forum Dystopian Fantasy RP aw yeah (Private)

Started May 02, 2018 by @Young-Dusty-the-Monarch-of-Dusteria group

tune

"Yup," Mike said, stirring the pot. "Let's eat up quick. I want to have plenty of daylight left when we reach those fishing villages."
(gotta go to bed now, seeya later ^^)

Tanrial nodded and yawned again before gently nudging Snatch, “Morning.” She said quietly.
(Seeya^^)

The young cub stretched luxuriously, spreading out her wings so they caught the light. "Mmm. I'm hungry…." she opened her eyes and blinked. "Really hungry. Food? Now? Yeah? Food?"

“Well, there’s food, that’s for sure.” Tanrial served up bowls for them all and placed one down in front of Snatch before starting on her own.

They ate in silence for a while. Bernon stared off through the trees, his expression thoughtful. After a while, he spoke. "So, what's the plan specifically when we get down there? I'd rather not charge into a sleepy little village without a good idea of what we're doing. Who knows, they might not be friendly with strangers."
Mike set down his bowl. "We'll start by just quietly going in and trying to get a feel for the place. There might not even be anybody capable of fighting down there, and there's no sense stirring them up unless they'll be effective soldiers. For now, let's just play the part of weary travelers looking for some human company. Which reminds me…" He glanced at Snatch. "Unless the little tyke can hide her wings, it might be best to keep her out of sight. Forest beasts are rarely welcome in human communities, even baby ones."

Tanrial shrugged, “Who knows but better to be safe then sorry.” She glanced at Snatch, “Can you hide your wings? If not then what are we going to do?” She asked.

"Oh, that's easy," Snatch said brightly, and just like that her wings were gone. They didn't vanish into thin air, exactly, more like morphed, shrank, and changed color until they had melted completely into her back. "I'm really good at that. I can even turn all the way into a bird, if I want. But I still can't fly yet."

Tanrial smiled, “Well, that solves the wing problem.”

"Sweet." Mike stood up. "If we're done eating, we should get packed and head out."
Bernon smiled at Snatch. "Want to ride on my shoulders today, kiddo?"
"Yes," Snatch said decisively. "You're very tall. I like tall."

Tanrial rolled her eyes, “Sorry I’m not the right height for your liking.” She teased, packing up her things before helping with the other items around the camp.
(Okie, byeee ^^)

Snatch grinned. "You're not tall but your voice is nice. I like your voice."
"That reminds me," Mike said as they set out. "Once we're in town, Snatch has to pretend she can't talk. A baby cheetah is weird enough around here, but a talking one would be an instant giveaway. Okay? Can you manage that, Missy?"
Snatch huffed. "I guess. That's boring, but whatever."
"Thanks."
They went over the ridge and began their descent toward the huge lakes, following a narrow path that zig-zagged down the steep slope. The dirt here was wet and crumbly, covered with leaning trees, rocks, and exposed roots. At some point a landslide must have come through, because the only green things were the flowers, ferns, and tiny saplings that had sprung up in the last half-year. The path itself seemed to be very new as well, and it was filled with all kinds of tracks: deer, wolf, rabbit, raccoon, and even human on occasion. The three travelers had to tread carefully to avoid slipping on the loose earth and causing another avalanche.
"I forgot that this area has a lot nastier weather now," Bernon remarked. "There must have been some big storm or even a hurricane not too long ago that triggered this landslide. I hope the villagers are okay."

“Well, let’s hope so otherwise this trek down here would have been for nothing.” Tanrial said, glancing sidelong at Bernon before nearly slipping on a particularly unstable peice of land.

"Their homes should be far enough from the slope that they'd have avoided damage," Mike said from in front, "unless they had flooding. Either way, the people around here are used to bad weather. They probably live on stilts or floating rafts at this point."
Bernon shaded his eyes and glanced north. "I think you're right. I can see boats out there already, and the houses look like they're kind of…drifting."

“Houses on stilts? Inventive.” She muttered, “How are we going to meet them if their houses are in the middle of the water? Hire a boat or something?”

Mike shrugged. "Hopefully there'll be a way. The last time I came through, they had a long dock with a tavern at the end that anybody could go to, but they were having trouble with bandits so I'm not sure if it's still open. We'll have to see when we get there."
Snatch wrinkled her nose. "I hope we don't have to swim. I hate swimming."

“We won’t have to swim, Snatch… hopefully. We might be able to get a boat.” She said, shrugging a little.

"Mrrh. Boats, swimming, it's all on water. Water's nasty."
"Spoken like a true fire beast," Mike called. "But don't worry. I'd just as soon get their attention from the shore so we have an easy escape if they're not friendly."
They reached level ground and walked for another half-hour before reaching the open, sandy dunes at the edge of the lake. At first there was no sign of life anywhere, but as they went forward an old, slimy dock came into view, reaching far out into the water. At the end was a wooden building on stilts with a trail of smoke coming from the chimney. A couple boats were tied up near the door, and the sounds of music and laughter came from within.

“Looks like that tavern you spoke of is open, then. Do you think the owner will let us borrow a boat?” She asked, turning to Mike.

"Let's go see," Mike replied, striding forward. "Snatch, time to be quiet now. And as usual, let's not mention anyone's magic unless we have to."

Tanrial nodded, “Yup, got it.” She said, following Mike as they crossed the dock, drawing closer towards the tavern.

"Nobody actually buy a drink," Mike added quietly as they reached the building. "The alcohol here is watered down by the lake, and the lake has some slow poisons in it." Squaring his shoulders a little, he pushed open the door and led them inside.
It was dark in the main room, with only a fire to light it. There were several tables and a counter, as well as a rather overbearing coat rack shaped like a tree near the door. A man stood behind the counter, talking with two others in fishing gear, but all three stopped and eyed the travelers suspiciously when they entered. The bartender himself scowled behind his salt-and-pepper beard and addressed them gruffly.
"Mornin'. Here for a drink?"

Tanrial shook her head, “No, we were wondering if we could hire a boat? Or point us in the direction of someone who would lend us one?”

The man's expression didn't change. "And why would you want a boat, exactly?"
(gotta go have supper, and I may or may not be on after that, sorry. Seeya!)

“Well…” She rubbed the back of her neck, “We wanted to speak to the head of this town, and I’m guessing he lives out on the lake so, we need a boat.
(That’s fine. See you when I see you!)