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Well, we're kinda at a moment where we both are interacting with just each other, but Ana still hasn't posted in a while, so....probably.

OOC: blech...sorry for not posting in a while; I've had even less spare time than usual lately. I can't guarentee that I'll be able to post regular any time soon, but I'll try to post when I can. Anyways, glad to see that y'all have your muses! (Oh, and thanks for pausing, Moki)

Bic:
Daylight slowly filterted through the tree canopy in watery beams by the time Lyllii woke, prodded gently from a light slumber by a tendril of wind. The youthful nymph slowly stretched her long limbs before rubbing them slightly, willing warmth sapped by the morning dew to return. She blinked her dark eyes twice reflexively.

'It must still be early; morning mist hasn't lifted yet.'

Gingerly the wood nymph groped for her staff before rising and treking back to the cave where the others sheltered for the night. Leaves and remnents of her mossy bed still clung to her hair, but Lyllii didn't bother removing them. A moment later, she spotted Sespyn, still crosslegged on his boulder perch near the mouth of the cave. Light music wafted through the still early-morning air.

Sespyn glanced up when he noticed Lyllii's approach, removing the wooden recorder from his lips and resting it on his lap. "Glad to see you awake," he called softly once she was in earshot.

"Thanks, I think," Lyllii replied good-naturedly. "Are any of the others awake yet?"

Sespyn nodded slightly. "Kasha and Aaron went to hunt," -he indicated the direction with a slight tilt of his neck- "though, I'm guessing Maiya's still sleeping."

"Ah," Lyllii shrugged uncomfortably. Up close, she noticed the dark circles forming underneath her companion's lighter hued eyes. Guilt clawed at her; he'd been awake nearly the entire night alone. "Do you want to rest? I'll wait for them."

Sespyn shook his head slowly. "You all needed the rest more than I did; besides, I need to readjust to this sort of thing. Though, if you don't mind..."

Lyllii sighed. "You want fish, don't you? Fine, I'll wait here, though you might want to scrub that pot of yours."



Sespyn slowly followed the stream, taking care not to disturb any of his surroundings more than neccissary; he wasn't certain how far Kasha or Aaron had strayed into the woods and didn't want to risk spoiling their hunting. Finally, he came to a deeper section of the small river -deep enough for fish other than a small school of minnows. He hastily untied a long leather thong from around his staff, grasped it in his dominant hand, and lowered it into what would be numbing-temperatured waters for most creatures. He secretly hoped for trout, but any fish would do so long as it wasn't catfish...

Aaron, getting up quickly in order to catch up to Kasha, sighed visibly with relief. "I'm glad to know I'm not the only one," he said sincerely, shooting the faintest of smiles across his lips. He was afraid to act as happy about it as he actually felt... Kasha may feel a different way, or she may feel exactly the same way as he did about this matter. Either way, having this in common was only reassurance that he wasn't alone. It didn't change much except his confidence.

When Kasha reminded him it was best to be silent, he nodded. When she stopped, he did as well. He looked in front of them, attempting to use the eyes of his dragon side in order to see better. It seemed to work (he had tried it only a few times in the past before), and he noticed a small rabbit in the distance. Almost positive Kasha's eyes were as advanced as his, he turned his head to her in a noticeable yet non-disturbing to the environment movement. His eyes flitted to where the rabbit was, and he picked up two fingers, pointing towards himself, then around the right side of the rabbit. He then pointed to her spear, in which he made a throwing motion. He topped this off with a tilt to a head, ultimately signaling that his plan was to move around the rabbit, run after it and allow Kasha to corner it, then Kasha could kill it. The tilt of the head was just a confirmation.

Kasha was very familiar with this form of communcation, and immediately deciphered the cryptic hand motions and gestures. She nodded, the dip of her head a confirmation that she had understood; with that, she moved steathily forward, into a place where she could more easily land a killing blow.

-----

Maiya squinted, a gentle ray of sunlight landing on her closed eyelids, rousing her from her rejuvinating slumber. She stirred, mumbling something incoherent as she sat up, letting out a huge yawn. She blinked her blue eyes groggily, still struggling to shake off the heavy blanket of sleep. Both Kasha and Aaron were gone, as well as Sespyn. For a moment, her heart seemed to skip a beat, a horrible thought that they might have abandoned her suddenly burning in her mind. Then she picked out Lylli's form, and let out a small sigh of relief.

The elf glanced outside; it was still fairly early, judging by the dew drops on the grass outside. She hadn't slept in too long. She propped herself up in a more upright position. "Morning," she greeted with a smile, glancing at Lyllii.

Aaron went into action cautiously, going in the opposite direction of Kasha as slowly as he possibly could. Aaron had never been the type to have incredibly heavy foot falls, though he still wanted to be careful that he didn't make too much noise. When he finally got on the opposite end of the area where Kasha was hiding, Aaron moved in between a few trees in order to keep himself concealed. He let a few more seconds pass as he eyed the rabbit's movement before letting out a low, reptilian hiss. As he saw the rabbit's ears dart upward, he moved a bit to his right, making the low hissing noise again so as to confuse the rabbit to his whereabouts. Finally, after doing this once more a little to the left, he returned to his original location.

Sprinting at top speed out of the bushes, Aaron managed to cut off the rabbit as it began to dart in all different directions. Without his dragon-like flight practiced feet, he probably would not have been able to catch up nearly as well, but since he was well versed in the act of flying, on the ground it may have been a bit different, but the concepts remained the same. Making a quick right side-step, he cut off the rabbit's pathway for escape into the trees behind himself. With a look of fright, the small creature fled in the opposite direction, making a b-line for Kasha.

"Sorry if I startled you," Maiya said a bit sheepishly. "And I would love to help!" she continued with a good-natured smile.

-----

Kasha's catlike reflexes easily kept up with the rabbit's rapid movements. Deftly twisting her staff, she hit it somewhere along it's spine with her sturdy staff. The small animal fell to the ground, stunned. Pulling the knife out of its hidden sheath, she ended the creatures life quickly, slitting the throat. Putting the knife back away, she picked up the rabbit in one hand, grinning at Aaron.

OOC: Okay! The Plot/Rules is officially updated! Feel free to check it out (...and let me know what you think of it )

Bic:
Lyllii visibly relaxed when she saw Maiya's easy-going smile and returned it with a relaxed grin of her own. "Great! The stream is... That way!" the hyper-active chuckled before grabbing the pot, holding it over her head like a bizarre trophy, before skipping slightly ahead of the young elf.


A short while later, two more fish lay on the bank next to Sespyn, in a similar manner as the first. Not bad fishing. He then retied the leather thong around his staff, grabbed the fish by their tails in one hand and his staff in the other, and began to head back towards the cave where everyone was camped. A light breeze teased his cheek along the way, and the dappled sunlight that peeked through the leafy canopy beat down on his dark head. Yes, it certainly was a peaceful morning.

Aaron, grinning with satisfaction despite himself, joined Kasha promptly, bumping her shoulder gently. "You know, you and I make a pretty good team." With a short laugh, he walked a few steps forward, turned back to her and said, "Want to try out luck again?" His eyes darted towards the area in front of the two, in which there were several other rabbits, followed by a strangely odd sight: a tiny herd of deer. "Seems the game has changed," he remarked, bending down so as not to be seen so easily by the deer. He could hear their breathing, even somewhat hear the pulse of their veins. It should have sickened someone else, but he was quite used to it by now. He turned back towards Kasha again, awaiting her confirmation or disapproval.

Kasha momentarily wondered how they were going to keep all this meat. Then she decided it didn't matter, giving Aaron a small nod of confirmation. The deer it was. The anthro moved slowly forward, careful to stay downwind as she slunk closer, feline form hugging the leaf-strewn ground. Her dagger was still held out in a ready position, but Kasha also found her claws unsheathing as the familiar rush of a hunt swept over her, pumping adrenaline through her veins as her heart beat loudly in her ears.

Kasha glanced back at the were dragon, and gestured for him to move forward and startle the deer. Amidst the panic, the weak ones would become obvious and easy to pick off. As it was, Kasha's keen eyes could make out a young buck with a wounded leg; it was amazing he had lasted this long. Still though, a scattered herd would be easier to deal with, and Kasha's firm muscles and endurance wouldn't make it too much of a challenge to chase one down.


~~~~

Maiya gave another easy smile as a light-hearted laugh slipped out, brought on by Lyllii's almost hyperactive actions. Upon reaching the stream, Maiya took the pot from the nymph, setting it gently on the ground. "It's easier to clean this way," she explained. Focusing her energy in that familiar, almost instinctual way, the elf manipulated the water, a small orb of the clear liquid splashing down inside the pot. Moving her hands slightly as the water moved, Maiya made the water rise and fall in waves, scrubbing the inside of the pot in a surprisingly effective manner.

She glanced at Lyllii, a mischevious glint in her blue eyes. "Of course, this also works great in water fights," the elf announced, almost suggestively.

Lyllii gave a small noise of mild protest when Maiya took the pot from her, but didn't bother to reclaim it.

"It's easier to clean this way," Maiya explained.

The nymph then kneeled next to the elf instead, observing Maiya's movements with fastination. Before her eyes the baked on bits of herbal leaves, jerky, and grease disolved under the elf's touch better than if Lyllii had used soap or a rock or stick as a makeshift scraper for the task.

"Huh. Too bad I can't learn that trick -though you should show it to Sespyn sometime though," Lyllii commented.

"Of course, this also works great in water fights," the elf announced, almost suggestively.

Lyllii blinked slowly, not quite sure she heard Maiya correctly; being around people who were actually friendly at face-value was still something she needed to adjust to. "Wait, are you proposing a water fight?" Lyllii replied, almost choking on her bewildered laughter.

OOC: Sorry it's taken me so long to reply...hectic schedule and all that usual "fun stuff" blah blah.

Bic:
A wicked gleam shown in Lyllii's dark eyes. In response to Maiya's suggestion, her ever-pressent staff morphed roughly into the shape of a large paddle. Wielding her new improvised weapon, the nymph quickly dug the tip of the oar's blade into the stream, dragging it in a sweeping motion starting from behind and begining to curve in front of her person before removing the blade. She laughed full out at the sight of her artifitial tidal wave approaching the seemingly defenseless girl across from her -even though she fully suspected the elf would evade the attack.

OOC: Paused for Moki Hunter