[right][img]http://i.imgur.com/6qJ4rtt.png[/img][/right][center][img]http://i.imgur.com/q4B5ycC.jpg[/img][h3][color=violet]TEAM EGGPLANT[/color][/h3][/center]
As Emma scampered off in hopes of reining in the suddenly energetic forest spirit, Lux strayed slightly, unable to fight the pull of curiosity. She made sure to stay within earshot, though, in case mysterious Spook decided to give them more information about the mysterious quest.

Lux found her gaze being pulled overhead, toward the trees Roy loved so much. She had glimpsed movement earlier from somewhere up on those branches, too fast for her to have seen clearly, but not enough for her keen eyes to have missed it. Whatever it had been was quick, there one second and gone and the next, almost like…  Lux tried to stop the giddy smile from spreading on her face, but it was no good. The damage was done. Her eyes unconsciously drifted to Meryn, who was already climbing up some branches, narrowing conspiratorially as she watched her. 

Was it a coincidence that Meryn was climbing the same tree she saw the shadowy blur that was (maybe, possibly, if the stars were being nice to her) something teleporting?

Probably.

But that was beside the point!

She quickly inspected the tree before returning to Spook's side, right as he began to detail the nature of their first mission. They were to catch felidrakes. While the strange name was enough to seize her attention (she picked up on the portmanteau rather quickly), the sketch and subsequent explanation made her freeze on the spot. [i]No way.[/i] Lux stared wide-eyed and jaw slack at Spook, then at the sketch, then at the forest that housed the creatures, wondering if she somehow unwittingly drifted into another daydream. That tended to happen quite often; embarrassingly often, really. But it seemed everyone else heard him as well and they'd already scattered in pursuit.

Lux didn't know whether she wanted to cry or laugh or run back home to grab her brother and show him. Creatures that were half something and half something else were real. Creatures that could teleport were real. Creatures that used to exist only in books, in the stories Lowell told her, were real and they were within reach. 

After emitting a sound that was halfway between an excited cheer and manic giggle, Lux picked a direction and ran, her cage swinging wildly behind her. She stopped beside Emma just long enough to point the direction she's going, no doubt quite a hilarious sight with her mouth hanging wide open with overwhelmed excitement and her lilac eyes bright with unadulterated glee. 

Now that Spook pointed them out, Lux saw the felidrakes everywhere. She caught yellow eyes staring back at them warily and shadowy blurs around every corner. Her ears became attuned to the soft popping sounds they made before they teleported. If she hadn't been so excited, she could have devised a clever plan to trap one of them. From what she had observed, the limited range of the felidrake's teleportation could be manipulated. If she just looked for the perfect spot, she could try to force one into teleporting close enough to capture. 

But no, she was indeed overly excited and any coherent thought process was out the window.

Instead, Lux dove right for the bushes where she saw a tip of a tail swishing, hands immediately closing around whatever scaly part of it she had touched. When seconds had passed and yet the felidrake remained within her grasp, Lux scrunched her nose in curiosity. She popped her head out from the bushes and lifted her hands to see her catch… and regretted it as soon as she did.

Sharp claws greeted her, digging down her face, leaving a light trail of blood in its wake. The felidrake retracted its paw, as if it to strike again, when a loud gunshot echoed through the forest, startling the creature into teleporting away. Lux saw it reappear high up on the tree next to her, perched on a branch. There was an almost smug look on its face as it stared at her, as though it was trying to taunt her, but she noted the way its ears perked up in wariness and saw through its ruse.

Lux jutted her lower lip out. What was it that made the smug little cat-dragon anxious? She wanted to get closer, but there was no use trying to climb the tree—there were no safe footholds, the lower branches looked far too flimsy, and she didn't have Meryn's magical talents. Lux held out a hand, signaling the felidrake to wait for her, even though it might not understand what she was trying to say. Whether it understood or not, the felidrake remained at its perch, looking about cagily.

She ran back to where she last saw Emma and Roy, wincing slightly at her stinging scratches. [color=#FFD700]"Did you guys hear that boooom sound?"[/color] she asked, complete with sound effects and wild hand gestures, as she skidded to a halt in front of them. [color=FFD700]"It spooked one of the felidrake!"[/color]

[sup][@Diggerton][@Darinthus][/sup]