[Kittyms]

.:Circe, Nightshade and Burning Fire (Burn):.

"Come out, come out wherever you are, stupid Akail!" the Khimera yelled, her voice echoing through the cave. She swished her tails in annoyance.

"Shut up, Circe," the Frightmare who was leading the way whinnied over her shoulder. The flames on her back provided the only light in the pitch blackness of the man-made tunnel. "That's only going to frighten them away, stupid. Nightshade, do you know where we are?" she asked, turning to a small Kanua padding alongside her.

"Well... if I had to guess, Burn, I'd say that we're about 5 miles from the wreckage of the Crystal Cities, and we're only about a half mile from the entrance that we just came in through," Nightshade said. He was in a hyper mood at the moment and was walking along with a spring in his step, practically bouncing around. "Say, do you wanna play a game?" he said, speaking really fast. His eyes were dilated as he leaped around.

[Circe: 1, Nightshade: 1, Burn: 1]

[Kittyms]

"Hey look, there's someone here!" Nightshade cried, seeing the Clockwork Hollowheart as he bounced around. "Excuse me, mister, would you like to join us?" Suddenly his entire mood changed and he stopped jumping around. He hung his head and let his tails drag the ground. "On second thought, suit yourself... whatever you want, it doesn't matter to me," he said apathetically.

"Oh great, just what we need," Circe growled. "How about you buzz off, and leave us alone. We're fine on our own thanks." She bared her claws, digging them into the ground and gave the Hollowheart a hostile glare.

"Shut up, you two," Burn said. Turning to the Clockwork pet she said kindly, "You can join us if you want. We're looking for an Akail."

(It's fine, I understand. Don't change his personality. =P)

[Circe: 2, Nightshade: 2, Burn: 2]

[Kittyms]

"Hmm?" Burn said, then looked over at Nightshade. "Oh, him? He's always been like that. It's just the way he is. I've grown used to it." She smiled. "Glad you decided to join us. What's your name, sir?"

"You're talking about me.. I know you are," the Kanua mumbled without looking at them. "It's fine... everyone talks about me... I know they do."

"Would you shut up, you melodramatic piece of fuzz!" Circe yelled at Nightshade. She aimed a blow at the Kanua, but he managed to dodge just in time.

"That's enough!" Burn whinnied, leaping in between the Khimera and the Kanua.

[Circe: 3, Nightshade: 3, Burn: 3]
(okay, that's fine. I understand, believe me.. )

[Kittyms]

(nah, it's Kanua. It's the species name for that specific kind of Kuhna. they're called Kanuas.)

"Oh, it's very nice to meet you, Chronon," Burn said smoothly. "Pardon our impoliteness. My name is Burning Fire, but everyone just calls me Burn. This is Circe," she said, nudging the Khimera with one hoof, "and that fuzzball over there is Nightshade."

"Fuzzball.. you know, Burn, that really hurts me," the Kanua said, tears in his eyes. He suppressed a sob, and dabbed at his eyes with one paw. "I thought you liked me..."

Circe rolled her eyes. "No, you fool, how could anyone like you when you're so dang moody?" she spat foul-temperedly. She looked over at the Hollowheart. "What are you doing still here? Scram!"

"Shut up, Circe," Burn whinnied yet again, giving the Khimera a little kick. "Chronon is our guest."

[Circe: 4,  Nightshade: 4, Burn: 4]

[Maelstrom]

(I'm assuming you can still join?)

Alerted by a loud shout that he was not alone, the Hollow Battleheart had tracked the echos to their source. He had doubted that such loud noises would belong to his quarry; an Akail was far too stealthy and adapted to the eternal silence of its lair to make such a racket. Now, watching from the shadows, it seemed that his guess had indeed been correct. His green glowing eyes observed the hollowheart, the khimera, the frightmare and the kanua. He had not had to hide himself; the quartet were so unobservant that they had been too caught up in themselves to notice their surroundings. Clumsy, and they were after an Akail also. Deciding that he had observed long enough, the battleheart cleared his throat quietly.

[Maelstrom]

(Most people have to fit Evelon in with real-life and cannot be on all of the time. Depending on the person, it is polite to give them at least a week before attempting to find out if they've run into some conflict. Generally it is also polite to allow everyone a chance to post before moving on in the rp, so just be patient.

Next time instead of cluttering up the rp topic, contact your partners using private messages, okay?)

It seemed that the hollowheart had at least noticed him. Finally; he had been standing here for quite some time. He stared back evenly, willing to let the others make the first move.

[Maelstrom]

(It's fine, just pm me next time, kay? Oh, and make sure to have at least three sentences per rp post, or you could get a warning if a mod catches you.)

"I am afraid that I am not in the habit of letting others know my name without knowing theirs first." The battleheart's voice was raspy and rough, as if he didn't use it very often. Anyone who knew him well (and he could count those on less than the fingers of one hand) would tell you that this was quite correct.

[Kittyms]

(gosh, sorry I haven't replied in so long, guys.. xPP I just got caught up in a ton of drama, and I haven't had a chance to check Evelon lately)

"Well, isn't that nice for you," Circe said rudely, glaring at the Battleheart. "I bet you don't even know your own name, do you?" She laughed cruelly, and Burn gave her a look that said 'Shut up now before I make you shut up.'

"Greetings, stranger," the Frightmare said casually. "My name is Burning Flame. That crude  Khimera over there is Circe and the moody Kanua is called Nightshade."

"I'm not moody," the Kanua mumbled, staring at the floor. "That's not very nice, Burn." He sniffed and a tear rolled down his nose.

[Circe: 5, Nightshade: 5, Burn: 5 -- level up for all]

[Maelstrom]

(no problem - I have been guilty of the same many a time.)

Even after recieving such an insult from Circe, the battleheart's calm remained unruffled. His expression didn't even flicker as he deliberately ignored the Khimera and the sniffling kanua, focusing instead on the Frightmare. The male merely nodded his head in greeting and responded in the same raspy voice, "I am Fafnir. You seek the creatures called Akail?"

[Kittyms]

"You can join us if you like," the Frightmare offered, looking at Fafnir. "The more the merrier, I suppose." She saw Circe opening her mouth to say something obnoxious, and kicked the Khimera squarely in the chest. "And you.. keep quiet," Burn said, her eyes blazing dangerously. Circe sullenly turned away, swishing her tails angrily.

"Yes yes, we seek the Akail!" Nightshade exclaimed suddenly, causing Burn to jump a little in surprise. He began to bounce around, his eyes bright and eager once more. "We are going to find one and take it home and it'll be my best friend!" He beamed eagerly, looking happily up at the Battleheart.

[Circe: 6, Nightshade: 6, Burn: 6]

[Maelstrom]

Fafnir considered the offer for a long silent moment; he meant no offense, it was merely his way to speak little and show less. He was also looking for an Akail, but his long time hunting partner was snowed in at Sekudui. Together they had hunted far more frightening monsters than the Akail of the Caverns and he trusted her with his life above all others. But without his friend he was somewhat out of sorts, and the idea of companionship was welcome.

"I accept, thank you," he rumbled. Looking sideways at the now bouncy moodswinging kanua, he decided to withhold judgement for the time being on his companions.

[Kittyms]

"Let's just keep going down this tunnel," Burn said. She turned to Nightshade, who was now chasing his tail. "Hey you, focus. You need to keep track of where we are. Remember, you're our navigator."

The Kanua stopped running around and sat up straight. He nodded his head and said solemnly, "Yes, ma'am." Then he resumed chasing his tail. The Frightmare rolled her eyes, and looked over at  Circe who was still sulking resentfully.

"Don't look at me," the Khimera growled, her eyes flashing. She flicked one of her razor blade tails so that the blade came only inches from Burn's neck. "I don't care where we go or what we do, so long as we just get going. All this standing around is so boring."

[Circe: 7, Burn: 7, Nightshade: 7]

[Maelstrom]

After traveling so long with only the kasuga Hecate for company, he was not used to such loudness and drama. Still trying to adjust, Fafnir nodded and began down the tunnel. It was best that he went first, since anything dangerous would have to get through him to attack those following him.

The kanua of all creatures was the navigator? Fafnir was not normally prone to dramatics, but all he could think was 'We're doomed.' The battleheart was half-tempted just pass judgement on the kanua as crazy as a loon right then. But he reminded himself that Burn seemed perfectly sane, and Chronan too if a little cranky. And most khimera acted at least a little unstable, so Circe at least had an excuse.

[Kittyms]

Burn followed Fafnir placidly, her hooves making a loud clopping noise as they hit the rocky cave floor. "So did you have to come a long way to get here?" she asked Fafnir and Chronon, trying to start a conversation. The frightmare did not like the silence and wanted to try and brighten the mood surrounding the travelers.

The Kanua navigator stopped chasing his tail, and slumped back into a depressed state. His tail dragged the ground, and each paw scraped the rocks as he walked. He sighed heavily, and stared at his paws, keeping silent.

Circe had taken up position in the rear of the group. She stayed sullen and quiet, her tails swishing in displeasure. She didn't like the fact that she had been dragged into this whole crazy expedition, and wanted nothing more than to go home, or better yet, run off somewhere by herself.

[Circe: 8, Nightshade: 8, Burn: 8]

[Maelstrom]

Fafnir observed the shadows just as carefully as he studied his companions. The hollowheart, Chronon, had a dark air about him, as if his own thoughts were consuming him from the inside out. He replied smoothly to Burn's question, "I am accustomed to long journeys. It was nothing unusual."

Perhaps he should travel on his own more; he had spoken more today than he did in a week with his partner. She tended to do most of the talking for him, the way he preferred it. The kanua seemed to have flipped moods again, and the khimera sulked in the rear.