The sun rises over the flood plains, heralding a new day. Although it's late summer time in the northern hemisphere, it's technically late winter here, and it was a fairly chilly night. Fortunately, the Nagai are no strangers to how nights can be in the Savan, and there are plenty of ways to keep a cold-blooded body warm.

In sure and simple movements, Skye collects their traveling gear, packing it into well-oiled saddlebags and travel cases. His net-hammock stashed, the cook-kit stowed – those are the simple tasks. It is, however, with a sharp and wary eye that he saddles and bridles the serendips.

A nose emerges from blankets, checking to see if it's nice yet, or still nasty and cold outside the sleeping bag. Feeling the first light touch of sunrise, Lakshmi slowly arises, stretching and yawning. She eyes Skye with the bleary look of a late riser, and grumbles good-naturedly, "MUSST you be so blassted perky in the morning?"

The serendips set, the Skreek smiles as he begins a quiet morning ritual, removing the wrinkles from his big black hat. After smoothing the turquoise feathers, he smiles back to his boss, "Self defense, Laks'mi. I know I'm t'e warmest body in camp t'ese nights. Anyways, since yi travel best by day, t'e more daylight we have, the better chance we have of finding yi w'ispa."

Lakshmi grins at Skye, then hmfs softly, muttering something about "mammalss!" under her breath… but she mounts up and rides cheerfully enough, to the extent that about an hour later she's singing quietly and happily to herself (and perhaps to the serendip also)… It's an old riding/hunting song that keeps an easy beat with the sway and surge of the serendip's tail.

The serendips leisurely paddle along through the water. For now, the sea-foam colored one doesn't seem to be inclined to risk any attempts at Skye's tail.

Skye picks out the morning path, working slowly through the cageroot bound islands, seeking out little rivulets and channels. "I've been t'inking, boss'Laks'mi. For t'e w'ispa to remain unseen, well, they could be deep in t'e islands? Otherwise any airship or passing trader working t'rough t'e Bromt'en would have certainly seen t'em by now, yes?

Lakshmi hums softly to herself as she thinks about Skye's commentary… then nods quietly, "Well, ordinarily I'd think that wass the casse, yess. I'm guesssing the regular flooding hass dissplacsed them ssomewhat… well, hoping sso. After all, how many traderss work through these islandss during the flood sseasson? From what I've been given to undersstand, flood sseasson iss when the land-dwelling Jingai head further inland, and the water-dwellerss cheerfully head out to play in the ocean more. And I'm ssure they're too ssmall to be sseen from airsship… unlesss it wass recklesssly low, during the weird flood weather?"

Leaning forward to give his serendip a friendly and it's-good-not-to-nibble-upon-a-Skreek rewarding pat, Skye nods. "If'n t'at's true, t'ey could be anywhere. Did t'e Secretary General or yi research say anyt'ing on w'en or w'ere t'e first w'ispa was sighted? Or are we, once again, in t'e middle of now'ere on our own?"

Lakshmi laughs, "Well, Sskye, legendss claim that they glow in the light of the Procsesssion as they flit about in the sswamps… and if you follow them to their lair you'll find wonderful hidden trea – " She cuts off suddenly, with a thoughtful look… then adds slowly, "I wonder if they're mosstly nocturnal?"

Skye draws up his serendip, looking back to Lakshmi. "And considering how most of t'e folks are Imperial, w'o get a bit sluggish come nightfall … of course t'ey'd be hard to track and find."

Lakshmi looks even more thoughtful as she adds, "If sso… what would make them glow? Foxsfire, perhaps? Now where might we find foxsfire… We need an island large enough that there'd be rotting logss, but not one that getss ssubmerged entirely in the flood sseasson… hmm… Maybe they lair in or near fallen and rotting logss? Or no! I bet they root around in those a lot – for the bugss!" She beams at Skye, "Let'ss try to find a sslightly larger plot of island, pleasse, Skye!"

Turning the serendip back out towards the coast, Skye chckt'chckt's the sea beast into motion again. "Maybe t'ey are like fireflies, and just glow by t'emselves, yes? In t'e meantime, a bigger island – t'at should be easiest to be a'finding. Give a moment for me to get a look at w'at's left o' t'e coast."

Lakshmi nods, looking excited, and nudges her serendip to follow.

The sable Skreek pushes his serendip out past the flooded coast a decent distance, before turning the creature around. The broad brim of his hat shades his dark eyes from the ocean's glare, as he scans the line of inlets and islands, seeking out a very specific goal. Then, without a word, he urges his serendip forward again, heading not for the largest island, but for the tallest cageroot tree he can spy. Upon reaching its tangled base, he holds out his reins to Lakshmi. "Take t'ese for a moment, yes?"

Lakshmi loops the reins over one arm, letting the serendips graze on any floating seaweed. She gets comfortable in the saddle, guessing that Skye's about to climb for a while.

There's a definite splash as Skye slips off the serendip and heads for his tree, one hand holding his hat, carefully keeping it both on and dry. Then, quickly, he scrambles up the cageroot tree, pushing past its foliage to its very top. Precariously balanced, Skye furls off his hat in a dramatic arc, taking in the fresh air and the fine view.

Lakshmi tilts her head back to watch. She grins when Skye reaches the top and waves cheerfully. (I wonder if I look as happy when riding as Skye does whenever he's way up in the heights?)

Skye waves down, flapping his hat playfully. "We've got a couple candidates, boss. One is cageroot all around, but looks to 'ave some scrubby pine deeper inside. Second has a beach and small lagoon, but I can't from here see if'n it's permanent or just t'e flood. But it does seem to rise quite a bit above t'e waves."

Lakshmi drums her fingers thoughtfully on the pommel of her saddle… then calls up to Skye, "Pick the one that hass the mosst potential for old, rotting treess!"

Taking a moment to spy a trail, Skye taps on his hat and then galumphs down the cageroot in a series of bright bounces. He stops, just above the waterline, before splashing back to the serendip. His eyes sparkle, as he takes in a deep breath. "T'is way, boss. T'e scrubby pine. Less sand, more water, and pines have a tendency of losing t'ere lower branches, w'ich s'ould makes for fine sogginess come t'e floods."

Lakshmi says, "Excsellent." She tosses the reins back to Skye. "Let'ss go, then! Lead the way."

Skye pushes the serendip forward, leading the way through the coastal island deeper inland. A series of tight channels take them beneath the cageroot canopy, the sky above sifted through a moire of leaves before breaking open once again. Finally the two run into a tall line of twisted and gnarled roots. Working his way around, Skye finds a narrow passage deeper into this particular island. Pausing, he looks back over his shoulder. "We be here. How should we go in?"

Lakshmi says, "Let'ss tether the sserendipss here, and we can take our packss and sslither in through the roots to the csenter of the island. Oncse we're there, we can sset up camp and sscout around for likely prosspectss."

Skye slips off his serendip, handing the reins back to Lakshmi. He gathers the packs, letting his boss properly care for the beasts and safely tether them for the duration. Climbing up on the cageroot brambles, Skye turns, his smile shaded by the brim of his hat. It was always so nice just to watch Lakshmi work tha beasties…

Lakshmi croons quietly and contentedly to the serendips, sluicing them off and making sure there are no saddle sores or irritations on their skin. She takes a moment to rub the ears of each and assure them – each individually – that it's definitely her favorite. Then she attaches the hobbles on tail and front fin, making sure the rope is untangled and smooth against them. She's absorbed in what she's doing, and doesn't notice she's being watched. Finally, with a last affectionate pat, she turns and grins at Skye as she slithers towards him, almost horizontal through the cageroot.

Skye says, "Here we go, boss'Laks'mi, mind yi head." Leading deeper into the woods, the Skreek works their way inland. Every now and then he pauses, but the moment's hesitation is now an old and friendly habit, making sure his choice of trail not only fits himself but his compatriot. Eventually, the brambles and sand beneath his feet are replaced by moist dirt and narrow needles. One paw reaches up, to snare a low and gnarled branch, as he looks back to Lakshmi. "A little bit farther, an' we s'ould be in t'e beginnings of t'e scruff. By t'e time t'e sun reaches about t'ere… " He points off at an angle. "… we s'ould be w'ere t'e tall pines I saw were, but t'ats also going to be getting a bit dryer. Better for yi to camp, but not for t'e rotted logs. Unless yi wish a space where we can be dry an' look down to t'e scrub?"

A little breathlessly Lakshmi hisses softly, "Excsellent… Yess, we don't want to be in the actual terrain we're hoping to obsserve the whisspasss in. My!" She pulls herself carefully through the twisting, often up-in-the-air-and-roots trail she follows behind the Skreek. "I'm looking forward to being able to straighten up oncse we reach the piness!" She laughs softly as she slithers quietly along.

Pulling himself up a few branches, Skye spies out the path ahead. Brushing out his whiskers with one paw, he watches as Lakshmi moves through the transition between cageroot and scrub. "T'en we got a good bit to go, I t'ink. T'is way, it should be a bit easier." Skye's route begins to take a more definite direction, as streaks of light betray both taller trees and a small clearing a little distance ahead. As he pads, he chitters back to Lakshmi. "Say, Lakshmi, how well do yi know t'e Secretary General?"

As those last words are spoken, Skye stops suddenly. Still. The only motion is the nervous twitching of his whiskers.

Lakshmi says, "Um… oomph, let go of my tail, you sstupid branch-knot! … There we go… um, I've ne – " She freezes as Skye does, whispering softly, "What?"

Skye shakes his head, and he slowly lays one finger upon his muzzle. Equally silently, he takes off his hat. Skye's ears snap up, sharp, inquisitive, and for a long set of heartbeats, he simply listens.

The chattering of birds, the laughter of Creens, the occasional bellow of a lowdy, the angry screech of some unidentified rodent … the normal animal sounds that would be expected here fill the air.

Lakshmi lets herself settle horizontally in the branches, resting her chin on her crossed hands, and her hands on a convenient branch. She'll wait patiently (with the occasional curious tongue flicker) until Skye's ready to move on. She has more faith in his ears than her own.

His ears falling flat, Skye quietly puts his hat back on. "Somt'ing's, somet'ing's not right, Laks'mi. Like Dagh suddenly taking an interest in yi." He takes a breath and then just shakes for a moment, from the tip of his nose to the tip of his tail. "But w'atever it was, it be gone … for now."

Lakshmi nods quietly. "All right. Lead on when you're ready."

Skye says, "Khai. Yes. Let's." Skye quickly leads Lakshmi off, his pace a bit more rapid and nervous then before. He makes a straight line for the light and clearing, to steal a bit of warmth there before continuing. Every now and then he looks back over his shoulder. "Any road, Laks'mi, do yi … do yi … know t'e Secretary Governor well?"

Lakshmi says, "Oh, right! Ssorry, I forgot to ansswer… Well, I've never met him before, sso not well at all. Why do you assk?"

Skye looks back, "I can't help remember all t'e stuffed critters. An t'e dead fish. And t'e fuff'nar back at Rep'idim. I know he's a well placed Naga, yes? But t'ose t'at necessarily mean he's good for having a … pet?"

Lakshmi says, "I ssusspect he'll be awful at having petss, which iss why I want to have lotss of information for him on how to keep a whisspa happy and healthy. Alsso, he did mention wanting one running about the placse, and I've yet to see sstuffed animalss run." She grins, then adds dryly, "On the other hand, if we manage to find a whisspa, but the poor thing diess… I won't be ssurprissed if he'ss quite pleassed with it."

Lakshmi says, "And there'll be one more sstuffed animal in his repertory."

His whiskers twitching, Skye simply nods. "It's just t'at I've tended to notice, t'at having a good fashion sense doesn't necessarily mean smarts." He keeps moving farther in, until he finds a small rise. Atop the hillock, a stand of tall pines reach for the sky, the lower half of the trees bare, their canopy beginning far above the ground. Down the hill can be seen the shadow of the damp scrub. "T'is do, Laks'mi?"

Lakshmi laughs delightedly, "Oh, well said, Sskye… you put your finger on it!" She grins at the little Skreek. "Good fashion ssensse… That's funny. Heh… Why do you think I enjoy your company, Sskye? You have ssmartss… You don't give sshocked hisssess and fall apart if your tail gets sstepped on accsidentally, or if a sspeck of dirt getss on your clothing – You hang onto the lead rope!" She's still chuckling quietly to herself as she slithers onto the small rise, where she coils up, straightening her upper torso with a relieved sigh. She looks around thoughtfully… then smiles and nods. "Perfect. We can look down on all the terrain we're hoping to find whisspasss in." She turns to Skye, her eyes shining, "Wouldn't it be wonderful if there were sseveral families? Or even just a large enough litter that we could get lotss of usseful information, and maybe a pair for oursselves too? I would sso love to raisse a breeding pair!" She hisses softly and happily to herself as she starts quietly helping to set up camp.

Skye sets down a pack and then flounces down upon it. "T'at's because if I let go, I'd be in even more trouble, yes?" He smiles, chuckling himself. "But it's yi that makes sure I have new t'ings to look at ever'day. Do yi know w'at it's like in t'e shadows of Rep'idim, Laks'mi? T'e closest thing most folks come to looking up is only to be seeing just how many s'ekels t'ey can snare from someone else's pocket. And w'en t'ose s'ekels are gone, yi be right back w'ere yi started." He takes off his hat and hangs it upon his knee. "But all t'e s'ekels in t'e Temple can't by t'e sparkle yi 'ave when yi talk about t'e critters. An t'ats, well, well wort' a nip or two from a serendip an' being damp and wet all day."

Lakshmi gives Skye a faintly puzzled smile… then blinks suddenly and smiles, her cheeks a slightly ruddier mahogany than usual. "That'ss – that'ss very ssweet of you to ssay, Sskye, thank you." She unpacks for a moment, still smiling, then glances over at Skye again. "I think I'll passs on vissiting the sshadows of Rephidim, actually… I ssusspect I'd sstand out mosst awfully!" She grins suddenly, her eyes alight again. "Sskye… if there are enough youngling whisspasss, would you like to try raissing one of them?" Her tone gets faintly warning, even though she's still excited at the thought of trying to tame a few whispas. "It probably wouldn't be eassy… Mammalian younglingss need consstant care and attention – but… I think you've learned enough that if you wanted to try, I'd be willing to let you?"

For the blink of an eye, Skye is still. Just like he was, that cold moment farther down the trail. But this time it's for a very different reason. She's serious. Me. That's … Skye tilts his head, his ears slowly rotating forward. … That's trust … . He quickly snares back his hat, pulling it over his head and ears, hoping that she wouldn't see the insides of those ears turn a shade of crimson. Then Skye takes a deep breath, as he looks back and playfully shrugs. "Let's not be adopting our w'ispas before t'ey are even seen, yes?" Pragmatic as ever. "But … "

Lakshmi smiles quietly, watching Skye. She nods, not letting an awkward silence grow. "Firsst we find them, indeed yess. Hm… " She thinks a moment, then sighs. "Trail rationss tonight… Don't want yiffle criess to sscare any of the local creaturess." She continues unpacking all the warming things she's got – She needs to stay awake and warm enough to react tonight. "I think we sshouldn't try to actually catch any tonight, if there are indeed any here… jusst obsserve asss much asss we can."

Skye blinks, and then just leans back and laughs, his chitter soft and quiet and very light and friendly. "I s'old have expected. It's like at t'e outfitters. Remember w'en t'e serpent was sayin' t'at t'e special serendips would be expensive? We'll w'en I said we might t'en only need two, I was trying to get him to bring down t'e price of t'em all. But yi, all bright and excited, jus' went on right ahead. Not t'at it was a problem, not at all, it being t'e Secretary General's coin after all. So w'en I jus' ended there, I was expecting yi to be askin' but w'at, yes? So t'en I could say… "

Skye says, "… thank yi.""

Lakshmi pauses, giving Skye a puzzled look, "Er… what? I don't understand… What are you thanking me for?"

Skye says, "T'e offer to be a'learnin' on raising a critter like t'e w'ispa.""

"Oh!" Lakshmi smiles. "Well… it'ss true. I certainly wouldn't offer you a chancse to raisse one if I didn't think you could do it, Sskye. I'm not about to rissk some poor creature'ss life jusst to make a point." She grins suddenly, "And… the ocean Naga wass jusst teassing you a little. Thesse aren't sspecial vegetarian sserendips or anything, really – All sserendipss are vegetarianss." She gives a softly hissing giggle, mischievously adding, "Excsept yourss, I ssusspect… P'raps sshe'ss been taking notess from the local carnivoress or ssomething, hmmm?"

Skye playfully frowns as he draws out his trail mix. "No. T'ey know. It's like w'ispers in t'e dark. 'T'is Skreek, he tastes good.' So now t'e serendip t'inks I'm a veg'table? Me and he, we need to be having a talking. Skreek to Serendip."

Lakshmi laughs delightedly, and continues making up their dry, no-fire camp. She takes her time and makes sure she's prepared quite the nest for herself, so she doesn't go into torpor tonight from lack of heat. Once that's done, she swallows some food as she pulls out paper and pen and writes for a while, occasionally looking up and asking Skye for information or corrections, or reading a bit to him to see if it's amusing – since this is the posting she'll be sending back to the Secretary General.

Waiting for his boss to settle down, Skye then slings his hammock, stretched from tree to tree above her nest. Before he climbs in, however, he sits upon a rock, next to Lakshmi. Taking one of the lengths of bamboo, Skye begins to split it into light narrow strips. As Lakshmi reads, he nods and smiles, adding details of their passage to her notes.

Skye says, "So Laks'mi, it's waiting time again, yes?""

Lakshmi nods quietly to Skye, her chin resting on her crossed hands, as she lays on her stomach in her little "nest." She sighs softly, her gaze roving across the clearing, "Yup."

Some time later, it becomes too dark to write, as the sun sets over the branches of the cageroots and pines, and the singing of the Creens and birds is replaced by the churring of the insects.

The silvery light of the Procession provides what dim illumination there is to be had, aside from the intermittent lights of the flickertails.

The serendips are quiet now, obviously asleep. The night is cool, but hasn't turned downright chilly just yet.

Lakshmi rustles faintly in her nest of blankets, tucking them snugly about her so only her eyes and nose peek out. Any glowing thingies… phooey, none yet. Her tongue flickers silently, listening and tasting the air, waiting for the night creatures to come out, now that the creatures of the day and dusk are settled.

Skye looks out into the night, having settled into his hammock quite a bit ago. His paws rest upon its corded edge, and his muzzle lays upon them. His breathing is slow and soft, until he suddenly catches his breath.

Lakshmi glances sideways up at Skye, but remains silent, not wanting to scare whatever he's sighted.

Skye quietly whispers. "Look. T'ere. About t'ree lengths of yi out camp, where t'e hillock makes t'e dip. See t'e glow? And Laks'mi… "

Skye says, "I got t'at cold feeling again."

Lakshmi says, "How… sstrange. Doess it feel like there'ss ssomething dangerouss near?" She strains her eyes in the darkness, trying to see, and her tongue flickers repeatedly, attempting to catch any hint of what Skye's referring to. "Hang on, I haven't ssighted anything yet… "

The Skreek stays very still, just his whiskers twitching. "Somet'in not good at all." He takes one breath, then two. "Yi want me to take a closer look?"

Lakshmi says, "Oh! I think… ssomething… a faint glow? … That'ss all though – no cold feelings excsept from the breeze… um… hm. No, Skye, let's hold tight and wait a bit longer. We can gather information just asss fine here asss anywhere elsse blundering around in the dark… and here we won't losse track of each other."

The distinctive sound of a reed pipe carries through the night air, a quiet and lilting melody played by some unseen musician beyond the thicket.

Lakshmi raises up her head, startled. "A… reed pipe?!"

Skye's ears snap up, facing forward, tracking the light music.

Lakshmi tucks herself quickly back down, holding in the warmth.

Skye says, "… unless of course it starts movin' away. Jus' remember somethin', Laks'mi: We be pretty much at sea level."

Lakshmi says, "Erg… good point. Hm… All right, Sskye, can you sslither forward very quietly, and guide me, and we'll ssee who'ss playing? I think it must be a Jinga, ssince they're playing 'The Ssilver Sserpent'… but I don't want whomever to think you're dinner."

Slipping silently from the hammock, Skye settles down upon the ground. Slowly he moves forward, Lakshmi never more than a paw's reach away. He heads down the hillock, following the will-o-wisp's song.

Skye's pace is silent, or, at least, as quiet as he might be.

Lakshmi slithers as quietly as possible after Skye, pausing when he pauses and moving when he indicates she should. She's wrapped herself as well as she can in one of her warming blankets.

As the twosome head along, the faint glow resolves itself into the glowing embers of a campfire allowed to burn down to nothingness, the wood occasionally popping and letting a faerie-glow of a spark rise upon the heated air and spiral upward until it disappears on the evening breeze.

Lakshmi hisses under her breath in silent frustration… no whispa-glow here.

Seated upon a broken log next to the campfire is a Jinga – a Kiriga with a long snout, a fuzzy mane, and the appropriate crossing of mammalian and reptilian features that one would expect. He plays the reed-pipe, showing no hint of noticing the presence of the newcomers.

Skye steps aside, giving Lakshmi space to slip past, before crouching down at the edge of the fire's glow.

Lakshmi pauses long enough to whisper in Skye's ear, "We won't be finding any sshy whisspasss here, I'm thinking… We might as well be friendly to the local, and ssee if he's got any usseful info."

Lakshmi tries to not let her tongue flicker and tickle poor Skye's ear as she whispers.

Skye stays still despite the tickling tongue, whether by luck or skill or practice after a few years. "May'aps he knows a w'spa song?"

Lakshmi chuckles softly, "Mayhapss. Let'ss find out." She straightens and takes Skye's hand (as the strongest polite, nonverbal message she knows to indicate "this one is mine, not your dinner"), then slithers forward slightly, to coil where she can be seen by the Jinga. She nods and smiles, humming faintly to herself the well-known words to the familiar song.

Skye pads forward, keeping pace with Lakshmi.

The Kiriga stops playing, and looks up at the rat and snake, his whiskers dangling beneath his chin. He hisses a greeting in Imperial.

Lakshmi hisses a polite greeting in return, introducing herself and her assistant, and complimenting the Jinga on his playing… a very pleasant distraction in the night.

The Kiriga smiles and nods. "Lakshmi," he repeats, then, "Sskye." Finally, he hisses something back in Imperial and gestures to himself as he says, "Uriah."

Skye settles back, lightly crossing his arms, nodding once. "Evening, Uriah."

Lakshmi coils up a little more tightly, conserving her heat and settling near the dying fire, then inquires (in Imperial) as to whether Uriah speaks Rephidim Standard? She and her assistant are searching for a particular type of animal, and if Uriah is familiar with the area, she and her assistant would like to ask him a few questions? They would appreciate any help in their search… and her assistant does not speak the tongue of the People.

Uriah claps his hands on his kneecaps, and laughs. "Ahhh! Sso ssorry!" His voice is thick with an Imperial accent as he switches to Rephidim Standard, even though he's not of the forked-tongue Naga variety. "Yess, I sspeak Rephidim Sstandard. What animal iss it that you sseek?"

Lakshmi smiles and nudges Skye gently. "Go ahead and tell him… You're the one that'ss sseen the terrain, after all."

Skye takes a step forward, touching the brim of his hat with one paw. "Yi'honor Uriah, we are on t'e trail of t'e W'ispa. Master Laks'mi 'ere, says that we s'ould be looking w'ere we might be finding foxfire. So I chose t'is island from t'e ones stretching a day's travel, as an opportune spot, yes?"

Uriah nods. "Yess, a very good place to find them thiss time of year," agrees the Kiriga. "I happen to be sseeking one mysself!"

Lakshmi looks suddenly intently curious, "A… good placse to find them? Have you found them before? Are you familiar with them?"

Skye tilts his head, his whiskers twitching. "Do t'ey like music?"

Uriah says, "Oh, I've sseen the whisspa. I know all about them." He nods seriously, then smiles. "Yess, they sseem to be curiouss about mussic."

Lakshmi looks fascinated. "You do? How wonderful! Can you tell uss about them?" She beams excitedly, then adds to Skye, "Do you have paper and pen on you?"

The Skreek just turns his head, looking up to Lakshmi with a dry and very wry grin. "I don't even have my hat. We were about to sleep, yes? If'n yi wish, I can trundle back up and get it?

Lakshmi says, "Oh! Good point… er, yess pleasse, if Uriah will tell uss about the whispasss!"

Uriah laughs, then says, "I sshall make you a deal, then. I'm working out of Truffle Hill," he points behind him, in the direction of a town that should be quite some distance through the flood plains, "where my wife hass been waiting for me for ssome time. I can give you a few tipss, if you passs a messsage for my wife, if you go by that way?"

Lakshmi smiles, "Csertainly, we could go that way."

Uriah smiles. "The messsage iss ssimple. Jusst tell Zenith that I love her and will be sseeing her again ssoon." His eyes take a more serious cast, but then he's back to his mirthful demeanor again. "Now … the whisspasss… "

Uriah counts off on his fingers. "They are very light, with well-disstributed weight, able to walk on muddy ssurfacsess, leaving nary a mark."

Lakshmi scribbles notes, listening intently and occasionally nodding.

Skye takes a much longer and closer look at Uriah, and is very very quiet.

The Kiriga counts off another finger. "They are carnivores … but sscavengerss. They haven't the sstrength to take down large prey."

Uriah's eyes take a more serious glint. "And no matter how cute and fuzzy and friendly a whisspa sseemss… "

Lakshmi looks up alertly from her scribbling. "Yes?"

Uriah shrugs. "… well, be careful. They are ssmarter than they look."

Glancing once up to Lakshmi, Skye starts to take a second look about the camp. Then he stops, almost, just almost relaxing just a bit…

Uriah holds his hands apart. "Adultss are about thiss big. The female is sslightly bigger than the male. Young are carried in eggss in a ssac, and emerge live, then crawl up to the mother'ss pouch. They are marssupialss of a ssort."

Lakshmi nods absently, already lost in more scribbling… She looks both intensely pleased, and fascinated.

The Kiriga adds, "And they have ssilvery-white fur. Very pretty. Sseemss to glow. They only come out at night. Oh yesss … Keep closse guard on your belongingss. They are pack-ra – " He carefully considers the word he was about to use, then says, "They carry thingss off."

Lakshmi says, "Can you tell me what a weanling would eat? I'd like to catch ssome, but I don't want to decsimate the population accsidentally, nor kill one through improper care." She grins, looking up with bright eyes in the firelight, "And I asssume it'ss jusst folk tales that trea- oh!" Her eyes get even more bright in the firelight, with the pleasure of new learning, "That'ss it! That'ss where the legend of treassure in their burrowss comess from, issn't it? That they ssteal things?"

Skye manages a small smile at Uriah's pause.

"Meat," answers the Kiriga. "They grow teeth early, quite ssufficient to eat meat asss ssoon asss they're off milk."

Skye looks up to Uriah and nods. "Any stories of W'ispa … magic?"

Uriah smiles in reply. "Plenty. But thosse are all ssilly taless."

Lakshmi nods, already back to scribbling. She mutters under her breath, "… meat after weaning, got it." She's so absorbed in the excitement of this new information that she completely missed Uriah's small courtesy to Skye. "Whisspa magic all myth… got it."

Skye says, "Might I ask w'at sort of silly tales?"

Lakshmi says, "Hm… what elsse… ah, how many in a litter? oh… Go ahead and ansswer Sskye first."

Uriah shrugs. "Glowing in the night … sstealing ssouls from the dying breath of victimss who try to ssteal their treassure … that ssort of thing." Then, he looks to Lakshmi. "Ssix or sso, I think."

Skye manages a small smile. "Stolen souls can't wander off an' join t'e Procession, can t'ey?

Uriah shakes his head, smirking. "Ssupposse not!"

"YYESS!!" Lakshmi hisses happily to herself, almost triumphantly writing the information down… then she looks up at Skye, beaming. "Excsellent! I won't feel bad about taking more than one then, if there'ss a litter of ssix or sso! Hm… I wonder if the femaless er… flock, or herd, or ssomessuch… or if they sscatter out widely."

Uriah shakes his head. "They mate, then go their own way. No flockss or herdss or pairss." He then stretches his arms and yawns. "Ah … and that iss about all I know. Maybe besst to get a good resst, eh? Besst hourss to find them are in the wee hourss of the morning … then they are sstill up, but tired themsselvess, yess?"

The sable Skreek lets out a small breath, glancing up to Lakshmi, in, well, an almost big brotherly manner. "Aye, boss'Laks'mi, aye … a lot we 'ave learned. Tonight. An' Master Uriah, we will be giving yi wife a good message."

Uriah bows his head. "It iss greatly appreciated. May the Ssilver Sserpent sshine down to light your way."

Lakshmi says, "Really?" Lakshmi looks wide awake and happily excited, "All right then. Thank you very much, Uriah – Your help iss mosst apprecsiated! I'll be ssure your wife recseivess your messsage. Come, Sskye… let'ss go sset ssome netss, and ssee if we can sspot one." She grins, completely unfazed by the sudden thought. "Let'ss hope they've not already vissited our encampment, eh Sskye?"

Skye's words are quiet, even and soft. "Yi start back, I s'all follow."

Lakshmi gives Skye a faintly puzzled glance, but simply nods. "Csertainly, Sskye." She slithers off swiftly, muttering bits of the information under her breath to remind herself – She has nets to set and an animal or two to catch! Life is good.

Lakshmi waves once at the Jinga. "Thank you and good night!" Then, she slips into the underbrush, heading for camp.

With the duck of his muzzle, Skye takes two steps backwards. "Sleep well, yi'honor Uriah." And then he turns, to follow Lakshmi back up to their camp. One step, two step, three step, four. He then slowly turns his head, to look back towards where there should still be softly glowing coals.