[Ameratasu]

Tacked upon the door in rather hastily, yet elegantly scrawled lettering nonetheless, a note in faded gold and turquoise lettering reads:

Welcome. The following 'pen' of sorts holds other creatures from my various travels around the other worlds at large. Feel free to admire them and mingle in their midst, but please be advised that their caretaker will not take kindly to any misfortune that may befall them. Please enjoy your time here, and take back with you only memories. My caretaker of these various beings can advise you as to where you might get one of your own, if that is your wish.

Sincerely, Ameratasu.


Drawing your gaze from the ornate bit of parchment, you survey your surroundings with some degree of skepticism. While the various, nameless orders that hang in the air in a cloying fashion surely hold the vague seductive suggestion of creatures, you find yourself unable to spy neither hide nor hair of any such creatures, quite literally, at that, as promised by the slim parchment and its compelling, gently curving words that seem to speak of serenity and maternal pride.

Rather disheartened and a more than a touch disappointed, you prepare to leave the apparently abandoned facilities. It is then you hear a low, peculiar lowing of sorts, and rather startled, glance around in a rather absurdly wide-eyed fashion. Your bewilderment has no intention of dissolving, it would seem. For, there before you, where you are almost certain nothing was before, lounges a red haired Elf, reclining with the palms of either hands supporting his head, fingers interlaced in a completely relaxed and indolent fashion.



Even more startling, however, is the snorting, lowing creature that he appears to be reposing on. You aren't at all sure what it is, exactly. Regardless, both Elf and...the creature seem content. Just as you make up your mind to politely interrupt them, the Elf cracks open a single eye. It is a starling, vivid blue--with wisps of alabaster and jade in the depths of the iris. A rather rakishly indolent smile flits across his features.

"Ah,"he comments. "You'd be a visitor, then, I expect."You can only nod mutely, eyes still more or less riveted on the strange being behind them. Noting your relentless gaze, he once again offers a good natured and crooked smile. "Ah, don't mind Thyme here," he says cheerfully, giving her side a smart, affectionate slap. "She's just a lazy old thing."At this, Thyme lets out a guttural grunt of protest, serpentine head rising to enfold her lips over the ear of the Elf in reproach.

"Ugh,"he mutters with a grimace, gingerly reaching up his left hand to remove the copious amount of salvia coating his ear.  "What is she?"You blurt, manners forgotten in the wake of your curiosity. A deeply crimson brow, almost unnatural in its vivid hue, arches elegantly. "We're not quite sure,"he chuckles. "Thyme is just Thyme. That's all that is of importance, really,"he states with a shrug of his shoulders. "Anyway,"he continues, "I'm Orient. Or better known as 'Ori,' as some call me."

He rises to his feet, then, offering his hand to shake. You appraise it for a moment for any lingering traces of slime, before realizing your blunder. He has graciously offered you the opposite hand. You shake it with polite enthusiasm. He doesn't seem to expect your name, nor does he ask for it. "I suppose you're here to visit the creatures under my care,"he says, stuffing his hands into his pockets.  "Yes, I am.""Fair enough. I can show you around."With that, he turns towards the door and opens it. You stare after him in slight disbelief. The incredulity must be on your face, because he glances over his shoulder, gaze questioning. "Well, come on, then, if you're coming."


{Orient from

[Ameratasu]

Dismissing whatever reservations had plagued you moments before, you follow Orient docilely enough through the door and over the threshold. You find yourself rather taken aback the moment you do. Were it not for the fact that before you now stands regal elms and an nearly endless vault of lofty canopy, you could have sworn you were simply in the same area outside that you had been not seconds before.

Noting your rather dumfounded expression, Orient chuckles. "Neat, mm? You have Ammy to thank for that particular portal. Mostly smoke and mirrors." It is then you notice movement among the trees, vague and fleeting shapes. They are little more than indistinct shadows at first, yet, little by little, they begin to stray ever closer.

The first to approach you has the appearance of a small dragon, or perhaps some sub-species of an exotic lizard. Multi-faceted eyes of light cerulean, in startling contrast to its navy body, blink softly as it regards you and lets off a soft churring sound.  "This is Akemi," Orient states, a fond smile playing about his lips. "She's what's called a Chilo. They're quite rare, and rather shy. She's a dear, though."

He absently reaches out a hand to stroke her head, and her odd churring grows subtly louder as her eyes shut in evident pleasure.  A faint rustle to your left causes you to turn your head sharply, and from the dense foliage of a bright and sunny swath of wildflowers emerges a pecuilar, though stunning, green hued creature.

It regards you for some moments, tail slowly waving to and fro as if it time to some phantom music. You blink. Surely such elegant petals on its tail cannot really be a blooming flower? You reach out a hand in spite of yourself. The creature's ears twitch forwards and back in deliberation. At length, it streches out its long neck and nibbles inquisitively at your fingertips.

"And this treasure is a Flower Tail by the name of Azuma. She is a bit forward, as you can see," he adds, as her questing lips travel from your palm to your pockets, evidently searching for treats. But the muzzle withdraws, and Azuma sighs in evident disappointment.

A sudden hum, like the excited flurry of frantic hummingbirds, fills your ears. The air is suddenly an illustration of watercolors bleeding from paper onto every surface. Little more than indistinct blurs, the colors flit and caper about you for several moments, before settling onto the earth. You blink. They look like very small dragons.



"Ah, but of course. Your visit wouldn't be complete without a visit from the terrible three." A wry voice states this rather factually, but laughter dances in Orient's eyes. "Meet Dancer, Starsong, and Rilo," he said, indicating each with a pointed finger. The latter, it would seem, has twined himself about your neck, head raised with keen interest. "They're Flutterers. Better known as Faery Dragons. Quite the handful. And clever little thieves. If something of yours has gone missing, you can be sure it's one of them."

"They're also from Sanori Gardens. In fact, the next few rooms are full of creatures from there. We tend to separate our adoptables by world or, failing that, breeder. Let's continue on. There's still lots to see and not much time." [/img]

[Ameratasu]

As you continue on in Orient's wake, you stumble across a curious and rather unlikely sight. A feline creature crouches on the cool loam of the earth, a nearly humanoid hand outreached and filled to the shallow brim of the palm with a copious amount of curious and pungent feed. Upon seeing you, the feline recoils, the abrupt motion of its paw causing the feed to spill to the earth in a dark cascade. With a low growl and a rather irate lash of its tail, the feline regards you with dark eyes for a moment, before curling its tail about its haunches in a nervous fashion, and within the next blink of the eye, it vanishes into the trees entirely.

"Don't take it too personally," Orient advises you, bending close to your ear. "That was Piper. She is of a rare species indeed--called a Dragon Spike Cat. She avoids those she isn't acquainted with by her nature. You're lucky you even got close enough to see her as it is, traveler."

His attention turns then to the peculiar creature Piper had been feeding before your arrival. "This is Ode."

The creature's ears swivel as he speaks, and it regards you with faint curiosity  before inclining his head ever so slightly in frigid formality. "He's what is known as a Freeza. They're rather more suited for the cold, however. His mate is around here somewhere, I'm sure," he adds.

No sooner has he spoken these words than a second Freeza appears, head dipped low as she sidles demurely up to her mate, rocking back upon her haunches and regarding you with a rather mischievous twinkle in the depths of her pale eyes. "Ah, there the beauty is. Her name is Lyric. She's quite helpful indeed, always eager to make a new friend."


You press on a few more feet, leaving the curious feline and Freezas behind. Quite suddenly and inexplicably, Orient lifts his arm as if hailing a hawk with an open invitation to perch on his arm. As he does so, a vision of white cascades from the sky to land on the uplifted arm. A small, showy drake of sorts regards you with a low rumble of a sound from his throat, tail curling casually and all the more tightly about Orient's arm.



"Ah, and this showy fellow is none other than our handsome boy, Wraith. He's a Snow Dragon Fae. Quite popular with the ladies of any species," he adds with an amused chuckle.

{All of the above from Sanori Gardens.}

[Ameratasu]

Once more on the move, you are somewhat startled when Orient draws himself to an abrupt and rather inexplicable halt. Your mouth falls open as your brows open, yet before you can even begin to form a question or voice concern, he rounds sharply on his heel and regards you quite seriously, all of his normal playfulness gone from voice and eyes. "What I'm about to show you," he begins in a low, serious tone, "Is very, very rare. It's therefore important that you keep absolutely still and do your best to keep very still. It would also be wise if you did not breathe a word of this to a single soul."

What you had almost written off as mere grandstanding at the start of his speech now has you captivated in a spell of words. You can do little but nod your head in fervent and sincere agreement. "Alright," he says, tones slightly wary. "I'll take you at your word."

With that, he draws back a branch of a tree to reveal a large and elegant garden--much like those found in ancient Greek or Egyptian plazas of old. But as breathtaking as the flowers are, the creatures gamboling among them prove to be even more so.

A pale blue winged horse, devoid of limbs, sips nectar from a flower, wings fluttering in hurried elegance. It glances up once, and catches sight of you. You warrant a slight, musical neigh of greeting, before it returns to feeding. "That one there," Orient whispers, "Is our resident mare, Skysong. She is a Sky Horse, as they are called. Quite beautiful, but a mischievous lot. She's actually far more composed and serene in nature than most."

It is not long before the first is joined by a second, just as lovely as the first, though darker.

"That would be our resident stallion, Cloud Dancer. He's actually quite the charmer, but his charm is masked by the rather untoward pranks he's fond of playing on our guests."

He suddenly tenses, and grips you about the shoulders. "Look there!" He whispers in tones suddenly gone frantic in his evident excitement. "It's Haku!" Orient is nearly breathless in his open reverence. You turn your sight to follow his, and find that your breath catches, as well. A peculiar creature, much like an oversized hummingbird and just as elegant, sips nectar from the cup of a white lily.

 "She is a Humming Dragon. Isn't she beautiful? Quite docile, as well."