[hr] [@Smoke Wind] As the young man paused in his trek down the mountains, the voices paused for a moment as the owners of said voices began to speak. The younger one had asked a question in the native tongue, followed by an annoyed sigh. “Enough, Amy! You cannot eat him! He is a being, not a half-skinned animal!” The voice of an experienced woman snapped. “Those furs are his clothes, and he is wearing a cotton shirt.” If Kotaka were to remove his blindfold, he would see two women emerging from the trees. The one who first spoke to Kotaka’s understanding was tall, standing at almost 5’10” in height. Her fair-skinned figure was draped in fine black and white silk priestess attire with gold accessories. Her long, onyx hair was half up, secured with gold pins, as her honeyed gaze studied the man. [colour=gold]“It was only one time, and she [i]did[/i] transform into a pheasant”[/colour] Amandine said defensively, gesturing to emphasise the size difference between a person and a bird with her hands, [colour=gold]“Besides, that one looks tough, like boot leather. The meat’s probably stringy, and it’s a pain when it gets stuck between your teeth.”[/colour] As if on instinct, she picked at her teeth to make sure they were clear, then offered a bright, toothy grin. Shorter in stature than her companion, Amandine had a dusky complexion, striking white hair, and red eyes that gazed at her surroundings with a curious, predatory expression. She wiped her hands clean, then folded them behind her back as she followed beside the priestess. Kamari sighed once again as she pinched the bridge of her nose. Shaking her head, the priestess moved closer with almost deadly grace. “Very few use these paths to go to the mountains. Where are you going, young wanderer?” Stepping slightly behind the taller woman, Amandine slipped easily into the role of handmaiden. [colour=gold]“The Priestess Kamari is feeling charitable today. Please answer her questions.”[/colour] [hr] [@Ti] The Peacock Gryphons observed Zahra as she walked through the ancient wall. Their gazes never wavered from her little troop. As she moved to the grasslands, an older gryphon, who wasn’t as vibrant as the others, stood up on all fours. It launched itself up into the air and began to follow Zahra. Upon closer inspection, this elder being didn’t have the purple plumage as the others and could hide more easily in any greenery. It landed with a thump beside the human woman. Clearly, this creature was used to humanoids and was unbothered by the horse as well. This creature still appeared uninterested, despite following Zahra, almost as if it were a black cat that was bored. [hr] [@Jamesyco] While Oliver traveled with his group of colleagues, two creatures followed the joyful wagon of merriment. The first creature was a Prairie Mothcat. A fluffy little thing with verde, beige, and cream coloring, as well as a few brown spots and matching wings. Its big emerald eyes blinked curiously at the troop while it jumped up and down on the mound of grass it was sitting on, or so it seemed. The second creature was a Terra Wolf, a canine creature with gold glowing eyes, the size of a small wagon, and a head-to-paw grass and brush-like appearance. It shambled up lazily and yawned as the mothcat sat comfortably on its shoulders. [hr] [@vietmyke] The owl hooted calmly back at Cormag as it followed him to the abandoned camps outside Somerset. The feathered friend flew to the peak of the last standing tent; all the others had either been destroyed by weather or bandits absconding with any leftover supplies, which weren't many. But the tattered canvas shelter was large enough for a small group to rally under if needed. [hr] [center][h1][b][color=skyblue][u]Amarysah Snowden[/u][/color][/b][/h1][/center] [hr] As soon as she got out of Volenstul and away from prying eyes, Amarysah took a deep breath behind a wood of trees. With it being nightfall, no one would be able to see her. Mari took a deep breath and focused on the image of the animal she wanted to become. Soon, a doe Telanope came from the trees and took off towards Somerset. Telanopes are magical herd animals of Vradia and take on the likeness of their home environments. While they aren’t as rare as unicorns, they have been scarce since the First Age and since they adapt so well to their environments it is hard to study them. Amarysah had the chance to do so when she ran away from her father’s house the first time. She spent a long time in the woods that fall and gained the trust of many animals, not just the telanopes. Her mostly black and tan form hid herself well in the night as she found herself on the backside of Somerset. Mari took her time to calm down her racing heart and hid behind some boulders to shift back into her normal form. Dusting off her pants and raising her hood as she walked around the perimeter of the township. Her icy gaze settled on the abandoned tent followed by the gate, and then the ox with a very large man. Scratch that, he was an ogre. A single ogre? That was odd. They normally traveled in groups as mercenary workers for the Empire. Amarysah kept her distance, still in the shadows of night as she continued to figure out what the best way was to enter Somerset.