Roleplaying

“Do you at least understand WHY you shouldn’t have done that, Tahno?” Only the tiniest bit of annoyance laced Keanah’s question, though the age and mental state of the young boy before her made the overall query more of a croon than a question.

The boy shrugged with an annoyed huff, the mischievous glint in his eyes saying more than enough before he thought to drop his gaze from her own. He mumbled a stock standard answer intended to appease the wrath of the adults of their clan, twisting his fingers together in an attempt to look appropriately scolded.

Keanah, though, was not just another adult, blinded by the joy of having their only son lasting so long despite the internal war he faced every day. She drew on Ylva’s voice, a deep rumble resounding through her chest. Not all clan members could hear it, but Tahno claimed part of her own heritage. His father had been exiled from the canine clan, and at least one third of him would respond to the wolf’s authority.

Tahno huffed again, shoving his hands into his pockets and staring resolutely at his feet. Keanah leaned back in her chair as she watched the child, asking both Tau and Ylva to remain silent until he had left. The last thing she needed was for the lion and the wolf to push to the surface while she was scolding the boy for very much the same thing. Neither one of them enjoyed reprimanding the students they were meant to educate and protect, but Keanah often found a way to make any punishments seem easy while playing on the victim’s weakness. It wasn’t because she was cruel, but because she found it was the best way to teach them the control they needed. A punishment in an uncomfortable situation forced them to rely on cooperation with the other two thirds of themselves, and for most it helped create harmony between all three, making for better peace of mind. Not that this mattered to Tau and Ylva. Their fur was bristling at what Keanah had planned for the child. As far as they were concerned punishments should always be “You did bad. Have a cookie and don’t do it again” for the young ones at least. The older ones should know better by then.

Keanah watched as Tahno’s body relaxed, his weight shifting from left to right indicating a need for him to pace instead of just standing there. It was an automatic movement, and a sure-fire way to tell that he was having a conversation in his head. She frowned at this. He should never make himself so vulnerable when communicating with the others. You’d just have to wait for him to forget himself entirely and start pacing and you could have him pinned to the ground in a second. It was not a good habit to have. While there was little harm from clan members, should he ever bump into a pureblood shifter who found their clan to be against the gods’ law, he would quickly find himself hung and quartered the minute he lost himself to his thoughts. It was a trait the purebloods did not possess, not needing to concentrate so hard when there was only one vice in their head.

This was not the time to punish him for THAT, though. And while he conversed with his companions, she made a note to include “Hiding Conversation Tells” into the next few weeks.

By the time she looked up from her notepad, pale blue eyes met her golden ones, a determined look controlling the features of the boy’s face. She leant forward in her seat, never breaking eye contact and watched as his steeled himself for what he was going to say. His chest lifted and pink lips parted but before he could utter the first syllable he was gone. Or really, she was gone.

All she can remember thinking was how she hadn’t noticed a storm rolling in, and why the thunder and lightning had managed to strike so close to her indoors before she found herself lying down at the base of a ridiculously tall tree, bathed in a soft green light.

She blinked groggily and tried to stand, attempting to rock back onto her heals and push herself upright. She growled to herself at the realisation that she was no longer in her own form, instead, she sported the fur and muscles that belonged to Tau.

She was in control, and as each second passed she could feel her anger building. <TAU! Since when did you become a scared cub and flee at the sound of thunder!> she mentally growled, the soft tones doing nothing to hide her fury. She was reprimanding a child more than half her age for Leo’s sake, for doing the very thing Tau had decided to do!

<It was not Tau, pup> came Ylva’s voice, waves of soothing feelings blanketing Keanah’s mind as she tried to calm her human third. <We were falling, and Tau’s bulk was better equipped than what I had expected our landing to be like.> she added in the same soothing tones, pacing around the mental space as she did when she was flustered about something.

Tau’s only affirmation was a cowed rumble, his mental body tense and eyes narrowed in sight of a threat he could not fight.

Keanah frowned. There was not many things that could irritate her Lion partner so, and for the two to be in agreement over this meant that something was indeed wrong. She tried to figure out what had happened, when the shift had occurred and how long she had been unable to have control over the body. She flexed her claws and flicked her tail, testing her ability to move the Lion’s body. Ylva was (of course) correct, this was not a transformation brought about by Tau, but the she-wolf herself, control having been passed to Keanah the moment she managed to collect the pieces of her mind after the change.

Tau calmed as Keanah’s rage was reigned in, mentally rubbing against her as a sort of apology for being unable to fix what had happened. Understanding that they were only doing their duty to her, Keanah calmed herself, knowing that it was better to forgive and forget than create tension between them, particularly when she didn’t know what had happened. Ylva was more level headed then herself and Tau, and if she had deemed it necessary to take Tau’s form instead of her own, then something was indeed very wrong.

Keanah closed her eyes and attempted to shift to her human form, muscles tensing with the effort and tail stiffening. She sighed at the lack of a response, shrugging feline shoulders and flicking her tail as she looked around. <Looks like we’re stuck in your body, Tau,> She muttered to herself, scenting the air and trying to find any distinguishing landmarks around her. <I don’t recognise this place. Keep alert. I don’t know if we were followed but last thing we need is a territory fight with a pureblood clan member. Our neighbours are kind enough to let us stay on our territory but we.ve wandered well beyond that and a fight on their territory will be difficult…> her thoughts continued, seeking comfort in the presence of both Tau and Ylva. Nothing around her felt familiar, her ears were picking up sound all over the place but nothing distinguishable, and she couldn’t even identify her own scent back the way she had come amid the myriad of other smells.

There was no doubt about her situation though. They were lost in an unfamiliar forest, and the only one who was able to remember the forced shift was Ylva, who insisted on repeating the same thing no matter how Tau and Keanah asked.

<We were falling… Tau’s body was the best choice to protect us>

The canopy above them was too thick for Keanah to be able to track the passage of time, though she didn’t feel as though she had been wandering long before voices could be heard ahead. She stopped padding forward, crouching in an attempt to remain hidden while she tried to focus on the voices ahead of her. Tau and Ylva crouched her mentally, trying to identify the voices themselves. Three heads ARE better than one, right?

In any case, Keanah was on high alert. Her existence was an abomination to most of the people in her world, and if the voices belonged to a group of extremists she would have to bluff her way back to her own clan. If she slipped up the tiniest bit… well... even if she lived it would not be the sort of life one would wish to lead. Running now, however could be just as detrimental. Even with the instincts of Tau and Ylva she was unable to predict every move of a potential enemy that could be heard but not seen. She needed to know who she was dealing with before she could come up with a decent evasion plan. The unknown was far more dangerous to her right now than anything else. Steeling herself she crept forward, pausing every few steps to try and hone in on the voices. She still couldn’t change her form, but thankfully feline’s were known for their stealth. If she were lucky she would be able to remain practically invisible in the thick jungle, though with his colouring she would much prefer the open plains. Ahh well, gotta play the hand you’re give right?

Rowan whirled around and snarled at Loki, short temper already snapped. "Look here, bird brain, I do HAVE friends. They're back on Tatsunia, so that's where I'm going, got it!"

With a warning growl, she took off back up river. She had been swept down by the current... so she could just head back up and the portal would still be there, right? Her wing would heal and she could soon fly back up, or possibly even find something to jump up on. She just had to be careful not to fall into the river again. It was all very simple...

Right? 

As Sola listened to Qeo's story, she internally cringed. She was no fool, the child had been wiped from her heart so long ago, she didn't remember when she was care free. She knew the truth, but her heart ached for the young creature; she didn't have the cruelty to tell him the truth.

She laughed at Qeo's question. "No more than you tail does," she said; smiling. "It can bite if I want it to, but it is my tail..." Suddenly, her ears flicked forward as she heard the smallest, almost inaudible rustle in the ferns. "Shh.." She said suddenly, moving between Qeo and the sound; one of her wing curled protectively around him.

A rumble, deep in her chest, came from her maw. Her soft, playful tones melted away into a harsh growl. "Who goes there?" She demanded, her body going ridged. Where as a few seconds ago, her moments were soft and thoughtful, now they radiated pure power and feline grace. Her ears swiveled, straining to catch more sound. "Show yourself!" 

Loki bristled at Rowans words. He had never said that she had no friends back home, and he did not like words being put into his mouth. It was a pet peeve of his, but Rowan's bitter words clung in his mouth. His feathers puffed out indignantly, and if a bird's eyes could have narrowed, his would have. He glared at the dragon who was walking away.

He considered his next words very carefully, and when she spoke, he made sure each words was punctuated and clear. "Fine. Do. Whatever. You. Want." He said. "I. Don't. Really. Care. About. Those. Who. Won't. Help. Themselves. By. Accepting. Help. From. Others." His tone was dark. "Besides. I. Sure. Don't. See. Your. Friends. Here. To. Help."

The others in their group had been forgotten as he waited silently to see if his words had struck home. 

Keanah winced at her paw placement, flattening her ears to her skull even as the stick crunching beneath her weight reached them. It was by no means a loud noise, but it echoed eerily throughout her skull, causing both Tau and Ylva’s minds to stiffen just as Keanah had. United in their need to remain hidden, Keanah threw her weight to the jungle floor, claws extended and gripping the undergrowth as if trying to anchor herself to the ground.

The voices ahead of her stopped, and her eyes widened in fear at what was to come. She held her breath, though her heart thundered in her chest. A growl, and a demand confirmed her fear. Ylva whimpered, trying to push a shift to her own form so they could run. But they were indeed stuck in Tau’s form still.

Keanah sighed and relaxed her grip on the ground, keeping her ears to her skull and turning her head in the direction of the voice. The growl she had heard suggested another predator, which was not going to bode well particularly when they realised she wasn’t part of their clan. Remaining calm was becoming increasingly difficult, and she fought the urge to tempt fate and flee despite being unable to rely on Ylva’s stamina and speed.

Tau, however spoke up, he had frozen at the voice originally, but cockiness now laced his tone. <It is just a feline, and female> he purred to Keanah and Ylva, chuckling at their annoyance at not having figured that out themselves. Further talk wasn’t needed, Keanah stepped aside in her head, allowing Tau to take the lead. A Feline would make it easier for them to walk away without being harmed, but only if they believed Tau was part of the Feline Clan himself. The best way to do that was to try and minimise Ylva and Keanah’s presence. Any hint of a female would immediately give them away. The Gender of the animal form was always supposed to match that of the human form. Everything would be much easier if Ylva or Keanah’s form were being used, but they had to rely on Tau now.

Keanah watched with gritted teeth as Tau Stood, shaking himself and ridding his mane of the leaf litter it had accumulated. He padded forward with all the pride of his species, head raised and each stride forward one of purpose.

“My name is Tau,” he started, deep, rumbling voice carrying towards the unknown feline easily enough. “I had not meant to encroach on someone’s territory” he added as he got closer, silently hoping formality would stop any unwanted questions.

“I did not think-“ He stopped as he moved through the final barrier between himself and the barriers, shock rendering him speechless. Keanah was unperturbed, and pushed to the forefront with an outrageous “What in the world are you?!”

Keanah’s push to the forefront of their mind caused the voice to alter slightly in pitch. She still spoke with a masculine edge but there was no doubt about the voice change. Not that her outburst should come as a surprise. <There’s two of them, Keanah…> Ylva cautioned, having picked up the frilled creature standing near the winged feline.

Keanah winced at her idiocy, backing up so as to put distance between herself and the strangers before her. “Ah, I mean. I. you… Erm” she fumbled, sitting back on her haunches when her rump hit a tree, eyes wide as she looked at the creatures before her. “Keanah… and Tau… And” she stopped herself from saying Ylva’s name, almost biting her tongue in an attempt to force her jaw shut. She wanted to run, but she could not see a way to escape the strangers. The little one looked as though it could cause severe damage before they managed to get more than a few feet away. She ducked her head and crouched to the ground, struggling with her instinct to flee and trying instead to make sense of what she was seeing. The creatures before her should not exist. She knew that, logically, and yet there they were, as real as the ground beneath her feet. Ylva’s earlier comments about falling were now that much more daunting, and Keanah wished she could remember what happened when the storm hit. Ylva whimpered again in her head, and Tau was pacing, neither one able to comprehend their situation.

Rowan had turned awy when Loki had started talking, but as soon as he finished she whirled around, het tail crashing into him.

"Listen you."

She growled, razor sharp, slightly yellow teeth bared prominently.

"WHere I come from, you keep your mouth SHUT unless you know what you're talking about, and YOU, birdie, obviously don't. And you know what we do when THAT happens?"

She leaned closer to him, snout only inches away from his face.

"If they don't shut up, we make them. We catch them and tear them apart. Shred them, rip them to pieces. Because it's hard to say much when you're dead. Catch my drift, birdie?"

Sola stiffened as the creature she'd heard approached; its voice calm, smooth, confident, and masculine. When the ferns parted, her head dropped defensibly in preparation for an attack. The culprit was a very large male lion.

From the looks of him, her was just coming out of adolescence, but the cat before her still outweighed her. Sola peeked the scale at close to four hundred pounds, with the average male lion peeking at four fifty. Even knowing that, Sola could tell this lion was large for its kind; and that knowledge made Sola's fur stand on end. A fight would not easily be won.

Then, the lion saw her, and its eyes widened. Its voice jumped a few octaves, almost as if it became more feminine. It seemed that whatever it had expected, it wasn't the black winged tiger before it.

The lion began stammering out names, which puzzled Sola. Her form relaxed slightly, her ears lifting halfway from her skull. She shifted her weight from foot to foot, showing uncertainty. The lion wasn't attacking, but Sola feared for Qeo. Her first instinct would be, normally, to try and bully the lion into leaving. But if the lion attacked, it could put Qeo in harms way, making her instincts, mind, and heart war with each other.

The lion's actions confused her greatly. Its body language was that of a cat, but it also appeared as if its actions were slightly wolf like, and its moments somewhat feminine. This only built on Sola's uncertainty.

One thing the lion said though stuck in her mind; and the more she thought of it, the funnier it was. She snorted with laughter at the whole situation, her tension, the lion's fear, and his comment. "Well, I'm certainly not anything from this world." Even though she was laughing, her body held I tight and protective posture. Her body language remained feline in nature, despite her other features, showing she wanted to protect Qeo but she did not want to fight. However, it also said that if a fight did happen, she wouldn't back down. 

When Rowan's tail hit Loki, it knocked him to the ground and forced the air from his lungs. Pain blossomed through his body despite his armor receiving most of the blow. His heart skipped over itself as the very large menacing dragon now leaning over him.

Her threats sunk in to Loki, and he rolled over and forced himself to his feet. He looked Rowan directly in the eyes, forcing himself to keep his feathers smooth against his body. He focused his energy on not shaking with fear.

"Thanks. For. Reminding. Me. Why. I. Don't. Want. To. Go. Home." He spat back at Rowan.

Before she could respond, Loki launched himself into the air, working though the pain, and landed high in a tree. The leaves concealed the now violent quaking of his body; angry memories and harsh words from his past barraging him.

I guess even when no one knows me; they don't care to listen. He thought bitterly.

Keanah’s ears flicked up at the sound of laughter, lifting her head to look at the stranger before cocking it quizzically at the words. She swallowed and shifted her weight slightly as she absorbed what had been said, watching the female carefully to see if she were in any danger. “You don’t live here?” She asked after a pause, ears pricking up at the possibility that this was NOT the day she died (or got seriously mauled by someone). It was not a question that required an answer, instead she was paying close attention to the protective stance of the winged beast and trying to figure out if it would be safe to stand.

Tau and Ylva remained quiet though the wolf was checking to see if a shift was possible every few moments and Tau himself was growing increasingly curious about the winged feline. Keanah would have to try to satisfy his curiosity while ensuring no harm came to them to keep the peace in her head. An argument was not needed between the three of them, and all her attention needed to be focussed on the female. Giving a small word of thanks and brushing mental fingers through the animals’ coats, she started to stand.

Her movements were cautious and slow, eyes never leaving the black tiger’s face. She wasn’t trying to be threatening, and would much rather avoid a fight but if the stranger felt that Tau’s form was showing any sort of threat, instinct told her that she would be attacked in a heartbeat.

When she was in a sitting position, she hunched slightly, trying to keep the size difference to a minimal. It did not take long for her to do this, and she opened her mouth to speak again before letting a significant amount of time pass. “I am Keanah. I don’t intend to harm your… er... Cub?” she shifted her weight as she spoke, question plain in her voice as she tried to identify the funny looking creature the feline was protecting.

She assumed there was some sort of relation to the winged feline. She didn’t know many people who would so eagerly protect one that wasn’t their own. Perhaps they belonged to the same clan? A similar genetic twist that caused Tau and Ylva to exist in her body perhaps causing odd colouring and mixed species in others? “Where… What … Sorry.” She gathered her thoughts, embarrassed to be unable to compose herself enough to speak normally.

“Are you one of the clanless?” she finally managed, hoping she wasn’t being rude in asking. Then, as an afterthought, “I truly mean no harm to you and yours. I’m just a little lost.” Mothers were a bit of a wild card, you never know the extent of their protective nature. But admitting she was lost shouldn’t be too much of an issue. With a cub to protect she was at least less likely to chase her if things got a little hairy and Keanah needed to flee. Always good to keep your options open.

Three darts flew from overhead, all laced with a neurotoxin tailiored for tetrapods in particular. One at Keanah, one at Sola, and one just above Sola in case those ears worked as well as they looked and she tried to use those wings because of it. The Princess reclined back into her hammock, chuckling softly, as she stowed the remaining bulk of the toxin back in her pack. She made a mental note to take Cat in a couple of hours and search for their heaving near-corpses- didn't want them to die first, or else the scavengers'd wreck their pelts.

The Princess had been traversing a dank and swampy maze, after a very specific variety of artificial bird; her client had wanted scarlet accents for his hat.  However, The Princess taken the wrong door, it seemed, because she'd walked through it and found herself in a jungle she wasn't familiar with, no door in sight. No complaints, though- this jungle in particular was rife with megafauna, all with fabulous shimmering hides, be they of scales, feathers or fur. The stash she already had would be worth a fortune, no matter the buyer- natives in places like this might pay less for the pelts of their toothy pals, but at a mere twenty cubes a pelt, The Princess had nearly a thousand.

And they almost certainly weren't as low as twenty.

The Princess absentmindly clicked a nail against one of her plate teeth. She almost wished that the quarry in this wherever-this-was wasn't so dull- she hadn't seen anything big yet that that had anything but four legs, two eyes, and a big head at the front. It was a little bit odd- you'd assume that teleporting you through a mysterious door would take you somewhere more intersting, but no. The big difference between this jungle and ever dang place The Princess had ever hunted was the stunning lack of variety. Her favorite part had always been marveling at each almost entirely new creature as they appeared.

She glanced down over the edge to see whether the two had collapsed in the grove, or if they'd slunk off.

Tambia’s attention had been torn from the two mysterious birds by a ruckus further down the river bank. She turned her head just in time to witness Loki stricken to the ground, and the dragon stand threateningly over him. This got her piqued, if there was one thing she wouldn’t tolerate; it was those that had power using it to assault the weak. The fact that the dragon saw fit to attack something that had no way of defending itself showed a distinctive lack of horse sense, someone would just have to teach her it some seemed. “Wait here” she instructed the two birds hastily not sure if they’d listen or not, before taking beast form, a near instantaneous process that was only mildly painful, but taxing, and charging along the riverbank full speed.

She reached the dragon just as Loki disappeared into the trees, skidding to a stop, rearing up and resonantly whinnying, before dropping back down to all fours and staring Rowan in the eyes “that’s enough” she demanded “is this what your kind aspires to? Attacking little birds?” she spat disgustedly, it was one thing to make spoken threats and taunt as she had, but quite another to make physical contact.” I bet you feel real proud battering the ones that can’t fight back, but where’s the sport in that?” she stabbed at Rowan verbally, “why don’t you pick on someone more your size?” she scolded the dragon, curling back her lips momentarily to expose her own teeth, a measure that didn’t prove to look as intimidating as she would have hoped, before reclaiming a composed tone “we were only trying to help you, and this is how you choose to repay him?” she criticized her “if you want to leave than leave, but do so in peace, or you’ll deal with me, and I don’t go down so easily” she warned “I’d like it better if we could be friends and you would apologize to Loki for attacking him senselessly, I’d like it if we could start over and you’d let us help you; the way I helped you out of the river” she imparted pleasantly with an even tone, her stance casual and nonthreatening, but she made sure to tuck her head down in case the dragon should decide to get cheeky and go for her throat. This one seemed to have a short fuse, Tambia wasn’t picking a fight, but she knew it could be taken that way. “But I’ve no fondness of brutes, so if that is your way than it would be better if you leave” she added tactfully as her intentions were not to offend since she herself had not been affronted, but to inform.

Rowan snarled, dark eyes glowing like coal and hackles raised like flames.

"Shi'i tearuen zhet zhey makari jas teranir!"

She growled. It took her a moment to realize that the horsey-dragon probably had no idea what she had just said, as like most in her home world she had resorted to using Draconian because of the severity of the situation.

Rowan repeated in english, although she was growling over her words and they might have been hard to understand.

"An attack from the mouth might have well have been an attack from the claws."

She reared up, spreading her wings and flapping in a display of intimidation. Adreniline had taken over, ready for a fight she no longer felt the broken wing.

The setting is flexible, and will change as the characters move from world to world.

 

Currently, the portals are leaving people in the middle of wild, untamed jungle. The forest around you is so thick, any sunlight that filters through is a dark, shadowy green. The weather here is unpredictable, raining one minuet and crushing its inhabitants with heat the next. To add to the treachery of the landscape, you are perched on the side of a mountain, challenging every step you make with crumbling stones and jutting cliffs. Beware of your surroundings, The Order of the Shard are not your only enemies here. This planet is inhabited by dinosaurs, as it seems the portals have dumped you into some sort of prehistoric earth.

 

Now, you have one decision; up, or down?

 

The space and time continuum has been thrown wildly out of order, causing portals from across the universe to rip open at seeming random times. These portals cause a violent reaction in the area around them, sucking in all near by beings through and dumping them into a new world, in a new time. It is up to you to figure out what is going on, and how to survive in this uninhabited and hostile world. However, you are not the only one in this journey. Creatures from all sorts of other worlds, some which you could not imagine, have been pulled to this planet as well.

 

The reasons for the disturbances are not as random as you may think. An organization, know as The Order of the Shards, or Shard for short, also inhabits this planet. They are led by a woman who goes by the name of Anthanaisia, who believes that her cause is the only way to save the universe. She is seeking out the seven split pieces of the Great Crystal, and with its power she plans to destroy all the current worlds and create a new, perfect one.

 

But the shards are well protected. It is up to you and the friends you make to find the even crystal shards. The Shard of Bravery, The Shard of Faith, The Shard of Sacrifice, The Shard of Will, The Shard of Passion, The Shard of Vitality, and The Shard of Hope. With these shards, you can restore the Great Crystal. With its power, you can stop Shard and return everybody to their proper times and dimensions.

 

But it is not as easy as collecting the pieces. You will be racing against time itself to find the shards before Anthanasia, or perhaps racing to gather them for her. These shards will test you in trails to prove you are truly worth the honor of possessing them. Will you be able to pass the ultimate tests of character?