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The Missing Lynx, Part 3

There Are Always More Questions Than Answers

"And then she just..." Rhaelyn frowned, crouching near the odd markings on his once-lovely rug. There were two bootprints scorched right through it now, burned so deep that they went right into the stone floor beneath. "Exploded?"

"Yup!" Chaos shrieked, dangling off of the wizard's cloak. He didn't mind, really. At least back there the lizard-thing's claws were only digging into leather and cloth, instead of fur and flesh. It was much preferable to having the little golem clinging to his head, as she so often liked to do. Over the past decade, she had 'accidentally' pierced his ears on at least two-dozen occasions.

Legalia frowned. She gestured with two hands, fingers turning inward as she made an odd gesture that the panther didn't recognize. "It would be more accurate to say that she imploded. She was holding the phylactery and mumbling to herself, and then she punched through the fabric of time and space."

"Through this," Angie murmured uncertainly. The bird-like idol was flitting about in the air around the anomaly. In many ways, she was like a moth drawn to a flame - only instead of a flame, it was an odd shimmer in the air. It was only visible to the mage at very specific angles, and even then only from the corner of the eye, but that seemed to be a limitation that the Idols of Morality did not share.

The Idol of Pure Good reached out one tiny ivory hand, as if to touch the sundered space. "It's so..."

The wizard snagged Angel out of the air, depositing her on his shoulder instead. "Don't do that. You don't know where it's been. Or what it does. Or where it goes."

"Sorry," the angelic golem mumbled.

Rhaelyn sighed, absently rubbing his forehead with one hand. He could feel a headache taking root in his brain, now. Honestly, why could nothing ever be simple? Just a few hours ago he had been looking forward to saving the world with a nice, leisurely stroll across the continent. But now...?

"I can find her-!" the jade lizard-thing had worked her way up to the panther's neck now, her voice piercing the air like an infant's wail. She abruptly fell silent as the panther pinched her muzzle shut with two fingers. One ear twitching, the wizard kept his voice even and his exasperation carefully tempered.

"Chaos, you know I can't think when you're screaming into my ear."

"Oh," the golem whispered. Now she was so quiet that he could barely hear her. Even when she was trying to be cooperative, she was still remarkably difficult. Still, it was an improvement. She crawled higher, her long neck stretching out to whisper into the feline's ear. "Sorry!"

He smiled at that, reaching back to pull the Idol of Pure Chaos off of his head. She had reached a region where her claws were digging into his skull and pulling at his fur, so it was best to reposition her before she accidentally pierced his brain. He deposited her on his other shoulder, opposite from Angel, and peered sidelong.

"And just how would you find her, exactly?" he chuckled. He suspected he already knew the answer, and opted to head her off at the verbal pass. Bad things tended to happen when Chaos said the words out loud. "Chaos Magic?"

"Yeah!" Chaos beamed. "That!"

Rhaelyn winced. It seemed impossible to both shout and whisper simultaneously, but the golem had somehow managed it. He turned back toward Lega, the Idol of Pure Law. The tiny stone construct was waiting patiently for her turn, perched at the edge of a nearby table. Of the three golems, she was always the easiest to talk to, yet somehow the hardest to actually accomplish anything with.

"Legalia," he murmured carefully. "Do you know where the intruder went?"

The golem, a metal-plated chunk of animate stone hewn into the shape of a female dogkin, answered promptly. "Yes ser."

He perked an ear. Well, that was a promising start. "Can you tell me?"

The golem answered promptly once more, her facial expression unchanging. "Yes ser." And a pause, before she added, "Technically."

Rhaelyn sighed, his ears skewed to either side. There was that word, laid out like bait. Still, he bit. It was best to know the answer, no matter how unsatisfying it might be. "Technically?"

"Well," Lega frowned. Organic minds were such limited, inflexible things. The wizard was just lucky that she was beholden to him, because sometimes he could be quite frustrating to talk to. "Do you know anything about quantum mathematics?"

"Of course not," he snorted. He had heard of mathematics, of course. He used it on a daily basis, for both magical and mundane purposes. But what on Skarn was a 'quantum'? Or perhaps it was a name? Yes, that seemed likely.

"Can you explain it to me?"

Lega nodded obediently, but then promptly turned a verbal about-face on the subject. "I'm sorry, Ser, but that information has been restricted."

Rhaelyn absently stroked along his whiskers, eyes closed lightly. "Of course it is," he sighed. "Angie? Can you help me out, here?"

"Sure, boss!" The tiny birdkin-shaped golem on his shoulder chirped brightly, then set one delicately carved ivory finger to her gilded beak. Her face scrunched up into an expression of supreme concentration. "But what's a quantum?"

The wizard's closer ear twitched, but it took it in stride. "Yes, thank you."

And then silence for a long moment. They all knew who he was going to have to ask next, but the panther deliberately dragged his feet. Lega was occasionally helpful, but much of the knowledge that she held was closely guarded. Angel, on the other hand, often seemed to be nothing more than a featherbrained ditz - but sometimes came up with remarkable bits of lore at the most opportune times. Chaos, though...

Well, Chaos rarely hesitated to offer up information, but it was rarely useful. Or decipherable. In fact, sometimes it was useless, indecipherable, and very dangerous. Rhaelyn had lost all of his fur, once, after trying a potion recipe of the Idol's making. Although his fur had eventually grown back in, he had learned to exercise caution.

The odd little lizard-eel-dragon statue bounced excitedly on Rhaelyn's shoulder! She knew he was going to ask her next! She kneeeeew it! She beamed, waiting eagerly for her turn. Her frame practically vibrated with all the patience of a five-year-old puppy that had just consumed an entire sack of sugar.

Rhaelyn rubbed his muzzle, eyes still closed. He remained silent for another long moment, until he began to fear that the overly excited golem was about to burst into a thousand tiny shards of razor-sharp jade. It had never happened before, but Chaos was full of surprises. If she was going to spontaneously develop the ability to explode like a bomb, he wanted her to do it as far away from him as possible.

"Hh... Chaos, can-"

"YES!" The Idol of Pure Chaos and Headaches threw her hands into the air, wavering unsteadily on the mage's shoulder - she might have even fallen to the floor, but the panther was quick to reach up and catch her. Her voice deepened dramatically, and she began to recite as if from a cue card. "Theorizing that one could time travel in his own lifetime, Doctor Sam Beckett stepped into the Quantum-"

The panther clucked his tongue, "Okay. No. Stop."

"Aw," Chaos drooped. "But I didn't even get to the good part yet!"

Rhaelyn frowned, lightly patting the animated statue on the head with one finger. She perked right back up at that. "You're about to tell me a long and rambling story filled with nonsense words and made up people."

Chaos looked evasive, her head cocked so far to one side that it was almost entirely upside-down. "Well..."

"And then you're going to stop in the middle," the panther murmured patiently. "To start reciting sales pitches for products that don't exist, and that you certainly don't have."

The jade golem pouted, her thin arms crossed. "Maybe."

Rhaelyn chuckled, shaking his head with slight bemusement. "And then you'll finish the story, spend ten minutes reciting a list of ridiculous names, and hum to yourself for the rest of the night."

Chaos stuck her tongue out, the little sliver of impossibly thin emerald flicking at the air. Curses, was she really becoming that predictable? She was going to have to start mixing things up a little. "Not necessarily."

Legalia curled her lip a little, her metal teeth glinting in the magical lighting. She remained standing at attention, though, like a soldier waiting for orders. "Don't, Chaos. That kind of reference isn't period-appropriate."

"Hmf," the lizard-thing grunted. "Fine. And it's not Chaos, it's Empress Chaotica Infinitum Duvois!"

The Idol of Pure Law and Technicalities smiled faintly, the expression more than a little patronizing. "Of course it is."

Rhaelyn arched a brow, then glanced sidelong at Angel. The Idol of Pure Good and Sparkles seemed to be just as confused as he was. That was reassuring, at least. He hated to feel like he was the only one being left out of something. When the Idols began talking amongst themselves, the conversations almost always went right over the panther's head. It was one of the main reasons he preferred dealing with them one-on-one.

Chaos grumbled and mumbled indistinctly to herself, draping limply over the mage's shoulder. Then she started humming to herself - it was a mildly catchy tune, but one that he was unfamiliar with. It was also very distracting, so the wizard gingerly slid the lizard-thing off of his arm and set her onto a nearby shelf instead.

"So," he sighed. "Can any of you tell me anything even remotely useful about the intruder?"

"She was a cat?" Angel offered, uncertainly.

"A lynx!" Chaos shrieked! The panther's ears twitched back, but thankfully she was far enough away that her shrill voice only hurt a little. Really, some day he needed to put some manner of volume-controlling dweomer on her.

Or not. She would probably just find a way to weaponize it. That was the last thing he needed - the Idol of Pure Chaos roaming about, shooting sonic beams from her toothy little maw.

Lega clicked her stone tongue against her metal teeth, eying her sisters. "A lynx is a type of cat."

"Okay," Rhaelyn nodded. There was a faint sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach. "Well, that's something. Was she, ah, dressed like a thief?"

"No," Angel murmured. "I don't think so."

"Yes she was!" Chaos disagreed enthusiastically.

Lega waited until her siblings were finished, then set her unwavering gaze to her master. "Could you refine the parameters of your query, ser?"

An ear perked, the panther nodded thoughtfully. He held one hand out, level with his chest. "Was she, ah, perhaps about this tall? Voluptuously built, with leather armor so tight that it looked like she might spill out of it every time she moved?"

Legalia frowned. That description was a little too colorful for her liking, but... yes. It was adequate enough to narrow things down. She nodded. "Yes ser."

Rhaelyn sighed, his ears flicking back against his slightly angular skull. "Alright, so it was Elin, then. I'll have to speak with Veridia about that." And a pause, before he prompted Legalia again. "Did she do or say anything that seemed unusual?"

The diminutive dog-woman paused, pursed her stone lips, then glanced away evasively. "You mean besides infiltrating the estate, disabling thirteen guard-runes, stealing a Beta-Class Artifact, and subsequently imploding through physical space?"

"Yes," Rhaelyn murmured patiently. "Besides that part."

"Ah, well..." Lega seemed unusually reluctant to speak. It was uncharacteristic of her, because normally when she wanted to shut down a conversation she simply announced something about the information being restricted. This time, however, she seemed to be struggling with something else.

Finally, she spoke. "She said something about a dragon."

"Woo!" Chaos thrust one jade fist into the air with such force that it punched right through the shelf above her. This left her with one arm embedded up to the elbow in lacquered wood. The Idol dangled like a manic chandelier, her grin impossibly wide. "Dragon!"

Rhaelyn blinked, absently reaching over to try wriggling the lizard-thing loose, and she promptly curled about his hand like a bear trap. The Idol of Pure Chaos was particularly excitable today, and that was rarely a good thing. He hesitated to think of it as an omen, though. "Er, Legalia, are you absolutely certain of that?"

The Idol of Pure Law and Technicalities frowned. She did that so often that it might as well have been her default facial expression. "Yes ser. I am absolutely certain of everything that I say."

The panther nodded slightly, the gears in his head methodically turning as he processed information. Ignoring the faux-dragons or near-dragon creatures that populated the continent, there were less than ten true dragons still in existence. Well, that he personally knew of. They were notoriously elusive beasts.There had been more once, before the war against Cygna, but...

Well, suffice to say, it really narrowed down the possibilities.

"What," he murmured quietly, "did she say, exactly?"

Legalia clicked her tongue again, her stone ears twitching back a little. It was a familiar expression of dismay that the panther often used, himself. "Well, I cannot say for certain. Chaos was screaming in my ear at the time."

The Idol of Pure Chaos was hanging upside-down from the wizard's fingers now, her long tail curled tightly about his hand. He shook his arm a little in an effort to jostle her loose, but she was like a sentient yo-yo. Each shake of the panther's hand sent her bouncing around wildly, but that didn't do much to distract her from the conversation. "SORRY!"

"Well," he finally held his hand steady, waiting for the jade dragon-eel to get bored. Eventually she'd just tire of her perch and let go, falling back onto the floor, and he'd be able to reclaim his appendage. "If Cygna is looking for a dragon, then I suppose I'll have to visit all of-"

"Ser," Legalia's frown remained unchanging, as if literally etched in stone. "The amount of arcane energy released by the phylactery was extremely limited. If it was a teleportation spell, then she can't have gotten far."

Rhaelyn arched a brow, his ears flicking forward. That was really information that he could have used earlier, so he couldn't help but wonder why the Golem of Earth and Order hadn't offered it up before. "Oh?"

She nodded. "Yes ser."

He waited a few seconds longer, until it was clear that Lega had no intention of saying anything further. Really, his patience was wearing thin now. He liked to think of himself as a supremely patient beastkin, but he was only mortal. Even he had limitations.

"How far?" he murmured, trying to prompt the golem.

Lega hesitated again, looking to her sisters for back-up. Chaos was no help, as the tiny dragon-thing was simply bobbing her head eagerly. Angel, on the other hand, simply looked confused. The Idol of Law finally uttered a soft sigh, like sand running through an hour glass, and looked back to the mage. "Less than one-hundred miles."

Rhaelyn took that in, his ears twitching upright, then outward as he looked dismayed. There was only one dragon living within a hundred miles of Karash. "Oh."

Legalia lowered her head a little, her own stone ears slicked back. "Yes ser."

The panther tilted his head back, eyes rolling toward the heavens. No, things could never be simple. At least it saved him the trouble of traveling across the entire length and breadth of the continent, but that was hardly any consolation.

"Well," he sighed. "Then it would seem that it's time to pay the Dragon Queen a visit."

Legalia calmly turned toward the velvet-lined case that she called home, her attention suddenly focused on a diminutive rack of weapons that were set up nearby. She began sorting through the tiny but razor-sharp blades, efficiently gauging each one. She would need one that was lethal enough for the task at hand. If her master was going to be facing a dragon, let alone THAT dragon, then it was her duty as knight and guardian to protect him.

"I'm coming with you, ser."

"A-... and me!" Angel chirped, clinging tightly to one side of the panther's head. He was her favorite master, and she didn't want anything to happen to him! Plus, dragons were super scary. They were beasts of adamantine scale, poisonous blood, and infinitely sharp tooth and claw - and Ser Rhaelyn was only made of fluffy fur and squishy inside-parts!

"ME TOO!" Chaos squealed! She liked Rhaelyn, sure, but she also just really, really, really wanted to see a dragon in person. She was shaped like a dragon-eel-lizard thing, of course, but real dragons were just so much more impressive.

"No," the wizard glanced toward Legalia. "And no," he smiled toward Angel. "And absolutely no," the last one was, of course, addressed toward Chaos. The jade idol of Pure Chaos had already crawled halfway up his sleeve, but at the rejection she went limp and slithered right back out.

"But ser," Legalia protested half-heartedly.

Rhaelyn chuckled softly. He appreciated the offers, but... "You're all far too precious to me. I could never bear to put you in harms way, no matter what your thoughts on the matter might be."

Legalia sighed, but bowed her head obediently. "Yes ser."

"D'awwww!" Angel squealed, and she hugged the panther's head even harder.

Rhaelyn winced at that. The ivory golem was warm and smooth and even surprisingly soft for a statue, but she still trumped flesh and bone. "Okay, Angel, that's really starting to hurt."

"Oh," she squeaked. She let go of the feline's face instantly, sitting back down on his shoulder. If it were physically possible for her to blush, she would probably be bright crimson. "Sorry boss."

The mage mused, absently summoning a pen and paper to his hands. The writing supplies flicked through the air, summoned from his desk as if they had sprouted wings. "Alright. Angel, I'm going to need you to go to these addresses, and fetch the individuals that I've listed. Tell them to gather their things and meet me at the Drunken Dragon tomorrow morning. We'll be leaving promptly at sun-up."

"You got it, boss!"

"And Legalia," he continued. "I'm going to need you and your sisters to protect my home while I'm gone. I don't have time to replace the protective runes that were disrupted, so I leave it to you to keep everything safe."

She stood at rigid attention, one metal hand snapping off a salute so hard that it sent sparks flying from her stone forehead. "Ser!"

"And Chaos-"

The eel-dragon-thing stared at the wizard with wide, emerald eyes. It was a little disconcerting, to be honest, because she had clambered right back up his wardrobe and was now craning her neck to set nose-to-tiny-nose with him.

"Yeeeeeeeees?" she purred.

"Um... I don't know," he reluctantly conceded. "Do, ah, whatever it is that you do when I'm not around."

"Oh!" She perked right up at that.

"But no Chaos Magic," he frowned.

"Awwww." And she promptly deflated again, falling off of the wizard entirely. She thumped to the ground like a tiny sack full of lead, then twitched and curled up like a dying snake.

Rhaelyn rolled his eyes, "If you promise not to leave this wing of the clanhouse, then you can play with my sister."

Chaos reanimated miraculously, like a creature resurrected. "Yay! I promise so much!"

The panther chuckled, watching for a moment as the lizard scampered off. It was hardly any surprise that the avatar of chaos and untamed waters would get along so well with his sister. But he, ah, tried not to put too much thought into that. He instead turned his thoughts to more pressing matters.

He limped over to the window - even with the help of a healing potion, he still had a rather pronounced limp following his encounter with Kira just a few hours earlier. Really though, all things considered, he had gotten off lightly. He could accept that much. He was just glad that the guards hadn't pestered him too much about the limp. Or his sister. Or the Idols.

As far as they were concerned, his knee was acting up again.

His ear twitched slightly, his finger tracing about the smoothly cut circle that neatly bisected the runes etched into his window. It was a vanity, to be honest. It was nice having a window, to be able to look down over the courtyard, but he really should have bricked over it years ago. Still, it shouldn't have been possible to bypass his runes so easily.

His eyes narrowed, ears twitching forward as he settled his fingertips to the glass. No, the runes hadn't simply been bypassed, nor had they been temporarily disrupted. They were simply and completely inert. Not a trace of magic remained in the sundered runes, and for all intents and purposes they had been reduced to nothing more than fanciful scratches in the window pane.

That shouldn't have been possible, and yet there it was.

He glanced toward his desk, briefly resisting the urge to inspect the runes there as well. He suspected that they had suffered a similar fate, and there wasn't much point in wasting time on confirmation. No, there were far more important things to do now.

Rhaelyn drew in a deep breath, his tongue playing over one of his sharper teeth as he looked toward that rip in space. He carefully set his gaze to the middle distance, at nothing in particular, and that let him better spy upon the strip of torn reality from the corner of one eye. It was still there, but it was slowly growing smaller with each passing moment - its very existence was unnatural, and the universe was quickly re-asserting its will. Given another hour or two, his sitting room would be entirely anomaly-free.

Had she done that? The lynx? Or had it been the work of the Phylactery? Maybe it had been a combination of the two, or perhaps there was a mysterious third party at work. There were far too many possibilities, and even thinking about it was speeding him along to a full-blown migraine.

One corner of his mouth curled downward into the slightest frown. He was going to need to ready his own equipment, and perhaps do a little research before morning. Oh, which reminded him...

Rhaelyn sighed, rubbing the bridge of his muzzle with two fingers. Yes, that was definitely a migraine. His brain was already starting to throb, and it felt as if his skull was on the verge of splitting wide open.

The panther was going to have to stop at the apothecary before he left the city. And perhaps the Arcane Market, to find a few trinkets to better protect himself with. And the book store. Yes, definitely the book store.

He was tired of people using those stupid novels against him.

***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****

"So wait," Kira gaped. She wasn't sure she had heard the panther quite right. "We're going to do WHAT now?"

The mage was silent for a moment, his attention on the book in his hands. The gryphon was keeping pace, close at his side, and Veridia was trailing behind the two. Raffina was somewhere in the brush along the trail's edge, but she had disappeared into the foliage so thoroughly that it was easy to forget she was even there.

Kira tried nudging the mage with a wing. "Rhae?"

"Hm?" he murmured. "Oh, yes, we're going to go talk with a dragon."

The hen blinked, her wing refolding against her back. The gryphon's head cocked to one side, and her tail curled behind her sa she considered that. "Okay, uh, am I the only one who thinks that this sounds like a bad idea?"

"No," came a growl from the brush. Raffina briefly flitted into sight as she eyed the others, but she vanished again just as quickly. She had fought a dragon once, during the war, with an entire platoon of soldiers backing her. There had only been three survivors, and one of those survivors had been the dragon. "This sounds like a terrible idea."

The four had left the city behind them early that morning, following one of the well-worn paths to the north. It was near noon now, and they had made good time - even though they were on foot. By Rhaelyn's estimation they would reach their destination in just three short days, assuming that they put in at least eight hours of travel per day.

Kira chuffed, her eyes narrowing the slightest bit. She was glad that someone agreed with her, but annoyed that it was the cheetah. It didn't feel right. There was just something about that cheetahkin that irked her. Beak upturned, she chirped blithely. "Well, I'm sure Rhaelyn has a good reason for it."

Raffina scowled, but didn't say anything. She quickly faded into the background once more, a ghost amidst the trees.

"Tch," the mage clucked his tongue thoughtfully. "Well, I'll admit that it's not ideal, but we don't have many other options. I've done the math and consulted my peers, and all signs point toward the dragon."

"So," Kira frowned now. She looked back toward Veridia, then to Rhaelyn once more. "When we get there, we're going to be fighting Cygna AND a dragon?"

The panther didn't answer. His eyes were again fixed firmly on that book of his, and he barely seemed to be paying attention to where he was going. The hen sighed, reaching out with a wing to jab him again.

He blinked. "Hn? Oh, ah... no. Don't be ridiculous, Kira. We're not going to be fighting anyone. Not if everything goes as planned."

Kira clacked her beak, considering that for a brief second. It was nice to know that the panther had a plan, but that just brought up other questions. "Okay, uh... so what's the plan?"

Rhaelyn remained silent once more, a frown on his muzzle as he absently turned a page and kept reading. An ear twitched, but he otherwise showed no signs of having even heard the gryphon.

"Rhaelyn!" Kira hissed, surging up onto her hind legs to bat the stupid book out of the mage's paws. Honestly, he'd had his nose stuck in that thing for hours now. It was getting old.

He stopped short, whiskers twitching as the panther finally met the hen's gaze. He looked a little hurt at her outburst, but he was quick to reign in his emotions before he over-reacted. "I, ah... that was uncalled for, Kira."

The gryphon dropped back down to all-fours, uttering an irritated snort as she prowled around the sullen wizard. "Rhaelyn, you said this was important!"

"I, uh-..." the panther quirked an ear, swiveling about to follow the pacing hen with his eyes. "Well it is. Ah, important, that is. It's very important."

Kira circled the mage again, then set down on her haunches in front of him. Fixing one big, avian eye on the feline she huffed impatiently. "And you said that the world is in peril!"

Veridia slowed now, catching up with the others. She smirked a little, her own ears flicking forward as she murmured softly. "The wooorld is in peril."

The panther and the gryphon both stared at her for a second, and the husky sheepishly shrugged. It was her favorite impression of a melodramatic Rhaelyn. "Sorry. Saga does it better."

Rhaelyn grunted, then looked right back down at the hen blocking his path. "Well the world IS in peril. Cygna twice walked the world to the edge of oblivion-"

"And only I can talk it off the ledge!" Veridia murmured. She had meant to say it softly enough not to be heard, but again both of her companions stared at her. The husky cleared her throat, tried to look innocent, and gestured with one large hand.

"Er, sorry. You were sayin' somethin' about Cygna?"

Rhaelyn scowled now, his tail lashing behind him as he remained silent for a few seconds. The team had seemed solid on paper, but now that he was actually out in the field he was starting to have some reservations about the party he had gathered. Well, it was too late to turn back now. He was just going to have to make the most of it.

"Cygna almost destroyed the world," he sighed. "Twice. It was only through great effort and sacrifice that I-" he paused as Veridia cleared her throat, and he gave her a grudging nod. "That WE were able to stop her."

Kira eyed the panther with open skepticism, but his stolid expression didn't budge. Rolling her eyes a little, the gryphon rose back to her feet. "Okay?"

Rhaelyn nodded, then glanced around in search of his errant novel. It wasn't that he cared about its condition, but he would certainly prefer to finish reading it before throwing it in the garbage. "And this is the weakest she has ever been. The most vulnerable."

The panther paused as he spied the fallen book near the edge of the path. Moving to recover it, he hesitated as Raffina again emerged from the brush. The cheetah arched a brow, leaned over, and plucked the book from the ground.

She glanced over the cover, then flicked her brilliant yellow eyes back up to the male's face. "Why the hell are you reading this trash?"

Rhaelyn snorted, snatching the novel from the scout's hands. To be honest, he was a little relieved. That meant that she didn't know about the books yet. Or, er, the truth about them, that is. He didn't relish the idea of accidentally cluing her in, though.

"Mind your own business," he muttered.

Raffina's expression darkened at the mage's tone, and she took one slow step toward him. Somehow she seemed infinitely closer now, for she was almost nose-to-nose with the slightly taller panther. "Excuse me?"

"Er," Rhaelyn swallowed hard. He knew from experience that the cheetah had only ever drawn this close to him for two distinct reasons, and she certainly didn't look like she was about to kiss him. No, that meant that she was probably going to-

"Well," he took a quick step back, and then another as she followed him. Trying not to look too panicked, the panther circled around Veridia, using the sturdy warrior as a shield. "I think we're getting a little off-topic here..."

The husky snorted, smirked, and promptly stepped out of the way. There was no way that she was about to get between two feuding felines. She already had enough scars.

Rhaelyn shot a betrayed look toward the retreating canine, and she offered a smile and a shrug in return. Looking back to Raffina, his ears slicked flat against his skull as he suddenly found her once again standing nose to nose with the irate cheetah.

"So," she growled. "You were saying?"

The mage drew in a slow breath, trying to steady his nerves. No, she wasn't going to hit him. Not if he chose his words carefully. And even if she did, he had that magical codpiece that he had purchased before leaving town. Granted, he hadn't actually had a chance to test it yet, but...

"Hey." Kira chirped, suddenly at his side.

Rhaelyn's hopes rose, and both felines glanced down toward the gryphon. Ah yes, Kira had clearly come to his aid. Even if it was only out of jealousy or possessiveness, he knew that he could always count on her.

She bumped her beak against the novel dangling from the panther's hand. "What is this, anyway? Why's it so important?"

And Rhaelyn's heart sank. He shifted his stance, sliding the book out of Kira's view while simultaneously moving to protect his genitals from the cheetah. Magical codpiece or not, he wasn't eager to push his luck.

"It's just some shitty fantasy novel," Raffina snorted. She didn't follow the panther this time. It was fun to watch him squirm, sure, but she was already getting bored with it. It had been more fun when they were both younger, and the panther less wise to her tricks. "Don't know why he's bothering with it."

"Oh yeah?" Kira was suddenly standing at Rhaelyn's other side now, her neck craned as she studied the book. She couldn't read, but she could at least admire the picture. The cover was both garish and colorful, depicting a looming demon emerging from a fiery chasm, dwarfing three tiny adventurers standing far below it. Or, uh, was 'demoness' the proper term? Because the depicted creature was very, very female.

'That's a succubus,' the little voice in the back of her head chirped.

Kira clacked her beak, looking puzzled. "Why? Does it suck things?"

There was a pause, and then the voice laughed. 'Sometimes, yes.'

Raff gave the gryphon an odd look, before deciding to ignore her sudden non sequitur. Gryphons were strange beasts, so why should this one be any less so? She turned her back on the others, absently flexing one arm to stretch out the muscles in her shoulder. "Look, it's basically just trashy fantasy porn. I've never read them, but-"

She snorted, her tail flicking behind her as she glanced back over her shoulder. "I never figured Rhaelyn for, like, 'that' kind of guy."

Kira snapped back to the present, her eartufts perked. "What kind of guy?"

"You know," the cheetah shrugged. "The kind of guy who reads porn."

Okay, that was more than enough. The panther raised his voice, the fingers of one hand curling into a fist as he raised it before him. "Are you two done? The world is in peril, and marches ever closer toward its doom with each passing-"

Veridia snickered. She had managed to keep a straight face for this long, but the panther's theatrics always tickled her. She had appreciated them, once, but that was before the Alleycat had made them a regular subject of ridicule.

Rhaelyn's eyes narrowed, and he whipped about to face the giggling husky. It was odd to hear such a delicate sound coming from such a huge, if shapely, brute. He shoved the novel against her chest, then snarled.

"Skarn is in danger."

Veridia blinked, then took the book. Rolling one shoulder, she shrugged her heavy pack to the side, before putting the novel away. There were easily two dozen novels in there, stacked neatly atop the two-dozen bottles of curative elixir. Honestly, almost everything in the pack belonged to the mage, but she didn't mind carrying it for him. He wasn't exactly built for strength.

"Right," she mumbled apologetically. It wasn't fair to pile onto the poor guy, even if she WAS a canine. "Sorry."

Rhaelyn nodded, turning his wrathful gaze upon the other females now. Kira sighed, her own gaze abruptly averted, but Raff looked entirely unapologetic. "Every second we waste on this nonsense is another second that Cygna - the greatest threat that any of us has ever faced - has to muster her energy."

Kira huffed, quickly padding over to the mage's side. She lowered her beak, and butted her forehead against the panther's hip like a great big cat, her voice meek. "I'm sorry, too."

The panther smiled a little, his irritation almost magically melting away. One hand set to the back of the gryphon's head, and he lightly stroked over her ears. She really was like a giant kitten sometimes. "Apology accepted, Kira. Don't worry about it."

Raff snorted again, her arms crossed and her eyes narrowed. What in the world was WITH those two? If she hadn't known any better, she almost might have assumed that they were-

No, that was stupid. Rhaelyn wasn't the sort to go for that kind of thing. Or, at least, he hadn't been. Not when she had known him, so many years ago. "Whatever. If we're in a hurry, then why didn't you spring for horses?"

"I, ah..." The panther hesitated now, his tail abruptly going limp. Well, that was a question that certainly took the wind out of his sails. He had his reasons - most of them having to do with his last adventure - but he wasn't about to share them with the cheetah. Honestly, he couldn't even look at a horse now without feeling a little queasy.

Kira resisted the urge to snicker. She knew what his reasons were, of course. She had been there. Still, she knew he valued his dignity when they were in public, so she rallied to the wizard's aid. Leaning into his absently petting hand, she stuck her tongue out at the cheetah.

"I can't ride a horse. I'm a gryphon."

Raffina rolled her eyes, dismissing the hen's point immediately. "Well you can walk. Or fly. Just because you're more beast than beastkin doesn't mean that the rest of us should-"

"I can't ride a horse either," Veridia rumbled. She chuckled softly, brushing past the panther and gryphon both as she started moving along the path. Like Rhaelyn, she knew exactly where they were going. She had been to their destination on more than one occasion. "They don't make 'em big enough."

The cheetah grumbled, grudgingly conceding to that point. The warrior was certainly powerful and intimidating, but she was also ridiculously large. In more ways than one. Raffina absently adjusted her leather cuirass, abruptly feeling a little self-conscious about her figure. Not that she wanted to be as ridiculously built as the husky, of course, but.. something to turn the panther's head would be nice.

"But we still could have gotten horses for me and Rhae," she protested. She wasn't ready to concede just yet. At the very least, she knew that SHE could ride a horse. "And Rhae is slowing us all down. He's been limping all the way from Karash!"

"Oh," Rhaelyn hesitated. Yes, his limp was definitely worse than usual, and that was entirely the gryphon's fault. Although a bottle of that vile healing brew had taken the edge off, he was still smarting from his encounter with Kira the prior evening. "I, er... that's because..."

"Rhaelyn hurt his leg," Kira grinned. Her tail swished behind her cheerfully, an odd twinkle in her eye. "Um, on the last adventure, I mean. He always has a limp, now."

The panther sighed, rubbing lightly at the bridge of his muzzle. Yes, that was true, and it would hopefully curb the cheetah's suspicions. But... even if he hadn't injured his knee, he suspected that he'd STILL have a perpetual limp, these days. Kira seemed to like it that way.

Almost as if sensing his thoughts, the gryphon rubbed up against his leg. Her head lifted a bit, and one of her big, golden eyes flicked shut in a quick wink. She didn't do subtlety very well, but there was still a distinct charm to it. Besides, the explanation seemed to mollify Raffina.

"Yes," he smiled. "Kira is correct. My knee is acting up again."

"Okay, but I'm just saying-" the cheetah growled as Kira and Rhaelyn started walking as well, in an effort to catch up with Veridia. Raff reluctantly trailed behind them. "We could have gotten a wagon then!"

"Oh, of course." Rhaelyn purred, just a little smug. It was nice to have the majority on his side, for once. It happened so rarely that he had learned to relish the feeling. "Or perhaps a gold-plated carriage, with magical servitors to rub our feet."

Raff curled her lip, her step quickening as she started to close the distance between her and the panther. She was behind him, so it would be a simple matter to-

"No." Kira hissed, glancing back at the spotted beastkin. She dropped back a few steps, pushing the wizard up ahead of her with her beak. As much fun as it was to see Rhaelyn rolling around on the ground, there was a time and place for that sort of thing - and SHE was the one who got to put him there, not some snippy bitch of a cheetah.

Raffina balked, her ears slicked as she clenched her sharp teeth together. Oh, she didn't like that gryphon. Not one bit. She held her hands out to her sides, palm upward as she shouted after the others. "But the world is in peril!"

Veridia paused, then shook her head. "No, Saga still does it better."

Rhaelyn smiled a little at that. He would never admit it, but yes. Saga really did do it better.

***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****

The rest of the day passed quickly, and after a few more hours of travel the group of beastkin stopped to make camp for the night. They had traveled hard, and despite Raffina's oft-voiced concerns, they had made exceptional time. Horses would have certainly helped, but only while they had stayed on the main paths - and they had left those behind an hour ago.

Now they sat at the fringe of the Blood Woods, a daunting expanse of woodlands so named for the distinctive color of the bloodbark trees that grew in abundance. The woods hid many dangerous beasts, but few of them posed any real danger to experienced travelers. More importantly, the Woods marked the very edge of what had once been The Bitch Queen's empire.

Fortunately, it was far less foreboding these days. Cygna's armies had long since dissipated, and now only mindless beasts remained. There were the lycans, of course - or what little remained of them since their numbers had been decimated - but they generally kept to themselves.

"Ugh," Rhaelyn grunted. He absently dipped quill to ink, and made a quick note. It was hardly the first one.

It had been two hours since the party had set up camp, tents had been pitched, and food had been gathered in abundance. In fact, Kira and Raffina had both set off into the woods just after the campsite had been secured, and had returned shortly afterwards with more meat than the party could ever possibly eat.

Now only Veridia and Rhaelyn remained sitting at the campfire. The cheetah was lurking about in the darkness beyond the camp's perimeter, keeping an eye out for trouble, and Kira had retired to her tent. Or, er... it was the panther's tent, really. But he had no qualms about sharing it with her.

Not that he was using it, anyway. Not at the moment. No, after enjoying a light dinner he had settled by the fire to read, and he hadn't budged since. Sometimes he snorted in disgust, and occasionally he muttered darkly to himself, but mostly he just kept meticulous notes. He was only halfway through the novel, and already he had filled the margins of every page with hundreds of annotations.

"Rmf," he grunted again. His wrist flicked, and he scratched a line across three lines of dialogue. Another cramped set of notes and corrections were squashed into the thin space between paragraphs, but it was hardly sufficient. "By the Gods, is he serious?"

Veridia glanced toward the panther, an ear perked. She had been cooking venison for the better part of an hour now, and welcomed the chance for conversation.

"Hun? You, uh, okay over there?"

Rhaelyn scowled, taking a few seconds to scribble yet another note onto the page. His tail lashed behind him, whipping across the dirt, but he tried to keep his voice carefully tempered. "I'm fine."

The husky chuckled, absently turning the makeshift spit she had assembled over the fire. She was no expert in beastkin behavior, but she didn't really have to be. The panther wasn't very convincing. "Uh-huh. So, what's the problem?"

He groused a bit more, but the wizard finally managed to tear his eyes from the novel clutched in his paw. Looking to the warrior, he gestured to her with his quill pen. "Have you read this drek?"

She smiled, her tail swaying just a tad too cheerfully for the panther's liking. "Of course I have."

"This thing makes me look like an idiot," he sighed.

"Rhae," she laughed. "Sometimes you ARE an idiot."

The panther frowned, but he didn't argue that point. Had he made a few stupid decisions in his life? Yes, of course he had. He was big enough to admit that. "Granted, but still..."

Veridia sniffed lightly at the chunk of elk she was charring. Hm, not quite cooked enough. She glanced back to the mage, an amused smile on her muzzle. "Fine, what part's botherin' ya?"

Rhaelyn snorted, resisting the temptation to drop the book into the fire. No, not yet. Maybe after he was finished reading it, though. "Every part."

The husky rolled her eyes, but her smile held firm. "Well, what part are you on right now?"

He sighed, lifting the book again. His eyes flitted over the page, and his lip curled a bit as he resisted the urge to sneer. "The dagger fell from Katsumi's numbed paw, her silver eyes flashing darkly as she found herself faced by the three heroes. She had only come to kill her brother, but now she faced two others as well - a master thief and a novice mage."

Veridia grinned a little. Oh, so the panther had skipped over the first few books, right up to In the Shadow of Darkness. She held her tongue, though. No sense in breaking the panther's stride.

"She struck quickly," he grumbled. "Her sights set on the mage. He was the most immediate threat, but only if she gave him time to sputter out an incantation. Although Ray-Lynn had great potential, he was still little more than a raw apprentice, and Katsumi was an expert assassin."

"Well," the husky chuckled. "Least he said you have great potential, right?"

The panther hardly seemed mollified, his ears flicked back as he practically hissed. "She could have killed him a hundred different ways, but she didn't. No, there was no profit in murder for the sake of convenience. Perhaps someday, if she could find someone willing to pay her to kill the mage, but for now she would merely incapacitate him. Not that she was a pacifist, of course. The incapacitation would be both brutal and agonizing."

Veridia snerked softly, trying not to laugh. The Alleycat had always had a way with words. The warrior almost found herself wishing that she had gotten to test her own skills against the assassin's. Sadly, Katsumi had come and gone long before Veridia had befriended the heroes.

She smiled a little, absently turning the spit to keep the meat cooking evenly. She had read the story before, of course. She tried to read all of Saga's books, but there were just so many of them that it was hard to keep track. Still, it was nice to hear it read aloud - especially by the panther. His diction was perfect, and his voice was actually rather soothing despite his obvious irritation.

"Don't stop now," she rumbled. "What happened next?"

Rhaelyn sighed, eying the dogkin briefly before he continued. "She darted forward, leaping over the shorter thief and ducking below the sweep of her brother's blade, coming up just shy of the startled mage. Even as she rose her leg was already cocking back, and in the blink of an eye she had snapped off a vicious front-kick that caught the hapless panther right between his slightly spread thighs. His voice lilted, the half-uttered spell dying on his lips as Katsumi's rigid shin and shapely calf utterly decimated the noble's kittenmakers."

The warrior managed to look sympathetic, successfully quashing her urge to snicker. Head cocked, she reached over to lightly muss the panther's headfur. "Ouch?"

"Not," he scowled as he continued to read. "That they would be making kittens any time soon. Maybe not ever again, if she had hit him just right."

Veridia snorted this time, the corners of her mouth tugged upward despite her efforts to keep a straight face. Her hand quickly set to her muzzle, to conceal her expression. "Mm-hm?"

"The blow was precise and lethal," he muttered. "Striking with such ferocity that the panther was lifted onto his toes and then even higher still. He stumbled and fell, uttering a pathetic mewling sound as he collapsed to his paws and knees. How could those legs, so toned and lovely, ever be capable of doling out such impossible pain? Ray-Lynn coughed twice, shuddering as he fought the urge to vomit, and then his world went red as she quickly stepped behind him and kicked again."

The dogkin's shoulders shook a bit, and she quickly brushed away a single mirthful tear that was welling up at the corner of her eye. Clearing her throat, she reached out to pull the book back down so she could look the panther in the eye. "Okay, I get it. But don't you think yer over-reactin' a little?"

Rhaelyn scowled. "It goes on like that for another twelve paragraphs!"

Veridia smiled reassuringly, reaching over to pat the mage's thigh. The panther winced, his leg jerking a bit. That was going to leave a bruise. "Well look, it's just one scene-"

He frowned, eying the female briefly before he once again lifted the book. He flipped back several pages to an earlier chapter, then cleared his throat. "'Watch out', Saga cried, but it was already too late. While they had been dispatching the last of the Bandit Queen's minions, the cunning vixen had worked her way across the battlefield. Her quarterstaff spun about in a wicked arc, one end striking Nightengale smartly on the jaw, and the other end swinging low to catch Ray-Lynn squarely in the crotch."

"Er," Veridia hesitated, her hand back at her muzzle. Again, she reminded herself not to laugh, but she quickly turned her back on the panther just to hedge her bets. The meat on the fire needed tending, after all, and trying not to smile was starting to make her cheeks hurt. "Yeh?"

Thankfully he didn't seem to notice the canine's predicament, his attention focused solely on the book in his paws. "The healer dropped without a sound, but not the panther. The young mage's eyes crossed, his whole body spasming violently as pain spiked through his left testicle and straight into his brain. His spellstaff fell from suddenly lax fingers, and the vixen quickly caught it, snapping it over her knee. It was a fitting parallel, for the panther had almost certainly unmanned by the vicious strike - at least, judging from the high-pitched sounds that he uttered as his muzzle hit the dirt. Even if he hadn't been, it would still be quite some time before he'd again be able to enjoy the touch of a woman."

The husky's ear twitched slightly, her shoulders shaking again. Yes, it was a bit... florid for something as simple as catching the business end of a quarterstaff in the groin, but it made sense. The panther was a wizard, after all, and any combatant with her salt would try to incapacitate or kill him as quickly as possible. Surely after all these years he knew that?

"Well..."

Rhaelyn fixed one eye on the canine's back, then grunted as he flipped back another few chapters until he was near the beginning of the book. "The minotaur sneered as she spotted the cowardly panther slinking toward the door. He had been the one to start the brawl, and she wasn't about to let him escape so easily. She casually ducked beneath a hurled table, paused to smash a drunken tiger's face against the bartop, and then crossed the room in three great strides. One arm curled about the retreating mage's neck, pulling his head back against her ample chest, and her other hand came in low to catch between his suddenly tensed thighs."

Veridia coughed lightly, smiling broadly now. "Oh."

The panther sighed, his eyes flicking further down the page. "Her knuckles whitened as she bore down on the ample handhold, the feline in her grip uttering a feeble whimper that was quickly drowned out by the grotesque crunch of his increasingly impotent and oft-abused nethers."

The husky perked an ear, glancing back toward the panther as he stopped. Eyes closed lightly, she finally allowed herself a chuckle before she settled lightly next to the obviously discomfited male. "Did that actually happen?"

"Ah," the male paused, then evasively angled his gaze skyward. His tail twitched a few more times behind him, then went limp at the memories being rekindled. Oh yes, even years later that particular memory was still disturbingly fresh in his mind. "...maybe?"

Veridia smirked now, making no attempt to hide it. One white-furred arm curled about the squirming feline's waist with surprising gentleness, and she gave him a little squeeze. For once, the gesture didn't make him feel like he was being crushed in half. "So, why'd a cowgirl try to turn ya into a gelding?"

Rhaelyn's ears twitched, and he sighed. Leaning wearily back against the canine's arm, he rubbed at his muzzle. "Nothing! I, ah, just made a comment in regards to female minotaurs sharing certain defining traits with their bestial, bovine ancestors..."

She laughed. "So you said somethin' about her breasts?"

He scowled now, but his ears were skewed and his tail limp. He looked more guilty than defiant, but still uttered a lame protest. "Well, you didn't see what she was wearing."

The dogkin smiled, giving the panther another little squeeze about the waist. It was less gentle this time, and he had to take a moment to catch his breath. While he was gasping for air, the husky teased.

"Now it's been a while since I read through that particular book, but didn't it imply pretty heavy-like that you ended up sleepin' with that particular gal? That's gotta be worth somethin'..."

"No," the panther grunted. "SHE slept with ME."

The female blinked at the odd emphasis, shifting her bulk slightly as she gave the feline an odd look. "What's the difference?"

Rhaelyn clicked his tongue, glancing sidelong at the canine in turn - although a thin smile graced his lips. Looking back on it so many years later, he had to amit that there WAS a little humor in it. "Well, the difference is that if I had turned her down, she would have started squeezing again."

Veridia laughed, shaking her head incredulously. Shifting a bit, she leaned past him to snag the backpack that was sitting on the ground beside the mage. "Well, laid is laid. Don't think you've got much room to complain, Rhae. 'Specially not if you thought she had a great rack."

The panther leaned back a little, letting the dogkin reach past him. He could have certainly tried to stop her, but he suspected that any such efforts would be met with dismal failure. "Tch, she almost shattered my pelvis!"

"Well," Veridia smirked. She leaned back again, resting the backpack on her lap as she poked through it. "I guess yer just too fragile. Good thing you've never tried to court an Amazon."

And a pause, as she let out a low whistle. "Wow, you really went all out, huh? What've you got, every book Saga ever wrote in here?"

He grunted, absently wiping his quill pen clean before using it as a bookmark. "No, of course not. I never would have fit them all into one bag, if I had done that." He sighed, his novel set aside and his hands planted behind him as he leaned back. "I only purchased the ones that have me in them. Twenty-seven in total, including the latest fiasco."

Veridia perked an ear, trying not to look too eager. She had visited five separate book stores, but they had all been sold out of that particular title. "Oh, izzat one in here somewhere?"

Rhaelyn eyed her warily, suddenly seeming rather defensive. "Ah... maybe?"

She grinned. The husky couldn't really manage innocence, so she just settled for friendly and vaguely intimidating. "Can I borrow it?"

"No." He scowled once more, his answer coming without hesitation. In fact, now that he thought about it, he didn't want her borrowing any of the books. He didn't want to provoke the warrior, though, so he tried to put her off gently. "Ah, maybe after I've finished reading it."

Veridia chuckled, a brow quirked. Well, that seemed like a fair compromise. Still, she wasn't certain she could wait that long, so-

"Good," she grinned. She upended the bag, sending two-dozen novels and even more healing potions into an untidy pile. Her sharp eyes picked out the appropriate novel and she quickly snatched it up, pushing it firmly to the male's chest. "Start readin'. I want it as soon as yer done."

Rhaelyn sniffed faintly, his ears twitching slightly out to either side. Well, that would buy him a little time, at least, but not as much as he would have liked. "Of course. Well, I'll get right to it once I've, ah, finished reading the rest of them..."

The husky kept smiling, but her eyes narrowed ever so slightly and the faintest growl slid seamlessly into her otherwise friendly voice. "I want it by tomorrow mornin'."

"No," he frowned. "It will take longer than that, Veri. I would need until at LEAST next week-"

Veridia's eyes narrowed another quarter inch, her smile just a little twisted as she rumbled dangerously. "Rhae, just 'cuz I don't want to bust yer balls doesn't mean I can't. Start readin', or I'LL start squeezin'."

Rhaelyn's ears shot straight up, and his body tensed as he seemed ready to spring to his feet and flee into the woods at a second's notice. He was fairly certain that the canine wouldn't actually do that, but that didn't do much to quash his sudden panic. She had done it once before - years earlier, when they had been enemies - and it wasn't something he wanted to experience ever again. The other women in his life played at busting his balls from time to time, but for the former bounty hunter it had been a profession.

"I, uh..." he stuttered to a halt, then drew in a slow breath. No, she wouldn't actually do anything. Not while they were hunting Cygna, at any rate. He was at least certain of that much. She might do it after their quest had been completed, but at least then he would have ample time to prepare for it. "Well, then it would take me even longer to finish reading the book."

The canine sighed, pouting a little. It was a ridiculous expression on her, though, and she knew it. Still, the 'ballbuster' routine almost always put the panther in a more co-operative mood. She really was a little disappointed that it seemed to be losing its effect.

Her arms folded over her stomach as she sat up. As much fun as it might be to re-instill the mage's constant fear of emasculation, there were probably easier ways to get what she wanted. She drew in a deep breath, shifting a bit as she tried to put as much emphasis as possible on her more than ample chest. Ears perked, she gave the faintest smile as she crooned playfully.

"C'mon, Rhae. Yer sure there's... nothin' I can do to change yer mind...?"

"Er," he hesitated, his eyes flicking furtively from the dogkin's face to her heaving chest, and back. That was hardly fair! Yes, there was a time when he might have happily used the warrior's desires to his advantage - after all, she was attractive and personable, if a little terrifying. He had even fantasized about being with her on more than one occasion, and he suspected that the attraction was far from one sided. But...

"Sorry, Veri. No." He sighed, his eyes carefully averted. "I'm, ah... seeing someone right now. It wouldn't be fair to her."

Veridia cocked her head, a sly grin sliding over that come-hither smile she had been sporting just a second earlier. Oh, well, this was even better than a new book. Assuming she could prise the secrets from the panther's tight grip. He was notoriously taciturn about his love life, or lack thereof.

"Really," she rumbled. It was more of a statement than a question. "Tryin' to get back together with yer ex-?"

He seemed genuinely shocked by that notion, his eyes widened and his ears bolt upright. "What?"

"C'mon," she grinned. "I saw you two flirtin' with each other. There's still a spark there. Hell, fer a second I thought she was about to kiss ya."

"No," he scowled. "Absolutely not. Never. Anything that was between Raffina and I ended years ago. We've both grown apart since then, and... well... I don't see us ever going back to the way things were when we were younger."

He paused, an ear twitching as he heard the slightest rustle of brush and tree branches. He glanced into the dark, forboding woods for a long moment, his heart stilled. Was that-...? No, he caught the motion of an owl flitting from one branch to the next.

Rhaelyn uttered a soft sigh of relief. He was really going to have to be careful about what he said aloud, especially with the cheetah skulking around just out of sight. He had gone an entire day now without getting kicked in the groin. He was rather hoping to keep it that way.

Veridia looked thoughtful, then eyed the panther suspiciously. "Not Elin, is it...?"

He blinked, shock quickly turning to fervid denial. "No! How could I-? I only met Elin once, and you were there when it happened! Besides, she's ten years younger than I am!"

"So," Veridia's grin broadened. "Kira, then?"

There was another long moment of silence as the panther tried to come up with the most tactful way to answer that rather personal question. Not that it mattered, really, since the sudden blush at his ears and the expression on his face were answer enough.

"Ah," he finally murmured, unconvincingly. "N-... no, of course not. That wouldn't be... appropriate..."

The dogkin snorted, looking decidedly smug as she kept quiet. That was answer enough, as far as she was concerned. Her ears angled forward as she turned her attention to the heap of novels, her muzzle slowly split by a very toothy smile.

For a second, she looked more like a wolf than a husky, but the sly expression was fleeting. Smiling again, Veridia tapped her muzzle. "Really? Well, maybe you should give it a try. I figgered you for the sort who'd appreciate a gal who can't kick you in the balls."

Rhaelyn snorted, but he didn't say anything.

The dogkin arched a brow, pressing onward with that angle of approach. "I mean, bein' a quaddie and all, I don't see how she'd-"

The panther snorted again, his gaze averted. He still didn't say anything, but he looked quite embarrassed at the husky's continued probing.

Both brows arched, Veridia stifled a laugh. "Seriously?"

Rhaelyn grunted now, his eyes narrowed and his gaze averted. The husky was pushing it.

"My mistake." She grinned, backing off a little. It was best not to push too hard, lest the panther start lashing back. "Well, you can keep yer book. I'll just read a different one."

Rhaelyn breathed another soft sigh of relief, thankful that the canine had given up so readily. He was still conflicted on the exact nature of his relationship with the gryphon, so he certainly wasn't prepared to actually talk to someone about it. Er, not that he was ashamed about it. Or... was he?

The corner of his mouth quirked downward in a slight frown, his attention turning inward as he pondered on that. He was-

Veridia rumbled playfully, interrupting his thoughts. "I'll just read this one, instead."

The panther glanced up, his ears perked as he looked to the book that the husky was now holding carefully in her hand. The cover was deliberately angled toward him, her eyes on his face as if waiting for a reaction. An ear twitched, and the mage glanced back to the cover of the novel.

Against the Hordes of the Bitch Queen. Yes, he hadn't gotten to that one yet, but he was nonetheless familiar with the contents. That was the novel that explored the Alleycat's unique take on the events leading up to the first war against Amazonia. But why would the husky be interested in that one?

He thought back, trying to remember the events that had taken place almost seven years earlier, when they had first drawn the ire of Cygna. They had exposed her machinations to the myriad kingdoms of Skarn, giving the beastkin time to muster their forces and mount their defenses. The Bitch Queen had responded by sending her deadliest assassins after them. There had been the lycans, of course - brutish warriors forged by Cygna using the bodies of living wolves. And there had been that undead warrior with the wyvern mount, of course. And the bounty hunt-

"Oh," his closer ear twitched. An odd look worked onto his face as he glanced back up at the taller canine. "That's when we first met, isn't it?"

Veridia chuckled, idly studying the cover. There she was, flanked on either side by an artists rendition of Dalleth and Ser Grundle, and behind them were the Dogs of War. She smiled faintly at the memories the image rekindled - the hunts she had enjoyed, and the battles she had fought in - and won. Of course that had been a long time ago, before she had allowed herself to be seduced away from The Queen's service.

Not that she ever really regretted the decision. She was just feeling a little nostalgic. The husky had been a lieutenant, once, and the Dogs of War had been her finest soldiers. In many ways, they had been her first pack. Monstrously violent or not, she still missed them. Sometimes.

She sighed. "You know, I'm the only one in this picture who's still alive?"

"Well, Ser Grundle wasn't really alive to begin with," the panther offered unhelpfully.

The husky shot him a look. "You know what I mean."

"Right," he murmured. "Sorry."

Veridia tapped her muzzle thoughtfully, her ears twitching forward and her tail swaying lazily as she mused aloud. "D'you remember how we first met? Wasn't too far from here. Just a couple dozen miles out, near Beggar's Grove."

Rhaelyn twitched a little, but he nodded. "Er, yes. When you and your Dogs lured us into an ambush. We barely escaped with our lives."

She chuckled, flipping through the book with a well-practiced motion. There it was. Chapter Ten, her first appearance in the series. Her eyes skimmed over the text, the smile on her muzzle slowly broadening with each passing second. "Heh, good times."

And another sidelong glance, her smile twisting into a smirk. "You r'member what I did to ya? That was back when you were still usin' those goofy lookin' spellstaves and I-"

The mage twitched again, subconsciously folding his paws over his lap. Yes, there was a reason he had switched his focus to magic jewelry after the first war. The rings were more portable, for one thing. And for another, they couldn't be taken away in the middle of a fight, and used to thrash him.

"Yes," he grunted. "I remember."

Her smirk held steady, her eyes squarely on the fidgeting panther now. "And after that, when I-"

Rhaelyn twitched again, and both his ears skewed. Honestly, this was quickly moving in a direction he was entirely uncomfortable with. The mage was starting to feel like he was being set up. "What's your point, Veri?"

"So yeh, I think I'll read the book again." Veridia licked her lips, her voice both playful and threatening at the same time. "Maybe I'll hafta read that part to Raffina."

Rhaelyn frowned, his ears flicking bolt upright in alarm. "What? No, don't do that."

The canine offered a wolfish grin, her ears perked as she moved in for the kill. "Or Kira."

The mage sighed, a hand slapping to his forehead. How had he not seen this coming? "No, absolutely not. I-" He shifted, reaching toward the novel. "In fact, give that back. Right now."

Veridia grinned, holding the book aloft and out of the feline's reach. "Don't think so. It's mine now."

"No it's-" The panther huffed, surging to his feet as he snatched at the book again. The dogkin pushed to her feet as well, one hand setting against the feline's face as she held him at bay. "Stop that, just- I mean it, Veridia!"

"Ha, sorry Rhae, I've already made up my mind! I'm just gonna go get everyone together, and then it's story ti-"

"Veridia, don't you dare-!"

"Ack, hey! Rhaelyn, get off'a me! Stop-"

"I swear to the Gods, Veri, I'm- hold still! I just want-"

"What in the world are you guys DOING out here?"

Both of the beastkin froze, Veridia half-toppled to the ground and the panther clambered atop her as if she were a fallen tree. Two sets of eyes flicked toward the mage's tent, and Kira peered blearily back at them.

The gryphon yawned, her feathers rustling as she stretched out her wings. Ugh, she was so sleepy that she was clearly seeing things. She settled back onto her haunches, raising scaled fists to her face so she could rub the sleep out of her eyes. When she looked again, both Rhaelyn and Veridia were sitting near the fire, peering curiously in her direction.

Yes, that made more sense. She couldn't think of any rational reason why the panther - HER panther - would be climbing all over the warrior. She must have imagined-

'Well,' the little voice mused. 'Maybe they were flirting?'

Kira snorted, her talons absently raking at the dirt beneath her feet. "Shut up."

Veridia glanced sidelong at the panther, an ear skewed as she looked a little puzzled. "But we didn't say-"

The panther set a hand lightly to the canine's arm, shaking his head. "Don't. She, ah... it's just something she does. You get used to it."

'Hey,' the voice muttered darkly. 'We're standing right here!'

The gryphon grunted, bobbing her head in slight agreement. Irritating or not, her brain was right on that count. She padded across the campground, jabbing the startled panther with one talon. "Hey, I'm standing right here! Don't talk about me like I'm not!"

Her irritation was fleeting, though, and a smile quickly crept onto her beak as she spied the panther instinctively folding his hands over his lap. Oh yes, she had trained him well. Maybe a little TOO well. She was going to have to practice being less predictable.

Kira twisted about, flopping halfway across the panther's legs like an over-sized housecat. He wheezed a bit, rendered completely breathless by twenty stone worth of gryphon. "So, what are you guys doing?"

Veridia grinned, resisting the urge to reach over and pet the hen. Really, for all her innate ferocity, the beast really did act like a giant kitten most of the time. A giant kitten with claws like daggers, and a beak sharp enough to disembowel someone. The warrior approved.

"Oh, Rhae and I were just talkin' about-"

"Books," the panther managed to gasp. He squirmed a bit, managing to pry one of his arms from beneath the gryphon's bulk as he tried to make himself more comfortable. He liked Kira, especially when she was feeling cuddly, but he also liked being able to move. "We were, nf... just talking about books."

Kira stuck out her tongue, the pink tip just barely protruding from beneath her hooked beak. "Ugh, boring. Can we talk about something else, instead?"

Rhaelyn drew in a deep breath, smiling a bit at that. Yes, he would love to change the subject. Once again, whether she knew it or not, Kira had saved the day. "Of course we c-"

"Now hold on, Kira."

The panther's ear twitched, his eyes narrowed as he shot a withering glare in the dogkin's direction. Veridia ignored it.

The canine smirked, holding up the book that was still in her grasp. "I think you might actually like this one. It's got a lot t'do with the job we're on. 'Bout Cygna, and... other folks..."

The hen perked, her curiosity piqued. "Oh yeah?" And a pause, before she looked a little embarrassed. "Er... okay, but... I can't read."

'You can't?' The voice sounded incredulous, as if it somehow doubted this new revelation.

Kira blinked, her ears flicked back. Why in the world would her brain be confused by something like that? After all, it was her brain. If there was anyone who knew what she could and couldn't do, she hoped that her brain would be one of them.

'Oh for-' the voice muttered, a note of irritation creeping into its tone. 'Okay, I can fix this. Give me a few hours, and...'

"Don't worry Kira," Veridia grinned. The canine was entirely oblivious to the gryphon's internal dialogue, and continued as if uninterrupted. "I can read it for ya-"

Rhaelyn scowled, sighed, and threw his copy of A Gryphon's Tail at the infuriating husky. "No, Veri, I think you're going to be too busy for that. Right?"

Veridia laughed, uttering a playful yelp as the novel bounced off of her upraised arm. More than a little smug now, she reached down to retrieve it. Nothing was sweeter than a complete, decisive victory. "Yeh, guess yer right, Rhae. Rain check, Kira?"

"Sure, I-" the gryphon paused, her head lifting abruptly as she fixed one eye on the book. A forelimb shot outward, talons pinning the novel to the ground before the warrior could pick it up. "Hey, wait a second."

"Er, Kira..." Rhaelyn thought quickly, trying to come up with something to distract the hen. It was true that she was illiterate, but that didn't mean she was stupid. "I was thinking that it might be time to tell Veridia about, er, us-"

"Yeah yeah," the hen murmured dismissively. "Later. I just, uh-"

She glanced back at her own body, one wing stretching outward so she could study it. The colors were the same and the proportions were just about right. Now, she didn't spend a lot of time in front of mirrors, but...

Kira rapped one talon against the novel's cover, her brow furrowed. "Hey, is that supposed to be ME?"

"No, of course not!"

She eyed the panther now, peering up at him with open skepticism. He had answered far too quickly and far too eagerly, so she KNEW there was something going on. Her gaze flickered to one of the other books that had been spilled across the dirt near the fire.

Hm, no gryphon on that that one, or the next, or the next. But... there was a panther on most of them. And an oddly familiar canine on some. And a bow-wielding centaur. Something clicked into place in her head, but she had to be certain.

"Hold on, are these-?"

"Oh look at the time." Rhaelyn squirmed a bit more, working his way out from beneath the hen. "I should, ah, be getting to slee-"

Kira frowned, hooking a talon under the panther's belt to keep him from escaping. "No. Sit."

"W-... well, er..." the panther's ears skewed, but he didn't give up just yet. "I was thinking that you could come with me, and we could-?"

Ooh, that thought was appealing. The hen almost allowed herself to be sidetracked by the offer, but with a sudden shake of her head she managed to shrug off the obvious attempt at distraction. "No, wait, is that supposed to be ME on the cover-"

Veridia blinked, glanced down at the novel in her paw, and then quickly moved to hide it behind her back. She had snatched it away while the gryphon had been focusing on the panther. "Erm... no?"

"But Rhaelyn's on there too," Kira protested. "And Al!"

The panther set a hand to the gryphon's beak, his voice raised just enough to drown her out. "No, Kira, that's ridiculous. That's clearly a different centaur and a different panther. You're just tired and you're not making any sense-nf!"

"Shut up," Kira grumbled, grinding her knuckles against the feline's crotch. It hadn't been a particularly vicious punch, but it had been just hard enough to drop the panther to his knees. Maybe a little harder. She withdrew her hand, uncurling her talons before setting back to all-fours. "I'm not an idiot, Rhae. I want the truth."

Veridia cleared her throat, her eyes drifting from the irate gryphon to the coughing panther. Her free hand swiftly rose to conceal the smirk that was already on her muzzle, and she turned halfway about. So maybe the gryphon couldn't kick the panther, but she could certainly punch him. That was ONE mystery solved...

"Well," she murmured. "I think it's 'bout time I got out there to help Raff with guard duty."

"Wait," Kira chirped. She sprang over to block the canine's path, although she rather doubted her ability to keep the warrior against her will. "Veridia, uh-"

The husky smiled, an ear perked as she looked down at the much shorter hen. "Just Veri is fine, hun. Thought I told you that already."

"Right," Kira smiled. "Veri. Um, you wouldn't lie to me, would you?"

The warrior reached down to pat the hen lightly on the head, in a gesture that was both affectionate and patronizing. "Hun, I know where yer goin' with this. All I can say is that it ain't my place to tell you about this." And one ear twitched ever so slightly, the dogkin's smile broadening. "You're just gonna have to beat it out of Rhae."

"Excuse me!?"

Kira blinked, glancing back toward the panther. On his feet already? That was unusual. She was an experienced hand at gauging his recovery time, these days. Hell, she could practically set her watch by it - if she knew how to set a watch, or what a watch was. This, however, was far faster than she had ever seen him recuperate before.

Her eyes narrowed. Something was... off. This bore investigating.

"Okay," she chirped. "I'll do that."

The gryphon gestured dismissively with one taloned hand, and the canine happily made good her escape. Kira watched her leave, and once the hen was certain that she and the panther had the camp to themselves, she peered back toward the mage.

"So, Rhae." Her voice was a purr, and the gleam in her eyes promised held the promise of rainbows and sunshine. It was almost enough to make one forget that she was a finely honed killing machine. The wizard wasn't fooled for a second.

He edged away slowly. Slowly enough, he hoped, that she wouldn't notice. She did.

"Rhaaaae," she grinned. The gryphon loped over, quickly cutting off the panthers escape. He wasn't even limping now, she noted - or, er, no more than he usually limped. That was just his knee acting up, and not the familiar stumble of a freshly nutted beastkin. "Where are you going, Rhaelyn?"

The panther slowed, then sighed. His eyes flicked to the dark woods, and for the briefest second he considered making a run for it. But no, even on his best day his chances of outrunning the hen were almost non-existant. There was no point in resisting.

"Just, er, heading into my tent to lie down."

She grinned, her tail swaying behind her playfully. "Why? I didn't hit you THAT hard. That was just a love tap!"

Rhaelyn's whiskers twitched, his eyes widening ever so slightly as if he suddenly remembered that he was supposed to be hurt. He winced unconvincingly, and set one hand to his crotch. "Oh, ah... yes. Ow, Gods, my balls hurt. Goodness, its a wonder I can even walk."

Kira snorted, still grinning. That was just about the most eloquent agonized moaning that she had ever heard. Yes, there was definitely something going on. Something that didn't involve those books. Or, wait, maybe it did involve them? There was no telling, with magic.

The panther held his breath for a moment, his ears slowly folding back with each passing moment. The hen was just standing there now, watching him silently. He squirmed a little, but held his tongue. He certainly wasn't going to tell HER about the new addition to his magical arsenal. The enchanted codpiece had already proven effective - her blow had surprised and winded him, but the enchantment had spared him the gut-churning agony that normally followed.

Finally, she spoke again. There was an odd pep to her voice, but she seemed to believe him. "Okay! Well, I'll go with. Maybe I can help you feel better."

"Well..." the mage hesitated, briefly weighing his options. She had already hit him, so that meant she was more than likely to pleasure him next. That was the usual pattern. And the prospect of enjoying the hen's company in an unbruised state was an appealing one. "Of course, Kira. You're always welcome in my tent."

The hen's smile widened, her eyes gleaming. That gave the panther pause. It was probably meant to be a reassuring expression, but he suddenly felt like a mousekin being stalked by a hungry lion. Kira studied the male's face for a few seconds longer, then glanced pointedly toward his crotch.

"Good," she purred. The gryphon turned about, languidly strolling toward the tent - but she looked back again before reaching it. "Oh, and Rhaelyn?"

The feline peered after the gryphon, his ears perked. He was in the midst of shoveling books and bottles back into his pack. Even with the promise of nocturnal pleasures, there was no reason to leave his things scattered about in disarray. "Hm?"

Kira glanced down at the pack, her head slowly tilting to one side. "Bring those books with you. I want you to read me a story."

One ear went skewed and a protest welled up in the panther's throat. He bit it back, though, because the hen was already gone. He found himself entertaining the notion of ignoring the gryphon's request - but he quickly dismissed the thought. He rose back to his feet, the backpack dangling limply from one arm as he debated what course to take.

The mage sighed. Well, maybe he could distract her by getting her to punch him in the crotch again, instead. He was going to have to put the enchanted codpiece to the test sooner or later, so he might as well find out now if it was truely up to task. And if it made the hen forget about the books, even temporarily, then that was just a bonus.

He rubbed his muzzle, eyes closed to slits. Hell, maybe he'd still be able to get some enjoyment out of the evening. Hell, maybe if he played his cards just right, he'd actually get more pleasure than pain for once.

Kira reappeared, her head poking out from between the tent flaps. She seemed vaguely irritated at the delay. "Hey, Rhaelyn. You coming?"

And the panther smiled, hefting his pack with one arm. "Gods, I hope so."

Kira blinked, peering at the panther quizzically. It sounded like a joke, but she didn't get it. She waited for that little voice in her brain to explain it to her, but it was oddly silent for once. Well, at least that meant she'd get to enjoy a genuinely private moment with the panther. That was rare.

Rhaelyn chuckled, the slightest blush playing over his eartips as he strode toward the tent. "I, er... I mean, I'll be right there."

***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****

Elin roused, yawned, and then rolled halfway over onto her side. She was tired - almost ridiculously so. The lynx wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep, but there was something wrong with her bed. It was hard, and cold, and a thousand edges were digging into her soft body.

She opened one eye, half-expecting to find her bed filled with rocks or ice or something similar. It would hardly be the first time her sisters had played some absurd practical joke on her while she was sleeping. Honestly, it was one of the hundred or so reasons that she wanted her own room.

Her other eye twitched open as well, and the lynx abruptly sat up. This wasn't her bed at all! It was, uh...

"Whazza?" she murmured sleepily, absently plucking one of the objects from the ground. It was small and angular, and gleamed brightly in the dim light.

Elin's eyes suddenly snapped wide, her drowsiness evaporating like cobwebs caught in a fireball. This was- what, a diamond? It certainly looked like one, but she couldn't be sure. She had never actually seen one in person.

Both ears perked, and the lynx peered about more attentively. It was hardly the only gem in the pile. No, there were hundreds of others. Maybe thousands. And not just diamonds, either, but stones of every color she could imagine. There were rubies, emeralds, sapphires, opals, and still others that she could only guess at.

If this was a prank, she had to admit that it was a pretty good one.

She glanced toward her siblings' bunkbed, but it wasn't where it should have been. In fact, now that she was wide awake, she couldn't help but realize her own bed was missing as well. So were her shelves, her walls, and pretty much everything else she was expecting to see.

Elin was starting to suspect that this might not be her room.

The lynx glanced down to her own body, but it looked pretty much the way she remembered it. Gold fur, ample curves, and tight leather outfit. She was a bit mussed and unkempt, but she was more or less all there. She absently fished a few errant jewels from her cleavage, then sat up.

Memories slowly filtered back into her head in bits and pieces. She remembered working yesterday - or had it been yesterday? It might have been, but for some reason that didn't feel quite right. Yes, she had been working, and then her sisters had come to tell her something. Something important.

"Oh," she perked again. Casting her gaze about once more, she smiled as she spied the novel resting nearby. Eagerly snatching it back up, she gazed longingly at it for a moment. Yes, that was it. They had told her that Saga had put out a new book! And then she had rushed out to the bookstore, and-

No, that wasn't right. The bookstores had all been sold out, so she had-... wait, why was she wearing her Rogue Ensemble? That tugged at a few errant memories, but they remained frustratingly elusive.

She groaned, rubbing at her aching back. She almost felt as if she had been drinking, but she didn't have the headache that usually came with a hangover. No, she was just tired. Her body ached all over, but that could probably be blamed on the fact that she had been sleeping atop a pile of rocks. Pretty rocks, yes, but still rocks.

Okay, so maybe she had gotten drunk. It would certainly explain a few things. But then what? She had gotten drunk and then... she had broken into a gem vault, and decided to take a nap? Or maybe she had stolen a bunch of gems and hidden them somewhere? Or, uh, maybe she had drunkenly stumbled upon a hidden treasure, and it was now legitimately hers for the taking?

Ooh, she kind of liked the sound of that last theory. Maybe it was even true.

The fogs cleared a bit more, and the lynx frowned. No, wait, now she DID remember. She HAD crept into a place she shouldn't have. It was- ah! Yes, she had broken into a wizard's house, because... oh, right, because he had been such a jerk. She had gotten all dressed up, gone to an interview, and then-

Elin groaned anew, her one hand pressed to her muzzle. Oh, she had done something so incredibly stupid. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, when she had been upset, but now? No, in retrospect it seemed like the dumbest thing she could have possibly done. She must have gotten caught, and then the wizard had, uh, banished her? Trapped her in a realm of infinite gemstones for all eternity?

Well, that seemed a little harsh.

"Ah," a voice rumbled. "You're awake again."

The lynx squeaked softly, every hair on her body standing on end. It was a lot of fur, and it made her look like she had just been struck by lightning. Her first instinct was to freeze, so that's what she did. Her second instinct was to- well, there was no second instinct. There was only freezing. She didn't even breath.

The ocean of gems shifted, dozens of gleaming stones rippling and cascading to one side. Then it was hundreds. Then thousands. Elin dared to take a quick peek to either side, and she suddenly realized that the pile she was seated atop was just one of many. There had to be a million stones, each one perfectly cut and polished and absolutely worth more than anything she had ever owned.

A head rose from the sea of precious gemstones, and heat washed over her as if she had just stepped in front of an open kiln. It was a big head - perhaps not gargantuan, but certainly larger than that of anyone she knew. One eye, easily the size of her fist, fixed upon her. It was clear white and yellow, and slit vertically with a slash of pure black, and it was looking right at her.

"But is it you-you," the stranger rumbled curiously, its voice rattling the much smaller feline's bones. "Or is it the other you?"

"W- uh," Elin started, but she stopped. No, words weren't forming properly. She tried again. "Buh-"

That giant eye - far too large for the lynx's comfort, at least - closed halfway. It was still looking at her, but there was an odd glimmer now. Irritation? Hunger? Amusement? Elin really, really, really hoped it was that last one.

"Take your time," the voice murmured pleasantly. It was almost comforting, at least until it added: "But not too much time. She'll be back, soon."

"I'm, uh..." Elin squeaked again, her voice cracking. She scooted backward a foot or so, the precious stones tumbling and cascading beneath her as she almost toppled down one side of the treasure pile. A thousand more gems went tumbling about as that all-seeing eye pursued her, and if anything it was even CLOSER after the lynx gave up on her ill-conceived escape.

She swallowed hard, her large ears slicked out to the sides. "I'm me," she mumbled. "I'm, um, I'm Elin? And I, uh..."

The voice almost purred, a low rumble that seemed to fill the entire, cavernous chamber. "Yes?"

Elin practically whimpered, her gloved paws covering her eyes. This had to be a dream, or maybe a nightmare. If she tried hard enough, she just knew she'd be able to wake up again. "And I'd really like to go home, now."

The eye pulled back, and the head it was attached to rose. And rose. The thing pulled itself up and out of the ocean of gems for what seemed like an eternity, but couldn't have been more than ten seconds. Finally, the creature towered over the cowering beastkin, and Elin peeked from between her fingers at it.

It wasn't really THAT big, but it was certainly much, much larger than she was. And it was still terrifying. If anything, it was even more terrifying now that she could actually see it.

"Well, Elin," the dragon smiled. "Then we need to talk."