Furry-Within

The sky's seemed darker here, Cooler here in the mountains. Despite the warm sun and cloudless skies above, The air seemed Cool. The scent of life drifting on the winds. Everywhere you looked There was green of the mountain, The sound of life upon the thick jungle like forest.
Even the birds sang songs as the tree's swayed and danced with the wind, It would have been as if the land was never touched by any hands except for a wall. This wall incircled a mountain and lined the valley marking it's territory. Warding away almost all besides the most daring adventurers who dare set foot upon the mountain and valley itself.
  The wall was not very thick, made from weapons and armor from a long forgotten war. The blades dull and rusting, the armor crumbling and falling apart. Marked only by time and age. Vine and moss now covered once what was strong wood shafts of spears and sword handles. Eating away leather straps that held armor in place.Most dared not set foot upon this land, for rumor was the land itself was cursed and death awaited any unwary traveler who dare set foot here.
That threat made more believable, Just pass the wall mostly covered by moss were bones bleached and yellowed by age. Hundred and thousands of them being claimed by the forest floor. Tendrils of thin mist seemed to swirl around fingers, in and out of gaping skulls Tickling ancient rib bones and Moving through femurs and hips.
  Despite the health of the forest Scaring could be seen on tree's, Burns and whole ones snapped from some ancient battle. Despite this, the water was crystal clear running from the white crowns of the mountain to the forest floor. Leaving the entire floor  in either ankle deep clear water to calf length in depth. Despite this some sort of moss or another spongey in texture grew thick upon the water floor.The water cold and clean, but the air was warm and humid.
  Here was proof of life and death Vulgar in there display, but beautiful none the less.

Death. Life. Both relevant. Both irrelevant. The trick was all seeing it. One side or the other and yet also seeing neither. Some call it Apathy. Others call it indifference. Two words that bore the same meaning at the end. Here there was both and that proved a rare sight to some. Not to her. She had lived too long and seen it too much. neither comfort nor discomfort did she feel. Steel Azure eyes survey it all. Her slitted nostrils flare a time or two to take in the smell of the land. The stink of old rot and char along with that of life as it blooms again. The sunlight shone off her grey colored scales. Those that peeked out through the heavy black cloak she bore around her form. it his all, but her hands and face touching the ground around it's bottom hem. She was not cold here. She had yet to figure out exactly why it was that she came to be here. A glint in the sunlight catches her eye. An old sword stuck to the dirt only a few tiny steps away. She strolls over and draws it fresh from the ground. The blade tarnished and dull from time and weather. She wonders how many lives this blade has seen fit to end before it's last wielder fell. The body lay just inches away. What was left of some poor soldier whose life was lost to war and time. She draws the blade upward and quickly stabs the ground with it leaving the blade now where it stuck. It was worth nothing now. It would never kill again. Something tugging at the edge of her attention. Something not quite here yet, but close.

 That old rusty blade sunk deep into the earth before hitting a stone baried down deep. Making the sword ring, part of it's vibration muffled by the earth. yet...
It seemed to echo almost quietly along the wall of weapons and Working it's way barely down the wall. As if listening to a clash of battle just out of view, yet there was no sound of Death and dying. or cries from the wounded. The sound scared some birds that flew out of the tree's.
For a brief moment there was only silence, as even the animals understood this sound. The only sound was the wind ruffling leaves on a tree.
  It was only a moment later that a bird came to investigate,A curious crow with curious markings.As if someone drew upon its feathered body with a Crimson paint brush. Soft curls and swirls marked the stark black feathers. It's head turned to the side as it sqauked at the cloaked dragon.
The bird fluttered and danced among the branches unto the rusty steel crossgaurd of a sword, It watched her and sqauked again.It's head tilted the other way as it studied the dragon.
"Ello..Ello.." The raven flapped it's wings. "GrraaaaW.....Ello"

Walling away without pause she does, however, take note of the noisy bird. Looking backm casually, over her left shoulder at the crow. From beneath the cloak the tip of her tail appeared. Dangling the hem of the cloak around the topside the tip swept some grass and dirt. "What an oddly little thing." Looks away again. "It dares approach a dragon?" The tip of her tail again disappears under the heavy cloak. Starts to walk and then stop turning, slightly, to her left and looking back again. "You are either a foolish bird or something else. Either way I care little for your presence. If there is purpose then state it and be gone." snorts lightly as her left eye stares intently at the bird.

The little raven flapped it's wings, It's feathers fluffing up before it's beak pushes it back down again. The raven almost shook it's whole body indignantly at the dragoness. It hoped back into the safety of a tree.
Stepping back and fourth on either of it's claws. It squawked at the dragoness. The little bird had no idea what to make of the dragoness before it.  Seeming rather confused on what to do, It flapped it's wings a moment before it took off all together.  Leaving the dragoness alone.
   

"this whole place is wrong" perception was strong in dragons. This whole place felt wrong and yet she still felt very drawn here. That draw eminated from further up. She felt increasingly drawn. "ORACLE!"  there was a crisp snap to her voice. Anooyance to some degree. The was a second of silence then a faint little ping. "I have a question, Oracle. Will you answer me?" the faint sound of tingling in the air floated about the hood of her heavy cloak. "What is the cause of this? This disturbance here?" The following was as if the winds themselves had been given voice. A whisper on the winds that came to her ear.

"I am the creator, through thick and thin, My time is sunset then I begin. Worlds of men and beasts I make, to me these things are not fake. But Over and over I will kill , I am the tyrant and creator but not at will. What and who am I?"

The answers were always a riddle. Oracle, a gift of her father now these days long dead, was a bit hard to explain. Some form of ancient magic given life. Acted as both Seer and guide for her. Old, powerful in ways, and wise. Almost like a mother meant to guide her to her own path. "who?" She had caught that part. The hint was there. A tingle was all she got in reply. That almost annoyed her a bit more than the reason for the question. Pondered. The mortal language was so confusing so she then thought differently about the riddle. Her own tongue may lend the additional hint she sought.

"si mi wer creator, erekess thick vur tsydani, sia tairais ui arutu hak si tlush. treskriri di sthyri vur fueryoni si xurwk, ekess ve nomenoi youwei re ti beli. shar svern vur svern si geou svent, si mi wer tyrant vur creator shar ti sva geou. svabol vur svaust mi si?"

Ah. There it was. That little hint she was looking for. "si mi wer tyrant vur creator shar ti sva geou." The phrase spoke of one who was both a creator and a ruler. One could not simply create and rule something. Not something physical so then something else. One could create there own world in the mind where they could rule unopposed an without question. In this was the answer and that answer was yet another question in ways. This place was as a dream. A dream of a memory perhaps? That had to be it. Maybe the same for the odd crow as well.  As for who? "vi sleeping dreamer" A sleeping dreamer. That is what was wrong here. There was a powerful magic here. It was hidden from her senses, but not from Oracle, who was magic as well, and could feel it. See it. The ping moved away. Oracle was guide now. Moving quietly further up. Drawn, as well, toward the mountain. "Where are you guiding me, Oracle" The wind seems to answer yet again.

"What has roots as nobody sees. Is taller than trees. Up, up it goes. And yet never grows?"

"The Mountain?" The tingling came back and then moved off in the same direction as before. Yes. Oracle was leading her towards the mountain tip or very near it. Whatever this place had been? The answer to what it had becaome was there. With a snort she strode forward following her invisible guide.

Soon the Wild jungle like forest turned into rock and a old path was clear. Winding it's way up the mountian side. It had been a long time since someone walked this path, Yet the path itself seemed well maintained. The forest gave way to mountain side, and mountain side gave way to..ruins.
Ruins of a young village that was snuffed in it's prime. An ancient arch way greated her as she made her way through, in the center of the road was a grave stone. It was the first of many that greeted her along the way. In the rubbles of homes doted many more grave stones, Until there were more graves than there was rubble.  Each  stone seemed untouched by time, As if someone or something kept them prestine. It was only a few stones that had no name.
  It was only then, did the smell of wood smoke drifted on the wind.  It grew stronger as she made her way along the tight and narrow path. The smell was not alone, Soon sound fallowed as well. The rythmic sound of something digging into the rocky mountainside. It wasn't long until the path turned sharply, and the sound and source of the wood smoke could be seen.
A single soul could be seen, framed by the last light of a dying day. The panther threw the last shovel full of dirt and rock onto a freshly dug grave. he stood there a long minute just looking at it. His back was to the dragoness. The panther wore no shirt, Only deep dark green shorts. His lower legs wrapped in the same kind of material. The panther held the shovel in his hand, The other end of the shovel was a rather large hook hammer.  His long crimson hair tied none to neatly into a pony tail.

"To make sure you don't have bad luck. To have everything be fine. You should make sure that your path isn't crossed by this dark as night feline" came in a faint whisper from the wind.
Another riddle. Not as cryptic though. "Black Cat. Is that what you want me to find, Oracle?" The ping was ahead of her now. Oracle still steering her way up the path. Seemed like forever now. She had been walking awhile trying to figure out Oracle's cryptic clue about this Sleeping Dreamer and just what it meant. Now Oracle spouted a nearly childish riddle. Not uncommon when she was close to something she needed to see or find. Piece of a much larger puzzle that brought her here to begin with. Oop! She had not boticed she came across someone quietly. In fact she came across exactly whom she may have been seeking just now. She is some distance still and downwind of this person on the path ahead of her. Her head pulled back into her dark, heavy cloak while she watches him for a moment. Oracle had gone silent. No whisper in the wind and no tingling or pinging could be heard. Shy as always Oracle had vanished again.

The panther stood there for a good long minute, Watching the freshly carved head stones. He slung his shovel across his back as he kneeled on freshly dug earth. A new grave he had just filled, His hand rested on the stone.
Yet no words came, His head bowed just a little. His strong paw caressed the head stone, before digging into his pouch producing three incents that he lit with the fire. Placing it on the grave, his words were soft, almost lost upon the wind.
"I'm sorry...I'm so sorry that you died to keep me alive. Forgive me..."
  The panther stood up, Turning slightly. There was something odd about the panther, He gave off a rather dangerous aura. But it was his eyes that said everything. There was no life in them, Cold as cold as steel in winter. only those that were dead inside had eyes as cold as these.
Those lightning blue eyes closed a moment as he stepped away. he stopped a moment to look over the valley floor. However that strange crow came flying by, landing on the panthers shoulder. The bird nuzzled the panther almost lovingly. Yet the panther did nothing to respond. Only walking up a hidden path, a path that most would have passed without notice. It led to a small little shack hidden in the mountain shadows.

" What in the name of... " Has to wonder just what purpose that crow had been serving this entire time. No time. Had to storm up the path right after him and did so without so much as the slightest attempt to hide it. "Who are you and why are you.." Had to stop. Nearly blurted out an assumption there. "tell me who you are." More irritated than anything right now.

His ear twitched as he paused mid climb, Looking down at the dragoness. Those cold blue eye's assessing her, and that cloak she wore. His body turned slightly as he watched her for a long moment, His ears twitched as he heard nothing. She obviously was not here to kill him, and she wasn't of any of his enemies blood lines. If she was he would have heard her heart beating.
  Her question should have been easy, But it wasn't. he could have responded in so many ways.
Warrior,Assassin,murderer,killer,ghost,Cursed...
All these things crossed his mind, yet none of them seemed quite right.
"Who am I.."? He repeated, His voice almost a quiet whisper. Thick and deep with bass. Quiet and yet demanded attention, His words were clear.
  He dropped, letting his body land in a crouch before he made his way to her, deliberately slowly. He could smell her now, judging by her pupil and scent he could tell her kind. His eyes combed over her form, searching for any obvious bulge of a hidden weapon. Cloaks were good for that, hiding things.
The locals all knew better to stay off his mountain, They knew to keep their distance.
  "A guest on my land demanding my name? Etiquette dictates it is you who should introduce oneself first".

"A guest." And now she was irritated ever so slightly. "I don't recall being invited. In fact I don't recall how I got here to be honest. I am no guest. I am no intruder either," Stays her ground content to leave if need be, Oracle was still somewhere about, but at a considerable distance. Odd for the spell to move so far over a mere stranger despite some strange aura. "If it is a name you need then you may refer to me simply as Ciryn."

The panther blinked, Her irritation was telling in more way's then one. She wore her emotion's like a cloak that she wore on her back. Protective and exposed to the world and weather about. The panther looked out into the distance, his tail slowly waving back and fourth as he considered the nature of this conversation.
Not a guest, Nore a intruder...
  She had stumbled upon him by blind luck? His eye's narrowed a moment as he considered this. There was no such thing as luck on this world. Only calculated risk and skill, This was a lesson he had learned long ago. Trust was an issue to him, Something that did not easily develop in the length of one conversation.
  Night was fast approaching, The death of another day was herald by dying light. Painting the sky in brilliant hues of blue orange and red. As if the day was breathing it's last dying breath.  The panther considered this for a long moment.
  Considered this women for only a moment longer, after all what did he stand to loose at this point? What other option's did he have, The panther already knew he could not do this alone. Perhaps it was time he cast the dice and see what fate has brought him.
"Ciryn..." He spoke in that odd whisper tone of his, yet his words were clear. " The eve grows late and the time of safety wanes, Only the dead shall remain..."
  He knew she wouldn't survive, but it was a choice she had to freely make. If she tried to descend the mountain at this hour, she wouldn't make the base of it before she died.
  "I am." The panther hesitated for only a second. "Arashi. Come and let us have a conversation."
  With that he turned about and finished his climb to a small house, more like a shrine house than anything else. Sliding the shoji doors open. The place was moderately well lit, The light reflecting off of waxy paper. The shrine itself was cut partially into the mountain side.
Near the back was a statue of a cloaked figure with no discernable race.  It was sitting in lotus position as if meditating, the statue itself was carved from obsidian.  Behind the statue written in clear Japanese was a single phrase. It simply read:
"HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH"

A small fire burned in the cooking pit, suspending a 2 small pots. Delicious aroma wafted from both. One was obviously some sort of tea, the other some soft of rice soup with chicken and ginger.
  The only other things of note were maps spread about the floor. There must have been hundreds of them. Just laying about, Only a small pack and a few tools laid in the corner. Presumably the panthers possessions.
  The panther himself moved to stir the soup, Leaving the shoji screen door open to face the on coming darkness.

"Damn you, Onyx. What foolish errand have you sent me on this time?" She had to imagine the daughter of Brimstone, The Great Phoenix itself, was still deep beneath her Volcano living in seclusion. It was Onyx whom she called mistress/master and it was Onyx, from her seclusion, who had told her to come to this wretched place to begin with. Reason? Nope. She could not fathom what reason the Pheonix had for sending her here. It stood to reason that it was out of some arcane sense of curiousity. She shhok her head and stared down at the path for a moment in contemplation. "Arashi, huh?" looks up at him still with this look of irritation. "very well...lead." She would quitely make her way up the path behind him until they finally reached a....."Shrine? Really...imagine that.....what was I hoping for?" A HOUSE maybe? At least she had thought that was what would be found here. "A monk? Friar?" Almost a mocking tone as she stolled about looking around unamuzed. Supposed she could not trully judge him. After all her abode was merely a cave deep within a cliff. Though it was stuffed from wall to wall with all manner of treasure and items. It was warm there though. heated to a balmy 90 degrees by it's own little private hot spring. Warm. That was a nice thought and the fire in here was at least that. She made her way ti it and sat down. The heavy claok she wore was doing ver well to hide her form under it/ He would only see the glint of her grey scaled face and those Blue eyes of hers. Details seemed hidden by something within the cloak. It was resisting the light forced upon the interior of her hood.

He couldn't quiet read the expression on her face, that hood of hers made it hard to tell what she was thinking. He moved to the wall, gently sliding it out of the way. It was a hidden room that he did not allow her to peep into. Instead he grabbed a few bowls and cups before sliding it shut again.
  The panther made two bowls and sat looking out over the valley as night finally gave way. Offering her a bowl of the thick rice and chicken soup. He sipped on it quietly as he waited, his face intentionally emotionless. His eye's scanning the  nearby rocks and sparse vegetation. His eye's finally spotting what he was looking for.
   "They say, when a body dies if the souls are vengeful they will linger"  The panther pointed to what looked like fire flies as they danced among the shadow and mist.  Floating and settling only to float again. Landing in what seemed to be pairs.
  "They linger and whisper for vengeance until they can pass on.."
Arashi looked at Ciryn, making sure she was watching. The pattern those glowing orbs danced in almost mesmerizing. Until they were still, each like a pair of glowing eyes that blinked. It was almost as if the shadow and mist formed the body. A body of liquid night and mist, half hidden half exposed in the darkness.  It was as if the wind made there voices, a whisper that could be heard. But their words in-intelligible.
Slowly they crept closer surrounding the little shrine.  There must have been hundreds and thousands of them. Suddenly they stopped, forming a clear circle around the shrine. As if some force kept them from coming any closer.
  The panther spoke again, This time in almost sing song whisper. "The spirits of the clan will remain, Until the last villain is slain. From the still unbeaten heart, The will of the spirits shall depart. Until then rest shall not be had, Until your will is ironclad. from foe and beast you shall be, Until earth and snow are history. Your body and mind will be, Recovered from endless sleep. At the cost of another, from any that may be brother. His soul removed from thee, This shall be the fee. Until all has paid, from man to women and children slayed.  "