[clackno1]

"I still don't think you should have come." The Calamikuhna stared at the gently blowing grass. The slight chill in the air made his fur stand on end as he silently padded through the plains. The small Myuu Reaper at his side held her head and tails high as she trotted after him.

"The Keeper says you need to socialize, so that's what I'm doing. Also, I needed to get out of that place. Everyone there is nuts." She stared at passing clouds, her paws making small cracking sounds as they hit the crisp soil underfoot. Her amber eyes gleamed in the light, as did her pelt.

"Right, and I'm the only one from an insane asylum." This was just a mutter to himself, but the small feline next to him must have thought it was directed at her for she replied.

"Look, I know you came from a nut house, but I really don't think you're a nut-job. Usually people are traumatized after they get out of places like that." She didn't even chuckle when she said this. Her sense of humour puzzled him, though her words for things made him smile. A nut house was just another way to say insane asylum in her vocabulary."Truthfully, I think you're pretty smart." She sounded serious, but her mind was somewhere else as she stared at the passing clouds.

"I'm not traumatized because I used my time wisely, perfecting my skill at holding back my 'problem'" He felt a shiver go down his spine as he mentioned his own condition. He wished the Myuu reaper would have stayed home and let him come here alone, but he was glad she had chosen some place where there wasn't a good chance they would meet someone. All he wanted was solitude, or solitary confinement if that was his only choice. It was better than being around tons of people that could pretty much destroy his mind and make all the time he spent practising self-control worthless. He said no more, but turned his eyes to the sky to watch the clouds float by with her.

[clackno1]

The had only walked a couple of yards before the Myuu Reaper had found a small hole in the ground."Why don't we rest for a while?" She didn't even turn to him or wait for an answer. She immediately started squishing herself in the dug out space in the ground. Her head disappeared, followed by the rest of her upper body. He could hear scratching noises as she scraped away the crisp earth to make the hole bigger.

"Fine, do what you want." He sat down and turned his gaze from the small, digging feline, to the swaying grass. He felt completely bored, which was strange. maybe it was the company of another. Strangely, he felt himself wishing for the company of more, which scared him. How could he wish for the chance to hurt people? His tails hung limp, as did his ears, and he was suddenly grateful that the Myuu Reaper's head was underground. He sighed as he was buffeted by the wind. next, he was showered with a spray of dirt.

"Yes! I finally got through the frozen surface!" A few more sprays of dirt was thrown from the hole before she extracted herself from the hole. She shook her head and small rocks and clumps of earth went flying."You want to come see Vandol?" Her voice had an excited tone to it as she addressed him.

"No thanks Calli. I'm just going to sit hear and stare at the clouds." He suddenly wished he was alone to think aloud. thinking aloud always gave him comfort. It made him feel like there was someone there that he really couldn't hurt, at all. Physically, at least. If he was alone he could let down his mind barriers and just think, like he did in solitary confinement when he was still locked up. He remembered each time he was thrown into that small, dark space. Each thing that had caused him to lose himself. Each person that was involved. A few memories leaked from the storage in his head and drowned out his thoughts. The memories angered him and he felt the burn start up in his red eye. He quickly closed his eyes and took a deep breathe. The small, demonic voice entered his head.It was their fault, not your own. You have a right to be angry, to hurt them... The voice left his head as he took control again. His little controller. The thing that made his hours of practice everyday for the past few years worthless and a waste of time. The tiny thing in his head that would destroy his mind.

"Are you ok?" Calli prodded him in his chest and his eyes snapped open."You went a little tense there. Was it the eviler?" He smiled slightly as she mentioned the voice in her own vocabulary. She was staring at him and he straightened up and relaxed his tense muscles. He retracted his claws which were buried in the earth and made the hair on his neck lie flat.

"Yeah, fine. Lets keep moving." Having to do a task would keep his mind controlled and the voice under control. He stood to his paws and winced slightly as he realized how stiff his muscles were. he put so much pressure on his body every day he wondered why it didn't just collapse under him. He started fowards, but noticed Calli wasn't following. The sad look in her eyes made him realize why she didn't want to leave.

"But, my hole." Her voice quivered and she stared down at her feet. Her tails hung low as sadness swept through her. Her large, amber eyes stared aimlessly at her paws. She was hoping Vandol would give in and allow her to keep the hole, for now. He had compassion, but unless it helped those around him he would not change his mind.

"We'll find you another one, I promise." He started off again and this time she followed without a sound, stepping over crushed grass and rocks, her eyes never leaving her paws.

[2]

[clackno1]

As they walked Calli spotted a clump of long grass, blown over by the wind to create an arch. The back of the arch was a large rock. She stepped inside and let out a squeal of excitement. Her head popped out, her eyes gleaming with happiness and hope."Can we rest here? This is a nice little cave, and you'll fit in here with me!" Her head disappeared as she started to clean the small cave of pebbled and dead grass and other debris.

Vandol sighed and poked his head into the small shelter."Fine, we'll stay here for a little while." He crawled the rest of the way in and layed down comfortably with his front paws crossed in front of him. His tail twitched as he looked around the space. Small shafts of light leaked through the roof, creating glowing shapes on the floor. Calli sat down next to him, her eyes wandering all around, her tails twitching with excitement and pure joy.

"Can we play a game?" She stared at him with her pleading amber eyes. Her bottom lip almost seemed to quiver as she pleaded to play a game. Her tiny paws patted the ground impatiently and the fur on her head fell over one eye, making her seem even more small and cute.

"Fine. We can play a game. Just, none of that house stuff, alright?" His tails swept the floor silently, sending up a small cloud of dust that soon settled when he stopped. He flapped his four wings slowly, creating a small whooshing sound. His different colored eyes scanned the cave again, searching for any idea Calli might have for a game, then it hit him. They were alone, in almost the middle of no where, with no food, and only a shelter. She wanted to play survivor.

She squealed with happiness again and jumped to her paws."Ok, first. Did you know any of those fire crazy people when you were stuck in the nut house?" He smiled slightly at her word for pyros. Then the memories came. One of his cell mates, a fellox, was a pyro. He had set Vandol's mattress on fire once and completely scorched his tails. He remembered how angry he got and the burning in his red eye and being taken to solitary confinement. The burning started up in his red eye again, but the thought of solitary confinement soothed it. He took a deep breathe before looking at Calli."Yes, he once taught me how to make a fire from scratch." that was the day the fellox was in a good mood. One of the only days he didn't want to set someone on fire.

Calli's paws pushed the dirt away in the center of the cave, creating a shallow hole. She brought pebbles from outside and placed them in a circle around the hole. Next, she placed a pile of dead grass in the hole and sat down."First, I need you to make a fire. We're going to play explorer!" A wide grim appeared on her face, ear to ear. Her fangs flashed in the dim sunlight.

[3]

[clackno1]

"No." His eyes became slits with annoyance. There was no way he was going to make a fire. All the dry, dead grass around them would catch light, and they'd be trapped. He placed his head on the ground in between his paws and stared at nothing. The wind blew the grass outside the small cave and he stared past it, past everything.

"What! Why? Just a small one, please?" She widened her eyes and puckered her lips, making her bottom lip quiver slightly. Her fur fell over one eye again and she laid her ears flat against her head. Her amber eyes were wide enough to be jewels by the time Vandol finally gave in.

"Fine. Just a small one." He started removing the dead grass from the make-shift fire pit, only leaving a few pieces left. He left the cave and started digging around a small pile of jagged rocks a few feet away from the opening of the shelter. He came back with two rocks in his mouth and placed them near the hole. One was completely flat, and that he placed right next to the pit. He took another piece of grass and started shredding it into fine little strands. The strands curled, making a small ball of fluffy material. That he placed in the pit with the other pieces of grass. he took the second rock he got, which had a tapered point, and started sharpening it on the flat stone. "This'll tale a while, so why don't to do something else." he didn't look up. His voice was calm, but sour. You could tell he really didn't want to do this

Calli squealed with happiness and victory as she scampered from the shelter and off into the long grass. She went to the pile of rocks Vandol had gone to earlier and started digging through it. She found a grayish-blue rock and placed it in her mouth to carry. Then she scampered off to a clump of long grass and started picking. When she couldn't fit anything more in her mouth and skipped off back to the shelter. He found Vandol still sharpening that stone and mumbling to himself. She couldn't hear what he was saying from the distance, but when she got closer he flicked his ear, saying that he had heard her approach and went quiet before she could make anything out. He didn't look up from his stone, but when she was about to enter his head snapped up.

"No. Do not bring that in here. I'm already risking it by making the fire in such a dry place. There will be nothing flammable in this shelter besides us. Leave it out there." He looked back down at his stones as her face drooped with sadness. She dropped the grass outside the cave then came and sat on the opposite side of the fire pit. Her fur fell over her eyes and her ears drooped as she bent her head to stare at her paws. Vandol did not look up, keeping his eyes focused on his work."I will not give in. Do you want to catch fire?" Calli shivered at the thought of being surrounded by the hungry, licking flames.

She dropped her rock at her feet and looked up at Vandol. He had finished sharpening the rock and was now inspecting it's point. The point was long, almost looking like an axe head. He ran it slowly over the flat rock, then did it quicker and a few sparks flew up. He smiled with satisfaction and scarped the rocks together even quicker and more sparks flew up. When he did it again he did it towards the fire pit and sparks landed on the ball of shredded grass. It glowed and he bent down to blow on it gently. A small flame shot up, quickly engulfing the fluffy grass and lighting the dried grass in there with it. The flames burned the grass up like it was nothing and Vandol threw a few more pieces in the pit to keep in going for a few more minutes. Calli squealed with delight as she stared at the dancing flames of orange and red.

"I'm only going to keep it going for a few more minutes, then it goes out. I don't want to risk it." he sat back and stared at the flames. His tails flicked a few times and he closed his eyes. His breathing stayed even, like it would if he were awake. Suddenly, it became shallow and his eyes snapped open as he started gasping for air. His breathing slowed down as a shiver went down his spine.

[4]

[clackno1]

The flames crackled quit loudly, causing Vandol to jump backwards in surprise. The fur in his neck stood straight up and he started to shiver with fear. An old memory and found it's way into his thoughts, a memory that had almost killed him, a memory that he didn't want to remember. The house he had set fire to, the family that he had almost killed. The fire. he needed to put out the fire. Without thinking he kicked sat into the pit and smashed the fire with his paw, scorching it. he didn't feel the pain. the pain of his memories was too much to think about. He closed his eyes and tensed his muscles. He looked like he was preparing for an onslaught of pain. His thoughts twisted and swirled in his head as he tried to regain control. Calli crouched on the ground in fright. She had no idea what was happening to her friend.

"V-vandol? A-are you ok?" She took a step forwards but paused, then took another step forward. Her eyes clouded over with fear and confusion. Maybe it was wrong to bring him here. Maybe it was wrong to let him out of the pens. Maybe he really was a nut-job. She started shaking slightly, with fear and confusion. She wanted to help, she wanted to make things right again, but she didn't know how. What if something went horribly wrong and someone got hurt? She crouched and rolled into a small, tight ball.

Vandol dug his claws into the crisp earth at his paws. He clenched his jaw so tight and with so much force he started to shake. he suddenly remembered Calli. How would she take this. He opened his eyes half way. he could already feel the angry burn in his red one. he saw Calli curled up on the ground, shaking with fear. His mind took over a little more, enough to speak."Go, leave. It's not safe." He need to be alone. If he lost complete control over his mind and body there's no telling what could happen. He could set the plains on fire. he had the tools right there, so what could stop him. he dug his claws deeper into the ground. Some how, he had to get Calli away, he had to make her safe.

Calli heard him and obeyed. She stared at him before darting from the shelter and disappearing in the grass. She crawled and stalked, her belly close to the earth, her eyes wide with fear. Her instincts weren't kicking in, so it didn't seem like any one would die, but she couldn't see the future. Things can always take a turn for the worst. She ran until she was exhausted and flopped down on her stomach, her breathes coming in shallow gasps. The tears started streaming down her face and she curled up into a ball again.

[5=Level Up]

[clackno1]

The pain of the memory that gripped Vandol ate up his energy. His muscles relaxed and his claws retracted as he collapsed on the ground. He found the energy to curl up and he placed his tails under his chin. A memory like that usually would have taken over, but he had resisted and taken control of his mind and body. No one was hurt, not physically at least. His thoughts trailed on until he finally drifted off. He had taken control, and he felt stronger. Before he completely nodded off the voice in his head spoke to him. Do not resist the anger you feel. Anger is power, and power is strength. He did not think over the words, and before he could even try his mind turned to darkness as exhaustion took over.

Calli raised her head, the tears still streaming down her face. Vandol had told her to go away, but she needed to check on him. She slowly got to her paws and wobbled back to the shelter. Her eyes were half open and she was barely thinking. She found Vandol sleeping silently in the shelter. His breathing was normal and he looked peaceful. She curled up next to him and dug her muzzle into his fur. She felt like a child asking for comfort from a parent. Vandol wasn't her parent, but he was the closest person to her right then. She nodded off and her mind was engulfed by blackness.

[6]

[clackno1]

Vandol awoke in the dark. He panicked until he realized it was night. His eyes adjusted to the dark and he spotted A dark ball of fur rising and falling next to him. He recognized Calli's scent and stood up. His fur was matted on one side with dirt and small rocks. He sent the dirt and other debris flying when he shook out his fur. He went and sat in the opening to the shelter to look at the stars. He recognized a few constellations and started to make shapes with the stars and play connect-the-dots. A star shot across the sky and he smiled as he watched it disappear. The moon was a thin crescent shape and it made a dim, ghostly glow across everything. he felt something brush his side and looked down to see Calli's amber eyes staring up at him, clouded with worry."Don't worry, I'm fine." He turned his gaze back to the sky.

Calli laid down next to him and pushed her fur against his. She stared at her paws, not knowing what to say. Vandol placed his tails around her back when he felt her start to shiver. He didn't know whether it was from the cold or from fear, but he tried to help. Her eyes closed and she continued to shiver. His eyes went from one star to the next. He felt the cold start to creep up on his fur and he started to shiver also. He crouched next to Calli and huddled next to her for warmth. Why did he decide to come here with no food or anything in the middle of winter. Small snowflakes started to fall and melt when they hit the ground. He rolled onto his side to get a better look at the stars. Calli fell asleep at his side but sleep wouldn't come to him. He sat there staring at the stars until they finally faded and dawn came.

A small layer of snow had fallen over-night and everything glistened as the sunlight hit it. The sky went from black to a burning orange near the sun and a light purple everywhere else. Calli awoke and sat up. She yawned and looked around. Her black pelt had become white and she shook the icy snow from her fur. Vandol stood up."We should get moving, get the blood flowing again." His paws were numb and he felt like he had been sitting in a refrigerator over night, and he wasn't far off. He turned to Calli and her face was a picture of sadness. He sighed and his eyes filled with compassion."I'll give you a piggy-back ride." She smiled and bounded on his back. His legs locked as her weight was added to his own. He smiled with her and padded off into the frozen grass.

Her paws were cold and she buried them in his fur to warm them up. She placed her chin on his shoulder. She noticed that his eyes never turned from straight ahead as he stepped over rocks and clumps of dirt and other debris."How come you don't trip. You don't look at you paws at all." She watched his paws step lightly over more rocks but his head or eyes never changed position. Some how he could tell where the rocks were without looking at them.

"All of my senses are accustomed to being my eyes. I have been put in small, dark rooms before. My eyes have even been sewed closed before." His eyes being sewed close was a punishment, but it was a punishment he almost enjoyed. Sure it was painful having a needle driven through the soft flesh of his eye-lids, but the dark made his mind feel almost numb, until he learned to use his other senses just as well as his eyes. the insane asylum had helped him when it was supposed to be a punishment. A lot of people think of an insane asylum as the hell above ground, and that's what a lot of people call it, but had been his sanctuary. The darkness calms his mind and makes it almost numb. he could even walk with his eyes closed if he had to.

[7]

[clackno1]

The ball of black and neon colors rolled silently through the grass. As she approached Vandol and Calli she changed from a ball of rolling fur to a scurrying Rollaby. She slowly stalked through the long grass, her light green eyes locking on her target. She got into a crouch and pounced on her victim. Calli tumbled to the ground under the weight of the Rollaby. The air was knocked from her lungs and she gasped a few times before her breathing returned to normal and she looked up at her attacker.

"Eshe!" Eshe hopped off of Calli so that she could get up. Vandol stared, confused, at their fake attacker."Eshe, what are you doing here?" Calli's voice was full of annoyance, and it was pointed towards the Rollaby. Her lips turned to a pout and her fur fell over one eye, Calli looked incredibly cute with this expression plastered on her face.

"The Keeper sent me. I've got news for him." She pointed to Vandol, his confused look still on his face. Calli made a small 'Hmph' sound and stood up. She stared at the neon marked creature in front of her with dissatisfaction."Ok, so you want the good news or the bad news first?" Eshe brought her paws together and an evil smile crept onto her face.

Calli sighed and her expression changed. Now she looked defeated."Good." She glanced at Vandol. She hoped he wouldn't be scared by the good news. Eshe's brain is completely messed up, so she turns things around and thinks the bad things are good. Vandol isn't the only nut-job. Eshe was stuck in an insane asylum, for about a week. She escaped and wreaked havoc on the nearby towns. Somehow, someone had calmed her down enough to not be a psycho-path and go on random rampages, but she's still crazy.

"Yeah! Ok, so I suppose you know that usually my good news is your bad news, but this time it's the right way around! Ok, so once the master gets enough money she's going to submit me to testing so that I can become a Fungal Rollaby!" Eshe clapped her hands together rapidly to show her happiness."So, I suppose you'll want the bad news now, huh. Ok, bad news is that after I'm a Fungal Rollaby and she gets enough money, you're going to become a Panzer-type-thing." She pointed to Vandol. he looked at the Rollaby in horror. Did he really have to become more of a monster?

"No, I refuse to be turned into a monster. She can't make me. If you want to be turned into some creepy type of creature, go ahead, but not me. Not me ever." He turned around and started walking away, expecting the Rollaby to just disappear and go back where it came from. It disappeared, but he was not sure where to. Calli followed him through the long grass. She had sat in silence through the news. She didn't want her friend to become some sort of monster, but it was The Keeper's wish, and so it would happen.

"You know, you can't disobey The Keeper. She practically owns us, wait, make that literally. She bought us with money...well, most of us anyways." Calli's eyes turned to slits and she let out a small and annoyed hiss. calli was a gift, and pretty much everyone knows that, but Eshe thinks that Calli wasn't gotten in an honest way. A gift is a gift, and she was from a friend of The Keeper's, so Calli feels special. But Eshe always brings it up like it's a bad thing."Anyways, we were bought by The Keeper, and so she has the right to do whatever she wants with us." Eshe crossed her arms and a satisfied and triumphant smile appeared on her face. Vandol looked at her with disgust.

[C+V=8
E=1]

[clackno1]

Vandol started off again. he only got a few feet before Eshe jumped out in front of him from a clump of grass."You can't run from The Keeper. She will find you." Eshe disappeared again and Vandol changed direction. Calli followed without a sound, hoping that the Rollaby would just go away. It seems hope wasn't enough. Eshe appeared again in front of them, this time out of no where."You can't escape The Keeper, just like you can't escape me, or my black magic." She was gone again, but Vandol could hear her maniacal laugh in the back of his head.

The demonic voice was hissing with anger, almost telling Eshe to get out of his head. Go on Vandol, hurt her. It won't do any harm. No one will miss her... The voice faded as another cackle entered his thoughts. He felt the burning in his eye and his claws sunk into the ground. His eyes shot open and he jumped to the right. He hit thin air, which then materialized into Eshe, her face alive with fear and confusion. Vandol pinned her to the ground, using the force it took him to fight off the burn to pin her down. The cackle in his head stopped and his mind went quiet. As the burn went away his muscles relaxed and Eshe slipped out from under him.

"H-how did you do that? I-it's impossible to find me, shrouded with my shield. I-I don't understand." Her voice was filled with confusion as she stared at Vandol, trying to find his secret. She noticed the different emotions in his eyes and smiled wickedly."Hmm...It seems you have an issue, no? I can help you, to train you to harness that power, so that when you do become a Panzer your power will be unstoppable." Her voice was very persuasive, but Vandol felt sick at the thought of becoming more of a monster.

"I will not become more a monster. I will not be trained by you. You just want to harness the power for your own, but that will never happen." He stalked off through the grass. Calli was stunned by what had just happened. She looked at Eshe, the anger written all over her face. Calli noticed Eshe's emotion turn from angered to triumphant. Something bad was going to happen, and Calli could feel death in her pelt. She stalked after Vandol, her eyes full of worry.

"Vandol, you're not evil, I don't think you are. If you do become a Panzer, maybe you won't be a monster. You could change." Her voice quivered, as if she was about to break into tears. Vandol looked down at her, his eyes thoughtful. he sighed, then turned his eyes straight ahead again, staring into nothing. There was silence. The only sound was the wind blowing the grass. Calli stared down at her paws. She felt like she was going to start crying, and tears already threatened to fall.

Vandol sighed again and Calli looked up."Calli. My physical appearance won't just change, but my mind will too, my way of thinking. If I am going to become a Panzer, then there isn't really much I can do. I suppose I could get help and train to keep control, but it might not be enough. I could become a menace and be locked in a cage so I won't be able to do damage. There isn't any hope that I won't be a monster. I already am one." His voice was filled with sadness as he admitted it. That his problem, or issue, or condition made him a monster and a menace. Nothing could help him. He could be prepared, but no body would really be able to tell him how to harness the power, and use it for something. No one besides Eshe.  

[C+V=9
E=2]

[clackno1]

"Oh, you're thinking, that's good, very good." Vandol had already stopped for he had sensed Eshe there. She was peeling apart a blade of grass, barely paying attention to them. He growled quietly in his throat, but Eshe still heard him."Don't worry. I didn't go too deep. Just your thoughts and a few memories from that strange hospital they locked you up in. The one I was thrown in was a lot worse, but that's not why I escaped." The burn in his eye started up again, but then he realized what she was doing. He quickly killed the burn and his eyes turned to slits.

"I will not be taunted by you. I will not fall into your trap and go along with your plan. My memories mean nothing to you." He turned in another direction and pushed through a clump of grass. Calli followed, finally realizing how tense the moment was."You don't care about helping me. You just want my power for yourself, to control me." he was walking with his claws out as he tried to fight back the burn. he kept his cool and thought of solitary confinement and immediately wished he was alone. At least he had left the rocks back at that shelter, but he could easily go back and get them and cause havoc. He could already imagine the burning plains, the fire licking up everything in it's path. Fire was a monster, eating everything it came across. he could hold back the urge, but not always.

"So you won't take up my offer. You're just going to become a monster and let yourself loose on the world without any training." She had appeared right in front of him them, a stone in her paw now."Don't you see Vandol, I can help you. So what if I want the power for myself, at least I won't be letting it loose on the world to cause havoc and mayhem. You'll just be sealing your fate by rejecting me, forced to live alone, in solitude, being shunned by everyone you meet. At least I'll use the power for something good, something that will destroy all the evil in this world." The stone was smashed in her grip and the crumbled rock blew away in the wind. The pieces that were too big to be blown away fell the the ground.

Vandol hissed with disgust."You won't be destroying the evil, you'll be creating more, expressing it, creating an empire of evil. I'm a monster, but at least I don't like it. You like it, and want to express it. I think that's disgusting." He turned again and this time Eshe followed on foot. She stalked him, never taking her eyes from his dark shape. Her eyes became slits and her lips puckered as she assessed him. She would find a way. She would break him, and his power would be hers.

"So, what's wrong with expressing what I am? I am part psychopath, part pyromaniac, and part mad scientist. I am not only one. I enjoy fire, I enjoy destruction, and I enjoy creating things, though they are not always successful. I have given in, but not given up. I have accepted who I am. it seems you have not." Her words stung. She was able to admit what she was, and actually knew what she was. He could admit it, but did not completely know all about it. His issue was not common, and he didn't even know if other people had exactly what he did. he could only find others similar."You know what you are, but have not excepted it. Others like you have, and have found ways to work with it. That is what I will do with you. Find a way to work with your gift."

Did she just call his condition a gift? A gift, that's funny. Being a monster is a gift."You really think this is a gift? Having to resist the temptation to lose control and just succumb to it. Having to resist the urge to hurt someone. You have no idea the pain I go through everyday, both physical and mental. the stress i put on my body and mind. No one understands it, and that's why no one understands me." He ran now, wanting to get away from the psychotic Rollaby and just disappear to a place where all of it, the pain, the horror, the fear, would just melt a way and he could be at peace. Death would be like that, but he would still be hurting people by killing himself. he had to get away, away from the world.

[C+V=10 Level Up
E=3]

[clackno1]

"Vandol?" he heard Calli's voice from behind him and stopped to turn. Eshe was holding her by the scruff of her neck. She was hanging limply, staring wide-eyed at him. He felt the anger boiling up in, but tried to suppress it. He would not attack her, he would not give her what she wants. He would handle this calmly, and efficiently.

"Put her down." The words came through clenched teeth. His claws dug into the ground, but not to hold him back. He was doing it to get out his anger, in a way that would not satisfy his enemy. Eshe dropped Calli onto the ground. Calli trotted to hide a bunch of grass. What was Eshe going to do to her friend? His tail hung limp behind him as the anger retreated. He took a deep breathe and locked his gaze on Eshe's black form standing in front of him. Eshe took a few steps forward to look him in the eye. Both his eyes showed anger.

"It seems it is not anger that triggers it, like it does most people. Vandol, tell me, what causes your gift to take affect. It's not anger, is it sadness, loneliness, the thought of solitude. Tell me?" She paced slowly back and forth as she waited for an answer. Vandol sat down and stared at his paws. What harm could telling her do. She couldn't get that far into his memories, especially with his shield up. The shield he had been perfecting in solitary confinement. Not even with magic could she get into his thoughts through the shield.

"It is not anger. Anger actually subdues it. It is my memories that cause it. My memories of the insane asylum, of the people I've hurt, of the people I've met. Thankfully, you will never get to these memories." He stood up again and started off. Eshe appeared in front of him again. This time, a growl escaped his jaws. His tails lashed with annoyance and he kept his eyes closed so he would not have to look at the smug grin manipulating her lips.

"I have already seen a few. You have a mind shield, but at that time it wasn't up. You see, Vandol. You will never be able to put down your mind shield again, for I will be there, waiting to get my paws on what I need to manipulate you." With that she was gone. Calli scurried from her hiding place in the grass to hide under and in between Vandol's legs. She curled up into a ball and started to shiver. Vandol sighed and he wrapped his tails around Calli to comfort her. he would never be safe again.

[C+V=11
E=4]

[clackno1]

As he sat there snow started to fall and the wind blew more viciously. His mind started playing tricks on him and he started seeing glimpses of black and neon shapes moving through the grass. He even heard a small cackle coming from somewhere, but the wind was making so much noise he couldn't be sure. He eventually crouched and started to shiver slightly from the cold. He pulled Calli closer to him with his tails so they could share their warmth and it worked. She stopped shivering and so did he. He felt her breathing slow as she fell asleep, but he could not sleep. The fear that nightmares would come, or his mental shield would go down was too great to let him nod off. He kept seeing flashes of black fur and neon colored markings and small cackles disguised by the wind. One time and closed his eyes and when he opened them again he thought that the snow was black, like ash. He imagined fire and the screams of people trapped by the licking, hungry blaze. When he closed his eyes and opened them again the black snow was gone, the flames and screams were gone, and there was silence. This vision kept him wide awake and the small glimpses of black fur and cackles were gone. Now his mind went over and over the vision, so real it was like it really happened.

Eshe sat on a rock, tired out from racing in circles around Vandol and cackling wickedly. She had kept him awake, but she could tell there was something else that frightened him. Something that made him scared to close him eyes. She couldn't reach into his mind so she couldn't see what had happened. She wondered if it was a memory come back to haunt him, but then it would have triggered the problem. Triggered the split emotions. She crouched close to the ground and peeked through the blowing grass at the Calamikuhna. The snow would disguise her black and neon pelt a bit, but not a lot. She couldn't keep following him. She had to break him.

[C+V=12
E=5 Level Up]

[potterchic]

((I'm gonna start off with what was going on BEFORE they were taken to Eshe first, then, in this post, I'll roleplay their arrival.))
Common Kuhna (Kiana )  
(Kund)

Kund had called Kiana to his pool to discuss SOMETHING with him. She wasn't quite sure what, but he seemed to THINK that it was somehow important. She walked to the kiddie pool that Kund had taken over, since it was the only place Mistress would let him have complete control over. He was lounging in the shallow bowl of plastic as if it was a hot tub, something he had begged Mistress for a million times.

"Aaah, Kiana, my dear, so nice to see again." He climbed out of the shallow water.

"You see me every day, we both live with the Mistress, in her house." She frowned. He looked at her, and she could hear him growl ever so slightly. "What do you want?"

"I have a... proposition... if you will. We all know that you want-" Then they were engulfed in darkness.

Kiana hit the ground hard. They were in the Vast Plains! "WHAT did you do?!" Kiana whispered at Kund.

'My dear, nieve Kiana, I have done absolutely nothing. I WISH that I knew who did, but you know that niether you or I have any idea-" THERE! Several shapes could be seen in the distance! Two felines, it seemed, were huddled together. By the size, Kund assumed that they were a myuu reaper and a kuhna. And a little farther away, he could see fairly clearly in the night, neon swirls and curves! A biolune! And by the shape, a rollaby! He's seen a picture of a biolune rollaby once before, the Mistress had taken it of a female rollaby at an auction, but she didn't buy her. The one in the distance seemed to have all of the same markings, in the same positions, but no, it couldn't be the same, could it? Perhaps... But no, it was impossible that he'd seen the lovely, elegant creature before, his Mistress had told him that the winner had plans to make her a fungal rollaby, yet there she was, the same size, the same regal seeming posture. It must have been her.

((I hope that's okay.))

[clackno1]

(That's perfect)

Eshe shivered slightly in the cold. She, sadly, had no control over the weather, but hopefully she would soon. Vandol would crack eventually, no matter how long it took, it would be worth it. She rubbed her paws together as another shiver ran down her spine. She wasn't cut out for the cold. She suddenly felt her eyes glaze over as more creatures neared. The cold was forgotten and she silently scurried through the grass, making sure her markings wouldn't show and give her away. She peeked through the grass and her eyes fell upon two figures. She recognized them as a Common Kuhna and a Kalamarei. The Kalamarei was of a species she had not seen before, and she became curious and stalked a bit closer.

Vandol flicked snow from his ears. Most of his body was already covered in the frozen water, and it was doing nothing to keep him warm. Calli started to shiver from under his tails and he made a quick decision. He picked her up by the scruff, making sure to shield her from the snow with his body, and headed off into the grass. He had to find shelter, fast. He heard the wind roar in his ears and remembered Eshe. Maybe he could lose her in the storm. She couldn't track him forever.

[C+V=13
E=6]

[potterchic]

((Great.))
Kund saw the rollaby approaching, and watched for a few minutes, to begin setting her pace. She could only go so quickly through this chilling wind. He turned back around. Kina didn't seem to have noticed the figure creeping towards them, that was, of course, a plus. "Looking at the direction the wind is heading, I'd stay behind me, and slightly to my left, if I were you." He said to the kuhna at his side.

He obviously doesn't want to be held responsible for me getting frostbite, or worse... Kiana thought. That was partly true, but she hadn't seen the figure coming slowly towards them, and Kund was trying to assure that she didn't, by blocking her view with his flank, but she DID see the kuhna and the myuu reaper that had been laying, seeming to sleep, in the distance, and she DID see the kuhna; which she, being a kuhna and having excellent night vision, recognized almost immedietly as a calimikuhna; pick up the tiny myuu reaper in the same hold a mother would use on her kit, and watched it trudge through the snow with his tiny friend. She followed Kund through the snow, not knowing anything of Eshe, silently approaching them, or even where they were going...