The lull came to an end. On Paradys, the period of relative calm gave way to more oppressing storms and rains, and a return of the driving winds that make flying all but impossible (certainly, at least, hazardous to one's health). But the rains ended as well, eventually, though the strong winds stayed – and still stay, thwarting further aerial scouting of the island.

However, a few tidbits of information did come in from the Eeee scouts while they took full advantage of their higher perspective of the sky island: Across the sky island, almost opposite to the position of the Freedom's Dream, they spotted wreckage of some other airships – a veritable "graveyard" of ruined vessels. When the Eeee tried to investigate, they found themselves dodging arrows, spears and darts. They retreated, but the storms returned before there was time to head out again to investigate in greater force. This, of course, prompted many sour expressions and more than a few curses.

No further contact between the crew and the island's inhabitants has occurred to any knowledge, save for that little "exchange" between the Eeee and whomever was in that jumble of wreckage.

And so we find a lone woodsy fennec underneath the Freedom's Dream, where the jungle has been thinned out just a bit, and even a few makeshift shelters set up as a camp under the "canopy" provided by the moored vessel.

Roho finishes putting a wrapping on the wing of an Eeee, finishing also his lecture, "… and from now on, I recommend taking the lift to the deck. Until the winds are better. No more heroics, okay?"

The Eeee patient grumbles. The airship bats are particularly not fond of being "groundlings" for the greater part of this stay on the sky island. "Of course, doctor… "

A white bat in sky-blue robes shuffles by (not that Roho would realize that they're sky-blue), sniffling constantly. One needn't see the expression on her face to tell that she's miserable. Just in case, she frequently lets anyone KNOW, anyway. "I'm miserable," she squeaks.

Roho smiles a little, waving to the Eeee, and watching him head to the lift. He stands for a moment, as if just waiting for another patient to find him, and then goes to the sentry at the base of the lift. "I'm going to take a bit of time to explore more… I'm awfully curious about a few things… "

If Roho were sighted, he'd certainly be rolling his eyes, from the look of his expression. He turns to Wynona, "Still no improvement?"

"*SNIFF*" is Wynona's immediate response. Then, she clarifies. "No. Not really. But thank you so much for your attempts. I think I'm a lost cause. *koff* *snort* GAH."

"I WANT TO GET OFF THIS FORSAKEN ISLAND!!!" Wynona shrieks loudly, then breaks into a series of sneezes. "UGH!"

Roho's ears flatten way back at the shrill bat, wincing. "Yes, I guess you do." He grins a bit, "I'm sorry I can't stay, but I promised Markov here that I'd do some more exploring." *nudge*

Markov oofs. "Uh … yeah." His ears still ring slightly from the shriek.

Wynona sniffles, "If you're going to go exploring, are there any chances you might find any rare plants or anything that provide wonder cures for *sniff* allergies? I mean … you never know… "

Roho smiles and waves to Wynona, "I'll keep an eye out for you… You never know!" He disappears into the thick growth.

Wynona smiles and waves, then suddenly a particular fact occurs to her as she stops waving. "An eye? AN EYE?!?" She starts sneezing again, but the sounds die away by Roho's perspective as he slips further into the jungle.

Roho hears the calls after him, and can't resist a chuckle. He speeds up a bit, moving quietly deeper into the woods.

Some twigs snap nearby, as Markov pipes up, "So … We're seriously going exploring, eh? I hope I get to keep my head. I haven't forgotten about Torr."

Roho turns with a jump, "Rf! You startled me … didn't know you were coming along!"

Markov says, "Oh? Well, hey, if you don't need me… "

Roho grins and shakes his head, "No, I'd welcome the company! Plus, I bet you're as anxious to get away from our little air mage as I am… "

There's no response from Markov. He might be nodding his head. He sighs, too, which is a bit more audible.

Roho heads in the direction of the other encampment, "Besides, if it comes to fighting, it'll be useful to have a pair of working eyes… "

The journey through the jungle goes without much incident. There are the occasional spooky noises from out in the jungle, and signs that more than just Creens and birds and bugs lurk in these parts – As unlikely as it might seem, somehow there are some small predators in these parts as well. The ruins with the rotted timber are specifically avoided…

A startled Creen shrieks and zips past the dangling overhead vines, prompting a couple of exotic birds to scatter as well. They never break above the tree-line, though, due to the overpowering winds which cause the branches to sway and dance.

Roho turns and whispers hoarsely, "How quietly can you walk?" to Markov.

Markov whispers, "Not very."

"I'm a whole lot better at FLYING," the bat adds.

Roho nods, "It smells like this might be a path … not a very commonly used one, but used nonetheless. I don't want them to know we're here, if we don't have to… "

"Uhm … okay. Er … What should I do if I hear something. Give you a hand sig – er … uhm… " the bat fidgets.

Roho rasps, "If you hear something, I'll hear it too. But if you see something … squeak. Not too high, I can't hear your full range. But high enough that, say, Zoltan couldn't hear it."

The bat spends a moment pondering, then makes a squeaking noise that makes Roho's ears ring. "Caught that?" the bat checks.

Roho winces, "Yep… caught it." He grins, "Don't let anyone else know about that, or they'll all use it to get my attention when they bump their thumbs… "

Another silent response from the bat. Must have nodded his head again.

Roho starts moving more slowly, keeping low. He whispers, "Keep low, you'll be harder to spot." Without waiting for an acknowledgment, he heads further into the forest.

After a while of working through the jungle tangles, the sound of creaking, straining wood and cables can be heard again, somewhere ahead.

Roho stops. He spends a few moments sniffing the air, then turns to Markov, whispering barely enough to be made out, "I'm going to go further … only come along if you think you can be absolutely silent."

The bat ponders this, then squeaks, "Uhm … I don't think so. You're actually going to go into there?"

Roho replies, "Not all the way. I just want to get a little closer. I've spent more time in the woods than anyone else aboard, so I probably have the best chance of getting more information on our island-mates."

The bat whispers, "Well, be careful. I'll … find some place to hide, I guess. Don't take too long."

Roho nods, "I'll be gone ten minutes at most, I hope." He gives the bat a reassuring smile, then stalks very slowly into the woods.

By the change in the sound of the wind affecting the trees, it would seem that there is a clearing up ahead, in the direction of those creaking and straining noises. There is also a faint smell of cooking meat.

Roho drops to his elbows, moving along that way. He makes sure to stay in deep cover, as he moves towards the clearing…

Also amidst the creaking sounds can be heard a low, steady beat. Drums, though muffled as if in the distance or on the other side of a fairly solid obstacle.

Roho stops where he is, lying on his stomach and listening to the sounds, trying to pick out anything in particular…

As Roho stills and listens, he can hear for a moment what sounds remotely like a shrill cry of a bird of prey, though not exactly so. The cry can only be heard once, then no more. The drumbeat continues.

Roho pulls himself forward on his elbows a little farther, then starts sniffing the air intently…

Roho sniffs the air more, hoping that that smell of burning hair isn't what he thinks it is…

Roho flattens out completely as he hears a movement, just keeping his head turned enough to keep sniffing, his ears swiveled in the direction of the noise.

Rustling noises come from somewhere far to the left and a bit forward of the hidden fennec.

Roho tenses as the movements come in his direction. He decides that to move now would probably alert them for certain, and he decides to stay flat against the ground.

The rustling noises pause for a bit … then start up again, indicating a more swift pace, though not bearing on the fennec. Instead, they appear to be heading toward a point behind the fennec a distance … about the general area of where that bat is hiding.

Roho has one of those horrible plummeting feelings in his stomach as he realizes where they're going. Crouching low, he heads back the way he came, perhaps a little too quickly to be perfectly silent.

A rumbling roar like that of a great jungle beast bursts through the trees, joined by two similar roars at slightly different pitches. More crashing noises follow, as well as a high-pitched bat-like shriek.

Roho keeps low, refusing to let the bat face whatever it is alone… He follows the sound of the crashing brush.

There are more shrieking sounds and roars, then the bat-like shriek breaks off abruptly. The three creatures roar all the more loudly, then – quiet.

Roho stops moving as quickly as he can, staying in a very low crouch…

There is a pause, and then more sounds of movement … as the three creatures retrace the route by which they came, at a slower pace.

Roho slowly stalks to where they stopped and turned around…

The scents of a struggle – and blood – are heavy here. There is no sign of the bat remaining. By the scent trail … it would seem the three creatures must have taken the bat along.

Roho starts to move back in the direction of the airship … then stops. He follows the trail. If the bat might still be alive, he can't leave yet.

The trail leads in the direction of the creaking noises and what may be a clearing. This is confirmed when the fennec reaches the edge of the trees. It would seem there is a drop-off here, where the earth has been eroded away, yet the scent trail continues downward.

Roho stops at the edge of the forest, before the drop off. I can't go down there without being spotted … There's no cover!

Straining timbers creak loudly, accompanied by the steady pounding of a beating drum. A shrill bird-like cry echoes.

Roho follows the edge of the forest along the drop-off, looking for another way down…

It would seem there is a ridge here, where the jungle more or less abruptly ends, save for a few pioneering scraggly bushes that cling to the eroded, exposed earth and rocks. On occasion, the fennec finds fallen, broken timbers, in various stages of rotting away.

Roho pokes his head over the edge, and listens intently…

The wind meets less resistance beyond the trees, and hence blows more strongly, but nowhere nearly as intense as it must be over the tree-line, if that would truly prohibit flight. There must be some other obstacles nearby. At the very least, it doesn't SEEM as if there's a sheer drop-off here – or the very edge of the sky island.

Roho heads along the ridge a little farther, listening to see if the sounds of ropes and pulleys lessens…

As the fennec continues along the edge of the trees, he eventually finds himself walking on … broken wooden planks at a sharp angle, amidst some thick but splintered wooden poles.

The wood is in a fairly advanced state of decay, as should be expected since it is overgrown with vegetation, but it seems to stubbornly resist the advance of the jungle nonetheless.

Roho paws among the poles, looking for one that would serve as a relatively useful staff…

It takes some searching, but eventually the fennec finds a pole that is more-or-less solid, despite the influence of the jungle, and at about the right size for a staff.

Roho sighs, and wishes strongly that he could see … just for a minute or two. He takes a firm hold on the staff, and cautiously heads down the slope.

The way is treacherous, patches of moss at random places thwarting a firm foothold, and occasionally the wood proving to be more rotten than that around it. At least the fennec is not out in the open. In this jumble of broken wood, there are obstacles all about – the same obstacles which slow his progress, wherever he's headed.

The drumbeats get louder at points, then quieter at others, the acoustics varying greatly. But a sound unmistakably nearby is that of something rubbing against wood … by the creaking, it sounds like something heavy, hanging by a cord, in turn hanging from some sort of support, ahead and overhead.

Roho sniffs the air as he moves, trying with smell and hearing to figure out how large the hanging object is, and how far away…

There is a sound like claws scraping against wood, and the creaking increases even more. There is a low growl … then a pause … then a low-pitched squawk.

Roho finds a particularly nasty jumble of wood, and conceals himself amidst it, for once glad that his fur is tan rather than green. Unless the wood's green from age. He'll never know. Perhaps waiting until night would be best … at least then the odds will be a little more even.

There's another scrape of something against wood, and a sound like wings beating against something solid, from above, then another squawk.

Roho listens to the squawk and scrape … trying to feel how far away it is.

The sound probably originates from somewhere overhead, perhaps 8 feet from "ground" level (assuming Roho is on the ground), and ahead only a stone's throw.

Further on, though, there's another sound – a high-pitched, distinctly bat-like scream. "AAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Several guttural growls, roars and yowls echo in concert in response to the scream, and the drums pound more loudly.

Roho sighs, I'm going to regret this… He gives up his plans for waiting until dark… It sounds like a bird in a cage, on a much larger scale. He moves slowly towards the creaking sound…

The sloping deck gives way to much more level ground immediately. Given the change in slope now, it appears that by the time the fennec reaches the source of the scraping sounds, it won't be nearly so high over his head – perhaps now only 4 to 6 feet above the ground, quite possibly within reach.

Roho reaches out with his staff, trying to tap the source…

The staff strikes against a flat wooden surface, which moves a bit, though not much, indicating a fair weight. The cord and whatever wooden support there is holding it creaks more loudly, prompting more scraping noises, and a few more low squawks from just above the wooden surface.

Roho closes the distance to the wooden surface, and presses an ear to its side…

The horizontal wooden surface would seem to be the bottom of a cage, the sides consisting of an uneven assortment of wooden planks and sticks. Something is indeed inside, and doesn't appear to be fond of it in the least. "*squawk*"

The bird-like squawk is followed by a not-so-bird-like throaty growl.

Roho slips beneath the cage.

There are some more scraping and scrabbling noises above, as something turns around inside the cage.

Roho waits a moment, until he's relatively sure whatever made the non-bird growl isn't coming to investigate, then emerges from under the cage. He whispers hoarsely through the bars, "Can you understand me?"

The fennec can feel the breath of whatever is inside the cage. He is answered by some scrawking noises that sounds similar to Zoltan's voice.

Roho sighs, "Okay, I guess that answers that. If you're one of Shokhar's crew, that'd make sense." He starts testing the cage for ways to open it from the outside.

One side of the cage is comprised of, instead of sturdy "bars", a solid wooden surface into which is built a hatch with a wooden plank going across it, through two holders, sufficing to hold the cage shut. Nothing so complex as a lock seems to be involved at all.

Roho closes his eyes, says a silent prayer, and lifts the bar.

As soon as the bar is removed, the fennec is knocked back as the hatch is roughly shoved open by the cage's occupant, who bursts through and lands on the wooden "deck" heavily.

Roho lands skidding across the deck, "Ulf!"

The fennec's movement stops as he skids up right to the edge of the wooden platform. A clawed hand grabs him roughly … and he's lifted up off of his feet and slung over a fairly sizeable shoulder!

There are more squawks and scrawks, fairly quiet, and not any more meaningful than before.

Roho ulps and hopes being placed over the shoulder is a friendly gesture. He points in the direction of the airship, "Friends in that direction… "

The one carrying Roho moves … in a direction that is most certainly NOT in the direction the fennec was pointing. The drumming gets louder. Some more scrawking is whispered in Roho's direction … and he can feel some whiskers brush against his side.

Roho groans Great … nice one I've gotten myself into this time. He realizes that struggling would do little good, and merely waits to see where he ends up.

Where the fennec ends up, in a short time, is that he's set down by the much bigger creature, up against a wooden wall, in a corner. By the sounds of air rushing past, it would seem they are still without a ceiling above their respective heads. There is more scrawking whispering, and a strong hand placed on the fennec's shoulder, then taken away. Just beyond this barrier can be heard the drum beats more strongly – so too can be smelled more strongly the scents of cooking meat … and burning hair. On occasion, a high pitched squeak can be heard, and the fluttering of light wings against what is probably a caged enclosure.

The sounds of many growling and rumbling creatures can be heard, as they shuffle about, doing who-knows-what. Also can be heard the sounds of crunching bones and rending meat. Someone's having dinner.

Roho sighs… language barriers. He sniffs around, trying to figure out what he's surrounded by…

By the sounds of Roho's companion … it would seem he's about to march right into this area with all these creatures. By the scents, it can be fairly safely judged that they can be referred to as "felines". The scent of Roho's companion, however, is much harder to place.

Near as can be told, the felines must be on the opposite side of this wall that Roho has been placed against, and the big winged creature that put him here is in the process of walking around it. Nothing hints to the fennec that he has been spotted … yet.

A few growls, roars and yowls, though, hint that the big winged creature must have been spotted. Given the likely ratio of potential combatants, either this creature is fairly competent … or suicidal.

Or maybe just plain stupid. After all, it WAS found in a cage…

Roho grabs the creature's paw, and tugs it, shaking his head. He points again in the direction of the airship, then opens his hands several times, displaying his fingers, trying to indicate a large number.

A shrill voice cries out, "ZOLTAN! ZOLTAN! HELP! HE – WHA? WHO ARE YOU?"

The creature lets out a loud cry like an angry bird of prey, and pulls free from the fennec, with loud wing-beats as it leaps into the air a short distance.

Roho sighs, there goes stealth. He tries to figure out how far away Markov is, maybe he can at least get him free … might be able to fly back and tell the others what happened.

In the resulting tumult and confusion, it seems that the fennec is going unnoticed … even though something feline just ran past him! The bat is still shrieking loudly, and is probably in a cage much like the one that held Roho's former companion, although quite possibly of smaller construction. It's not that hard to home in on the bat.

Roho runs to Markov's cage, and quickly starts searching for a bar or latch…

Markov's cage turns out to be of very similar construction, held shut with another bar across a hatch, just like the other one – just a lot smaller and not quite so sturdy.

Roho lifts the bar, and slips aside, "Markov! You think you can fly back?"

The bat slips out and squeaks, "I'll take my chances, thank you!" He plants a bat kiss on Roho's forehead. "MWAH! Thanks, Doc!"

Roho chuckles a little at the kiss, "Get flapping … I'll be right behind you, if I can get out of here."

"Right away!" The bat leaps to the air … then lets out a shriek as he breaks clear of the tree-top level. "AIEEEEEEeeeeeeeee!" The wind carries him away quickly.

There's another loud scrawk, and some crashing noises, amidst several growls and yells. Something big is coming this way!

Roho winces, hoping that the wind takes him in the right general direction. He starts sprinting hopelessly towards the jungle…

Something lands heavily beside Roho, and scrawks at him. A wing brushes his shoulder. Roho can smell blood.

Roho sighs, and slows. He turns to the winged creature, offering a paw, "You had to fight them, of course… "

The winged creature snatches up the fennec … then leaps into the air! It's pretty easy to tell when they've broken the tree-top level … The wind hits like a rampant Dromodon, sending the fennec and his companion hurtling through the air. The creature doesn't let out any cries of alarm, however, and there is no scent of fear. The shouts and roars die away quickly under the rush of air.

Roho, however, isn't quite so fearless. He clutches tightly to his companion, shivering violently…

After a period of time elapses – seconds? minutes? hours? – without much idea of which way is up or down, suddenly the movement comes to an abrupt colliding stop … and it would seem that Roho's companion took the brunt of it. It takes a while for twirling senses to recover, before the fennec can tell that he's back in the jungle again … at the base of a very large solid stone obstruction. The winged companion is breathing heavily, but seems conscious.

"HELP! HELP!" comes a loud squeak from a fair distance … though close enough for the fennec's keen ears to pick up, along with the sounds of something struggling amidst the branches of a tree.

Roho pants, as he touches the ground again. He turns in the direction of the shout … Markov can probably make his own way down from there. He calls out, "Boghaz! Zoltan! Can anyone hear me?"

"DOC! DOC! Get me down!" *snap* "AIEEEEE!" *thunk* "OOoog. Nevermind. I'm down."

Roho chuckles at the skillful dismount, "Markov, are we near The Freedom's Dream?"

There are some rustling noises, several more moans, and then the sounds of Markov's staggering approach. "Ow. Ow ow ow. Uhm … We're at the base of the tower. I'm not really sure. This thing is big. If we just follow the edge … we ought to find it. Though we might run into the Blue Sparklies, too. AGH! It's HIM!"

Roho places a paw on Markov's shoulder, keeping him from bolting, "It's okay … I think. If it weren't for him, I'd be dinner. Let's find the ship."

There's some movement from the direction of the winged creature, as he struggles up to his feet. Then, he lets out a piercing cry, and leaps into the air, disappearing with loud wing-beats, going right up the side of the tower.

Roho blinks, "Umm… Can you see where he just went?"

The bat shudders. "Oh … oh … Dinner … ugh … uhm." He snaps out of it. "He just went straight up. I can still see him. He's flying to the top of the tower. If I tried that, I'd get flattened against the wall!"

Roho nods, "Then don't try it. There's nothing we can do unless he wants to come to us. Let's get going, I'm getting too old for this." He grins toothily, and starts following the tower's side.

"Ow. I don't know if there's ANY good age for this," Markov laments, following along with the fennec.

Roho nods, "Probably. How badly are you hurt?"

Markov groans, then says, "I think I'll be spending some time visiting you, but … I can walk."

The journey back to the airship is without further incident – not a sighting of any of those unfriendly felines, or any more winged strange creatures, or any "blue sparklies". Nobody seems especially excited at the arrival of the fennec and bat, not having any idea, apparently, that anything had gone amiss.

Markov looks about, then huffs, "Hey, isn't anybody going to ask me why I look like I walked into an eep colony?"

The bat wavers a bit … then falls to the ground with a *flumph*. THIS catches the attention of some of the bats, finally, who rush over to investigate.