A Failure This Sickle Moon

[Anonymous]

Her company was quiet, she noted with a little surprise. Such an accomplishment for a two-legger. She wondered idly how long it had taken him to learn to step softly and overcome the two-legger tendency to announce his presence to any creature with half an ear.

The catbird, she noticed disdainfully, was far louder, and even distracting. She turned, giving it an acidic glare before returning to study the tree. Yes, the smell definitely was there. She reached out a hand to pull off a piece of bark, but thought better of it. After all, her employer was probably a tree-hugger, too.

"Why was your brother touching this tree?" she asked, not at all expecting him to know the answer. Still, it would disperse his healthy(and annoyingly visible) skepticism.

[Anonymous]

Eri lifted his head and carefully stepped around towards the tree, reaching out a hand and running his fingertips over some of the bark. "...Healing it, maybe, if it was damaged. Or maybe he just stopped here to take a rest. Wandering through the woods when you can't see is a little tricky, I'd imagine." He raised a brow at her. "I don't think the tree ate him, so is it really relevant why he stopped here?"

[Anonymous]

She glared at him angrily. Was there no such thing as a good, tolerant emplyer, in the Lady's name? "Yes, it does, since it means that he left his scent all over and anyone can find him now." With that, she trekked on, following her nose. Idiot employers.

[Anonymous]

"Most animals aren't dumb enough to go hunting a unicorn, you know," Eri growled, stalking after her just as silent as before. "A humans can't follow his scent; their noses aren't good enough." Though it didn't dawn on him that if a human with an animal leading the way found Aslah... Oh god, he didn't want to think about that... "I'm well aware that it's dangerous here; why do you think I'm in such a hurry to find him?"

[Anonymous]

You'd think. she smirked, but didn't say anything. Sure, most animals didn't go and hunt unicorns, but there were always one and two...As much as it would have pleased her to leave him in the dark, she succumbed to the temptation of putting Mr. Pony in his rightful place. Oooh...Mr. Pony was such an apt name for her employer. "Well, sir," she said, trying not to laugh, "There are always homunculi, and dogs. Or perhaps they don't have such things in your rural corner of the world." She just couldn't stop baiting him.

It took her a while to realize that she'd lost the scent and brought them into unfamiliar territory. Ooops...The trees were thicker here, and she barely had enough room to move. However, she was too proud to turn back, so she just kept on walking on. After all, not much could hurt a homunculus, especially one with fangs, claws, and intelligence.

[Anonymous]

(*DEAD OF GIGGLE* Mr. Pony... XD)

Poor Eri was no good at pretending things didn't bother him. In fact, he visibly ruffled up at that, looking rather distraught. If anything happened to his brother... No, no. If something had happened, he was almost certain he would know. Well, if Aslah had been killed, he'd definitely know. But probably not if he'd just been taken capture, or tortured or... or... Augh! He couldn't think about it!

Mesa squawked at the girl irritably, sensing his master's unease and knowing she was the cause of it. Eri gave a sigh and nudged the large bird-creature gently. "Go, Mesa. Take to the skies again and keep an eye out for him."

The griffen's ears flattened at first, displeased, but he turned around and retreated back the way they came to find an opening in the trees so that he could take flight again. Once he was gone, Erislan leveled his gaze on his 'leader' again. "You're certain you know what you're doing?"

[Anonymous]

The catbird squawked at her, and she felt the perverse urge to snap his head off. Literally, of course, and serve the rest of him with a casserole. But he belonged to Mr. Pony’s brother(Mr. Pony Two? Mr. Blind Pony?) and she had no intention of finding out what happened when one innocent creature…ahem…lost control of her temper and seriously maimed a slave, which later died of its injuries.

Aisling merely turned, favoring it with a sour glance that told him quite clearly to shut up. Or else.

Her employer seemed to be a bit doubtful of her skills, she thought with a small sniff. As though she had ever lost a trail before, conveniently forgetting that she just had. “Of course I know. I’ve tracked since I was a babe.� Now, Mr. Pony certainly deserved to get lost in some godforsaken woods, so if she just told herself that she was leading them purposefully into deeper forestland to teach her employer a lesson, then she might just convince herself.


And all the time she was entering deeper, darker woods.

[Anonymous]

Erislan's tail curled a little. Those words spoke Impending Doom to his ears. It didn't feel like they were getting any closer... Normally he had quite good Aslah-sense. Or, really, sense for any of his own kind nearby... And seeing as they were a long, long way from any of his towns, the chances of meeting any other Oena there were - well, not impossible, but highly improbable.

"Aslah wouldn't have come this way," he finally determined, halting his steps. "This part of the forest -- it's just getting deeper. He's smart enough not to venture this way." Bigger, meaner things tended to reside in the darker parts of the forest... Aslah knew that better than even he did.