[potterchic]

Kiana laughed. "Of course you can't, we just started." the kuhna scanned thee nearby branches and leaves for the shape of a moonling. "Okay, okay! I'll count to twenty and you can hide, but if I can't find you after a little while, you'll have to come out. I'll tell you when." she turned and walked to the base of the tree, facing it and waiting. "Are you ready for me to start counting?" she asked. As soon as she started, she was pretty sure Calli would shove herself into a tiny hole. Knowing Calli, there were already ten probably hiding places that the myuu reaper had found when looking for the moonling.

[clackno1]

Once Kiana had started counting Calli had scrambled up to the upper branches to hide in the close-growing leaves. The upper branches were flimsy, and Calli was sure Kiana wouldn't look up there. Calli could Follow Kiana from the upper branches when she started to move away. She settled on a spider web of branches surrounded by a thick cover of leaves. Kiana would never find, but then she'd have to come out. She'd still win, though. She listened carefully for Kiana to stop counting as she tried to be as quiet as possible, barely making a sound.

~~~

Vandol tried to think of what Eshe was going to say. Something that was a secret, that she didn't want him to know. She had almost slipped, so it should be pretty obvious since she had forgotten that he didn't know. Eshe probably knew lots of things that he didn't, so it would probably take him a while to figure it out. he had a while, it's not like they were going to be under attack or anything. Maybe the secret was in the temple. She spent most of her time in there, deep underground. What could be down there? Vandol guessed skeletons and other dead things, since the stench was pretty horrific.

[potterchic]

Kiana wondered where Calli would end up hiding. The lower branches, maybe? Kiana found them easier to navigate. She probably wouldn't be up in the canopy, that was too obvious. It was covered in leaves, which made it an obvious spot. Calli would have some elaborate spot, she probably didn't even need much cover. "Eighteen, nineteen, twenty! Ready or not, here I come!" she yelled out. She'd look in the lower branches first, then she'd start spreading out from this tree. Although, it would be hard to tell when she was at another tree... Oh well. She could figure it out. She hopped down a branch and walked across it to another which seemed to be tangled into it. Man, this place was crazy! These were hardly seperate trees!

[clackno1]

Calli spotted a flash of red from below and rushed to follow it noiselessly. Kiana wouldn't find her if she kept moving. Then even if Kiana searched everywhere Calli could still be anywhere. Hide-and-Seek was usually more fun with more than two players, but it wasn't like a moonling was going to pop out and start to play. She wished it were than easy. Maybe they'd find a moonling while playing, and the moonling wouldn't know that it had secretly been apart of a game of Hide-and-Seek. That would be funny if they found on. Calli had to constantly peek through the leaves to make sure she was going the right way. Following someone when you couldn't see them very well was hard.

~~~

Vandol finally reached the ground and looked back up at the temple. It seemed small from up there, he thought. It towered above him and looked impossible to climb."You should try getting some rest." Eshe told him. This time it was a demand hidden in a suggestion."How can I." She looked at him and sighed."Mental training takes much more out of you than you silly little climb does. If you don't rest you'll have dropped dead within a few days. Your mind will be exhausted and not be able to work right, and then you'll really have to be locked up." He grumbled about rather being in an asylum than with her, but she ignored it."If you want me to sleep so badly just make some sort of drug and make me choke it down. I don't care what it tastes like, you think I like not having any sleep at all?" She sighed."Fair enough. I'll see what I can do. Go sit in the sunlight or do what ever cats do. Play with a leaf for all I really care." She disappeared into the temple.

[potterchic]

Kiana looked below her. What if there was a hole a bit higher up that the myuu reaper had jammed herself into? She started to climb and hop up the branches. This was simple. The only hard part would be actually finding Calli. It didn't help that she was practically colorless, and Kiana had bright red and blue in her pelt. Calli could easily see her coming and go to another spot, while Kiana would probably never even realise that the myuu reaper had been there. How frustrating hide and seek could be!

[clackno1]

Calli jumped away as Kiana started to climb. This was fun. She held back giggles as she climbed behind Kiana so she wouldn't be spotted. She didn't stand out very much in the trees, though Kiana's colors were pretty easy to spot. She had the advantage, being smaller and duller colored. She balanced on a few thin branches that had grown close together and peered through the leaves, trying not to giggle. Kiana couldn't catch her at this rate. She'd just disappear before Kiana could think where to look. This time she wanted to be like the dead, as silent as them, anyways. Other than that it was totally out of the question. White and lifeless would not be fun for her.

~~~

Vabdol sighed. Play with a leaf? Was that all she really thought of him? Oh well, he'd just have to live with it. He went over and sat in the shadow of the temple. It wasn't the best place to nap, but it would have to do. Maybe he'd just doze and not get deep enough into sleep to dream at all. he could hope, but that's all he could do. He eventually dozed off, but he was wrong about the dreams. They came, and scared him just as much as before. So he decided to just stare into the jungle and try to relax. Eshe went back to her little room in the temple. Vandol wanted a drug, he'd get one. Maybe not what he wanted, but she'd give him on. A sleep drug was easy, and with the resources she had it would take not time at all to create one. he had said no matter how bad it tasted, so he must be desperate. So she took a few leaves, a couple flowers, a bit of pollen, a few roots, and added it to the bowl of water filled from the underground spring. The creatures that built this temple had their own legends, written in hieroglyphics on the wall next to her. They had charms and rules, and skills. Their carving was amazing, however. The water from the underground spring poured into the bowl out of the mouth of a golden Hunter. It wasn't life-size, but it was life-like. For the finishing touch to the sleeping drug she took a crudely carved knife made from rock and dipped it into the mixture, then slid it across her paw. The blood that dripped from her landed in the mixture, turning it a deep red-purple. This would put him to sleep.

[potterchic]

This was going to be impossible, wasn't it? Kiana heard some leaves rustle behind her, but when her head turned nothing was there. Either there were animals over there, or Calli had been moving but gone already. She peeked in through the leaves, hoping to see the myuu reaper running away, but only saw a huge bug. Disgusting. She backed along the branch, turning and hopping up. She'd find Calli eventually. But eventually probably meant in an hour or so. Too bad she didn't have X-ray vision, or a nose like a blood hound's. Or Kee. Kee could just listen, then fly over to where Calli was hiding. She'd found the special egg that Arianna had gotten by listening for its heartbeat, and she could easily do that with Calli. Yeah, being a sahound would certainly have its advantages right now.

[clackno1]

Calli ran along the branches above Kiana, making them shake and stir, before jumping back into hiding. No one could find her yet in a game of Hide-And-Seek. Though a lot of pets at home had yet to try, she was pretty confident. Except for that Flitterfly who claimed to be a spy, she didn't see much competition. She climbed up to the highest branches and stuck her head out. Maybe she just wanted to see the sky, or make sure it was still there, but she had the urge to look around again. This time she looked in the opposite direction than before, and what she saw amazed her. A huge stone stone temple sat in the distance, and it looked like gold in the sunlight. Her eyes widened as she tried to take in the while sight. She wondered what was there. maybe there would be treasure. Gold necklaces with giant rubies on them! Maybe then the owner would forgive her for losing Vandol. Calli had assured her that Vandol would come back, but she knew the owner didn't believe her. The owner had told Calli that she didn't blame the small myuu reaper, but Calli didn't believe her.

~~~

Eshe climbed back up the tunnel to the outside world with her bowl of dark purple-red liquid. It didn't look safe, but she knew Vandol would drink it if he really believed it would give him some sleep. Of course it would. Why would she give him something that did otherwise? Of course, the drink did a bit more than just put him to sleep. It would also put his conscious in a numb state until he wakes up, which would be a while. The blood in the drink would give her free access to his mind and keep his subconscious from retaliating against her entry. No need to be forced out of ones mind when they don't even know they're doing it. Now that would just be embarrassing. She made sure not to spill any of the drug. It wasn't very valuable to her, since there was no magic in it, bit her wound had already closed and she didn't wish to reopen it, and she didn't want to make any new cuts either. Her paw throbbed from the few drops of the drug that had gotten onto the cut and she was feeling a bit woozy from its effects. It takes much more than a few drops to send someone to sleep, but that's if it's ingested. In the blood stream it was much more powerful. About a cup in your blood could probably kill you, send your heart to sleep.

[potterchic]

Kiana jumped, hopping as quickly as possible up the branches to where she had heard leaves shaking. Nothing. Calli wasn't up here. It must have been something else. Maybe a moonling had noticed their game and decided to play a few tricks? Oh well. "Hello?" she called, wondering if something would come out. Then she adressed Calli, who might not be anywhere near. Maybe she'd slip and give away her location by talking. Like Marco-Polo. "You know, it won't be long until I find you, Calli!"

[clackno1]

Calli wasn't listening. She was still marveling at the temple. She itched to explore it, but knew it would take a long time to get there. It looked really far. She wanted to go so bad! She wondered what Kiana would say to it? Maybe moonlings were hiding in it, so they could go there and search for one. Calli couldn't stand it any longer. She wanted to go real bad like. She climbed through the upper branches until she spotted Kiana. She jumped through the leaves and landed on the kuhna's back."Can we go to the temple! Please, please, pleeeeeeeease." She had forgotten that Kiana didn't even know there was a temple."Please Kiana!" She begged. She was pretty good at begging, and by good she was annoying enough that people said "yes" when they didn't want to listen to her anymore. She had powers of cuteness and powers of annoyance. Who doesn't love a cute little kitten right off the block?

~~~

Eshe walked into the sunlight and found Vandol sitting in the temple's shade. "You wanted to sleep so here is your sleep, in liquid form, that is." She watched him open his eyes and eye the drink warily."Hey, it's the strongest stuff I got that won't kill you. You want a good, dreamless sleep? Then chug this down and you'll be gone within a few minutes." She watched him take a sniff and pull back at the smell. Oops. She thought she'd added something for that. Oh well. The taste and smell might be horrible, but it worked."Jeez, just drink it already." He glared at her for a few seconds before taking the bowl in his paws and placing it to his lips. The liquid slid down his throat as easily as water, and he got past the chunks and grit floating around. When he put the bowl down it was empty."It's actually not that bad sort of fruity..." He said drowsily. Eshe just smiled."Good, it's already taking effect." She put her paws together and waited for his to fall over and black out."Wha?" He mumbled."Wha you say?" It was a few seconds after his last words that he fell over into his back and fell asleep. It worked perfectly.

[potterchic]

Kiana screamed as something landed on her back. "Oh, you scared me!"she said, realising that it was just Calli. And then the begging began. "Wait a minute, what temple? How do you know if there's a temple near here?" she asked, turning her head back as far as it would go to see Calli's face. A temple sounded cool. Now she REALLY wished that she'd brought cool Indiana Jones gear. Like a machete, and rope. Man, she knew they were coming here! WHY in the world didn't she bring a machete? Oh well... Maybe there were some kind of rare moonlings in the temple... Maybe they'd meet some temple pets with a moonling! Whoa, she was getting as imaginative as a kit.

[clackno1]

"I-I can see it from the c-canopy!" She stuttered in her hurry to get the words out. She put her paws on Kiana's head and started begging again. She said please over and over waiting for an answer, or more specifically, a "Yes"."It's far away but we'll get there quicker if we travel in the trees, and there might be a moonling!" She stuck out her lower lip and pushed her ears against her head. With her big eyes barely anyone could resist if they weren't used to it. One of the kuhnas at home was immune since he had had children and children never quit when trying to get what they want, he'd told her. She hoped Kiana hadn't had children before.

~~~

Eshe sat down next to the sleeping form of Vandol and placed a paw on his forehead. She allowed her mind to merge with his, being cautious at first, but when she felt no defense she dived right in. She ignored his conscious and subconscious and went straight to his memories. The dreams of fire couldn't be just from the Vast Plains, could it? These dreams couldn't just be from guilt. Nothing that strong could be from guilt. There had to be something more, something he had carefully hid from her, or something that had disappeared when Kiana and Calli had died. She went through his time with the common kuhna, the few days he had spent with her, up to the time when she had found him. She skimmed it once, twice, three times...There! That emotion...what was it? His mind in the present was no where near feeling that emotion. The only thing she could find in his mind during training were anger, depression, and guilt. Nothing happy, nothing joyful, but this...This was interesting...

[potterchic]

Calli explained, then resumed begging. Kiana laughed. "What direction did you see it in, and how long do you think it will take to get there?" A temple souned cool. They might find treasure, or some kind of spirit pet! Or a really cool moonling. Maybe a jungle snicky? Well, it all depended on if they got there or not. And it would be a good thing if they arrived before nightfall. Being out in the jungle at night didn't sound so safe... But was it really any safer to sleep in a temple?

[clackno1]

"That way!" She said, pointing in the direction of the temple. Calli was overjoyed about going to the temple."It should take maybe a day and a half to get there by trees, but if we sleep in the trees we'll be safer than on the ground." She jumped off Kiana's back and started hopping from one branch to the other."Come ooon! lets gooo!" She started off in the direction of the temple. Moonling, here they come! A moonling in a temple couldn't too hard to find. it would be easier than searching for one in the jungle. The temple wasn't as big as the jungle, but it did look pretty big, even from that distance. All the more places for a moonling to hide, and the better of a chance that there's one there!

~~~

Eshe had had enough of the odd emotion. It was too pure for her liking. She pulled her mind back to her own body and stood up. It took a few seconds to regain her balance. Eshe nudged Vandol lightly with her foot, but when he didn't react in a way any conscious, or even slightly conscious, person would react she knew the drug was still in effect. She didn't want him sleeping out in the open like that, so she grabbed one of his tails and started pulling him into the temple. One thing was for sure, he was heavy. She'd burn some incense to get rid of the smell down there so he wouldn't wake up and start gagging from the smell. She dragged him down the almost pitch black tunnel. She hadn't though about lighting the torches on the walls. She could see quite well in the dark, so she didn't need them, but Vandol would. After setting Vandol near one of the walls she lit some fire in a stone bowl with a few words and dropped some Herbs into it. The sweet smoke filled the room and covered up most of the smell. then she went back up the tunnel and started lighting the torches in the holders along the walls.

[potterchic]

Kiana nodded, walking across the branch she was on as far as it would go. "A day and a half?" she said, not too surprised. "Well, maybe if we go fast enough we might be able to get there a little bit before then..." It sounded like it would take forever to get there, but really, if Calli wanted to go... So, would they actually find a moonling there? Eh, did it matter? As long as this was fun...