Dawn breaks over the camp of the Dashers, who efficiently make ready to go about their business in returning to Nagai territory with their dead and wounded. The officers give their regards to Kin, Lilac, Anisa, and company, and Gibson arrives in the camp with the two drokkar, both fed and saddled.

Xander finishes cleaning up after his morning ritual, which was an exceptionally difficult one. He slips a now-empty glass vial back into one of his robe's inner pockets, and mutters, "Well, that's the last of my hydrogen."

After getting her nerve back after the morning's earlier… incident, Anisa can be found with the pair of drokkar, making sure they're fed and watered, and generally fawning over them. "I was worried about them," she says to Gibson. "I thought one of those cannon may have got them!"

Before preparing to leave, Kin wished the guards well and with the hope that they will bring further honor to their families. She also expressed the hope that they will meet again one day. As for now, Kin is just doing last minute packing and inventory of supplies of their wagon. She is also practicing silent-sign with Long Shadow. "I know not safe," she signs out slowly still having marked difficulty with forming the words. "But must go. Family depends on it."

Lilac stands nearby Gibson, well away from the two drokkars. "I sometimes make animals nervous," she explains. "In Hakuu's castle, I started some of his drokkars." Otherwise, the human has mostly been meandering around, checking of supplies, playing a tune here and there, and otherwise being restless.

Long-Shadow seems torn, but has since given up on trying to convince Kin and her companions to avoid the cursed lands to the north. He seems to be thinking hard about it all. As it stands, there's still some ground to cover through the Desolate Band before even reaching the notorious Beast lands.

Wandering over to the other Lapis, Xander asks Anisa, "So, did you always want a pony as a little girl?"

Grabbing her arms behind her back, Lilac stretches, pacing around. "I wonder what it'll be like? Oh, I hope there won't be any more airships shooting at us," she remarks.

"I think these two have seen some hairy situations, they're pretty calm," Anisa says to the human while strapping her suitcase to 'Buttercup's' harness (although their names seem to switch back and forth quite a bit.) Dusting off her paws, the doe shrugs to Xander. "What little girl didn't? I mean, it was a pipe dream up on Rephidim anyway – not enough room to really let them run like they should. I'd probably feel even more excited about it if we weren't heading into Dagh knows what in the Beast lands."

Buttercup seems fairly placid, as does Gibson's steed. Probably good choices for those without specialized training in riding.

"Understand if you no come. You risked more than you had to. Not upset if you remain here," Kin signs in an afterthought to Long Shadow, "No forget your bravery; no forget you." She even manages a brief smile to the Savanite before she looks for the others.

"If there's another airship, I'm ready this time!" Xander tells Lilac, holding up his left hand, where a little spark weaves in and out of his fingers. "No more chasing them and planting bombs."

If anything, this seems to throw Long-Shadow into more turmoil. Eventually, he makes some signs. It's a little hard for Kin to follow, and he has to repeat himself several times, but the gist is more or less that he thinks he should probably go along as well, as he would feel guilty seeing them go to their assured deaths when he could offer at least a chance of survival in the wilds. He indicates also that he has never been there.

"I hate waiting," Lilac tells no one in particular. "At least the drokkars likes me … don't you?" Pacing over towards them, Lilac leans over and swivels her ears forward, peering at Gibson's.

"We won't have to wait for much longer," says Anisa. "I think Kin's almost ready. As soon as she is, we'll be off."

The drokkar don't answer Lilac, though they don't shy away. They still keep a wary eye on her, however.

"We go against very bad people. If you change your mind on way, understand. I honored by you coming, I hope we be worth risk for you," Kin signs to the Savanite, "Need to speak to others, be back soon."

Kin then makes her way over to the others. "Ah, I need some advice," she admits when she gets close.

Anisa swivels her ears to the Kiriga, making some last minute adjustments to Buttercup's harness. "Hmm? On what? If you're curious, they like Khatta-nip." She grins at Kin with a small wink.

"Oh, no, it's not that. He has offered to come, but … I think it's because of me," the Kiriga says after a moment. "I do not feel right putting him in more danger, but, I do not wish to see him leave, either. I am not sure what I should do. What is right? What would your people do?"

"Aww," the human woman whines. "They're giving me the eye. I'm hopeless around animals! And they used to like me." Lilac shakes her head, then stands straight and turns to Kin, ears perking. "Um," she glances at Gibson a moment, then turns back to Kin and answers, "Welllll, I guess it'd be like Gibson and me. I don't want to see him hurt, but we need him, too. It's something we just have to … suffer. I'd ask myself, is he coming for 'us' or 'me'?"

Gibson shifts uncomfortably next to one of the Buttercups. "Well, obviously I care about all of you. But I'm here on a mission. Please don't ask me if I would choose you guys or Sinai… it's not a question I want to think about… but I have a lot of important reasons to be here."

The white Lapi shrugs. "It's ultimately up to him. I'd be lying if I said he wouldn't come in handy – a native tracker of the area will help us cover much more ground, plus, it'd probably be easy for us to get lost out here. Dagh, hardly a landmark in sight!" She leans on her drokkar. "But its also a decision you need to make. If you can't bare to risk him, then let him know the truth."

Xander checks that the wagon is secure, and mounts the Dromodon. Then he starts checking the sky again, as usual.

"I do not like risking him, just as I do not like risking any of you, but we can use the assistance. All I can do is try to protect him the best I can," Kin admits and bows. "I am ready to leave when you are. The wagon is prepared."

"I may not look like it, but I actually spent a lot of time learning to survive in the wild – even before … this," Lilac says, gesturing at her ears towards the end of her sentence. "I could try and guide us, if you're really worried, Kinny."

The sky is broad and blue, though there are some tall clouds on the horizon. Primus has crested the horizon, and nothing else looms. The sky, at least, has forgotten about the fiery conflagration of the night before.

Leaping up onto the back of her drokkar, Anisa takes the animal's reigns, and leans back. "But are you trained to track in the brush like this? Anyroad, I'm just saying. We can always use more paws on deck."

Kin makes her way back to the Savanite. "Offer you deal. You teach me more language, I help you learn more fighting and defense?", she signs.

"Well not 'trained' but 'woke up in some places kind of like this but not, several times.' Does that count?" Lilac walks over to Gibson, and asks him, "Can I ride with you, Gibsy? My wings are tired."

There's still worry in his smile, but Long-Shadow nods.

Gibson steps into a stirrup and hefts himself up onto the back of his drokkar. He reaches down to offer Lilac a hand up. "You're a little slip of a thing, I'm sure we can manage," he says cheerfully.

Kin climbs onto the front of the wagon and gets settled in. She calls out to the others, "We may leave when you wish." She also uses this moment of being up high enough to lean way over and bump her snout against Long Shadow's cheek. "What is, is. Please do not worry," she tells him.

"Aww," Lilac says, blushing slightly. She hops on to the drokkar in front of him, smiling over her shoulder at the buck and wagging her tail.

"Onward to certain death!" Xander cries, and nudges the Dromodon to get moving. "Hopefully not ours, of course."

---

The Curators and the cavalry part ways, the latter reduced to banners in the distance, then clouds of dust, then nothing as savanna grasses become more sparse, and the trees more stunted and rare. As time wears on, much of the vegetation gives way to stretches of hot sand. As usual, Long-Shadow prefers to range on foot, always moving in an efficient trot, seeming never to tire. He can be more readily seen ahead now as there are fewer pieces of cover to hide him, and he picks out paths for the caravan while cresting rises to peer into the distance from time to time. The sun climbs to its zenith, fierce in its brightness, then comes back down. Hours go by, along with dreary miles.

As the sun sinks back down on a long, hot, and uncomfortable day, Long-Shadow pauses at the top of a dune, and rests on his haunches, staring at something down the slope.

Kin draws the wagon to a slop and slides off. Keeping low, she slinks up the dune now as well to try and see what Long Shadow spotted. She does not call out for fear it may cause unwanted attention.

Somewhere along the way, Lilac fell asleep. She sits with her head back against Gibson, wings limp and out, and face tucked against his arm. She sleeps soundly, only whimpering now and then.

Despite the day's heat, Anisa has mostly been enjoying the ride, taking Buttercup for various zips and zooms around the caravan as it traveled – much to her poor beast's discomfort. At the sight of Long-Shadow and Kin, the Lapi draws her beast up next to the caravan, and leaps off, slowly walking towards the pair. "What is it," she whispers, "do you see something?"

Xander perks his ears towards the cheetah, and slows the Dromodons just in case.

The black Lapi has taken to trying to keep his head covered, as his dark fur heats up quickly. Still, he doesn't complain, and merely holds the reins so he can keep his arms around Lilac, giving her some support to doze in. Long-Shadow signs something, which Kin can roughly pick out as, "Definitely know we're in the Desolate Band now," and he points to indicate the evidence. Below the dune sits a lizard of truly epic proportions. From snout to tail, it is probably as long as ten of the wagons end to end. Its eyes are tiny relative to its body, as are the snaggly teeth that protrude over its lips, though they're likely several inches long each. Its dusty yellowish hide is craggy and wrinkly, looking very thick.

Kin's eyes grow wide at the sight of the huge creature. "What is that?" she whispers, having never seen a reptile that large before. "Other than something we do not likely want to anger."

Coming up behind the lizard and cheetah, Anisa finally gets a good view of the creature, and has to cover her mouth with her paws to prevent a startled shriek. "Dear Star – what is that?!" The doe's eyes go wide in shock, her ears set back nervously.

Dismounting and joining Kin and the rest, Xander notes, "It's a monster of the Beast Lands I suppose."

"I hope that was not one of my kind," Kin whispers, looking a bit ill at the thought.

"What's all … noise … ," Lilac murmurs, suddenly squinting out at the bright light of the desert. She gives a huge yawn, then reaches over and 'fluffs' Gibson's arm. "Are we there yet, Gibson?"

Long-Shadow shakes his head, and signs some more. From what Kin can understand, he seems to indicate that this is a (something something) and isn't an uncommon sight in the Desolate Band. It doesn't seem necessary to stress they aren't to be trifled with, but he does add a final comment. He taps his temple, then makes a very silly face, crossing his eyes and sticking his tongue out like a simpleton.

Anisa briefly glances at the Savanite, scrunching her face up in non-understanding. "Is he okay? He's not have a fit or anything, is he?"

"They are, at least, not bright," Kin reasons from the gesture and works rather hard at suppressing a grin. "We go around then. Out of curiosity, though, what do they hunt? Such knowledge may be useful in the future."

Xander nods. "Going around would be good."

Long-Shadow points at Kin and nods, not quite suppressing a grin of his own. As to what they hunt, the cheetah shrugs, and holds his hands a short distance apart. A few signs added to this seems to indicate that the monstrous reptiles of the Desolate Band are willing to eat anything smaller than themselves.

At this, Anisa sets her ears even lower. "If he said what I think he said… well, I'd rather not talk about it. Let get going."

"Good, they are not picky. One of the Lapis can lure them to attack our foes in the future," Kin deadpans, "I am to understand Lightfoots are favorites of monsters." Okay, now the Kiriga can't help but grin herself.  To Anisa, she says, "Now, being serious, he indicated they will hunt anything. That may be useful later. Let'sjust go around it."

Lilac sits up and stretches, taking a moment to rub her eyes. "That was the best sleep I have had in forever," she tells Gibson, giving him a playful wag that brushes against his leg. "Is anything new hap-" She cuts off as she spots the giant lizard, ears shooting up in surprise. "WOW!"

A dark hand gently but firmly goes over Lilac's mouth, and Gibson murmurs softly, "We're not there yet, Lilac. Long-Shadow found us a sign that we're well into the Desolate Band." He seems to do some mental calculation. "I'd guess we're a few days from the Beast Lands themselves, then."

"Going around it sounds good to me," the white doe says, returning to her mount. "Far, far around as far as I'm concerned. Dagh, maybe we should have tried one of the other spots on the map."

"MmmMMMmmmMM," Lilac protests. "Hmmmmbp!"

Skirting the beast seems a wise idea, and the gigantic creature makes no move to pursue, seeming content to lurk and do whatever it was doing. Long-Shadow finds a path around that doesn't cause too great a delay. Eventually, he suggests making camp, as the sun has finally touched the horizon again.

"The lack of cover out here disturbs me," Xander comments while setting up a tent. "We should take turns at watch."

Kin concedes to their tracker and pulls the wagon to a stop. She slides off and stretches, her body feeling stiff from the long ride. "I'm willing to take watch at any hour. Do others have preference?" she asks as she starts setting up a tent as well.

Anisa nods in agreement with the fire mage. "Yeah, its got me on edge too. Dagh, where'd all the trees go?" The Lapi starts to unload her drokkar, giving the animal a drink from her canteen. "I can do it whenever. Too bad we don't have any mateh."

Xander volunteers for the first watch. "Once I got to sleep, I can't maintain my spell," he explains

"This is the most barren, desolate place I have ever been," Lilac comments as she slips off Gibson's mount. "At least the name's appropriate, not like 'Happy Woods,' which was NOT happy at all." She looks around for a moment, then offers, "I can go first, Kinny. I slept on the way."

"I will sleep then. Wake me when you wish me to take watch," Kin says with a dip of her head. "Long Shadow, do you wish to sleep now as well, or will you stay up?"

Long-Shadow stretches his long legs out, seems to think the question over a moment or two, then lays his head on his hands.

"I'll prepare your bed then as well, Long-Shadow, alongside mine. Everyone else should pick a tent mate as well. It is safer," Kin says with a quick nod, then goes about her task of setting up a tent.

"It's your lucky night, Anisa," Xander tells the white doe. "You get the tent all to yourself. I'll be meditating after my watch, instead of sleeping."

Long Tooth cranes his head out from under the wagon's canopy, squinting and rubbing his nose.

"Of course, Gibson and I will share a tent," Lilac says, as if the matter had been long decided. She takes a moment to gaze around at the desolate stretch, and shakes her head. "How can anything live out here?"

"Sounds good to me," the doe says with a small smirk, taking the tent equipment off of the caravan and carrying it to a clear spot near Xander. "Just make sure you stay awake, Hotfoot. I have some vivroot in Buttercup's saddlebags if you need to chew some."

"Nah, I'm good," Xander says. "I mean, I've trained for doing rituals that last for days. I can rest up and keep my Fuse spell going at the same time. It's like a trance."

Anisa pauses as she sets up the tent. "Um, will you be alert during this trance?" The doe's ears swivel sideways in apprehension.

Gibson hides a yawn behind a fist, and makes no other comment or complaint. Having dismounted, he begins unbundling the tent, bringing it over by Lilac.

"Wake me when you wish me to take over the watch," Kin comments as she sets the tent poles into place and goes about stretching out the fabric. She doesn't admit it, but she finds it to be a challenge since she's never really done it before. The growling now and then might betray some of the frustration, though, when she pulls one side and the other pops loose.

"I'll be alert during my watch," Xander says. "But a trance is a trance. I'll be semi-awake, just lucid enough to keep my spell going."

"Don't worry, Anisa, I'll be on watch." Lilac moves to help Gibson unpack, wagging all the while. "And it's not like there's anything to hide behind out here. It's as flat as a calm ocean!"

"Calm oceans are fine if you're in a boat," Xander notes to the human. "But the calmest sea still has monsters just under the surface. Best to assume the same goes for the Desolate Band."

The dunes give the terrain a little variance, but as Lilac says it's fairly wide open.

Anisa finishes putting her tent together, dusts off her paws, then looks to Kin. "Need any help there? Those Dagh cursed things can be tricky at times."

"Yes," the reptile admits after a bit more fighting with the tent.

"Like, what? Sand sharks? Pfffft." Lilac unrolls the bedding, shaking it out to remove the sand. "Maybe sand fish, or … Sand Xanders! Sanders!"

"Deserts come alive at night," Xander warns.

"Do you mean, like the Living Forest? The Disenchanted Forest? I lived in Sylvania, i think I can handle some grumpy sand," Lilac insists.

Anisa goes over to Kin, and helps her with putting the tent up. "He's probably right, Lilac. Star knows what lives out here! And after seeing that big… thing out there, I wouldn't be surprised one bit if there were sand sharks or something."

"Like… poisonous insects and reptiles that sleep during the day," Xander replies. "There may be smaller versions of that big lizard we passed."

"Errrmmm." Lilac lays her ears back, wag slowing. "Well, I'm sure you guys can handle that all, if we need to!"

"I hope you are not implying something about reptiles," Kin comments absently as she and Anisa manage to get the tent to behave and finally come together.

"Kinny can be scarier than any giant lizard," Lilac insists.

Gibson works quickly and efficiently, the tent taking shape with Lilac's help. "Well, can't be too careful, certainly, especially out here. I think if we're alert and prepared, we'll be fine."

"Scary? Kin?" Xander asks, and looks over at the Kiriga. "She's like a ray of sunshine captured in a flowing stream. And her swords are like flashes of lightning. She's not scary, just poetic."

Standing up, Anisa stretches, popping her back as her fur frazzles a bit at the mention of insects. "Reptiles? As long as they're your size, I'm fine- but that thing? Dagh! Nothing should be that big unless its an airship!" The doe goes over to Buttercup, unfastens her suitcase and carries it over to the tent. After tossing it inside, she looks at Xander with a puzzled, yet amused, smile.

Kin actually blinks at that. "That may be the nicest thing you have said about me," she admits as she starts to put the bedrolls into the tent and smooth out the ground a bit beneath them.

"You didn't have to be her servant for a few days! I swear, I hadn't heard of half of what she wanted!" Lilac steps back from the tent, giving it the once over.

"If I was so bad, you could have left," Kin points out to Lilac. "And you hadn't heard of it because you couldn't speak the language."

"Jadai is scary when you don't know what's what. Then again, everywhere is," Lilac explains. She then grins at Kin, shaking her head. "You already know the answer to all that."

With everyone pitching in, the camp eventually gets about as cozy as one can manage in this barren and sandy place. Gibson returns from the wagon with some provisions for supper. "Should we even make a fire? I'm not sure I want to draw any attention."

"Maybe I should just take Xander as my servant, then," Kin deadpans to Lilac, "Though, I think he would be even more trouble." To Gibson, she says, "We are better off without fire, I think, to keep us hidden. Though, how cold does it get here at night?"

"I can keep us warm without a fire," Xander notes. "And the lack of light will help our night vision."

Lilac gives Kin a hurt look, ears flattening and tail tucking. "Oh, don't be like that, Kinny. I followed you all this way," she tells the reptile.

The black Lapi nods at Xander. "Sounds good to me." He yawns again, and stretches his thick arms over his head. "Hum! Well, it's been a long day. I think I'm going to turn in." He eyes Lilac and Kin, but wisely decides to remain out of the discussion.

Anisa shivers a bit, since the temperature already seems to be dropping. "A fire'd be nice, but I agree – probably better not to make one. What'cha got to eat, bro?"

Gibson nudges the box he brought out. "Dried fruit and veggies, some smoked meat, and some squibbits for the scaly folk. I'm not too hungry myself, not that this looks very appetizing."

"I could go for something to eat as well," Xander says. "We've got supplies in the wagon, if Master Tooth hasn't eaten them all yet." The brown Lapi then begins reciting a cantrip to warm up the area around him - taking the place of a campfire himself.

"It's not all… touching, is it?" The doe looks sick to her stomach. "Um, I think I'll turn in early too."

"I am teasing," Kin reminds Lilac as she goes to look at the assortment of 'food'. None of it looks particularly appealing to her, either.

Lilac follows Kin over, tail still tucked. "Aww, that hurts, you know." She pats Kin's arm, then peers in to the box. "I think someone let some … mucous … in here." The woman leans over and pokes a squibbit.

"There should be some dry turnips or taters in the wagon," Xander notes. "I can try to heat up a pot of water for soup or tea."

Kin picks up one of the squibbits and prods it with a claw.

"Don't eat the head," Xander warns. "It's poisonous."

The squibbit squirms, writhing its fat little body. The greenish head isn't easily distinguishable from the other end except by the color.

"I'll just wait for breakfast. Its bad to eat just before you sleep anyway," Anisa says, ducking into her tent. After fastening the flap, the sounds of her suitcase opening soon follow, along with her rummaging around for suitable sleepwear.

The Kiriga considers the creature, then draws her shorter sword and decapitates the squirmy mess. And with an unceremonious roll of her jaw, she drops the body in and and swallows. Her expression is one of mild distaste, but she doesn't vomit it back up, at least.

"Eww… Nagas don't have much of a sense of taste, so I guess they don't mind that stuff," Xander notes. "Now I really want to boil something." He goes to the wagon to get some soup fixings.

The squibbit goes down nice and easy, at least, and the squirm it makes as it's swallowed is at least passable by Naga standards. Not as lively as it could be, but once can't be particular in the desert.

"Ewwww," Lilac whines, watching Kin with a vaguely horrified expression.

"Glad I didn't see that," comes Anisa's voice from her tent – no doubt she definitely heard it.

Xander sits back down at the center of the camp and slices veggies with a small chitin knife, dropping the bits into a pot of water.

"They do not taste good," Kin admits with a small shrug, "but it will do." She licks over her lips with her slightly forked tongue, adding, "At least they slide easily. I would prefer raw fish, though."

"Would anyone like the other? I will remove the head for you," Kin offers the rest of the group.

Lilac turns away, eying the contents of the box in a squint. "Well, I guess it's okay to eat. She reaches in and plucks out a strip of jerky, then promptly begins gnawing on it. "I love jerky," she tells no one in particular.

The smell of Xander's stew wafts through the camp, and soon encounters Anisa's nose, which the doe then pokes out of her tent. "Say Xander… got enough stew for two?"

"I try to avoid eating worms," Xander says, and begins applying his warmth cantrip over and over to the pot to get the water hot enough.

"Yup, grab a bowl," the buck replies.

Gibson grins. "I'll save room for breakfast, I think. See you in the morning!" The dark-furred Lapi disappears into his tent.

"Night Gibson," Lilac calls after the black buck, tail wagging even as she waves her hand.

---

The sun gradually sinks below the horizon, and Xander's cantrip keeps the chilly desert night at bay. Lilac finds herself alone with her thoughts and the Procession.

Xander sits in a lotus position with his eyes closed. Every so often he chants to recharge the warmth cantrip or his held ritual.

So, here I am, out in the middle of the desert, ponders the bardess as she stares off at the endless expanse. It's pretty, in a quiet and gloomy sort of way. The way the sky meets the flat sands creates a kind of harsh duality. Two opposed sides. I should write that down. She reaches in to her belt case, and fishes out her note scraps.

There's a buzzing of nighttime insects out here, but fortunately nothing to indicate they're any bigger than a breadbox. Even without anything crawling on her, however, Lilac gets a somewhat crawly sensation. Not unease… restlessness, maybe? It feels strange, not quite the restlessness her wanderlust usually gives her.

Lilac shivers, wondering if she's just imagining the sensation. The eerie, flat expanse almost seems alive in its own way. Earth and sky, black sparkling sand and black sparkling sky, with the Procession the only feature to really distinguish the two. It's like the door to the afterlife, she muses, then immediately decides that wasn't a good thing to think about, out here.

If she's imagining the sensation, her imagination must be very good because it's getting more intense. Tingles run up and down her limbs, and over her spine, and her arms and legs feel tense, like they need to be moving, running. Not out of fear, just… running.

Hopping to her feet, Lilac swings her head around as she tries to find the source of the annoyance. She immediately eyes Xander, wondering at his magic and his … tendencies. If he's playing with me, I am so putting a squibbit in his bed when he goes to sleep.

Xander appears to be blissfully unaware of anything around him, beyond the spells he's maintaining. Even now, he mechanically recites the warmth cantrip again.

A single, small and quick snore comes from Anisa's tent, followed by what sounds like the doe changing sleep position.

It's definitely not from Xander, he probably only wishes he had some ability to make Lilac's flesh move under her robe. A robe that seems to be getting tighter. Vertigo washes over Lilac, and an unsettled feeling twists her stomach.

Lilac blinks, caught off guard by her sudden woosiness. She stumbles back, falling on her rear in and getting sand in her tail. Oh, I shouldn't have eaten that jerky, she thinks, feeling disoriented. A few blinks later, and her ears flatten. Unless … Lifting a hand, she peers at it.

Lilac's vision blurs, but only for a moment, somehow getting even sharper in the dark. She finds her hand black, and where her thumbnail normally is, a hooked claw protrudes, and seems to keep getting longer.

Having never really observed the process in detail before, Lilac stares at her hand in a combination of horror and fascination. She tries to flex her hand, wondering if she can still even move it. Wondering if, perhaps, it might move with a mind of its own.

The hand moves as Lilac wills it, but more and more it seems to bend or move in ways she's not familiar with. As she stares at her hand… no, more of a paw now, something dark begins to dominate the lower part of her field of vision. It resolves into a nose. The robe is quite tight now.

"Rrr?" Lilac tries to speak, but finds her voice an unfamiliar growl. Scrambling, she tries to roll over and drag herself over to Gibson's tent, all while attempting to squirm out of her clothes. I can't lose them now, I like these clothes! Gibson, help, she thinks, too frenzied with panic to think straight.

It's awkward looking, especially trying not to tear the clothes with her increasingly long and sharp claws, but willing it seems to at least slow the transformation down a bit, and with some flopping and wriggling, Lilac manages to worm her way out of each article one at a time. Not a moment too soon, as her spine seems to bend and bring her down to all fours. Black fur fluffs up in the desert air.

On all fours in a pile of her own clothes, Lilac finds herself at a loss. She achieved her goal, but now her focus is spent, and she's left with her original problem: she's turned in to a beast. WhatdoIdowhatdoIdowhatdoIdo, she thinks, feveredly. I should wake someone up! I, um … She stares at the sand before her, and at her paws, struck by the alienness of her own body. She lifts a paw, tries putting it forward and repeats, inching her way towards Gibson's tent.

Lilac can hear Gibson's breathing inside despite how quiet it is, deep and slow. The tent flap hangs open to let air in, and her night vision can pick out his slumbering form on the bedroll inside.

Awkwardly, Lilac makes her way inside until she's standing unsteadily beside the sleeping buck. Oh Gods, if I wake him up he'll see me like this! Without a mirror, Lilac can only see her paws. She turns, looking over her wings and lanky black-furred body, and despairs. Maybe I should just go. The woman glances at the tent flap door, torn on waking the man up or simply escaping in to the night. A whine escapes her, quite before she can think to muffle it.

One of the dark Lapi's ears quirks up a little, and he shifts in his sleep, but doesn't otherwise stir.

Lilac takes a step towards the door, and pauses. Something more frightening than facing Gibson rears its ugly head: loneliness. Despite what she could lose, she doesn't want to be alone again, and if she runs off now, who will help Kin and the others? She'd sigh if she could. Instead, she slowly turns around, and leans over to nose at Gibson's foot. "Rrr? Rrr – RRR!"

As she tries to awaken the man, Lilac realizes something else she though she'd never have to consider: trying to talk as a monster makes her feel silly. The insanity of the idea alternately makes her want to laugh and cry.

The big Lapi's foot twitches, and Gibson rolls over. "Mnnh… wuh?" He blinks groggily, and sits up, his eyes trying to adjust to the dark.

Lilac cocks her head to the side, then wags at the man. She stares at him in the dark … until she realizes he probably can't see her. Gibson! It's me, she wants to say, but all she can manage is whining.

It takes a moment for Gibson's vision to make up for the dim light, but when it does his tall ears quickly shoot up in startlement, hands reflexively rising… still, he shows admirable restraint, and after a moment he murmurs, "… Lilac? Is that you?"

Lilac cowers back when Gibson's hands go up, ears flattening. When it's evident he's not going to swing at her, the woman eases forward again. She sits down, then nods her head to the buck.

Likewise, when it seems that Lilac is in control, Gibson leans forward. "Are you alright? Don't be frightened." The Lapi gets out of his bedroll and kneels by Lilac, reaching out hesitantly to touch her shoulder. "What's different this time?"

"Arra- … " Lilac's eyes close in frustration. She wants to tell him, but can't! So, instead she leans over and presses her forehead against his arm as she tries to think of what to do …

After a moment, it strikes her: her notes! Her writing and sketching chalks are on the sand outside! She backs away, wags to try and tell Gibson it's okay, and then darts outside.

The buck follows, emerging from the tent in his shorts and rubbing his eyes. He glances around to make sure the camp is still standing and finds Xander still meditating, then follows after Lilac.

The beast noses through her clothes pile, worries at her chalk case, then pulls one out with her teeth. Thankful her chalks are wrapped in a grip on one end, the beast mouths the item until she has a hold of it. After that, it's a search for paper. Looking around, Lilac finds the only canvas she think would stay still long enough: the side of their tent. So, she pads over and begins awkwardly writing, "I Lilac. Change. Rememb … ," about here her jaw gets a little tired, " … er."

Gibson looks on, laying a hand at the base of his ears. "Huh. Well, you've never changed without a reason before. Maybe we should get the others and try to figure this out."

Lilac drops the chalk, then nods up to Gibson. She lifts a paw to point at Xander, then the other tents, her ears perking and head tilting.

It's a quick trot around the camp to rouse everyone, Gibson poking his head into Anisa's tent for a quick, "Hey, sis!" and calling into Kin's a little more carefully, from the outside.

Kin comes dragging herself out of the tent, blinking slowly as her metabolism tries to bring her back up to speed. No one have ever claimed reptiles wake up quickly. Her robe hangs loose and open and only half-heartedly tries to close it. "What is it, Gibson? Is it my turn for watch?" she asks.

Roused from his trance, Xander looks around and notices Lilac. "Are we being attacked?" is his first question.

The black Lapi shakes his head. "Not yet. Lilac's changed though, we're not sure why. We aren't being attacked."

Anisa springs up from her bedroll with a half-snort of a surprise, her pillow flying across the inside of the tent due to her head being underneath. "Dagh, is it time to get up already?" Groggily, the doe rises, and clad in sleep bottoms and tank top, stumbles out of her tent. "Hey, its still dark out. What's the big- HOLY STAR WHAT IS THAT?!" She stumbles backwards at the sight of Lilac, fully awake now.

"That is Lilac," Kin says with amazing calm to Anisa as she makes her way over to the former human. She settles down near the creature and peers at her curiously, drawing up one of her scaled legs to rest her chin on.

Lilac begins to shake her head at Xander, but Anisa's outcry makes her jump! All at once she's on all fours, hackles raised, eyes wide and ears erect. She looks around for a moment, sniffing … and then spots Anisa looking at her. A whine escapes her, before she flops down and covers her face with her paws.

When Kin comes over, Lilac peeks at her for a moment. Without hesitation, the beast lays its head on Kin's leg and whines at her.

Cautiously, Anisa gets back to her feet, eyes wide. "That's… Lilac? But… what happened to her?"

"So you don't know why you changed then?" Xander asks the beast.

Without lifting her head, Lilac shakes a 'no' towards Xander.

The mage goes 'hmmm' and looks around. "About how close to me were you sitting?" he asks Lilac.

"This is the curse she bears, Anisa. This is what she becomes," Kin tries to explain to the Lapi. The reptile draws a breath, then says, "In training in the arts of war, one thing we were taught was how to listen to instinct, how to interpret things with your subconscious so that you react without knowing. So, one possibility is she changed because something here triggered it subconsciously, some sense of danger." The Kiriga pauses, then adds, "Another possibility is that the proximity to the Beast Lands did it; the magic did. That may also imply Lilac will be this way until we are far from here."

At "Lilac will be this way until we are far from here," Lilac whines again.

"It may have just been triggered by prolonged exposure to my warmth spell," Xander notes.

The Lapi doe makes a few steps towards Lilac, but awkwardly stands behind Gibson, peering at the canine creature from behind him. "I thought her curse was just the way she was before! Can she… understand us?"

Gibson sets a hand on his sister's shoulder. "It's okay. She's recognized us before in this form of hers, she's always helped us, never hurt us. This time she seems a lot more… I dunno… lucid? She's never changed without a reason before, that I've seen."

"Even if it was only that, Xander, that implies areas of noticeable magic will have a change effect on her," Kin points out. To Lilac, she says, "Do not fear and hold your chin high. Your skin does not a monster make, it is what is in your heart which determines what you are." For emphasis, she reaches out and taps Lilac's 'chest'. She then motions for Anisa to come over.

"Maybe Kin's right," Anisa says, "maybe its this place. Dagh, giant lizards, and now this. I'd rather deal with the Fead Shrung!" The doe's ears perk startledly as Kin motions for her, and she cautiously walks toward the two. "Uh, Lilac? Are you in there?"

Lilac nuzzles Kin's hand when she reaches over, showing affection she can't vocalize. When the reptile gestures Anisa over, Lilac sits up, tilting her head curiously. At the Lapi's question, Lilac opens her jaws and barks quietly before nodding her head.

Anisa jumps slightly at the bark, but continues her advance forward until she's right next to Lilac. She reaches out timidly, and gives the creature a quick stroke of the fur.

"Well, she seems to be okay, for the most part," Xander says. "Just keep a cloak or blanket handy in case she changes back suddenly. And keep an eye on her for odd reactions as we travel."

"I suppose the question is now will she stay like this? Perhaps the curse is progressive. Did your ears and tail grow in over time, or were they just there?" Kin asks Lilac. "And forgive me, but I wish to see how you are built in this form," she adds, then lightly pushes back Lilac's upper lip so she can see her teeth."

Lilac's eyes follow the hand; her ears askew, she lets herself be petted. The vaguely bewildered expression only increases at Kin speaks to her, until she ends up blinking when her lips are pulled back. It forces Lilac to lick at her exposed teeth and gums, fighting the dry air. Rows and rows of teeth line Lilac's mouth, almost triangle-shaped cutting teeth in dual rows.

"Interesting, I have never seen teeth structure like this before. Two rows," Kin comments as she inspects, "This form is definitely intended for killing." She releases said lips and lifts one of her forepaws to look at the claws next.

Gibson seems to find the comment disturbing, but he doesn't comment on that. "Do you… feel any different, Lilac?"

Anisa looks at Kin in alarm, and quickly draws her paw back from Lilac. "Um, could you… could you examine that stuff later, maybe?"

Lilac's eyes dart to focus on Gibson. She reaches up with a paw – which is then grabbed by Kin – and just stares at him.

"I don't recognize any resemblance to any species," Kin admits as she lets the foot down. "The claws in some sense remind me of my own, a strong talon like claw, but … they are still quite different." She sits back and looks up to Anisa, a bit bewildered by the Lapi's reaction. "Sorry," she says, "I forget your kind isn't used to … pointy bits." Apparently she couldn't think of a better phrase.

Lilac's claws resemble a beast hound's claws, only larger and sharper, with her thumb replaced by a nasty looking talon. Kin and Gibson have both seen her use that claw to parry sword blows, among other less … savory uses. To Gibson, Lilac continues to stare, ears going askew. After a moment more of this, she sits up, walks over to gather her chalk, then writes, "I beast," turning, then, to give the buck what could well be a deadpan look.

"I mean, do you feel like… usual Lilac, or do you have any sort of impulses or sensations… Dagh, this is difficult," says a frustrated Gibson.

"Hey, our claws aren't that dull," Xander comments. Seeing the message, he notes, "I think he meant do you feel any odd compulsions or urges. Do you need to find a tree, for instance, or are you hungry for raw meat, or… want to go roam a bit?"

"And wanting to bite Xander, of course, is ruled out. All of us want to do that now and then," Kin adds.

Despite her current apprehension, Anisa has to stifle a giggle at Kin's comment. "I think she's still herself, on the inside at least. She seems just as confused as we are."

Lilac nods slightly to Xander, then looks up to the graffiti-covered tent side. She seems to consider what to write for a moment, then chalks out, "Never awake." Eying that, Lilac then draws a line from awake to "remember" her previous sentence, and to, "like this." Then, she draws a line from "I" to a new word, "roam."

"Who wants to take Lilac for a walk then?" Xander asks, but mainly looks at Gibson.

"I have to wonder if we will all become more beast like in time as we get closer to the Beast Lands. I would assume not, but … hard to say," Kin muses as she rubs her chin in thought. "And Anisa, check your pendant to see if it is glowing."

"Glowing?" Anisa cocks her ears sideways, then reaches inside her collar and fishes the crystal out, raising it up to see.

"There is a certain… background radiation that tickles my magic sense," Xander notes. "It'll probably get worse the deeper we go. But if you've never been treated with transformative Life Magic you should be okay."

With no further questions coming, Lilac drops her chalk and pads back over to her clothes. There, she begins carefully picking them up in her jaws and stacking them in a relatively neat pile.

"I was thinking," Kin explains to Anisa, "On how you said your pendant sometimes put you in contact with Vandringar. What if he is experimenting with some devolution and it is echoing through that pendant. Xander, can you feel anything from the pendant itself?"

The pendant dangles, the rhombus shaped crystal slowly swinging. As usual, it is glowing slightly, cycling in color between pale green and cyan.

"If it's a First One's artifact, I probably won't," Xander notes, and reaches out a finger to touch the dangling crystal.

After piling her clothes, Lilac picks them up in her jaws and hides them away in Gibson's tent. With that done, she steps back out and begins walking around the camp.

Anisa shakes her head at Kin. "Its just doing what it normally does – all those little kaleidescope colors." Begrudgingly, she lets Xander touch the pendant, holding it out to him for a better look. "I don't think I've ever been treated with any life magic. Dagh… I think we need to make some sort of agreement: if we all start getting a little… strange, we'll head back and find another path."

"I must continue onward. I will not be upset if the rest of you wishes to turn back, though," Kin says.

Pausing, Lilac glances back at her wings and studies them. She suddenly begins to flap them, and flap them, and flap them until it seems like she should be getting off the ground … but doesn't. "Rrr?"

"Well, you won't get very far if you get turned into one of those giant lizard things, besides, we told- ack! achoo Lilac, stop!" Anisa holds her free paw up to her face as she's blasted with sand from the canine's wings.

"Such is unlikely, given hunters come to these lands to catch 'big game'," Kin points out.

Xander pulls his finger back after a moment, and even gives it an odd look. "It's… uh… it's not… " he tries to says, then has to pause and organize his thoughts. "It's got a lot of power, but it's not like anything familiar." He then blinks at Lilac's attempts to fly. "Try a running take-off, Lilac. If you get high enough, you might escape the influence of the ambient magic and start to change back."

In response to Anisa's chastisement, Lilac immediately mantles her wings and cowers a little, whining. She bows her to Xander, then suddenly takes off running!

Only, she ends up stumbling a few feet in to the sprint. Growling low, Lilac gets back to her feet and keeps trying to get the sprint right.

"I recommend that we all return to bed. Lilac and Gibson can retire and the next on watch take over. Perhaps by morning it will have worn off," Kin suggests. "We can only speculate here and whatever we come up with is a guess."

Anisa looks to Xander oddly. "So you could sense something from it? Anything in particular?" Slipping the pendant back into her shirt, the doe startles a bit at Lilac's antics. Grinning in spite of herself, she nods to Kin. "Right, we're just making ourselves tired staying up like this. I'll take next watch, and you all can get some shuteye." Yawning, she goes over to her drokkar, and pulls out a small white package.

Lilac, meanwhile, doesn't seem interested in sleeping – or standing still. She seems intent on getting her body to work, running, jumping, and racing around in an effort to fly. That, or she wasn't lying when she said she felt the need to roam.

Kin yawns. "As you wish. I'm going to go curl up with someone warm. Wake me up when my turn comes," she says and makes her way back to her tent.

The last bit of the dragon disappears behind a tent flap. If she says anything to Long shadow inside, it is only through sign.

The brown Lapi shrugs to Anisa. "Just… powerful and alien," he says.

Running around and jumping seems to wear on Lilac, until she gives up on trying to fly and just paces all over the camp. At one point she pauses at Gibson's ration bag, and steals a piece of jerky.

Xander resumes his meditation posture, and casts the warmth cantrip again. "If you're going on watch, you might want to dress a bit warmer first, Anisa," he comments. "I'm not putting out a lot of warmth."

Taking one of the roots from her paper sack, Anisa puts half of it in her mouth, and bites it, chomping the bit in half with an audible 'snap!' She puts the remaining half back in the bag, then puts the bag back into her saddle. "Oh, I'll be fine for now," she says, pulling a small book from her saddle bag before walking back over towards the buck. "If I get cold, I'll just grab my blanket from the tent." She sits down cross legged a few paces from Xander and starts to read. It's not long before she has her earbrush out, and idly smooths out her ears.

Before going back into his trance, Xander says, "If anything nibbles on me tonight, I really hope it's you, Anisa."

"Keep hoping," Anisa says, without even looking up from her book.

"At least I can be sure you'd spit me back out though," the buck says, with a smirk. "I'm not so sure with Lilac still."

Even pacing wears on Lilac, after a while. She returns to the camp center, sitting down near Anisa. At Xander's comment, her ears wilt, and she switches from staring at Anisa to staring at her paws.

Looking up from her book, Anisa glances at Lilac. Putting her brush back in her pocket, the doe scoots over to the canine, and leans on her, idly rubbing the back of her ears. "Sorry for my reaction earlier," she says, "I was out of line. And forgive Xander, he's just being… Xander. Get some sleep, maybe you'll be better in the morning." The doe smiles, then goes back to her book, continuing to stroke Lilac's ears.

Lilac watches Anisa scoot closer, ears perking. When she's leaned on, the canine blinks but doesn't resist, allowing the Lapi to pet her. She nods to the woman's and, slowly, the petting seems to calm the cursed beast down. After a while, Lilac is laying her head on Anisa's leg, her eyes closed, and tail wagging.

---

Nothing else occurs to disturb the peace of the camp, but come the morning Lilac remains in her furry, four-legged shape, the sun peeking over the horizon doing nothing to banish her bestial form. Gibson makes a show of not avoiding her, offering her a smile and a gentle touch on the shoulder, and making specifically sure not to tousle her ears or otherwise treat her like what she resembles.

Kin had taken the last watch of the night, so she watches dawn ride over the horizon. She's oddly quiet; more so than normal, as the camp slowly awakens to the new day. Currently, she's just brewing a pot of tea on a small fire she started at daybreak.

Xander is busily boiling water for tea. He needs the tea. Lots of it. While his meditation rests his body, it doesn't do a great deal for keeping his brain alert. "Someone find a bowl for Lilac?" he requests. "And if anyone wants something hot for breakfast, better tell me now."

Lilac eventually fell asleep on Anisa's leg, paws out and wings askew. There she slept for the majority of the night, only to wake with a sudden yelp and a lot of stumbling. Once she calmed down, realizing her curse wasn't going to go away, she seemed to sink in to a subdued state. Now, she sits near Gibson, occasionally peering at her paws and generally avoiding eye contact.

For her part, Anisa doesn't make the best of guards. At one point during her watch, shortly before handing duties off to Kin, she had snapped awake – having fallen asleep on Lilac's otherwise comfortable fur. Now she finishes up her morning exercises, and starts to pack her things back onto Buttercup.

Long-Shadow has kept quiet company with Kin on the watch, sitting shoulder to shoulder with her and content to contemplate the horizon. Like many Savanites, he seems to be of the mind that silence is only awkward if one makes it awkward. The other Long, Long Tooth, is present as a pair of bony feet and a kinked tail sticking out of the wagon, which at least serves to indicate he changed position sometime overnight.

Glancing at Long-Shadow and Lilac, Xander can't help but wonder if there is any game for them to hunt. "Long-Shadow, do you know if there's anything you can hunt out here?" he finally asks.

Walking over to Xander, Anisa hands the buck a bowl from her saddlebag. "No breakfast for me, thanks, but that tea sure looks good. Enough for another cup?"

"Lilac, I have packed your clothing into the wagon near the back, for when you need it again," Kin comments as she checks on her tea, "I made sure they would not at least be near Master Long Tooth's feet." At Xander's comment, she can't help but look over at the buck and wonder if this is an attempt to get rid of the Savanite.

"Should be, if we aren't making oatmeal," Xander notes.

"Rrrf," is Lilac's answer to Kin, which might mean "thank you," "okay," or a multitude of other things. Lifting a paw, Lilac reaches it out in front of her face and wiggles her talons, ears going askew.

"We should probably save it," Anisa suggests. "After all, Dagh only knows when we'll come across something edible again. I mean, they can just hunt something up, but I haven't seen any passable plants or fruit since we've been out in this Star-forsaken place." The doe takes a seat by the fire, and starts to brush at her fur.

"We don't know if there's anything to hunt here, or if anything they could catch would be safe for them to eat," Xander notes, and goes to get some jerky from the wagon. "Lilac might not know how to hunt. She's not running on instinct this time."

With a glance to Lilac, Kin says, "When we are away from these lands, you will change back. Think of this as a chance to just become better accustomed to your alternate form. There is one other thing you way wish to keep in mind, though."

The monstrous black beast drops its paw, only to shift its weight until it leans against Gibson. "Rrr?" inquires Lilac, ears perked towards Kin.

Long-Shadow waggles his hand at Xander in a so-so gesture. He does some signage, which Kin can interpret to more or less mean that there is game to be had, though limited. He also says something to the effect that some might not wish to see it before it's cooked.

"There is some he could hunt here, but it would not be appealing to many of us," Kin offers as translation.

"We may meet others like you out here, so you should decide how you will react. Also, concern yourself on if you may now have a season and if any that we meet are males," Kin notes to the former human. "Of course, neither may come to pass, but it is best to consider all possibilities."

"Well, at least Lilac might get some hunting practice then along the way," Xander reasons, and uses his knife to shred the jerky into the bowl Anisa provided. Then he adds some of the hot water and stirs it up to make a little broth and soften the dried meat. "This probably isn't going to taste like much, Lilac, but you should be able to eat it," he notes.

After finishing with her arms, Anisa starts in on her ears with the brush. "Appealing isn't the word for it," she says, wincing as she gets out a particularly nasty tangle. "So, where do we go now? Can Long-Shadow make out the trail?"

Long-Shadow nods briskly, pointing north. Gibson says, "I guess we just keep on keeping on. We're a couple days out, yet. Good thing we're traveling pretty light, or this'd probably take much longer."

After bring the bowl of meat-like-stuff to Lilac, Xander starts gulping down tea. "Ahh, caffeine, my old friend… "

Kin pours her tea into a small wooden cup. "Long Shadow," she asks, "Would you like some? I do not know if your people have tea or anything similar."

Lilac listens to Kin as she sniffs at her bowl. She shoots Kin a look when she mentions 'males,' ears flattening before she glances at Gibson. To answer the reptile, she leans over and pushes her head in to the buck's leg, as if to say she already has her male. After that she returns to focusing on her bowl, trying to lift it with her paws but eventually giving up and sticking her muzzle in it.

Taking the kettle from the fire, Anisa pours herself a cup of tea as well. "I said I had some vivroot if you wanted any," she says to Xander, "although I don't think this batch is working very well."

"Better save it for an emergency," Xander tells the doe. "Like… if we have to run for our lives and can't risk stopping to rest."

Anisa seems to consider this with a sideways cock of her ears, and stuff the packet into her pocket.

Gibson, for his part, remains wisely silent on Kin's point, and keeps focused on the journey, getting a cup of tea for himself as well. "Things are only going to get weirder as we get closer, I'm sure."

"If Long-Shadow can catch something while we're on the move, I can cook it up for him and Lilac," Xander notes, and goes to break down the tent. "Cook it on the move that is, so we don't need to stop and light a fire."

"Hopefully not for the remainder of us," Kin notes and sips from her cup after Long Shadow seemingly declines a cup. "None of the rest of us are under any sort of magical influence."

At Gibson's remark, Lilac lays her ears back. It would see, for her, things are weird enough as it is. Further weirdening Lilac's experience is eating, which proves to be rather messy. Her attempts to chew are awkward, undoubtedly due difference between human teeth and a monster's teeth. When she's finally done, she sits licking at ehr muzzle, trying to dislodge bits of meat and other breakfast she can't quite get at.

"I wonder how the Cinders can even survive out here," Anisa muses, taking a big gulp of her tea before wiping her mouth with a shirt sleeve. "Are we sure they're even out here? Seems like a silly place for a rich jerk like Vandringar to setup shop."

Long-Shadow shakes his head at Kin, but still offers her a smile. He seems wide awake and quite alert already, his spear resting easily on his shoulder.

Passing by Gibson, Xander Lapi-whispers to him, "You don't seem the type to need it, but if you do, I've got plenty of Cold Shower with me."

Finishing her tea quickly, Kin goes about dismantling her tent and packing it away. Thankfully, it collapses a lot easier than it went up.

Gibson pats Xander on the shoulder in a brotherly manner. "S'okay, but I appreciate it. I'll keep it in mind just in case the Beast Lands brings out the animal in me." He chuckles, and then goes about breaking camp with Kin, while Long-Shadow ranges ahead.

Not having hands, Lilac's ability to help with the camp is limited. She assists Gibson by ferrying items back and forth, using her mouth.

To Anisa, Kin calls out, "This is the only real evidence we have of Vandringar's allies or potential location so this way we go. However, if you have a better location in mind, please speak up." She then lugs the wrapped up tent back to the wagon and tosses it in, missing Longtooth by mere inches.

With another swig, Anisa's tea is drained. Getting back to her feet, the doe shrugs to Kin. "I don't have any, nope. And I'm just as eager as you are to get at that wacko." Walking over to the tent, she assists Xander with breaking it down. "I'm just saying, is all."

Xander dowses the campfire, checks the readiness of his held spell, and then mounts one of the Dromodons. "Well, I'm ready. Let's see how far we can get before the sun makes us whither," he says. He also has the umbrella with him.

The old master seems oblivious. So does Gibson, who tosses a rolled up tent into the wagon and some of the items that Lilac brings without looking, most of it rolling onto the Kiriga, who just mumbles incoherently and snorts.

"Gibson, you haven't learned anything more about Hakuu and his connection to Vandringar, have you?" Kin asks as she mounts one of the creatures as well. "Or what the dragon is seeking in his alliance?"

Once done, Lilac walks around to the drokkar she had ridden with Gibson. She stares at it a moment before glancing to Gibson with a bemused expression, ears askew.

The black Lapi runs his hands over his ears. "You might… uh… be more comfortable in the wagon."

Walking over to her drokkar, Anisa leaps into the saddle, and rearranges a few things for better comfort. Looking to Lilac, the doe bites her lip, nodding to Gibson. "It might be a bit… awkward to ride with you in your current condition."

"Rrrf." Lilac ducks her head and flattens her ears, acknowledging the buck's words. She walks around to the back, then, backing up, she takes a running leap on to the back of the cart.

"Probably best," Xander notes. "With Long-Shadow scouting up ahead, and Lilac's nose covering our rear it would be hard for anything to sneak up on us." Never mind that there isn't any cover out here anyway. Stuff might hide under the dirt for all the Lapi knows.

Gibson's steed canters around to the side of the wagon. "Doesn't mean I can't keep you company!" The drokkar seem ready to move as well, finishing their feedbags.

Kin's brow furrows a bit, but she shrugs and settles down onto her mount. She waits quietly, looking off into the distance and wondering what lies ahead.

Lilac's ears perk when Gibson wheels around, and she wags at him when he says he'll keep her company. Seemingly satisfied, she flops down on her side and seems content to watch the world.

"Everyone set?" Anisa calls out. "Let's go!"

Xander uses his heals to get the Dromodon started, and the wagon rattles into motion.

And once more, the little caravan is on the move. Dunes pass by much as they did before, the occasional rocky outcropping or scraggly vegetation being the few indicators of forward progress. Long-Shadow continues his habit of ranging ahead and returning every so often to adjust the caravan's course, but now he sometimes stays behind and lets the caravan pass, later catching up and moving ahead again. It's about mid-afternoon when he finally returns with something other than his spear.

For the most part, Kin has remained quiet throughout the trip. Her narrow slitted eyes locked onto the horizon ahead as she scans. When she spots Long-Shadow returning, though, she perks up a bit and tries to see what he is returning with.

Keeping her drokkar near the head of the caravan, Anisa keeps her ears and eyes focused forward. Spying the returning Savanite up ahead, she turns back to the others. "He's back again, but it looks like he has something."

Xander peeks out from beneath the shade of his umbrella. "Something dead?" he asks.

Several hours in, Lilac took to walking along side the caravan instead of riding. Her gait is different than Kin and Gibson remember, more delicate, and more careful – as if she were still unused to paws. Every so often she'd stop to sniff at something, like now: the ebon canine has its nose against a rock, investigating an interesting scent.

Whatever he has has been bundled up in some cloth that's soaked through with patches of red. It dangles from the end of his spear, which he holds crooked in his elbow so his hands are free to sign.

Spying the blood, Anisa's ears instantly swivel backwards, and she pulls back on her mount's reigns. "Um… I think he's got lunch… " Slowing Buttercup's trot, the doe drops back to the rear of the caravan. As she passes Kin, she says, "I think he's trying to tell you something."

"Lilac's dinner, I am guessing," Kin notes when she spots it. "I would, ah, recommend that the Lapis and Lilac occupy themselves for a bit while dinner is prepared. It may be … a bit unpleasant for you to witness."

Lilac abandons sniffing at the ground in favor of looking up towards the returning hunter. She wags at the mention of Lilac's dinner, while behind her a chitinous bug peeks out from under the rock she has been harassing.

"I've prepared meals that'd give you nightmares," Xander notes. "Literally. And those were desserts. Just wish we had a meat grinder for the organ meat… "

"That would give me nightmares? Unlikely," Kin notes with a small shrug, "But suit yourself. I was relaying his message as best I understood it."

"Guh," says Gibson, who then quickly catches himself and continues, "I mean, uh… guh-reat! Great. Maybe you can fix it up. Lilac, are you hungry?"

If possible, Anisa's ears flatten even harder at Xander's words, and her ears turn a shade of pale green. "How do you even know about that stuff, Hotfoot?"

Xander hops from the back of the Dromodon to the running board of the wagon. "I worked as a cook on Caroban for awhile. Where did you think sausages come from?" he notes.

"Considering I don't eat them, I never thought to ask," Anisa replies, dropping back even further from the caravan.

"Then do you wish to help Long-Shadow, Xander? I had assumed I would be assisting with such meals, but if you prefer to handle it, I will not argue the point," Kin says as she slides off her mount, taking the moment to stretch a bit.

"You're welcome to help," Xander tells Kin. "You have to tell me how you like things cooked anyway."

Wagging in response, Lilac does indeed seem to be hungry. She wanders over and begins following Long-Shadow around.

Long-Shadow approaches and unwraps his kill. His message might have warranted more clarification. It's a lizardy… thing. Except there's what appears to be a vestigial leg growing out of one side, and it has too many eyes apparently placed at random on its head.

Upon spotting her dinner, Lilac immediately looks up at Kin and begins shaking her head vehemently.

The extra leg kicks feebly.

Kin doesn't seem the least bit grossed out by the kill. "We must be close the the lands if the corruption is already evident," she comments with a small shrug. To Lilac, she says, "It will be fine once cooked, Lilac. We cannot be picky out here."

"In Abu-Dhabi, this thing would fetch a good price for the extra eyes," Xander comments, and clears space at the back of the wagon. He also sets aside a pot for collecting the blood.

Anisa's curiosity gets the better of her, and, standing up in her saddle, she gives the creature a glance, nose wiggling rapidly. "Dear Star, what happened to that thing? And… you're still gonna eat it?"

Gibson ambles over to see what the commotion is about, and draws back a bit. "Ergh… well, I guess stuff like this isn't entirely to be unexpected. Dagh."

Lilac's ears wilt, but she nods. She does not, however, stick around to watch. She wanders off rather quickly, sniffing at the air. After a minute or so, her ears skew, and she begins making marks in the sand.

"I would only be concerned if it happened to us," Kin notes as she leans in to peer at the creature, webbed ears flicking a bit. She asks Long-Shadow absently, "Are most creatures like this out here?"

And with a sudden smirk, Kin adds, "And I imagine honored Hakuu would like it out here. He likes … mutilated things."

The cheetah shrugs, laying the creature down and planting a foot on it so he can pull the spearhead out. He wipes the point on the already stained cloth, then signs something that Kin can more or less make out as "don't usually come this far".

Gibson grimaces at Kin. "Disturbing. But you're probably right, given what we've seen of him."

"Pass it on up to me," Xander says from the back of the wagon. "I want to hang it from its tail to let the blood drain out first."

"And I want to know what his true plans were for me and it it was something out here. I do not believe that it is unconnected to his work with Vandringar," Kin says as she reaches down to grab the reptile to hand off to Xander.

The creature twitches a little, and Long-Shadow koshes it once on the head just to be sure. He beams at Kin. However ugly the prey is, Shadow does seem pleased with himself for catching it.

Lilac continues pawing the sand, until it's obvious she's writing something. Words mix with pictograms, spelling out: 'smell drawing of snaggle-toothed lizard standing beside a tiny stick figure man, smell picture of several crude buildings with a line connecting them to the word smell.

Tying off the tail to one of the wagon's overhead struts, Xander notes, "Someone get the dromies moving again, no need to linger and attract who knows what with the scent of blood."

Looking away from the creature, Anisa spies Lilac, and moves her drokkar closer. "Smells… smells like… a man? It smells like a man? Like a building?" The doe's nose wiggles, and she looks to the canine. "Are you saying it smells like a… city person?"

"You did very well," Kin tells Long Shadow with a smile, reaching over and up to pat his shoulder. "I could never be as good a hunter as you."

The Savanite's grin broadens, and his ears wiggle.

Lilac nods to Anisa, but at "smells like a city person" she reaches over and circles the 'city.' Then, she points at it.

"Xander, wait," Anisa says to the buck, before turning back to Lilac. "It smells like a… city? Are you saying that thing was a person?!"

"Could just mean it's been eating garbage," Xander notes. "Maybe from whatever settlement your Vandringar fellow has set up?"

Ears going askew, Lilac stares at Anisa a long moment before rapidly shaking her head. Again she points at the circled city, and, this time, she points out in to the desert in a sweeping gesture.

Kin tries to mimic the ear-wiggle back at the Savanite. She's only so-so effective at it, though and contents herself mith just leaning on him, cheek resting against his chest. "Have you found any signs of recent travelers in this area?" she then asks him. "From what they are saying it sounds as if this thing smells of a city."

"So… you smell a city?" Anisa's look of horror melts slightly, and she looks in the direction in which Lilac points. "Its out there? Can you tell how far?"

Lilac nods to the first question, and then nods to the second as well. She sniffs at the air again, eyes narrowing in focus, and then she's off writing again. The notation is quick, for she only needs to write one word: "far." Then, she points northwest, before pawing the city picture for emphasis.

Turning in her saddle, Anisa looks to Long-Shadow. "Did you know of any cities out here? I thought the whole point to this 'Desolate Band' place was that its supposed to be… well… desolate?"

The Savanite looks puzzled, and he signs with his arms around Kin. It's pretty clear. "No. Should be nothing."

"It's probably the settlement we're looking for then," Xander reasons. "Follow Lilac's nose, I say."

Lilac sits back and wags a lot, ears perked and tongue lolling. If anything, she looks very pleased with herself.

"But quietly. We do not wish to be spotted … visually, that is. I recommend that we should wait until late night or early morning before we attempt to approach," Kin suggests as she lightly pulls away for the cheetah, but remains standing nearby.

"It's 'far' away though," Xander notes. "Do you want to just move at night then, or get as close as we can first?"

Since Long-Shadow seems to have nothing else to add, he leaves his arms resting on the Kiriga's shoulders, rubbing a little. Gibson's nose twitches. "Smart thinking, Kin. It's pretty wide open out here. I'm surprised, but I have to admit, a bit relieved. I'm guessing they didn't set up in the Beast Lands themselves."

The white Lapi nods to Kin. "Probably a good idea. I think we could head a bit towards it though – Lilac can probably tell us when to stop." Turning to the canine, she asks, "How far is it? A day? More?"

The shoulder rubbing ends up only encouraging the dragon to lean back against the Savanite, though she is careful to mind the ridge of horns her spine has beneath her mane. To Anisa, she nods curtly, "Agreed. Of course, we do not know if this is even out intended target; it may not be a hive of villainy … but then again, that is likely wishful thinking. Who else but evil would wish to live in these decaying lands?"

Lilac turns her head and peers off the way she had pointed to. After a moment of thinking, she turns back and writes: "less day."

"Freaks? Spazzoids?" Anisa swivels her mount in the direction Lilac indicates. "People who don't want to be found, I suppose. You make a good point though – this may not even be the Cinders. Even if its not, maybe we can get a room at an inn or something – I'm sick of sleeping on rocks, and Xander snores." To Lilac, she nods. "Do you think you can get us close enough without being spotted?"

"These enemies of yours don't seem the types who'd let others set up shop near them," Xander notes. "It may not be their main base, but I'm willing to bet they'll have a presence there."

Lilac takes a moment to peer towards the distant city again, tail wagging slowly. Her head ducks as she seems to consider, then she glances over the caravan. With a paw, she points at the cart. Then, she makes a slash mark in the sand.

"Let's get a little closer before abandoning the wagon," Xander pleads. "Just because it's less than a day away, we'd still need the time to get there under cover of darkness, look around, and get back before dawn."

"Which would be a good thing," Anisa notes to Xander, "cause then we could maybe get some information out of them." Glancing back at Lilac's scribblings, the doe's ears splay in thought. "Get rid of the wagon? Isn't it a bit early to make that assumption?" She nods in agreement with Xander.

"That is a reasonable assumption," Kin says with a nod. "We are ill-equipped to fight a large battle. Perhaps we should consider how, and if, we should present ourselves to them. If these are also former slavers, hm. Or if we knew one of us were being hunted, we might be able to play that in our favor."

Lilac puts a paw on her muzzle, rubbing the space between her eyes. She shakes her head slowly, then begins another round of charades. She points at the wagon, points at the distant city, then strikes a slash across the ground.

"You want us to… attack the city with the wagon?" Anisa scratches her ears in confusion. "I don't get it… "

Her eyes, glowing as they are, are hard to make out. Still, the roll of her head suggests the monster's rolling its eyes. She points again at the city, then gets up and starts trotting off that way.

Gibson rubs his chin. "If I was going to hazard a guess, I'd say she thinks we can't sneak close with the wagon."

"I guess she wishes for us to continue on," Kin says with a small shrug, "Let us move on, then." Pulling away from the feline, Kin goes and mounts the Dromodon again for more hours of dull riding.

The wagon remains with the party as Lilac takes the lead now, but for a while at least it seems the cart isn't any liability… there's plenty of ground to cover, and the sun begins to set before anything of note is seen, giving dinner time to cook (which wakes Long Tooth up, at least).

Eventually the dunes seem to shrink, though the land is no less barren here. Sand gives way to packed and parched earth, which is at least easier to traverse."

Up in front of the caravan – and far away from the smells emanating from the rear – Anisa keeps her attention focused forward, waiting for any sign of Lilac's city. "Are you sure it was in this direction?" She asks the canine. "I don't see ear or tail of anything yet."

Sitting motionless seems to be a virtue of reptiles and Kin lives up to it well. For much of the remaining trek she has sat upon her mount and watched the horizon intently. When the dunes finally give way, so does she. "Can you tell anything from these lands, Long Shadow?" she calls out. "It still seems as if nothing is out here."

It's taken time, but Xander has managed to reduce the bulk of the lizard into edible chunks. There are ribs and drumsticks for the carnivores that like to use their hands, and chunky stew for those that use bowls. There's even a steak for Master Tooth.

In response to the question, Lilac wags. She keeps right on going, until she seems to decide more needs to be relayed than a tail can communicate. Stopping, Lilac sniffs the air several times before drawing in the sands a: picture of a log, a fire, more snaggily tooth lizard doodles, and a multitude of stick people. Then, she points the direction she was going.

Kin can't help but feel her own teeth when she spots more reptile drawings. "She isn't trying to draw me?" she wonders.

Long-Shadow is traveling by foot as usual, though he remains with the caravan now, letting Lilac lead the way. He squats down to look at the earth, picking at the cracked ground and crumbling up some clods in his hands. Dusting his paws off, he signs, "Badlands. Like desert. But more rocks."

Poking his head out form the wagon, Xander looks over the doodle. "I think she means more lizards like the one Long-Shadow caught," the buck says. "Gathered where people are camped. Maybe for the warmth of the fire? Am I close, Lilac?"

Anisa stares at the drawings for some time, then continues forward. "I don't think she's drawing you, but it might be more of your kind – Nagas that is. It'd make sense for a settlement out here to be mostly made of them."

"Perhaps we should stop here and set camp for the night. How close are we to the town ahead?" Kin says as she peers out over the landscape.

Lilac glances between all the puzzled people, and the Lapi could swear she breathes a husky monster-sigh. Again she begins drawing in the sand. This time, she draws a ridiculously large four legged lizard – easily a few feet across. She stares at it, then adds snaggily teeth and a small bunny-eared stick figure next to it. A bit more review, and she adds an arrow pointing the way she was going.

"Oh, one of those big lizards, then," Xander guesses. "And they're with the people?"

So excited is Lilac by someone getting it right, she barks once and wags!

"Oh Dagh," Anisa says, realizing what Lilac is trying to get across, "not one of those things again! And did you have to add the Lapi?" Swiveling Buttercup back, she rides closer to the caravan. "I dunno, should we setup camp? Maybe we could set it up, but go investigate on foot."

"I think that was the plan," Xander notes. "Not taking the cart and dromies, certainly. They aren't exactly swift."

"We should establish a base camp, yes, and operate from it," Kin says in agreement. "I'll start the unpacking," she adds and does just that.

"Anyone hungry that doesn't want meat?" Xander asks.

Lilac simply wags in response to Anisa's question, then she circles around towards the back of the wagon. There she hops up, and there she stares at Xander with all the intensity hungry dogs can muster.

Stomach rumbling as if in response, Anisa nods to the fire mage. "I know I am." She dismounts from her drokkar, and tries its reigns to the caravan. "Whatever you're gonna make, it didn't touch that… thing, did it?"

"I am not. I may set my tent and get some sleep. The last watch plus the ride have left me feeling tired," Kin admits as she works on setting up her tent again.

Gibson goes to help Kin out, seeming in no hurry to get near the cook pot either. Long Tooth already seems to be enjoying his steak, and he licks his fingers to express his compliments to the chef.

Xander sets out the bowl of stew for Lilac, and resists the urge to pat her on the head. To Anisa, he says, "Everything is packed up still. We've got these… bread… things that I'm going to pretend are pretzel sticks. And dried veggies. You like turnips right?"

"They'll do in a pinch," Anisa says, hopping up into the back and avoiding Lilac's meal. "Anything I can help with?"

All that walking must have created a hunger in the monstrous canine that beats its fear of what went in to the stew. She eagerly lays down and begins eating, sticking her muzzle in the bowl lapping away. Every so often she nabs a bit of meat in her teeth, struggling to get it down until she begins to toss it up in the air and snap it down. Then, it seems to be easy sailings.

The buck hands Anisa something like an apple but with a layered skin like an onion. "Could you cut up this onionapple? It makes my eyes water when I do it," he asks.

"What real hope do we have, Gibson?" Kin asks the tall Lapi quietly while they both work on the tent. "I feel like we're a meager group going against an army. Be honest."

Xander feels through another pot with a spoon, and pops out a long, thin bone that's been boiled clean. "I got some clean bones to gnaw on too," he tells Anisa. "Good for the teeth."

Anisa takes the onionapple, and retrieves a knife from one of the bags. She starts to cut into it, but at the sight of Lilac tossing her food in the air, her ears wilt. Turning to face away from the canine, she begins to slice the vegetable, only to be face to face with Xander and the bones. The doe looks sick. "Um… that's okay, you can have them. Know what? I'll leave you to this… " Placing the onionapple and the knife aside, she quickly jumps from the back of the cart, and runs to the far side of the caravan. Heaving noises can soon be heard.

Gibson tugs a cord to stretch it out, and begins hammering a tent peg down, looking intent at his work while he contemplates Kin's question, his expression grim. After a while, he looks up, resting the mallet on his knee. "I won't pretend that the odds are good, Kin," he says. "It takes an army to fight an army, that much is true. But you don't always have to fight the army directly, and not always on their terms. What we'll find to turn the tide… " He shrugs his broad shoulders. "I'm not sure. But there's always reason to hope."

Lilac watches Anisa run off, ears swiveling. Once the heaving noises start, the creature sniffs, then suddenly whines. She tucks her tail and lays down, eating much less excitedly now. All food-tossing ceases!

"Even if there wasn't hope I would still go, because it is the honorable thing to do. But … I worry for those we take with us. Xander, for his still with magic, has little sense," Kin admits with a small shrug as she tightens one of the tent cords. "He seems to feel all solutions involve explosions and that has nearly gotten him killed once."

"Heh, city-girl," Xander whispers to Lilac and gives her a wink, then starts putting together a stew for the Lapis. "The bone would be softer than this bread stuff, at least. Maybe the stew can soften it up."

"And I heard that," Xander calls out to Kin.

Lilac still looks a little deflated, but she chuffs towards Xander. Her embarassment doesn't seem to stop her form eating, for she's soon done despite the smell of vomit assaulting her nose.

Anisa soon emerges from her hiding spot around the caravan, and goes over to Buttercup. Leaning on the drokkar woozily, she strokes the animal's muzzle as if for comfort.

Gibson glances over his shoulder and snickers, then sobers again when he looks back to Kin. "There's always risks, I suppose. Nobody wants to see anything bad happen to their friends. Still, you have to know when you can't fight something alone. When Anisa first helped me, I dreaded every hour we were out there. I had dragged my sister and best friend into something that could have very well killed us all. She ended up saving my life."

Xander brings Kin and Long-Shadow some ribs and drumsticks, then goes back to tending the veggie stew.

Now that she's done, Lilac picks up her plate in her mouth and 'hands' it over to Xander. Dish put away, she gives Xander an affectionate wag before hopping off and working her way to Anisa. "Rrrf?" she asks, sitting at the Lapi's feet and wagging her tail.

"You are worth saving. It is questionable if I am," Kin points out and cinches down another line. "I have violated everything my culture honors by doing what I have done and may yet do. I would be lying if I said that didn't bother me. I feel like a hypocrite; talking about honor when it is questionable if I have any myself." The Kiriga shrugs slightly.

"Wow, licked clean," Xander says when the bowl is handed over. He passes it on to Master Tooth, saying, "You get to do the dishes tonight, Sensei Tooth."

Still clinging to the drokkar, Anisa's color slowly returns, and she smiles embarrassedly to Lilac. "Sorry about that, it's nothing personal." She reaches forward, and gives Lilac a scratch behind the ears. "Although that was more because of Xander, that weird fluffhead."

The old man grunts resignedly, holding the bowl in his large, gnarled hands. He shuffles to the wagon.

Be it pity, acceptance, or sympathy, Lilac lets her ears get scratched. She even makes a show of it, leaning in to the scratch and lolling her tongue, tail wagging. Her nodding to the "fluffhead" remark dispels the illusion somewhat, letting her sentience surface beyond the act.

Hammering down another peg, the black Lapi manages to get his thumb, and he flips his hand about for a few moments before sucking the pinched digit, but it gives Kin a chance to talk. When he takes his finger out of his mouth, he says, "I wouldn't have asked for your help with the Curators if you weren't worthy, Kin. You have a vested interest, I recognize that… but I think there's a lot more to it, and I believe it's important to you. It wouldn't be, to everyone."

"Fluffhead stew is ready," Xander calls. "Don't forget to pick up a stick of… bread."

"Well, guess I better go brave the culinary storm," Anisa says, giving Lilac another pat, and a small grin at the nod. "Wish me luck." The doe walks back to the caravan, thankful that most of the meat stuff seems cleared away for now. "Xander, you are an odd Lapi, but I'll admit that stew smells good."

Lilac wags at Anisa, then reaches a paw up and gives her a crude salute. Following the Lapi back, the four legged fiend seems content to simply flop over in the sand and watch people eat.

"And if you asked me why it's important to me, I'm not sure I could give you an answer. It just is," Kin admits when she gets the last peg in place, then pauses to draw in a breath. "And being tired makes me too contemplative, I suppose. Or maybe too reptilian; I think of our chances and the practical side of me keeps saying it's impossible. But, since when have I listed to practicality? ran away from what many would consider luxury," she admits with a shrug. "I should get some sleep before we deal with what is ahead."

"Toss in the onionapple bits to sweeten it up," Xander suggests, taking his own bowl over by Kin and Gibson. "And I suppose I am the odd one out here. Everyone else seems all hung up on morals and such. I know a war when I see it though, and people die in wars. Can't be helped. I'm the mass-murderer here, and you don't see it getting me down."

"That could easily change, Xander," Kin points out and goes over to lean down and look him in the eyes. "Could you kill if you were looking them in their eyes? If you were staring into their very souls? There is a marked difference between killing from a distance, and watching your foe die in front of you." She then even pokes the Lapi in the nose, adding, "And do not ever let yourself decide its so easy. If more people thought about what they were doing, there would be less wars."

Taking some onionapple bits, Anisa does as she's instructed, then takes a tentative sip of the soup. "Hey, that's not half-bad." Taking another spoonful – larger this time – the doe munches away on the dinner, and follows Xander over to the others.

Once Xander and Anisa begin walking off, Lilac hops up and joins them. Once the group has assembled, she walks over to Kin and Gibson and flops down beside Kin.

Gibson sets his jaw, and lays the peg mallet down, coming over to join everyone around supper. "I'm not sure I'd look at it quite as … matter of factly as Xander does. But your reasons are your own, Kin. As far as I'm concerned, what you're doing is for the good of everyone, so I don't need justification if you don't need it."

"The people we're fighting don't have souls," Xander remarks, then rubs his nose. "There's no respect or honor involved. They just want to increase their personal power at the expense of everyone else. They don't respect you, Kin. Keep that in mind."

"Rrrrf," Lilac contributes.

"Even if they do not, I will not drop to their level. If I treat them as if they are worthless, then I am no better than they are, regardless of my professed intentions," Kin replies calmly. "Be careful in that fighting the monster you do not become it."

At that, Lilac whines a little.

"Just don't hesitate, Kin, or you'll be dead," Xander says. "They won't pause to wonder if they're doing the right thing. Kill them first, then agonize over it afterwards. There's no point in agonizing over it before you've even fought. I know you come from a fatalistic culture and all, but we're not in Jadai now."

"A monster is not defined by their skin, but by their actions, Lilac," Kin says firmly.

"Nope, it's intent," Xander argues.

Lilac wags a little, then places her head on Kin's leg. Of course, now she's sniffing at Kin's bread stick.

With wide eyes and ears cocked forward attentively, Anisa just looks from face to face during the conversation, occasionally sticking a spoonful of stew in her mouth. Philosophical debate does not seem to be one of her strong suits.

Kin draws back. "I do not hesitate. No true warrior hesitates in battle. When you fight, you are one with the world around you, with the flow, the dance. A sword isn't a tool, but an extension of your soul to drive away that which seeks to destroy what you hold dear," she says as she reaches down to pat Lilac (and protect her bread stick). "And I am not agonizing over what is ahead, I am planning. I am considering. I am reflecting."

Lilac had almost nabbed the bread stick, but was deflected. She sighs, instead relenting and allowing herself to be petted.

"Reflecting?" Xander asks. "On sneaking out and spying on a camp of unknown allegiance or intent? Why plan when you don't know what you're even dealing with yet? Try not to over-think everything, Kin. Look at Anisa! She beat these guys before and she hardly ever thinks anything out."

For the first time all evening, Long Tooth speaks. He hobbles from around the wagon, his sleeves rolled up and a damp, clean bowl being dried with a rag in his hand. He nods agreement with Kin. "Verra good. Choose jou battles withah care. Whichoo heart. But fight wit'out hesitation, and liff wit'out regret." He sets the bowl aside, and takes up Kin's daisho, showing it to her, and speaking now in Imperial. "Autumn does not mourn Summer, but remembers her time of plenty. Autumn does not fear Winter, but provides the harvest that all may live. Leaves fall and seasons pass as they must."

"Hey! I did so think things through," Anisa glowers at Xander, before tapping her spoon idly on her bowl. "Well, a little, at least. Besides, I agree with Kin. If you can plan, you should. Just make certain to be adaptable."

"Rrrf!" Lilac agrees! Or, perhaps she just wands a bread stick.

"On what we learned of their weapons from the ship. On what we learned of their alliance with the Governor. On what we know of his alliances and the missing scholars. Each may offer a clue as to what we could be facing. Life isn't a destination, it's a journey of experiences to be learned," Kin says to Xander, but her attention shifting quickly to Master Longtooth and her head bowing down in respect.

"I didn't say not to plan," Xander says. "Just not to invest too much effort into hypothetical stuff. This could be a bunch of mutant nomads and their giant riding lizards as easily as it could be an army. And you don't have to worry about cannons and airships this time out."

The elder Kiriga settles down around supper with a creak, and sets the Autumn Harvest carefully back down on its bed of cloth, taking up his rag and bowl again and finishing the drying. "We see."

"So long as there isn't more than one airship," he mage adds quietly.

Kin looks as if she's about to say more, then shakes her head. "I should retire to sleep. It is pointless to argue amongst ourselves, it only aids those we hunt. I should not expect you to understand me," the Kiriga says and picks up her bowl. "Good evening, all. I will take my leave."

Xander sighs, and says, "Forgive me Kin, I have poor manners. Please sleep well."

Mouth currently occupied with stew, Anisa can only wave goodnight to the Kiriga.

Lilac quickly retrieves her head, pulling back and sitting up. She pushes her head against Kin's leg in a show of affection, wagging, and giving her a good-night chuff.

"You are only being yourself, Xander. If I do not wish people to anger at who I am, then I should not anger and who you are," Kin says as she slips past her tent flaps and disappears from view.

The brown buck folds his ears back and just eats the last bits of his stew in silence.

With her the owner of the previous lap gone, Lilac sits up and walks over to Gibson. She sits and stares at him a moment, then unceremoniously flops down against him.

Gibson reaches down absently to pat Lilac, and coughs in the silence that follows. "Well. We'll have a new perspective soon, I'm sure. Let's get a little rest, then look into what we have."

Breathing a sigh out through her nose, Lilac wags slowly. She reaches over and, with her own paw, pats Gibson back.

Finishing off her stew, Anisa sets the bowl aside, and pats her stomach. "Well… that was some lovely dinnertime conversation. Anyone up for a game of charades before bed?"

Lilac, lifting a paw, answers Anisa with a hard slash across the ground.