[Thunder]

(Quad)

Oh, it felt so good to stretch her legs again! Twist hadn't gone out in ages, so she was glad to leave the pen. While her home was renovating, she hadn't been allowed out. But now that all the fixing was finished, she decided to take a visit to Basantha Shrine to see if she could find an elusive Hunter or Mekkayena.

Twist leaped into the main hall of the shrine, gazing in wonder at the ancient stone that made up the building's walls. There were tall pillars holding up the roof of the shrine, with elaborate motifs decorating them. "This place sure is a work of art," she whispered to herself, walking up to one of the columns and brushing her paw against a carving of a snake. She took some time to look around in the hall while wondering where a Hunter or Mekkayena could be...

[Fallen_Snow]

A clinking of pebbles against hard stone could be heard as a small Avia Kuhna traveled in, looking nervous and very clean after such a trek. Well, it wasn't that much a trek- she lived in a large white home a little while away, hidden within the close by Re'gan Mountains. She wanted to shuffle, but willed herself against it. Doing so would scuff up her shoes and then she'd have to scrub and polish them, and then she would have to change because she'd be all sweaty and dirty, but she would shower first-

Stopping herself, she drew in a cold breath and walked quietly in, hoping she didn't disturb anyone. She was carrying on a tray warm sugar cookies- Rena had been kind enough to heat the plate so that they would stay hot for the monks. She thought it funny that they loved her sugar cookies so much, but it was just one of her many perfected specialties.

A wave of peace washed over her, and she was glad for the rebuke from feeling frustrated and worried over Glitz. He had been gone a lot lately, and she simply asked him where he had been. Then he got defensive, she assumed the worst, and a huge fight broke out. She hated when things were out of order- it upset the balance of her life and she was forced to clean it all up.

She was here to calm herself and forget about her negligent boyfriend and bask in the warmth and happiness of the monks as they munched on her cookies.

[Thunder]

Twist's ears perked up. There was a new scent in the air that contrasted from the slight dampness in the shrine. It appeared to be the scent of a Kuhna, and...something sugary? She turned around to see an Avia Kuhna walk in with a tray filled with sugar cookies. Twist's eyes brightened. She had never seen an Avia Kuhna before; she heard that they were an endangered species. And those cookies! How good they smelled! She wondered what the other Kuhna was doing with a whole platter of them, but perhaps she could have one...?

"Those are sugar cookies, right?" Twist asked as she started towards Rena. "Um...is it alright if I can taste one? They smell really good!" It was clear that the cookies were freshly made. Were they for someone at the shrine. perhaps? No one would eat that many cookies in one sitting by themselves.

[Fallen_Snow]

The girl beside Demie sighed, and quickly put down the plate. "Go ahead." Demie said with a smile. "I'm sure the monks won't be able to eat all of them." she said, nudging the plate towards the Original Kuhna. She was glad to meet a new face. "I'm Demie Bullock, and this is my owner, Rena." she said, but Rena had already turned back and was walking back home.

"Meet you in a few hours!" she called to the girl, who waved her off.

((Short post is short. D:))

[Thunder]

Twist waved a paw at the leaving girl before turning back to Demie. "Wow, these look tasty," Twist said, picking up one of the cookies. "Did you make these? Or your owner?" She bit into one of the cookies, causing some crumbs to catch in her fur and fall on the ground. Her eyes widened in amazement at the taste. "Oh, these are really nice! Best cookies I've ever eaten!" She proceeded to finish the cookie and brushed the crumbs off when she was done. "My name is Twist," she said, beaming at Demie. "Are you...an Avia Kuhna, maybe? I heard they're really rare."

It was nice to meet someone new. Twist knew most of the pets at her pen, and some of them weren't the most sociable creatures in the world.

[Fallen_Snow]

"I made them, silly. I've perfected my recipe over a few years. I use my human form to make them." she said with a smile, taking one herself and nibbling it slowly. "Well, glad to meet you, Twist. And yes, I am an Avia Kuhna. I was surprised to find out my species was so rare- but hey, roll with the punches, right? No one has tried to steal my pelt yet." she said cheerfully, but the humor was dry.

"So, what are you doing here on this nice day? Why aren't you out playing in the sunshine?" she asked, picking up the plate in her jaws and motioned for Twist to follow. She wanted to get the cookies to at least some of the monks before they cooled.

[Thunder]

"You have some really good cookie baking skills, then!" Twist complimented, getting up and following Demie. "I'm just here to explore. See, my home was undergoing some huge renovations, so my owner couldn't let any of us out since she had to keep track of us. It was pretty dusty and dirty in there for a few days. But now all the construction is done, so we have a new and improved home!" She purred at the memory of seeing everything all neat and tidied up. Twist didn't like seeing messes. She was a very organized Kuhna, and uncleanliness was one of her peeves. "So I pretty much just wanted to get out ASAP. I didn't care where I went. I heard this shrine has some interesting creatures living in it, like the Hunters, and I wanted to see if I could find one, or a Mekkayena."

Twist hoped that the Hunters and Mekkayenas weren't dangerous. She heard a tale that the Hunters used to be cursed, and that the Mekkayenas were like Xai're's guards. If she could somehow befriend such a creature, that would be amazing. Thunder would probably like to see one too.

[Fallen_Snow]

Demie looked horrified. "Oh dear. Those are some pretty fierce creatures there, Twist. Mekkayena, mostly, from what I've heard. Hunters are more like us- they get spooked and leave. They would be the nicer pick, dear." she said, informing the Kuhna of what she had learned from the monks. She had put down the tray to tell Twist this, then picked it back up again, trotting down the hall.

Making a left, she came upon a few monks. Sitting nicely, she tucked her tails in and let the monks thank her for the cookies and take a few. She smiled, closing her eyes, then went along, carrying a now lightened tray to more hungry monks. As they continued, the tray became slowly empty. Half a broken cookie was left, and all the monks were full.

Putting down the tray, she looked at it. "Hmmm... maybe a Hunter would like a sugar cookie." she mused aloud. She handed it Twist. "Might as well leave it somewhere where we can watch and see if the Hunter will come. We could leave a trail of crumbs." she said, her tail brushing them into the middle of the tray. They formed a small mound.

"What do you say?"

[Thunder]

Twist nodded at Demie's information. She figured that the Hunters would be the nicer ones. They had been cursed, but now they were free...so perhaps they wanted a companion. If that was the case, she'd be willing to make friends with them. Twist glanced around at all the monks who were in the shrine. They seemed to be enjoying the cookies as much as she did.

"It's nice of you to do this," she said, smiling at one of the monks. "These monks must work hard every day." Twist didn't know what exactly had to be done at this shrine, but seeing how hungry the monks were, it must take a lot of energy out of you.

Twist giggled a bit at the prospect of a Hunter eating a sugar cookie. "Who knows, maybe the monks told them about your wonderful cookies," she laughed. "That might be a good idea. Shall we give it a try?" She scanned the area to see if there was anywhere they could place the broken-off piece.

[Fallen_Snow]

Demie glanced about, but then quickly shook her head. "We need to find an area that doesn't have such heavy traffic. Hunters tend to stay away from people. I caught what I think were glimpses of them, but only small glimpses. I guess they prefer their privacy." she said, picking up the tray.

Trotting happily down the hall, her eyes glided back and forth, looking for a deserted hall or room that a Hunter might be attracted to. Her tails waved and flagged. It was distracting, but she just tended to do this when she was walking. It was almost as if they had a mind of their own. Sometimes she noticed and stopped them, but they would continue to do it anyways. It got to her almost every time.

Today she took no notice, though the Hunters (if there were any) probably did. She tried not to think about what would happen if a Mekkayena tried to eat her cookie. She would be angry, to say the least. The beasts didn't deserve to approach such a beautiful and holy place.

She stopped short and turned to Twist, putting down the platter. "How about right here?" she asked. They were in a large circular area, with entrances lining the sides. There were at least six ways a Hunter could approach. And it was somewhat darker here- the monks seemed to have missed this part of the Shrine, as there were only a few guttering candles left to die in the next hour or so. They hadn't been back to refresh the waxy sticks so that they could continue to shed light. She tried to ignore the wax that was dripping on the floor- her compulsion to be clean and neat and perfect was most likely as strong as Twist's, maybe worse.

[Thunder]

Twist admired the structure of the shrine as she followed Demie. It was such a beautiful place. The Hunters sure had a lovely home. How she wished her pen was like this! It was so tranquil here, so peaceful. Yes, her own home was also quite nice, but there was a strange calm about this place that made her relax and took her mind off of things.

Twist was so busy thinking about the shrine's beauty that she nearly bumped into Demie when they arrived in the circular room. "Oops!" she said. "Sorry about that. I got distracted by how neat this place is." Twist took a quick look around the room. It definitely was a more secluded part of the shrine. She supposed that not many people would go here, and it was dimmer than the other rooms. It was likely that a Hunter would come here. "Yeah, this looks good. Do you think we should keep out of sight if one comes? Maybe the Hunter would be startled by our presence."

[Fallen_Snow]

Demie nodded quietly. "I guess so." Her voice had fallen to a small whisper, and her body was tense. She wished that wax would stop dripping-plop-on the-plop-floor. Putting down the tray, she gently took the cookie in her jaws. Laying it somewhat out of the way, but still in the sight line of each entrance, she skittered away, as if the Hunters were going to attack it as soon as she moved.

She grabbed one of her tails with a paw. Licking the paw, she rubbed it into her tail, as if cleaning it. But she was trying to make her tail hold the crumbs so she could spread them about. "Do what I do." she told Twist, and then satisfied with the texture, dipped her tail gently into the crumb mountain. "I'll go that way, you go this way." she said, pointing down two corridors. "Go until you run out of crumbs, and then come back and choose a different way."

She hoped her plan worked. Looking around, she looked for a hiding place that would fit the two tiny felines. "When we're done, let's hide over there." she said, pointing with a paw towards an alcove where a large crack had mauled the wall. Padding over to it, she felt the inside with her paw. "It should fit both of us comfortably."

[Thunder]

At first, when Demie was rubbing her paw on her tail, Twist had no idea what she was doing. But after the Avia Kuhna's explanation, she thought it was a very interesting idea. "Oooh, I see," she said, watching Demie apply some of the cookie crumbs to her tail. In turn, Twist took one of her tails and licked her paw, doing exactly as Demie told her to. She dipped her tail tip in the pile of crumbs until there were a good number of them on it, and looked down the hallway Demie told her to go to.

"Alright. I'll go spread the crumbs and meet you in the crack when we get all the hallways."She headed down the hall Demie had pointed out, shaking her tail while walking so the crumbs fell to the ground. Twist didn't shake it too hard; she wanted enough crumbs to last through the majority of the hall. Soon she came to an intersection, and after thinking for a bit, decided not to spread the crumbs in the other halls in case the Hunters got confused.

[Fallen_Snow]

Demie did the same as Twist, shaking her tail along the hall, going light. She wondered to herself if Hunters ate cookies, or anything for that matter. What if they didn't? Then they would probably attract Mekkayenas. Twist didn't seem to mind them, but Demie saw them as evil things. Though she was beginning to consider Twist as a friend, and she didn't want her friend's attempts to be in vain. Especially if her master was expecting her to come home with one.

Hurrying back(and being careful not to step in the crumbs), she came to the plate and quickly repeated the process of getting crumbs on her tail. The thought annoyed her, but the thought of seeing a Hunter made that little nagging presence disappear. She would be glad to catch sight of either rare creature, though you could see that she would rather the Hunter. Their gleaming pelts were amazingly beautiful in her eyes, and being able to befriend a creature like that... it would be amazing.

She wanted to make sure Twist was getting along okay as well, so she found herself going slower, hoping to catch Twist before going to her next hallway.

[Thunder]

Twist navigated back to the circular room, making sure not to accidentally move the crumbs she had placed. As she reentered the room, she saw Demie heading back from the other hallway. "Do you think this will work?" Twist asked, tilting her head. "I mean, I dunno if Hunters eat cookies or not. Maybe they could have heard of your cookies from the monks? I wouldn't be surprised if you got a little bit of fame around this shrine." She smiled at Demie, the wonderful taste of the sugar cookies still on her tongue.

Twist proceeded to slather her tail with saliva again and dipped it into the tray full of crumbs. Which way should she go next? After glancing around the available halls, she decided to choose one not too close to the hall she just came from or the one Demie just went down. If they spread out where they went, maybe they could find a Hunter (or Mekkayena, but from what Demie said, Twist wasn't too eager to meet one now) more quickly.