I found you, You found me. And now we leave

[Kouyou Ichiki]

For Your Consideration
Pawns: Senka, Coatl
Status: private, active
Setting: Starts near Coatls shrine
Scene: Leaving Coatls shrine

When Senka awoke the skies were a dismal gray. He surfaced from the small lake he spent the night in, his face barely viewable from the waters surface. Small rings dotted the lakes surface as droplets of precipitation struck the still smooth surface. It was quiet, empty. He could just make out the early morning sounds of the animals about him. Perfect. He dropped beneath the waters surface once more, heading for the muddy bottom. He began to concentrate then, focusing on bringing the waters down from the sky, and up from the lake, streams and rivers closest to him. He would take his time with this, they would know the flood would be coming, and he would give them some time to prepare, he had no malicious intent towards these people.

He waited and felt the water come to life, it's power wanting to overtake it's dryer brethren whom lived upon the earth. His thought controlled it, calming it here, fueling it there and he waited. He waited as the storm picked up speed. He waited as the the rivers became overburdened and spilled their contents across the forest. He waited as he felt the pool begin to form amongst the fields. He waited until he felt the heat of the sun try in vain to dissipate his clouds. And then he moved from his spot at the bottom of what was now a much deeper lake. He rose to the surface gently, quietly viewing the world on the surface. With no one to be found he moved silently through the water, a large tree his intent. He climbed halfway up it's ancient body, the water from the lake falling from him as if off the back of a duck, before dropping without a sound into the air. Climbing into the air, shrouded in mist cover towards the think clouds he looked down at his work. The denizens moved frantically to reroute the murky waters that threatened their fields and livelihoods, this plan thus working well enough. He reached the clouds and headed in the direction he came from the evening before, feeling for the pond from which they would meet. He could feel the heat of the sun baring down on him from higher now. It was close enough to when they should rendezvous, and he hope he wouldn't have to wait long for her.

He drop below the clouds, enshrouded in mist once more for cover. He spotted the pond and descended quickly into the trees, the more cover he gave himself the better. He touched down at the edge of the forest and kept an eye out for her, the clouds moving slowly taking on a lighter hue as the rain began to let up. They would be kept busy enough with the water, there wasn't any more reason to keep the rain flowing. Here's to hoping I don't have to wait long.

[Emmer Brighton]

Coatl raced through the forest, her paws hardly making a sound as she ran. To human eyes, it may have looked as though she were a floating apparition, there and then gone again in a split second. The rain had started maybe a few minutes ago and she'd been running ever since. There it was, up ahead. Not just a clearing, but Senka. Her freedom. She opened her mouth, scenting the air. Yes, just Senka. A deer off in the distance somewhere as well. Her mouth watered at the thought of food, she hadn't eaten that morning, but she ignored it. Getting to Senka was more important.

"Senka!" She burst through the trees, slowing to an easy lope as the ground beneath her turned from roots and leaf litter to flat ground and flowing grass, now damp with rain. She slowed to a walk as she approached him, moving right up to him and rubbing her head against his hand in welcome.

"Shall we go?" She purred, flicking her tail back and forth eagerly. Finally she was leaving. They were leaving. She wondered what the rest of the Delusion looked like. Was it all like this? Forest and clearing and mildly hostile inhabitants? They still had time. From the look of the storm over the fields earlier, there was no way the villagers had managed to hold that back. Her paws tingled, ready to lift off the ground and not touch it again for miles.

[Kouyou Ichiki]

Relief. Pure relief when he saw her burst forward from the trees. He heard her call out his name as she headed straight for him. Nodding his head as she spoke he crouched down to allow her to climb atop his back. After a couple of moments of adjusting, his hands holding onto her where needed and her paws secured around his neck, he made a gentle hop and they were up. He gathered more mist around them before breaking through the tree line into the sky. Up and through the clouds, now not quiet as dense as they had been, they broke through the top and into the sunlight. Senka leveled out as best he could and held onto her front paws as he picked up speed. Getting as far away as possible was the only thing on his mind at that very moment.

"I thought you might like a bit of sunlight while we travel. I'm going to wait a bit before dropping below the clouds again, I'd prefer to be safe than sorry. I made myself familiar with a couple of the water ways on my travels here and that should keep us on path for the most part." He kept his head straight, not wanting to throw off their balance by looking behind him at her.

[Emmer Brighton]

Coatl hadn't stopped purring since they'd gotten off the ground. She hardly noticed and even if she had, she certainly didn't mine. It felt good, the wind ruffling her fur and being so high up made her fur stand on end and tingle in an interesting, almost pleasant way.

"Thank you." She rumbled brightly. "I was worried I might not have the energy to stay on if I didn't get light at least once on the trip."

She settled her head on his shoulder and squinted, letting herself relax just a tad. She curled her tail around his waist on a random impulse. If she fell it wasn't going to offer any support, but it gave her a small sense of security anyways.

"Everything is so small." She marveled, craning her head to look up and over his shoulder. "You can't even make features out from here!"

She burst into the rough chuffing sound that passed for a laugh as a panther, amused by the novelties this journey was already offering. Eventually she would grow bored of staring at the ground below, but for now it was intriguing and highly amusing.

[Kouyou Ichiki]

Senka smiled as they soared miles above the ground. He was glad they had managed an escape without a hitch, and the constant sound of Coatls purring told him she must feel likewise. They had passed out of the grayed clouds and into open blue skies. The world passed beneath them in a vibrant hue of green and blue colors. He kept a close eye on every village that they passed, not wanting to wander back into any elven territory. Senka felt as her tail wined around his waist and laughed, and was almost inclined to tell her she wasn't a monkey and it probably wouldn't help her.

Haveing not seen any sign of the elves or their villages he looked back over his shoulder to Coatl. "I think we are out of the Elves territory. Let me know if you want down and I'll land. There are a lot of interesting things to explore in between here and my home."

[Emmer Brighton]

Coatl nodded, shifting just a little bit. She was starting to ache a little being in the same position for so long and she was thirsty.

"Could we land for a little while? Near fresh water?" She bent closer to his ear, unsure if he could hear her.

"I really need to stretch and get something to drink. Maybe hunt..." She licked her lips slowly. She wasn't sure how Senka would feel about her hunting. She'd head some gods were touchy about the death of living things. Or something. But Senka was a god of water and he didn't seem to get upset when she drank...

Coatl shook her head to clear her head of all those twisting thoughts. There was no need for those.

"I could use a few moments in the sun too..." she murmured. The good thing about flying was she was closer to the sun. The bad part was that she was using quite a bit of energy to hold on and to hold her spines back in an awkward position. She'd use even more energy hunting, though eating would give her energy back....

This reminded the Emmer part of her of humans counting calories and dieting. Whatever the hell that meant.

[Kouyou Ichiki]

Senka nodded his agreement and began their decent to the ground. As the trees and shrubs began to take on more detail, the leaves becoming individuals instead of a solid group of green, he ban to look for potential game and a good lake or river for drink and fish. Though he would eat red meat his preference was of the more aquatic tastes.

Finding a nice clearing next to a clear lake he finally touched down onto the grass, crouching down to allow Coatl a better dismount. The blue water was smooth along the surface, and he was able to see down to the bottom with out much trouble. There was a multitude of aquatic life beneath the surface, including a small forest of green plant life that rose up from the bottom and played home to many of the lakes residents. The clearing was large enough for Coatl to run around if she pleased but not so large count as a field. The large trees that lined the area could offer plenty of protection if the need arose, with the farther end of the lake touching the vast foliage as well.

"Water and sunlight, I saw a few small animals coming down, but I'm not sure about big ones. Red meats not something I eat much of, so you're on your own with that." Senka smiled over at her. "I'll be sticking close to the lake, Fish are more to my taste. Cooked fish I might add, so If you have to go far to find what you want you can probably find your way back by the smell of the fire."

[Emmer Brighton]

Coatl hopped down and stretched; back, forward, one back leg then the other. She shook hard and padded around Senka

"Okay." She purred, rubbing against him as she made her way to the lake. The immediate area seemed to be devoid of humans or elves and she could easily smell fresh game in the air. She doubted she would have any trouble getting food.

First things first though. Water, stretching, and sunlight. She padded over to the water's edge, her paws spreading and keeping her from sinking into the mud. She crouched close to the water and dipped her head, lapping up the cool liquid with her rough tongue. A soft sigh escaped through her nose and deep purrs rumbled in her chest. The water was so clean and cool. Absolutely lovely. She spread her spines and gathered sun as she drank, feeling much better by the time she was done. Another round of stretching, and a quick run around the field had her ready to track.

Coatl slunk off into the woods, her whiskers fanned and her mouth open, scenting the air. Her muscles tight and ready to go flying after whatever crossed her path. Soon enough, she caught scent of some type of pig. She crouch low in the brush, creeping forward on velvet paws. She paused, muscles tight as she waited for the creature to turn it's back. With a sudden, silent leap she was on the animal's back, her powerful jaws sinking into the back of the hog's neck and her claws holding it tight. It only took a shake of her head and the hog was dead, dangling from her jaws, limp as the life drained from it. She turned and padded back towards the lake, her head held high to keep her kill from dragging on the ground.

[Kouyou Ichiki]

Senka watched her stretch and bound around the field. When she finally left for the forest he turned to the lake, licking his lips. As he reached the waters edge he leap into the air and hovered above the waters surface, looking through it's clear depths to find something tasty to eat. He spotted a large school of medium to large silver scaled fish moving amongst the greenery below. Gently lowering himself into the cool water he headed towards them, not needing to be silent as he was certain he would be fast enough to catch them. And if he wasn't he could always use the water to bring one in to shore. Coming within a few feet he darted forward, arms out stretched towards the largest fish. One pass, two passes, and he was rewarded on his third attempt, with his meal to be in hand he resurfaced and made his way back to land. He made quick work on gutting the unfortunate fish with his clawed tipped fingers, throwing the waste into the water knowing the other inhabitants would make short work of it.

He went to the tree line to find wood and rocks for a fire, the latter was easier than he anticipated. The forest seemed untouched by anyones hands and held an abundance of fallen timber. Having everything he needed he began setting to work on starting it, and had his waking counter part not had an extreme fascination with flames who most likely would have been screwed. Within minuets he had a flame going and his fish skewered and slow cooking over the flame. Getting up he headed back to the lake, just a four foot distance away, and into the water he went.

Diving down his new target was the water plants that grew from the bottom. A bright vivid green, they looked like reverse streamers coming from the lake bed. He approached one and bit just the tip off, chewing it slowly to test it's taste. Nodding his head in approval he began to cutting handfuls off at a time and taking them back up, only to dive back down for more. On his third trip he caught sight of a large silver tail drifting through the elongated plants. His curiosity got the better of him and he followed. In and out he followed this new fish, only catches glimpses of the end of it's tail. In the very least he knew it to be a predator, with it's angled and sharp tail fins and armor like scales, so this game of hide and seek may prove to be one of his least intelligent choices. After two circuits he realized they were going in circles, it had a pattern that it adhered to. He quietly cut his path in half, heading to intersect it at the next turn it would make. He waited until he could faintly see the glimmer of silver approaching ad darted forward through the green underwater forest.

He was rewarded by coming face to face with something far more humanoid than he had expected. His eyes widened in shock and he froze. She had a rather lovely, yet startled, face. Her skin was a light blueish silver speckled with small silver scales and had deep green and gray eyes that were now nearly as large as his was. Neither had been expecting that scenario, and she recovered first, turning back the way she had come at a speed, even if he was think properly, he couldn't keep up with. Mermaids. Mermaids are an excellent reason to stop exploring the water. He had only heard story's about them, but none of them were pleasant enough for him to find out if they were true. Senka bolted upwards and out of the lake, water flying up and out from his exit point.

He landed as close to the fire as he was willing, and looking up he took notice of Coatl staring at him from the edge of the forest, returning with her catch. He was silent and wide eyed, the only thing he could manage was a look back towards the lake and pointing. He turned back towards her, arm still extended towards the lake. She flicked her ear twice, then padded towards him.

[Emmer Brighton]

Coatl gave a soft 'murrr' of confusion and trotted across the field, the pig dangling from her jaws making moment difficult. She finally set the pig down a few feet from the fire and padded over to him, licking her jaws clear of blood.

"Senka? What's wrong?" He looked like he'd seen Death or something. It surprised her even more that it seemed that he'd seen it in the water. She padded over to the lake and patted at the water with her paws. Nothing turned up. Coatl frowned and went back to Senka, rubbing against him comfortingly.

"What ever it was, it can't come on land right?" That would not be good, especially since they'd have to leave before either of them could eat. She rubbed her head under his hand, urging him closer to the fire so he could sit and she could get her food and start in on getting the bristley hair off and to the meat.