[MOVED THREAD! Authors, in order of appearance: Damaged16, Small Wonder, and Anarchist]
Kyoko Kaishi was reaching the end of his rope. It was inhumane to have so much happiness thrown at him in such a short period of time! Well, served him right, though: He wasn't human. The ceylonese tree viper anthro was a sarcastic, antisocial being whose mere appearance even portrayed it. Yes, he was lithe and thin. He wore a long black leather jacket and because of that one could barely see his blue and teal scales (only on his hands when they were exposed and on his face).
"Heard about it in the bar," Kyoko Kaishi explained to his, sadly, extremely loyal sidekick... Who oddly enough seemed to be more like a cheerleader or fan of his. Kajioh was basically the snake anthro's total opposite.
Kyoko Kaishi found the entrance to the catacombs. It would be well hidden to most people, but Kyoko Kaishi deftly used his sensitive tongue to smell the air. No one had ever caught him doing such a thing, as he merely breathed in the air--nothing suspicious of such a common task.
He ducked his head as he entered and looked around. A long, winding path with many different cut offs and rooms. In all, a maze of rock.
"I heard this is where people who know magic come... Apparently the people of the city above aren't very fond of magic," he explained with a shrug.
Now, where to?
--
"It's kinda dark in there..." Kajioh said hesitantly, peering in the entrance way. Catboy or not, he was still very human, and the dark scared the bejeezers out of him, even if his luminous yellow eyes were well adapted to see well in the dark. But, he also had some very good reasons to fear deeply shadowed places...
He took a small step backwards and swallowed audibly. "S-so...we're goin' in there?" he asked quietly, black ears drooping and equally black tail hanging lifeless. Eek. He did not wanna go in there! It looked so...scary! Just the sight of it gave him the creeps! So much so, in fact, that he suddenly became aware that his claw-like fingernails were extended in his sudden tension. He quickly righted himself, and looked up tentatively at Kyoko Kaishi.
He had to be kidding! They'd get lost!
--
"Yes, Kitten, we're going in there." Ah! He'd just verbally referred to Kaji was "Kitten".. Well, he had to do it sooner or later. It was what Kaji was, nothing more. He was a cat. A kitten by nature, really.
It wasn't really that dark... Some light filtered through different cracks amongst the rocks walls from the surface, and in some areas that were being populated, there were torches.
"If you're scared of the dark, grab a torch." he said, tossing back his lighter to Kajioh as he walked along the cavern. His eyes adjusted perfectly fine. And, if he couldn't see.. He oddly enough knew if someone was near. Heat sensor? Perhaps. He didn't see things like snakes did by detecting heat, but when he couldn't see, it was as if he began to see like them.. He could feel and see things and smell them perfectly with his tongue.. it was strange.
--
Kajioh didn't seem to notice that Kyoko Kaishi was using the term "kitten" as an insult and not a term of indearment--which is what he took it for. And he was right...it wasn't all that dark, but it was dark enough! And scary enough, what with all those pathways. Very scary! At least to poor Kajioh, it was.
But...ack! Kyoko Kaishi was going in, and Kajioh didn't wanna be left out here all by himself! Besides, he went where Kyoko Kaishi went and--ow!
The lighter tossed to Kajioh hit him square in the chest. He hadn't seen Kyoko Kaishi throw it, as he'd been too busy worrying over the place they were soon to enter!
Rubbing the place the lighter had struck with one hand, he bent and scooped it up with the other and quickly scrambled after Kyoko Kaishi. He snagged a torch on the way, and, and lit it with the lighter, and kept very close to Kyoko Kaishi--and was careful not to get so close as to catch the snake anthro on fire!
--
Scarlett aimlessly walked arounf ther catacombs. 'wounderful.' she thought angrily to herself. 'of all the places to go exploring you had to choose the place you would get lost in.' She glance at the quivering light that was emitted from the palm of her hand.
"Don't you dare " she said dangerously to the light as it guttered and died. She sighed, she had been walking around for who knows how long, she was drained up. She sat down in the dark and stretched her legs out, staring at the wall that she knew was jaust a few feet away even though she couldn't see it.
'i'll look for a way out i the morning...night...wahatever...' she drifted into sleep...
--
Chardonnay was walking down a corridor in the catacombs under Connlaoth when he heard the voices. He didn't recognize any of them, the first one sounded confident, the second one sounded scared and the third one just sounded angry. And they didn't sound too distant, they were probably just a corridor away. He pressed against the coarse stone of the wall, sliding to a sitting position and keeping a wary eye on the entrance to his corridor. Who could they be? Soldiers? Refugees? Wanderers? Something else?
Chardonnay really hated checking out those people that found themselves in the catacombs. Maybe they would just happen to walk down this corridor? Maybe, he inched a little closer to the mouth of his corridor. If they went in another direction then maybe Merlot would find them. That would be good, then he wouldn't have to potentially deal with them. That wouldn't be too bad in itself... He scooted a little closer to the mouth and waited.
--
After what seemed like 2 minuets of sleep Scarlet opened her still tired eyes. Scartlet let out a moan and stiffly climed to her feet.
The only place in the world thats this dark and i have to get lost in it. Fabulous!
Scarlet let let a small beam of light from her hand to eluminate the darkness that was every where. One hand on the wall she stumbled on again...
--
"K-Kyoko Kaishi...I hear voices..." Kajioh whispered from beside Kyoko Kaishi, looking up at the snake anthro with yellow eyes that were eerily luminous as they reflected the faint light. "Who...who d'you think they are? D'you know anything about this place, huh? Where is this, anyway?" Kyoko Kaishi hadn't really told him anything! What if there were monsters down here...? Hairy monsters just waiting to--!
"AHHH!" Kajioh squealed in fright as another pair of glowing, beady eyes met his, and he lunged at Kyoko Kaishi and successfully managed to wrap his limbs around his protector, clinging to him for dear life. "AHHH! D'you see it, d'you see it!? Kill it, Kyoko Kaishi!!! Hurry before it eats us!!! Hurry! Quick! AHHHH! It's coming our way! It's gonna bite us and turn us into werewol--!"
With a small squeak as the light from the torch illuminated its dark crevace, the rat turned and fled down a random tunnel. Kajioh blinked. "Oh...heh heh...a rat. I knew that. Darn rat! Scaring us like...OOO! A RAT!"
Quickly disentangling himself from Kyoko Kaishi, Kajioh dove down the tunnel after the rat, all previous fears forgotten as he went from scaredy cat mode to stalk mode.
Until he collided with something much bigger than a rat at the head of the corridor...something that was not a wall by the fleshy feel of it...
--
Kyoko Kaishi rolled his eyes as Kajioh started to panic. Of course, Kyoko Kaishi had known it was not anything that could cause them harm by it's scent, the sounds and that eerie second vision he tended to be struck with when it total darkness. Though, aside from the rat, Kyoko Kaishi did know there were others down here--which he expected--and was not bothered by any of it.
Lighting a torch as he walked on, Kajioh racing ahead, Kyoko Kaishi proceeded to light other torches hanging from the walls as he went on and, as he passed Kajioh (after Kaji bumped into someone), he merely grabbed the kitten by the collar of his jacket and continued on walking, almost dragging Kajioh with him.
"Get a hold of yourself," he said in a level voice. "If I have to remind you what happened last time, you can work on your own from now on." He said. He could stand Kajioh's overexcited behaviour, but when he constantly made them stick out in any type of environment... Well it wasn't Kyoko Kaishi's style! He preferred to be a shadow until he felt he needed to stand up and be heard. Now was nott he time. He needed to get a lay ofthings down here, then teach Kajioh what needed to be taught.
--
"Ow," Chardonnay groaned reflexively after being run into by...whatever it was that ran into him. He tried to fight the urge to squeak and pressed his lips together. Then came a person with a torch, who thankfully didn't appear to notice him and drew the other away.
Not being seen made his confidence flicker up like the light from the passing torches the man in the black coat lit as he passed. Chardonnay rose to his feet and squinted, keeping his eyes on the duo. Once they were a good distance from him, a smirk danced up the man's face and he slipped after them. Keeping to the shadows and moving slowly so he wouldn't upset any rocks or rats or whatever and give off his position.
--
"Ow! Okay! Sorry! I won't do it again, I promise! I don't wanna work on my own! I can't, I--ahhh! So many rats!" At the sight of the rats skittering away from the torchlight, he squirmed in Kyoko Kaishi's grip, eager to "hunt", though his struggles were useless. Finally, he gave up, and allowed himself to be dragged along.
"Sooo...where we goin'? Are we there yet? When we gonna be there? What're we lookin' for? Do you know? Are we...?"
Poor, poor Kyoko Kaishi.
--
Kyoko Kaishi had released his grip on Kajioh when he said he'd behave. He continued to walk through the cave, glancing at the chambers and such as he passed them.
"We're going to find a place to stay so I can teach you how to survive," Kyoko Kaishi said, finally stopping and checking one of the chambers. Seemed as good of a place as any, but Kyoko Kaishi had been looking for one closer to the surface and preferably with a crack or two for sunlight. He was cold blooded after all!
He lit a few torches about the rather large "room" and noticed there was a narrow crack at the wall of the cavern that filtered in light from outside but not so much as to provide a window for people from above to see.
"Follow somebody else," Kyoko Kaishi said, not even glancing back to Chardonnay. He had... smelt her. Not with his nose, but rather with his tongue. He didn't have to stick his tongue out to gain a scent, hell he doubted Kajioh even knew he had a forked tongue! He just had to breathe through his mouth to gain the stronger scent.
--
Kajioh stumbled slightly when he was finally released, but regained his footing and continued jogging after Kyoko Kaishi like the fawning kitten he was. However, he stopped suddenly when Kyoko Kaishi spoke, his black ears perking at his words for a moment, and then drooping suddenly. Teach him how to survive...? Well...that sounded all well and good, since Kajioh had zero survival skills--after all, he'd been a domestic cat--but there was something else that worried Kajioh.
Wait...maybe that meant that...
With a small squeak of alarm, he rushed into the room after Kyoko Kaishi and nearly threw himself at the snake anthro. "Waitaminute! Ya don't mean you're gonna leave me after you teach me, d'ya!? You can't do that! What'd I do!? Where'd I go!? I'd be all alone!" Kajioh cried, arms wrapped around Kyoko Kaishi's neck as he clung to his companion for dear life, it seemed.
Eek! He didn't wanna be alone! Kyoko Kaishi wouldn't ditch him, would he!?
--
Kyoko Kaishi had heard those ominous steps as Kajioh ran at Kyoko Kaishi and, before Kyoko Kaishi could duck or get out of the way, the kitten had a firm grip on him and they both went tumbling to the ground.
Kajioh was a fan girl.
"Gerroff me!" Kyoko Kaishi yelled in a tone that was much less endearing than Kajioh's. Kyoko Kaishi and Kajioh were getting completely different things out of this relationship--if one could even call it that.
Kyoko Kaishi tried to pry Kajioh's arms off his neck, but the kitten had a rather good grip and, for the position they'd fallen in, Kyoko Kaishi was in no place to overpower the kitten and get up.
"I'm not going to leave you--not unless you pull a stunt like the one you did in that village!" Kyoko Kaishi said, annoyed. "Get yourself together and get off me!"
If the kitten had ruined his jacket, that'd be it. So, Kyoko Kaishi would abandon Kajioh if he got them into a horrible mess (and made them slaves) or ruined Kyoko Kaishi's leather jacket. There wasn't much room for error! Kajioh had to calm down!
--
Whoops, Kajioh hadn't exactly meant to topple them both over...oh well!
"I won't! I'll be good, really! Won't do that ever again! Cross my heart!" Kajioh promised quickly, relief flooding his voice. Whew! Kyoko Kaishi wasn't gonna ditch him, after all! He'd been really worried about that...
Contented, he gave Kyoko Kaishi one last squeeze--this one more affectionate and less clingy--and hopped off his companion to stand nearby, watching him.
Whew...well...now that they got that covered...
"So! Whatcha gonna teach me?" he asked excitedly, all previous traces of fear gone and replaced with excited expectation. Kajioh really was a simply little guy...
--
Kyoko Kaishi was quick to get up and dust himself off. He'd have to work on teaching Kajioh not to lunge at him! Especially when it involved a hug. If he was going to jump, better to put Kyoko Kaishi out of his misery and just kill him.
Kyoko Kaishi found a completely luminated room, two torches the walls and decided this was as good of a place as any to make their temporary home, at least until they figured out where to go from there.
"Aside from that fact that you need to learn to keep your mouth shut," he said.mostly referring to Kajioh's ambitious attempts to free a slave, and ended up getting them into being slaves! "You have to learn how to defend yourself."
Kyoko Kaishi was definately not going to be doing that for Kajioh! Kajioh had to learn to fight his own battles. Kyoko Kaishi also thought he might teach the kitten how to steal, or at least how to pick-pocket, so he could survive on his own.
--
You know what they say about my type of people? They call us monsters and abominations. Are we abominations? Are you sideshow freaks that people would pay to see? I don’t think anyone would waste money to see me. Maybe to see my death at the hands of the normal folk, wouldn’t that be amusing for them? I just wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of that. Of watching the hunter, die, though I don’t think I could be killed so easily. I am immortal. Or so I think. I can cast spells and more spells to save myself. Its what I do. Its what I have always done. I use my magic to win my battles. Though I would never choose magic over a nice hand-to-hand battle. Its how I’ve gotten where I have gotten. I’m like the Amazonian warriors only they would think we to far dishonorable to be apart of them. But does it really matter? Who gives a rat’s ass? Not I. I’m apart of no one much less some group of females. I’m a stealthy huntress always out to make a kill. That’s how I work. Its what I do. I wait for someone to speak to me in that old forbidden tongue… then I remove his or her tongue. Its how I work.
Vera had found her way in to the catacombs. How she would never be sure. But she was quite interested in the darkness that surrounded her bubble of light. She was stalking. What she of course wasn’t sure. Only that she knew it was two males. One seemed to be the master of the other. And the other by the smell was a kitten anthro. Oh so curious of her newly found pray. She followed them for a bit before another found his way in to the picture. Her black tipped tail twitched as she observed the other follow. She figured he would be made soon. Oh… sooner then she thought. She merely gave an amused smile as she leaned against the frame of the wall. She would go unnoticed for a bit. She was down breeze and a nice invisibility spell casted. As they spoke, she stepped forward. The spell retreated and she faded in to sight.
“Yes. You never know who is lurking about… It would be a shame if you were caught alone.�
--
Kyoko Kaishi could smell Vera before he saw her. He stood there, looking at her. My, what was it about people feeling an undeniable need to jump into his life. Given, he'd found Kajioh and had helped him, but Kaji had since followed Kyoko Kaishi like a loyal pet.
Kajioh wasn't exactly a kitten, though one wouldn't know it from the way he acted. Kajioh was tall, old enough to walk as an adult but his enthusiasm and energy made him the perfect playmate for any child--which was, as Kyoko Kaishi had yet to learn, what he had been doing before he went solo, then leeched onto Kyoko Kaishi.
Something about the way Vera appeared, without Kyoko Kaishi being able to at least pick up her scent or see her through the darkness, was suspicious. Kyoko Kaishi could always at least smell what was around him. The forked tongue he was careful to keep hidden behind his teeth--one he doubted even Kajioh had ever seen--had a better sense of smell than virtually anything. It could pick things up quick.
However, the fact that Vera was an anthro proved to be some kind of relief. For reasons all his own, Kyoko Kaishi trusted other anthros more than he'd ever trust any human. Anthros, at least from his time, had been reduced to slaves or were on the run from the law.
--
Kajioh jumped in surprise when another anthro suddenly appeared out of nowhere and, jumpy as usual, Kajioh leaped behind Kyoko Kaishi for protection. After all, from Kajioh's experience, other anthros had in the past been pretty mean to him...domesticated anthros did not fit in well with those who had been living on the street and dodging their persecutors for ages.
Indeed, Kajioh was far from a child--he was sixteen years old and stood at around five foot eight. But domestication had impeded his growth and left him suspended in a kitten-like mindset.
He'd been raised to be a pet, toy, and bauble. It wasn't really his fault!
Flicking his black tail nervously, he peered around Kyoko Kaishi at the new anthro with big yellow eyes, shyly yet curiously. "Who's that?" he asked Kyoko Kaishi, tugging on his sleeve. As though he'd know. But, hey, Kyoko Kaishi was knowledgeable in everything else, so it wouldn't be surprising!
--
You know what is so fun about life? Of course, its the little games you can play. Take for example me. I'm 150 years old, a master level mage. And what do I do in my spare time? I toy with world. Some could say its naughty. But I've never really considered myself nice. Games keep the world turning, keep the world laughing, they keep the world amused. And I do adore my little games. I wouldn't call it terrorizing. Because that would be cruel. Just merely... tormenting with a smile.
But my games go far beyond just simple tormenting. Mind inflict fear, hate and agony. Fear for those that feel they might be nexted. Hate for those that can't understand. And agony. Agony for those left behind. I believe the fear is the worst of the three fates I produce. Agony fades away after time. Hate fuels the fire and for the most part just gives you an ulcer. But fear... ah... Fear eats away at you. Day by day, taking pieces of your freedom, your mind... your soul. I cause fear. My games are really games of terror. But I suppose, as long as I am not on the receiving end, its just a game to me.
These two amused her. The kitten, though he not actually one, was her target. She wasn't planning on hurting him. Just scare him a bit. It amused her to watch him bound behind the reptilian and through body langauge beg to be saved and protected. She imagined that he had been kept as a slave or toy for a human kid. The other did little for her. The feline made a slow trail towards the duo, slowly fading in to tongues swirls of black smoke. She roamed about the room for a moment before reappearing as she laid her long slender fingers upon the other feline's shoulders. She leaned over his shoulder to peer at his profile. Her voice was soft and almost playful as she spoke. "I'm me, silly." Brow tipped upwards as she tilted her head a bit more. "Why are you asking him who I am? I don't think he has the answer to that." She leaned back to stand erect, fingers linked behind her back as she moved toward the reptilian. "And as I know you don't have the answer to that. I'm Vera Lang. A... wanderer... of sorts." A catlike smile crept on to her looks. The usual "I know something you don't know" ex-pression poised on her white and pink features. Her long pink spotted tail twitched and tuffed ears tilted with each sound from outside the cave room. She was sure the other two were somewhere close. She had found it easy to follow them around. They were far from silent and not the greatest of observers. "You know there were two others behind you? Talentless in the tailing department. I'm surprised you didn't make them sooner." That seemed like a conversation started. Good one, Vera. Go with that.
--
Kyoko Kaishi grew bored quickly with Vera's little game. What she found amusing--flaunting her perceived talents, playing her little game--was truly unnecessary. Oh, the talent of toying with the kitten! Anyone could send Kajioh up the wall... Vera's game was one anyone could play, well... Had Kyoko Kaishi not been with Kajioh, then anyone could play. But with Kyoko Kaish around, it was a different story.
"Knock it off," he scoffed with an impatient look. If Vera wanted to look superior she should have picked a better duo to play with.
"I could care less who is following us, actually." Kyoko Kaishi replied without much interest. "The point about these caves is that those down here are here for the same purpose."
He glanced at Kajioh quickly before looking back at Vera. However snappy he was, and antisocial, he wasn't completely rude. She had given her name, he'd give their's.
"That's Kajioh," he said, nodding his head to the kitten. "I'm Kyoko Kaishi." He added.
--
Well, Vera certainly got her wish. Kajioh was positively shaking with fright, black tail bristling and ears flattening against his head as Vera walked slowly toward them...and turned to smoke as she did so, so that before long, Kajioh was unable to see her in the darkness! With a yelp, he huddled closer to Kyoko Kaishi, yellow eyes darting about the room as he looked for her, whimpering softly. How was she able to do that!? How was she able toâ€"what was she doing!? What was she gonna do? What wasâ€"
A hand was suddenly laid on his shoulder, and someone leaned over him to speak softly to him. For a moment, Kajioh was deathly silent and still, save for the icey chill that was slowly working its way up his spine, his heart seeming to stop...
And in the next moment it was a great effort on Kajioh's part not to accidentally maul Kyoko Kaishi as he wildly twisted out of the other anthro's grasp and scrambled around to his protector's front, once again putting Kyoko Kaishi between he and Vera. At this point, he was freaked, quite frankly, beyond words, and it felt like every hair on his body was standing on end. "K-Kyoko..."
Oh, wait...Kyoko Kaishi was telling her to stop! YAY! Relief began working its way through his thin body at his words...
--
The very example as to why Kyoko Kaishi had decided the kitten mustbe taught how to live independently. He let strangers get the upper hand so quickly and without thought. That had to change.
However odd it was that Vera had vanished, Kyoko Kaishi was not quite surprised about anything in this world. It seemed that the abnormal was quite normal and the normal were left in the dust.
[Transfer: COMPLETE! Resume posting! XD]
