course, if you were hoping for a bit more immediate comfort, we could always sleep closer together."

"I've...never..." she started. At first it seemed like a strange suggestion, but then something inside clicked. The repressed need for company Alsashun harbored suddenly made the offer irresistible. Being ignorant of what was socially acceptable, she rose, walked over to Torix, and curled up protectively around the dozing Kitsune. "Death isn't scary, but dying alone sure would be." she murmured.

Naosu had awoken before dawn and gone outside carefully slipping Octavia off of his already hardening scales he slipped from the hotel room and went outside, but not before telling the Inn's iguana owner to tell his groupmates to join him at the gate, ready to leave, when they woke. Few Diurnal animals were awake yet and many Nocturnals were finally going to bed. Naosu remembered his conversation with Octavia from the night before and thought deeply on what he was going to say to his group.

"I'm sssstill ssso young yet i am to be a leader." Naosu sighed as he slithered toward the main gate of Zool. "May the godsss and goddesssesss of the many peoplessss help me in thisss." When Naosu made it to the gate the two Brown fox gate guards looked at him sternly. When they recognized him as part of the suicide group the council created they left him alone. He slithered up the jutted stones of the inner wall of the 50 foot tall gates and took to resting on the top of the gates arch. He looked at the sky.

"Oh Princessss Kusssanagi if only i could get adviccce from you in this troubled time. Father, Bortherssss, Sssissstersss, i have been away to long. I wissssh i could hear what you all have to ssssay about thissss but ssssadly i am on my own." Naosu spoke to himself and the sky. He shook his head and laid out in the peeking sunlight of dawn. He would wait for the others and then say whatever came to heart.

Alsashun padded up to the gate. She got on her hind legs, front paws resting on the gate and looked up. She could see Naosu all the way up at the top. She howled cheerfully to announce her presence. She was in high spirits as a result of the good night's rest she'd gotten.

Halfway to the Inn Rik'Tik decided a new direction was the way to go. Eventually he found himself sitting next to Naosu. "Slithers be chill but de spirits dey be angry. Dis not bode well snakey mon." He turned as he heard the howl and jumped with glee as he quickly climbed down to Alsashun. He climbed gently on top of her and sat on her back. "Dis ride be redy to go mon! Where be dah crawly and deh silvar?"

Torix ran through the city quickly after stopping at the spellcrafter's workshop that morning to stock up on spellshards. He thought he overslept after his late night researching, but it seemed like everyone else was still gathering as he arrived. Slowing his pace as he reached the gates, he panted lightly while greeting the others. "I apologize for being late. Yesterday's... excitement left me more tired than I thought. I did manage to get some research done that may prove useful, though I hadn't time to do much."

Alsashun is here, and Rik'Tik... Crazy voodoo monkey. I don't want him to repeat yesterday's fiasco, so I think I'll stay away from him this time. Naosu is there... Wait, where's the crawler?

Octavia stirred awake as Naosu let her down gently, her training and lifestyle leading her rouse from such a motion despite his care.  Indulging in what would likely be the last chance she had to get up slowly in some time, she waiting for her friend to leave the room before uncurling.  Flexing each of her eight legs in turn, she skittered up the wall and slipped out the window to take in the morning air.  Spotting Naosu headed for the gate, she skittered and jumped in the over-building routes only those born to climb could see to meet him at the top of the gate.  Not long after arriving though she ended up skittering and jumping to avoid being sat on by the monkey who didn't notice her, perching lightly on his back.  Reflex ended, she simply held on as the group dropped down to join the wolf below- a small one arm wave offered when Rik'tik turned and she ended up face to face with Torix again.

Torix tensed as he saw the spider, frozen in fear for a few seconds before yipping and jumping away. A small surge of wind helped him jump higher, over and to the other side of Alsashun. He may have been able to convince himself Octavia wouldn't hurt him, but she was still a spider. "Don't DO that! I hate it when people sneak up on me like that!"