[Kittyms]

.:Benedicto:.             .:Isabella:.

The dark ruins of the cathedral seemed haunted in the dim twilight. A young Brick Kuhna sat perched upon a stone pew, a book in her lap. She seemed quite undaunted by the darkness of her surroundings, so drawn into her book was she. It was not until the Sun had completely fallen that she became aware of where she was. Her pale green eyes flicked about the shadows of the ruins nervously and she quietly closed the book she had been reading. Isabella stood and stretched, her white pelt glowing in the dim light of a half moon.

"I have been watching you," a deep voice said, and she jumped a full foot in the air, fur fluffed out.

"Who is there?" she cried, eyes wide and claws extended as she held the book to herself. Her eyes picked out from the dim moonlight, a large form moving in the shadows just beyond her field of vision. There was a faint rustling, and the Hollowheart stepped out from underneath an archway. The moonlight reflected off his red and white scales, giving him an almost ghostly appearance. He lowered his neck, small eyes gazing at the Kuhna, but his face was inscrutable and he made no move to answer her query.

[Benedicto: 1, Isabella: 1]

[Kylo]

Mitternacht tiptoed through the ruins and sniffed the air cautiously. Catching a new scent she snuck up behind a piller and peered out. Spotting a strange dragon-like beast and another cat she smirked widely and came out into the open. "Vell, vell, vell. Vhat do we have here? Two creatures of the night? Nein I think not. The little kitten looks too scared to be another beast." She flicked her tails and sauntered over to the kuhna. "Is the big lizard bothering you dearie? I can take care of him for you?" She turned to the hallowheart. "Or is it the other way around?"

[Kittyms]

The Hollowheart recoiled with a slight hiss at the appearance of this new character. His hollow eyes blinked once as he surveyed the two Kuhnas.

"H-hi," Isabella said, taken aback by the sudden appearance of another figure. Her ears went back at being called a "little kitten", but she chose not to say anything. It occurred to her that staying out this late might have been a big mistake. She remembered the stories she had heard about the kinds of folk that came to this cathedral. Come on, what's the worst they could do? she told herself. This is just like those fantasy stories you love to read. Here is a chance to show your courage. She opened her mouth to reply to Mitternacht's question but was interrupted by the deep rumbling voice of the Imperial Hollowheart.

"Why are you here?" he asked coldly, eyes flicking from one Kuhna to the other.

[Benedicto: 2, Isabella: 2]

[Kylo]

"Vell that's easy to answer. I'm looking for food. Specifiaclly vampires. I eat them." She smiled creepily and continued flicking her tails calmly. She was not afraid of the much larger hollowheart as she could easily kill anything that crossed her path, she is the Sari Kedi after all. She noticed the anger flicker through the kuhna and nearly chuckled. Everyone was a kitten to her. Being nearly a millenium old made you think of everything else as young.

[Kittyms]

"Vampires?" the Brick Kuhna blurted out, her pale eyes widening even more. "Vampires here?! I thought they were a myth!" She glanced around the darkened ruins, half expecting to see the gleam of malicious eyes in the shadows. Isabella shivered, whether with excitement or fear, she did not know. This night just kept getting more and more interesting. Now she felt almost like she was inside one of her storybooks. These sorts of things just did not happen in real life. Looking back at her strange companions, she decided it was time for introductions. "I'm Isabella," she said cautiously. "What are your names?"

"I am called Benedicto," the Hollowheart said. He shifted a little, tucking his wings in closer to his body and taking a couple steps back. He looked away from the two Kuhnas, turning his head to stare at the back of the cathedral. Isabella got the impression that he was uncomfortable for some reason, and she was surprised since this was the first time she had been able to detect any sort of feeling from him.

[Isabella: 3, Benedicto: 3]

[Kylo]

Mitternacht laughed lightly before replying. "Mein name is Mitternacht. And don't be afraid. Even if there are vampires here none will harm you, either of you. I von't allow it." She smiled kindly at Isabelle and turned to Benedicto. "Vhat do you see? Is it food or something better?" She grinend widely and stalked off towards the back of teh cathedral. "I don't see anything...yet. Then again mein eye sight has gotten vorse over the years."

[Kittyms]

Isabella turned her gaze to the back of the cathedral as well. For a moment she imagined she saw eyes glinting in the dark, but when she blinked they were gone. Curiosity got the better of her, and the Kuhna began to follow Mitternacht into the shadows.

The click of talons on hard tiles and a leathery rustling sound caused Isabella to whirl around, but it was just Benedicto moving to follow. "What did you see?" she asked, echoing Mitternacht's earlier question.

"Restless souls," the Hollowheart replied. He regarded her silently for a moment then added, "They crave your innocent spirit." As soon as he spoke those words, Isabella's blood ran cold and her white fur fluffed up in fear. She trembled and clutched her book to her chest as if it would ward off any evil feelings from her black surroundings.

[Isabella: 4, Benedicto: 4]

[Kylo]

"Vhat? Just ghosts? Heh they're no threat. Don't vorry about them. Here just vear this." She took a pendant off of her neck and handed it to Isabella. It was a pentacle. "It protects pure souls from harm. I don't know vhy humans think it means bad but oh vell." She smiled again. "Ve can leave though if you vant."

[Kittyms]

"Thank you," Isabella said, graciously accepting the pendant with trembling paws. She was shaking so badly she could hardly put it on, but as soon as the pentacle rested on her chest, she relaxed. It felt warm against her white fur, and a sense of calm spread throughout her body. "I don't think I need to leave. After all, ghosts can't actually harm us," she said lightly.

No sooner had the words left her mouth than there was a shrill scream from behind. Whirling around, the Kuhna saw that there was a dim white figure standing in the aisle. As she watched, the figure screeched again and then fell to the ground on all fours, face pressing into the ground. Soft sobbing sounds echoed amongst the ruin of the cathedral. "Are you all right?" Isabella asked, making to move forward.

"Stop!" Benedicto growled, his tail lashing out and stopping her. "It's a trick." His eyes were wary and guarded as he stared at the almost translucent being that was now crying in the middle of the aisle. "That's no mere spirit."

[Isabella: 5, Benedicto: 5 -- level up]

[Jaden Wolf]

((I hope this is still open? ))

Lantern

Among the rafters and pillars that supported the dome of the ceiling, Lantern looked down at the party below her with only a scrap of interest in their actions. She was busy fuming over her mate, who was supposed to meet her here, and after she FINALLY found the place, he wasn't even here. How ridiculous, that he should make her wait, and she didn't care who he was, he was nobody if he didn't remember who SHE was. Certainly not someone who should be waiting for another, nope. Oh, and with no one to torment to pass the time, either. Oh, wait.
Just then, she heard a shriek, and looked down at her future victims. She muttered as she saw that some lowly spirit had beaten her to it. Ah well, it was just a spirit, it's not like they would fall for something as lowly as that...no one with that soft a heart would even be here. Well, apparently they would, seeing as a white kuhna actually spoke to it. Oh, but wait! The reptile, a...hollowheart, yes that's it...stopped her! Well, at least that one has a good head on its shoulders. She chuckled softly, sure that she wouldn't be heard up here, and proceeded down a pillar, commanding the shadows to cling to her and hide her presence. Well, as best she could...the shadows around here were SO uncooperative. She watched from the side of a pillar, with a sinister smile on her face. This looked like it would be quite amusing, if not actually entertaining.

[Kittyms]

(ooc:// yess, indeed it is still open! )

"What do you mean?" Isabella demanded, her tails twitching agitatedly. As she watched, the wispy figure looked up with pleading pale orbs that seemed to be streaming tears. She felt a chill, and put one paw around the pendant on her neck, reassuring herself of its presence and warmth.

"It is a wraith, born from past sadness and heartache here. So much pain and darkness has transpired that it has gained the ability to influence the living," he said quietly, speaking the most he had said all evening. He turned his head to glance at the shadowy pillars behind them, knowing that this wraith was not their only visitor. Facing forward again, Benedicto stretched his neck vertically, rearing up to his full height and spread his wings in a menacing manner. "Leave," he growled, his voice echoing in the shadowy cathedral.The wraith snarled at him, then turned pleading eyes back to Isabella.

"Won't.... help....?" it said softly, almost like a sigh. As she watched, the figure morphed into a pale spectre of a Combat Kuhna. "Isabella... help... me," the thing that resembled her brother cried, sensing her weakness.

"Stop!" Isabella shrieked, and without thinking, threw her book at the phantasm. It passed right through the spirit, disrupting its outline. With a piercing scream, the creature's wispy form dissipated into mist and disappeared from the mortals' plane of vision.

[Isabella: 6, Benedicto: 6]

[Jaden Wolf]

((Okay, so I guess Talcen isn't posting?))

Lantern stared back as the hollowheart's head moved in her direction. Don't tell me that that brute of a creature actually saw me? she thought with a scowl. She was going to have to punish some of these shadows for allowing this without her consent. Ah well. Then the lizard thing stretched up and commanded the wraith spirit to leave. Oh my, what presence this hollowheart had.

But it seemed that the wraith was not ready to abandon it's prey. Lantern couldn't blame it, the kuhna was so weak, so soft. A treat around these parts. And...ooh, what was this? The wraith had chosen a form from the kuhna's own memories. Oh my, now Lantern had some information on this girl. She could always use information.

Yet she certainly was not expecting the kuhna to throw her book at it. The wraith then vanished with a scream, but Lantern could occasionally see the ghostly aura as it receded to the pillars. After that, her attention was turned elsewhere. Clinging to the shadows still, she crept towards the book that had fallen open to some random page. She released her shadowy cloak just as she was behind the book, and rose from the floor, looking, to most mortals, like she had rose like a spirit from the stone. Picking up the book, she hovered in the air, curled back as if she were sitting in some invisible chair. Absentmindedly, she flipped through the book's pages and did not look at the group.
"My, that was interesting, no? And such a form! Makes me wonder what it is about that kuhna that could be important...a lost lover perhaps? Or a friend? Or a brother..." she snapped the book shut and looked at the kuhna, "maybe?"

[Kylo]

Mitternacht growled loudly at the new presence and raised her hackles. This was most certainly not a good creature. "Vho are you and vhat are you doing here?" she hissed. Mitternacht did not like this strange flying ferret creature, at all. She screamed arrogent and self centered. Now who does that remind you of....No not Mitternacht she did what she did to protect these helpless innocent creatures. "You look like no gutt. Nein gutt."

[Artemis]

[Hope you guys don't mind if I join in? ^^]


Drákon trotted through the pews in the cathedral, searching for small prey. He knew some frightened little rodents would hide here among the spirits. Although he disliked the place, Drákon came to the cathedral regularly to hunt. So it was a bit strange to him when he hears voices and looked up to suddenly see a weasel like creature with wings speaking to a couple Kuhnas and a Hollowheart. He remained silent, though, and watched for a while, wondering if he should show himself. He figured the weasely creature was up to no good, so he decided that after listening for a while to what was going on, he would come out.

[Kittyms]

(ooc:// feel free to join in! sorry I am a little slow on posting - feel free to continue on if I don't post after a while and I will catch up)

Isabella was still shaking a little from battling the wraith when Lantern appeared. As the Ferrikoon picked up her book, she felt her fur bristling defensively. The book Isabella had brought to the cathedral was one of her favorite books, and it made her twitchy to see it in the hands of a total stranger. As the winged ferret-like creature spoke, though, her eyes widened in shock and she felt a chill run down her spine. How could this stranger know so much? "Please, ma'am, that's my book," she managed to choke out, fear strangling her speech.

Benedicto stayed silent and watched Lantern warily. He feared that she was playing with his companion, Isabella, in the way a common Kuhna would play with its prey. He felt strangely glad that Mitternacht was present, although he still could not fully sense the Kuhna's intentions.

[Isabella: 7, Benedicto: 7]