[Citanul]

The slightly lame joke wasn't lost on the brute. He gave a small grin, tilting his head. "Still. Not completely evil." He wished that Christa would have agreed with him, with the Gyrraptor that seemed to know everything... But if she didn't, he couldn't force her.

Lowering his ears flat to his head at the shower of rocks, Mahkah waited for the ruckus to stop before he spoke. "Back up and watch." Hopefully she listened, for not a minute later he had braced himself on his paws and with what had to be an elemental ability, took a great leap and stopped just short of the blockage. A reverberation of rocks happened then, creating a rockslide down the debris and clearing it enough for the both of them to move. His size came in handy, at least sometimes.

[Ander]

Christa glanced over her shoulder at him, nodding. Maybe they weren't completely evil. Like she'd said before, that would make things easier. But of course, they would know what a Mekkayena acted like until they found one - the Seraph fiercely hoped that they would.

She was still sitting atop her rock when Mahkah called, and stirred sluggishly, unused to such commands. When she did rise, it happened with a noisy clapping of feathers as the angelic creature took off toward the ceiling, not looking as graceful as she might have, for the shaking of Mahkah's Earthquake disturbed her flight. Christa found herself glad for the warning, watching the rocks that had barred their path moments ago clattering across the ground. She descended slowly, landing on Mahkah's back with one wing hanging awkwardly at her side. "Useful talent," She commented. "The gods have honoured you."

[Citanul]

Mahkah hadn't paid too much attention to Christa while gathering the force needed to create the earthquake. Sure, he knew that the Gods smiled upon him. They had to, to grant him such abilities.

Shaking his fur of the rubble and dust, he gave a half-grin over in her direction. "The Gods smile upon me." Her weight upon his back was little, though he was sure to stand still as to not make her off-balance. "It is useful... But one can get carried away."

[Ander]

It was not much trouble to hold her balance on Mahkah's broad back, but all the same Christa jumped down shortly after he shook himself. She landed delicately on her paws, and winced a little as her wing jarred on the hard stone. The Seraph sniffed at the strained appendage, trying to flap it after a moment; her wing responded with a dull ache and hesitant flutter. Christa licked the feathers regretfully before responding to Mahkah. "Do you get carried away?" She asked, giving him a serene look from the corner of one eye, while lifting her head. An odour that she had not yet smelled here greeted her.

[Citanul]

Once the Seraph was off of his back Mahkah turned to see her. Had she hurt her wing? ...He could carry her, if the need arose. "Are you okay?" The dull-hued one asked before his attention was turned to her question. "Carried away... Sometimes. Tempers are hard to control when your angry." There was a slight shrug of his shoulders, but yet again his attention was diverted.

What was that scent? He turned his nose to the air. It was something he hadn't scented before - but that was nothing new in this place. What could it be?

[Ander]

Christa smiled at her companion's concern, but shrugged it off - vowing soon after that she wouldn't shrug again for the next hour at the least. "It's nothing," she replied calmly. "A rock from the ceiling must have shook my wing when you opened our path. It will be back to normal soon." So saying, she curved her head around and licked the wing again. Her Healing Touch would soon return it to full movement.

Turning back to Mahkah, she noticed him scenting the air and nodded. "You smell it too, don't you? That unfamiliar smell." She lowered her head to the ground. "Take a little more notice and you'll scent it, underlying everything. It's been here longer than us, longer than any of the other creatures running around here." She sniffed again. It smelled of blood, of darkness, but it wasn't a reek; and it had that warm, subtle thickness of another creature. She made sure of this by inhaling one last time before voicing her thoughts.

"I really think we've found the trail of a Mekkayena."

[Citanul]

"Sorry if it was my fault... Never had anyone flying before - I didn't think it would hit you." Mahkah appologised even if it was unneeded. Christa had kindly agreed to help him. He needed to be grateful, and content in the fact that she actually wished to do so.

Licking his nose lightly to clean the dust from the small earthquake, the bigger Sahound found his front paws atop a rock as he leant over to the other side of the blockage and put his nose to the ground. Blood, darkness, the untouched dust of the ever-crumbling cathedral. But also something different, a creature, the warmth of fur and yet the dark coldness of the metal where it got its name from.

"Might be an old trail, but worth a shot." Mahkah turned his emerald-hued eyes back to Christa for an agreement. "Let's follow it?"

[Ander]

"You have nothing to apologize for. It wasn't your fault." If anything, it was her own fault for not being more careful in her flight. Christa looked up at the dark-colored Sahound, with eyes a paler green than his startling emerald, the shade of a ripe olive. A pale blue tongue flicked her lips as she gave her assent. "Yes. Let's go, then." She took to her paws and bounded into the dark.

[Citanul]

"Still..." Nothing more was said as the massive Sahound shifted and glanced to the pale-eyed Seraph. Smiling at the word 'go', he bounded off. Even though they had to be careful of the shrapnel on the ground the going was easier here with the permiating scent of the Mekkyena picked up.

[Ander]

The smaller female had to make an oddly cute, pouncing jump every once in a while to avoid the larger debris as they traveled. Even if her wing were fine, she thought suddenly, she wouldn't be able to fly in this hall away. The stone walls were narrow and solid around them, and arched above them. There was no breeze - the air was dead, and to Christa, seemed to smell even staler up ahead. She glanced sideways at the Wood Sahound, wondering what his thought were even as she left him to them. Would they have to fight with the Mekkayena? She thought Mahkah wanted to, but herself... Christa was uneasy about fighting another creature, no matter what it was, unless it did harm to her first.

[Citanul]

Mahkah's only thoughts were of the fight. He wouldn't be aiming to kill or even cripple, just to incapacitate one. Bring it back to Cita, and he would be so proud... It was his aim to please the man who had taken him in after his mother died.

The brute's ears soon swiveled and laid back as he scented something amiss. Giving a low, deep snarl he moved to stand over Christa, the Seraph's wings barely brushing his underbelly as he obviously protected her.

The danger? ...Another wanderer in here, an average sized (only two inches taller than Mahkah himself) Aries, with dark red and orange coloring, the skull on his flank stark-white. A skull-adored face turned to the pair and snorted, watching the hulking Sahound protect the smaller before it left down another way.

Making sure the danger was gone before he moved, the dusty-colored Sahound turned to his companion, shifting his position before looking to her. He didn't know why he was so protective... Just felt the need to keep her safe. "Sorry." He murmured, after a few moments, again moving so that she could stretch her wings again and they could continue on.

[Ander]

Christa started, stretching her wings in surprise as an unknown scent flared around her. She opened her wings, preparing to take flight. The 'fight or flight' instinct was confused in her: she fought best from the air. Almost in second nature she crouched as Mahkah stood over her, staring with slitted eyes at the dull-brown Sahound above her head.

Her attention was soon distracted by the... the apparition that passed before the pair. Christa's feathers tingled as she met the Hollow Aries' gaze with deceptively calm eyes, but the fur on her nose raised in her unease. Her wings fluttered as it moved on, betraying her relief. She chanced a glance at the larger Shaound as he moved away. She didn't mind his protection, as bewildered by it as she was from the sudden darkness in the Aries' scent. "Do you know that creature?" She asked Mahkah curiously.

[Citanul]

Mahkah's low rumble of a growl died down as the Aries was on his way, eyes watching Christa. Even though he knew no harm had come to her under his protection, he had to make sure. She just seemed much more delicate than he was, and thus the need to protect her arose.

"He is one of Cita's creatures... Belenus, he likes to call himself. I do not see what my companion does in that mad creature." The two did not get along but were housed near eachother, had the same companionwho had found them and began training.

[Ander]

A hard, strong stroke of feathered wings raised a cloud dust from the cathedral floor. It dissipated as soon as it rose, sent on it's way as Christa flapped her wings again. Her stunned wing had healed, but both were stiffening in this closed-off building. Christa titled her head toward the ceiling wistfully, parting her jaws. There was not even a glimpse of sunlight from the outside, nor a breath of fresh air. Just this encompassing stillness.

Christa stopped, shock-still. The Lya Pointa Cathedral was supposed to be a ruin, a desecration of a holy place. But this section seemed almost... whole.

The Sahound shook off the sudden thought. "Belenus..." The female repeated the Aries' name, and frowned. It sounded oily on her tongue. "Your trainer claims him, too? But why?" Her oddly-coloured tongue flicked out, swiping along her maw; she still tasted the Aries' dark scent in the back of her throat. It really bothered her, for some reason. "He seems like he has such a blackness in him."

[Citanul]

The place was slightly stifling. There was no fresh air... It seemed stale and dusty, making Mahkah quickly dart his tongue to wet his nose. Mekkyena hunting was harder than he had thought it would be.

"His name supposedly means 'Light'... There is no light in his heart." His tone accented with the deep rumblings of a growl it was obvious that this Sahound did not enjoy the Aries' company. "Belenus says that Cita's presence soothes him. Soothes the spirits ever-haunting his mind... I say he only wants to get close for his own selfish desires..."

Biting back a harsh snarl the dusty Sahound shook his coat and stretched. "Dallian and Theurge will keep him safe though. I know it." The huge Garagnirs were more than formidable enough to protect from the Hollow Aries.