[Ander]

She had not been asked to come to this dark, creepy place.

Of course, 'creepy' was an understatement. The Seraph Sahound felt her fur beginning to crawl, itching across her skin as if every fibre was alive. It was this place that was doing it, she realized. Darkness permeated the air inside this ruin of a holy place. The Sahound padded deeper into the ruined stone, slinking low to the ground in her unease. Her belly fur grazed the ground in certain places, her overlarge paws raising dust. It tickled her nose, but she forced herself to stay silent. She was afraid to sneeze in this unholy place, as if breaking the silence would call something awful down on her head. Her fur prickled as her unease grew. Maybe it would.

The Sahound brushed a paw over her ear, her restrained sneeze turning into a latent itch. She obviously felt out of her element in the ancient cathedral. And all this, for the sake of a Mekkayena... She smiled to herself, and the halo - that hovered at a jaunty angle above her ears - began to glimmer. Discord would be estactic once she brought back a drawing of a Mekkayena for the Terminal's library. And if she could only obtain the real thing! Her wings fluttered joyously at the thought.

Warmed by her anticipation, Aven Christiane started forward again, sparkling pelt standing out against the darkness of old stone. She hadn't been asked to come here. But for Dis, she had come.

[Citanul]

The darkness of the abandoned Cathedral didn't seem to bother the mud-pelted Sahound. He could see well in the dark, easily cover his tracks in the dust. Pausing for a mere moment, a wide nose tested the air. There was another here?

Hm. Another of his kind, even. The brute of a Sahound shifted his stance and crept up in the darkness behind the angelic-looking female. She was rather pretty, he had to admit... But still a good foot under his height. "What brings you here?"

The question hung in the air as the brute tilted his head, bright eyes watching the other. Mahkah was certainly here for the Mekkayena - Citanul would be proud of him for taking down such a creature. Even just a fight would be an accomplishment worthy of his abilities. [1]

[Ander]

The female jumped at the voice behind her, not bothering to hide it; she whirled around, putting herself nose-to-nose with the other Sahound. How distracted was she, to have missed his scent? "I'm here in the name of my trainer." She replied at once, wings unfurling defiantly in case this other Sahound was one of the baser creatures she had seen haunting this cathedral. And I am here in the name of the Lady Sa'ouna, she added silently. The Lady's name would surely protect her against anything here.

She sat, rubbing again at the itch on her ear, forcing herself to present a calm face. "And you, if I may ask? Why have you come to the Lya Pointa?" The name of the cathedral rolled easily off her tongue.

[Citanul]

Mahkah tilted his head slightly. How had the other Sahound missed his scent? Sure, hearing was greater for their kind but this brute made no sound as he walked. He might make a good warrior one of these days.

"As am I, though he did not send me here." The muddy hued Sahound shifted his weight again and sat down, watching the female's halo bob with her movements. He seemed harmless, even if he was twice the size of a normal Sahound.

"Name's Mahkah. And you?"

[Ander]

She tilted her head slightly. "My name is Christa." Aven Christiane did not favor the use of her real name, and rarely did she speak it before any creature. She settled down on her haunches, not sitting, but in a more relaxed position than before. Bright eyes looked over the larger than normal Sahound - Christa surmised that he was a good foot taller than she - and it didn't seem as if he meant her any harm. She certainly couldn't feel anything... evil (though it wasn't the proper word) coming from him. She wouldn't underestimate him, however.

Christa curled her wings again, stretching until they lay flat against her back. "My trainer did not send me, either. I came of my own accord." She blinked. "And even though you didn't tell me of your business here, I'll tell you of mine: I'm hunting for a Mekkayena, one of the mechanical menaces often spotted here."

[Citanul]

How could the brute mean any harm? He hadn't attacked yet, even when he could have easily overpowered her. The huge Sahound shook his head and perked up his ears at her name. Christa? Hm. Interesting.

"I am doing the same." The dusty-coated bute grinned proudly. "I'm going to take one home to Cita. I know he wants one bad. I'm gonna take one down and back to him." It was certainly an ambitious goal, but this particular Sahound believed that he could do it.

[Ander]

Christa tilted her head, brushing her paw once more over a sky-shaded patch of fur. She smiled. There was nothing wrong with ambition, in its proper place. Besides, she believed that the massive Sahound could do it, too. "You are a good beast, to do something so dangerous for your trainer of your own will. He must think very well of you." Christa returned her gaze to the abandoned building around her as she spoke. She had only sought to see one, so that it could be recorded in the Terminal library... But would Discord be happier if she brought one back?

She turned her eyes back to Mahkah. "Well, if we are both here to search for the same creature, may I suggest that we hunt together? There are many pets and trainers here, searching just like we are, and two noses scent better than one." She smiled gently.

[Citanul]

There was some doubt in Mahkah's mind that he could actually take down such a vicious creature as a Mekkyena... But oh well. He would do it, and Cita would be proud... That was all he needed.

"Cita doesn't have too many pets... He tries to spend a lot of time with each of us." So, he certainly was valued. A rare, rather silly look crossed his face as he panted, tongue lolling. He wasn't tired nor hot, but trying to get a better scent of the air. "Would be a good idea."

Nodding in accordance the brute stood and shook his coat just slightly before beginning his steady (though to Christa it might seem fast) pace off towards where he thought might be a good place to look.

[Ander]

Christa took to the air, uncurling her wings to keep up with the other Sahound's steady pace. Her paws barely skimmed the floor as she ran along, catching up to Mahkah and hovering at his side. She sniffed the air, panting as well to get a better scent. "There aren't as many people down that corridor," she murmured quietly, gesturing with her tail down one long, dark hallway, half-hidden by fallen stones and debris. "Would you care to try down that way?" It was an intimidating path, and even with her faith she would not have tried it alone. But with Mahkah, perhaps, she could brave it.

[Citanul]

Mahkah didn't mean to make Christa work to keep up with him. He just usually forgot how much bigger he was than other creatures, especially other Sahounds. His size just never seemed an issue except when he was trying to play.

Turning to her as she pointed, he perked his ears and gave a small nod. "Seems there are many hunting today... The Mekkyena are likely hiding." It seemed a general assumption, but a good one. Turning his body now, he tilted his head as green eyes peered into the darkened debris-filled hallway.

"Let's go." Again he began onwards, used to being the leader. The pace slowed slightly however to make sure that he did not step upon any glass nor other sharp objects.

[Ander]

It wasn't necessarily work for the slighter Sahound: flying was as natural to her as walking or running, and she knew her feathers just as well as every hair on her pelt. She let them take a bit more of her weight, requiring a hard flap or two in the the cathedral's dead air. She tried to make them as soundless as possible. "Perhaps they are hiding," she nodded, agreeing with Mahkah, "but if they are as evil as others say, then perhaps one such as I would bring them out."

She knew that she was not so much to look at. In fact, she well knew that she looked downright harmless. But it wasn't so... the Seraph had a trick or two, stashed away in her halo. She would not be useless in the fight, no matter what any Mekkayena might think.

[Citanul]

"Hm." Mahkah thought, emerald eyes scanning around as he shifted to avoid some scraps of metal, nails, unknowingly bumping slightly into Christa. Lowering his ears, the Sahound backed down and watched the one who was flying. "Sorry."

He hadn't meant to bump into her... Hopefully it hadn't disturbed her too much. "Perhaps you will draw them out... However, I do not think that they are all evil, perhaps they need someone to show them a different way than stalking around this desolate place."

[Ander]

Christa shrugged it away. The slight bump hadn't bothered her, but it had knocked her a bit off-balance unexpectedly. Was the hulking Sahound aware of his own strength? "It's nothing," Christa assured him, instead of airing her thoughts. "I'm fine." And truly, she wasn't hurt or anything. "Perhaps," she replied after another moment, giving Mahkah's words some thought. "I have never actually met a Mekkayena, so your words could be truth. I suppose that if our luck holds, we will see." It would be much easier if the Mekkayena were not truly evil, as everyone seemed to think. Christa did not want to believe that there were such creatures in Evelon.

[Citanul]

It seemed as if the brute was unaware. There certainly weren't any Sahounds that rivaled his size, or at least none that he had seen. All the others around were of his own size... He didn't really know how to act around someone smaller. Even his trainer was as big as he would and could easily take his weight.

"Good..." He was still sorry, but good, that she wasn't hurt. His eyes remained trained on the darkness as they walked, ears flickering at the slightest of sounds, whispered snatches of conversation and the pads of other feet upon the stone. "Nothing can truly be evil. There has to be some sembelence of humanity within the Mekkyena... That's what Argus says, and he knows a lot about everything."

[Ander]

Christa chuckled as they approached the debris that blocked the corridor. "I don't think we'll find any humanity in a Mekkayena. Maybe some of what makes their, um... Mekka-ness, but not humanity." She smiled at Mahkah to show that despite her bad joke, she had understood his point. Leaping gracefully onto a mid-sized stone, Christa set her claws into it and tugged. Her wings strained and flapped as she pulled at it with all four paws, muscles just showing beneath her blue-and-black-spotted coat. The Seraph dislodged it after a moment or two, sending it rolling across the ground and causing a rock slide of pebbles in its wake. But it didn't even begin to clear the way.