[Yomegami]

Zexa could feel her muscles calming as she felt the group behind her. Judging by their facial expressions, it seemed that she (and Sunrise) were the only ones who seemed worried about something.

Suddenly, out the corner of her eye, she thought she saw something move. Jumping straight up and whirling around at the same time, she beheld...nothing. Just a group of shadows under a tree. However, she could easily hear the sounds of snapping foliage. She guessed it was Vein trudging along behind them, and not a result of the movement she possibly could have imagined.

Turning back around, she was startled yet again when Tobi asked how far she intended on going.

"Er... I haven't thought much about that..." was her reply.

After a few more moments, Vein stated that he was going to glide above the treetops, rather than stumble through the trees.

"Well, if that what'll work for you, it's fi--what was that?"

Zexa stopped moving and remained quiet. Yet, the noise she thought she heard was non-existant. No, wait - she could hear it again. Yes, she could definately pick it up this time.

It wasn't the wind. This was a strange, whirring sound, faint but noticable.

She looked around, and saw something else - light. This light was not from the moon or the stars. Instead, it came from the middle of a grove of trees.

Despite her fears of what it could be, Zexa began to approach the strange light, as if something beyond her control was driving her onwards....

[SweetDisaster]

Spark shivered slightly even through the warmth of her flames. It wasn't a physical coldness, but rather a mental kind of knowing, as if her body knew something her mind didn't know or want to admit. She shook herself out of the trance as she pushed onwards.

Suddenly--"I'm going to glide above you, is that okay?" Turning, Spark realized it was that Hollowheart--what had his name been? She really ought to try to figure out if there was some way to improve her memory a bit--Vein, wasn't it? that had spoken. She shrugged slightly and went on.

After Zexa's reply and startling words, Spark stopped moving, training her ears. It was almost inaudible; a kind of low humming whirring sound, like the sound of a tiny top spinning, or the sound of a refridgerator..."What's it?" she whispered, but the minute she spoke the drone disappeared from her hearing.

As Zexa began to move forward, Spark finally noticed the tiny light...beautiful, hypnotizing. She didn't mean to mimic Zexa, she really didn't. In fact, Spark normally would have rushed towards it. This time, she kind of...stepped, unable to drag her eyes away. The light shimmered at the edges of her view; her flames were bright and blocked it out slightly. Tantalizing...it seemed to beckon to her, call her on...

{4}

[Jaden Wolf]

Sunrise saw Zexa wheel around and stopped a bit. She did not want the kuhna to be scared. Then she heard Vein ask a question, but before she could reply, there was a small whirring noise. Just before she saw the light, there was a sudden screech, one that could be heard by anyone. She saw multiple shadows zipping past them, fleeing. Then came the familiar feeling-language of the Shadows. "Outrageous! How dare they! The night is ours! But where? Where did it come from? ...Them! It was THEM!" Sunrise's heart skipped a beat and then she lunged forward, in between a black Shadow arrow and Zexa. "Leave! It wasn't them! How could it, when I was here this entire time? And you watch all intruders in the night, did you see them do something?" she asked harshly.
The Shadow dissapeared, floating back into the protection of the trees. "Get rid of it my lady...it hurts uss..." the thought drifted off, and Sunrise turned back to the group in satisfaction. Then she saw them walking towards it. She sighed. How typical. Creatures of Light cannot resist it. They should really learn to control it. She sighed again, then followed the two, looking back at the others to make sure the Shadows wouldn't try anything stupid.

[Krystalolive]

Tobi looked at Zeta, then at the Hollowheart when he talked. "Flying over head would be fine! It might even make us safe since..." He looked at the light in the trees, wondering what it was. He was about to move on when Zeta and Spark went towards it. He looked at them, a paniced look on his face for a minute. "Stop! You need to move silently and quickly in this forest! That light could be a trick." He ran up to Zeta, then walked backwards, looking at the two. "Something wrong?" He had his goofy smile on his face already, glancing at the two females.

[Polaris]

Silently taking off, he reveled in the cool night air. Shard was just begining to adjust his flight when he spotted the light in the night. From above, it looked like a peculier colored campfire light. He circled lower, eyeing the anomaly curiously. Zexa and Spark moved towards it, he could barely pick their dark forms out of the suffocatingly think foliage. The flash of gold that had hesitated at first must be Sunrise. The slightly pale spot that had also hesitated, then sprinted ahead could only be Tobi. Then he heard a pained shriek coming from the trees, was someone in trouble?

He quickened his spiral downward, reluctant to come near the light - it didn't seem right - but wanting to help if someone had been hurt. As he neared landing, he saw that all the others were fine. Where did the yell come from? Did it have something to do with the movement in the trees earlier? His eyes grew wide.

Was someone, something, following them? He could only imagine what might be lurking in the dark forest at night... Tucking his arm-wings close to his body, the dinosaurian-reptile wove his way to the back of the group again. After all, if anything was following them, he would probably have the best chance in a confrontation, apart from maybe Sunrise with her speed and sharp talons.

Tail snaping in a whip-like pattern behind him, Vein warily sized up the forest around them.

[Yomegami]

((Sorry if I kept anyone waiting, my internet service was not working right. >.<))

A sudden shriek filled the air, scaring the heck out of Zexa. When she turned back around, the only thing she saw was Sunrise.

Thinking it was Sunrise who had made the shriek, she gave the serraptor a withering stare, completely unaware that she could had been dead, and Sunrise saved her.

Tobi wasn't long in catching up, and actually panicked for a few seconds before returning to his usual, cheerful self.

A big crunch, and Vein landed. He must of noticed the light too.

Before she turned back around, she thought about the cake kuhna's warning. Could the light be a trick?

But when she looked back at it, she dropped that idea immediately. This light was staying in one spot, not bouncing around or flickering.

Shedding her worries, she darted towards it. Just before she entered its grove, she stopped. That whirring noise...it was loud and clear now. That meant that whatever was casting the light was also making the noise.

Curiousity overwhelmed her, and she stepped into the grove.

As she looked around, she quickly noticed what she had found - a glowing orb. It appeared to be made of mist and glass. Through a hole in its center, triangular crystal shards cycled through.

"Huh?" she said aloud.

[SweetDisaster]

Spark completely ignored the others. The light fascinated her...it was elusive; the light of her own flames cast it into shadows, made it harder to see. She winced, trying to shrug off the whirring noise. It was annoying loud, like the droning of a mosquito. She wanted it to go away. To stop bothering her. It came from the light, and yet she couldn't push away the light and make the sound stop. She wanted the light.

The thing that made the light looked as if it might pass through one's paw, and yet the broken-looking shards in it looked sharp enough to slice flesh open. Spark shuddered; the thought made her jerk out of the light-induced hypnotized state.

"What is it?" she cried, nearly gasping. "What is it, why is it here?" Sudden fear of the unknown dawned upon Spark; she shrank away from the orb, but couldn't tear her eyes away.

{5}

[Polaris]

{Wha...?? Aww.... *huffy pout* All of my RPs are dying... Bleh! Well, I've got to finish my five posts.}

Vein was still wary of the light, but was more afraid of what was lurking in the forest. Casting his head about, searching for the culprit, he slunk back along the way they'd come. Melting into the shadows, the hollowheart left the light, and the others.
He didn't even remember why he'd bothered coming here. It took just a whim to come here, and now he was leaving on the base that there was something out there he didn't like. These pets could defend themselves, and he was going to make sure he was safe too. making his way back to the spot where he'd first taken off, he lifted his wings and pumped furiously.

It was always harder taking off without a running start.

Once Vein was up in the air, he closed his eyes and soaked in the moonlight. Nothing could hurt him up here. He was king of the skies. Soaring off into the night, soon all that could be seen of him was the faint reflection of moonlight off white scale.

[5-left]

[Jaden Wolf]

OOC: I'm so sorry! I'm back on a little more now, but I guess this thing's gone. ^^'

Sunrise saw the hollowheart take off, but decided not to leave. She bent over and looked in the Shinzo's eyes. She let the Shadow within her show...making a blackish aura around herself. She knew the Shadow would break the light's hold. Once she was sure it was complete, she stood and the darkness left. She looked down at Zexa with a sigh. "I'm sorry. I am part Shadow, and the light hurts, so I will leave now before I become too weak to move." she said. Indeed, when she had shown her inner Shadow, she felt the pain that the shadows had told her of. Then she decided she could stay no longer. "I'm sorry. Good luck." She turned and weaved through the trees towards her home.