If you're looking for a quiet retreat, this is the place. Run by devout monks, you will be welcomed with generous hospitality. You can even take the time here to achieve some spiritual enlightenment of your own, with the sounds of the rainforest as a backdrop. (+2 Precision)

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Setting Out [open to anyone]

Postby Cados » 04/24/2012 12:36 AM

Image
Please, creatures only!

Cados, a Likuta        


A cold, foggy, damp morning.  To most, it would be an invitation to rest, to stay warm and in bed, with the sheets pulled up as high as they could go, and attempting to keep heat.  Not for Cados.  Too much possibility was in the air.  It was almost as if it called to him, tempting him with the threat and the promise of an infinite number of people to meet and places to go.  Walking up to the edge of the cliff, he looked down at the rainforest below, and almost wanted to jump, to live life as vicariously and passionately as his body would allow.  He would not waste this life.  Smiling, the Likuta swung over the edge and grabbed onto the first handhold he saw.  The early morning mist had made the rock slippery, but his hands were callused and the climb was not difficult.  Halfway down the cliff, the golden sun rose over the horizon, spilling over the forest and igniting the water in the air, causing a veritable conflagration of beautiful fiery droplets to hang suspended over the trees.  Considering he still had a ways to go, Cados reached into his pack, took out a couple of pitons and secured himself to the cliff while he had breakfast.  The sun had finally fully exposed itself by the time he finished his food and the view.  Satiated, he started again.  By the time he was done, it was midafternoon, and the rainforest was alive with the shrieks of all types of creatures.  His curiosity was piqued, but it was all he could do to resist the cries, knowing he had more important things to do, more important places to go.  Sitting down on the loam of the forest floor, he took out his map that he had borrowed from the monks, and with a compass, made sure of his location and his destination.  Jawan, the Sea City.  Standing up, Cados took out an apple and sauntered through the forest, open to the possibilities of the new day.
Image

knowledge is both a prison, and the key
To know much is to be enlightened by the understanding of the universe, but is also toknow the limitations and utter randomness of our daily lives, something we take for granted too much of the time.
It is the realization of this knowledge that imprisons us, but the realization that life is too good to worry about that frees us. The prison, and the key.
Cados
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Re: Setting Out [open to anyone]

Postby Freezair » 04/24/2012 2:07 AM

Image


He carried with him only the essentials: Several sandwiches, a large waterskein, and a notebook and pencil.

Edgar sat near the edge of the cliff, ruminating on the words to use for the way the sun was posed above the treeline, and the tint of the sky in the late afternoon. He took in the smells of the greenery, and the way the sweat beaded on his arms but did not evaporate. His tail lashed behind him in time with his thoughts.

But then came a rustling. Edgar's species was one known for their strong legs, and despite his soft, artistic lifestyle, he did enough trekking to keep in shape. Edgar sprung up, and his crest pounced into action. His body moved parallel to the ground, ready to run or strike if the need arose.

A hint of white and red appeared in the bush. Edgar's muscles tensed. He sniffed the air, but smelled neither adrenaline nor any other danger hormones. His crest eased, but his back remained tense. Then a Likuta with a map appeared through the underbrush.

Edgar sighed. He stood up straight, as was proper for a civilized Gallizar. "Good afternoon, stranger," he said. "I was not expecting to meet a fellow traveler out here, so far from civilization. Where are you headed, friend?"

I'm so cool (too bad I'm a loser).
I'm so smart (too bad I can't get anything figured out)!
I'm so brave (too bad I'm a baby).
I'm so fly
That's probably why it feels just like I'm falling for the first time!

I'm so green (it's really amazing).
I'm so clean (too bad I can't get all the dirt off of me)!
I'm so sane (It's driving me crazy)!
It's so strange
I can't believe I'm falling for the first time!

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Re: Setting Out [open to anyone]

Postby Cados » 04/24/2012 11:38 AM

Breaking through a particularly large section of underbrush, Cados emerged into a clearing in the forest, one with soft, spongy grass underfoot and a large break in the trees above, one that caused a lone shaft of sunlight to shine down onto the forest floor.  Glancing around, he noticed a couple of large trees, a break in the foliage which allowed for an unobstructed view of the valley.  The most interesting thing, however, was a large black and purple creature that was sitting to his left with a backpack around it's shoulders.  Noticing it, he decided to satiate his curiosity and talk to the creature.  Before he could however, it noticed and then spoke to him.  "good afternoon stranger.  I was not expecting to meet a fellow traveler out here, so far from civilization.  Where are you headed, friend?" the great beast said as it stood up from its sitting position.  Finding the creatures colors quite spectacular, he decided to talk. "I'm on my way to the nodian sea to find my roots in the homeland of my ancestors.  I wish to experience everything I can on my way there.  I would welcome any company, if you'd like to accompany me.  Where is it that you're go-"  before he could say any more,a great buzzing grew out of the first.  Accompanied with it was the sound of foliage being destroyed, trees falling and leaves being crushed.    the view of the rainforest, cados became frightened as he saw the tips of many trees falling over and something massive, or lots of somethings were coming directly for this clearing.
Image

knowledge is both a prison, and the key
To know much is to be enlightened by the understanding of the universe, but is also toknow the limitations and utter randomness of our daily lives, something we take for granted too much of the time.
It is the realization of this knowledge that imprisons us, but the realization that life is too good to worry about that frees us. The prison, and the key.
Cados
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Re: Setting Out [open to anyone]

Postby Freezair » 04/24/2012 2:41 PM

"Oh dear! I'm afraid we haven't any choice to stick together now--quickly! Follow me!" Edgar extended a claw to the Likuta and beckoned for him to take it. He waited only as long as he dared for a response, and sprinted, with his great long legs and tail held out for balance, in the direction of the undergrowth. The sound of the destruction began to fade in the face of a deep, consuming thrumming sound.

Edgar flattened his body to the ground beneath the shrubs, and tried to pull the Likuta close--if the Likuta would allow him to, of course. "I hadn't thought this would happen," Edgar said. "I think it's a Beetanke swarm! I hadn't thought they'd be flying through this part of the jungle at this time of year! Keep your head down, and avoid the wings if you can!"

I'm so cool (too bad I'm a loser).
I'm so smart (too bad I can't get anything figured out)!
I'm so brave (too bad I'm a baby).
I'm so fly
That's probably why it feels just like I'm falling for the first time!

I'm so green (it's really amazing).
I'm so clean (too bad I can't get all the dirt off of me)!
I'm so sane (It's driving me crazy)!
It's so strange
I can't believe I'm falling for the first time!

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Re: Setting Out [open to anyone]

Postby ToxxicRenegadeAngel » 04/24/2012 5:52 PM

Image

Eko was in a panic. There was buzzing coming her way, and she couldn't run fast enough through the undergrowth to get away. The thrumming was growing louder every second, and only a perfectly timed stumble had saved her from being crushed by a tree. She was in serious trouble, and all because she had tarried a few moments, just long enough to uproot a new orchid and place it in her backpack, in a specimen pod. She looked for a safe place, but could find none, until she spotted a mostly purple-and-black lump next to a red and white lump a little way away...

Oh well, thought Eko, If I'm going to go it may as well be next to a pair of orchids...

Running as she was, it wasn't long before she noticed they weren't orchids at all, but seemed to be two independent creatures... in what looked to be a safe hollow in the undergrowth.

Flustered, she called out as she ran: "Hey! Mind if I join you guys? The beetanke swarm is nearly here!"
"I remember who I was, who I've always been. Sometimes I forget I'm not that person any more."

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Re: Setting Out [open to anyone]

Postby Firetra » 04/25/2012 9:08 AM


((Mind if I join? This seems like fun.))

Muse was quietly walking through the jungle, his friend Spek, the Albino Fox, trotting along side him. Muse paid no attention to the buzzing or the sound of loud footsteps coming his way, nope. He had a new pair of headphones that he was trying out since the other ones that he had broke because of a previous incident. Today he felt like listening to rock music, so that was up on the playlist for then next hour or so until he crashes.

Spek started to paw as his left leg trying to get some attention. Muse ignored it and kept on trotting to a slow pace. But Spek was persistent and had finally got his attention. Muse shoved the headphones off his ears and sternly said, "what? I have already fed you and you can go take a dump any time that you please. Now what could be of inter-" Muse stopped, he then heard the deafening sound of the buzzing. "Oh SHHHHHHIIII- Beetanks!" He then picked up Spek and put him on his back. He then shoots a high frequency bolt of sound into the trees in front of him. Once he got his barrings he shot off like a rocket.

Soon he emerged into a clearings, passing a green Tali on the way there. He saw two other shapes making a run for it as well, but he didn't really want to stop. That is till Spek bit his right ear telling him to stop. He was about to run into a tree. He skid to a stop and quickly turned around and yelled at the two figures. "You guys might want to get a move on, Beetanks are swarming early this year!"



Because I could not stop for Death,
He kindly stopped for me;
The carriage held but ourselves
And Immortality

- Emily Dickinson




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Re: Setting Out [open to anyone]

Postby Cados » 04/25/2012 11:21 PM

As far as Cados could see, the situation was spiraling quickly out of control.  The Beetankes were like a force of nature, cutting down the forest as if it was wheat to a scythe, and the buzzing was quickly growing deafening, nearly stunning him as he stumbled through the forest behind this new creature he had just met.  In addition to him and this purple raptor creature, it seemed as though the insects were almost acting as a herder, directing every animal in the forest in front of them, with the threat of being crushed by a tree or assaulted by hundreds of Beetankes as the threat.  He narrowly dodged a low-hanging branch covered with vines, before getting tangled in the creepers and tripping over a log on the ground.  Standing up, he glanced around, attempting to get his bearings, when a green fox-like creature burst out of the undergrowth next to him and flew down the path, waving purple flowers from its back as it went.  Nearly at the same time, a massive sonic blast hit him, louder than any of the buzzing, and he went dizzy for a second, completely losing any sense of direction.
He stumbled around for a few seconds before a massive Beetanke, twice or three times his size, camouflaged with the forest, exploded above him, cutting down branches and vegetation as it went.  Cados, completely terrified and without any idea of where he was, started to follow it, knowing that whichever way it went was the way away from the swarm.  As the trees started to fall to his left and right, he knew he would never be able to escape, and he started desperately looking for any kind of shelter.  He saw a hole in a tree, nestled in a direction facing away from the swarm's path, and that was slightly below ground.  He scrambled into it, curled into a ball, and hoped for his life that he would survive this, thinking the whole time how stupid he was to set out unprepared.
Image

knowledge is both a prison, and the key
To know much is to be enlightened by the understanding of the universe, but is also toknow the limitations and utter randomness of our daily lives, something we take for granted too much of the time.
It is the realization of this knowledge that imprisons us, but the realization that life is too good to worry about that frees us. The prison, and the key.
Cados
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Re: Setting Out [open to anyone]

Postby Freezair » 04/26/2012 12:14 AM

Edgar was an observant one. He noticed Cados going off in the direction of that seemingly "lead" Beetanke, and craned his neck in that direction. There was no time for pleasant howdy-dos in this motley crowd. Shelter was their first priority.

"Follow him!" Edgar yelled, indicating the Likuta's path. "I think he has the right idea!"

Of course, Edgar was much larger than a Likuta, and could not wiggle into a hole quite so nicely. The Likuta seemed to have laid claim to that particular hidey-hole. But Edgar's legs thumped against the ground, and despite the swarm all around them, he still felt the hollow rumble.

"There must be a network of dens down there!" Edgar shouted. "Start digging and you might find them!" Edgar's back legs began to kick strongly, raking across the earth. The moist jungle soil quickly crumbled. With a yelp, Edgar fell into a collapsing pit, old branches and vines raining in behind him and covering him from sight. He tested his body to make sure nothing was broken, and, finding himself hale, curled up to wait.

I'm so cool (too bad I'm a loser).
I'm so smart (too bad I can't get anything figured out)!
I'm so brave (too bad I'm a baby).
I'm so fly
That's probably why it feels just like I'm falling for the first time!

I'm so green (it's really amazing).
I'm so clean (too bad I can't get all the dirt off of me)!
I'm so sane (It's driving me crazy)!
It's so strange
I can't believe I'm falling for the first time!

Critters -Ramblings - Single & Looking -Majikul Wishlist -This Stuff's Important

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Re: Setting Out [open to anyone]

Postby ToxxicRenegadeAngel » 04/26/2012 7:16 AM

Eko had run after the purple creature, and had seen him get buried. She was in two minds about that particular plan, but in desperation, she started digging anyway. Luckily for her, the first tunnel was about a foot into the ground, and she tumbled into it with relief. The walls of the tunnel had not closed on her, so she could see the sky and hear the buzzing really loudly... She hoped the other creatures had made it. She called out to them, in case they hadn't "Hey! There's a safe hole here! If you need shelter, come HERE!" hoping that they would hear her...
"I remember who I was, who I've always been. Sometimes I forget I'm not that person any more."

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Re: Setting Out [open to anyone]

Postby Firetra » 04/26/2012 8:32 AM

Muse had to do a sonic sweep to see what everyone was doing, he made tiny noises into the ground and found a patchwork of dens and tunnels, some of massive proportions. They seem that they might be shelter now, but later they could be a hazard if they decide to explore it. But Muse wasted no time, he looked for the nearest tunnel that was of a good size for he and Spek.

He started to dig strait in the open, it wasn't worth it to take the extra time to look for something to hide behind as well. Spek caught on and dug at twice the speed as Muse, him being a fox and all. They soon broke into a chamber of sorts and both of them wiggled their way into the system. " We're safe, anyone else okay?" Muse called, hoping to get a role call.



Because I could not stop for Death,
He kindly stopped for me;
The carriage held but ourselves
And Immortality

- Emily Dickinson




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Re: Setting Out [open to anyone]

Postby ToxxicRenegadeAngel » 04/26/2012 8:46 AM

Eko heard someone say "We're safe, everyone else okay?" and decided to follow the sound, first calling out "I am, I'm here". She wound her way through the tunnel towards the voice, and came upon two creatures, a white fox and a blue... quadruped with headphones around it's neck. "Hi, I'm Eko" she said with a grin. Nice to meet you, the situation notwithstanding. Do you know if the others are all right?" Suddenly, there was no opportunity to hear anything, as the Beetanke swarm was overhead, and the droning of their wings cut out all other noise. Eko couldn't stand the volume, so she beckoned to the others to follow her and slipped back into the tunnel she had come through, using her nose to guide her way through the dark.
"I remember who I was, who I've always been. Sometimes I forget I'm not that person any more."

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Re: Setting Out [open to anyone]

Postby Freezair » 04/26/2012 8:08 PM

Edgar caught wind of a voice, fighting against the storm. It seemed to be coming from somewhere to the left of him, as if carried down a tunnel. He'd caused much of the burrow around him to collapse, but perhaps portions of it remained intact nearby? His claws went to work, and he burrowed towards the sound of the voice. The crumbled dirt quickly fell away, revealing a small tunnel that was still enclosed.

"I'm fine! Where's our little Likuta friend?"

I'm so cool (too bad I'm a loser).
I'm so smart (too bad I can't get anything figured out)!
I'm so brave (too bad I'm a baby).
I'm so fly
That's probably why it feels just like I'm falling for the first time!

I'm so green (it's really amazing).
I'm so clean (too bad I can't get all the dirt off of me)!
I'm so sane (It's driving me crazy)!
It's so strange
I can't believe I'm falling for the first time!

Critters -Ramblings - Single & Looking -Majikul Wishlist -This Stuff's Important

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Re: Setting Out [open to anyone]

Postby ToxxicRenegadeAngel » 04/26/2012 8:21 PM

Eko paused, hearing that the voice wan only a few inches away from her. She recognised it as the voice of the purple creature that had gotten buried earlier... "I'm glad you're alright. The other two made it okay, they're behind me. As for the likuta... I can probbably sniff him out, if he's down here." She dropped her pack, and set her nose to work, disappearing into a side tunnel... "Stay where you are so I can find you again, please. There's a small torch in my backpack, if you want it." she called back to them, her voice getting fainter as she moved...
"I remember who I was, who I've always been. Sometimes I forget I'm not that person any more."

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Re: Setting Out [open to anyone]

Postby Cados » 04/27/2012 2:09 AM

After finding shelter in the tree hollow, Cados had stopped paying attention to the outside world and attempted to curl up into nothingness as the world shook around him, and he suspected the tree he was hiding in may have fallen over.  The buzzing was so loud as to make the ground shake, and as it did, Cados noticed a slight slump start to form under him, which quickly opened up into a gaping hole, one in which he promptly fell into.  He landed relatively softly on a dirt floor, but the few feet of ground above him did very little to dampen the noise, making it sound as though a continual roll of thunder was echoing over his head.  He stumbled to his feet, still extremely dizzy, and very dimly heard voices coming from the vast system of tunnels in which he now found himself.  He thought he may have heard Edgar's voice glance down the walls to him, and with that in mind, started stumbling down the path toward what he thought was the sound.  He rounded a corner, and suddenly found himself weary beyond measure.  He longed for a rest, but made himself keep moving, despite his bodies protestations.  The tunnel he was in now was extremely long, so very far that he couldn't even see the end of it, and there was nothing but blackness with the occasional side tunnel.  It was at least as wide as a large tree, and probably could have fit a carpetfang comfortably within its walls.  Far ahead, he started to see a dim figure, snuffling on the ground, and as he looked longer, he started to make out a green fox-like body with purple flowers on its back.  It was the same creature that had run past him in the jungle.  He called out to her, "Hello, there!  Are you trying to hide from the swarm up abo-"  Before he could finish his sentence, a massive boom echoed above him, cancelling out all noise.  He looked up, annoyed.  "I keep getting interrupted toda-"  As he attempted to say this, a rock the size of his fist fell out of the ceiling and hit him directly on the head, as he crumpled to the ground, unconscious.
Image

knowledge is both a prison, and the key
To know much is to be enlightened by the understanding of the universe, but is also toknow the limitations and utter randomness of our daily lives, something we take for granted too much of the time.
It is the realization of this knowledge that imprisons us, but the realization that life is too good to worry about that frees us. The prison, and the key.
Cados
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Re: Setting Out [open to anyone]

Postby Freezair » 04/27/2012 2:20 AM

Edgar attempted to dash forward and knock the boulder aside. But he was too slow and too hampered by the small space. The rock conked the Likuta square on the head, and Edgar could only push the fallen rock away with his tail.

He knelt over the Likuta's body, and his voice bellowed throughout the tunnels. "He's been injured! Help!" Edgar dropped his pouch to the ground and began to rummage inside. Surely he had had the forethought to pack first aid supplies? There were sandwiches galore. There was water. He had plenty of scrap paper. Aside from a few crumpled bandages, removed from their box and crackling in their paper, he had nothing.

"I fear he may be concussed! Please, we need help!" He examined the lump on the Likuta's head with concern. "Does anyone have ice magic? We need to keep the swelling down! Nobody touch him or move him until we know the extent of his injuries. We could hurt him more!"

I'm so cool (too bad I'm a loser).
I'm so smart (too bad I can't get anything figured out)!
I'm so brave (too bad I'm a baby).
I'm so fly
That's probably why it feels just like I'm falling for the first time!

I'm so green (it's really amazing).
I'm so clean (too bad I can't get all the dirt off of me)!
I'm so sane (It's driving me crazy)!
It's so strange
I can't believe I'm falling for the first time!

Critters -Ramblings - Single & Looking -Majikul Wishlist -This Stuff's Important

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