[jobiehanna]

"That makes sense," Meeko said with a smile. He followed Esperanza as she made her way through the temple. When they finally found a spot, it was very quiet and peaceful. He looked up at the statue. "So, we just think at the God's?" There weren't many people around them now, so he wasn't sure what to do.

He wondered what was taking Dulce so long. Or maybe if they should wait for her to start this session. "Should we wait for Dulce?"

[Freezair]

As if a summons, a sweet, sugary-smelling wind blew through the temple. A few monks lifted their nose and smiled. Though still slightly transparent and incorporeal, Dulce reappeared, settling down in the middle of the room. Though the area was cramped, Dulce's ethereal being allowed her to fit. "Am here," she announced. She seemed to remember that, in spirit form, Meeko had only seen her as a point of light or something similar.

Esperanza quickly explained what they were doing, and Dulce nodded. "Good. We shall pray..." She nodded her head, and the great spread of her white wings shadowed the party, creating a sanctuary only for them.

[22, 32]

[jobiehanna]

Meeko was glad that Dulce was joining them. Her wings acted as a sanctuary for the three to pray. After settling down, he put his paws together and bowed his head to pray to the gods. He glanced at the other two before he closed his eyes and thought toward the gods.

He asked them to help Esperanza and Dulce to figure out the connection between the two of them. He also asked that Esperanza be able to know her past, though that was probably not going to happen. He hoped praying would work.

[Freezair]

Dulce raised her head suddenly. Her sensitive ears twitched. Her reverie had been interrupted.

"You hear that?" she asked.

Dulce lifted her head slightly. "A sound?" She craned her head, even though her skull face had no visible ears. Her lighted eyes narrowed as if squinting. "Yes... I hear something."

"Like is..." Esperanza suddenly gasped. "Like is monks, screaming! Something is wrong!"

[23, 33]

[jobiehanna]

Meeko hadn't heard the sound until Esperanza said something. He sat up and listened intently. It was hard to pick up, but he eventually caught it. Monks were in trouble?

His eyes shot to Esperanza, then Dulce. "Well, should we see what's wrong?" He wondered what could possibly had gone wrong in the temple. Was there an avalanche or something?

[Freezair]

"Yes, hurry," Esperanza said. "We go!"

Dulce dashed off through the temple, hastily followed by Esperanza. Her entire body whipped, but every part of her, slightly ethereal, did no more damage to the temple than a passing blown leaf. She looked behind herself to make sure everyone was following her, then sprinted into the main part of the temple.

There, she paused.

Caked with snow and ice and spitting mad, an Akail whirled in the center of the big room. Its otherwise dark body paled from the lack of heat, but clearly, that had not deterred it. Its eyes glowed zealously.

"Tell me where the Hunters are!" It took a warning swipe at a tubby monk, who only just managed to dodge in time. The Akail hissed.

"Oh no," Dulce breathed. "What should we do?"

[24, 34]

[jobiehanna]

Meeko nodded and followed after the paragon and diosol. When they reached the chamber, Meeko was a little surprised. An akail had caused all this fuss? Well, they certainly weren't tame creatures.

"I-I don't know," he said as he watched helplessly as the akail took a swipe at the monk. "Should we distract it or something?" He had no idea what the thing meant by hunters, but thought perhaps it had to do with the people who hunted the wild akail for whatever they used them for. "Um, who are the Hunters?" He asked Esperanza and Dulce quietly.

[Freezair]

"The Hunters are a creature that lives in this shrine," Esperanza gulped. "But made many years, they lived in a city in the caves. The Akail attacked them and made them leave. The Hunters came here... but many Akail hate Hunters still."

"Protect the monks!" Dulce barked. In the fullness of the shrine, she became solid. The monks gasped as she appeared. Her tail whipped, and she tried to hit the creature. It moved swiftly and its jaws snapped.

"Can you help, Meeko?" she panted. "Can you subdue it?"

[25, 35]

[jobiehanna]

((I'm sooo sorry for the wait. I just haven't had the muse to write with school and everything else. Sorry!   ))

"Oh, the Hunters," Meeko said. How had he forgotten them?

When Dulce asked for his help, Meeko had no idea what she wanted him to do. Subdue the creature? He cleared his throat to speak, but thought better of it. How could he help Dulce out? He wasn't aware of any subduing powers he could use against the akail. He glanced at the frightened monks and to Dulce, who was doing her best to protect them.

He gulped, "Well, I, uh, I don't think so," he said disappointingly. "But I can try to distract him?" After he suggested the idea, he decided to call out to the akail and jump at him so that perhaps Dulce could knock him out with her tail or something. When the akail took Meeko's jump as an attack and focused its attention on the lucain, Meeko jumped back and glanced to the large paragon, hoping that she would take the initiative and whack him one. But until then, Meeko was stuck jumped back and forth trying to avoid the akail's attacks. He managed for the most part, save for a few places where the akail's claws caught him and left wounds.

[Freezair]

"You foul creature! I know what you're doing," the Akail hissed. "You are trying to distract me. Fight me in earnest, or don't fight at all!" It advanced on Meeko, jaws snapping.

"Hit it?" Dulce recoiled. Her body shuddered in horror as her wings spread out to protect the monks. "I... I am sorry, dear Meeko! I... I cannot harm anything. I am bound by celestial edicts. I may protect those I am guarding, but I cannot do conscious harm to any living thing! I am sorry..."

"Wait!" Esperanza perked up her ears. She flew out from behind Dulce's blocked and hovered around the whirling Meeko's head. "Meeko! Many of these monks wish to be safe," she said. "They have a lot of Wish Energy in them. I can collect the energy, but I cannot execute it without the help of one such as yourself! I can channel it to you, and you will be able to create a blast that will subdue the Akail. Would you be willing to do this this for us?"

[26, 36]

[jobiehanna]

Of course, was the first thought that occurred to Meeko. It would make sense that Dulce couldn't harm anything, but the akail was trying to harm them! He shook the thoughts away and listened as Esperanza spoke to him. He kept his eyes on the akail and continued to avoid the attacks, despite the taunt.

"Yes, yes, I can do that," he said earnestly. That would certainly do the trick to subdue the creature. He just hoped it wouldn't take to long, because he was beginning to wear out from dancing around the  room like an idiot to avoid the creauture.

[Freezair]

"Thank you!" Dulce gasped. The Akail made it past Meeko, and thrashed into Dulce's celestial form. She recoiled as it raked its claws across her soft skin and chewed at her feathers. No blood came pouring out of her wounds, but her lit eyes flickered in pain.

Esperanza swept low over the heads of the monks. She held the little satchel at her neck open, and it billowed in the wind from her flight. She closed it, though nothing appeared to be inside. Then she dodged the Akail and moved over to Meeko.

"Here!" She opened the bag and upended it over his head. Now something seemed to be inside it: Milky white dust drifted out of the pouch and fell around Meeko. It glowed faintly midst the snow.

"Now!" she yelped. "Hurry! For Dulce!"

[jobiehanna]

Meeko winced when the akail attacked Dulce because he knew she couldn’t really defend herself without harming the foul creature. He had failed in keeping the thing away from her and the others. But as Esperanza collected the wishes and dumped them onto him, he could feel the energy they contained as they poured over his body. It was nearly overwhelming.

Within seconds he was trying to channel the energy to send at the akail. It was difficult at first because he had no idea what he was doing. But he soon figured it out and was channeled the energy though him and then towards the creature. The milky white substance flew at the akail in a white blast of pure energy.

[Freezair]

The Akail had a moment to register what was coming at it. Then it was blasted away in a huge arc of energy. It went sailing through the air and crunched against the snow. Amazingly, it stood unhurt--it had been repelled by the wishes of monks, after all. But the wishes had gotten into it, and it turned tail and left under their influence.

Dulce left the monks and went to Meeko's side. "You did! You sent away that awful thing. Was amazi--"

Suddenly, her body flickered. Her voice flashed in and out. She gasped.

"Oh no! I was injured too much. Cannot stay in this world! Have that to go back to the Other World." Her body flickered.

Esperanza looked to Meeko. "Not worry! She is a spirit... cannot die. But have that to return to Other World to rest."

As she faded, Dulce looked toward Meeko. "Meeko... thank you."

[28, 38]

[jobiehanna]

Meeko watched as the akail ran away from them and the monks. He grinned happily. "Yeah, I did," he said to Dulce. He was surprised that he had actually been able to use the energy to banish the akail. But as Dulce began to fade he frowned slightly. He was confused as to what was happening until Esperanza cleared it up.  

"Oh," he said simply. "You're welcome," he called out to Dulce before she was completely gone. He hoped that she would be alright and she wasn't hurt too badly. That would be awful. "She'll be okay, right?" He asked the diosol that remained with him.