[Kyrit]

(Pet form is a stand-in)

"Si ehtaha!"

It sounded like sleeping gibberish as the Tabaxi's tail twitched against the sheets of the bed, his ears and limbs making tiny, rapid movements as well. Perhaps a good dream, as the noise did not sound scared or pained. If anything it sounded a bit excited, if anyone was awake and attentive enough to catch it.

[Kyrit]

The dream was sweet, that of a distant memory. Had it perhaps been... sixteen or seventeen years since they met? In the dream, he wasn’t much smaller than his new companions were used to seeing, perhaps a few inches at most. Definitely younger, but clearly after he’d completed any major growth points in his life. A little thinner though, perhaps not quite as well fed, but not malnourished. In his arms was a cage, seemingly normal in appearance. Inside sat a small bird, alive but unmoving, making no effort to escape despite the door swinging open and closed as its captor bounded about.

[Kyrit]

“I found!” his voice called out again as Friend hastily approached a large, eastward facing entrance to some sort of large cavern. The tap of his padded paws echoed out as he darted down corridor after corridor, as if running through a maze that he already knew the way through.

[Kyrit]

“Vadra! Found snack cage! Exactly like you said!” Friend’s voice trilled, as if the pitch was being thrown off by purrs resounding through his chest. “Bird not leave!”

The corridors seemed endless, yet with each turn he had such conviction. Below him, fog had begun to slowly creep through the caverns, increasing with height until it was impossible for him to not notice.His pace began to slow, as if the fog was not a common sight throughout the cave. “Vadra?” This time as he called out there was a mild amount of uncertainty in his voice.

[Kyrit]

Then, hidden by the fog, his foot failed to meet with solid ground. His body lurched forward, stumbling down as he expected to catch himself against the rocky floor. There was a splash as his body outside of the dream jolted, every muscle of his body seeming to suddenly tense. Within the dream, his body was met not with rock but instead the embrace of water all around him.

[Kyrit]

His arms and legs moved to swim to the surface, but it just didn’t seem to get any closer. If anything it felt like he was getting further and further from the surface, beginning to lose sight of the light above. Finally his body gave up, unable to hold his breath any longer. His hands did his best to cover his mouth, but Friend was unable to control the urge of his body to gasp for air any longer. His chest was filled with shooting pain as bubbles escaped to the surface he was unable to reach. The light began to fade faster as his vision began to go blurry.

[Kyrit]

Moments later, his eyes snapped open and he was in the bed once again, claws digging into the rough mattress. Green eyes looked out at the bird cage sitting on the nightstand by the bed as Friend frowned, ears pressing down against his head. The dream had been a bit different each night, but these nightmares seemed to invade his dreams almost every night since they had arrived in the land of Barovia. They always started out with happy memories until the fog found its way in, warping them in to what he’d prefer to forget.

[Kyrit]

Without stirring, his gaze averted from the cage to look for anyone else sleeping in the room. Nesmissa was a familiar sight, soon to be followed with the newest addition to their team, Alwin. He could assume that to his back, Armory was still sitting alone at the table. With the knowledge that he wasn’t alone, his grip on the bed loosened and his eyes began to close again. They were there, the mist wasn’t. Perhaps eventually he would be able to dream fondly of the times spent with his new friends, though he expected that wouldn’t be possible until they were free of this place. Free of this place, and when he’d be able to tell Vadra all about this latest adventure.

“si visp wux shio zahae astahi….” Friend whispered as he began to fall back in to his slumber.

[Kyrit]

(Beginning of Too Invested To Leave)

Green eyes, slit pupils tightly contracted as he began to frantically look about him. At his back was the feeling of the same carriage he had been leaning against, in front of him the same scenery he had drifted off to sleep watching. The sun had yet to come up and the town was mostly quiet, with the distant cries of the wolves looming outside. His claws, previously digging their way into the carriage railing he had been using as a makeshift bed, began to relax. He was still there. Obviously it was just a dream, but it was still... such a strange dream. It felt too much as if the mist had actually been talking to him.

[Kyrit]

Unable to fall back asleep, the Tabaxi turned to look up at the bars of the carriage. He knew the tiger probably couldn't understand him, but perhaps that made it an even better listener. Or maybe it wouldn't, who knew. After that dream though, he still wanted someone to talk to at least to get his own thoughts together. As he started out, his claws began to idly pick at the wood of the carriage.

[Kyrit]

"Do want to see Vadra again. Want to tell her about new friends, ghost kids, bird guys. Lot of stories to share!" As Friend spoke, his head tilted a bit, butting up against the carriage as if it helped the tiger listen to him any. "Can't leave before finished though. New friends need help. Maybe even need help after leave Barovia. They strong, but also not strong. Good in fight, but all seem sad inside."

[Kyrit]

He had his own troubles, he could admit, but there were few things Friend couldn't put behind him. In his opinion, dwelling on the bad that happened kept you from enjoying all that the world had to give. Still, water was a bit of a hard spot. This bad dream for once hadn't involved any water at all though, for which he was thankful.

[Kyrit]

"Used to long time away from Vadra anyways... So it okay. Will always find way back. Always." Perhaps words more to convince himself that the story in his dream was wrong, that what he told Vadra in the dream remained the truth; he'd always come back home eventually. "Got to free you too. Maybe not able to get you back to home though, but probably able to find plenty of forest at least. Hopefully... Surely strong enough to fend for yourself in forest."

[Kyrit]

His thoughts seemed to be jumping all over the place, his one sided conversation leaping from one topic to the next without any sort of bridge between them. This seemed to be helping ease his mind though, as his eyelids had begun to droop once again until they slowly closed and his claws stopped working away at the wooden bench beneath him. With the Tabaxi sound asleep once again, the carriage was left marked in rough writing with several words, many unable to be made out. Two words stood out among the scribble; Vadra and Investment.