[hr][hr] [center] [img]https://i.pinimg.com/736x/d2/d7/48/d2d74825c78544b0a527cacae3ff76d9.jpg[/img] [hr] [color=#663399]Location:[/color] The Neverish, Strange Academy [color=#663399]Grimore:[/color] Find Familiar; [color=#663399]Skills:[/color] [/center] [hr][hr] Fear sank its claws deep into Annika as she ran, refusing to give up, but terrified. She was alone. No one was coming for her. Her father wasn’t here to rescue her this time. Never had she felt the pull towards her ancestors so strongly. The ones who had been eliminated. Their stories... wiped from the planet all because of the whim of man. A sob broke from her burning throat before it turned into a cry. Annika squeezed her eyes shut from the bombardment of light and colour. The smell of earth and growing things greeted her shortly after, grounding her as nothing else could. That is, until she felt the familiar weight and warmth of a shadowy friend. Annika opened her eyes, blinking back tears as she forced herself to adjust. [color=#663399]”Nochella, thank the stars.”[/color] She squeezed her familiar close until yowls of protest demanded she slacken her hold. Once her heart slowed, Annika took in the scene around her. She was surrounded by giant red woods, a welcome sight after so much nothingness and emptiness. Annika never thought she feared the dark, but now she wasn’t so certain. She took a shaky step forward, scared that if she moved, she would be lost all over again. The smell of food made her stomach grumble. Nochella jumped from her arms and made a beeline for the cottage Annika spotted in the distance. [color=#663399]”Noch! Get back here!”[/color] Annika moved to chase after her cat when Rohan appeared and then Finley, seemingly out of the air itself. [color=#663399]”Whe—”[/color] Rohan’s harsh command to be quiet froze the word in her throat. She scanned his body, noticing how on edge the mage was. Great. Now the forest, normally her safe haven, was a dangerous place. Just where in the hell had the Neverish taken them? [hr][hr] [center] [img]https://i.pinimg.com/736x/fc/11/07/fc11077e2eca5e348901828f23d3e755.jpg[/img] [hr] [color=#B22222]Location:[/color] Mikkail’s Sitting Room, Strange Academy [color=#B22222]Grimore:[/color] Predatory Instinct; Dragonic Morphing; Hunter’s Mark [color=#B22222]Skills:[/color] History [color=#B22222][url=https://i.pinimg.com/736x/da/fa/ec/dafaec20243bb508b2a9584dc0437af3.jpg]Fit[/url][/color] [/center] [hr][hr] Cal wasn’t sure how much time had passed before Barty and Connie entered. His attention had remained focused on slowing Cassie’s bleeding and not letting the book out of his sight. As he stared intently at the cause of all this mayhem, Cal placed his Hunter’s Mark on it. He didn’t plan on letting it go to anyone else after this, but should it mysteriously disappear, he would be able to track it. Cal nearly pushed back on Connie and Barty when they took over Cassie’s care. She had been hurt because of a request he made of her. He didn’t trust many others with looking after her because of it, but Connie was experienced, and Barty was relatively calm. Letting his bloodied jacket drop to the floor, Cal walked over to the journal and slipped it into the back pocket of his pants. His pain suddenly vanished, but he paid it no mind as he walked over to Willow and bent down in front of her. [color=#B22222]”It is alright, little one. I will end this. They will not hunt you or us any longer.”[/color] He kissed her forehead before he stood and turned his draconic eyes on Nicholas. [color=#B22222]”I believe whatever strangeness befell Kramer is trapped in this journal. Whether it is Kramer’s own deranged soul or another, I do not know. But I intend to find out, get answers and then kill it. Can you manage here?”[/color] Cal gestured to the chaos of the room and the only other two members of their coven. While he was indisposed, he would rely on Nicholas to keep the others safe. Perhaps a task would help remove the wild look of fear from Nicky’s eyes.