[Miniwyvs] Excursions Into the North! (Roleplay!)

[Kahlira]

Kah is very much so glad the sheep-i-corn doesn't attack once she'd tended to it's wounds and such, but is very curious as it keeps sniffing at her bag... Hmm... what else was in there, the flowers she had picked earlier and some dried meat. Could this beautiful critter want that? "Are you hungry there little one?" she asks of it, and in one hand pulls out the flowers, in the other some of the dried meat. Well, she didn't know what pink sheep eat, especially of the unicorn variety... Or maybe it just likes the flowers, Kah was unsure.

She offered both to the critter, very much strongly resisting the urge to pick it up and cuddle with it, knowing the beast was still a bit on the injured side.

[Miniwyvs]

Kahlira

As Kah pulls the flowers out of the bag, the sheep-i-corn's eyes light up. Now that the flowers are next to the fluffy beast, it becomes apparent that the shade of its fur and the petals of the blooms are precisely the same.

It reaches delicately forward and lips up the flowers, eating them, stems and all. It chews much more gracefully than a regular sheep.

After swallowing, it closes its big eyes for a moment, and a soft glow comes to its horn. The wounds on the sheep-i-corn's body fade slightly, not healing completely, but closing over. With a grunt of effort, obviously still sore, it heaves itself to its feet, coming about waist-high to Kahlira.

It starts walking in the direction of the taller trees, but stops, looking back at Kalhira and waiting.

((Please roll 1d10 at the end of your next post! =) ))

[Kahlira]

Oh sweet mother of awesomeness! The sheep-i-corn started to glow, which added even more adorable to the already adorable critter. And the flowers healed it mostly, which was something Kah had worried about. She stuffed the meat back into her bag. Silly Kah, thinking such an adorable critter would even think of eating meat, as it rose to it's feet, and started away,Kah felt a bit sad, such a pretty critter... And it was leaving her! She almost sarcastically called out "You're welcome" but then it stopped and looked back at her. Did it want her to follow? It surely seemed this way to Kah! "Well, I'm not doing anything anyways." Kah said to the critter, and started out to follow it.

[blockquote]Rolled 1d10 : 5, total 5[/blockquote]

[Ember]

Ember watches Vir's attempt at flying and smiles brightly when he stays airborne.

"Oh! I have a flashlight, I can shine it in behind you. Hopefully that'll help a little bit," Ember says, shrugging one shoulder out of the backpack in order to dig around for the flashlight. She kneels down next to the chasm and turns the flashlight on.

"Good luck!" She calls after him softly. Ember turns on the flashlight and shines it after him. So begins her anxious wait to see if he's okay.

[YourLoveOnly]

Nona listens to the cat-woman's explanation while Shaydra hands her some items. This is sounding more and more interesting by the minute! And really, how dangerous could it be? The path looked innocent enough as far as she could see for now, she was given food and water before even starting her journey so that was one less thing to worry about, and with useful tools like a knife and rope she couldn't really see many troubles ahead of her.

Excitedly she wandered up the path, heading for the mountains. It really was rather chilly up here, even if she was still at the foot, so she was defenitely glad to have dressed herself up in a soft fuzzy coat, big warm comfy boots, some mittens and some earmuffs. She did think she looked a bit ridiculous, like a fluffy cute version of a big fat snowman. The thought made her giggle aloud before she tried to quiet herself again. She wasn't quite sure if sound would spook or attract these little critters called Miniwyvs they were searching for today, so best to be careful until she had some more clues.

[Miniwyvs]

Kahlira

The sheep-i-corn moves on into the forest, and though the light dims under the thicker canopy, the creature emits a pale glow that seems to dispel the darkness. It winds its way around trees, periodically checking to see if Kah is still following. It moves with a slight limp on the foot that had been tangled, but, considering the state it had previously been in, is doing quite well.

Finally, it passes through a curtain of hanging vines. Following, Kah finds herself in a clearing. Sunlight shines down in a nearly perfect circle, and small, scaled forms wing their way across the open air, high above.

Miniwyvs!

The sheep-i-corn pauses in the center of the clearing, gazing upwards at the fluttering forms. It-- she-- lets out a trilling chirp, and one of the playful Miniwyvs seperates itself from its brethren and flutters down. It touches its tiny nose briefly to the sheep-i-corn's, and then flits over to Kah, wrapping itself comfortably around the woman's neck.

The sheep-i-corn lowers it's front end down in an obvious bow to Kah, and then abruptly leaps up, into motion, darting deer-like out of sight.


((First Miniwyv found! Congrats! =D ))

[Miniwyvs]

Ember

Vir calls out a thank you for the light as he flitters in. The light reflects off of water droplets, and, a few feet below, the stream, where it continues flowing in the underground passageway.

There are a few minutes of silence, save for the water's splash, and then Vir flutters back into sight, little wings pumping, excitement on his face.

"There's a 'wyv down here!" he proclaims. "I can't really make out its colors or anything, but I'm going to go convince it to come out. Fairies have a way with the 'wyvs, you know." He puffs out his chest proudly. "I'll be right back with it!"

((Please roll 1d5 at the end of your next post!))

[Miniwyvs]

YLO

The puffy snowman look was perfect for the climate Nona would be venturing into. Even as ground began to rise, growing a little steeper, a few snow flurries drifted lazily down.

The short pine bushes nearby sometimes rustled, and occasionally, a small sparrow would dart out, chirping, on some birdy errand. There were no sign of 'wyvs, yet, but so close to the base camp, it wasn't too surprising.

Nona comes to a fork in the path. One seems to go more towards the east, skirting the foot of the mountain. The other path is directly in front of the girl, and rises steeply, beginning to climb the nearest mountain.

[Ember]

Ember was starting to really worry when Vir reappeared, looking mighty happy. "Really!?" She exclaimed in excitement. She clapped her hands together briefly, flashlight caught between them. "Okay! Ooh, I can't wait to see the little one! Thank you Vir!"

She really did find quite the reliable partner!

[blockquote]Rolled 1d5 : 2, total 2[/blockquote]

[YourLoveOnly]

Nona stood at the forked path, debating a bit. This road up into the mountains seemed inevidably less safe than the lower route around the mountain, but really she should put her money were her mouth was. She was never shy with words and tried to be herself without caring too much about what other people thought, so the dare devil attitude should be something she was familiar with, yet she wasn't.

Normal life gave its challenges, but it wasn't really to be compared to wandering up a steep mountain path with an increasing amount of snow. Really, where was the line between being bold and just being plain stupid and reckless?

She was tempted to take the safer path, being out here by herself was already a pretty brave thing to do she felt, but then the girl recalled the tales of the Miniwyvs. So far most, if not all, Miniwyvs encountered had had wings. If they had wings it would make a lot of sense for them to travel up into the mountains, after all flying made such a journey far easier. Oh, how she wished she had wings of her own. But she didn't, so she'd have to make do by foot.

Making up her mind she snuggled into her warm coat a bit further and set for the path up north, beginning a slow climb onto the mountain while looking out for sounds and sights out of the usual. She was feeling a little nervous, but could also feel eager anticipation coursing through her at the thought of finally experiencing a real adventure. What would it bring her?

[Miniwyvs]

Ember

Vir vanishes again, and Ember can just barely make out the quiet sound of his voice, mixed in with the water's noise. Then, the sound of two pairs of wings can be heard, and Vir reemerges from the chasm. Following behind him is a faintly-marked silver and blue 'wyv, with fins and feathery green wings.

"Here he is," Vir exclaims proudly, and the wyv happily flutters over to Ember. Whatever charms the fairy worked upon the Miniwyv are effective, as the little creature shows no fear of the girl.

"He should follow along with us," Vir adds in. He's quite a tractable fellow."

The fairy flits back to his perch on Ember's shoulder, looking a bit tired from his exertions, but quite pleased with himself.

The stream is no longer an option to follow, as it has vanished underground, but two faint paths can be seen nearby, one to the left and one to the right. They look about the same, and Vir doesn't seem to have any advice. Closer inspection shows that hoof prints mark the path to the left, and paw prints the path on the right.

[Ember]

Ember would never admit it but when she sees the miniwyv she lets out a little delighted squeal. "Well hello there, aren't you charming!" She says to the little wyv as it flutters about her. She turns her bright smile on Vir and says, "Thank you. Really!"

She barely bats an eye as her fairy friend settles on her shoulder once again, though she notices his tiredness. First chance she gets to find a good location, Ember decides she'll take a break. In the meantime she lets her feet direct her down the paw printed path to the right. She can't stop smiling as she listens to her new miniwyv friend fly after her.

[Miniwyvs]

YLO

At least it was a bright day, even through the snowclouds, and there was plenty of daylight left. Since the snow had only just begun, the trail up wasn't too terribly treacherous.

The hard-packed ground is littered with bits of slate, and as the incline grows steeper, the path becomes more like a series of broad steps than a flat expanse. To either side is a mix of dirt and slate rock, with those little evergreens still dotting the landscape. Though some taller trees have also grown up, at least it's fairly easy to see anything that might be around.

As Nona gets farther up the side of the mountain, a strange smell drifts to her. It's a sort of sickly-sweet scent, and completely unfamiliar to the girl. It comes from somewhere to the right, though the source can't be seen, thanks to a rocky outcropping. There is no direct path in that direction, though it looks safe enough to venture that way.

Meanwhile, the path curves around towards the left. Is that... the sound of bells in that direction? It's hard to tell; it could just be a strange trick of the wind.

[Miniwyvs]

Ember

The little wyv energetically flits around the girl and the fairy, never straying too far. Vir hums a little tune as they walk along, obviously in good spirits.

The pawprints fade as the ground hardens, so it's hard to say if what had made them had continued to follow the path, or if the creature had left it for the bushes. Either way, it's a pleasant path, though shadier than following the stream had been.

Not terribly far down the path there's a bit of a natural clearing caused by some fallen trees. The path continues on the far side of it.

[YourLoveOnly]

This really wasn't all that challenging. If she was honest with herself, the expedition she had chosen out of all three advertised had sound the most dangerous to her, but so far it really wasn't that bad. Nona had been tempted to pick the forest expedition, enjoying such sights and thinking it would probably be busier, but had ended up deciding against that.

Most people probably would choose the forest path, while she hoped to do something all on her own so that defeated the purpose. And of course she was honest enough to admit that her reasons were partially selfish too. She wanted to succeed in finding something, be it items, Miniwyvs or something entirely unexpected, less people sharing the same expedition probably improved those odds. It would be a lie to say she was just doing this to help out, she would have picked a simpler path if that had been the case.

Caught up in her thoughts the foreign smell surprised her. What was that? She was about to head in that direction when she heard a sound coming from the opposite way. Now what? The wind was picking up at this point, so she didn't fully know how trustworthy a short sound was, but the smell couldn't be fake. She decided to head that way, if she couldn't find anything or it proved to be too difficult to travel further she could always return to this point and head the other way.

Nona put the rope into her hand, preparing a lasso, just in case she had to climb the rocks soon. If she slipped somewhere the lasso could possibly be tossed around a part of them and prevent a nasty fall, or so she hoped. Even without any climbing, this new path wasn't really a proper path and by going off the trail and onto rougher ground chances she slipped were higher. Best be prepared for that. After taking a small sip of water she started making her way to the rocky outcropping, trying to see if there was a way around or if it had to be climbed.

[Saturnalia]

YLO

The going is a bit rougher than it had first looked, as snowflakes that had falled on the slate rock make it a bit more slippery. Though she has a near-fall at one point, Nona manages to stay upright and make it to the outcropping.

Carefully making her way to the other side of it, the girl is met wit the opening to a cave. It's a fairly large opening, and the smell is quite strong here, though not entirely unpleasant, if a bit cloying. The source of the smell is also apparent.

The cave would be dark, except that it is lit by many blue, glowing mushrooms. The phosphorescent fungi don't really cast light the way a lantern would, but as some of them are quite large, they illuminate the basic details of the cavern.

There doesn't seem to be anything besides the mushrooms in the cave, but a trail of them appears to lead into a passage that goes farther into the mountain.

[YourLoveOnly]

The mushrooms have a smell unlike anything Nona has encountered before, and she wonders if they have some sort of use unknown to her. She's not sure if they are poisonous, but as she's wearing gloves anyway she figures it can't hurt to grab one.

Nona pulls her scarf up over her mouth and nose before approaching, just in case the fumes are in some way harmful. Carefully plucking off one of the smaller mushrooms she puts them in one of the remaining empty pockets in her big coat. You never know what use things will have, it's an expedition right? And since she's never heard of mushrooms like these maybe nobody had, a new discovery would surely delight the people in charge of researching this area!

That task done she turns her attention back to what her eyes were first drawn too; a passage! Careful not to trample any mushrooms she follows the trail, heading into the passage to discover what's waiting on the other end of it.

[Saturnalia]

YLO

The passage continues to be lined with the glowing mushrooms for some way, which is good, because otherwise it would be pitch black inside the mountain cave. Even with the glow, Nona must be careful, as the floor of the passageway is uneven in places. At least the temperature is steady; it's cold, but there's no bitter wind as there might be outside, at least.

The passage comes to an intersection. To the left, it starts to rise upwards at an incline, and towards the right, it slopes down. Both directions have trails of light-giving mushrooms to light the way. There's no sign that any of the se passages have been used in quite some time, though, and no indication of what may lie further down either of them.

[YourLoveOnly]

So far, so good. Nothing scary had popped up yet, but sadly no signs of any 'Wyvs or really, of any sign of life, yet either. If anything did go wrong, Nona hoped they would be able to find her here, as it didn't look like anyone else knew this place existed. Before too long she had reached another intersection.

What was it with expeditions always being filled with paths that could never simply go into a straight line but had to branch of like every ten minutes? She had thought that was the kind of thing one read in novels, but apparently real life ones worked like that too.

Stupid choices. None had played out too bad for her so far, but she was a bit annoyed that she might be missing interesting things by choosing the wrong paths. And if they kept branching off it wasn't like she could finish exploring a single path quickly and then go back to explore the one she had first skipped over. How many was it at this point.. Six, eight? Nona was already starting to lose count.

She debated for a while. The pathways were uneven, but not as slippery as they were outside because no snow fell inside the cave, keeping the ground fairly dry except for the minor drizzle coming off her boots. The snow on them was nearly gone anyway, so it shouldn't hinder her too much. Not really fancying another climb upwards after having climbed part of the mountain earlier, Nona decided to slowly and carefully walk downwards, following the path on her right.

[Miniwyvs]

YLO

The path slopes gently downwards, with those mushrooms scattered around. It makes it a little bit hard to walk, sometimes, without squishing them or knocking them over. The smell, at least, seems less noticeable, but likely that's just because Nona has gotten accustomed to it.

It's very quiet in the cave passage, but, gradually, an occasional sound can be heard. It grows louder, as Nona gets deeper into the mountain, though it isn't constant. Soon, though, the girl can make it out: splashing.

Not long after the sound clarifies itself, the pathway opens up into a shadowy cavern. Thankfully, there are enough of the mushrooms to cast a good amount of light; in fact, the mushrooms seem quite concentrated here. An underground lake stretches across much of the cave, with a small, rocky embankment where the passage empties out. The bank runs along one side of the wall, and seems to vanish farther down into another passageway.

The water occasionally ripples, and farther out, it looks like something breaks the surface every now and then.

Off to one side, near the passage entrance that Nona stands near, there is a pile of some sort of rubble, and, farther down the bank, towards the water, is another pile, though it looks different than the closer one.



((Haha, sorry; I am eeeevil with my path choices! )

[YourLoveOnly]

The strange light provided by the mushrooms bathes the underground lake in a somewhat eerie glow. It's a rather impressive view and for a bit Nona just stands there, taking it all in.

The lake is beautiful, and it's nice to hear the splashing sound of water hitting the bank and rocks after the complete quiet she was in before. Really, you can only be surrounded by complete silence for so long before it starts to get kinda creepy.

Nona grumbles aloud when she finally takes her eyes off the water and looks around the rest of the way, only to realise there's not one, but two paths to choose from again. Really?! Mother nature did not have a funny sense of humor. Or whoever had build these paths.

However, she decides she doesn't have to choose. Or at least, she would procrastinate picking a path for now. She had clearly seen the water surface being disturbed earlier, so she was quite curious to discover what was there. Fish, the rumoured aquatic Miniwyvs, something else entirely? If she stayed for a bit she might find out. Of course, swimming was also a possibility, but with the low temperature and not knowing what was underneath the surface that doesn't sound too smart so she discards that idea.

There were also two piles of rubble to be seen, both seemingly not quite the same, so she could keep herself occupied here for some time to come. Her water and food supply was still plenty, so the girl doesn't feel rushed. Calmly making her way over to the first pile, the one closest to her and very near the entryway, she sits herself down next to it and carefully extends out a hand to the rubble, starting to dig in.

[Miniwyvs]

YLO

The nearest pile of rubble proves to be ancient. What once was a leather bag crumbles into pieces at the first touch, and many of the items that had been held inside of the pouch seem to have disintegrated in much the same way. However, there are a few bits and bobs that have withstood the test of time. There's a small metal hook, a fishhook, most likely, and a trio of chipped stone arrowheads, though the wood of the arrows they'd once been attached to has long since rotted away. A few other indistinguishable metal and stone pieces lay amidst the rubble, as well.

It seems like this was a bag of hunting supplies, possibly, from a time long since past. Looking around, there is no sign of the original owner. At least, no obvious sign of a skeleton on the embankment, though the water is only slightly lit at the bank by the mushrooms.

[YourLoveOnly]

Pocketing all the items first, Nona then moves onto the second pile of rubble. This one is much closer to the water, so hopefully she can figure out a bit more about what's inside the lake as well. The girl positions herself next to the the pile of rubble, furthest away from the bank and facing the water. Wouldn't want to accidentally fall in there, right? Especially with the current temperature, getting her clothes wet seems like a very bad idea. Much like the previous pile, she slowly starts digging into the second pile.

[Ember]

The walk is quite pleasant after the excitement of the cavern. Ember's glad her companions seem to be quite happy as well. They do lose the trail of whatever animal they had been following, but Ember does discover a lovely little clearing.

"How 'bout a break? This seems like a nice area - bonus points for not being muddy," she asks Vir and the wyv. "It would be a good chance to see if any of the trinkets I have are helpful."

[Miniwyvs]

YLO

The next pile of rubble is much more recent. It is a strange mix of small, smooth pebbles and... fish bones. The bones have been picked clean, leaving just the little skeletons visible in the glow from the mushrooms. None of the fish are bigger than half a foot or so in length, and the skeletons are mostly intact, as though whatever had eaten them had done so in a very careful, dainty manner.

Not too far from where Nona crouches by the pile of bones and rocks, the water ripples again. A pair of small eyes glints briefly in the dim light, then disappears under the surface once again.

[Miniwyvs]

Ember

"Ooh, that sounds good," Vir says, a tinge of relief in his voice. He hops down from Ember's shoulder to one of the fallen logs. "I'd love to take a look at those trinkets!" He glances around. "I think we're still in the territory of Maevelia's clan." He glances back up to the girl with a smile. "I'll admit that I'm feeling more confident about another run-in with you as company! I don't think her brothers would be able to get away with jumping me and leaving me for dead with you here."

He reaches out and grabs a nearby leaf, folding it and placing it down on the slightly rough bark of the log, and then sinks down to sit cross-legged on it. "I guess me getting knocked out was sort of fortunate for both of us! If a little embarrassing on my part."

[Ember]

Ember smiles at Vir's reaction to taking a break. She thought it would be appreciated. "I should hope they wouldn't. That's terrible," she says, aghast at the idea of anyone leaving someone else for dead. She doesn't think much of Maevelia's brothers at this point.

She sits next to the fairy on the log. "Fortunate indeed!" She says, glancing at the miniwyv and then back at Vir. Ember swings the backpack to the ground and reaches into it to pull out the trinkets. "This is what I've got!"

[YourLoveOnly]

That is certainly a surprise! It doesn't seem like anyone has been here in ages judging by the path she had walked so far, but this seemed rather recent. What does this mean? Are there multiple paths leading here and had someone else come by not too long ago? Or are there other creatures living in these caves who had hunted the fish? If it was the latter then it wasn't any creature she had heard of, because the bones had been picked clean and she didn't know of any creatures with such agile fingers that could do such a thing.

Curiosity already peaked, Nona got even more excited when she spotted a pair of eyes in the water. The cave was too dark to see if it was a fish or another creature, and it disappeared before she could lean in to take a closer look.

After thinking on a good strategy for a bit, she grabs into her pocket and takes out the fish hook she had found in the first pile of rubble. She wasn't a fan of killing for no good reason, and since she didn't need any extra food for now she decided to scrape the hook against the rocks, taking off the sharp edge so it wouldn't injure whatever creature decided to bite.

Nona opens her pack of crackers and uses a tiny strip of the linen cloth to attach half a cracker to the hook, a piece of it sticking out on each side. She hopes it won't slip this way, as there is no other way to attach it without breaking the cracker. The girl then takes her rope, untying the lasso she had created earlier, and attaches one end of the rope to the base of the hook. Sitting back again and nibbling on the remaining half of the cracker she slowly lowers the hook with the cracker into the water, and waits..

[Miniwyvs]

Ember

Vir nods. "This particular pair of brothers are known for being rather cruel. They take it upon themselves to police their father's territory, even if the Lord himself is not quite so hateful towards other fae clans." He shrugs. "All the more reason to seek Maevelia's hand and take her away from here!"

"Oooh." Vir sorts through the trinkets, which range from the size of his fist to the size of his head. In the end, he selects one somewhere between those two sizes; a sparkly blue crystal with an iridescent shimmer. "This would do nicely, I think." He contemplates the crystal for a few moments. "Of course, I don't exactly know where the main fairy settlement in this area even is... but perhaps we'll stumble across it in our wanderings!"

[Miniwyvs]

YLO

Tiny ripples caused by something under the water make it clear that whatever it was has not gone far, possibly made curious by the human on the beach. Whatever it is seems to be quite fast, as the ripples appear in one place and then quickly farther away, or, perhaps, there are more than one of the things out there. Of course, it's also likely that some of the disturbances in the water are just caused by regular fish.

It isn't long before there's a slight nudge of something brushing past the hook, though it's not quite a tug. It's hard to see into the dark water, but a vaguely serpentine shape seems to pass just under the surface, near the rope.

Whatever it is seems to be circling the hook under the water, though it hasn't yet taken a bite.

((Please role 1d3 at the end of your next post! ))

[YourLoveOnly]

Oooh, so close! Nona watched excitedly as the critter, whom she was now sure was defenitely not just a fish, circled and nudged the hook but didn't bite. What to do now? So far it had come closer, but it wouldn't bite just yet. Would she have to stay still longer, or was the hook not enticing enough as is to guarantee the critter would latch onto it? On the other end, if she moved she might scare it off. Torn between the two options, the girl moved the hook for just the very tiniest little bit before stilling again and watching with barely contained excitement to see what the critter would do. It was so hard not to move around or make any noise, she felt so much adrenaline coursing through her!

[blockquote]Rolled 1d3 : 3, total 3[/blockquote]

[Ember]

All Ember can do at the description of the brothers is shake her head. "I don't think I understand their brand of cruelty. If Maevelia's willing, it probably would be nice to get away from such things," she comments sadly.

Ember watches Vir sort through her little baubles, settling on a lovely little blue thing. "That's quite a lovely gem. Now hopefully we do find your beloved's settlement! Don't suppose you know where to find more fairies, little one?" She asks her new little miniwyv, not expecting any particular answer. "I'm sure we'll find them somehow."

[Miniwyvs]

YLO

At the move of the hook, the little creature suddenly darts towards it, dashing in faster than Nona can react. There's a brief and violent tug on the rope, and then a release.

Before dismay can set in-- for the cracker is now missing from the hook, the little creature sticks its head above the water. The cracker, still somehow wrapped in the linen, is held firmly in its mouth. It stares at Nona, and then, bold as can be, slithers to the edge of the lake and right out of the water, moving across the packed dirt and slate to coil up next to the girl. Only then does it drop the cracker, carefully using its little mouth to pull off the linen, and proceeds to daintily eat the snack. When it's finished, it looks up at Nona, showing no fear or inclinaton to slither back into the water. (And, apparently, it does just fine on land, too.)

Looks like it's coming home with you!

[Miniwyvs]

Ember

"She certainly expressed willingness to get away from her family," Vir agrees, with a slightly sad little laugh. "I just hope that I can make her happier than they have."

At Ember's question, the little miniwyv tilts its head from side to side, listening to her voice. It's unclear if he understands, as the intelligence level of the creatures is debatable, but he chirps and flies in a quick, tight circle, and then darts off down the path on the other side of the clearing. Then he darts back, then away again, and back again, and so on.

Vir looks at the 'wyv, head tilted and brow furrowed. "Hard to tell if he actually knows or not," he says, unhelpfully, with a shrug. "My communication skills with them only go so far, unfortunately."

[Ember]

Ember sorely wants to give Vir a hug at his words. Unfortunately, she's fairly sure she would crush him unintentionally attempting that. "I'm sure you can, Vir!" Is what she says instead.

She startles slightly at the miniwyv's reaction to her words. She had mostly asked on a whim so she was uncertain as to whether or not to follow the suddenly animated creature. Ember looks to Virington instead and quirks a grin at his equal uncertainty.

"Can't hurt to follow him, I suppose. He's excited enough I'm curious to see what we'll find following him one way or another," she says. She stuffs the trinkets back into her bag and puts his special one for easier access into her pants pocket before offering him her hand.

[YourLoveOnly]

Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no! Inwardly cursing herself for her stupid mistake, Nona watches as the creature violently tugs the rope only to let go right away. She messed up and now it would be gone! Disappointed she moves to reel her rope back in, when to her surprise the critter surfaces and slitters onto the land!

A short squeal of delight and surprise escapes her, but she silences herself immediately, not wanting to spook the creature away. Fortunately it doesn't seem scared in the slightest and she slowly reaches out a hand to pet it.

((Eeeee, an aquatic! He/she is so cuuteeeee ))

[Miniwyvs]

Ember

Vir agrees, and hops up into her hand, then shimmies up to his perch on her shoulder. The Miniwyv certainly does seem excited, flying in loops and circles, zooming in and out of trees along the way.

The path is pretty easy to follow, at least, and must be used often by the animals of the forest, though it's not damp enough here to make out any other prints. Every so often, a little tuft of tiny yellow flowers pokes up amid the pine needles that coat the ground.

A little farther down, and the trio of girl, Miniwyv and fairy come to the destination.

It's a bit of a strange sight, and not something that most normal forests usually have. The pine trees give way to strange, slender trees with twisting trunks, more akin to the way a very thick vine will grow. Reinforcing that, vine-like tendrils drape down instead of branches, with small, silver-green leaves. More impressively, though, bunches of berries hang down from the vines, in all shades of violet. Though the bunches are similar to grapes, the berries are rounder, and have an almost metallic look to them.

The Miniwyv lets out a chirp of delight and dives towards the nearest bunch, little mouth open to chomp into the nearest berry.

"...or maybe he was just hungry," Vir comments with a laugh.

[Miniwyvs]

YLO

The aqua'wyv doesn't seem to mind the petting, and leans into it, letting out a small chirp. Who knows why it's so friendly, living in this forgotten cave, but maybe it just never had any reason to fear a human. Either way, it works out for Nona!

The lake seems more calm and still now that the creature is on land. While it's unlikely that it-- she, as it turns out-- was alone, it doesn't seem like any other Miniwyvs are likely to put in an appearance. Perhaps others that call the lake home did not inherit this one's bold nature, and are keeping their distance.

[YourLoveOnly]

Nona smiles gently at what seems to be her new pet. "Hello little girl, aren't you cute! Want to get on with this adventure?" she asked, not sure if the Miniwyv could understand her but crouching down and offering her shoulder for the critter to hop onto.

Not really wanting to think to hard about what way to go next, Nona decided to simply go with the pathway she was closest to. There weren't any indications about which way would be best, so why walk around most of the lake if there was a similair pathway nearby?

[Bunraku]

Approaching the rock face, Ranka lifts one fine boned hand to run his palm slowly along the rough surface. Slender fingers trace the veins of gold running through the rock almost absently as he lifts his gaze to the source of the moisture condencing on his palm, listening for the gentle gurgle that lead him here in the first place. Yet a glimmer caught out of the corner of his eye distracts him, and he turns his attention to the darkness lingering beyond the steam, a barely visible glow.

Sweat beads on his pale skin, making a few errant strands of silver hair cling to his features as he peers into the shadows beyond the opening in the rock. The wings folded against his back shift restlessly-he wants to fly up to the top of the rock face to see if the gurgling is a source of fresh water in which he might seek a repireve from the heat by cooling his face in a spring, yet he cannot easily stifle his own curiosity. Frowning faintly, his fingers leave the rough surface of the rockface as he steps carefully inside of the cave, approaching the glow gradually.

[Miniwyvs]

YLO

The passageway that Nona leaves by seems like the one she had come from, with more of the mushrooms to light the way. The Miniwyv stays contentedly curled around the girl's neck as they make their way along the narrow tunnel. The silence returns, only occasionally broken by quiet chirps from the 'wyv.

Eventually, though, the mushrooms grow more and more spaced out, the light dimming. While it's still possible to travel down the passage, it's slow going, as the ground also grows more uneven and rocky, perhaps contributing to the fact that less of the fungi have found places to grow.

An occasional sound echoes down the passageway to the girl and the 'wyv, though it's not really possible to tell what sort of sound it actually is.

[Miniwyvs]

Ranka

Inside the cavern is hot and moist, and the farther in Ranka gets, the more both the heat and humidity increase. When Ranka reaches the part of the cavern where the glow seems to emanate from, he can see that it's caused by a vent in the floor, in which a fire burns.

It's hard to tell what actually causes the fire to burn there; it could, in theory, be some sort of natural phenomena.

A sound echoes down from farther along the cavern passage.

Or maybe it's not some natural phenomena.

The sound is hard to really make out, with the echos and the dripping, and it's not in the immediate vicinity of where Ranka stands. Certainly, something moving, but whether it's a living creature or shifting stone is hard to say.

More vents offer more glowing, flickering light farther down the cavern path, and something glitters not too far away.

[Bunraku]

Taking a deep breath, Ranka closes his eyes and wipes a hand across his brow, swallowing against the discomfort of a dry throat as he slips his shoulders free of his coat and stuffs it in his pack. Beneath, he wears a sleeveless mock turtleneck in black that clings to his slender form, outlining muscle that is suggestive of the mans background in swordsmanship. And though he carries no sword at the moment, it is evident from the strength in his exposed arms that he still has power.

But power enough to face whatever stirs at the end of the cave if it proves to be dangerous? That remains to be seen. Narrowing his eyes upon the source of the sound, he attempts to locate it as he creeps forwards, eyes fixed upon the sparkle. Once he reaches the source of the glittering, his gaze flickers about himself warily before he bends down to investigate.

[Miniwyvs]

Bunraku

The sparkle on the ground proves to be a red gem about the size of a thumbnail. It reflects some of the nearby flames with a golden sheen, and is smooth, not faceted. It's not embedded into the ground or anything, but looks more as though it was just dropped there.

Ahead, around a bend in the curve, there is an exhalation of steam or air; hard to tell whether it's another of the vents, or something else entirely. Besides that, and the dripping sounds of water, nothing else comes to Ranka's ears.

To his nose, however, comes the slightly unpleasant scent of sulfur, wafting from the direction of the sounds. An unfamiliar tang accompanies it.

[Bunraku]

Reaching out towards the gem, Ranka lifts it slowly, holding it up to the light. Slender fingers caress the glittering surface as he admires the way the firelight reflects within its facets, and he smiles faintly as he closes it in his palm. Yet his smile fades as he is reminded that someone-or some thing, is in the cave with him. He is not alone-that is quite evident.

His eyes flare slightly, a brilliant green glow, yet it is the only sign of alarm that crosses the young man's calm features. Rising from where he has crouched, he keeps close to the cave wall, his back pressed against the rough surface as he approaches the bend. Perhaps it would be wiser to turn tail and run now that he has discovered at least something of value on this journey-yet as always, curiosity has the better of him.

Wrinkling his nose against the butter stench of sulfer, he rounds the next bend in the cave, muscles tensing for battle.

[Miniwyvs]

Bunraku

The gem is slightly warm to the touch, but, then again, so is just about everything in the cave.

As Ranka rounds the bend, his eyes are met with a bright golden gaze. About twenty yards away, a dragon reclines. It's not an incredibly large dragon, but, rather, is about the size of a horse, though longer with the tail. An adolescent, perhaps.

It lays partially on its side, partially on its belly, at ease and looking rather disinclined to move. It's tail drapes over a rock ledge and into a pool of slightly bubbling water, a hot spring, and the source of the humidity and the sulfur scent.

The dragon is red, a slightly brighter shade than the gem Ranka had found. Golden spines and horns jut out here and there, and a pair of webbed wings lies folded against its back.

"Ahhhh, there you arrre," it-- he-- speaks, a slight hiss to his voice, thanks to the forked tongue. "I do apologize that I did not have enough warning to put the kettle on for some tea."

The dragon flicks his tail, sending water drops flying. Humor dances through his eyes, and the completely lack of teakettle anywhere in sight suggests that he isn't serious.

[Bunraku]

Ranka stops short, every fiber of his being tensed for potential confrontation as his eyes meet those of the dragon, but there is no fear in his gaze. Instead, a kind of wary fascination flickers across his features, along with something akin to admiration for the beauty of the creature despite it's deadly potential. His lips part, a soft breath escaping them, yet just as he is about to take a step back, clenching the gem in his hand, the dragon's maw parts and it speaks.

He pauses, a silver brow lifting slightly, as if he cannot quite believe what the beast has just said. Thus far, his first encounter with a dragon is not quite going as expected...but given that he had always thought any encounter with a dragon would end with being eaten... he supposes that's a good thing.

Tilting his head, he crosses his arms over his chest and smiles faintly, a subtle touch of humor entering his own slitted gaze "Apology accepted." His smile broadens "And you'll have to forgive me for neglecting to dress up for the occasion, as it stands, you are outfitted more splendidly than I." He compliments, indicating the dragon's shimmering hide with a sweep of his hand. Hoping against hope that this dragon is as vain as the storybooks often make them out to be, and that a touch of flattery might save him becoming the dragon's teatime snack.

[Miniwyvs]

Bunraku

The dragon half closes his eyes and moves his wings in a little shrug, a silent "yes, yes, I know I look good" motion.

He looks back at Ranka, almost admonishingly, tip of his tail continuing to splash in and out of the water. "You reeeally should have given me some warning that you were coming, though. I mean, I've already eaten. How utterly rude of me." He tilts his head appraisingly, regarding the man's slender form. "Though it doesn't look like you've brought much to the pot-luck anyway."

The dragon shifts slightly and resettles, and as he does so, there comes the soft sound of metal against metal. The glint of coins underneath him catch in the firelight from nearby vents; it would seem that some stereotypes are true.

The coins seem to only be located under the dragon, but scattered around the cave, most concentrated along the path that one would take to get from the entryway of the cavern to where the dragon lays, are more of those red gems like the one Ranka picked up.

"Well. What brings you to these parts, anyway?" the dragon asks conversationally, as if talking to an old friend.

[YourLoveOnly]

It's defenitely becoming harder to walk now, but since the tunnel is so narrow she can use her hands to help navigate further along the pathway in places where the mushrooms are very sparse. She briefly considers heading back, but the odd sound echoing towards her made her curious and she wants to find out what it is, so slowly but steadily she continues her journey. If anything goes really wrong she supposes she can always sent her new Miniwyv to find help, or so she hopes.

[Ember]

Ember catches sight of little yellow flowers, smiling as they peek through the other vegetation. She's curious but the miniwyv is still going so she makes a mental note to check them out after.

She laughs along with Vir at the miniwyv's appetite. "Well, food is also important, I suppose," Ember comments brightly. She plucks a berry from the vines when she approaches one, looking at it from all angles and lightly pressing it between her fingers.

"Is this safe for humans to eat?"