FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

As much as you appreciate Zula's navigational skills and input in these situations, you must immediately decline her idea of mooring the ship inland. This place has too many unknowns for you to risk docking anywhere other than the outskirts. And, while you understand the appeal of having the ship grounded so your cabal can disembark the crowded ship, you dismiss that idea for much the same reason. On an island that is deeply infused with mana, whatever risks present themselves you must be ready to make a hasty retreat at a moment's notice.

Anchoring the ship is the safest option and, while there is certainly a bit of dashed hope amongst your officers, they don't argue the order. With that decided, your crew gets down to work. The process is fairly straight forward, though the newest volunteers are given a good rundown on the ship's operation and put to work sending out the anchors. Their awe at actually seeing the massive iron chains extended from the railing amuses you somewhat. You suppose such a sight is rare when they are used in the ocean proper.

As the ship nears the island it appears your height is too high so tendrils of energy are sent out, poking small holes in the magewood to allow the spell's stored mana to dissipate like pulling straw from a sack bit by bit. Minutes pass and you can feel the tension building on board. With Zula's command the sails are dropped and the ship is set adrift. To the sailors, the clank and crash of the two V-shaped anchors is eerie and unnatural, the pair dragging and flipping across the ground as they attempt to gain purchase in the sandy outer rim.

Even when they do, it still takes a dozen dragonlengths to finally slow the ship, clawing a pair of unsightly gouges in the dirt. When one slips under the roots of the tree, it causes the vessel to jolt to final stop with the grotesque crack and crunch of wood. The noise of a startled cabal dies down into whispers of conformation. You have landed, albeit several vessel heights above the ground still.

Both the air and the temperature here seem to be moderate, as if the island itself has its own contained little biosphere. Judging by the rather tropical plantlife you can see, you would guess it must get warmer then even this on a regular basis. There are a few bird species for sure and, with them, you would guess at least a few animal species as well; though you will leave that for Amos to determine. Glancing over the edge, the chains stretch onward, all the way down into the vegetation's edge. You're not entirely sure how a flying island developed a sandbar but you're also not sure how a flying island exists at all so...

"Amos." You call the beastmaster to your side. He steps over quickly and looks over the railing with you.

"Sir?"

"The gryphon, you said she is tame yes? Would she be able to carry some of the crew to the surface?"

"Of course." Came the definitive reply with not a hint of doubt. Based on past experiences, you know not to trust all of his enthusiasm. But, in this instance, you decide not to question it.

"It may be a bit taxing on our newest addition but I would like you to put together a group of perhaps ten or so to set up a small outpost below." The amethyst male nods his head. "Work with the crew to rig up a system or the like to transfer materials to and from the ship."

"Um... sure... but..." He paused, hesitant to ask. It isn't until you provide an inquisitive gesture that he continues. "Wouldn't it be easier to, like, make a floaty basket or something?" Amos is clearly uncertain about how to make his inquiry.

"Indeed it would but it would be a mistake to use magic in this place." You state matter of factly, turning your head out to look over the island and its natural splendor. The beastmaster seem confused, so you continue in way of explanation. "This place teems with magic in a way I cannot understand. I have impressed myself upon convergent ley lines and, until today, I thought they were impressive magical energies.

"This island dwarfs anything I have encountered in six-thousand years that I have lived. Its power is so overwhelming I cannot look upon it with dragonsight and that which frightens me most is that I do not understand why." Your mention of fear makes Amos uneasy. "The energies surrounding this place are intense enough, I considered the possibility that the infused magewood might be entirely overwhelmed and spontaneously erupt into flame."

"Ahhn..." The small male's mouth opens with finger raised to interject, but seems to realized the futility of it.

"Pleasantly, that was not the case." You rumble, fairly certain your second attempt to make light of the situation with your beastmaster was not much more successful than the first. "Therefore, until I know more about this place, I prefer not to invoke any spells unless absolutely necessarily. For the time being, you will need to rely on kobold ingenuity to get by."

While the young beastmaster scrunches his snout up for a moment, trying to determine if that was another joke or sincerity from his betri'vera, you turn and address your navigator.

"Zula-" You call, the purple eyed kobold perking up. "-find Ash and Ramah, we're going to climb down first while Amos prepares the landing party."

"Climb, sir?" Her inquisitive nature will be the death of her someday...

"Yes, the three of you will hold on to me while I scale the chains. I wish to scout the immediate area before we start building a temporary settlement." You can see her question but she doesn't ask and you don't offer more. She simply nods and darts down the stairs to find the other two.

Turning back to the railing, you glance down the extended chains, swaying abroad as the ship is tugged back and forth between land and air. There are reasons you've chosen not to fly down and, as the dragon of this cabal, you need not explain yourself either. Besides, you have no reason to needlessly worry the kin. Your snout lifts up, taking in the faint outline of the sister moons. After all, if this really is what you believe it to be, there is a chance they will never even need to know how close you really are.

There is another hour of preparation before you are ready to disembark. There is some disagreement between yourself and your officers about tying a rope around your neck to give them something to hold onto while descending. And, though you could make an executive decision to have them do it, you allow a compromise of having a silken sash fashioned for you to 'wear' that they just so happen to be able to cling to as well. With Zula positioned between the red and gold males, you make your way to the port anchor and carefully climb over the edge.

Their tension is high, three helpless fleas clinging to the back of a great beast as claws the size of their hand grapple with chain links the size of their head dangling a dizzying height above the ground which, in itself, dangles more than a storm's height above even the ocean's surface. The power and scale that mounts before them is infinitely daunting and you can't help but commend the tiny mortal creatures for overcoming such adversary. It would have been a far easier thing to ignore you call all those millennia ago and continue their simple underground lives.

Claw over claw, your grand form repels down the chain with dozens of little eyes watching from the deck above both frightened and fascinated by everything they are seeing. Other than a few turbulent wind buffets, scaling the chain is otherwise uneventful and the three tiny creatures gladly disembark from your backside. All three of them seem to relish the feeling of sand and dirt beneath their naked feet in a way that pleases you. It isn't long before Amos makes a beach landing as well, himself and two other kobolds touching ground.

"Be mindful of the winds during your material transport. They will be more troublesome on broad or light loads." You speak, addressing the gryphon mounted beastmaster as his two charges meet up with the other kobolds. He nods and, with his load lightened, bucks the gryphoness into action, returning to the ship with broad, powerful wing beats.

Your eyes linger on the flying creature for a moment longer before your snout turns down to the scouting party and finally upward through the expanse of rocky vegetation to the towering spire in the distance. Without dragonsight, you won't be able to feel out the environment for threats so you'll be going into this blind in a way you haven't been for several thousand years.

Fear, as the mortal races feel it, is not something you experience; but you believe its concept would apply to this situation in some form. Nearly everything is an unknown leaving you exploring the land like a whelp. Excitement would also be appropriate for this moment, though carefully metered. There is still much you need to investigate and such precious little time to do so in.

And speaking of time; the afternoon is bleeding into evening. Since you would like to set up camp before nightfall- assuming the island is hospitable enough to do so of course, you will need to decide whether to split the group into parties or remain as a single entourage. Splitting into groups will allow for a greater coverage of area but, of course, poses greater risk. You don't doubt either Ramah or Ash's combat ability but staying together as one group, while posing a much greater limit to your coverage area, allows you to at least protect them should there be a threat they can't handle.

(#16) [Vote ends: 5/10 @ 6pm PT or 50% votecount] Scouting parties will consist of:

Groups of two, Zula will come with you.

Groups of two, one of Amos' kobolds will come with you.

Groups of three, Zula and one of Amos' kobolds will come with you.

Groups of three, both of Amos' kobolds will come with you.

All six of you will travel together

---

Beside you the small group of kobolds converse with each other, each expressing their own emotion about the current state of things. Zula's awe is expected; having spent most of her life between the highlands of her birthplace or the open sea, the young female is unaccustomed to the lush excess vegetation of a wilderness like this. Ramah is stoic about the situation, certainly more cautious than his red counterpart who jubilantly expresses his interest in finding out what kind of creatures could be living on the island.

"Hopefully nothing large." The gold drake comments, planting his spear butt into the ground gently. Ash snorts and leans toward the black and blue navigator.

"What do you think we'll find here?" His jubilance is almost childlike.

"Birds." She replies back all too easily.

"But we've already seen birds!" The small crimson scaled minni'sjalfur puffs.

"I know, so we're likely to see them on our trip." She responds smugly. Ash snorts at that, crossing his arms in a huff.

"Well I'm hoping to see something new and exotic, maybe like a wingly or drath!" Red arms stretch forward suddenly, clawing dramatically into the air in demonstration.

It feels strange not being able to feel the response from any of them as the banter continues. Having to fall back entirely on visual cues leaves you feeling more vulnerable than you'd like to admit. Your snout angles up, observing the dense forest; without your dragonsight, if they were to move out of visual range they would be outside of your ability to find and help them. On this island of magic and mystery, that feels like an unacceptable risk. You had planned to send them out in pairs to cover more ground but this feeling of vulnerability gets the better of you.

"Come. We've only a few hours of light left to make sure the immediate area is secure enough to set up an outpost. Let us not waste time wondering about what is just beyond and find out for ourselves." With that you take the lead, the entire brigade of kobolds behind you.

They don't question your methods, not even a suggestion to split up is offered either out of fear of the unknown or out of respect for your authority. Either way, the result is the same, all six of you begin burrowing into the undergrowth leaving the sandbank behind. A quick inspection of the anchor buried in the tree roots affirms its stability. For a landing of such unknown quality, one can't ask for much better an anchorage than this you suppose.

There's a fairly abrupt ridge the little group must scale between the packed earth in the sand shore. You're not entirely sure how an island in the sky has a beach like this but it seems every piece of the puzzle you observe only adds more questions to the problem at hand. You can't quite put a claw on exactly what it is about the vegetation that strikes you as unusual. While the variety of flora is nothing to scoff at, it is all very similar in some way. There also does not appear to be any vegetation in a state of decay; no fallen logs, no patches of rot, no clumps of decomposing material. Everything is either lush and green or tinted with a film of turquoise.

It disturbs you.

Twice now you've accidentally attempted to open your senses to more clearly view the surroundings, and both times have left you with a bit of a stinging headache. Progress is also slow, your sizable bulk not designed for pushing through between the foliage of a tropical jungle. More than once you find it necessary to divert your path to accommodate your size but there is no complaint from your party. On occasion you direct your kobolds to climb nearby trees and take a look around. They don't come back with any news of the unusual variety though each time gets you a little more information; a new landmark or new minor observation.

In Zula was right of course, there are birds here. Rather magnificent birds in fact, creatures with long plumes of glittering silver and spots of ruby red. There are less of them than you would have expected given that you've not seen a single animal that could pose a threat to the flying creatures. Granted your hunting skills have atrophied over the years from lack of use and you haven't your greatest senses to scour the area with but even Ramah has not found any tracks or traces either. Perhaps there is not enough food to sustain large flocks? Or perhaps if they fly off the island in search of food they are unable to find their way back?

More questions without answers. It does make you wonder how long you could remain on this island just trying to uncover its mysteries. Something to consider if all goes well with your current agenda. The lack of dragonsight as certainly made your other senses more acute; the smell of the jungle crisp in your nostrils, the chorus of birdsong sharp in your ears, the expanse of dirt beneath your weighted paws. The passage of time is the only sense that feels a little muddled beneath the shaded canopies.

The sun's light has begun to wane toward evening when you hear Ash whistle. It is not a sound of urgency or danger but it doesn't stop your body from tensing up at the sound.

"Hey, over here. I found something." He adds as the other kobolds pick up the pace to join him. Yours remained steady- nature is less yielding to a beast of your stature.

"Ohh, what is that?" One of the other kobolds inquire. Their curiosity elevate your own as you push your way through to see what is your cabal is gawking at.

Before them stands a twisted tree easily as tall as you are. It's central spire appears to be made of several individual, intertwining vines that have, over time, come together and pushed upward to create a sort of pseudo-tree trunk. Upon its canopy stretches six or seven vast arms, each covered in a few dozen tail-length leaves that droop downward slightly. The last quarter of the foliage's navy green color fade sharply into a bright orange at the tips. Beneath its canopy, darted along its vine-like arms hang perhaps a hundred or more fiery orange gourds.

They are what his caught your kobold's attention, the glowing fruit shimmering with an almost golden appeal. They seem untouched, not a single one fallen to the ground below which, despite ample room with sunlight beneath the oversized pedals, supports no other vegetation beyond a carpet of wild grass.

"Looks like a chianti bottle full of fire liquid." Ramah remarks, lifting a leg up onto a nearby rock to lean against.

"We should call it fire fruit!" Ash announces triumphantly.

"You know there's already a 'fire fruit' right?" Zula responds, tearing her attention away from the spectacle long enough to correct the exuberant male.

"All right, then we'll call it ash fruit." The red kin responds in a proud huff.

"A. Who would want to eat an ash fruit and, B. No we won't." She adds with playful sass. He doesn't give an inch of ground on though, just leaning in with a talon extended, pointing at her matter-of-factly.

"Better question is who wouldn't want to eat ash!" His retort perhaps too swiftly. The other kobolds giggle, choking out stifled laughter at of his comment. "What? I bet they're delicious!" Even Ramah can't help but smile and shake his head some.

Kobolds...

Though your brash minni'sjalfur does make a point; they very well might be and it could be worth the risk to find out. You're not sure what to make of this unusual plant but, if this is where you think it is, you could be here for some time yet. Rations might be enough to get by on but you can't avoid the island's secrets forever. You could have your crew gather a few of the as-of-yet-unnamed fruit to take back with you or leave them be. If they turn out to be harmless, they could supplement quite a few meals with this tree alone. If not, well, you knew there was going to be danger from the very outstart.

Either way, you need to start heading back toward the ship if you're to get the encampment up before nightfall.

(#17) [Vote ends: 5/17 @ 8pm PT or 50% votecount] What do you do with the 'ash' fruit?

Collect a few; you want to know what they are before you bother with more.

Collect a lot; you might as well get what you can while you're here.

Leave them be; there's enough on your mind already and you can always come back.

---

Now seems like the best time to investigate the discovery. At least if something is amiss you're here to find a solution. Your somber snout turns downward at your little contingency, interrupting the procession.

"Why don't you take Roxy and find out?" A slight jerk of your head toward the plant presents the red kobold with an opportunity to put his theory to the test. There isn't the slightest hint of reservation in the smaller male's excitement as he jumps up and stands at attention. The earthly brown kin you've assigned to assist him is a little less jubilant about the assignment but not argumentative about it at least.

"You're just encouraging him you know." Zula speaks under her breath as the two enter the glade. Your gleaming crimson eyes follow the two as you wait in the forestry.

"I see nothing wrong with that. It serves my purpose as well as his." You respond in a normal tone. "Just as I encouraged you to seek the sea long ago." You aren't sure if her huff is of frustration or embarrassment.

Despite Ash's lofty nature, there are nearly invisible signs of his shift in focus. His motions are still bouncy but more controlled, observant, ready for trouble....

But no trouble comes. For all its unusual circumstance, the plant appears to be little more than that; a plant. A simple creature digging its roots into the soil for nourishment and reaching skyward to devour sunlight. Tentative little paws stretch out to touch the fruiting vessels.

"Huh..." Your ears perk up at the noise Ash makes. "They're a little warm." Retrieving a long knife from its holster, the short reptilian cuts cleanly though the stem with one easy swipe. The vine trembles from the loss for but a moment before returning to rest.

The gourd falls heavy into the kobold's paws, his form twisting to the side to avoid a thin string of cream-orange sap dripping from the wound. Checking it and finding the flow almost immediately stoppered, he stepped along, reaching up to a nearby fruit and sliding his paw across it surface.

"Oooh, this one isn't warm...?" He puzzled, looking to the next fruit and feeling, then the next, observing their temperature for a moment before handing his first selection to the companion kobold. "I wonder if being warm means their ripe, or if being cool means they're ripe. Or maybe it's the color..." He leans forward onto the tips of his toes to observe one up close.

You clear your throat.

"Right... We'll get a couple different ones to find out." He adds, reaching up and immediately hacking off his current catch, passing it to Roxy. Shifting around the plant, the energetic little warrior takes six samples before the two are too overburdened to do much more. And, with their arms full of strange glowing fruit, they wander back to the curious party.

Despite her veiled reservations about emboldening Ash's boyish nature, it's difficult for her to suppress her own curiosity as she's presented with a warm as-of-yet-unofficially-named fruit to carry. It's a good minute of mulling between them before Ramah looks up, seeing their betri'vera still observing the tree. His body shifts to look as well but sees nothing out of place.

"Sir...?" He inquires cautiously, inadvertently catching the attention of the others. They quiet, taking up watch as well but not seeing any danger.

But they are not looking in the right place. You bob your snout slightly in indication.

"There, on the ground, do you see that?" It takes them a moment.

"Oooh, the grass? Whys it doing that?" Zula is the first to make the connection, little tufts of vegetation sprouting wildly upon the otherwise mostly uniform circle of vegetation. You aren't certain exactly as a number of spots have grown up around the area. Something changed, disturbing the uniformity, you're just not sure exactly what.

Watching the grass grow will have to wait though as your ears perk up at an unusual sound coming from somewhere off to the left. The little troupe beside you seem to catch on to it too just as you extend a wing over them and push them down. You don't duck down yourself of course; there would be little use in trying to hide your bulk within brush only knee-high to you. But it keeps the kobolds out of sight as one, then two and finally a third rather large insectoid creatures come skittering out of the foliage into the crop circle.

You can't help but raise an eye ridge at the tail-thick centipede-like creatures that march out, stop to examine their surroundings, then slither out a bit further on their multitude of perfectly synced appendages. The trio crawl over one another as if they were just another tree or rock with no sense of personal space. The tiny charges under your wing poke up somewhat, parting the tall grasses to get a look at the creatures, each of them twice as long as any of the minni'sjalfur are tall while sporting a pair of inward curved pincers upon the end of their bulbous, antenna laden heads.

You've not seen an insect of this size before and, until now, you didn't even think they could get this big. Glossy black and red segments comprise majority of their form. If not for their direction of movement, you wouldn't even know which end was which. The little cabal under your wing remain deathly silent, not wanting to attract attention while you simply sit there and observe. Two of their heads raise, antenna twitching in your direction. You're not sure if they know you're there and don't care or have not yet detected your unmoving form amongst the trees.

Either way, they go about their tasks unbidden by your presence. One of the trio snakes around the tree's trunk, stretching out and clasping one of the fruits, devouring it whole within churning mandibles while another stretches its long body upward to attack the more outlying fruits. The third, still, has the most interesting job- its form circling the basin, trimming the vegetation down as low as its chubby head will allow. After a few minutes of this, it takes up the opportunity to gobble a fruit while another takes up the mantle of yardwork, cutting and chewing anything in the way.

"Well at least we know why the grass was trim now." Ash's whispered comment is followed by a stern 'shh!' from Zula who you can tell very much does not want to attract their attention.

As fascinating as it would be to continue observing these unusual creatures, you decide to take the opportunity while they are distracted to slip away. In case they are territorial, you'd rather not provoke the beasts if it can be avoided. Besides, you still have some of their fruit.

And are glad you don't have more...

With a little push of your wing, you usher the collection of kobolds off, keeping an eye on the insectapeeds as your group rustle about in retreat. While the creatures perk up and flick their frontal appendages in your direction they don't pursue when you turn and make your own exit, leaving the hungry things to their own devices.

"Well... that was terrifying." Zula puffs.

"Don't like bugs?" The golden warrior inquires using his spear like a walking stick with one gourd cradled in his other arm.

"I don't like bugs that are bigger than me, no; thank you very much." She responds with a scrunched snout.

"Well at least we know they must be okay to eat since they were having a field day!" Ash explains with a bit of exuberance, holding the two fruit up in each paw at arm's length, admiring their subtle glow.

"Not necessarily." Your deep voice cuts in from behind, ducking beneath a particularly obstinate tree branch. "There are many creatures that eat poisonous flora to make themselves either poisonous or venomous and normal centipedes can be either." The yellow-bellied male deflates some at that note. "That doesn't mean the fruit is poisonous, but do refrain from eating it until we return. I would disapprove of having to carry you back to the ship on my back." You add, glancing down at the timid kobold.

The journey back to the ship is otherwise uneventful, the sun sinking down behind the cloud cover upon the horizon, warming the sky with a rich luminary glow. By the time the tree line broke, the ship was visible still hanging in the wind tethered to the island by a pair of bulky chains. To your surprise, there are already a few tents set up upon the breach with Amos and two others working to set up. The four kobolds with you bounce over to the small encampment with their cargo, mingling with their kin, exchanging the things they found and saw in the journey while you survey the progress disapprovingly.

"Amos. Why are there supplies down here already?" You inquire sternly.

"Oh. I just thought I'd get things started, some of the basics yah know?" He beams proudly, extending his arm and circling it out over the, meager provisions. Its not much but its enough to irritate you.

"Yes, but why are they down here already? You were to wait until we returned to start making camp." Your red eyes are not happy but Amos doesn't seem to catch on which only irritates you further.

"Just getting a couple things down, nothing big and just a few hands, what our gryphon guest could carry in one trip. Just in case." He winks with a smile.

You frown.

"No. You were not to start until we had scouted out the immediate area and determined it safe, Amos." Your demeanor hardens and, judging by the reaction of the rest of the currently present kobolds, it seems Amos was the only one not to realize the situation.

"Nah, we didn't start, we just... pre-started!" He countered with a casual grin, cupping his paws behind his back.

"No." The word barks from your muzzle angrily. "You disobeyed my order once more and worse, put the lives of other kobolds at risk in the process." You can see him opening his muzzle to contest your point but you continue unbidden, louder as well to nip off his protest. "No! I, once again, find myself at odds with your lack of respect Amos. And your nonchalance at misinterpreting my commands has come to an end right now."

The words that pour from your muzzle drive the point home bluntly. You can see him wanting to defend himself but you would not have it, continuing unabated. "I will not tolerate your insubordination any longer; should you step out of line or disobey my mandate once more, you will be stripped of your title and station and be confined to the ship for the remainder of the voyage. No more birds. No more beasts. You will cook and clean and keep quiet should I find you unable to follow my orders to the letter.Do I make myself clear?"

You cant feel his response, your lack of dragonsight prevents you from telling what the true impact of your decree has on him and that makes his stiff lipped, simple muted nod of affirmation all the more aggravating. Part of you wants to continue, to add qualifiers and quantifiers until he finally snaps and gives you a reason to enact your ultimatum right now, but you refrain. Somehow. Instead, you drag the anger aside and put the stubborn kobold back to work.

"Good. Now take that blasted bird up to the ship and ferry the rest of the selected crew down here to begin building the camp. Ramah!" You bark the other kobold's name in way of dismissal. The golden scaled male is quick to your side at least, smoothing out your mood ever so slightly. "The island isn't safe so take Ash and set up a parameter, work out a schedule for watch and then help Zula set up the necessary stations."

You can see the gryphon take off from the corner of your eye but you intentionally avoid watching it. This is not a feeling you have felt in some time and you need a chance to calm yourself.

"You two work with the ship crew on getting the rest of the supplies down for the evening. Amos has already graciously reduced the workload so pick up where he left off." The words are poisonous on your very tongue and it irritates you that it irritates you so. Without another word, you turn and walk away leaving the procession of kobolds behind.

It is Zula that finds you some dragonlengths down the beach, sitting at its edge and starring out into the endless horizon, watching the last of the sun being devoured by the sea. Your unfocused irides snap to slits as you hear the crunch of sand beneath her feet some distance away, through you remain otherwise unmoving as she approaches within speaking distance.

"Betri'vera?" She inquires softly.

"Yes Zula?" Your voice lacks the harsh edge it had sharpened to a few hours ago, undoubtedly to your navigator's relief. If the memory of what had happened was not as fresh, one might be forgiven for thinking it was all but a bad dream.

"The, uh, camp is done." You can tell she is still tentative about the whole ordeal. You may not be able to feel her state of mind but you can still hear it in her voice as you remain quiet in contemplation. "The forest is actually really pretty at night too." She comments, turning her head to observe the variety of vegetation.

Most of it seems to have some sort of faint luminescence. It is not uncommon for magically infused objects to glow and, considering the island that has grown this lush covering, it is not surprising to see leaves with a radiant belly or vines with a luminous fluorescence. She seems unhappy that you don't respond.

"Anyway... I just wanted to know if we can make a fire or if we should go with cold rations tonight?"

You consider that. Such a simple question but here she is, asking for your input on the matter. You turn your head at last and look down at the small female standing there meekly before you. You cannot ignore them, they need you to guide them. But there is the matter of Amos...

(#18) [Vote ends: 5/31 @ 6pm PT or 75% votecount] Of the matter of Amos and the campfire:

Allow them a fire and have Zula send Amos to speak with you.

Allow them a fire and return with Zula to the camp.

There will be no fire tonight and have Zula send Amos to speak with you.

There will be no fire tonight and return with Zula to the camp.

---

The small kobold stands at length awaiting your response patiently. Even without your sight, you can tell there is a change in the state of your cabal. A comforting fire and a pleasant meal will do well to lift their spirits and help mend some of their frayed nerves. There are still over a hundred kin on the ship but they've been given more liberal use of the deck to spread out some. The recently hatched were to be kept onboard for the time being but, perhaps soon, they can be brought to shore.

That still leaves one individual in particular for you to deal with.

"Treat this land with caution Zula, it is not like the world we came from. Even when lighting the fire, remain warry of the unexpected." The words rumble from your throat as the wind ruffles your mane.

"Oh... Should we not then?" She inquires meekly. Your head angles downward to gaze at the small female with a gentleness in opposition to the appearance of the great feral beast that sits before her.

"Your kind are smart and strong, Zula. You would survive here even without me. You should not fear this world, only pay it caution and respect in all things. We have made a monumental achievement today, go and celebrate it." You thrum, returning your gaze to the infinite seascape.

The purple feathered kobold stands there in contemplation for a moment before nodding and turning about to return to the camp.

"And Zula." You catch her attention mid stride. "Send Amos to me when you return please." You can't help but wonder what she would feel from that command. You are not meant to know as she bobs her head and scurries off.

It is some time before your beastmaster arrives astride his avian steed. You don't know if the delay was caused from Amos' own hesitation or Zula's, but it matters not. The feather-dressed male dismounts a short distance away and walks the remainder to a dragonlength from you. It's the same distance Zula kept at; you've not noticed that before. Looking back, it seems a common theme when you are upset.

"Betri'vera." He greets you flatly without a hint of his usual humor. It interests you how you can read their state of mind even without your sight. Or perhaps its because you've seen them intimately for so long that they don't even bother trying to hide it from you?

"Did you know when your kind first answered my call all those generations ago, I thought you nothing more than tools?" You respond, talking to the wind.

"Sir...?"

"Kobolds didn't have names back then. They were indistinguishable hunchback vermin that could carry out simple tasks to accelerate my research." You continue, solemnly recalling details from some several thousand years ago. "They grew more and more attached to me, revered me, worshiped me and still, remained but tools in my eyes." A dark paw lifts, claws upturned, flexing slightly in memory.

"That was, until many generations later when one of them spoke my name for the first time. Her white scales were like scruffy little pearls with crimson eyes that rivaled my own. She lived and died never knowing the impact she had on me or how she changed the course of your species. Or even the name that I gave her." You pause a moment to reflect on her. You only have a passing memory; her time was before you had begun creating soul fragments.

"From then on, the kobold kind became my pet project of sorts. You were still tools but you were also more than that, something to mold and shape and create into something grand." Its hard to tell pride in the voice of a dragon but it is there all the same. "Your minds were expanded, I infused you with dragonblood, helped you build a civilization and taught you this world was a world made for you.

"But my success lead to jealousy amongst the other draconious. They began subjugating, cultivating and even creating their own races in a competition of spite. While some of those races have survived to this day, only the kobolds stayed true to their creator; the others either usurping their masters or perishing in obscurity." The words that pour from your muzzle are fluid and thoughtful but Amos' response tells you all you need to know.

"Why... are you telling me this...?" His voice still has an edge to it, the young male having misunderstood your story. That angular black snout scrunches up slightly, considering.

"Do you know why I keep Ramah so closely by my side?" You don't wait for him to answer before continuing. "It is because he trusts me. He trusts me so implicitly that, if I told him to turn and kill another kobold or cut his own arm off, he would do so even if he disagreed with the action. He would do this because he knows I would not ask him to do so without a reason; even if it is a reason beyond his understanding."

It is an interesting challenge; judging your beastmaster's emotions without your sight, to see things the way they do for once. It is not preferable but you can tell by his conflicted silence that it is not resolved. How better to explain...?

"I do not have any young of my own. The pursuit of magical prowess has prevented me from having any hatchlings." Your snout upturns, scanning the shimmering fields high above for the star you gave to Issra. The silence hangs upon the air for a long moment as you watch it twinkle upon the black backdrop like a gem cradled in the wing of an ancient wyrm.

"I tell you this because you, Amos, and those kin like you have become my children." Your head and all its frightening glory lowers down toward the tiny being.

By all rights, he is little more than an insignificant speck upon the winds of time's immeasurable grandeur. Yet, for that brief moment, the shape of his reflection is encapsulated within the unending depths of the blood-red orbs of an immortal dragon who's focus lingers on him and him alone. That great snout is brought to the kobold's level, close enough for the two-legged male to feel your breath.

"There are thousands of ways for you to die, to be swept from this world. I cannot stop the inevitable but I wish to keep my children from this fate as long as possible and I can only do that if you trust me. Can you trust me, Amos?" You let the question sink in allowing your beastmaster time to search for an answer.

"I do..." He breathes at length, the anger and frustration he'd been holding onto all evening deflating from his body. "I... just don't understand why. I was only trying to help."

You take a moment to shift yourself, laying down on your belly before him in an unintentional but pleasantly regal position with head lifted and limbs relaxed. A slight nod of your head. Amos was never a bad kobold, you're not sure you've ever met a bad kobold. Independent, perhaps, with a personality outside the aura of 'normal' no doubt. But a bright and capable individual.

"I cannot see in this place. For me, here, using my sight is the equivalent to starring at the Motherstar; painful, ineffective, perhaps even damaging. So I have had to close myself off and see the world as you do with eyes and ears only. I also do not know how my energies will work in this place, if there is danger, I may not be able to simply lift trapped kin to the ship as I might have before." You can see understanding begin to dawn on his face.

"If we had found something dangerous upon the island, I may have been required to sacrifice you and those which you brought with you. I was not angry at you for trying to help, Amos, I was angry because I had a reason that you not. You did not trust that, even if you did not know the reason behind an order, there was one."

His features droop considerably upon coming to terms with the full weight of the issue.

"Ha... I'm sorry..." His words are small like those of a very young child apologizing to a parent for getting into trouble.

"I would much rather see you all survive to the end of this journey and the start of the next." You rumble proudly.

Your eyes search him for a long moment and, while you cannot be sure as you would have before, you have no reason to believe his change in sentiment is not genuine. Finally, you nod slightly to finish clearing out the animosity. There is little left to be said now so you dismiss him to return to the camp. That broad snout bobs solemnly in return and turns to leave only to pause in thought.

"Are you going to join us, father?" He inquires, adding the last word with a bit of his former playfulness.

You can't help but raise an eye ridge at the comment. You suppose that is not entirely untrue, even if biologically inaccurate. You still need to try and attune to the island but it would raise morale if the cabal were to see the two of you return together on positive terms.

(#19) [Vote ends: 6/7 @ 6pm PT or 75% votecount] Return with Amos to the camp?

Remain there to meditate alone.

Return to the ground camp together.