darkSpyro

In all that time, Maverick and Alya had been searching for Dahlia... until a very familiar bellow caught the hybrid's ears.
"Dahlia! Dahlia! There you are girl! How are youuuuuu....." Maverick stammered, as he saw Dahlia all injured and limping.
"Good heavens girl! What happened to you?" Maverick asked, almost crying. Alya had a pretty good idea.
"Oh no. I think she was attacked by that earth creature that keeps stealing our cattle. Wow, she managed to escape? That's impressive." Alya said, never hearing of an animal escaping the cattlejacker's claws. But Dahlia wasn't exactly a cattle animal, so that possibly explained it. The dirt buffalo was restless beyond consolation, and Maverick could see she wanted him to mount.
"Alya, listen to me. I need you to go home." Maverick instructed, Dahlia clearly trying to take him anywhere.
"No way! I'm going with you!" she said stubbornly, but Maverick wasn't going to have it.
"I'm not asking you young lady. Whatever happened to my Dahlia is clearly bad. Just go with your parents, por favor! I'll be back!" Maverick assured as he mounted Dahlia. He felt bad for doing so, but Dahlia could still run pretty fast even with her injury and limping, and Alya couldn't catch up. Pouty and angry, Alya decided to return to her parents, deciding it was better to wait with her parents as instructed.

A little less than a mile away, Dahlia led Maverick to the hole she exalted through, bellowing uncontrollably.
"Dahlia girl! What is wrong with you? Do you mean to face the creature that did this to you?" Maverick asked, not able to explain why she was so insistent. Did she really wanted to get revenge? Not much was known about dirt buffalos, but rumors were they were creatures that could hold a grudge. As the nervous Maverick tried to keep her under control, Dahlia simply continued to bellow through the entrance of the tunnel, creating a great echo. Maverick was just terrified that whatever attacked her could appear any minute, so he got a sword ready, one of the many that belonged to the thief that nearly killed him near Orcford. He was nervous, but ready for a defense...

Quote: A Guy

"Well..." Latnok began, "I used a new technique I've made. I call it... 'Pulverize.' Pretty simple. Build up as much momentum as you can, focus on drawing out every bit of energy out of yourself as you can, and strike... all in one move. Devastating effects. Risky, though. Leaves me exhausted. I can break my back if I do it wrong. Godfather Sere would probably not approve of me using something like that. But... you know, we Guardians are always looking for ways to become more powerful. I have to do my part, you know?" Latnok reached into his bag, and after some fishing, found what he was looking for - some diluted dragon brew. Without hesitation, he began chugging the vial, downing its contents in seconds. His pain and exhaustion didn't go away - rather, he now felt as if they would not inhibit him from doing what he needed to do. Still, a bit of rest right now wouldn't hurt.
"Just let me know when you guys want to leave..." Latnok said. "I'll get us out of here."

"Pulverize huh? Well-- I can tell you it was quite.. pulverizing. It pulverized the enemy, the tunnel, and almost all of us in the process.," Raclaw said half-jokily with a slight smile. By now, both Raclaw and Chester were looking very dirty with the later being barely recognizable as an Beagle. And other than the collar and artifact, due to their magical properties, the mud clumped to nearly every surface of Raclaw. "Well Chester-- just tell me when you're ready and we'll get out of here.," he said looking at the muddy mess of walking fur that was Chester. "Let's get out of here.," the little mutt-looking Beagle barked. "We're ready-- let's get out of here.," Raclaw said with a nod. Both he and Chester looked like they could use a good bath when they got back, less Latnok's team wanted to stink up the place. Raclaw retracted his tail spikes, but kept the 'torch' that was his collar on so that Latnok could preserve his energy for the earth shifting spell. Between the silver buckle, D-ring, and green emerald-- the collar gave off a whitish green glow that shined brightly despite the mud covering the dirty fur dragon.

Just then--Quote: Felines

A little less than a mile away, Dahlia led Maverick to the hole she exalted through, bellowing uncontrollably.
"Dahlia girl! What is wrong with you? Do you mean to face the creature that did this to you?" Maverick asked, not able to explain why she was so insistent. Did she really wanted to get revenge? Not much was known about dirt buffalos, but rumors were they were creatures that could hold a grudge. As the nervous Maverick tried to keep her under control, Dahlia simply continued to bellow through the entrance of the tunnel, creating a great echo. Maverick was just terrified that whatever attacked her could appear any minute, so he got a sword ready, one of the many that belonged to the thief that nearly killed him near Orcford. He was nervous, but ready for a defense...

"Wait--," Raclaw started to say as he heard an distant echo from somewhere else in the tunnel system. "That's.. that's Dalia, Meverick's dirt buffalo. Before all the chaos ensured, I could've sworn I saw something that looked like her right before the tunnels started collapsing.," Raclaw said. "I heard it too-- she could be in danger or worse.," Chester barked looking at both Latnok and Raclaw. "And.. and if Dalia is in danger, than Maverick might be as well.," the fur dragon than said. Even if Latnok didn't care about saving Dalia, he might not want to let Maverick go so easily. At least the Cattlejackers wouldn't be a threat anymore, although that didn't discount the possibility of ether Dalia or Maverick sufficating due to cave-in or worse.

"Dahlia and Maverick... here? Why? Why couldn't Maverick avoid being a load just this once?!" Latnok asked, greatly annoyed by the apparent new situation. "I don't know how long we're going to last in these tunnels - unless they're somewhere nearby, our priority needs to be getting to a good source of air before we pass out - we won't be of any use to anyone if we do. Do you have any sort of a read on where they are right now?" Latnok didn't want to just let Maverick die; however, he wasn't going to needlessly risk his own life and that of his comrades for a man who has constantly spoken against them and everything they stand for. They needed a plan - a plan which didn't involve just flailing around in blind hopes of locating the source.

As the echos continued to bellow, Raclaw expanded his senses and attempted to get a read on Dalia's plausible location. "I'm-- I'm getting a reading. They're somewhere near the burrow where we first entered, ether just inside the tunnel or just outside. If Dalia saw us and got out, she may have alerted Maverick. Let's just hope that they aren't planning to explore the caves and attempt some sort of rescue operation on our behalf.," Raclaw said worried that the pair would get lost, trapped, or worse. The last thing they needed was to get out, only to have to go back in to rescue Dalia and Maverick again.

As Dahlia continued to bellow like a mad animal to the entrance of the tunnel, she also started to stomp her hooves. Maverick was unable to understand her, and it was driving him crazy.
"Dahlia! Darn it get a grip girl! What is wrong with you?" Maverick said as he grabbed her by the horns, but the powerful buffalo simply shoved him aside and glared at him, stomping her hooves. She always remained at the entrance, not daring to enter. Maverick took a look at the tunnel and he could see why. It was collapsing. But she still looked interested in whatever was inside.
"Come on Dahlia! This isn't working! Whatever creature is in there, it can give you further injury!" Maverick scolded, but Dahlia was still restless. Since she was receiving no response, the uneasy animal grabbed Maverick by the sleeve and put him on her back, and immediately started sniffing. Dirt buffalos' sense of smell was almost as good as a predator since they needed that sense to sniff buried plants in their desert home, so after the animal standed near a particular location, she started to stop her feet again. Why did she chose this particular spot?

"Well... let me see if I can't pinpoint anything further," Latnok said, as he focused on using Earth Sense. He could feel that the ground around them was definitely dense, so would require some digging - however, though faint, he could sense a hollow spot, perhaps another tunnel. More importantly, he was detecting vibrations, as something hitting the ground. It could be Maverick or his pet buffalo - regardless, it was something, and that something would likely be in a better spot than they currently were.
"Okay, follow me," he said, beckoning near one of the walls. Ignoring his exhaustion, he began tunneling once again, like a man possessed.

Raclaw nodded-- motioning for Chester to follow and sticking close behind Latnok. Although Dahlia and Maverick were an unexpected surprise, they may have just saved their lived and offered them a new destination to dig towards; a destination that would prosumily have more air and perhaps a way out of the mess that they had gotten themselves into. 'So much for an easy day...,' Raclaw thought to himself. He was just glad that Latnok was able to dig as efficiently as he was, otherwise their day could've turned out very differently. The Guardians and their magic had certainly proven themselves useful.

Dahlia could sense the trapped trio below them, but Maverick had no idea why she was this jumpy. What was wrong with this animal? Maverick knew animals didn't act like this out of nowhere, so something was definitely up.
"Oh how I wish señor Raclaw was here! He could understand what's wrong." Maverick expressed, believing that if he could talk to a dog and a wyvern, maybe he could understand her as well. There was no way he could calm Dahlia, so he had no choice but to follow her lead. The dirt buffalo was calmer now, but still on high alert. She sensed the earth below her and stomped with her hooves, with Maverick paying close attention. He wanted to know what was up with her. And just a few minutes later, he received his answer. The earth around them gave way, forming a cave in that swallowed both dirt buffalo and owner up. Fortunately for them, the distance below wasn't big at all, so they landed unharmed. Still, Maverick received quite a fright.
"You! You animal loca! Que te pasa? Now vas a matar!" Maverick scolded in Spanish, his heart pumping from the fright. He was looking at Dahlia, so he didn't see the familiar trip behind her, even though the annoyed buffalo was pointing to them...

As the ground gave way, Latnok braced himself - it opened up a bit wider than he had intended, and the source of the vibrations began to fall through. After the dust cleared, it was apparent that the group's initial hypothesis on the source was correct - Maverick and Dahlia were, indeed, present in front of them, with Maverick seemingly unaware of their presence. That would change soon enough.
"Oh, hey there, Maverick. Nice of you to drop in," Latnok said jokingly. "You missed a hell of a good time - just taking down two of those cattlejackers. Wait, two... it was two, right? You did kill the one you were facing, am I correct, Raclaw?" Now that the group was back at the surface, they could finally relax - there was no pressure to keep moving, and the life-and-death situation they were in a few minutes ago would be no more than a tavern story.

Maverick was almost petrified by the voice. Him here? Of all places? And what was he doing underground.
"Señor Latnok? And señor Raclaw? Even the little doggie? Que demonios? What are you guys doing here?" Maverick demanded to know, not in the mood to return his joke. He looked at Dahlia, who gave him a smug look, and then slapped the back of his head with one side of her horn.
"Ok ok! Next time I'll listen to you! Sheesh!" Maverick said, now understanding everything perfectly. Dahlia was far smarter than he gave her credit for.

"We were hunting down a Cattlejacker-- a nasty creature that burrows and steals cattle. Long story short, we got separated and discovered that we were actually going after two Cattlejackers. Latnok took care of one with a rather explosive new move, while a a spear jab in the belly proved effective on the second one.," Raclaw said almost laughing and giving a smile at the dirt buffalo's interaction. As he spoke, he manipulated the artifact on his tail and performed an imitated 'spear jab' into the air. After the little play, it quickly reverted back to initial 'band form.' Both Raclaw and Chester who covered from head to toe in dirt and mud-- with the later offering an happy bark. Upon seeing sunlight again, Raclaw quietly turned off the 'torch' that was his collar.

Latnok's armor did not emerge unscathed from the dirt - one would probably assume it was a shade of wooden brown if they didn't already know its color. "You know, fighting dangerous creatures? Protecting people? The thing we do for a living when we're not being traitors to certain peace-loving folk and their friends just for the hell of it? Simple enough concept, don't you think? Just so happens that my friends here are more willing to risk their lives for strangers than some other people with one-dimensional concerns..." Latnok began to walk off, not much in the mood to talk to Maverick at the moment, lest he hear some story or another from Maverick and became tempted to have him expelled from the crew, when he remembered - Shade. "How is Shade? Is Angora watching him? He better not be unsupervised right now."

Back on the deck, Leoquin had picked up the box - finding Sere's room onboard, he knocked at the door, only to not receive an answer. The captain, from what he heard, was rather exhausted from all of the business of the past few days, from even before he left Redwater - he was no doubt sleeping now. Leoquin slowly opened the door, peeking inside to confirm his thought.
Sere was, indeed, sleeping, strewn about the bed as if he had nodded off after intoxication. Leoquin gently put the box down, leaving it just by the corner of the door, before closing the room door and leaving.

"He's being watched. Don't worry." Maverick said in a neutral voice, ignoring Latnok's blunt tone. He was still pondering what Raclaw said.
"Cattlejacker?" Maverick repeated, wondering but knowing it was very likely that was the creature that did those injuries to Dahlia. Even though he was impressed by Raclaw's new weapon, he was more concerned for his beloved mount.
"You mean there's a creature that burrows itself around this island that hunts cattle? Oh Dahlia. I'm so sorry. If I had known, I never would've released you on this dangerous island." Maverick apologized, with Dahlia putting her heavy head against his with a push that almost knocked him over. She wanted that stretch, but she didn't know the dangers either, so she didn't blamed Maverick. But as the hybrid observed, her wounds were mostly superficial, and even with her limp, she could still run, so it was most likely a twisted ankle rather than a broken bone.

Meanwhile at the ship, Shade was done eating, devouring even the bone. Poor dragolet must've been starving, but not enough to stop him from enjoying his meal.
"Alright Shady, you know the next step. No use escaping this one." Angora said as she ordered him to open his mouth. Knowing his loyalty, Angora knew he would oblige. She then started the hard task of brushing him to get whatever piece of food he had stuck. Then she dared to do what she was certain nobody else would dare to; she got into his mouth to get the other sides and the teeth close to the throat. There were more sailors awake now, so she wanted those who looked to see what complete and blind trust she had in this creature involuntarily responsible for so much death and destruction, and that could easily kill her in less than a second should he see fit. Angora wasn't afraid of Shade, and she wanted everyone that observed them to know his reputation was undeserved. She even allowed Shade the liberty of closing his mouth wherever he felt tired of keeping it open, even if she was still inside. That's how much she trusted him.

"Don't worry-- there's at least two less of them now and you didn't know.," Raclaw said trying to reassure Maverick. He looked over Dahlia and was pleased that the dirt buffalo was mostly unharmed at least. Something then came to mind and he became rather curious. "Hey Dahlia, could you say something? I wish to try something.," he then said looking directly at the dirt buffalo. This was an opportunity to test rather he could speak directly to other animals or not-- and an opportunity to do so while in no danger. There was only one way to find out...

"Do..." Maverick began to say, but then immediately knew how Raclaw meant. How funny it was that he was thinking of him and his ability just a couple of minutes ago and now he finds him here, underground of all places.
"Alright Dahlia. Look at señor Rackaw and say something. I'm not sure you can understand me, but it's clear to me that you're smarter than you look. So, say something." Maverick instructed, wanting to do the experiment as well.

Dahlia looked at Raclaw... but nothing happened for almost ten minutes. Maverick believed it didn't worked with all animals after all.
"Ear twitching. Me got a fly. Why is the big bird staring? Hairy arms human, kind but stupid. But me love him. Stupid but lovely. Scary tall human, dirty armor. And me called dirt buffalo? Humans dirtier. Big bird with the mussle, still staring. Me no like it. Dog, very small. And monster with the claws. Me gored him good. Now dead, but me wanted to be the make dead. Are me pretty hooves dirty...?" Raclaw's mind could pick a female voice. Was it Dahlia? Couldn't be any other creature. Only random thoughts could pop out of her mind, but being a mammal, she could still communicate her thoughts to someone like Raclaw.

Angora was quite frustrated. She meant to annoy Shade for a little while, but it seemed like he was enjoying the brushing after all.
"Must you do that? Come on! I'm doing you a favor here! Now stand everything still!" Angora scolded, not enjoying getting drooled all over. She barely tolerated it with Veris himself, even though he was more animalistic. Maybe Shade wasn't realizing it, but the reason she was doing this was not only to clean him, but also to get the nearby sailors to watch them so they could see how she dared to approach dangerous dragon's very jaws, and also to demonstrate how harmless Shade could be with the right treatment.

Quote: Felines

"Do..." Maverick began to say, but then immediately knew how Raclaw meant. How funny it was that he was thinking of him and his ability just a couple of minutes ago and now he finds him here, underground of all places.
"Alright Dahlia. Look at señor Rackaw and say something. I'm not sure you can understand me, but it's clear to me that you're smarter than you look. So, say something." Maverick instructed, wanting to do the experiment as well.

Dahlia looked at Raclaw... but nothing happened for almost ten minutes. Maverick believed it didn't worked with all animals after all.
"Ear twitching. Me got a fly. Why is the big bird staring? Hairy arms human, kind but stupid. But me love him. Stupid but lovely. Scary tall human, dirty armor. And me called dirt buffalo? Humans dirtier. Big bird with the mussle, still staring. Me no like it. Dog, very small. And monster with the claws. Me gored him good. Now dead, but me wanted to be the make dead. Are me pretty hooves dirty...?" Raclaw's mind could pick a female voice. Was it Dahlia? Couldn't be any other creature. Only random thoughts could pop out of her mind, but being a mammal, she could still communicate her thoughts to someone like Raclaw.

As Raclaw stared, nothing happened at first. However, Dahlia's thoughts soon came to him-- just as they had before with the Storm Claw. "I-- I can understand you. I'm sorry, I should explain. You see, I have the ability to communicate with animals-- some animals at least although we are still testing those limits. You have have now further helped me to understand this ability and helped me to expand upon it. So thank-you.," Raclaw said responding to Dahlia in a form that the dirt buffalo could understand. He looked at the others and gave a nod. "I can understand her thoughts and-- and I can respond to her. She loves you know Maverick.," he then said looking at the fawn hybrid in particular. It was an interesting relationship-- quadruple to biped.

"You can!?" Maverick asked, his face shining. His smile was so silly and goofy that if it wasn't for his height, anyone could've confused him for a little boy who is having his first trip to the fair. He wasn't certain it would work with a dirt buffalo due to not having minds as complex as dragons like the wyvern and the storm claw, so he was quite ecstatic to know that Raclaw could communicate her thoughts.
"She... she does, doesn't she? She must have. I've tried to release her many times you know, but she always came back to me. Heh. And now look at her. She lead me right to you guys. I guess she's more intelligent than I thought. She knew you were in trouble and went searching for you." Maverick assured, wanting to let them know he deserved none of the credit. Dahlia knew this trio was in trouble, so she lead him to them. She has become a very trustworthy companion.

When Maverick was done talking, Dahlia's mind went active again.
"The big bird, talking. Me. To me. Not right. All speak one kind. Something wrong. Big bird, still staring at me. Face weird. Strange mouth. Is the dog alright? Hairy human, too stupid, but good. Need protection. Where is troll? Or goblin? Or midget? Cranky always. Hiding feelings. Is she alright? Big bird, weird. Tall human scary. Needs bath. Why me hooves fuzzy? Dragon, walking water thingie, they eat me. Me gore them if try. Now me want hug." Dahlia said on a roll again, clearly unable to focus on one thought at a time. She was twitching her ears and moving her head while thinking, still unable to understand completely that her thoughts were being intercepted even though she managed to answer Raclaw at first. She was quite the complicated animal.

Latnok was patiently observing as Raclaw communicated with the animal. Though Latnok wouldn't ask Raclaw to do it on Maverick's behalf, it did give him the opportunity to test out his capabilities, as far as communication went. "She's a daring one, that's for sure," he said, meant more for Maverick than the others. "Most animals wouldn't go back and try to fight the predator that could have killed them. Might want to make sure you don't bite off more than you can chew... think of what you would do if you came across something which wouldn't be deterred by a shield."

Though most sailors were on shore leave, the skeleton crew was still on deck. One sailor, while setting up a new line of rigging, witnessed the spectacle that was Angora brushing Shade's teeth; the whole concept of a tiny troll needing to give a dragon a tooth brushing, however, was so ludicrous that he would be hard pressed to take it seriously, and couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle.

"Just your tongue's left." Angora explained, needing to shush him every time he spoke since every time he talked, the movement of his tongue made her trip. But now, she has gotten use to the smell, but she couldn't wait to get out of there. She noticed the sailor, having paid close attention to her surroundings as she attended Shade, but it was a smile instead of shock. Not exactly the reaction she was expecting, but then again, a troll as tiny as her brushing teeths nearly larger than herself must've been quite the ridiculous sight indeed. But she didn't mind as long as it proved her point in the long run. A single crunch, a small spark of fire, a quick gulp, so many ways Shade could end her life at that very moment, yet there she was, taking the risk, because that's how much she cared and trusted the dragolet. Even if her action became a joke for a while, she had no doubts that after some time has passed, the ones that witness or hear from this unusual chore will recognize what a bold move it was, or maybe finally realize that Shade wasn't the monster everybody insisted on seeing.

After a few minutes more, Angora was finally done. She got out, happy to breathe in fresh air.
"Whew! That was harder than I thought! Those fangs are tough! I hope you didn't enjoy it so much, cause this isn't something I plan to make a habit of." Angora warned, not exactly enjoying such chore, but at least glad she could spend some time with Shade. She wondered where Maverick was, and if he had found Dahlia already. He also had to do his own watching.

Quote: A Guy

Latnok was patiently observing as Raclaw communicated with the animal. Though Latnok wouldn't ask Raclaw to do it on Maverick's behalf, it did give him the opportunity to test out his capabilities, as far as communication went. "She's a daring one, that's for sure," he said, meant more for Maverick than the others. "Most animals wouldn't go back and try to fight the predator that could have killed them. Might want to make sure you don't bite off more than you can chew... think of what you would do if you came across something which wouldn't be deterred by a shield."

"She is brave no doubt. When I found her, she was quite beaten up. I don't know if it was a predator or another dirt buffalo, but it was clear to me that she fought very hard. She has quite the fighting spirit." Maverick assured, speaking very cordially to Latnok without even realizing it. He was just so happy for Dahlia's act of bravery and rescue that he didn't care about anything else. As he glanced at his beloved mount, he realized that if it wasn't for her already being injured from whatever battle she faced back then, he never would've been able to tame her.

"And what is that suppose to mean?" Angora said as she started to push his snout in an attempt to wrestle with him, wanting to keep him entertained. She was rather upset Maverick for leaving her alone with Shade, but at least taking care of him was far better than te mundane and tedious chores she did yesterday. As she spent more time with the dragolet, she wondered what would Alya think of him once she met him. Maverick was going to give her a tour later, and she could hardly wait...

"That fighting spirit will get you killed if you don't keep it under control," Latnok said. "Keep that in mind. Unless you're willing - and able - to fight, you have no business being in them. Now, we're going home. We'll see whether Shade has given our crew a hard time or has been manageable. You can keep playing around, or whatever it is you do. I expect to see you back at the ship later, to see if you have any further orders." Though he was giving Angora and Maverick a bit more leeway, they wouldn't be let off the hook completely - not until he was confident in their loyalty and dedication.

"Don't worry señor Latnok. I'll make sure to keep her under control. And about the fighting, no more shield only. I'll use a sword if necessary." Maverick assured as he pointed to his neck wound, reminding of the time the thief attacked him. He knew Latnok hated his peaceful ways, and even though Maverick didn't want to change his views, he knew the world wasn't as merciful as he wished, so a time to fight would be inevitable.
"I'll be returning to the ship now señor Latnok. Dahlia needs medical attention, plus I promised this little girl I'll give her a tour, if you don't mind." Maverick explained, wanting Latnok to know and hoping he wouldn't have any objections. He couldn't possibly make such a big deal about something like that, could he? Nevertheless, Maverick was still cautious. He would've expected Latnok to at least say thank you to Dahlia for practically saving their lives, but he was still the same, stubborn and rude oaf Angora despised so much. He was exactly the things he scolded her for, but Maverick didn't make a big deal out of it and remained quiet about the matter, patting the tired but affectionate Dahlia as he prepared to leave her away from that place...

As Maverick and Latnok talked, Raclaw interpreted what would likely be the last set of thoughts for the time being...
Quote: Felines

"The big bird, talking. Me. To me. Not right. All speak one kind. Something wrong. Big bird, still staring at me. Face weird. Strange mouth. Is the dog alright? Hairy human, too stupid, but good. Need protection. Where is troll? Or goblin? Or midget? Cranky always. Hiding feelings. Is she alright? Big bird, weird. Tall human scary. Needs bath. Why me hooves fuzzy? Dragon, walking water thingie, they eat me. Me gore them if try. Now me want hug." Dahlia said on a roll again, clearly unable to focus on one thought at a time. She was twitching her ears and moving her head while thinking, still unable to understand completely that her thoughts were being intercepted even though she managed to answer Raclaw at first. She was quite the complicated animal.

"Dahlia-- I know how strange this all must be, but I can understanding you. I am a fur dragon-- think Veris, but smaller and furrier. I am a rare species, so you won't see someone like me too often. Maverick-- he's a gentle creature and he's lucky to have you. Angora-- she's a troll even if she does kind of look like a goblin. She's alright too. She just has a hard time revealing her true feelings, that's all. Latnok, tall human-- he's also alright. He can be kind and he can be gentle at times.. and I'm lucky to have him. The bath-- you're probably right although I'm not sure little Chester here will appreciate that. Don't worry-- we won't eat you.," he said motioning towards the approviate people and briefly pausing. "And Dahlia-- please look after Mav. You're lucky to have him and.. and he's lucky to have you. Watch after each other and keep each other safe.," he then said before returning his attention to the others.

He let Latnok and Maverick finish what they had to say, while giving a gentle smile to Chester and Dahlia. The little Beagle watched with curiosity-- only able to hear the noises but unable to directly interpret the dirt buffalo's thoughts. He was very intelligent for a Beagle, but he was no telepath unlike his furry friend. "Can you really understand her?," he barked looking up at Raclaw. "As strange as it must sound-- I can. It's.. it's different and not quite the same as say you and I, but it's doable. Her thoughts are scattered and rapid-fire at you, but they're there and I'm able to use then to communicate with her.," Raclae explained to the little dog with a combination of barks and dog-like noises. By now, the mud was really starting to stick and clump to his and Chester's fur-- only making the two look even manglier. "Mav-- look after her. She's intelligent and she's a fighter. Look after her and she'll look after you.," he said out loud looking at the Hybrid. He and Chester would be ready to leave the moment that Latnok was ready.

Angora continued playing roughly with Shade, knowing that her chore right now was to take care of him. Not in her wildest dreams she expected Latnok to be open enough to suggest her and Maverick to watch him even after demonstrating too many annoying times how he didn't trust them. What has gotten into him all of the sudden? Angora didn't know, nor she cared. She was going to take advantage of this moment. She could finally be herself with Shade again. She continued wrestling with him, even if the spectacle was practically like a mouse trying to wrestle with a Great Dane.

Quote: redwes

"Dahlia-- I know how strange this all must be, but I can understanding you. I am a fur dragon-- think Veris, but smaller and furrier. I am a rare species, so you won't see someone like me too often. Maverick-- he's a gentle creature and he's lucky to have you. Angora-- she's a troll even if she does kind of look like a goblin. She's alright too. She just has a hard time revealing her true feelings, that's all. Latnok, tall human-- he's also alright. He can be kind and he can be gentle at times.. and I'm lucky to have him. The bath-- you're probably right although I'm not sure little Chester here will appreciate that. Don't worry-- we won't eat you.," he said motioning towards the approviate people and briefly pausing. "And Dahlia-- please look after Mav. You're lucky to have him and.. and he's lucky to have you. Watch after each other and keep each other safe.," he then said before returning his attention to the others.

He let Latnok and Maverick finish what they had to say, while giving a gentle smile to Chester and Dahlia. The little Beagle watched with curiosity-- only able to hear the noises but unable to directly interpret the dirt buffalo's thoughts. He was very intelligent for a Beagle, but he was no telepath unlike his furry friend. "Can you really understand her?," he barked looking up at Raclaw. "As strange as it must sound-- I can. It's.. it's different and not quite the same as say you and I, but it's doable. Her thoughts are scattered and rapid-fire at you, but they're there and I'm able to use then to communicate with her.," Raclae explained to the little dog with a combination of barks and dog-like noises. By now, the mud was really starting to stick and clump to his and Chester's fur-- only making the two look even manglier. "Mav-- look after her. She's intelligent and she's a fighter. Look after her and she'll look after you.," he said out loud looking at the Hybrid. He and Chester would be ready to leave the moment that Latnok was ready.

Maverick nodded, knowing Raclaw was right. Even though he was kind of in a hurry, he remained there to wait for Latnok's approval of the tour, feeling sad that he would have to break up the bad news to Alya should he refuses.

Dahlia in the meantime, was still moving her head. Almost spaced out, and nodding off Maverick gently on occasions. Like last time, she took a little while to answer, though not as much as before.
"Big bird, no dragon. Dragons ugly. Dragons greedy. Dragons big." she commented with the same seemingly clueless face, not finding Raclaw intimidating despite already confessing himself as a dragon. Due to his fur and the fact that he was only slightly bigger than Dahlia, she wasn't scared of him.
"Dragons evil. Dragons ravage. Dragons eat me. Hairy human, stupid but gentle. Needs protection. Tall human still scary. Why scary? Me hungry. How is dog? Me almost trampled him. Me sorry. The small creature with hairy human, too cranky. But she suffering. Why? She hungry? Dragons scary. Me want to run. Me hoof hurt. Tall human needs bath. Why he still scary? Me scratch." Dahlia said with her mind as she scratched an elbow with her horn, falling silent again. It seemed that Dahlia was unable to focus on one thought at a time, and needed time to think of them before answering any questions. Was she like that? Or a quirk from her species? It was hard to tell under the current circumstances.

Raclaw quickly interpreted the new set of thoughts of Dahlia-- something that was unnecessarily complicated, but perhaps couldn't be helped on the dirt buffalo's part. "I know I look different, but we dragons vary vastly in both appearance and size. I am a sub-species of the dragon, although my visual features do resemble more that of a gryphon or similar. And not all dragons are evil-- some yes, while others are simply misunderstood. Think of each dragon as its own individual similar to but not completely like another.," Raclaw started to say responding to the first string of thoughts. "Latnok is scary because he has to be-- he's an Guardian, a protector. His interests and job are protecting people, such as from the creature you fought. Maverick-- he's naive and perhaps too kind at times, but he's learning. Angora-- she's emotionally damaged and has been through a lot. She's cranky because she doesn't know how to be anything else, but like Mav; she's also learning and will heal with time.," he said concerning the buffalo's masters. "And don't worry about Chester-- he's quite alright and holds no grudges. Like you and me, I can also communicate with him and will tell him.," he then concluded concerning the last thought and barking something to the little Beagle. In response, Chester briefly rubbed against one of Dahlia's legs and gave a gentle sounding bark-- trying to illustrate that he held no grudges against Dahlia.

"Go ahead, give your little girl her tour," Latnok said. "She better not be anywhere near Shade, however - that is not up for debate. The last thing I want is for Shade to kill yet another child with his carelessness. I will be back on the ship soon, myself. If Shade hurts that girl, I'm going to drag you to her family so you can explain to them what happened." Though Latnok didn't exactly like the concept of having a child on board to watch out for, he figured it could be manageable if she didn't stay long.
"Well, then, Raclaw, Chester, are you two ready to head back?" Latnok asked the two. "I could certainly use a bit of rest after that whole incident. I'll debrief the islanders later today."

"We'll ready.," Raclaw said with a nod. As he spoke, his teeth stood out against the mangly brown that was his face and fur. Chester gave a confirming bark and tried to scratch his ear as a fly buzzed around him. "Chester-- when we get back, we'll getting you a bath. We both could use one actually.," Raclaw then said in common with Chester giving a slight whine in response. Even if it wasn't his specialty, he could recognize just how much they stank from all the dirt and grim. Like Shade and his teeth cleaning, it was something that had to be done from time to time.

Quote: Spyroconvexity

Shade then pinned her down with his paw playfully. “Hehe how are you going to get out of this one?” He said with a smile.

"Hah! Have you forgotten? I already faced a behemoth and won. You are a piece of cake compared to that thing. Too bad you weren't there. I did much better than you." Angora rubbed off, lifting Shade's paw above her almost effortlessly, though she figured he wasn't using his whole strength. She knew both of them survived the behemoth thanks to the king's mercy, but it didn't change the fact that she did a better performance than Shade as far as she knew. She didn't try to get out of Shade's trapping paw, instead lifting it up like a boulder or a heavy weight to prove to him she wasn't going to let him underestimate her.

Quote: A Guy

"Go ahead, give your little girl her tour," Latnok said. "She better not be anywhere near Shade, however - that is not up for debate. The last thing I want is for Shade to kill yet another child with his carelessness. I will be back on the ship soon, myself. If Shade hurts that girl, I'm going to drag you to her family so you can explain to them what happened." Though Latnok didn't exactly like the concept of having a child on board to watch out for, he figured it could be manageable if she didn't stay long.
"Well, then, Raclaw, Chester, are you two ready to head back?" Latnok asked the two. "I could certainly use a bit of rest after that whole incident. I'll debrief the islanders later today."

"Sure thing señor Latnok. Thank you. I'll be careful." Maverick assured as he prepared to lead Dahlia away, but the dirt buffalo invited him to climb.
"Me no useless. Me carry stupid but sweet hairy human." Dahlia once again said in her mind, proving that maybe Angora wasn't the only one in Maverick's group with pride. With him finally having his back to Latnok, Maverick couldn't help but to roll his eyes at his last comment, knowing there was no way around his antagonistic stubbornness. To give both of them peace of mind, Maverick wasn't going to let Alya get too close to Shade, although he still looked forward to her meeting him. At least he had the hexphage as an excuse to explain to her why she couldn't get close.

It didn't take mount and owner too long to arrive, with Latnok, Raclaw and Chester just a little more ahead, not wanting to increase the tension between him and the young Guardian. Alya was right there at the port, seeing the ship, when she looked at the approaching trio. She looked in awe at Latnok and Raclaw,mand knew immediately they weren't islanders. She even turned playful with Chester, doing him some baby talk before noticing Maverick and Dahlia.
"Finally! Where have you been? I've been waiting for almost an hour. I even told mom to cook lunch a little earlier today so I wouldn't have to do the tour on an empty tummy." Alya scolded, looking at Dahlia with some concern, though her exitement to enter the ship didn't make it very noticeable. Maverick wasn't sure how to explain his absence, so he simply decided to start the tour.
"My apologies little Alya. There were some slight complications." he could only say.
"You mean the cattle stealer? It did that to the poor bull, didn't it? I'm quite surprised it survived. But I guess she is no ordinary cow." Alya expressed, showing how quite smart and analytical she was for her age. She then took Maverick's hand, ready to take the tour. She wanted to tell her friends, but she kept it a secret since she knew many of them would want to take the tour as well, thus making it harder to keep them under control.

Latnok made his way across the gangplank - all he wanted to do right now was sit on the deck. He would clean his armor, eventually - for now, however, he was going to rest, after finding himself some food. He walked into the inner ship, to grab himself some food from the kitchen.
Opening the cabinet, he perused his options, before pulling a tray out and making a decision - some brined beef, some oranges, and some rum. He headed back onto the deck, wanting to keep an eye on Shade - who was playfully engaging with Angora. He would leave them be for now; he would only need to intervene should Shade come too close to the girl. What Raclaw would do, or what Chester would do, wasn't his main concern right now; Raclaw was his own dragon, so didn't need orders from him, and Chester followed him.
Ilasi was also on the deck - relaxing a bit after some recreational swimming earlier. She noticed Latnok sitting down, seemingly exhausted and completely covered in dirt. "Hello, Latnok," she said. "What happened? You weren't here this morning, and it looks like you've had a rough day."
"Fighting some creatures called cattlejackers," Latnok said. "I didn't think there was more than one initially - quite wrong on that count. Got us in quite a bit of trouble. Things could've ended pretty badly. I'll have to be more cautious next time. Raclaw and Chester, however, have more than proven their worth. Gave Chester a bit of tracking experience. Overall, it was successful, though it could have been done a lot better."
"Well, success is what counts in the end," Ilasi said. "None of you seem to be too badly hurt - well, there is the buffalo, but I'm not quite sure what happened there besides her running off."
"One of those creatures attacked her, but she was a bit tougher than usual cattle and resisted," Latnok said. "According to Raclaw, she wanted to go back and fight the creature, but we killed it before she got a chance."
"So... Raclaw can speak to other creatures, then?"
"Seems so, yes. At least that thing. We're still trying to find the limits on his abilities."
"He seems to be getting better and better, at least from what I know," Ilasi said. "Besides that... would you like me to clean your armor?"
"I can handle that myself," Latnok said roughly, not liking the implication of needing things to be done for him - however, he realized that the offer was just a polite one, definitely not something to fault Ilasi for. "I appreciate the offer, though. I really do. Thank you."
"Of course. Just let me know if you change your mind. I'm just relaxing right now. It would give me the opportunity to practice some of my magic..."

Maverick lead the girl to the gangplank, who was already asking questions before even reaching the ship.
"So that tall man, the griffin and the cute doggie... all part of the crew?" she asked, already curious.
"Si. The man is señor Latnok. You can say he's pretty much co captain of the ship. The griffin as you called him is señor Raclaw. He's a rare species of dragon. Impressive, right? And the doggie is Chester. He just recently started traveling." Maverick explained kindly as they reached the ship, willing to answer anything.
"Wow, so much variety..." Alya began to say, when she noticed the humongous Shade on the other end of the ship. Despite his giant side, he couldn't be seen from the island given the ship's own size and the fact he usually remained on the other side. Since Angora was small and there were a few barrels and masts on their line of sight, Alya couldn't see her. But Maverick noticed Shade was roughousing with someone, which was no doubt Angora herself. Nothing new to him. At least things were somewhat normal from that end.
"That dragon? His name is Shade. Very powerful, and sometimes even dangerous, but he's a nice guy nonetheless, even if he doesn't look like it. He's being trained to control his growing powers, so he has a fungus to keep them under control until then. You can meet him later if you wat, though from a distance since that fungus is very contagious." Maverick warned, not wanting to disobey Latnok's terms, but still wishing Alya could meet Shade even if it was from a distance.
"Oh, ok. Nice. You're friends with a dragon? You're even cooler than I thought! He looks scary, but if you say you're nice, I believe ya." Alya assured with a smile, letting him continue the tour.

Maverick then spotted Ilasi and decided to start the tour from the other side. He didn't want to interrupt her chore, but most of all, he didn't want to risk blushing and stammering in the middle of the tour. He was about to lead Alya to the other direction, but then saw that she had disappeared. When he looked around, he saw the little girl running right towards the mermaid's direction.
"Hello there lady! Wow, I didn't know there were women working on this ship! That is so cool! Hey Maverick, you didn't tell me there were ladies on this ship. Well sure, there's Angora, but she's more of a goblin... gnome... thing? I'm still not sure what she is, but don't say I said that. I don't want to offend her." Alya said, feeling ashamed that she was unable to determined what kind of creature Angora was despite all the books she has read. But before Maverick could reassure her, Alya looked at Ilasi again.
"Hey lady. My name is Alya. What'cha doing? Looks interesting! Must be very cool working on a ship." the girl said innocently and exitedly as she looked at Ilasi with admiration.
"Come on Alya. We don't want to interrupt the crew's chores. We'll go to the introductions later." Maverick said, as he inevitably started to blush. He looked at Ilasi apologetically but then lowered his head, finding himself unable to look in her eyes for too long. He wanted to pull Alya away from her, but he couldn't find it in his heart to deny her the experience and oportunity to stop to Ilasi. She looked so happy he didn't want to interfere...

Quote: Spyroconvexity

“Shade smiled and used his other paw to tickle her. “Oh is that so?” He chuckled trying to pin her back down playfully. “Can you resist long?”

Angora didn't like this move. Despite wishing to keep Shade entertained, she didn't like when someone was not playing fair.
"Cheating much?" Angora exclaimed frustratedly, as she tried to use one leg to keep his other paw away from her. But then when he attempted it again, she grabbed on to it and make Shade himself pull her away from his trapping paw, tricking him into doing the work for her, and then jumping immediately to his neck.
"How's that for a trick you cheater?" she then said playfully but with a frown, attempting a spinal lock on him that almost looked adorable with their great size differences.

Ilasi, still sitting on the deck with Latnok, didn't hear about a child coming onboard the ship - she was rather surprised, though she tried not to show it. "Oh, hello there, child. I'm Ilasi. My main tasks here involve some magic, primarily water magic - making seawater potable. I also try to help take care of people where I can. What brings you here?"
"Oh, I forgot to tell you," Latnok said. "Maverick was bringing a child onboard for a tour. I figured it wouldn't hurt to see what we did here, though... I doubt much of the company here is quite her type."
"Well, I don't think anyone here would be out to hurt her..."
"Maybe not intentionally. My main concern is with Shade. He's pretty reckless, and that hexphage can spread on contact..." Latnok realized something then. Angora - she had been playing with Shade, plenty of touching involved. It only took him one look for him to identify what had happened.
"Wow, did she really decide to completely ignore common sense and get herself reinfected? ...whatever. She can figure it out." There was some fungal cure, but it was limited - Latnok would have to ask Sere for it, and both of them would be very reluctant to provide it to someone who deliberately made contact with the fungus.

"Magic? There isn't many on the island who can use it. Is it easy to learn? It would be cool to learn." Alya said ecstatically, almost forgetting about the tour. She ignored Latnok for the most part, but paid attention to what he said about Shade. It was almost exactly what Maverick said about him. Even though she did wanted to meet Shade, she would take Maverick's suggestion about meeting him from a distance.
"Alya. Por favor mija. Remember that the ship is big and your parents want you home soon." Maverick reminded, prompting Alya to resume the tour.
"Oh well, I'll learn the answer another day. Nice meeting you lady Ilasi. I hope I can see you again later. My parents could invite you home once you finish your chores." Alya suggested, liking Ilasi almost immediately. Maverick understood her, so it made him feel even sadder that he made such a sweet gal despise him so much. He looked at Ilasi apologetically again as he lead Alya the other way, continuing the tour. Maverick showed her stuff, navigated the ship up and down with her and answered her questions in a very kind and professional tone, but Alya wasn't dumb. She knew there was something wrong with him. She didn't want to ask him immediately not wanting to interrupt the tour or risk making him feel worse, so she would wait for the tour to finish and for some appropriate time to pass. Something was up and she wanted to know...

Maverick saw the humongous dragon going their way, whose stomps startled the little girl.
"Easy Alya! He's just coming to say hello." Maverick assured, though signaling her not to come so close.
"Hey Oscurito! How are you today? Look, this is Alya. She's our new friend. She lives on the island. Just careful there big guy. Remember you still have some fungus on you." Maverick warned, introducing them both but preventing any type of contact. Maverick had contact with Shade last night, but it wasn't as prolonged as Angora, not to mention he wasn't a magical creature so it wasn't as contagious for him. The comment reminded Angora of the irritating hexphage and it was right then that she decided to look at herself, and found out to her frustration that the fungus has indeed spreaded on her. Still, she didn't let her frustrate her for so long, since this play date with Shade had been worth it.
"Hey Alya. Enjoying the tour? Careful not to get dizzy. The ship can rock even when stationary." Angora said as she greeted Alya as well, making Alya look at her in awe, but also much concern as well after noticing the fungus.
"Don't worry. There's a cure for this. Go ahead. Enjoy the tour." The troll said kindly, the opposite on the way she interacted with others on the crew. Seeing Angora climbing Shade's neck like that as if it was a large tree was very awesome. She was tempted to do the same and tell her parents she climbed a dragon, but she took Maverick's warning at heart, even more so now that Angora was the evidence. She was determined to continue the tour, though a little sad she couldn't interact with Shade as closely as Angora.

Raclaw briefly smiled watching as Alya was given her tour-- and Maverick happily showed the little girl around the ship. The two briefly 'talked' with each other, the Beagle seemingly trying to get away from having to take a bath. "Now now.. this ship may not have anything for me, but will certainly have something for your petite size.," he barked with Chester offering a whine in response. His bath would have to wait for later (lately a good swim in the ocean), but the little Beagle mix was looking more like a mangy mutt and less like a proper Beagle. Chester proceeded to follow Raclaw down to one of the lower decks, albeit somewhat reluctantly. He was able to find a room meant for and with the help of a crewmate; was able able to fill the tub up just enough for someone of Chester's size. This particular crewmate had a soft spot for fuzzy animals and had nothing else to do anyway. When asked why his 'owner' wasn't assisting, Raclaw reluctantly explained how he was his own dragon and how his friendship with Latnok was just that. He didn't blame the sailor, however, and the he/Chester soon had the room to themselves.

Placing Chester directly into the tub via his two front paws and standing partly over it-- Raclaw was able to 'grip' a couple heavyduty sponges designed for cleaning the decks. Fortionally for him and further helped by the fact that his paws were still somewhat sticky form all the mud; the sponges had thick handles that he could slip his paws into. He was soon able to successfully scrub Chester despite whatever complaints the little Beagle had. "You know you have to get clean and this is the only way. And if it helps-- you'll get to see me take a good swim later. Perhaps even do some sort of cannonball into the water.," Raclaw said with a smile although he instantly regretted that statement. He knew that Chester would now be looking forward to such an event-- and the crew as well. "Hey-- that tickles!," Chester barked as Raclaw's sponge reached a slightly more sensitive part. Eventually, he was able to get the Beagle looking like a Beagle again-- and Chester quickly shook any remaining water right onto Raclaw himself. "That's for now and don't think I forgot about that cannonball.," Chester commented as the two walked out alongside each other-- one clean Beagle and one still very dirty fur dragon.

Meanwhile-- the prisoners were on a brief break from the hard labor and had been returned to their cells. Up on the main deck, Risar was relaxing and watching the waves. Upon the little girl's arrival, he kept a close an eye from his point of view and on Shade in particular. Bringing a child on board wasn't the greatest idea, but he would ensure that no harm would come to her should anything come arise. He hadn't seen Shade try anything since he came onboard, but he wasn't going to let the large Dragolet off the hook ether. He was still a troublesome dragon that had killed many people including children.

"Well, he's friendly to his two buddies, anyway," Latnok said. "Others... not so much. It's a problem I'm looking to correct. In addition to fighting monsters, creature taming is one of my specialties. With enough training, Shade may eventually be capable of living with minimal supervision. For now, however, we need to keep tabs on him. He's killed quite a few people when left unsupervised."
Leoquin, not having anything to do, came over to the little gathering - more to speak with Latnok than anyone else. "Mr. Latnok, sir, I found a rather odd artifact which I left with the captain. It's... wait, who's the girl?"
"Her name is Alya," Ilasi offered. "She's here for a tour of the ship."
"Well, I wouldn't bring her here for that, but it's not my call, I guess. Anyway, it's a faintly glowing, green orb."
"Well, that's not too specific..." Latnok said. "Godfather Sere might know more about it, however."

"Nice to meet you Mr. Shade." Alya said politely, a bit nervous but having enough control to hide it, although Latnok's comment didn't help. Maverick smiled at her kindness, very glad to have the glimmer of happiness that was Alya. It certainly made tolerating everyone's antagonism a little easier.

As he continued the tour and Alya said good bye to Angora and her giant friend, she waited for her and Maverick to be further away from Latnok and Leoquin to ask a question.
"Is it true? Has he killed people?" she asked gloomingly, and Maverick seemed to have expected that question.
"Well, when you're as big as him and your powers are growing, well, it's not very strange. Sorry you had to hear that. Yes he has, but I can promise you he never did it on purpose. In fact, he feels like a wizard controlled him back then. I don't know if that's true, but I can guarantee you he never meant to hurt anyone. That's why he's here. To help him control his powers and prevent awful accidents like that from ever happening again." Maverick explained kindly, quite angry at Latnok for being so insensitive and make Alya this uneasy when he could've simply said to her to stay away from Shade and leave that detail out.

However, much to his shock, Alya gave him a very warm smile, resuming her previous attitude.
"That is so cool! You're helping such a dangerous creature be a better being despite the risks. And Angora climbing him and petting him like that despite the dangers? Even letting the fungus get to her? You really are some great and loyal friends. That is so rare to find!" Alya said in deep admiration, surprising Maverick. He had thought for sure that Latnok's comment would make her think differently of them like everyone else, but Alya wasn't like that. Her admiration simply grew.
"Well now, that's... that's a very nice thing to say little Alya." he expressed, Alya improving his mood greatly. But there was something else she noticed.
"Hey, is there's something wrong with those two men we saw on the deck? They looked a little... angry." she observed, having noticed the tension.
"Well dearie, our loyalty to that dragon is not a very popular among the crew. Me, Angora and Shade... well let's just say we're not everyone's favorite people." Maverick confessed, knowing that the sharp Alya was going to figure it out sooner or later.
"But that is... that is not very nice. I just met you guys. The dragon is scary, but he was kind and respectful to me. Angora is... ok, she's a little bitter, but she's nice too, and very fun. And you, well you're great! You're very gentle and hairy and kind and gentle, and handsome and gentle. How can anyone be mean to you?" Alya expressed innocently, having grown fond of him and Angora, and it made her rather mad that they were being treated poorly.
"Well, our past actions are not something everyone agrees on. We don't have the best of reputations you see, but it doesn't matter now little Alya. We were able to be part of this crew to be with our friend, to help him there, and help him be with his family. We may not be very trusted, but with time, I know we will. We will be forgiven for our past actions. For now, it's not very important. Come on Alya, let's finish the tour before your parents come looking for you." Maverick said rather jokingly, resuming the expedition. Alya felt quite sad for her new friends. What was so horrible about their past that made everyone else treat them so coldly? She wished she could do something, but what could a nine years old girl like her who wasn't even part of the crew do for them?

Sere, after a (relatively) long, dreamless sleep, began to stir from his bed. The box set by his door immdiately caught his attention; he would see to it after he put his armor on, which he did instinctively. Once all of it was on, including the helmet, he went to take a look at it.
Whoever left the box also had a note with it. Sere carefully picked it up and began to read it.

Greetings, sir.
Found this box in one of the ships. Don't know much about the contents. I thought you might be interested.
-Leoquin

Sere let out a small smile. Leoquin was considerate enough to avoid waking him, while putting the box somewhere he would be able to address it immediately. Sere could see that the locking mechanism had been broken off; considering that the box appeared to be watertight, he correctly assumed that it was Leoquin. Picking up the box, he opened it to analyze the contents.
It was a green orb, about the size of his hand, glowing yet translucent. The magic it held felt nothing like the usual sort; from what he could sense, it gave off an incredible sense of life, of vitality. A life orb. This wasn't just some everyday item; how the pirates managed to get their hands on it, he didn't know, but considering the attack they fended off, he figured that they must have taken it by force in a similar manner. The captain of the ship seemed to have been interested in powerful magical artifacts; what had his plan been?
That was a matter for another time, though. He needed to get back out on the deck and see what was happening. As he stepped out, the light assailed his eyes, but he quickly adjusted to it. On the deck, he could see Latnok, Ilasi, and Leoquin, all gathered; Risar; Shade; and Angora... who seemed to have picked up the fungal infection. Sere sighed. That wasn't a problem he felt like dealing with now.
Latnok didn't take long to note Sere's presence, and stood to address him. Latnok needed no prompting to debrief Sere, knowing his armor would raise questions. "Godfather Sere. I've returned from a mission to stomp out cattlejacker for the local population; we ended up fighting two of them. Chester proved to be instrumental in the mission."
"Excellent. I appreciate you taking the initiative to get that all sorted out," Sere said. "How fare the crew?"
"Besides Angora getting herself infected, the crew is well. Wounds are healing, men are out enjoying themselves. Maverick brought a little girl up for a tour."
"Little girl... well, it would be good for our image. You have kept her away from Shade, am I correct?"
"Yes. I have made sure that she hasn't been close enough for him to touch her or infect her."
""Thank you, Latnok. Now... I have plans today. I have to take Veris out for a flight; while doing that, I will stop by and talk with the islanders - see what I can do about procuring some ship armaments. This ship has none; I figure that maybe ballistae we can disassemble and reassemble as needed would come in handy."
"Let me know how that goes, Godfather Sere." One thing was certain - even when relaxed, Sere never stopped thinking of the fights ahead. He could not afford to become complacent. He wouldn't become complacent. There was much weight on his shoulders; he couldn't afford to take a break.

While Sere was waking up, Maverick was finishing the tour. He has shown most of the interior of the ship, from the lower deck, to the hallways with the sailors' cabins, the kitchen, the cellar, even the hallway where the prisons were located (though obviously, they didn't enter). While Maverick showed the places and explained the ranks and chores, Alya listened intently but with her exitement vanishing, not liking the tasks and the overall tension of the ship, though it was probably because of what Maverick told her.

With the tour over, Maverick lead Alya to the upper deck, spotting the now awake Sere.
"Oh, just in time. There he is Alya. Captain Sere. He's head of the Ardent Guardians too, an important man as you can tell." Maverick explained kindly, as Alya stared with her mouth half open. Just when she thought Latnok was the tallest human, turns out Sere was an imposing man himself, although at least his face seemed much friendlier than Latnok's.
"Well little lady, that's about it. Oh and of course, you have the crow's nest, but you can get quite the vertigo from that altitude." Maverick warned, although willing to take her there if she wished.
"No. That's quite alright." Alya said, a little afraid of height.
"In that case, that concludes our tour. Hope you enjoy it. Now come on, let's take you to your parents before they start to worry." Maverick offered politely as he offered his hand to lead her away, which she took.

Alya and Maverick made their way to the gangplank. Just as they were about to walk it, Alya stopped, coming to Latnok and Sere's directions.
"Sirs... I..." she began to say, wanting to suggest to them to treat her friends Maverick and Angora better, but she was intimidated by their presence.
"It was nice meeting you. Thank you for allowing Maverick to give me this tour. I... see you later." she finally said, with a small, elegant bow to show her manners and desisting of her original suggestion, feeling lousy about it afterwards. She waved goodbye at Ilasi, who was a little further away, and then took Maverick's hand and left with him before anyone could say anything, as the fawn man smiled warmly at her and feeling a little sorry for the girl's uneasiness and not knowing her previous intention. So after returning to port, Alya gave Maverick a big hug.
"Thank you Mr. Maverick. For showing me so much and sharing so many interesting things. You're going to stay a while more, right?" Alya asked, hoping he and Angora could stay on the island for many more days, weeks if lucky.
"I don't know. But if I leave, I will tell you so you won't wait for us." Maverick explained kindly but a little sad.
"Well, then know that you and Angora are always welcomed at my house. After she gets rid of that fungus, I'm sure my parents will receive her as well." Alya said kindly, really growing fond of them. Maverick offered to escort her home, but she declined, assuring her she could find her way alone. As he returned to the ship, Alya watched with a gloomy face as he disappeared beyond the gangplank, wishing her new friends the best, although she couldn't stop wondering what their future would be. As she made her way home, she prayed for their happiness and for Shade's control and recovery so they could be a family again. Regardless on whatever horrible thing Maverick claimed they did, or the tragedy Shade caused, she firmly believed they deserved happiness, and hoped one day, they could get it.

Just as Sere was waking and Maverick was finishing up Alya's tour-- Raclaw had finally gotten Chester looking presentable again and the two walked out back onto the main deck. He watched with a gentle smile as the little concluded her tour and walked off the ship, glad that Mav was able to give her the chance to see such wonders. He looked down at Chester and briefly pondered his life. He had started out with a comfortable existence on a farm, had gone off on his own, and had discovered the truth behind his life. The Guardians-- they had been responsible for everything and yet he immediately fell for one. Latnok-- he and the Guardian now shared a powerful bond perhaps more powerful than any such bond that existed prior. From the moment he saw Latnok, he had felt their connection. Despite what the Guardians should have represented in his life; he and the Guardians had only grown closer. He was now fighting side-by-side with Latnok, growing his abilities, and was now well on the path to something he wanted for a long long time-- finding his parents once and for all. He didn't know what would become of his life after Falcon's Beak or what he would even do should they find his parents, but he knew one thing. With the Guardians and with Latnok, he was more content with his life now than he had ever been before. Only time would tell what would become further of him.

And then there was Chester; the Beagle who had he saved and whom had instantly taken to him. That little dog that been through so much in life and now was experiencing the world for the very first time. Side by side, both he and Chester were experiencing parts unknown and experiencing things that neither of them had experienced before. He was glad to be there for little guy and Chester was clearly quite happy to be there for him. Between Chester, Raclaw, and Latnok-- the trio made an odd team but it somehow worked. He had grown up alongside a dog and now was taking care of one. Latnok had grown up alongside neither dog nor dragon-- and now was shared a powerful bond with a fur dragon and their dog. Raclaw only wished that Latnok had gotten along better with Angora and that the two could stop fighting. 'They're getting better though and there is still time.,' he thought to himself as Chester looked up at him. "Are you alright? You seem a little out of it.," his furry pal asked noticing that Raclaw had gotten lost in thought again. "It's.. it's nothing. I was just thinking-- about where I came from and how I got here. You know, I'm glad I found you.," he responded with a smile. "So am I.," Chester barked with a friendly sounding bark. The two proceeded to move towards the others, taking a brief moment to watch as Alya made her way further and further from the ship. He quickly scanned and picked up who was currently on deck-- Sere debriefing Latnok, Ilasis and Leoquin nearby, Angora and Mav, various others, and Risar watching standing against one of the railings. Raclaw had no regrets and couldn't have been much happier with his life as it stood now. Chester of course, was certainly very happy with life. And as for Risar, the minotaur looked back on his past with an odd fondness but seemed content enough with his current allotment in life. Once again, only time would tell what would become of any of them.

On the ship, Maverick gave another smile to the heavens this time. Alya made him feel so good. It was probably her innocence, or the fact that she had a very big heart, but the fact remained that she really liked Angora, and even though she hid it, the little troll liked her as well, quite probably the first child she ever liked. Alya made her show her hidden, gentle side, and Maverick couldn't be more happy about it. He was going towards Angora, but then saw the clean Chester.
"Why hello there boy. Who's a handsome feller now?" Maverick baby talked him as he petted his head happily, showing the awesome mood he was in. Angora, being tired of playing, was sitting alongside Shade, just enjoying the moment. She was already infected, so there was no deal in avoiding him. She was feeling weak, though not as much as with the Redwater prison.

Maverick petted Chester for a while, and left him be almost as quickly as he petted him. He then went to Angora.
"Well aren't you two quite a sight. Hey Angora, your magic is limited now, isn't it? Do you think Captain Sere has a cure for that?" Maverick asked, worried about her,
"Meh, it doesn't matter. Today has been very worth it. Sure I hate having this infernal fungus, but I wouldn't change today for anything. Sere probably does have a cure, but I doubt he'll give it to me." Angora confessed, knowing the Guardians still probably hated her too much to do her that favor.
"Well, perhaps later? Especially if you're going to keep practicing with señor Latnok." Maverick assured her, wanting to raise her spirit.
"Perhaps. If not, well it can wait. He can tell me the ingredients and I can gather them myself, or perhaps the island has supplies? One way or the other, it doesn't matter. Don't worry about me Maverick. You worry about yourself and that little girl. I'll be fine. And Shade too. Heh, this fungus may not stop the insults, but at least nobody will want to kick me or step on me in these conditions. Besides, the only real danger would be if a behemoth appeared." Angora joked with a smile, her demeanor very different to her usual self. She was happy. She was positive. She was polite. She even didn't mind the hexphage that much, and was even joking about it. Being with Shade and meeting Alya did her a world of wonder, and Maverick knew it.
"Take a rest when I return Angorita. It's my turn to watch Oscurito. What do you say big guy? I may not be able to touch you anymore, but we can play a board game. I can move the pieces for you so you won't have to infect them. Maybe this ship has something we can play with." Maverick offered as he went below deck to search the ship's storehouse. Despite Angora's wonderful mood, he still worried about her and Shade. Their future was uncertain indeed, but the ever positive Maverick had faith. Faith that soon, things will be better for them. Faith that Shade will no longer be a danger to anyone. Faith that finally, one day, they will get to be a happy family again. He even had faith in himself, and Ilasi. He wanted to hope that someday, Ilasi will be able to forgive him for his mistakes, and understand why he had such loyalty to Angora. Someday...

Elsewhere on the ship, away from all the conversation, Leoquin took a look out on the horizon. Out there, somewhere... what was in store for him? So far, the group had had one fight, a decisive victory, in no small part because of his actions. With that kind of success, Leoquin knew that the captain had a good grasp of what he was doing - he came prepared. How prepared were they for what they didn't know, however?
In the end, dwelling on it wouldn't mean much. Sometimes he felt alone on the boat - Ilasi, being the only other merfolk on the ship, was someone he got along with readily. He only wished she would stop wasting her time with the craven human monkey thing. After everything he heard about Maverick, the man was not someone to be trusted - if you weren't his pet troll or dragon, he would turn on you the moment you didn't go out of of your way and drop everything to help him. He also would never fight, not even carrying a real weapon except when forced to. Just why was he here...?
Maverick would be dealt with if he stepped out of line, as would his pet troll. He wasn't going to let them get in the way of the journey. The dragon - he had to stay, but Leoquin had faith that Latnok could control him. For now, his sights were set on Falcon's Beak.
"I know you're out there, somewhere... We're coming. I will find you."

Ilasi observed as Sere and Latnok discussed the plan of the day. Sere was always staying one step ahead, with Latnok having the initiative to act as needed. They really needed to take a break some time. Sere was too focused on his mission to do so, however, and Latnok was reluctant to let anyone help him with anything not strictly related to the mission. She only hoped they didn't run themselves into the ground.
The journey was partly on Raclaw's behalf - though she didn't know the full details behind it, she knew that Raclaw was a rare breed, and his parents would be the same. Perhaps that is why so much effort was being taken for them. Though she found the idea noble, she knew that men were going to die to see the mission through. It didn't just have to be that one goal, though - the crew had stopped pirates during their time so far. The crew was a force for good - so far, at least, from what she knew.
The ship was a generally pleasant environment - the main exception being Angora, who detested and eschewed her. And Maverick... loyal as a dog to her, not even habing e ough nerve to call her out on her hostility. Despite being reluctant to admit it, she was glad that Latnok at the very least enforced respectful treatment. She wouldn't be able to tolerate Angora otherwise.
Latnok - he had proven to be a good teacher so far. He took it very seriously, and, despite his outward appearance, was very kind and helpful while teaching. She had much to learn about magic - the opportunity for growth on this ship was perfect.

Latnok, after his briefing with Sere, headed to his room to take a rest. His armor - it was still dirty. He was rather tired... perhaps he would take Ilasi up on her offer. Maybe. That's not the kind of role he wantwd to enforce on her - but, if she was offering...
Despite the trouble, Latnok was rather pleased with the results of his journey. Raclaw had proven himself to be a valuable ally - as had Chester. Raclaw - Latnok felt something with him. Raclae wasn't just an ally - he was a friend. A close one, at that. One that would have your back in a battle and be up for a game afterward. Latnok couldn't remember the last time he had that sort of friendship, if ever. Raclaw certainly made the journey much more bearable, and his ability to communicate with Chester and Veris proved to be invaluable.
Once this was all done, where would Raclaw go? Would he stick around? If they found his parenta, would he stay with them instead? Or would he just wander off on his own? That was more stuff to think about later, however. For now, he needed to sleep. He began to take off his armor, getting ready for a nap.

Sere had work to do. There was always something that needed his attention. Right now, he had to head out to the central island again - to see about getting the ship some heavier weapons. There was always going to be another battle ahead. For a man like him, they never stopped coming.
Latnok was managing Shade, and had proven to be a competent second-in-command. Angora and Maverick have not shown themselves to be traitorous yet - though he wondered what would happen, should they need to push Shade more. Shade was just along for the ride, a necessity - they were doing this to find Adjudicator Julian, Raclaw's parents, and potentially what may have been responsible for their disappearance.
Men would die on this journey. As much as Sere detested the idea, he knew it was a necessity - and as long as he made their sacrifices count, like in the battle they just had, it would be manageable
Sere didn't have time to think, however. He had to move on to the next task. He opened the door to Veris' emclosure - Veris was ecstatoc to see him. "Veris, we're headed out." Veris lowered himself to allow Sere to mount - once he had, Veris walked out of his enclosure, before exuberantly taking flight.
Sere could rest when everything was done. For now, there would be more battles ahead. And he would be ready for them. He had to be.