Animation Source Forums

(( Really sorry about the absence; I've been severely ill, but now I can get back to work. ))

Anayu had remained quiet for a while after the last conversation with Akari, mentally going through all that had happened since last evening. She had never been a big believer in destiny, but this did seem very convenient - very much so, infact, that she almost believed they hadn't met by coincidence at all.
As the group seemed to prepare to move, she began packing her supplies again. There wasn't much left; two more bottles of water, five-six slices of dry bread and some fruit.

Well, it was time for her to lead the group through the alternate route. She wasn't really looking forward to it, but they were still a bit away from where they had to leave the road. Not that there would be any issues with getting there; few people took that route, mostly because it is longer. And the mountains to the north weren't hosts to many hikers either, as far as she knew.

Without doing much else, she closed the bag and hung it over her shoulder before taking a hold of her staff. rising up.
"Right... let's get going." she said.

And she walked, not really "in the lead", but still a little up-front.
Anayu did notice that someone was trailing behind them shortly after, but Cyrus calling out settled her mind.



(( Boring post. *yawn* Not much for Anayu to do at the moment. ))

(Agreed. Not a whole lot any of us can do at the moment, really, except walk/run/jog. I guess we'll try to fill in the void as much as possible until we come across Oden. Great to hear that you're back, Lux!)

Akari took up the lead of the group. He had a decent sense of direction, but it didn't take such a sense to tell how to get to Desdon, especially knowing the river next to them was the thing they had to follow. As the group of them walked, Akari picked up a soft conversation going on between Sissmuth and Cyrus, in the back of the group. As curious as Akari was as to what exactly they were talking about, he couldn't make out any of the words that had been said. Besides, his better senses told him, it's probably best if you don't intrude. It sounds like it's something personal, judging by their tone of voice.

Akari agreed, and pressed on, looking back, accounting for the group, taking a glance at Anayu for a reason unknown even to himself, and then looked forward, again. "Achtigrr..." ["Focus..."] he told himself. If his mind was in any way doing what he semi-consciously thought he might be doing, he wanted to at least wait for this whole ordeal to be over with before he pursued it. Now was not the time.

"Right," Anayu began, pushing her staff to the ground as she walked for no apparent reason. "We'll be heading this way for... two hours, maybe three - then we'll cut off to the other path."
Took a quick glance around herself, resting for a moment on the two behind the group before spending a few seconds at each group member. It took a little time for her to count them all.
'One fox,' she thought. 'One raccoon, a lizard... and a handso-'
The dhole interrupted her trail of thoughts quickly. After a moment's quiet contemplation, she finally decided that it must have been a worse-than-usual breakfast which was becoming an annoyance of hers.
"And..."
She then glanced skywards.
"Well - when we're taking that second route, we need to be a bit vary of thugs. When I was spending a...reasonable amount of time on it, I noticed that it is sometimes used by pillagers and savages seeking to reach the mountain without being spotted by others. They might be dangerous, I don't know - but we ought to be ready."

That said, Anayu finally felt content, albeit a little uncomfortable. There were too many anthros around her; she always felt uncomfortable when in groups that held more than two.

As she walked, still poking the ground with her staff, she kept asking herself why she had been stupid enough to offer to help the group through a supposedly safer passage. Then again, if their story is true it might still be safer than taking the mainpath, for their prey would certainly expect to be followed.

Rusty silently trekked with the group; everyone else had pulled away a bit to have what seemed to have started as small talk, but Rusty didn’t have anything to bring either table. It didn’t bother him though; he was just as content listening or enjoying his surrounding as participating in a conversation. Maybe even preferred it.

Already in nature’s grasp, getting farther away from civilization, Rusty could find many points of interest just looking off from the dirt road. With Anayu leading, the path they were taking forked from the road and became a faint walking trail not fit for any sort of motorized vehicle. The grass had a close hold on the trail and the trees seem to have moved in, creating a thickening wall until it was impossible to see the original road.

Despite the intentions behind the making this journey to Desdon, and an almost wicked though that hung at the back of Rusty’s mind of how miserable he wanted to make the thieves feel, and Anayu’s warning of the path they where taking, which made sense seeing how dark one could assume this area could get, Rusty was pretty much at ease with enough things to keep him interested just at his feet.

(Sorry to hear you were sick, glad to hear you’re better! Welcome back Lux! )

The enraptured look on Cyrus’s face could not be hidden; his immediate and sudden attachment to Sissmuth emanated everywhere in his countenance. He was thrilled to see they had much in common from an intellectual standpoint, and that Sissmuth was willing to share his history with him despite obvious hesitations to reveal himself to anyone.

“Very true.” he said with a smile. “You couldn’t put it more accurately, at least how I see it. I totally agree with you.” Cyrus was excited now, relishing in the philosophical discussion and speaking with a more unrestrained enthusiasm and confidence. “It’s extremely difficult, if not impossible, to understand much at all about how fate weaves us together, but it seems a worthwhile pursuit to understand the idea that it does, and why. It is not often at all that you know where you are in life, or where you’re going. Everyone knows where they’ve been, but it is a less common occurrence to know where you are, and we should cherish and use that knowledge when it turns up.”

Cyrus noticed he was ranting, as he tended to do whenever philosophy or magic was the subject, and quickly redirected his topic before he went astray into something unrelated.

He looked at Sissmuth. “Though I have extremely high hopes, I have no idea if you will find your brother, or how, but I can see that you’re at least on the right path, because as you said, sometimes we have to be lost to find out where we’re going. You’ll find a way, I’m sure, because you’re looking for it with every part of your being. I just hope it presents itself soon, I can’t imagine how hard it must be for you to have been away from your brother for so long. And to know that things weren’t left off on the best of tones must be really tough to deal with. I at least know how that is.”

For a few seconds he was silent, then couldn’t help but laugh. He was joking earlier when he suggested to Sissmuth that they discuss life’s mysteries, but it had obviously turned out to have happened. “You’re right Sissmuth, you and I have a lot in common.” he said gleaming at the lizard anthro. “Hey, if there’s ever anything I can do to help you find your brother or with anything at all, just let me know, I’d be more than happy to help!” he said as he stepped over a fallen tree. The forest was thickening now… Anayu was taking an alternate path.

Cyrus could see potential for a lasting friendship in Sissmuth, and he strongly hoped for the possibility. Just from learning a bit about him, Cyrus was transfixed, his obsessively curious nature taking over as it tended to when he met anyone he liked, especially when they were somewhat mysterious. He wanted to know and understand everything he could about him. And how he wished he could speak like that, so… perfectly. It was like the Valterian was reading from a speech he had written days before whenever he did express himself, and Cyrus ate it up.

He suddenly overheard a bit of Anayu’s conversation, something about “two to three more hours…”.

“Well, it looks like we’ll be at this for a while. Ugh, my feet hurt like no other… So Sissmuth, tell me about Valter, I don’t know much about it. How’s the food there I wonder? Judging from those ba’ugan pods you had earlier I would assume there are a lot of, hostile, foods waiting to drive away tourists.” he said with a joking wink.

(Oden will come when we are in Desdon. I’ll see about having Jacob post from his point of view before we arrive there though. )

“Hey, if there’s ever anything I can do to help you find your brother or with anything at all, just let me know, I’d be more than happy to help!”

Sissmuth nodded at Cyrus as the corners of his mouth upturned in a toothy smile. "Thank you," he said. "And in turn, you must let me know if there's something I can do to help you find your mother. Agreed?" After some moments, a thrumming sort of chuckle escaped Sissmuth. "It's hard to believe we only met last night... and at a bar, for that matter."

… So Sissmuth, tell me about Valter, I don’t know much about it. How’s the food there I wonder? Judging from those ba’ugan pods you had earlier I would assume there are a lot of, hostile, foods waiting to drive away tourists.”

Sissmuth laughed and switched his staff over to the other hand. It felt so long since he'd left, it almost felt like another planet. "Valter isn't exactly what you'd call a great tourist spot," he said. "Lots of heat and sand, I'm sure you know, but we do get a few travelers every now and then through the trade ships that come our way. Concerning food, a lot of Valterian dishes are spicy, made from a ba-ugan pod base. Now, I don't wish to boast, but I can make a pretty tasteful roast and sweet rice soup that'll melt your taste buds right off." At such a thought, his own mouth began to water; having only an apple for breakfast wasn't as satisfying as he might've initially thought.


His chortle slowly faded as he lost himself in his memory, continuing on through a brief hiatus of silence before continuing on. "My own village was quite a distance from the shore, though, so we hardly ever had visitors... except for the few unfortunate ones we rescue who've lost themselves in the desert."

He paused for a slow breath. "We generally don't like it when people consider our village a tourist attraction, though. Us lizardfolk are an amiable race, but we're not usually that social... and we're a bit primitive, if I do say so myself." He gazed down at his simple attire of ragged long pants and a cloak. "Most of the technology I've seen never existed in my village. Phones, computers, televisions... for the most part, we're a self-sustaining people that have everything we need to live found right there on Valter. It's... actually one of the reasons why I lost contact with my brother."

Realizing that he'd lost himself yet again, he quickly shook his head and turned back to Cyrus. "What about you? Where do you come from?"

Cyrus nodded. "That's cool, I always wondered what it would be like to live away from modern luxuries. I have massive respect for people who can do so. Though, I for one would much prefer to have my internet and such if given the choice." he said smiling. He took a breath, thinking of how to describe his history in a brief way. "Well, my father is from Gertemano, a huge city on the west side of the continent. He moved to Asper to set up his own smithing buisiness for Anthros, since there is a greater demand for the style of weaponry around the area."

He dodged a branch that had a meeting scheduled with his face. It was a half-second late for its appointment, however, which pleased Cyrus greatly.
He continued, watching more carefully for branches above and below in the thickening pines.

"He met my mom in Asper after she moved from Dol Kardath, another forest town. Her council stationed her in Asper, though I was never told what that meant." He shugged. "So basically, I was born and raised there, and I actually haven't been out of the area much because of my training. It's a nice place though, I really love it. The forest is great, the fresh air never grows old on ya. And I have to say, the food is much less deadly to the senses there." He chuckled. "So yeah, that's my heritage in a nutshell, I guess you can say. Speaking of which..." he said with a pause, reaching inside his side belt pouch and pulling out a plastic bag with trail mix inside. He raised his eyebrows. "...there has been way too much talk of food to go any further without silencing the gut." he said, opening the bag and pouring some into his hand. He reached to offer it to Sissmuth. "It's my dad's homemade acorn recipe." he said with a crooked smile. "Not sure if you'd like it but you're welcome to try. I know it gets my animal instincts going. Don't judge me, I'm raccoon." he said with a wink.

[I meant to say this in my last post, but honestly, I was expecting us to meet up with Odin on the way to Desdon. I just had it planned that way when I wrote the epilogue to DOACC, but since this is only what you might call a rough draft, it's a detail that we can work around. We'll see how it plays out.]

Sissmuth curiously flicked his tongue out at the offered treat as he extended a hand out to Cyrus. His eyes widened as he examined the little bits in his palm. "Oooh, thank you!" He couldn't recall a time he ever turned down food... especially when it was free. The little cheapskate lizard that he was, curiosity and hunger, when combined, would leave a person with a mind to turn down ANY kind of food pretty accepting.

Sissmuth surreptitiously sniffed at the trail mix. He didn't want to seem any more rude in front of his friend, but he'd never really tried what another species might find appetizing before; some of the ingredients in the mix, he couldn't even recognize, and could've just as easily come off the ground they were walking on.

With a casual shrug, Sissmuth popped the whole load into his mouth and bit down. A crunch resounded from his closed jaws that rattled up to his brain. He worked mechanically to grind down bits of acorn and other things into tiny pieces, and he was sure that he'd lost a tooth somewhere in there as well. It tasted salty... with a little bitterness to it as well. Like nibbling on dried tea leaves, only a lot harder. The trail mix left his mouth exceedingly dry, and he wadded the lumpy, chewed up mess with whatever spit he could muster and forced the clump to the back of his throat. He stifled a gag as he winced at the feel of the ball of food ("food") creeping down his throat. He turned a tittering smile at Cyrus, bits of acorn stuck to his sharp, little teeth. "It's... hem, HEM... delicious," he coughed out.

(( Bump for great justice! I'm not dead, guys! Just very busy! My post should be here in 2-3 days =/ ))

(Hey Suka try to catch me on Skype sometime and we can work out that Oden kink. Hakuna Matata )

Cyrus held back a chuckle when he saw Sissmuth struggling to chew the trail mix. He wasn't sure if Sissmuth was just trying to be polite or if he genuinely liked the nutty grounds, but he settled on not pushing the trivial idea. After all, it was impressive enough a carnivore wouldn't gag at the sheer sight of plant matter.

I wonder if he ever bites his cheeks on with those incisors…

The amusing thought tempted him to joke, but Cyrus restrained himself. He didn’t feel comfortable poking fun at Sissmuth, at least not yet…

He picked up his crystal from around his neck. Remembering that he had used a good deal of its power the night before, he concluded that now was a good time to recharge it, even if not fully.

“Hey while we’re at this whole walking thing I’m going to recharge my stone, so if I seem a bit out of it you know why.” he said, smiling at Sissmuth.

He held up the crystal with both hands, keeping his eyes on the path ahead so as not to trip. Having charged his crystal so many times during training and making an almost painfully obsessive habit out of doing so, he had become adept at multi-tasking with the event, something normally difficult and discouraged for others. The crystal wouldn’t charge as fast as if he were to sit down and focus 100% on the endeavor, but he could still channel enough energy to refill it over time as he walked. He just would have to split his focus.

Like when birds take flight at daybreak, the air became alive, Cyrus’s body tingling as he became attuned to his element. Slowly the quiet breeze became a more prominent noise to his ears, slightly muffling the other sounds around him with its songlike presence. As the symphony became easier to understand, his felt himself lock into place, his mind connecting with the rhythm with a buzzing sensation. He began channeling that song from inside, pushing his energy through his arms and out his hands into the crystal. It responded in its usual way, becoming more brilliant than usual, seeming to glow even in the daylight.

Cyrus looked ahead, bringing attention back to his surroundings. Despite from the group up ahead sounding a bit muffled, there was nothing different in his perception. To others it would just seem like he was drowsy or something, or lost in a daydream. He walked ahead, easily charging his crystal as he continued stepping over branches and dodging tree limbs.

The forest thickened some more as they walked, growing slightly darker every fifth minute or so. Anayu did not seem to be aware, though. As with Dholes, her ears were upright and her eyes open and alert, her entire body using all its senses. She listened to the conversation of Cyrus and Sissmuth and she listened to the ground, feeling the vibrations. The latter had her worried; she could feel slight tremors in the ground, as if though they were footsteps. But they were from a few meters to their right.
She stopped and put the staff to her ground, leaning slightly on it - at the risk of the others colliding with her, as it was quite sudden.

"Mmm..." she began, her gemstone flashing slightly. Those who were familiar with the Emerald gemstones would also be able to recognize slightly transparent streams of energy originating from it, now engulfing her staff.
"Could I ask you to give me some more space? I want to... try something." she finally said, closing her eyes as she concentrated on the source of the foreign vibrations.

Looking peculiarly at Anayu, Akari complied, and stepped back from her a few paces. He could only guess what it was that she was sensing or was intending to do. Being unfamiliar with the quirks of any element's specialists, being a mixed elemental himself, he could only speculate what they could be feeling, seeing, or hearing.

Her emerald gemstone began to flicker. Akari tilted his head, slightly. "What is it?" he inquired.

(Sorry for the short post. Not much Akari can do at the moment.)

((And think as explanation is needed. My very slow activity, I found out, was cause by a mental time warp:
The file that contained the post that I had mentioned to many of you that I was working on vanished. I couldn't find it anywhere and I charged myself the duty of trying to remember the detail I had already established and reconstruct the post. That process was what was stalling me.
However, I found out what happened to the file just a short while ago: I never saved it in the first place. Never intended to. Why? Because I had already completed it and posted it onto the RP. This whole time I was trying to conjure up a post that had already taken place but that I thought hadn't.
The post in question was when Anthia was introduced with Jollanel and Remus (found on page 16). I've made some revisions and improvements to the post itself.

I apologize for these very odd events that can play with my mind. XD
Real post will happen shortly.))

(( To get things going, I'll try to start a filler story so that we have something else to do than just walking. I tailored it so that it's fairly easy to steer out of at any point (but I suck :< ). Hope you guys approve. *crosses fingers* ))

Anayu turned her head, facing toward the presence. She couldn't tell if it intended to harm or help them, but she really didn't feel like using her powers. Not now - not in front of them. But it couldn't really be helped as she was well aware of what could be hiding there.
Her gemstone quit flickering before it began glowing consistently, releasing a quick flash of energy into the ground below her. The moment after, she gave her right ackle a slight twist. As she did that, a slight rumble was heard from below her as cracks nigh-spntaneously appear below her, forming a circle.
Sliding to the left so that she was outside these cracks, she lifted the staff, twirled it around once before slamming the tip down, roughly an inch away from them. Nearly instantly, the circular piece of the ground which had been readied for this lifted itself. In the second that followed, Anayu hit it hard with her weapon, sending it flying toward the place she had last senses something. A few moments before it hit its target, it moved - and quickly thereafter, Anayu's improvised projectile found itself cleaved into two pieces.

"Oi... wha' wa' th' point?" a male voice called. "Tha' coulda killed me..."
It sounded... whiny? Not to mention he had a strange accent, leaving many syllables silent.
The Dhole narrowed her eyes, trying to make out the person's features. As the dust settled, the features of an anthro appeared. He looked rather strange - almost like a crossbreed or something. Anayu could easily tell that he was canine, but he definitely had the features of another anthro type - or rather, she thought he was canine. She couldn't guess which one, though.
The 'intruder', however, looked fairly small, but his muscular appearance made him appear rather wide.
At second glance, it was clear that it was most definitely -not- canine. In fact, he looked slightly... rodent-like. And his tail - it was bloody huge!

"Well, 's cer'ainly a warm welcome ye've given me. Mayhap i' be tha' I been curious 'bout ye' bessness 'ere?" he continued.
"'S Waller land ye' on, ye see? No' tha' we mind ye' pres'ns, bu'... ye' pre'y susp....susp.... som'thin' like tha'."

Waller land?

Anayu did not lower her guard at the person's apparent friendliness. Especially considering the pretty large sword of his, despite the fact that it was resting on his shoulder at the moment.

(Sounds OK. I think it'll be a nice way to get something to happen while we're trying to get to Desdon)

Akari immediately stood up, eying the figure that was now approaching the group. The rodent-like anthro, or whatever it was, was a huge, bulking figure with a massive tail, equally large muscles, and a large sword resting on his shoulder; a sword that Akari couldn't help but wonder if his own swords could hold up to it. His voice had a very heavy accent, not unlike the accent of those raised in a typical rural setting, away from modern developments like cities and such. Akari kept his hand on his right sword, ready to pull it out in case he needed to use it for whatever reason.

Upon listening closely to the person's talking, he could make out a general idea of what was being said: They were on someone's land, and the group Akari was with looked somewhat suspicious to the owners of the land.

But still... he thought, Wallers? Who are they? Are they a family who owns a farm out here, or are they a people? I've never really heard of this before...

"We do apologize for unknowingly trespassing," Akari began, "we were only making our way to Desdon, sir," he explained, trying his best to be as respectful as possible.