[RP]The Cage

[Cirrial]

The sphere vanishes with speed as it had before. A second snake-drone burrows its way from the soil, first examining its fallen duplicate, and then looking up at Victym, attempting to categorise and catalogue all the information it has on the new individual.

"Greetings, ex-captive. You may call me Aurichalcite. What is your name?"

It pauses for an exact second. "I shall dispatch a carrier to return the construction apparatus and the scouting apparatus, Ashael. Apologies for the mess." The snake-drone bows, its metal fronds rattling. It addresses the whole group. "May I be of further assistance?"

Aurichalcite feels oddly compelled to be of help. It finds this both curious and troubling, and contemplates whether ignoring its intended maintenance earlier had been a wise decision. Especially with an attempted viral attack on one of its sub-systems.

Maybe it had scrambled a few things in its attempt to gracefully avoid contamination. Maybe its subservience systems, long buried away, had suddenly resurfaced from a combination of factors.

Or maybe... I just like to be helpful?

[Angel]

Kiribati hears the pained howling, echoing and distorted by distance and the crags on the side of the mountainn from his perch. He lounges on the roof of DaiHane, a great house set in the side of a mountain just east and south of Mt. Neverest. The building itself if only almost in the realm of Blackstar, shifting subtly in and out, between Here and There.

His ears prick and he turns them to the wind to hear the attenuated howl better. It quietens for a moment then starts up again and he is able to judge its direction, filtering out the echoes by the time delay. He listens carefully for the next three cycles, howling then quiet... pleading then quiet... he begins to understand the meaning of the howl, drawing heavily on his childhood memories. As soon as he's sure he's gone. Off the roof and swinging down onto one of the many hanging walkways ringing the building. the view is slightly nausiating, almost a thousand foot drop into the glacial fjord at the base of the crag that Daihane perches on. He lands with a soft thump on the polished boards and takes off towards Angels office.

~#~

Angel recieves the transmission, via arials on the roof not far from where Kirib is sitting, just as he begins to realise the howl's meaning. A few lines of text pop up on her computer screen and she opens the associated audio file:


"Hey. I want someone to come check this out. It seems odd, even for Blackstar, I'm northwest from Incantium. I'll send up a flare."


"Ashael?" She murmurs and leans forwards, reading off the signals source location. She pulls out a large scroll map and finds the location, marking it with map-pencil. The route there is clear to her already but who to send? One of her students? No, no... not into an unknown situation. A Graduate? She is still thinking and conversing with herself when Kiribs foosteps in her corridor make her look up from the map.

"Come in, wolfboy!" his footsteps are distinctive, the pads on his feet softening their fall, but without the faint squeak of calf-leather. He pushes the door open, not even breathing fast despite his running. In a bare moment he see's the map and the marked location. that combined with the speculative look on Angels face seal it.

"He's howling, He's trapped and you have to let me go to him!" His eyes flash and the utter conviction on his face makes Angel's decision for her.

"Then I assume the artifact was a trap... or cage perhaps..." she plays the recording for him. "It's from an old aquaintance of mine, someone I can trust. You have an idea of the location?"

He smiles grimly, knowing that this means he has her permission. "Yes, the air is cear today. It's in the Glades, far as I can tell, and the howling will guide me in."

Angel nods her agreement, "That flare should aid you too... What transport will you take?" she asks absently, forwarding the information she has to Zed and one or two others in DaiHane.

"I'll ask Brak to carry me, he's fast and can handle the terrain!" He talks over his shoulder, leaving already. She yells after him;

"Don't DIE!" She sighs as he grins back at her and waves her concern off. She turns back to her desk and the pile of paperwork and exams she's working on with a heavy sigh.

~#~

Kirib breezes down the stairs as if he isn't touching the steps and reaches the stable courtyard in less than a minute. however, instead of heading for the stables themselves he skirts them, heading for a large outcrop of rock just beyond them. A large pile of russet fur raises its head to him and cocks it to one side. Kirib growls out a command and the wolf stands, streatching out its back as it goes. Once it's up, its shoulder just reaches Kiribs chin. The Half-wolf reaches out and takes a handfull of his full-wolf relative's fur and ruffles it. The beast takes well to this and butts its head against him.

"You can't hear it from here, hmm? well, you will ba able to from the track, hup we go...!" He vaults up onto Brak's broad back and settles himself with his knee's over the beast's flanks and large handfulls of ruff to hold on to. gentle signals with his legs send the wolf in a gentle run to the edge of the compound then on down the steep mountain track. They round a spike of rock just as the howling starts up again and Brak's head perks, Kirib agrees and they rush forwards. Kiribs silver, manelike hair and tail blur with Brak's russet fur as he launches them from rock to rock down the slope, towards the howling.

[Swix]

Blue was astonished at Victyms politeness, she'd never met anyone who'd be able to go through something like that and still find manners important.

"That's very nice of you" Blue said to Victym "maybe I can find you something to eat" Blue then looked towards the snake-robot that called itself Aurichalcite "Actually there is something" she asked "do you know the nearest place for food or drink?"

[Angel]

Brak's long legs make short work of the mountain terrain and they hit the tree line in quarter of an hour. The branches lash at Kirib but he crouches low over the wolf's back and the do their lashing harmlessly above his head. Brak's paws kick up sods of earth as he leaps a river, coming past the swamps. All told it takes them a good three quarters of an hour to reach the clearing, by which time the howling has long ago stopped. The pair have the scent now though, and it only spurs them on.
The smell of burning metal and plastics makes them pause however. They take a slower, more cautious approach over the last hundred yeards, making sure they are undetected, just in case. Some sort of broken industrial machinery seems to be the source of the acrid burning smell and Brak wrinkles his nose and whines very quietly. Kiribs view of the remains of the cage is obscured by the machine and he skirts quietly around the edge of the clearing, geasturing at his mount to stay put.
First to come into view is Ashael, he assumes the purple flare was her doing as she is claked in the stuff. Next is Blue, to Kirib she is an unknown but doesn't look threatening. He ducks around the trunk of a large oak to see what they are facing and catches sight of Victym.

It almost knocks him off his feet.

He looks like... me...

Kirib is a half-wolf, a human face and upper body but wolfish lower legs, tail and ears, all in a bright silver fur or covered with silver-grey cloth. His ears are swept right back in shock, because of the eyes.

Victym's eyes are pearly white, and so are Kirib's.

Brak noses up behind him, whining and pushing at him, smelling how unnerved he is. He tells himself that it cant be one of his species, he too tall, too strange. but he can't shake the odd feeling.

He steps forwards, keeping his hand in his mount's fur, untill he is visable to all in the clearing, keeping his eyes on the wolf at its centre. He figures it can probably smell how shaken he is, but he's determined to keep that between the two of them and walks with a determined stride. Brak is itching to go forwards and greet this new arival in true wolfy style, but Kirib keeps him restrained for now and keeps his silver eyes on Victym's.

[Zerrer]

"Ah! Newcomers." Victym grinned. "Would either of you have something to eat, perhaps?"

Ashael was startled by the two new entities. She pulled out both guns and pointed them. Calmly and softly, she spoke. "Tell me who you are and who sent you."

"Miss Ashael, that is a very rude thing to do." Victym said disapprovingly.

"When you've been on this world for long enough, then you'll know how dangerous it is."

[Angel]

Kirib doesn't take his eyes off the wolf, still a little stunned, until he hears the click of her weapons. He turns slowly, reluctantly, towards her and raises his free hand in surrender, the other is still holding Brak back. the wolf is whinning and wanting to greet the wolf-that-smells-odd.

"My name is Kiribati, Angel recieved the message sent from here and heard this one's howling. Please, put down your weapons!"

He sounds confidant and unafraid, seeing the lengths that these people have gone to to free the trapped wolf, how could he be?

"This is Brak, he would very much like to greet you, please do not be alarmed..." He releases the wolf and it steps gently forwards. He is 5'6" at the shoulders and as such, looks like a normal wolf next to Victym's height. He sniffs the air gently, catching Victym's scent and then drops his soulders down in a bestial version of a bow. it is a geasture of submission; Brak has been trained to Kirib after all and Victym looks much like him. After a momet he rises again and sits on his powerful haunches, looking up at the tall wolf with his head cocked to one side.

[Zerrer]

Ashael put down her weapons immediately. "Angel? So she got the message? Cool!" She said, grinning.

Vic bowed to Kiribati and Brak. "I am Victor Yamia, otherwise called Victym. It's my own little joke."

[Angel]

Kirib smiles in relief,
"Well met, Victor Yamia. Your howling was much pained, are you ok? you spoke of captivity, though no doubt that is no longer a problem..."
He spares an amused glance at the pile of rubble that had been the cage. Brak sees this and wanders over to investigate the rubble, to him it smells of fear, frustration and burnt metal.

[Zerrer]

"Yes, it is no longer a problem." Victor said. "Although I had been confined to that cage for two days now. I feel I should mention that I am quite hungry. Please excuse me while I hunt. Is there any game I should stay away from or any territories I should avoid?"

[Angel]

"Ahh, not that I know of! I would be happy to accompany you," He grins and the little flash of his cannines betrays his eagerness. He glances around the clearing, getting a sense of his bearings, the sun streams down left to right and the shadows are shortest, so he figures that way is East.

"Theres a good patch just that way, North of West. May I join you?" Kirib looks excited and Brak glances up, sees it and trotts up eagerly.

[Zerrer]

"Yes, of course." Victor said, nodding. "In my world, wolves, who Wolflings take our forms from, have a pack system that includes leaders and followers. Us Wolflings do not usually follow this pack system, due to the few amount of us. I will make an exception for this time though. You may lead." Victym went down on all fours and stood to Krib's right, putting himself in a subordinate position.

[Swix]

Blue looked up from the robot over at the three wolf beings, frowning a little at hearing them plan a hunt in this place, apparently unaware of a very nasty danger.

"Be careful" Blue warned them, thinking of her werewolf friend at seeing them all together like that, and how odd it was that she hadn't appeared yet. No doubt she'd be around soon "there are Pantheresks around here, they won't hesitate to attack no matter how big or how many of you there are. And watch out for giant golden birds, if you're lucky Harpy won't see you"

[Angel]

Kirib can feel the pack structure settle over him like an old memory, the responsability and leadership coming back to him from his pack days.

"You honour me. Brak!"

The wolf answers immediately and bounds to his side, he vaults on his back. Looking down at Victym, then around at the others in the clearing he nods slowly.

"We shouldn't take more than an hour... If you can keep up, fall in! Good hunting to us all!"

He raises his head and howls to the miday sun. For a bare moment the sky flickers into a brillliant night, with a spray of stars clear across where the clouds had been and a brilliant moon where the sun had been. As quickly as it had come it goes again in a flicker quick as a blink. Brak takes up the howl once the sky turns blue again, and his carries further, out into the trees and over the lake to the east.

[Tala Lupe]

((I'm using Talas account in an attempt to avoid confusio ))

Almost simultaneously with the sky changing, showing a full moon and a vast array of stars, a third lupine voice joined, this howl was from a female and was full of many mixed emotions and messages. Just that brief glimpse of a full moon in a night sky had released Talas full werewolf nature with full force and she had to howl. To a human, it was bone chilling, whilst to a wolf it was confusing. It came and went so quickly it was hard to say whether it really had been there at all. But then Brak howled, and this time the answer was clearer and joined by a second voice, a young male who's tone indicated he only ever took things half seriously. They came from the direction of Dojopolis, though much, much closer than the bustling city behind them. Close enough for those with sensitive noses to make out uhat the male was a half dog, half wolf mix and the female was an equal mix of wolf and human, though different to Kiribati. Both were racing to the scene.

[Angel]

Kirib grins into the wind and turns to his companions,

"I believe we will soon have more hunters," He grins, one of his canines showing. A breeze brings their scent and he takes a deep breath. "Very soon! They will catch up!"

He leans forwards and the shift in his weight sends Brak leaping forwards into the forest, clearing the brush with his long, sleek legs. Kirib glances back at his improvised pack and grins,

"To the hunt!"