The air has grown slightly cooler than normal as the morning sun's rays try to warm things up. It seems to take things a bit longer to get warmed up now, and the flood plains aren't as flooded anymore. Time is starting to run out.

The serendips are now splashing in mud puddles instead of a stream, and while there are still ponds and small rivers about, they're slowly receding away. Cageroot trees seemtaller now, and quicksand pits and mud holes make the plains all the more dangerous.

After a night of planning on how to catch the elusive whispa, the hunters ready to put their plans into action. Near a cluster of cageroot trees growing from a quicksand pit, the trappers are busily setting up their latest attempt at bringing in their prize… a plan that consists of a large sheet, some black paint, and bits of rope to secure the cloth.

Lakshmi carefully lays the cloth out so it's easy to see, getting Skye to tie it down firmly with his smaller and more nimble fingers. She waits, holding the piece of richly-scented meat in another cloth, to avoid getting her own scent on it.

Lakshmi watches Skye work… then gets a concerned look, glancing back at Mandara. She's silent a moment, then sighs and hisses softly, "Mandara, we have a problem. We must find a whispa before winter's onset, when the flood waters recede, or we will have missed our chance to do so for an entire year. We don't have much more time to do so… so, to be blunt, we must all work together or we will fail." She eyes Mandara gravely, then continues, "Mandara, you have disobeyed my direct orders, and made yourself look bad, twice now. When you look bad, it is Skye's and my reputation that suffers, and when that happens my school's reputation suffers also. When someone's reputation is besmirched by the actions of another… they get angry with the person who's hurt them." She sighs softly, then continues, "I have tried reasoning with you, Mandara, and it does not seem to have registered. I will not put up with a third such episode from you… so I'm going to put this very simply."

Lakshmi straightens slightly and stares directly down into Mandara's eyes, "You are going to start behaving better. I expect you to think before acting, to follow orders, to realize that your behavior reflects on all of us. If you do not do so, I will sell you to Master Dorshall." She watches Mandy's face for a moment, then adds, "Do you understand me?"

Carefully tying down the makeshift canvas, Skye works quiet and sure. He does have a small grin, as he anchors the pictograms down to a set of sticks planted in the soft ground. One knot, then two, before he sits back on his haunches, straightening out his whiskers. Skye starts to look up, with a mischievous glint in his eyes. But then he stops, muzzle half open, as Lakshmi turns to Mandara. As she talks, he quietly, silently stands, gathering up their gear, here at the trap site, before finally placing the token symbolic offering tidbit.

Mandara, sitting a few steps away, looks up as Lakshmiaddresses her. She tilts her head and perks her earswhile listening, but toward the end of Lakshmi's talk,her ears drop again. She nods her head, and says, "Iunderstand."

Lakshmi nods. "Good." She glances at the "invitation", then at the other two with a smile. "Well… as a very wise man once said, 'Now the mystery begins.' Shall we convene at the campsite and have dinner?"

Mandara pushes herself up and quickly dusts herself off. Flakes of mud that have been here to attached to her clothing from before chip off, moving the girl a little closer to a clean appearance.

Shrugging quietly, Skye nods. "Back to t'e camp. To be quiet, well fed, and 'opefully interesting to a wily w'ispa." He glances back, rubbing his chin, before quietly walking up the hill. "Mandy … it's a question of trust. And no matter 'ow 'ard or 'ow patient boss'Laks'mi and Ican be, t'at's a question only yi can answer. And not by saying. By doin', yes?"

Skye pauses for one heartbeat, then two, for an answer, before returning to their camp.

"I do better," responds Mandara as she begins walking back to the camp behind Skye.

Lakshmi has given the negative reinforcement so, like a good behaviorist, she takes a moment to give positive reinforcement too… she's not particularly grim or looming to Mandy, but rather her usual calm self, scratching Mandy's ears like usual if Mandy is anywhere close to her.

Lakshmi coils up comfortably near the campfire and settles… and takes a moment to brush out Mandy's coat. She grins and tchs. "Fur and mud… yuck."

Lakshmi brushes slowly, with long strokes, and murmurs, "Slow, long movements are best, Mandara, when around animals. Quick, short movements are startling… "

The dried mud coated canine leans over to lay her head against Lakshmi's side and wraps her arms around herself. Her toes wiggle a bit at first when Lakshmi begins brushing but after a moment her tail wags a little.

Lakshmi also studies Skye's fur coat speculatively as she brushes Mandy.

Choosing the twisted trunk of cageroot tree for a backrest, Skye takes his place at the campfire. He stretches once, snaring a steak of Bromthen for himself, to begin the night's waiting game. Between nibbles, he carefully works one of the long bamboo poles, slicing it into narrow slats. As he works, his sharp ears are perked, listening into the growing dark. When he does speak, it is quiet, and dry as the desert. "I've been t'inking … If t'is doesn't work boss'Laks'mi, no need to worry, I will not tell anyone at all." He flashes a small grin to temper the end. Then he blinks. "I already took one swim. Yesterday. I'm fine."

Off in the trees, it sounds like the lowdies are starting to wake up as well as the distant chorus of "Lowdylowdylowdylowdylowdylowlow!" can be heard from a few different directions.

Mandara sits up a little and perks twitching ears. A hand lifts and she reaches over to nudge Lakshmi to get her attention.

Lakshmi chuckles quietly. "Oh, I suspect I'm already considered somewhat of a radical in the Behaviorist School… I have more of a fondness for positive reinforcement, whereas negative reinforcement is the current ah… scholastic fad. They can't argue with results though… so I quietly continue gentling animals instead of 'breaking' them in." She sighs softly, looking up into the darkness. "It would be nice if I could persuade more to use less harshness in training… persuading a few whispas to accompany us would certainly be a powerful argument for my position." Her small smile is both rueful and slightly self-deprecating as she turns her attention back to Mandara. "Yes, Mandy?"

"Huh?" comes the reply from several other treetops. In the barrels of a few of the cageroot trees the tiny little Squees seems to be making a bit of noise as well.

Skye chuffs out a single chuckle. "Oh, I was talking about painting t'e w'ispas a sign."

Lakshmi nods quietly to Skye. "So was I, Skye."

Shifting a bit, the Skreek makes sure no little squees are twittering from his cageroot tree.

The girl opens her muzzle to speak but pauses, looking at Lakshmi quietly. After a moment she continues. "School not like you?" she asks.

Thankfully, there aren't. There does seem to be the remains of a nest in there, but the Squees have long since vacated apparently.

Lakshmi smiles at Mandara, "The school likes me because of my successes, Mandy. They think my methods are a little, um… unconventional." She sighs softly, adding, "That's why it's important that we all behave well together… to show we're all well-trained, civilized beings – that we're a credit to the school. The school protects and encourages those that make it look good… just as I would like to do with you, Mandy." She smiles and quietly goes back to brushing Mandy.

Little ears flicker, at the courting calls of the lowdies. Skye leans back upon his squeeless tree, and while he looks like he might be relaxing, he is more listening. Learning what is background noise and the chatter of lonesome critters, and waiting for something new to hear. Every now and then he spares a glance towards Lakshmi, having played this type of waiting game before.

Lakshmi is almost dreamily brushing Mandara in long, slow strokes… she also looks relaxed, patiently waiting for hoped-for results.

The black Skreek suddenly becomes stock still, save for the slightest turn of his ears. One moment, a single beat, and his eyes glance down, his long muzzle not moving, not even a long whisker.

The brush strokes slow to immobility, and with silent calm Lakshmi watches Skye's reactions.

The wagging tail freezes and Mandara glances around quickly without moving her head.

Lakshmi lays a quieting hand on Mandy's shoulder, and remains still.

Skye lets out a slow slow breath, and then quietly shrugs. He reaches down beside him and slowly draws out a small time polished bone from the cageroot tree. "Ex-squee."

Lakshmi nods placidly, and continues slowly brushing Mandy, her demeanor still dreamily internalized. She looks like she could wait all night.

Upon seeing Skye is not in any danger, at least not yet, Mandara's tail resumes wagging. With a huff of escaping air she leans over on Lakshmi and closes her eyes.

Looking back down at the cageroot tangles and its tiny squee mausoleum, Skye raises a furry brow, before glancing back across the campfire. "Curious. Boss'Laks'mi, do yi know of a critter t'at would build its nest atop a skeleton of another dead critter?"

Lakshmi looks thoughtful, then shakes her head. "Not off the top of my head, Skye. It's… rather unsanitary for young, after all."

Lakshmi hisses softly, "Well… perhaps a dry skeleton. But not a still decomposing creature."

Mandara pipes up, "And it show death, why live where something die?"

Lakshmi hisses softly, "Could the dead things have been brought to the nest, for consumption perhaps, and swept out a little inefficiently?"

Skye looks back down again. "Well, somet'ing felt it was comfy."

Lakshmi starts to slither over to have a glance at the tree, but pauses to give Mandara a slightly confused look, "Er… show death? I didn't quite catch that, Mandy?"

The girl thinks a moment before she answers. "If something dies, here, would be dangerous for other to live here," she tells Lakshmi.

Lakshmi nods thoughtfully. "That could be true, depending on the circumstances of death." She lowers her torso to peer at the little nest Skye's seated next to. "Let's see what clues we can gather… " She pulls out a hanky, opening it on one hand, and checks thoroughly for any scat, fur, tracks, or other clues to the nest's inhabitant(s).

Holding up one paw at the first hint of movement of Lakshmi's coils, Skye turns to take a second, closer, look at the cageroot tangle. Carefully, he takes his knife, to begin to explore a bit further. The bones, the fluff. "There's bits of eggs'ell too, Laks'mi. If t'ey were squee eggs'ells, wouldn't t'ey vanish long before the squeesbecame naug't but bone? And t'e fluff for nesting definitely after t'e skeletons." Slipping his knife beneath the largest shell shard, he attempts to retrieve it.

The nest looks to have been abandoned for a month at least. There's bits of broken eggshells in the lower layers, and bones that have either decomposed all their flesh or have been picked clean. Tiny tooth marks on the bones hint at the latter.

The nesting material appears to be constructed from bits of squee down, seedpod fluff, and hair from a multitude of animals. It may take a bit to sort through it all.

Lakshmi looks fascinated, holding the hanky out for Skye to put things on "I wonder… what if this was a squee nest that something predatory discovered? It – whatever it was, could eat the squee down to the bone (which is remarkably efficient for a mammal, I must say) – then suck out the eggs, then build a nest on the remains perhaps?"

Skye blinks quietly as Lakshmi slips over anyway, and he shakes his head, once. Should have known, more curiosity than a bored Khatta. He places a finger to the tip of his muzzle, pointing beyond the campfire towards the sandpit and makeshift sign. Settling back against his tree, Skye nods. "W'at if t'e little teef are w'ispa teef?"

Lakshmi murmurs softly to Skye, "Is there a visible dent in the middle where something slept – that would give a clue as to its size? How large are the teeth marks on the bones?"

Lakshmi slithers quietly back to her previous spot when Skye stops examining the nest.

Skye hands the bone he retrieved earlier to Lakshmi. "To me, well, just teef sized."

Lakshmi nods, and lowers her torso again so she has the best light possible, then examines the tiny bone on the hanky with minute and fascinated care.

Having followed Lakshmi up to the tree Mandara peeks around her to see what she and the Skreek are looking at.

Lakshmi pats the ground next to her invitingly for Mandara to rejoin her.

As Mandara and Lakshmi investigate the little nest, Skye turns, as if to follow their investigation. But his true attention remains upon the flooded wood … and their offering of Bromthen steak.

Lakshmi glances over at Skye, "Looks like most of the chewing was done by rodent-like teeth… with a few markings from something larger… a head perhaps the size of my fist? Lots of small ones… perhaps a mother and young? I think the larger markings were earlier, since I noticed the rodent-teeth first, as being on top of the other ones?"

Skye dryly chitters, "Or a hunter teaching his kit' and kin, perhaps."

Lakshmi nods, going back to quietly brushing Mandara as Mandara inspects the bones. The gentle repetitive motions are very calming.

Mandara huffs a little and folds her arms back around her. "Think whispa swim down water by sand," she mentionsquietly before she lets her arms drop and reaches for something to play with. Her dull edged boomerangs seem to at least give her something to fiddle with.

Settling back against the cageroot tree, Skye simply nods, waiting and watching and listening. A patient Skreek.

Lakshmi coils up quietly around Mandara in a loose circle, pulls a blanket over the coils farthest from the fire, and settles her head on her folded arms. Her eyelids droop as if she were almost asleep – her own form of patient waiting while conserving heat.

---

Several hours later, right when the first signs of dusk start trickling through the trees something does happen… it starts off as just another background sound – thehowling of a lowdy, except it's getting louder…

Loud enough to jolt the attentions of those in the campsite even. Sounds like the creature is chasing after something for dinner… and happens to be heading directly for the "trap" that the group laid out.

Lakshmi sighs and frowns, raising her head, and hopes the "invitation" won't be trampled.

The Skreek's sharp ears turn, as Skye scrambles to his feet. "W'at do lowdies eat, Laks'mi?"

"LowdylowdyLOWDYLOWDYLOWDYLO – " *CRASHripSNAPcrunchTEAR*

Lakshmi winces, "Darnit!" at the tearing noises… then sighs, "Meat."

Lakshmi hisses softly, "Skye, could you cautiously check out what happened down there, please? I'm afraid I'm a little sluggish currently."

There is another chorus of howls along with an obligatory "Huh?" from a nearby tree and then it starts to get quiet again.

Turns to run, all four paws upon the ground, Skreek fast. "Like lil' rodents, yes?"

Lakshmi nods glumly. "Yup."

Mandara sits up a at all the noise and stretches her arms. "If Skye get attacked, what we do?" she asks.

Lakshmi hisses softly, "Mandy, you stay here in case of problems, please. If Skye gets attacked he'll make a lot of noise – and that's where you should head immediately, to back him up."

Skye slips down the hill, towards the camp, as silent and as sneaky as a Skreek can be. His pace only slows as he approaches the sandpit, well aware of the dangerous terrain. Fast and quiet becomes sure and quiet, listeningahead, his sharp gaze following after.

Lakshmi smiles faintly, "That should be 'gets attacked,' and 'what should we do' also, Mandara." She looks pleased, "Your Imperial is getting quite good."

Mandara wags her tail a little at Lakshmi's command and puts one of her dull edged boomerangs away. It is then replaced with a bladed one and the girl looks off towards where Skye went.

Lakshmi shifts slightly, adjusting the blanket to catch more heat, and putting another log on the fire… although she also is listening intently and a little worriedly for Skye.

Click click. Mandara taps the chitin edged V shaped piece of wood against the other gently while she waits.

Lakshmi smiles at the quiet clicking… If anything would convince a spooked creature that here was safe, it would probably be the small, inconsequential sounds and scents of relaxed beings at rest. She glances around quietly, and wonders if she's overestimating whispas… and all the warnings were wrong.

Mandara looks up at Lakshmi for a moment before she turns her gaze to the ground below. Using the chitin lined weapon, she begins carving little doodles in the ground, copies of Master Dorshall's stuffed whispa.

The Lowdy can be heard grunting slightly. Its voice sounds muffled and half choked.

"Skye strangle?" asks Mandara as she finishes another doodle.

At first sight, the Skreek becomes stock still, watching the scene at the sandpit. Sharp eyes follow the ill fated critters, predator suddenly now become prey. One step, two, silent, slow, timed, like walking through a house when its master is still awake, so he can reach out from thedarkness and attempt to grab the lowdy's thrashing leg.

Lakshmi shakes her head, "That's the lowdy, Mandy. Hear the deeper, heavier tone?"

Mandara nods her head and looks up, "Yes? What is. What is, it?"

The Skreek's questing hand goes unnoticed by the occupants of the cageroot tree for now, and the Skreek manages to slowly sneak up to grabbing range.

Lakshmi hisses softly. "A lowdy? Hm… it's a large creature that can swell up its throat when it makes a call." Dryly she adds, "The males of its species can achieve a considerable volume."She looks pleased at Mandara's grammatical self-correction.

Mandara smiles blankly right back at Lakshmi. She seems happy enough to see her master smile, but, it doesn't quite seem she made sense of the description.

Lakshmi grins at Mandara. "We'll try to point one out for you."

Holding on to the lowdy's leg for all he's worth, Skye does just that: hold on. He lets his arm be dragged into the cageroot tangle, like a fish on a line, but not letting go of the tangled beast. Twisted this way and that, he waits as the lowdy slowly strangles himself, as its prey dances in the branches above. He smiles a dry smile, as he follows its mischievous scampering, his words soft but sure. He doesn't believe the critter will understand the words, but perhaps the Skreek's equally mischievous expression carries past the bounds of language. "Ye are supposed to be so smart, now w'at are yi going to do?"

Skye blinks twice, but still holds on. He speaks two words, even, calm, not startling, but hopefully clear enough they can be heard by others listening. "Allo w'ispa."

In response, the Skreek's quarry vanishes underneath the body of the lowdy. A moment later and the lowdy grunts out in pain and yanks its leg downwards, wrenching the Skreek's arm down in the tighter branches as well.

The idle canid snaps to attention at the mention of a whispa nearby. She nudges Lakshmi repeatedly, whispering, "Whispa, whispa!"

Lakshmi blinks and nods, but remains still, "Good. Quiet now, Mandy… If it comes into camp we don't want to scare it. We want it to feel comfortable and welcome."

Lakshmi doesn't comment on it, but is also internally relieved to hear Skye's voice.

"Skye not scare it now with talk and pulling?" asks Mandara quietly of Lakshmi. She leans forward and rests her head on Lakshmi's coil. "Hope it not steal soul."

"Er… what was that again, Mandy, about Skye scaring it?"Lakshmi doesn't move except to rub Mandy's ears quietly, as she continues observing the camp around her.

A pair of glittering black eyes set in an otterish looking head peers at Skye as though studying him. Its fur brushes against the rat's own for just a moment, fur so soft that it seems as though it might wilt if a baby breathed on it. It climbs up on the body of the lowdy, just out of Skye's reach, and hunches down. Its muzzle buries itself in the Lowdy's fur as it studies the rat.

"Not important, just comment," replies Mandara and she watches from her more than comfortable position, safely away from having do anything dangerous.

Attempting to follow the whispa's glowing path, Skye turns, leaning forward as it darts low and beneath the lowdy and then chuffs out a sudden and sharp skreeek as he is pulled forward, deeper into the cageroot tangle. The roots twist and twine, and with a deep breath Skye pulls back – only to find himself stuck fast. Two simplesyllables focus in the Skreek's mind, familiar in any language. Ot oh When his eyes clear, he looks back, face to face with the mythical beast. He lets out a slow breath, and manages a small smile. "Now t'is is a fine to do."

Lakshmi nods silently and sighs softly… but continues her immobile waiting.

Mandara lifts a finger and points at Skye. "Skreek in tree, like bird in cage." She giggles a little. "We help now?"

The glowing creature raises its head back up again and the body of the lowdy flinches as the whispa rips a mouthful sized chunk of flesh from the still living beast's side. It munches thoughtfully, and then starts to inch towards the Skreek's exposed arm.

Lakshmi glances over, but can't see what's transpiring, dueto her limited night vision. She's silent for a moment, thinking, then shakes her head. "No… he'll yell if he needs help… and if he is dealing with a whispa, the last thing we want to do is blunder over and scare it away." She smiles wryly. "And if he's not, perhaps it will pay us a visit."

Mandara lifts her head and picks up her weapons just incase, nodding to the command. "Yes, Lakshmi." The girl once again places her head back down and watches with some amusement.

Skye looks back at the whispa, not blinking, matching its gave, following the bobbing of its teeth. Rodent to rodent, furr to furr. His grip on the dead lowdyloosens, his paw shifts, because if he's close enough to bite, he's also close enough to grab.

Skye dryly chitters, "Lakshmi, I'm about to become dessert… "

Lakshmi nods. "Now we help. Mandy, go quietly and quickly and either get Skye to tell you what he needs, or stop whatever's hurting him."

There is a definite accent in that last word of Skye's.

"Hurry."

At the movement, the whispa darts back and vanishes, reappearing an instant later further into the side of the tree, out of reach for his trapped arm but perhaps not his free one. The glow on its fur intensifies, as if daring Skye to grab it.

Finally getting the nod to go and do something, Mandara hops up and jumps out from inside Lakshmi's coils and lands with a soft thump. She begins walking quickly over to the Skreek with her weapon handy, moving as quietly as she can. Given her bare feet and weight she doesn't make much noise at all.

Skye lets go of the lowdy.

Lakshmi remains by the fire, still warming up, and sighs in faint amusement… There are times, she dryly reflects, when an internal heating system would be useful. Ah well, she adds to herself… we each have our strengths and weaknesses. She curls up by the fire, still listening and watching carefully, still doing her best to look peaceful and welcoming to any whispas passing by.

If the whispa has noticed Mandara, it's not showing it. Instead it clambers up on another tangled limb of the lowdy and starts to rip out chunks of the creature's flesh. A few drops of blood spatter on the Skreek's hat and arm.

Mandara slowly approaches Skye and stops about where she thinks he can see him. She looks over at him questioningly, waving her boomerang a little to get his attention.

Khai, 'e's fast. Watching the whispa carefully, Skye smiles, letting his trapped hand feel about the cageroot brambles, as if exploring, as if trying to find a way loose – the oldest trick in the book when it comes to sleight of hand. Give the mark something to look at, something to watch, so the mark doesn't see what the other hand is doing. Like slowly, carefully, prepared to immediately freeze, seeing if it can snare a whispa.

Skye whispers, quiet, like a breath of wind, as motion registers in his peripheral vision. "Lakshmi?"

The girl watches Skye for a moment and upon not seeing any sort of response, she very slowly tiptoes over towards the tree, hunching over to make herself look even smaller just in case she is spotted by non-Skreeks.

The whispa's head darts in the direction of Mandara, its glow fading to faint dimness in alarm, but Skye's hand is doing a fairly good job at distracting it and it turns to focus on the Skreek's trapped paw. It jumps down from its perch and clambers under the lowdy's body. The glow from its fur brightens again, daring that hand to just pull down a little further to try and grab it.

Mandara blinks and stares back at the glowing creature until it breaks its gaze on her. Since it seems distracted and no longer looking at her, she begins to circle around to the opposite side of the cageroot tree. Her slowed single steps take seconds to complete now.

A Lacinus moving is definitely much smaller than Skye's eighteen foot long boss. His whisper changes, quick and sure. "Get Laks'mi … " But anything else is lost, as the whispa changes position again. The Skreek's eyes narrow, as he explores with his trapped hand some more, daring closer, teasing the border of safety, but not going beyond. Or at least he hopes so. His free hand sneaks, waiting for his own chance to snare.

The head of the trapped lowdy bellows as Mandara walks past it… and then it's oddly quiet.

Mandara lifts a arm to gesture Lakshmi forward slowly. Her other hand moves her held boomerang so as to make her look like she shhing at Lakshmi before the bellow makes her wince out of it.

As Skye moves his hand forward fraction by fraction, the whispa backs off fraction by fraction. The glow from its fur brightens and dims off and on, teasing and tempting.

Lakshmi chuffs out a small sigh to herself at the gesture. For her, moving around at night is not fun. She hopes the whispa is amenable to reason after all this. She gathers her cloaking blanket close, conserving as much heat as possible, and after slipping her medical satchel over one arm and picking up a pre-prepared bag of potential whispa-treats, she slithers slowly and quietly towards the tree.

The trapped fingers drum silently, before slipping away, slowly drifting not towards the whispa, but back towards the lowdy leg. Outside the tangle Skye winces, biting down on his lower lip with his long incisors. Come on laddie, this is my last chance, yi don't want me taking your Lowdy, do yi?

The Whispa freezes in place and climbs back on top of the lowdy corpse. Its nose quivers in the air and it suddenly seems intent on ripping out as much of the lowdy's flesh out as fast as it can and swallowing it just as rapidly. Its eyes never leave Skye.

Lakshmi has no skill at stealth, nor is she dusky-dark. She's aware the whispa will see her coming, so her progress is calm and slow, and she doesn't attempt to slither right up to the tree. Instead she settles a few coils nearby and opens the bag, laying it out in front of herself. Her voice is low and reassuring. "Now then… let us see just how smart whispas are. I suspect I have here many more interesting and tasty things than Skreek… and possibly even lowdy… and we're not attempting to catch you, whispa, so perhaps you'll grace us with your presence for a bit longer, mmm?"

Lakshmi settles back into a heap of coils, watching the tree and its contents with silent interest… and keeping the blanket over herself as well.

For now Mandara just stand exactly where she was when the lowdy bellowed, afraid of triggering its yell again. The only part of her that moves is her searching eyes and she struggles to look around while keeping still.

It doesn't look like the lowdy will be making any more noises. Blood dribbles from its nostrils, staining the sheet it's tangled up in, and mixing with the water on the ground.

Since the lowdy eventually proves to be far removed from any sort of movement, Mandara once again slowly pads to therear of the tree in front of Skye and behind the whispa.

Lakshmi murmurs softly, "Mandy… come over by me. Don't bracket the whispa. That's unintentionally threatening."

Mandara glances over at Lakshmi before she backs up and heads that way slowly.

Black eyes match the whispa's gaze. Skye relaxes his trapped arm, still retaining a loose circle of fingers about the leg of the Lowdy. He takes a breath, trying to lighten the load on his twisted shoulder. "Maybe yi should toss 'im a bit of meat, Laks'mi? Or place it near t'e edge of t'e cageroot?"

The whispa starts to scoot backwards, its eyes darting between Skye and Lakshmi and Mandara.

Skye dryly chitters, "Slow and careful like?"

Mandara continues moving backward and now whispers, "It run, I catch?" over to Lakshmi.

Lakshmi tilts her head thoughtfully at the whispa, "We're not going to grab you. We want to try talking with you. We've heard how smart you are… We want to know if you'd like a steady supply of fresh meat." Her voice is still low and reassuring, and she slowly slithers forward towards the tree. She makes no grabs towards the tree… just puts a succulent chunk of fresh meat on her hand and holds it up near the tree. If the whispa wants a piece, it need only descend and take it off her hand.

A sharp hiss comes from the whispa's mouth as it swallows a final chunk of meat and then spins around and starts to run, darting towards the other side of the cageroot tree's basket.

Lakshmi shakes her head at Mandara. "No. Let it go."

Lakshmi watches it curiously, leaning to observe around the tree… but obviously makes no attempt to grab at it.

Mandara jerks as if to start running after it, perhaps some canine chase instinct, but freezes again. She nods that she understands to Lakshmi.

Lakshmi hisses softly, "We're trying to convince it we're friendly. Attacking it isn't friendly. If it's really as smart as they say, it will figure that out."

Lakshmi still has her hand out with the meat on it, should the whispa change its mind.

The whispa glows brightly as it leaps out the other side of the cageroot and then dims as it charges through some mud-covered weeds and starts to put some distance between it and the three trappers.

"No chase?" asks Mandara quickly.

Skye lets out a long and slow breath, as lays out across the ground. He lets go of the Lowdy, resting his head upon the tangle of cageroot brambles.

Lakshmi sighs and shakes her head. "No chase. Ah well. Perhaps it was just native cunning that caused it to tease a loud animal, to call our attention, to catch us in a tree… " She sounds unconvinced, and looks disappointed.

Lakshmi slithers over to check Skye. "Are you all right?"

Mandara puts her boomerangs back in their holders and takes a few steps off towards where the whispa ran and hunches down on her toes. "Bye," she whispers.

Skye rolls over, his eyes narrowing. "Looks like t'e only t'ing caught tonight was t'is Skreek."

Lakshmi nods. "Well, we tried. Now we know the limits of their intelligence… I suppose." She looks vaguely perplexed. "I must say… that sort of planning ordinarily would indicate a higher order of socialization and intelligence… I'm rather surprised at it fleeing." She shrugs. "Well… back to camp, I suppose. We have more planning to do, I fear." She still sounds vaguely disappointed. She would have loved to discover such a high level of intelligence in a formerly mythological creature.

Lakshmi leans on the branches, forcing them apart so Skye can withdraw his arm and the lowdy. Calmly she adds, "This, Mandy, is a lowdy."

The canine settles down more fully moving to her knees and off her feet. She turns her head around to peer at whatLakshmi is showing her and points at it. "Saw that. It yell loud. Loudly," she says.

The creature in question is a mass of thick scraggly hair that has had quite a few sections of its body devoured. Hard to tell if it died from its wounds or from strangling.

Skye waits patiently. "Aaaaa Laks'mi, I am … o … t'ank yi. Would someone mind giving me a paw up? I kinda 'ave not'ing left w'en it comes to feelin' anymore."

Lakshmi chuckles softly. "Yells, plural. Mandy, would you please carry the lowdy back to camp?" She lifts Skye to his feet carefully. "Can you walk, Skye?"

Skye sits up, cradling the trapped arm in his other. "Give me a bit to find my breaf, and I can make it back to camp. Just don't ask me to lift anyt'ing, yes?"

Upon hearing the order, Mandara hops up to her feet, walks over to where the lowdy corpse lays, and picks it up after pulling out as much of the blanket as will give, tearing the rest as needed. She uses this buffer to lift the body up.

Lakshmi nods. "Good. Mandy, remember you want to move slowly and calmly… Skye, I'll go back with you."

Skye stands, a bit awkward balanced only by one arm. "Yi remember w'at I said, Laks'mi?"

Lakshmi smiles down at Skye. "Which time, Skye?" She pulls the blanket closer around herself.

Mandara droops her muzzle a bit. "I was going slow… ly." She whines as she carries the dead lowdy back to camp.

Lakshmi hisses softly, "It wasn't a reprimand, Mandy. We're just hoping the whispa is still hungry, and would like the rest of the lowdy… moving slowly means we won't scare it any further." She adds under her breath, "… I hope."

"There's a sack of 'ot rocks up next to t'e campfire, Laks'mi. " The Skreek shrugs, slowly massaging his hurt arm. "Remember w'at I said? T'is plan doesn't work … tomorrow, we just try a smarter one."

The slave perks up a bit and seems to catch on. She slows her steps into a slow walk back to camp.

Lakshmi nods quietly, with a soft sigh. "Yes, I'm afraid so. A pity… I would have liked to not have had to abuse the poor thing to fulfill a contract."

Lakshmi frowns quietly, and adds softly to Skye, "After this, if we catch one… I think we will not agree to hunt any more. I'm not willing to condemn them to assured death in captivity, for my reputation."

Skye shrugs quietly. "Laks'mi … since w'en do yi do t'is because of a contract? Yi do t'is because yi can't not."

Lakshmi mutters softly, "For anyone's reputation. I want to catch one to see that we can indeed succeed… but… " She falls silent for a moment, then adds with a soft sigh, "I… think I'm going to have trouble not letting it go if we do catch one, Skye… I just want to hold one, once. I'd like that… to hold a living myth." She turns to look at Skye as she slithers towards camp, her voice almost reverent. "Wasn't it beautiful?"

Skye nods. "It's nae t'e capturin' of t'em. It's t'e critters t'emselves. So t'ere's a Secretary down in town 'oo is not quite 'appy. Yi 'ave seen a w'ispa. 'Ow could it not be a good night?"

Lakshmi smiles and nods, her demeanor contemplative, "True… " She heads back to camp with Skye and Mandara, and coils swiftly up next to the fire, warming herself up again. Her eyes are distant and dreamy as she thinks about the night's events.

Skye quietly whispers, looking back over his shoulders at the darkening wood. "Beautiful? Aye. Magic."

After returning to camp, Mandara settles down next to her master and takes out her boomerang that she uses to draw with. Using this, she adds a shine to her whispa pictures in the form of lines radiating from it before she settles back down against Lakshmi and closes her eyes.

Lakshmi absently curls loosely around Mandara again, absorbing the warmth… and dozes.