Town of the Forest

(Anyone may jump in if you want, I'll be using my Earth Lai male, Aborox. I'd prefer to keep this nice and literate so please use lots of details and don't post anything under 7 sentances long.

The setting is a large Shinlai civilization built amongst the trees in a forest.)

Aborox, a large white and red Shinlai stands guard near the entrance of a huge city like residence of a large group of Shinlai. He is all alone, which may, in some cases, be considered dangerous to do, but Aborox isn't in the least bit afraid. It's bright daylight, and he's as big as a Shinlai gets. He lifts his head up at the sound of movement in the newly bloomed underbrush, and prepares himself to attack, but none the less, it is only a white rabbit.

Aborox smiles to himself and looks at the rabbit. "You got me all worked up for nothing there little guy." He said with a slight laugh. The rabbit, in return wiggled it's nose at him and hopped off. "Well where is everyone off to now?" He said looking around for anything that could have startled the rabbit. "Eh, it's probably just a bird." He sat down in the dirt and swished his tail side to side, his mind thinking about why he was sitting on his own.

He had come to the assumption that other Shinlai in that town had only respected him because of his size and strength, but that thought didn't bother him as much. Aborox was used to being on his own, and feeling stranger to shinlai socialization. He was much more comfortable on his own anyways, since it gave him time to appreciate the nature around him without seeming like a weakling to the others.

"Blah, It's just one omore thing I dont have to worry about right now.." He said to himself as he dug his claws through the dirt, a line of grass shooting up from the ground behind the claw. He made a small patch of green grassm and the rabbit came back to him, sitting by him and nibbling on the fresh grass. Aborox smiled and watched the rabbit eat, sitting calmly and peacefully, untill a sound behind him startled the rabbit. Once more again, it ran off into the underbrush and vanished.

Aborox turned around, his massive body making his feet press deep into the ground as he stood up to see what the sound was.

(I'll jump in! Might be a fun chance to start using Rayner)

Smells were always floating by, swirling, rising, asking, begging to be scented, payed attention to. Rayner sometimes ignored them when they were not brought or manipulated to his will, but something nearby caught his attention. Using his element to direct the wind towards himself in order to get a better whiff, he smiled. A Shinlai nearby, how delightful.

Rayner considered cloaking himself and approaching without being seen, but that somehow didn't seem like very much fun. There seemed to be only one directly ahead, perhaps a few more in the vicinity, he might as well strike up a conversation to gather information. Maybe make a new friend, or an enemy.

A rabbit nearby caught his attention, but he decided not to kill it and continued forward at a gait that was less than hurried. Before long the relatively small blue Shinlai found himself approaching a much larger red and white male. "Ah." He blinked, then bowed his head. Rayner almost always approached others as a gentleman, "Good day, or perhaps not?" He began to worry that this Shinlai was perhaps not so friendly after all, but had hopes that Aborox might be a fellow Darkblood. Strangely, he was having a hard time telling.

Aborox looked at the underbrush for just a moment longer, then down towards the smaller blue shinlai that had approached him. He saw that Rayner was being polite to him, asking how the day was, but Aborox, being very wary of unfamiliar shinlai, examined the small male for a moment before replying to his question.

"Hello." He said with a low voice. It was apparent that he was trying hard to whisper, or at least keep his voice down, but he was a powerful shinlai, and a very big one at that, so his voice was naturally loud, and very difficult to keep down.

"It has been a good day, for me anyways." He stopped and sat back down on the ground and looked at the blue male again, being polite and deciding to speak back, in hopes of being more comfortable with him.

"How has your day been? It's been nice outdoors for awhile, and very beautiful.. don't you agree?" He trailed off as a butterfly landed on the tip of his horn.

OHAI Mind if I jump in?

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Springs of lush green grass sprouted up from the dusty floor. The scent of wild flowers was heavy in the air, carried far and wide by the gentle, warm breeze that rolled over everything in it's path. Lofty trees supported an extensive nearby village, which seemed to be deserted... save for one muscular, tall white Shinlai. His creamy white fur was marked in bold red stripes, with lusterous goldeny feathers streaming out of the back of his mask. Coupled with the beaming shafts of sunlight, the feathers shone quite spectacularly.

"Aw, shoot-" Denali yelped as she struggled clumsily in the tangly vines and other foliage; her large, slender body was making much noise as twigs creaked and snapped under her weight. A butterfly that was sunning itself scuttled up and away as she disturbed it.

Needless to say, the rabbit which she had tried to capture softly bounded in the opposite direction. Intenly focused on the bushes it had lept from, she figured it may come back if she lay still enough. Manipulating her element, air, to her advantage, the small mammal couldnt smell her anyway.
For a second, Denny thought she picked up the voice of another Lai, but shook her head as she redirected her attention towards her miniscule prey once more.

Minutes passed, for what seemed like forever to the impatient young female; the rabbit had not returned, and she plopped down into the bushes fitfully. 'It is certainly much easier to hunt them in open prairies,' she pondered to herself. 'Atleast the weather is pleasant.'
Interrupting her lackadasical train of thought was a rustling of branches, which she guessed was the rabbit again.

This time she knew she heard voices! A deep, loud voice responded to a softer tone, both sounded to be chatting casually. Playfully crouching behind the clumps of bracken, she listened in to their conversation.

"Yes... It is pleasant weather." Rayner's eyes followed the butterfly and he opened his mouth slightly, running his greyish-pink tongue over his top teeth. He hesitated to respond on the way his day had been going. So far it wasn't good, he was due to report back on his recruiting accomplishments, and had failed to do anything much for several months now. He had to accomplish soon or hope to come across a more important mission. Thus, he was unusually distracted and nervous.

"My day has been... Regrettably quiet I suppose." He admitted, "I was just passing through on my way to a uh- a small town.... I couldn't help but notice, you seem to be guarding this place. If you don't mind my asking, are you waiting for someone?"
He glanced casually around Aborox towards the residence. He decided that it probably wasn't under Darkblood control, for he hadn't known about it before now.

His curiosity mounting, he didn't hear the other nearby Shinlai, but he sensed something in the air, and realized that they were being watched. *Darn!* He thought, and turned his head towards Denali, but his voice did not sound particularly concerned as he called out, "Ay there! I thought I might have heard you earlier."

Aborox smiled at the blue male. "Well you are always welcome to hang around here with me and the other residents." He said as a few birds perched themselves on his horns. They wer quite used to being able to be around him, sitting still in this area was something Aborox did day in and day out, for hours upon hours at one given time.

The birds chirped loudly as Aborox spoke. "I do guard the town, but as a choice, not a chore. The only imdividuals I wait for are " He paused before he cotinued, knowig that his mind would most likely wander off onto things that Rayner probably wouldn't care to hear about, but his thoughts got the best of him. "I could tell you more about the town if you'd like." He paused again, thinking he heard something in the brush.. something a lot bigger than the rabbit.

"The Shinlai who live here are almost all Earth, save the few runaways that come here for peace." He said with a quiet voice. "There are nice, peaceful shinlai here, who treat everyone that comes in wth kindness and hospitality. But unfortunately for us, there is a shinlai out there who terrorises the others... and-" Aborox was cut off completely by the distinct sound of cracking twigs. Was someone sneaking up on them?

Rayner noticed it too and called out to whatever was in the bushes.

One of them detected her presence, calling out calmly, "Ay there! I thought I might have heard you earlier." A blue Shinlai had spoken, she mused as she peeked through from behind a thin branch. His deep ocean-y looking fur stood out extraordinarilly against the green tones of the forest. Aborox abruptly stopped speaking, and assuming that it would be stupid to keep on hiding, she decided to make herself visible.

The air Shinlai pranced out quickly from the bushes, shaking loose any leaves that had clung to her fur. Rays of sunlight cascaded down from open spots in the canopy; they scattered over the rocks and bushes, dappling the ground in many colors. Blinking a few times as a smile slowly crawld across her muzzle, Denali settled down onto a patch of sunlight. From what information she had collected, neither of them seemed to be dangerous.

"Hello," she chortled cheerfully at them, "I would ask you both how the day has been but I guess I already know!" Denny tittered in a jovial manner. "Sort of a slow day if you ask me, but who's rushing, right?"

Ryshka had been sleeping soundly near a stream that fed the city. She could hear the talking not far from where she lay and cocked her head slightly to listen. Her tail was dipped into the water tempting the fish that swam in it. She didn't want to pay too much attention to the others that seemed to be introducing themselves to each other, but she heard voices of shinlai she had never encountered before and became instantly intrigued. Groggily she rolled over and into the stream letting the cold water wake her as it seeped in past her fur and against her skin. She got out and shook off a bit and put her mask back on. She didn't like to sleep in it but refused to talk to anyone without it. She preferred to hide the large thick scar that ran across her right eye and down across the top of her snout. Others generally tended to ask about it and it was far to painful for her to retell and relive in her mind so it was better they didn't know of it. Her necklace clinked softly as she stretched and padded closer to listen, not wanting to expose herself fully in case it was someone or a group of someones who she might have to run from.

Listening to Aborox made Rayner even more curious, the open, welcoming attitude was interesting. "Hang out." He repeated the phrase, nodding politely with a smile.
"Oh?" Rayner couldn't help but wonder who the terrorizing Shinlai might be. He wanted to know more about the town as well, but the more immediate curiosity seemed to be the female. Not that he minded too much. His father had been very strict about letting him see females, so even mated ones were interesting.

"Hm." He tipped his head to the side, listening quietly. "Rushing... None of us." He gave a nervous laugh, she seemed very cheerful. "Ah!" He jerked suddenly, "I appologize, none of us have been properly introduced. I am Rayner Veldt... " He paused, thinking he might have heard another something.

Aborox smiled as the female spoke, but only stared in awe as she emerged from the brush, twigs and leaves falling from her body. Her fur was white and spotted with brown, the patches of sunlight filtering through the trees down onto her fur just made it that much more beautiful in his eyes. "Well hello." He smiled as he said to her. Aborox shook his head, the birds flew from his horns and disappeared into the beams of light coming down through the tree tops.

As she stated that she had basicly been listening to the two male's conversation, he lost his smile and shook his head back into reality again. "That's perfectly fine.. and no.. There is never any need to rush, not today, not ever." He said and smiled again. " I find that the slower you go through life, the more beautiful it becomes. Best thing to do is stop and look." He had stopped when the male nodded back to him wanting to hang around the town longer.

Aborox looked down at him with a smile. "Well Rayner.. My name is Aborox, and you are welcome here anytime you want." He smiled. The male seemed kind enough. He then turned his attention back to Denali. "And you?" He said with a smile..

Before Denali could answer, Aborox felt another presence around them.. again, one completely unfamiliar to him. "Hello?" He said, using the same calm voice as he'd had the entire time there. "Is there somebody out there.." He paused and smelled the air.. definately another Shinlai, and she smelled like the water of the creek. "Don't be afraid.. I don't think you need to hide or run from any of us." He said.

She stood there for a few minutes even though the largest of them had addressed her. She planned her exits should this prove to be some sort of a trap just for safe measure. She knew the chances of conflict were more than likely very slim considering the other small female that was happily chatting to the two males, but she couldn't help the mental plans she would make upon meeting new lai's. "You can never be too sure" she whispered to herself gently. Carefully and quietly she came out of the shadows of the trees. Beads of water shimmered against the dusty blue fur that stood bristled along her back. She knew she probably looked a bit aggravated but thats just how her fur was and no amount of slicking would make it any better. The other small female was quite soft and beautiful and she instantly felt like some strange looking beast. It didn't truly matter to her but her mind tended to jump to strange and random conclusions when left to its own devices. Her mask slipped a little as she was in a rush to put it on when she heard the others and she adjusted it carefully before getting any closer. The soft silver necklace and bracelet clinked as she walked and sat at least 3 feet away from the others cautiously. Her thick tail sat in a state of wet disarray wrapped around her legs as she leaned and sat back on her haunches. She watched the group carefully before speaking in a quiet manner "Sorry if I interrupted, I was taking a nap by the creek and heard voices. I thought it might be someone I knew and I came to see. I've heard your names so there is no need to restate them to me should you choose to carry on your conversation." The look in her pale blue eyes was one of nervousness and no matter how calm she made herself to be on the outside, she was a whirling ball of panic on the inside.

" I find that the slower you go through life, the more beautiful it becomes. Best thing to do is stop and look."
Amused, Denali did not respond to this, but instead rapped her mind around the words; she cocked her head to the side as the blue male spoke up tenatively.
"I apologize, none of us have been properly introduced. I am Rayner Veldt... "
He trailed off distractedly, as the three of them intently listened to yet another new noise. Denny's curiosity was reactivated as the bushes, which were parted delicately by drenched blue paws, were flattened, revealing Rysh, who briskly and somewhat nervously introduced herself.

The fur that ran along her spine was pricked up, bejeweld by a few beads of water that clung to the spikey wisps of blue hair. When the bright light bounced off of them, the droplets flashed like tiny gems. The quiet clinking of her necklace captured Denali's attention as she looked upon it with wonder. Frenetically re-adjusting her mask before draping her waterlogged tail around her feet, the timid new Shinlai rested on the warm grass.

"Sorry if I interrupted, I was taking a nap by the creek and heard voices. I thought it might be someone I knew and I came to see. I've heard your names so there is no need to restate them to me should you choose to carry on your conversation."
Her pale blue eyes shifted anxiously, though it appeared that she was trying to remain calm.
"Hello," Denali called to her welcomingly, hoping none of them scared the new Lai, "Im Denali! Who are you?" She sauntered a bit closer to Ryshka.

For a moment Rayner listened quietly, remaining very still and peering from under his red mask with bright blue eyes. Aborox and Denali, he would remember those names.
His gaze flickered momentarily to Aborox as the birds flew from his horns. The large male seemed certainly to have a soft side for nature, and he almost regretted not sharing that fascination. Usually the only time he payed much attention to birds was if it involved playing with wind they were carried upon, or if he was hungry. He blinked up at the tree tops, then back at the surrounding Shinlai.
He smiled and nodded, "Thank you Aborox."

His eyes widened slightly in fascination as Rysh emerged, dripping and shining with water. For a moment he thought she looked aggrivated, and shifted his feet so that he could stand up and move quickly if he needed to. But further observation revealed that she must be more nervous than anything. He felt a bit sympathetic, they were probably the ones who had interrupted. Perhaps she had been sleeping, or washing in a nearby stream, surely something that had to do with water. He opened his mouth slightly as if to speak, but Denali beat him to it. While she introduced herself he continued to open his mouth in an attempt to fake a yawn.

Denali...the name sounded familiar as it rolled about in her head. As the cheery and energetic shinlai suddenly began to come closer Ryshka instinctively flinched. She tried to play it off as nothing but was pretty sure that everyone saw.

"I..I am Ryshka, but most prefer to call me by Rysh." she said with a slight quiver to her voice at first. "It is nice to meet your acquaintance Denali" her paws idly brushing leaves and sticks that caught into her tail from her brisk dip. "The rest of you as well. I am sorry didn't mean to make it seem as if I am not pleased to catch your names as well" She smiled a bit awkwardly then looked at the ground as the sun glinted off the teardrop charm on her necklace.

For the moment they seemed like a fairly docile and friendly group but her eyes caught sight of the blue shinlai Rayner as he stared at her strangely, even attempting to mask it with a faked yawn. She worried that when she arrived the off setting of her mask had shown the horrid scar that streaked across her face. It was bad enough she always had to sit a bit funny due to the less than perfect vision of her left eye, but she didn't want to scare them away with her disfigurement as well. Billions of thoughts and worries swarmed through her head as she sat quietly.

Aborox smiled at the blue female, understanding that she seemed a bit twitchy, then again, it was a random group of unfamiliar shinlai, and with his size, he figured it was pretty common for other shinlai to be skiddish of a group with him in it. He smild and paid no mind to behaviour, even though he saw how panicked she seemed to be, though it was understandable to him.

He continuously switched his view from Rysh, to Denali, and to Rayner. It was an interesting group, in his mind, but he kept very quiet, very to himself, and he continued to hide it, very well.

Aborox was good at covering up how he felt and how he was thinking on the inside, he was just too used to it. It was just as well that he was good at it, seeing as how Rysh seemed to be very distressed inside, and the way that Rayner was acting seemed to be bit peculiar, but none the less, he his his thoughts and feelings, kept to himsef, and remained quiet. Theese shinlai seemed friendly, and he continued to warm up to thier presence, but he would be ready if anything came up.

More birds flew around Aborox and grass appeared under him and the rest of the group. Patches of sunlight coming down from the treetops illuminated the green grass. It was soft, and new, and smelled so beautiful in Aborox's own mind. The grass was warm, and life flourished around the group of Shinlai, but Aborox remained quiet, regardless of the fact that it was apparent this was his doing.

Rayner pocketed Ryshka's name in his mind with other information of that sort. Although his innitial reaction had been perhaps a bit... off, he listened respectfully when she spoke. Though it was hard to see because he had no pupils, his eyes were almost always moving, and he observed the other Shinlai and their reactions as well. If the situation had been different, he could have laughed. They were such an awkward bunch!

He realized that his poorly faked yawn might have tipped off the fact that he thought something was strange, so he decided to speak up. However, he had not seen Ryshka's scar. Minding the fact that the earth around them was now teaming with life; something that surprised him, even though he could clearly recognize the source, Rayner stood up and shook his fur to free it of leaf litter. Admittedly, it was also a technique he used to relax, now that he was confident that none should be an immediate threat to any of the others. At this point he had half a mind to interrogate them, except that their behaviors might be misleading. A calm group could easily turn on one another, and the more reasonable half of him wanted to simply befriend them.

When that quick bit of thought was done he dipped his head to Ryshka, "That's alright. I too must appologize, at first I mistook you for an aggressor-" He paused to shake a bird from his horns, looking up to see it fly away and then come back almost immediatly. "Anyhow, it's some interesting circumstance. We could go on about what a nice day it is for hours, but I'm curious how we all ended up in this spot. Just travelers happened upon a town in the forest?"

Aborox, while being the quiet type- not really one to answer all questions he was given, actually responded to Rayner's question. "This is my home." He stopped himself to watch the birds fly around them. "I've been here for quite some time now, well, as far back as I can remember anyways." He sighed to himself, remembering just how he had got to be a resident in the town in the first place.. and it wasn't too pleasant to think about at the given moment. "All I really can say is that this is the only place I belong, and I rarely travel outside of the boundaries here. I have no need to." He said calmly and wrapped his tail around his side.

Aborox remembered how he had wandered his whole life, his teacher, his parents, the girl that had filled a spot in his heart where a lover should have been, they were taken from him and never found, no matte how long he searched. Aborox remembered it like it was yesterday when he had come wandering up the trail from a river some nintey or more miles away from his location. He remembers stumbling upon a large shinlai like himself, who guarded the city, and allowed him to call it his home. It took Aborox years to become used to the town, and even though he had lived there for such a long time, he still felt misplaced.

He concealed his thoughts and feelings well, yet again, and snapped back into reality, observing the group of Shinlai he was talking to. He tought about it for a moment, then asked. "How about all of you.. I don't think I have ever seen any of you around here before."

Denali frowned inwardly as Rysh shyed away from her.
'They all seem to be defensive...'

"I..I am Ryshka, but most prefer to call me by Rysh."
With a soft smile, Denali replied, "Nice to meet you, Rysh! And you all as well," her shrill voice wavering with delight as she nodded at the water and earth Lais.

Denali could sense something around her paws; she looked down to find green grass shooting up and drenching the small gathering place in a wavy emerald carpet. The spring-ish smell of the newly sprouted grass was refreshing, and some small puffball-like flowers dotted the floor. Cocking her head to the side and playing along, a gentle wind tickled the fur of Rysh, Aborox and Rayner as Denny guided it with her element. It made the branches sway, causing a few leaves and loose petals to drift about like vivid, natural confetti. It was a trick that she used often, simply to amuse herself and others with the simple display of colors. Denali loved Spring-time, it made her blossom with glee, much like the new spring flowers!
Rayner stood, sending out loose brambles and such as he tossed about his fur. "That's alright. I too must appologize, at first I mistook you for an aggressor-" He hastily said while turning to the worrysome Rysh. Shoo-ing away a curious bird, he continued: "Anyhow, it's some interesting circumstance. We could go on about what a nice day it is for hours, but I'm curious how we all ended up in this spot. Just travelers happened upon a town in the forest?"

"This is my home."

Aborox, the supposedly quieter one, had spoken plainly, the words rolling smoothly off of his tongue. The air shinlai followed his gaze as he studied the flitting birds distractedly. their flashy feathers dashed to-and-fro among the labrynth of branches above. "I've been here for quite some time now, well, as far back as I can remember anyways. All I really can say is that this is the only place I belong, and I rarely travel outside of the boundaries here. I have no need to." He paused, exhaling listlessly before piping up once more. "How about all of you.. I don't think I have ever seen any of you around here before."

His story tantalized Denali's imagination, as did every story with her; She was quite an adventurous, curious young female, so she remained silent to wait for the others to share.
Quietly she sat, sunlight bouncing off the small group's glossy coats. The lulling whir of bees, which must have been asttracted by the new flowers that Aborox had grown, could be heard in the background as they lazily bumbled from bloom to bloom.

Ryshka listened to them speaking, the thick grass tickling between her toes as she watched it grow with vigor. She watched Denali flex her will over the breeze and sighed slightly, thinking quietly to herself how nice it must be to be able to have such grace and ease of command over an element. Silently she contemplated showing some of her abilities but frowned remembering how fleeting her control of water could be sometimes. Nothing kills a mood or creates problems like dousing people and lai's alike with water unexpectedly. She shifted on her haunches a bit at continued to watch the group a bit more relaxed now; as she took a bit of time and willed some of the water to seep off her and into a ball, dampening the grass and dirt beneath her.

Anyhow, it's some interesting circumstance. We could go on about what a nice day it is for hours, but I'm curious how we all ended up in this spot. Just travelers happened upon a town in the forest?

She listened curiously as Aborox briefly told them this was his domain. She contemplated speaking and when she did her voice was soft and quiet. "This place is quite lovely to be honest. As for me, I am just a wanderer... I am not from these parts at all and more accustomed to sandy shores very far south from here. Aborox in all honesty I do envy slightly what you have here and I do bid you thanks for allowing me to visit even if it is just for a short period of time."

She chose her words carefully knowing well that she had a tendency to ramble on from time to time. She was notorious for talking too much or not enough, but this time she simply wished to listen. Her eyes shifted from Aborox to Rayner and Denali. She caught them lingering on Rayner for a few moments, curious about him as she had never seen very many blue furred lai's like herself, but thought it best not to pry. To keep herself from staring she idly fiddled with the opalescent teardrop that hung from its silver chain and stared into the sprouting grass.

"It is a nice place." Rayner admitted, after listening to Aborox. While he personally was more comfortable with the texture of rocks under his feet and the absense of life floating around him, there was a serene feeling about the place. He just needed to have a look inside that town... Perhaps the place was some sort of Daila stronghold, or it wasn't it might make a good grab for someone else. Assuming that was true, and Aborox the only guard... Rayner sighed, the dream was too nice to come true. Most of his were, like having a quiet home to use his element for his own desires, nothing to do but occasionally visit others and live out a simple life. If only there was no such thing as a promise of obediance.

Sandy shores, that sounded nice too. A walk on the beach, watching the sun set and feel the wind tickle his fur. Back where he had been born, the nearby cliffs were not as much fun to play about. For a moment he wondered if he should be jealous of Rysh, but then, she was so quiet he couldn't help the pang he felt... A feeling that something unpleasant had happened. Perhaps a personal event, perhaps they had all had some personal trauma. Except Rayner of course, he would never admit to social trauma. His own youth had been filled with repetition, but there was little he could regret, besides making many true friends.

He remembered spending the majority of his time training, so much repatition that sometimes he could still hear the voice in his head yelling 'Do you understand? Then get it right!'. He felt himself frowning slightly, and itching to move, to obey some command. He'd have to think of some way to get into the city, that was one thing to do. Maybe if they kept talking for a little while longer he could slip in the question and it would seem like a lovely idea. Rayner fidgeted, but was patient enough to wait.

"I am only passing through on business." He stated rather more bluntly than intended, and added, "But I thought it would be nice to take a vacation. I hear it's good to learn how to relax, so I'm taking lessons from different parts of the world." He offered a smile, and was pleased to discover that it was mostly genuine, so pleased that it became genuine. Though, for a moment he felt the burning of eyes on his fur, and tried to look out of the corner of his eyes. Rysh seemed to be fiddling with an ornament around her neck and staring at the ground. He blinked, thinking perhaps he'd just imagined it, and allowed himself to relax.

((Would any of you mind if I hopped in with Alk and Dag?))

((I would I am deeply offended that you would even ask :P Just kidding yes join in!! DO EET NAOW! ))

The two large Shinlai ran through the forest. Their paws hitting the ground simultaneously with earth shaking thuds. Both their faces were set with fierce determination, teeth bared and brows furrowed. The one in front, a large purple and white female, ploughed through the forest. Despite the thick vegetation nothing caught her horns or tripped her. Low hanging branches lifted themselves, and thorny vines curled out of her path. Her pursuer, a white and grey male, was only feet behind her. He had been chasing her for what felt like hours, but it had probably been only half that time.

Her tail bobbed within reach and he swiped at it, only for it to flick out of his reach. He snarled angrily and they both sped up at the same time, almost as though they both knew what the other was thinking. Several moments later a river abruptly came into sight. The female dug her heels in, the river was too wide to jump easily, her slowing meant the male caught up and tackled her, pinning her beneath him. Unwilling to be caught so easily the female rolled onto her back and kicked him in the stomach, the force behind her kick caused the male to flip over her and land on his back with a loud thud.

The pair of them scrambled to their feet and spun to face each other. Both growling at each other, and proceeded to head butt and lock horns. They shunted each other back and forth, both matched in strength, despite the foot height difference. The female swung her paw and managed to push the male over. Before he could get up to retaliate, she sat on him.

“Give it up Dagda.” She warned down at him.

The male called Dagda glared up at her, before lurching and wrapping both front legs around her, dragging her over onto her side. He hung on as she kicked and flailed trying to get out of his grip.

“Give it up Alkyone.” He warned back at her, leaning his head back to avoid her horns.

“Get offa me.” She yelped in annoyance, but there was a grin on her face. “Off, off, off.” She said, giving her head a shake. Still trying to dislodge him.

“No.” He replied bluntly, nipping her neck.

Ryshka's thick fur that ran along her neck bristled this time not just because she was wet but out of instinct to the sound of large thumps and the nearby signs and sounds of a struggle. She made a few barely audible clicking noises and whirled around with a snarl pinpointing the source. She wasn't about to run headlong into what sounded like a tussle between two rather large shinlai's but she wasn't going to sit with her back turned either.

Without even thinking the water that speckled and dripped off her fur still crystallized into ice. The glimmering needle like shards glittered delicately and dangerously from the tips of her fur which was beginning to stand on end, like a self defense mechanism to make her appear larger and a lot more fierce than she actually was. No matter how timid she appeared on the outside, Rysh was determined not to be a victim any longer. The water that had puddled around her paws and body as she sat became shining pools of silver ice, reflecting the light that flitted between the spaces in the canopy.

"Never a moments relaxation" she whispered to herself as she stayed her ground waiting to see if the unknowns would burst through the treeline and attack. Some may have seen this as a bit overboard but she couldn't control the nature of her paranoia.

"Huh?" Rayner stood up again just a few moments after he had sat down, in time to see Ryshka run off towards something. He listened for a moment and realized why she had gone. It sounded as if two very large animals were fighting, probably Shinlai, which immediately perked his interest. He shot a glance back towards the town almost regretfully, and followed to see for himself what was going on.

His own mechanism of defense was to render himself invisible rather than act as a threat. He let the air swirl about his body and enclose him so that to the eye he seemed not to exist. Unfortunately, this did nothing about scent or sound, but by the amount of noise the fighting Shinlai were making, he doubted they would notice.

By the time he caught up to Ryshka she looked so different he almost thought she was one of the intruders. Her fur spiked dangerously with sharp shards of ice. Gone was the timid creature he'd seen earlier, now she looked somehow larger and more intimidating. "Impressive." He mumbled, still invisible. Maybe she really did know how to fight, he would not have expected it, but then, he didn't know her very well. Now he was beginning to really think she might be worth knowing. Rayner himself was not about to jump into any fights until he knew who's side everyone was on and why he might be fighting. If someone took the lead he would follow blindly, but so far that didn't seem needed.

He caught sight of the two Shinlai and stared for a moment. That purple and white female... He had never seen her before, but Alkyone's description was one he had heard in the past, she was an easy to spot indevidual. The male however, he did not recognize, but their fight was suprisingly different than he had expected. They didn't seem to be trying to kill eachother, in fact, they seemed to know eachother, and he could have sworn she was grinning.