Woods of West Rendali

"Uncle Lycu, who's that?" Twi asked sitting close to him, Lycu grinned at the fact ‘uncle’ had caught on.

“No idea Twi.” He said flopping on to one side and looking over at Rhan. “So who are you? Other than Rhan that is.”

"Earth Shinlai?" Rhan asked. Lycu nodded in agreement, glancing at Marri, who didn’t seem to interested in going to have a snoop.

“Looks like we have another joining us, too bad mister ‘deer thief’ over here ate all the food.” Marri said looking at Icarus.

“You could always have the scraps? If no one else wants em I’ll have it.” Lycu suggested, he shifted around a bit and stared at Twi. “Hey titchy, stay still a moment I wanna try something.” He said and without warning grabbed her shoulders with both paws. Focusing his energy he pulled the invisibility over himself and tried stretching it over Twi as well. He couldn’t tell if it had worked or not, he’d screwed his face up in concentration too much to see anything.

“Did it work?” He asked to the group in general.

After Eldon was all done with his deer. He left the rest of the corpse for the animals. He picks up the skull by the antlers and starts to walk off. Eldon starts chewing on the antlers as he walks back to his little area where he once laid. He sits down and continues to chew. He puts up his massive paws one the skull and snaps the antler in half and grins it with his teeth until it was no more. He continues to chew on the skull until it was gone. Then he lays down for a long time for a long rest. After a wile he gets up and stretches. He looks around and up at the sky. "I guess its time for me to go." He said to himself. He walks in the direction where the small group of shinlai was is at but he was walking pass them. He wasn't paying attention on where he was going and never notest that there was a group near him. Eldon was deep in thought.

"And yet you seemed so interested just a moment ago...."

Rhan laughed, "I was never interesting in eating the food killed by another. If, perchance, the deer had still been alive when I had arrived, that would have been a completely different situation". She poked out her tongue teasingly, she was having fun. "And yes, you may call me Rhan".
Curling her tail around her, she lay down on the cool earth and begun to remove the leaves that had been collected in her tail during the earthquake. She watched the youngster, Twi, from the corner of her eye as the little Shinlai stared at her fearfully from beside Lycu.

“So who are you? Other than Rhan that is.”

Rhan watched as the white Shinlai placed his paws on the shoulders of the youngster, puzzled as to what he was doing.
"I follow the Revolution, for starters", she knew she was safe to disclose that information here, only a fool would wander around in Darkblood territory for no reason. "My history is neither exciting nor relevant, apart from the fact that I joined the Darkbloods as an adolescent, and have been faithful ever since. Other than that, I am little more than just 'Rhan'", she said with a smile. However this was slightly untrue, for she was close to the great Shinlai known as Brute, her 'adviser', some would say. But Rhan preferred to keep this fact unknown, so that it was easier for her to mingle with those on both sides of the dispute and obtain information. She would need to know more about the Shinlai questioning her before she decided if it was safe to tell or not.

“Did it work?”

Rhan tilted her head, and watched as the form of Lycu disappeared, taking the majority of Twi's with it. An Air Shinlai! That would explain how he had been able to shrivel the fish he had caught previously, she had been blind to not pick it up sooner. "Mostly. You disappeared completely, but areas of Twi still wavered. Practice makes perfect, I guess." She was unsure if the male had indeed listened to a word she had said.
Rhan froze, her head twisting to look at the trees behind her. She could feel the vibration of footsteps in the ground beneath her, and a subtle scent which sparked an incling of recognition. "We have a guest", she stated, curious to see to whom the scent belonged.

(Rhan and Brute's relationship is still a WIP, so if anyone (especially Alana) would prefer me to leave it out, let me know and I'll edit it. c: )

Twi watched the female. Rather scary looking, just like Brute. One wrong step and she might bite your head off.

“Hey titchy, stay still a moment I wanna try something.” Lycu spoke, she filched in surprise and held her breath as he grabbed her shoulders. Not being able to see and pull a sudden move like that did tend to freak the poor pup out. “Did it work?” He spoke soon after. "Mostly. You disappeared completely, but areas of Twi still wavered. Practice makes perfect, I guess."
Rhan replied. Twi let her breath out "Don't do thatttt!" she whined lightly, flailing her paws.

"I follow the Revolution, for starters."

At this Icarus' ears pricked and he looked around toward Rhan. The Revolution? Icarus was highly interested in how many of the Shinlai around him were Darkbloods. *Highly* interested. He wasn't sure if it was wise to ask though.

Icarus heard a soft snap of twigs on the ground and looked up, eyes looking into the woods.

"We have a guest."

"Apparently." Icarus stood up, looking around.

(Terribly sorry for the short post D: )

“You could always have the scraps? If no one else wants em I’ll have it.” Lycu suggested.

Marrinus snorted, glancing over to Icarus and his meal and rolling his eyes. Lycu seemed to have missed the point of the jibe.

As the Air Shinlai toyed with the proposition of making almost all of Twi fade out into thin air, Marrinus switched his waning attention to the female’s statement. "My history is neither exciting nor relevant,” she spoke candidly, “Apart from the fact that I joined the Darkbloods as an adolescent, and have been faithful ever since. Other than that, I am little more than just 'Rhan'"

The Dark Shinlai couldn’t help but stifle a laugh. Way to go overboard on the ambiguously well meant explanation.

The group’s attention shifted to the lone Shinlai still lurking in the trees, but Marrinus’s contemptuous gaze remained on the warm colored female, “Well ‘little more than just Rhan’,” Marrinus grinned snidely, “At least we know you’re just as boring as any grunt.”

Glancing off into the forest around them, Marrinus stretched his senses thin, making sure to touch every surface of every shadow on everything in the vicinity. He didn’t feel like the single presence was worth the effort, but locating the Shinlai would at least assure him on its’ size and whereabouts. A short ways out of the circumference of the area, he touched something of considerable size moving past. He smirked. “Positive on that,” he said eventually, “They appear to be moving away.”

"Don't do thatttt!" Twi whined. Lycu patted her absentmindedly on the head.

“Needed something small to practice on.” H said with a grin.

“Well ‘little more than just Rhan’, at least we know you’re just as boring as any grunt.” Marrinus said.

Lycu grinned, “Some grunts are interesting. Most are boring. And some are fakes.” He said. He disapproved of anyone calling themselves a Darkblood when they clearly did nothing to uphold it.

He watched as Marrinus used his element to locate the passerby. “Positive on that, they appear to be moving away.” He said.

Lycu gazed off in their rough direction. “Any interest to us? Or should we just leave them to it?” He said, glancing briefly at Marrinus. “I could check it out and be back before you know it. After all, if they were friend, they would have spoken...” He said, curling his claws into the dirt and letting his gaze wonder back to the noise source. He purred quietly, letting his element swirl towards them, carrying the strangers scent with it.

‘Do we know them?’

‘Don’t recognise the smell.’

‘Friend?’

‘Foe?’

‘SHUT UP!’ Lycu yelled in his head, baring his teeth in annoyance. He did not need several voices all suggesting things at once.

The white-and-orange Lai's head snapped in Rhan's direction at the mention of her alliance. Nosey little group we have here, isn't it? She thought to herself, ignoring Icarus' reaction and holding her paw up to the fading light to inspect her claws.

“Well ‘little more than just Rhan’, at least we know you’re just as boring as any grunt.” Marrinus said with a smirk.

"So it seems", she replied with a wry smile, before she froze with her eyes locked on Marrinus, her facial expression seemingly dead-serious. "Unless of course I am working undercover, and plan to divulge your deepest secrets!", she brought her paw down hard on the earth in an exaggerated act of horror, and chuckled.

“Some grunts are interesting. Most are boring. And some are fakes.” Lycu said, grinning.

Rhan nodded, "I can assure you I am wholly authentic", her voice full of sincerity and a smile still on her face.
She thought about what had just been said. Both the light and dark Shinlai were throwing the term 'grunt' around an awful lot, something they most likely would not be doing if they were grunts themselves. Curiosity gnawed at her. "So what about you three?" Rhan scanned the group over, "or four, I should say", she dipped her head in the direction of Twi. Twi was young, and not likely to be involved with anything that interested Rhan, but it was polite to include her. "Surely at least one of us is somewhat exciting. Or have I surrounded myself with doorknobs?" She grinned, now it was her turn to be nosey, but the others were distracted by the unannounced visitor.

“Positive on that,” he said eventually, “They appear to be moving away.”
"Any interest to us? Or should we just leave them to it?” He said, glancing briefly at Marrinus. “I could check it out and be back before you know it. After all, if they were friend, they would have spoken...”

"Unless they haven't realised we're here." Rhan also sent her senses out, inspecting both the stranger's shadow and the footsteps he left in the earth beneath him. Both held a minuscule amount of familiarity, and finally it struck her; the male that she had seen near the river while she was with Dagda and the human known as Tom! "I know this Shinlai, I have met him before", she turned to face the group, "although our meeting was brief. I can't quite tell you if he is hostile or not".
_

(Hi I am a long post)

(Mind if I throw in a Phlo?)

(Not at all :D)

( =D )

He was ridculously happy. Like, not even normal ridiculously, but ridiculously ridiculously happy. He knew why, but for now he would let the feeling flow and think of it again when it began to subside. A large grin was firm on his face, his pace was bouncy, almost hopping around. With every step, he seemed to spot something awesome. There, a stunning blue butterfly, it's wings catching the sun and spreading tiny flecks of light all around. And there, a beautiful pattern of shade and light. The sun was high in the skies, just over it's top and it's rays filled him with energy.

[If I could whistle, I would whistle,[/i] he thought to himself. He had seen some humans do it, but when he tried there was only a lot of saliva. Oh well. Phlorian approached an area with some bushes, took a particulary large bounce and landed smack in the middle. Immediately, he crouched low, only his tail still showing a little, before jumping out again. Large breaths made his broad chest rise and fall and suddenly he let out a exhilarated laugh before flopping on his back in a patch of grass. Aah... Fantastic!

He lay there for a few and was just wondering wether to take his mask of and sleep for a bit, when a distant sound reached his ears. "Any interest to us?" "...'ve spoken." "...meeting..." "...or not..." For a second Phlo thought about just staying where he was, but then curiosity got the better of him. Maybe these Shinlai were pleasant company. No, scratch that, he thought happily, on a day like this, all company is pleasant. He got up, stretched his toes and set off in the direction of the voices.

“Any interest to us? Or should we just leave them to it?” Lycu questioned, casting a quick glance at Marrinus, “I could check it out and be back before you know it. After all, if they were friend, they would have spoken...”

"Unless they haven't realised we're here." She paused, seemingly taking advantage of the moment to taste the shadows herself before continuing, a hint of surprise in her voice, "I know this Shinlai, I have met him before. Although our meeting was brief. I can't quite tell you if he is hostile or not.”

Marrinus grinned, “Hostility and stupidity sit on two different planes. This Shinlai has not made himself known and is arrogant enough to trespass on unfriendly turf,” he shifted to look at Rhan, eyes glinting, “It’s like comparing brawn to brains, bold hubris is nothing compared to well applied logic.”

He looked off into the trees for a few seconds, considering if it was worth the effort to pursue the intruder. Finally deciding against it, he eased into a more relaxed position in the sands, lounging back on his elbow and stretching his hind legs out behind him. Shifting his gaze from Twi, to Lycu, and then back over to the two beside him, “Name’s Marrinus,” he said, “The pup, Twi, is mine and the flashy Air Shinlai over there is Lycuvayu. I’m sure each of us has our own ‘doorknob’ agendas to attest to,” he grinned mockingly then added, “Twi’s just along for the ride.” He ran a dark claw through the sand distractedly, he didn’t have much to say after that, some things were better left unsaid. It was already established that the female had been recruited and Deer Boy simply has no idea what he’s gotten himself into. One was probably already someone else’s pawn to play and the kid was obviously still fresh meat strolling into the lion’s den. Which reminded him, “Hey Icarus was it? You thinking of joining or are you just a supporter? You don’t smell like a Dailian to me.”

Icarus listened to the conversation going on around him intensely. He was weighing the better of two evils. Was it wiser to make a quick departure and leave before he got himself into trouble? The opposite feeling was telling him to stay and make a couple new friends. He honestly couldn't tell which would work out best for him in the end.

He was quickly reminded of the company he stood with when he felt shadows dart out all around. Marrinus and Rhan were feeling around with the shadows, trying to identify the Shinlai that had passed rather close. Icarus frowned slightly. He ought to have perfect control of his element, but he didn't and it drove him crazy. Icarus reached out with his own shadows, feeling every nearby dark spot. He had trouble identifying what was what though and pulled them back, sighing softly to himself.

Marrinus was saying something about stupidity while Icarus was still brooding over his poor control of his element. Movement caught his eye though, and he looked up to see Marrinus shift his position to a more comfortable one.

“Name’s Marrinus,” He grinned, white teeth showing in contrast to his black mask. “The pup, Twi, is mine and the flashy Air Shinlai over there is Lycuvayu. I’m sure each of us has our own ‘doorknob’ agendas to attest to. Twi’s just along for the ride.”

“Hey Icarus was it? You thinking of joining or are you just a supporter? You don’t smell like a Dailian to me.”

Icarus blushed under his mask, not that it would have been easy to see anyways with his brightly colored face. "Se-elf proclaimed Da-rkblood." Icarus hoped he seemed far more confident then he was. "I haven't ha-ad the opportunity to officia-lly join. I was unsure how to g-o about it. So I head-ed to Darkblood territo-ry." He paused, glancing around the group. "I wouldn't sa-ay it's too ha-ard to know who-om you're loyal too, though."

“Name’s Marrinus, the pup, Twi, is mine and the flashy Air Shinlai over there is Lycuvayu. I’m sure each of us has our own ‘doorknob’ agendas to attest to. Twi’s just along for the ride.” Marrinus said. Lycu looked up at the mention of his name, halting mid way though toying with his element.

"Se-elf proclaimed Da-rkblood. I haven't ha-ad the opportunity to officia-lly join. I was unsure how to g-o about it. So I head-ed to Darkblood territo-ry. I wouldn't sa-ay it's too ha-ard to know who-om you're loyal too, though." Icarus said with his strange faltering speech.

“Well, if you’re looking to join you ran into the right ones.” He said, face splitting into a wide toothy grin, lowering his head to get a better look at Icarus. “Got any pretty little skills you can show us? Doesn’t have to be huge, just... Useful in some way.” He said with a slight purr.

He fell silent and his head jerked up, swinging around to face another direction. Immediately sweeping a soft breeze out around them. “Another Shinlai, heading this way. Large too...” He relayed to Marrinus.

Before Eldon passes though he stops and starts to smell a familiar sent of a female he once met before. ’I know that scent, it’s that female I met long ago.’ He thought. Eldon sits and turns his head to a small group of shinlai but they don’t look friendly to him. “Well it better then nothing. Hopefully they are not a aggressive bunch.” Eldon said vary nervously. He gets up and starts to come the small group. “Hay guys! Can we have a little chat?” He called out still nervous out of his wits.

((going to leave tomorrow. Hopefully I can get back to this wile I'm on vacation.))

“Well, if you’re looking to join you ran into the right ones. Got any pretty little skills you can show us? Doesn’t have to be huge, just... Useful in some way.”

"I can identify pois-ons of any kind, and make a handful of them. I'm skilled with man-ipula-ting shadows..." Icarus glanced at his own shadow, and the shadow grinned clearly, taking a life of it's own as it peeled away from Icarus' side. It was like a watching a Shinlai silhouette from the side as it slithered towards Lycu. Icarus concentrated harder, and it threaded over to his side becoming a normal shadow once more.

"I've been practicing Illusions. Although I've only aimed to terrify thus far." Icarus glanced at Lycu and conjured up a shadow that took the form, shape, and color of Lycu himself- except that it was horribly deformed. Lycu's steady grin was exaggerated into a cheshire smile that extended far past where a Shinlai's mouth normally ended. It's claws were jagged and broken, one of it's legs was bent unnatrually. It's eyes glowed devilishly, and black shadows poured from it's eyes and open mouth like dripping water. "They're often called Nightmares if I'm no-o-t mistaken?"

The Illusion melted away and returned to normal shadows. "And, of course, I can hide myself within shadows. I would have liked to learn Pup-petry but it's rather difficult to lear-n in the first place- not to menti-on if you have no one to teach you." Icarus was rather pleased with his skills, but took most pride in his Illusions which were- to say the least- usually grosteque and horrifying.

“Another Shinlai, heading this way. Large too...”

Icarus tilted his head and his eyes narrowed. And I know a Light Shinlai from a mile away.... He thought to himself. Growing up for years with a Light Shinlai would grow that kind of familiarity.

“Hey guys! Can we have a little chat?”

Icarus was startled from his thoughts when another Shinlai walked forward into their group. Icarus' lip curled slightly, letting a glimpse of his fangs show. He wasn't quite sure what to make of the Lai. He was clearly nervous, but he addressed them so casually it was quite surprising. He was uncertain of how to react. They had already established that only Rhan knew him- and only vaguely at that.

(oh dear lord i leave for 3 days and come back to a massive wall of texttt |D

The distance between him and the others was closing fast. Even so, they were still hidden behind trees and thick bush. As far as he could hear, there were three of them. A... female? Hrmm, hard to tell. Quite late he thought of hiding himself, but at that moment a voice spoke: “Another Shinlai, heading this way. Large too...” So, obviously, they already knew he was heading their way. No sense in cloaking then. Instead, he tried to feel the way the light bounced off. He got a fuzzy impression of a clearing, four shapes... Four? That one must be awfully silent then. And one more, closing in.

Just as he thought it, his presumptions were confirmed by a clear "Hey guys! Can we have a little chat?". Phlo hesitated for a second, raising his eyebrows. He would personally not have chosen that approach, but maybe they already knew eachother? Somewhat more careful, he trotted forwards. The branches pulled his fur, the leaves got stuck on his horns but with a last sweep of his mighty paw the clearing came in sight.

Just as he had suspected. Five shinlai, none of them familiar. A smile spread across his face and he quickly wept some dirt of his mask. Alright, let's get talking! With an enthousiastic bounce he walked forward. "Hello! Mind if I sit with you?"

(aaw, poor Saphy. D: I'll also be gone for a few days, so super long post incoming! Sorryyyyyyy!)

“Hostility and stupidity sit on two different planes. . .it’s like comparing brawn to brains, bold hubris is nothing compared to well applied logic.”

Unsure if the male was poking fun at her or not, she ignored his sly tone, and remarked with a smile, "you'd be surprised how far a bit of 'brawn' can get you".

“Name’s Marrinus,” the Dark Shinlai replied to her earlier questioning, “The pup, Twi, is mine and the flashy Air Shinlai over there is Lycuvayu. I’m sure each of us has our own ‘doorknob’ agendas to attest to. Twi’s just along for the ride.”

Drats, not the information she was trying to pry from him. But she nodded regardless, careful not to show her disappointment. She decided against further probing, something about the look on Marrinus' face told her that she wasn't going to get anything out of him. Marrinus shifted his attention back to the white-and-orange Lai. “Hey Icarus was it? You thinking of joining or are you just a supporter? You don’t smell like a Dailian to me.”

Rhan listened intently to their conversation, hoping that she could glean another hint as to who exactly these other Shinlai were. Icarus was, as he said, a "self-proclaimed Darkblood". Rhan's mouth twitched dismissively, he was obviously none-too-important.

Lycu adressed Icarus, “well, if you’re looking to join you ran into the right ones. Got any pretty little skills you can show us? Doesn’t have to be huge, just... Useful in some way.”

These two were definitely high in the rankings, but that had been obvious from the start. No one would talk in such a way to a Shinlai as large as herself unless they knew for certain that they ranked higher than her, meaning that there was a very high chance that they were Advisors. That would also explain their questioning, and their interest in recruiting Icarus. She smiled mischievously, content that she had figured them out. Her subtle celebration was interrupted by the words of Lycu;

“Another Shinlai, heading this way. Large too...”

Another? And larger than her? Despite her huge bulk, Rhan did get intimidated by others that were larger than her, as she was so unused to it. She sat up slightly, eyes wide and searching.

“Hey guys! Can we have a little chat?”

Rhan jumped slightly, swinging her head around to face the source of the voice. She had been right, it was the same male from the meeting by the river. Was he following her or something?

"Hello! Mind if I sit with you?"

Where were they all coming from?! She turned to face Lycu and Marrinus. Now that she was sure they were Advisors, or something along those ranks, she waited to see how they would react. Once she knew what they had in mind, she would follow their lead.
_

(Oh my goooodness xD, serves me right for getting behind!)

“The pup, Twi, is mine and the flashy Air Shinlai over there is Lycuvayu. I’m sure each of us has our own ‘doorknob’ agendas to attest to,”

Twi puffed her chest up proudly as he mentioned her name. A childish toothy grin spread quickly across her face. Quickly is faded when she listened to the white and orange shinlai speak. Something about this...puppetry and illusion talk was making her a tad uncomfortable. With that, a few steps back from Lycu.

“Hey guys! Can we have a little chat?”

Someone shout out of nowhere. Twi jumped in her skin and took a dash towards where she thought Marrinus was by voice alone, quickly crashing against his forearm. A small whimper came from it as she backed against her 'dad's' leg like any pup would do trying to hide behind their parents. It wasn't usual for her to be as jumpy, but in the middle of so many unknown voices, it was a natural reaction.

"Hello! Mind if I sit with you?"

Yet another. And another whine from the pup's mouth "Where are they all coming from?" she mumbled nervously "It's an ambush."

Marrinus listened intently to the kid’s skill resume, his eyes glinting happily at the thought of illusion and puppetry, surreal as the young male’s interpretation of Lycu was.

Alongside puppetry, illusion was one of his favorite skills to use to confuse and get into the heads of his targets. Coupled with the ability to echo and alter his voice across the shadows in an area, it proved even more invaluable in breaking his opponents resolve, shattering their mentality in the process. Not to mention, when used to form the link needed to gain access to the mind for puppetry manipulation, the results would be a crippling combination as the victim’s mind would be rendered completely useless and their body utterly vulnerable. Puppeteering was a hard technique to master, but he never did sympathize with the individuals who couldn’t handle the strain of the ability. As far as he was concerned, if you do not have the right mindset to perform, do not even bother trying. Weak minds will only get fried.

“He is certainly is not of the strongest mentality,” Marrinus thought to himself, “Not yet at least. But illusion is a most valuable concept to be manipulated.” He glanced over at Lycu to see what the Air Lai thought of the display. “It needs work, but it’s surely something with potential.”

“Another Shinlai, heading this way,” Lycu spoke up, interrupting his thoughts and locking eyes with him, “Large too...”

Marrinus straightened, his senses locked for a brief second on the tree line. Once he located the source of the movement, he released his breath soflty and leaned back again. Who was he kidding? Old Scar wasn’t that stupid and he wasn’t that high on luck. He chuckled to himself. “I think you need to redefine your definition of ‘large’, my friend,” he said, “That’s nothing.”

“Hey guys! Can we have a little chat?”

Before he could deliver a snide comment in reply to the incoming male, Marrinus felt a small ball of pelt barrel blindly into his arm. His body jerking in surprise at the sudden contact, his teeth gritted sharply, he quickly dug the claws of his opposite forepaw into the ground in an attempt to keep himself from impulsively countering the unintended blow with a clout of his own. He sat there still for a few seconds, “How long, has it been? Four years? And you still can’t relax and lower your guard a little around that?! Calm down.” He felt a slight shiver run down his spine and he sighed. Had he really been alone for that long? Craning his neck down to examine a now whimpering Twi, who had herself pressed tightly against his upper arm, he raised his forearm to bring it around her, drawing her in protectively. Whatever the case, she was his responsibility to look after and that he would do.

"Where are they all coming from?" the pup whined at the approach of the second newcomer, “It's an ambush."

“Heh,” Marrinus glared over at the two male Shinlai, “Not hardly,” he said confidently. The two didn’t look like anything close to a threat, just ignorant of their surroundings. “Feel free to join,” he called over.

(LOL I'm right there with you, Ny xD and I've been here!)

Before he could do anything else, the black and white shinlai sprang forward, crashing headfirst into a fairly large male, coated in fur as dark grey as his own. The smaller shinlai, barely more than a pup really he thought to himself, hid behind the large one. Odd. Maybe they are related? He heard the kid's voice drift from behind a large paw.

"Where are they all coming from? It's an ambush!"

Surprised at this conclusion, he felt the need to reassure her. "Hardly! I am just travelling and sought to find some company," he said.

“Feel free to join,” the large male called, something Phlorian did happily. He layed himself down beside a particulary large female. She was looking at the grey male as if being under his command. Odd odd odd, he thought to himself, tucking his tail neatly around himself.

"Well, time for introductions I'd say. My is Phlorian di Liro," Phlorian said with a dip of his head.

“I think you need to redefine your definition of ‘large’, my friend, that’s nothing.” Marrinus said with a chuckle.

Lycu snorted. “Oh please, if it was something the size of Brute I would have said. And then got out the way.” He said with a broad grin. He knew the Marri had gotten his hopes up, even if only for a brief second. He watched as Marrinus freaked out a little when Twi bumped into him, suppressing a laugh, if he reacted like that to little Twi bumping him, he couldn’t help but wonder how he’d react to a larger Shinlai.

“It's an ambush."

“Heh, not hardly, feel free to join.”

"Hardly! I am just travelling and sought to find some company."

Ignoring the small banter Lycu grumbled quietly and dropped his head onto his paws. He half wished it was an ambush. Strange Shinlai he didn’t recognise, random meeting in the forest. How did everyone flock to the same place at the same time?

‘It’s an ambush.’
‘They’re planning something.’
‘Don’t turn your back on them’

Lycu forced his face to remain blank, and set about eyeballing the ground in front of him. He couldn’t let the voices get to him. If he did they’d become stronger...

‘Strike first!’ A particularly harsh voice said, somewhat sounding like Marrinus. He grumbled quietly again, the urge to attack and fight was starting to over whelm him. He dug his claws into the dirt and lay there kneading the ground, trying to de-stress that way.

It wasn’t very affective.

He looked up at Marrinus and locked eyes with him, trying to get the point across that he was struggling to remain sane. Normally he tried not to let on to the fact that the voices were bothering him, especially in company such as this.


((Warning, warning. Crazy time imminent))

“Feel free to join,” From the large dark colored male.

"That's great then." Said Eldon. Eldon starts walking over there, being his happy old self. He see a bunch of shinlai around, one white, a few young ones, a vary dark male, and a female he met before. He stops and looks at her and smiles. "Hello again, its been a wile. I guess its a small world." He chuckled and sat a little distance away from them a bit "We never got each others names yet miss."

Eldon digs his front claws into the dirt to try's to feel the vibrations from the other shinlai. The one he most of all feels the white one the most. Eldon knows there is something wrong with this shinlai. Eldon glances at him and said "Are you alright sir? is something bugging you?"

Lycu was beginning to get agitated, or rather, a bit more than simply 'agitated'. The silver Shinlai was clearly on edge, Icarus could see him kneading the ground anxiously. His anxiety began to upset Icarus' own fragile mind. Icarus shut his eyes for a long moment, trying to stop everything from warping... It was like the Shinlai before him were becoming more and more like his own horrifying illusions. Icarus tried to push his paranoia off for a little bit longer, trying to draw steady breaths to even out his increasingly quick breathing.

Icarus barely heard the introductions around him and only manged to flinch away when Phlo came too close on his way by. He hesitated a look, opening his eyes, and quickly looked to the ground- not liking at all what he saw.

Careful now, Icarus, little brother. It's not safe. A familiar voice whispered in his ear.
These are friends....
We can't be sure, brother.
But-
Listen! Listen to me, Icarus. Be ready. That's all I ask. Do you not trust me, little brother?
I-
Good.

Icarus flashed his eyes angrily at the ground, eyes fixed on his scarred paws. His teeth clacked softly, nervously.