[Freezair]

"Pretty, yeah." My chin sunk to my chest as I considered the story my friend had told me. I wasn't sure if I should trust in this place or run away screaming.

Trying to put my faith in the place of--well, faith, I walked up to an alter and knelt. There I stalled. How, exactly, was one supposed to pray? I'd never had an practice.

[Fallen_Snow]

Rena watched Jimmy kneel on the altar. "Erm, I think you should just... pray?" she whispered to Jimmy. She wasn't all that sure of going about it either, but it was worth a shot. While Jimmy tried to figure out what to do, Rena walked a bit farther. Apocalypse and the others followed, not knowing what to do otherwise. As she walked through a hallway, she came to some passageways. Three passageways led to different places. They were all guraded by beautiful statues. Some were a little odd, but it didn't bug Rena. She looked down each of them, but nothing of her interest seemed to be down them. Arco neighed quietly, and Rena shrugged. She kept walking, then realized she was leaving Jimmy behind. "Oh darn it, I forgot Jimmy!" she said loudly, and she ran back, their footsteps echoing through the hall.

[Freezair]

I tried to make myself oblivious to my surroundings. I suspected that focusing was the first point of praying. Unfortunately, there is little in the world that can help me focus. My mind was constantly torn away from my hoped-for meditation by the tiny sounds fluttering throughout Basantha. The footsteps of the monks. The swish of their robes. The sound of the falling snow outside as it tapped against the glass. The only time I can be truly focused is when I'm telling a story.

Well, what the heck?" I thought. I put one arm around Krii to pull him close to me, holding in that position he always assumes. Sky was less used to being a prop, but she spread her wings to make me a makeshift stage.

I folded my hands and bowed my head, taking an appropriately reverant stance. My eyes clamped closed. Keeping my voice soft, respecting the temple, I began.

"Once upon a time, in a place not so very far from here, in an age not so different from our own, there was a girl named Jimmy who was deathly afraid of dogs."

My eyelids suddenly shot apart. I could have sworn I had seen a spark of yellow behind my eyes--but no, it couldn't have been. Simply a bit of colorful residue, left in my vision by the candles burning on the alters. I resumed my posture.

"Anything that had canine form frightened her. She could feel bad luck radiating from them as if it coiled, like smoke, around their nimble bones."

Again my eyes came open. Again, another negative had impressed itself in my retinas. This time, the white shaped mimicked the tooth-like shape of the candle flames. But it was merely an illusion, of course. No great problem, that. I continued.

"Their thick eyes seemed to glare at her. She could see nothing but malice in the glint of their teeth. Their tails--"

Something suddenly compressed against my chest. Were I more spiritual, I would have taken it for the spiritual weight of my fears, manifesting over my heart. But this force was so solid, so physical, so real-- I suddenly lurched back, almost involuntarily, careening to the bottom of Skycutter's feet. She squawked in surprise. Winded and shaking, I rubbed my solar plexus and trembled. "What...?"

[39]

[Fallen_Snow]

[[10--Level up all]]

Rena rushed back to where Jimmy was lying near Skycutter. "Wha... what happened?" she breathed. She was a bit out of breath from running. "Are you okay?" she asked Jimmy as he held out a hand to help her up. Arco and Sakorai were not far behind. "Jimmy, what HAPPENED?" Sakorai asked in a surprised tone. Some of the candles seemed to have been blown out.

[Freezair]

[40--level up music!]

"Uhhhng..." I tried to sit up, but my limbs felt wobbly. I felt Sky's cool beak at my back, urging me into a sitting position. Krii looked on, worry making his wrinkled face droop.

"I... I..." I swallowed heavily. "It felt like something jumped at me... I was talking to myself, you know, because that was how I make myself focus, by telling a story, and the things, and the eyes, and..."

I realized how incoherent I was being. I gulped again, forcing myself to pause my voice. I put my words in order and restarted trying to explain myself. "I didn't know how to pray, so I tried to focus myself by telling myself a story about how I am afraid of dogs. I kept seeing things with my eyes closed. They looked like eyes, and maybe teeth. That happened twice. Then the third time I tried to pray, it felt like something jumped on me..."

"No kiddin'!" Krii finally worked up the nerve to say. "A bunch of candles went out, and the smoke from all of them kind of drifted over to you..."

[Fallen_Snow]

Rena's forehead wrinkled, and she was deep in thought. "I think... that your fears are sucmbing your prayer, and that whatever had happened to you before to make you not like dogs, is haunting you now. You need to forget about your fears, and ask the spirits for strength." she finished. Apocalypse nodded. "That's what I was thinking. You need to clear your head of all thoughts, and pray for strength. Forget that I'm here, and forget about your past experiences with dogs." he woofed. He walked up close to her. "I think it might help if you... pet me." he woofed, then quickly added, "Unless you're too uncomfortable, then just clear your mind."

[Freezair]

Unsteady, I reached out a hand to Lypse.

He has wings, I thought to myself, just like dear old Sky. The idea of a mammal with wings seemed profoundly silly to me before--well, discounting bats and Morloths, of course. Here, I could see the down at the base of his feathers drifting in the slight breeze, and I reached around his neck to scratch him on the pinioned shoulders.

I gently patted the top of his head. "Thank you, Lypse," I thanked him. "I appreicate your tolerance." Looking away from Rena's party, I glanced at the candles. As I closed my eyes, the phantom shape reappered in the lingering lights.

Krii cocked his head. "Whatcha see, Jim?" The curious Rengosett wormed his paws through one of the intricate candelabras and began to scale the labyrinth of wires. Sky clucked at him, though I did not know what she meant by it.

The shape was still indistinct. "I don't know," I asked those around me. "Help me."

[Freezair]

The sensitive spirituality of the moment was interrupted by the loud, tweedling ring of my cell phone.

I was halfway through a swear when I rememembered that I was in a house of worship. I reached into my pocket and unfolded my phone. I pressed the talk button; a number of monks gave me dark looks as the remainer of my ringtone echoed throughout the halls.

"Hello?" I answered.

The message was automatic. A telemarketer, I could easily assume.

It wasn't.

My jaw hung open as I listened to the message. No... no... it couldn't be, there had to be a mistake, how could...?

Krii looked up at me, his face mirroring my worried own.  "What's going on? Jim, what's happening?"

"Oh... my... god..."

"Jim?" Sky's wings fluttered out to comfort me.

Delirious, I clapped my phone shut. My horrored eyes did not see the candle flames dancing before me.

"Guys... We... I... We've got to go."

My spritual discoveries would have to wait. Without bothering to call my companions after me, I walked robotically toward the door.

((Gotta bow out here, sorry. Moving my pets to the Barracks, unfortunately. ))[/u]

[Fallen_Snow]

Rena stared after he worriedly. Jimmy seemed to be off after she hung up. Rena sighed; She would never understand, she supposed. Just then, her walkie-talkie bleeped and her sister's voice came from it. "RENA!!!" her sister's usually small voice crackled, ehcoing through the temple. The monks gave her an even more angry look, worse than the one they gave Jimmy. She smiled and laughed in an embarrassed way and ran outside, her little coullauge of pets following her. "What?!" Rena hissed into the small microphone of the walkie-talkie. Almost immeadiatley came her sister's response. "Just reportting that 3 of our pets have been successfully placed in the war-"
"YOU PUT OUR PETS IN WAR?!?!" Rena screamed at the walkie-talkie. A couple of tourists stared at her. She tried not to think about them. "I cannot BELIEVE YOU!" Rena yelled at her talkie. She could picture Marie flinching as her voice came full-throtle and choppy through the walkie-talkie. "I-I-I-" she heard her sister stutter over the connection. Rena seemed to have stunned her. "C'mon, spit it out." Rena said in a sour tone. Marie had no idea how mad Rena was. "I'm sorry. But we need to contribute. I told them to join the Imperials-"
"THE IMPERIALS?!" Rena shouted wildly again. Oh, things were getting better and better.
"Wait wait! But they refused and joined the Purine Pathfinder group instead." Marie's voice, filled with fright, crackled aimlessly over the small communication device. Rena sighed a small thank-god-that-they-joined-the-side-that-needed-it-or-else-I-would've-killed-Marie sigh. There was a bit of silence, then Rena finally asked the question Marie was very unanxious to answer. "So, who'd you send?" she asked flatly.
Silence. Finally, after many painfully long seconds, Marie crackled, "Sage, Mri and- and-" Rena was getting fed up with Marie right about then. "SPIT IT OUT!!!" Rena raged at the microphone. She wouldn't be surprised if the thing just popped apart right then and there, with the whole of the volume expanding way over what it usually did. "ILALI! Ilali wanted to go too." Time froze, and Rena's head was about ready to explode. Her face was going deeper and deeper in red shades. Any farther and she would be purple with anger. "ARE. YOU. SERIOUS?!??!!?!?!" Rena exploded. Her limbs jerked, and the pets with her backed away quickly.

Apocalypse sighed as he watched Rena flip out. She was usually like that, all red and- how could he say it? Exploding? Overraged? Yeah, that worked. Overraged.

Marie was cowering on the couch of their home. The walkie-talkie was bouncing comicallyaround on the table, almost mimicking Rena at that moment.

Rena was screaming so loud that it felt like her rage would bring the whole temple falling. Jumping up down added the impact of all her rage. Right then, she was screaming so loud and so fast, it sounded like gibberish. But if you listened carefully, this is what she was saying: "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU LET ONE OF OUR IMPERIAL PETS JOIN HER OPPOSITE SIDE! SHE COULD BE BULLIED, SHE COULD BE KILLED! YOU KNOW HOW UPSET KAIRI WOULD BE IF SHE FOUND OUT THAT ILALI WAS DEAD?!?!?!?!" and a few other things that shouldn't be said. Finally, after 10 minutes of ranting, Rena calmed a bit down. Marie finally was able to pick up her walkie-talkie, and Arco sighed with relief, the rest of the group sighing thankfully after him. Sakorai and Lunes rolled slowly out from under Arco's comfortingly strong legs, and Apocalypse blinked sympathetically at them. He felt bad that the most joyful of the pets had to experience one of Rena's outbursts. He had experienced them since day one, as Arco had ever since he was found by her. Marie's shaky voice sounded quietly over the walkie-talkie. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" she sobbed, and a shuddering breath from her heard over the talkie. Marie crying always made Rena soften quickly. "No, no Marie! Don't cry!" she said soothingly. "I'm sorry I exploded, I just don't think it was very smart of you. And you're the brains of the zoo! I can't run it without you." Rena always said that. Marie knew the line, but she always felt that Rena's fiery personality could be changed. But she was as ablaze as Burning Point himself. A few sobs and soothing chatter later, Rena clicked her walkie-talkie off and tossed it deep within her leather rucksack. "There." she said, brushing off her hands as if she was ridding them of a dirty burden. "All's settled, and we can get back to looking for those hunters." Rena smiled at the still shaking Rollabies. "You guys okay?" she asked quietly, and they shook their heads wearily. She grabbed them and hugged them. "I'm sorry, I sometimes fly way off the handle." she said. Apocalypse snorted. "More like you fly off the handle and through a wall." Rena glared at him as she embraced the scared little pets. "Shush... it's okay, mean Rena's gone." she said, trying to sound positive. Sakorai looked at her with a puzzled and angry look. "How can we be sure?" he asked. He eyed her with suspicition clear in his bright green eyes. Rena held out her pinky. "I pinky promise that I will not yell, scream or scare you on this trip." she said. Sakorai seemed to find that ligitamint, so he extended a wary paw. Rena wrapped her pinky partly around his little paw and shook it lightly. "Promise." she said again. And with that, she put down the little wheels of joy and followed the little rolling bodies back into the Shrine.

[Fallen_Snow]

Arco followed a bit slower than Rena, and Lypse was just as sluggish. Arco nudged Apocalypse. "I know, we'll have to keep Rena calm so she doesn't flip in front of them." he said, staring at the little pets that were now chatting aimlessly with Rena. Arco snorted and shook his head. "Yes, she will be very hard to keep calm, but I think between us we can do it." Arco blinked at Apocalypse. "Don't give me that look." Lypse said playfully, smiling a rare smile at Arcobaleno.
Rena looked back at them suddenly. "Do you want to leave?" she asked. Both pets nodded. It would be a bit better to be back at home, so they could relax on the soft plains and Sakorai and Lunes can take their nap. They were already yawning. "Okay." Rena sighed. She didn't want to leave, but she was tired, and after all that yelling she wanted to take some aspirin and lay down. She saddled Arco and pulled Sakorai and Lunes up into little saddlebags she had hanging on Arco's sides. Apocalypse followed close behind.

NOTE: All pets have now left.