MagiStream

I swore as (yet again) a handhold crumbled underneath my hand and stung my palm as I lost my grip. Grumbling, I painfully reset my grip and glared up at Jaeger. “Great path you picked. Straight up a cliff face! Not all of us are designed to leap nimbly and gracefully from ledge to ledge, y'know.” Jaeger just looked at me unsympathetically and huffed before hopping up another twenty feet or so. “Hey! Don't take that tone with me! It's not my fault we got stuck up these stupid mountains. It's your fault we took this butthole route. What in Voltar's good name did you think we'd find up here? Besides metric craptons of snow and ice, of course. Gaaah!” I exclaimed as my feet slipped off the ledge I'd been resting on and I was left hanging by my fingertips. Cursing, I scrabbled frantically with my feet until I found solid purchase on a small outcrop. I didn't dare look down to see where – if I froze now, I'd die.

Jaeger looked at me bemusedly, seeming to ask why I would do a stupid thing like lose my footing and I glared. “This is entirely your fault. When I get to the top, I am making you into new boots and stir-fry.” Jaeger just snorted and tossed his head encouragingly. I made a face at him and growled, but I made a huge effort and managed to pull myself on to the narrow shelf I'd been hanging off of moments earlier. Indulging myself in another glare at Jaeger (Stupid elk! Stupid Anita! Stupid me...), I stood up and surveyed the cliff face between me and the next wide-ish ledge. I spotted four good handholds and three more marginal ones. I reached for the first one just as Jaeger decided to call down “encouragement,” and I glared up at him. I seemed to have been doing that a good deal lately, but the great heights, thin air, cold, and hunger were doing absolutely nothing to improve my mood. Ever since I'd accepted Jaeger from Anita, it'd been one damn thing after another. Lost supplies, surprise avalanches and rockfalls, direwolf attacks, hell even a regular wolf attack! Thank all the stars in the heavens above that Tasharns didn't travel in packs, or I'd have been dead by now.

“You know,” I huffed as I reached for another handhold, “I ought to have named you Murphy....or Jinx! I can see why Anita gave you to me. Also – fuck!” I swore as one of the handholds I'd judged to be “good” gave way and I was forced to grab at one of the ones I'd tagged as “marginal.” “Also, I'm not going to turn you into dinner and mukluks when I catch you. No, I'm gonna use you for glue and curse charms. Dammit!” I yelped as a sharp rock I hadn't seen made itself painfully known to my liver. How I managed to still feel sharp rocks through all the layers I was wearing was beyond my ken, but they still stung like a sonuvabitch. Jaeger chuffed again and easily leaped the last few ledges to the top, then turned to look at me as if asking what was taking me so long. I couldn't spare the concentration or breath for more than a brief glare rather than the full paragraph of invective that I really wanted to

Finally, after much colorful language, glares, and witty remarks at my expense – and they said animals couldn't talk, bunch of panty-waisted liars – I got to the top. First order of business was to collapse in exhaustion, which I proceeded to do as gracelessly as I could manage without injury to myself. I didn't get to enjoy my horizontal resting position long, however, as Jaeger came over and started snuffling my hair. I gave a heartfelt moan. “Yes, yes, I'm alive Jaeger. Thank you kindly Jaeger for your concern and no thank you for your lousy navigation. Ugh, yes, fine I'm up. See? I'm up,” I said as I laboriously climbed to my feet. Looking around for a less precipitous place to lay down and get some rest, I slowly forgot about my aches and pains as I took in the wond'rous sight that met my eyes. Great spears of ice jutted up from the plateau – so it isn't a mountain, I noted abstractly – narrowing to glittering points at the top. Every so often along these giant shafts more ice would jut out at odd angles. I couldn't figure it out. I slid my gaze over to Jaeger. He just stood there, looking so smug. If he'd been human, he'd probably have a big shit-eating grin all over his face, I didn't doubt. I looked back at the forest of spears – wait a second. Forest of spears....and if I turned my head just so and squinted...I turned to stare at Jaeger. “No. Way. A forest of trees made of ice?” I demanded excitedly. He snorted and came over to butt me softly in the direction of the trees. “I take it back, I take it all back,” I said in wonder as I stumbled forward.

It was just after sunset when we finally made camp beneath the huge trees. They were even bigger up close and personal, and I had been slowed as I watched the fading sunbeams get caught and tossed about by the prismatic planes on the ice. I wondered aloud to Jaeger how old the trees were as I unloaded the packs. He just snorted and started nosing through them in search of the grain I had packed for when we got above the treeline. Say rather, when there was no food to be foraged I thought as I looked up at the huge ice-sculpture trees that looked as though they held up the sky. As I reached for the packs containing the grain, I was distracted once again by how beautiful the who place really was, even if it had nothing to illuminate it but starlight. Consequently, I didn't notice my hand had missed the pack until it collided with something hard. “Fuck,” I said almost reflexively, shaking my hand and giving whatever I'd hit a light glare. As I glared, though, the heat fell away and I realized what I was looking at. A pine cone, as large as my head, spines closed, made of perfect ice. I picked it up and held it up against the sky just as the moon peeked over the mountains. The light hit the pinecone and took my breath away. Illuminated by the moonlight refracted across its inner planes, I clearly saw the seeds that the pinecone contained. I looked over at Jaeger and grinned. Anita would eat this up – there was nothing like it anywhere else that I had ever heard of. Still grinning, I recited a freezing spell and wrapped up the pinecone before making room for it in a pack by bringing out Jaeger's grain. Jaeger gladly started chowing down as I poured the grain into a depression I'd made in the snow. I smiled and slipped into the nest of furs and blankets I'd made in another hollowed-out depression. I lit the lamp and settled in to read over and remember my journey thus far.

I opened my logbook.

Log of a Camping Trip – Day One

I set off to-day with the white elk Anita gave me – I have no idea why she insisted I take him, I have four of my own – towards the mountains in search of something rare. It's something to do at least – life at the Keep was getting a little dull. As I write this Jaeger – it's what I named the elk; so I'm not creative, so what? - is nosing around looking for food. He seems nice enough. Didn't object to the packs when I put them on him, at least. They aren't terribly heavy, but all my elk would have objected to them violently. Maybe that's why Anita insisted I take him – maybe he's specially trained to carry packs or something.

Well anyway, we made good time to-day. We covered about fifteen miles, and should get even further to-morrow. I don't want to get caught up the mountainside when winter proper sets in – it is a bit late in the year for this sort of excursion, but I think we should be able to make it just fine. I put most of the winter and mountain gear in the packs the Jaeger's carrying; I hope I don't lose any of it.

Log of a Camping Trip – Day Two

We made twenty miles to-day. Jaeger doesn't seem to mind the faster pace, so we'll keep it up as long as the terrain permits. What he does seem to object to is my choice of routes, oddly enough. When we came to a split in the path we were following long about noon, we had ourselves a slight difference of opinion. I wanted to go left, and he wanted to go right. Stubborn animal! I wonder if he's got mule somewhere in his ancestry.

Anyway, we eventually went right because neither path had really any sort of distinguishing marks and he's carrying most of the supplies. I'm glad I didn't bring any of my own creatures – if they hung around Jaeger for too long his bad habits might start rubbing off on them. Yes, I said bad habits, and hitting me whenever I write something you disagree with is one of them. Dog meat. Ow.

Well, enough of that. Wherever this path leads, it's at least going in the generally correct direction (according to my map, which is pretty good for the lower altitudes). Here's to hoping it remains this pleasant.

Log of a Camping Trip – Day Three

I am going to sell Jaeger for dog meat when we get back to civilization! That elk has a lousy sense of direction and a worse nose! I woke up not long after midnight this morning to find my campsite entirely surrounded by direwolves and Jaeger nowhere in sight. I suppose I can't fault his self-preservation instincts, but he picked this damn route the least he could do would be to stick with me in the lurch! Oh well.

Anyway, the fire hadn't quite gone out, thank goodness, so I was able to poke it up and use the embers to drive the direwolves away. I told him off roundly and at some length, but I have a sneaking suspicion that he was just faking attention. Bugger the lousy sod. Ow. I couldn't sleep any more that night, so I packed up and we made a (very) early start of it and we made twenty-five miles.

Sixty miles into the trip, and we're still at least a day away from the foothills of the mountains. That's it – no more taking directions from stupid two-toed ungulates who probably can't tell a hawk from a handsaw!

Log of a Camping Trip – Day Four

I'm glad I didn't make that resolution about directions out loud – I'm tempted to strike it from the record, honestly. Jaeger is one stubborn herbivore when it comes to picking a path. Once he starts going down the one he thinks is correct even yanking on his antlers won't turn him. I should know – I tried. Repeatedly. He just snorted and shook me off. I eventually gave up trying to turn him and just gave him the silent treatment. If he leads us into another direwolf pack, I'm gonna offer him up as a meal and run the fuck away. At least we made my goal of twenty miles – the land has started to slope up gently.

Log of a Camping Trip – Day Five

That's it – no more resolutions about certain chunk-headed herbivores-cum-wilderness guides. From my mouth to God's ears, I swear. Not precisely, but the point still stands! We didn't get ambushed by direwolves last night, but regular wolves are not an improvement! At least he sounded the alarm this time. The fire was completely dead, however, so I had to throw rocks and wave large sticks threateningly. Jaeger wasn't helpful – the big baby “helped” by standing over the ashes of the dead fire and groaning and rolling his eyes in fear – but I managed. Somehow. I've checked over Jaeger thoroughly, but I can't find any big “Eat Me” signs on him anywhere. I'm considering carving one there myself, but maybe this isn't all his fault. And maybe Namista just wanted to give the world love and cuddles.

Anyway, we unanimously decided that hanging around the area would probably do our long-term health goals no good at all, so we legged it and managed to make a few miles before breakfast. We made another ten miles or so afterwards, but we stopped early so that I could get a siesta and Jaeger could eat. He must know I'm writing about him; he's come over and is resting his head on my shoulder. No, dog-meat, I'm not going to pet you. Especially when you sneeze green stuff on my sleeve. Go to sleep, you great lummox.

I'd best follow my own advice, actually. It's gonna be a long uphill hike tomorrow; we'll hit the foothills proper by midmorning.

Log of a Camping Trip – Day Six

I think my legs have dropped off at the knee. I don't know what magical wavelength Jaeger is getting his directions from, or whether it was just some vagary of the wind that drove him along this path or whatever, but whatever it is has absolutely no regard for grade. Five miles of fourteen percent grade makes for one mighty unhappy Magi, let me assure you. Jaeger was no help – he stood just out of grabbing range and made encouraging noises. Patronizing fucker. I know how to hike up a hill – I've done it often enough in the past, though not quite this extreme – and the staff I picked up just before we hit the really steep stuff helped immeasurably. Unfortunately, our pace has slowed to a crawl – we did maybe ten miles to-day, by far the shortest distance we've made yet. Stupid jackass shouldn't be navigating. Ow. He hit me “accidentally” with his antlers after reading that. Damn, he's quiet when he wants to be. Oh well, if it pissed him off it's no more than he deserves for peeking where he didn't belong. Besides, he can't pick a worse route than he did to-day. Of that I'm sure.

Log of a Camping Trip – Day Seven

Well to-day was fucking amazing. I was apparently deeply mistaken when I said that a fourteen percent grade was the worst path Jaeger could find to get us up into the mountains. Before the morning was over I had to get another walking stick to supplement the one I already had. Combine fourteen percent grade with loose gravel and crumbly shale and you get precarious footing and a magi with a passionate hatred for gravity. Then, of course, we had to cross a ravine. It wasn't too far across, but too far for a running jump. There were stepping stones, however, and I suppose I should be grateful we didn't have to climb down one side and up the other but my vertigo objected violently. At length. Repeatedly. I was about ready to curl up and die and to hell with Anita and her precious “treasure” but Jaeger wouldn't let me. He grunted and snorted and nudged me and just generally made a pest of himself and I suppose I should be grateful but it was his fault we had to cross the thing in the first place, damn it!

We've made camp beside a small creek – I have a nagging suspicion it feeds the miserable dribble in the ravine, the fucker – and I'm starting to get worried that this trip will take longer than I had originally estimated. I do have extra food, but it may not be enough. We hiked a bare seven miles to-day, but that was probably due to the poor footing and the ravine fiasco. I can only pray that we don't meet too many more delays. I want to be out of here before the North wind blows in winter properly. We should have a few weeks, but you never can really tell with the mountains.

Log of a Camping Trip – Day Eight

Thanks be for small favors. We managed twelve miles to-day, being as how the terrain wasn't as bad as it has been for the past few days – though it is still far from congenial – and we weren't interrupted by large ravines or wild animals. I got a nasty surprise when we stopped for the night, however. When I went to unload Jaeger, I noticed that he somehow managed to divest himself of a goodish amount of weight. I'm not really impressed – in fact, I'd probably have been disappointed if he hadn't – but damn does he have poor choice in what to keep. My snowshoes are gone, as are my crampons, some of the spare food, lantern, extra parka, and toolkit. I'll especially miss the toolkit; it was a gift from a friend and contained many useful tools like a collapsible pickaxe, shovel, and hatchet.

Oh well. If he gets mad at me, I'll blame Jaeger and then let him take the elk to the taxidermist.

Log of a Camping Trip – Day Nine

Another nice day. Now I'm getting seriously worried about what I'll find when I get up into the mountains proper. The calm before the storm, and all that. Jaeger seems to be unconcerned, but I have a feeling his brain was replaced with a kidney long ago.

We made a decent distance to-day, almost twenty miles, and we've made camp at the foot of a trail that leads up the mountain. We'll start our ascent to-morrow, and I can only hope my gut feeling is wrong. With my luck, it probably isn't.

Log of a Camping Trip – Day Ten

I was right! I was right right right and I swear Jaeger is trying to get both of us killed. We started up the trail early in the morning – before the sun rose, in fact – and mid-morning found us switchbacking our way up a pretty steep cliff face with some ominous menhirs. We were trying to be as quiet as possible – well, I was at least – when Jaeger decided now would be an excellent time to cut loose with what had to qualify for Keep's Loudest Sneeze. I froze and stared up at the menhirs, but they weren't even rocking. I relaxed with a sigh of relief and with an almighty roar half the mountain started coming down on our heads.

There may be something wrong with Jaeger's higher cognitive functions, but his survival instinct is just fine and dandy. I've never seen an elk move that fast, not that I was doing too shabbily in the sprinting department myself – I'm reasonably certain I hit the four-minute mile at some point. We couldn't outrun the rockslide, but we did manage to get under an outcropping before the rocks dashed us to so much mince.

The only good thing to come out of this little disaster is that when all the rumbling stopped and we left the safety of the outcrop we had a pretty good trail up and over the rockslide that was actually faster than if we had just continued with the switchbacks.

This is all Jaeger's fault. Yes, I'm blaming you. Go be all depressed somewhere other than over my shoulder. He just collapsed in the corner, the hambone. He's totally playing it up.

We managed to find shelter in a cave – it's pretty shallow, but it affords some measure of protection from the wind we encountered once we got above the rockslide. Hopefully, that means we can get some sleep to-night without too much trouble. I'm going to try snuggling up to Jaeger when I sleep – the nights have been cooler fast, and I don't think my blanket will be enough to-night.

Log of a Camping Trip – Day Eleven

It was quite cold to-day – almost colder than last night was, which is saying something. Jaeger doesn't seem to notice, but as I suspect he has some form of brain damage this does not surprise me. The hiking helped warm me up some, but I was still glad when we stopped for the night and I could make a fire.

It's the last night for one, sadly; we'll be out of the treeline by tomorrow night, barring any unforseen complications. We made good time, relatively, but I don't expect that to continue when we get up to the snow line. I'm not entirely certain where Jaeger thinks we're going – the path we're taking is almost paralleling the peaks, and there aren't any passes in this part of the Alasres.

The path is continuing its upward slope – I shudder to imagine where the trail stops. From the glimpses I've snagged through the thinning trees, there seems to be some sort of permanent fog bank about 500 feet up the trail from where it hits the snow line. I really, really, really hope Jaeger knows what he's doing.

Log of a Camping Trip – Day Twelve

Jaeger is nuts – absolutely bonkers. Yes, you. No, hitting me won't make me stop writing. Well, there isn't much else to do, is there? We reached the snow line to-day, and it was nice going for all of about half an hour. Then, out of a clear blue sky, a blizzard decides to drop in. Crazy mountain weather!

Thankfully, we managed to find a cave to shelter in – a proper one this time, not some little divot in the rock – and we'll ride out the storm here. There's a small spring at the back of the cave, so obtaining water shouldn't present any difficulties. Smells funky and tastes bad but it won't kill me so there you go.

Log of a Camping Trip – Day Thirteen

Storm hasn't let up. I didn't even try going outside the cave today, just shoved my hiking sticks through the pile-up at the cave's mouth periodically to make sure we didn't suffocate. Jaeger made himself abundantly clear that he didn't enjoy the blasts of wintery air that entered the cave – truth be told, neither did I – but suffocating was hardly an appealing alternative. I checked and re-checked the equipment several times – both out of a desire to make sure our equipment stayed in tip-top shape and out of an acute case of boredom. I hope this storm breaks soon; I might start doing untoward things to Jaeger if I get too bored.

Aha – gotcha! Ow. Make that we might kill each other......

Log of a Camping Trip – Day Seventeen

The storm broke sometime last night and I was insanely grateful to wake up this morning to brightness and a gentle breeze that contrast starkly with the howling darkness of the past couple days. I'm running low on supplies, and I honestly think Jaeger and I would have killed each other if we'd been cooped up together for much longer. That this log is missing a few pages is a testament to one of our more violent............disagreements. Oh well; they weren't that important and the less said about those days the better.

Anyway, we still had to dig our way out of the cave so we didn't start actual progress until about midmorning. Snow was still falling, but I ignored it and Jaeger frolicked. I suppose he deserves some leisure, after nothing but my company for almost a week. We're going up a rift of some sorts now, with sheer cliffs on either side. I'm still convinced it isn't a pass – the wind isn't strong enough to be one – and this leads to several nasty as to what it could be.

I wonder what created the area – there's no good reason for a river to just well out of the ground naturally at this altitude, and if it had been a glacier it a) wouldn't have melted and b) would have left scrapemarks on the cliff faces on either side which are conspicuously absent. There's something about this place, something very odd.

Log of a Camping Trip – Day Eighteen

Sometimes I hate being right all the time. It isn't a pass we've been hiking up – it's a canyon, and it dead-ends in a huge cliff. Seems I wasn't the only poor sod to find this out the hard way, either. Less than a hundred yards from the base of the cliff I stumbled over the remains of a pretty scanty camp. The snow that is still falling had given it a light covering, but I believe that storm that blew through removed most of the heavier layers covering it.

The little one-man canvas tent was frozen stiff as a board and I tripped on a rock-solid canvas pack. I had a bad feeling, but something compelled me to brush and shuffle away just a bit more snow. It didn't take much to uncover the stiff, dead forms of a male magi who might have been handsome when he was alive and what appeared to be his albino Direwolf companion. I almost missed the 'wolf, but the magi had one arm over it so I managed to discern it clearly. I don't think I'll ever forget it, honestly. The Direwolf stayed by him all the way.

I made an executive decision and set up camp a hundred feet down the trail from the sad little site and spent the rest of the day hunting up stones. The soil was far too hard to even try to bury them, so I did the next best thing. The little cairn I managed to build around them wouldn't win any prizes in the masonry department back at the Keep, but it's the best I could do. It certainly is a stark reminder of exactly how badly this trip can end.

When I had finished, I retrieved the pack and took it back to my own camp. If I found anything useful in there, I'm sure they wouldn't mind if I borrowed it – when it's a matter of living and dying, people tend to be more generous. After I managed to thaw it to the point where I could open it, I didn't find much. A lantern, a coil of rope that disintegrated when I tried to uncoil it, a pick with the handle broken off, some climbing spikes, and some journals. I couldn't read the journals – they were either in a different language or the writer had very poor handwriting – but embossed on one that was nicer than the others was what I suspected was a name - “Franklin.” The name niggled at my memory – something about early explorers of the Alasre Mountains? - but I couldn't remember.

It was all I had, though, so I went ahead and chipped it into one of the larger stones I'd used in the grave with the handle-less pick. I don't expect anyone to come up this way and read it, but leaving the grave unmarked seemed somehow disrespectful. After I finished, I put the journals in my pack – if I made it out alive, maybe Anita or one of the language specialists at the Keep would be able to translate them. It would probably be an interesting read.

Whoever “Franklin” was, I hope I have better luck than him when I attempt to scale the cliff face to-morrow – or this'll be the last entry in another forgotten journal sitting at the bottom of a cliff at the end of a pass that doesn't lead anywhere.

Bill of Sale

Participant One: Anita the Accumulator
Participant Two: Merk

Trade:
One pinecone made of ice
One White Elk

Sale completed to the satisfaction of both parties

I smiled as I tucked the bill of sale into my back pocket. I glanced over at Jaeger, who seemed just as happy as I was to have completed our commission. "Hey Jaeger. Let me introduce you to my other White Elks," I said as I slung my arm across his withers. Jaeger snorted agreeably, and I grinned. "And I'll take those packs off you," I patted the few packs still left on his back. Anita hadn't been able to translate the journals I'd brought back - maybe there was a scholar at the Keep who could. Any which way you sliced it, I was nearly home. I smiled - life was looking up.

The Story (Path C)

The Crystalline Caves were said to be a remarkable sight, clustered with crystals of various colors from blues to greens to reds, and sporadically placed all over the walls and floors of the deep passages so that one could venture into them without a light of their own. This is where was heading, carefully stepping over rocks and squeezing through tunnels. She was not a fan of being below ground but you have to do what you have to do for a coin these days.

It’s not long before she hears the echoes of gentle tapping. Upon rounding a bend, she finds who she was looking for. A woman is beating at the surrounding crystals with a pick. She’s dressed in brown trousers, heavy boots, a loose tunic and leather jerkin with a multitude of a tiny bags and pockets wrapped around her waist and legs. Atop her head is a mass of curly brown hair. She clears her throat to gain the woman’s attention, and she stops in mid-swing to peer at her from behind large, circular goggles. She lifts them from her face and smiles.

You’ve heard of this woman from time to time in the Keep. Anita the Accumulator. Or, for those less inclined, Anita the Pack Rat. She often sends magi out into the world to collect samples of her discoveries, and in return she’ll award them with creatures. However, she is not what you expected.

“Hello, mage,” she says quite cheerfully. “Here for the journey, I wager?”

“Yes I am the one they had sent. My name is Nox,” she inclines her head in greeting. She pulls the hood off her head. Icy blue eyes take in the other woman as long braided blonde hair.

“As I tell many of your folk, it’s not a pleasant journey if you’re not careful, but I give you creatures to help you with the trials. You keep them, too…long as you survive it in one piece.” Nox hesitates, staring at Anita warily with thoughts of whether or not this is a good idea after all.

She smiles wider and says, “Having a bit of fun, is all. You magi are so serious.” She wipes a handkerchief across her face, succeeding only smearing dirt. “It shouldn’t be so bad, and you get my little lovelies in the process. So,” she leans on the handle of the pick, smirking, “are you willing to go on the journey?”

“I am willing to take on anything you send me off to do.”

“Seems your journey will lead you to a sweltering, hot place. For your companion I’ll give you a Hellhound, for no other creature’s powers thrive in such heat. Just remember to keep away from its temper.”
Nox gives a wry smile at the possible temper of the creature. “I’m sure I can handle the hound.” She just hoped her boasting won’t get her bitten in the butt in the end. She rather liked sitting on both cheeks instead of only on one.

Anita breaks her out of her thoughts by introducing her to a female hellhound.
Nox bites back a groan at the thought of dealing with another female, that maybe bringing Boudica and Brima would be a good idea. Maybe the two phoenixes will help her in keeping the hound in check and from herself to provoke it.

Waiting at the cave entrance for Anita to bring out the hellhound, she leans up against the rock face with a sigh she hears the tell tale sound of booted feet on gravel and the even softer foot falls of an animal. Pushing off the rock face Nox takes in the creature that walks beside Anita. Canine and fire was what she thought of it. It would be interesting to work with the creature.

“You both must go into the desert to an abandoned city where there is a statue I need you to get. You will know it when you see it. Take this,” She hand Nox a large bag. “When you get it bring it back here, if you survive and all.” Anita smiles as if not just jinxing the journey before it began.
With a grumble she takes the bag and slings it over her shoulder.

“Does it have a name?”

"No you will have to name it in time."

Nox grumbles, "Gee lucky me." She looks at the hell hound and waves it over. "Let's go then, I want to make it as far as we can by sun down." The two phoenixes chime in there agreement and eyeball the hound in distaste. She could hear the beast giving off low growls as if grumbling its own distaste.

Boudica and Brima fly ahead keeping an eye out for any danger that could befall those on the ground. Their tails leaving a trail of light behind them. Nox smiles as she watches her girls in flight. She spots the hellhound out of the corner of her eye. Compared to the phoenixes the hound was rather drab.

They pass the day heading south towards the dessert, the sun passing from one shoulder to the other. With each step the temerature of the air around them rises. Soon Nyx finds herself wearing only a light shirt and airy pants, with another shirt made into a makeshift head covering.

She had brought enough water to go into this hot environment- she hoped. Looking at her other three companions she envied there ease at the sweltering temperature. The sun had just crested the horizon a few hours ago and the temperature had been slowly rising before it had made its appearance.


* * * *

Sitting in the shade of a crop of stones she glares at the three creatures glaring at her. "What! So I can't stand the heat like you can. Go away till sun down." The hell hound bites the cuff of her pants and tugs. "What are you hard of hearing leave me alone." The heat was making her cranky and she had to ration her water. The map had said there was an oasis around here but neither of the phoenixes could find it. They had come back a while ago, they looking upset.

She could tell from the way they looked that they couldn't find anything. Nox looks to the hellhound who lays in the shade watching her. "If you have anything to say now would be a good time." The hound just looks at her flicks his ear before closing his eyes.

Giving the hound a dry and scathing look she lays back down in the shaded sand. Covering her eyes with a tanning arm. "Try and find it search farther if you can." She hears two chirps and the soft sound of flapping wings.

She must have dozed off cause she was woken to a flurry of flapping wings. She saw the phoenixes flying back to her in a hurry. She also noticed the hell hound was still by her, she was grateful that it had stayed beside her while the other two had left. Her attention was brought back to the two bird who were trying to get her to follow them.

"Ok, ok i'm coming."

With a groan she gets up and dusts off her robes to follow. She could hear the hell hound shaking the sand from its fur. The hound falls in step beside her as they follow the birds. The sun was just past the mid point in the sky when they had started walking and had traveled a quarter of the way when they spotted the palm trees on the horizon.

More shapes began to form as they got closer. Nyx couldn't believe her eyes at the sight of the old ruins coming into focus. Just the sight of them, she knew her journey would soon be over. She was getting used to having the hound beside her. Even though they haven't bonded like she did all her other creatures, but there was something there. She just didn't know what.

******

Nyx submerges her head into the pool at the oasis to not old cool herself off but to get a few mouth fulls of water. She had made sure the creatures had gotten their fill first, for it was only right since they had found it and were with her on this journey. With dripping hair she looks around the fallen columns and abandoned buildings. One of them had to have the statue in it.

After a few hours of searching building she found the temple were only one statue remained. Picking up the hell hound statue carefully she wraps it in a extra shirt and puts it in the canvas bag.

"Let's get going." Just as she said it the temple began to rumble and shake with a rain of dust and sand.

"RUN!"

Hot on the heels of the hound and the two phoenixes in the lead they get out of the building before it collapses. Landing curling around the bag she lands with a huff of breath. Feeling the bag she is reassured the statue is ok she fills up her water skin and head back to the Crystalline Caves and Anita.

***

"You made it! I knew you could, even with the lack of experience you had."

Nyx looks at Anita with a dry sun burned look.

"Ok, ok thank you for getting me the statue here is your reward...."

I stopped for a moment, sweat dripping down my face as the air continued to get hotter and hotter. I pulled off my long, red, fire magi cloak and folded it, tucking it inside my pack. I was now left wearing a black pair of shorts and a red tank top. Good enough. I looked down at my feet to make sure my hiking boots hadn’t come unlaced and was satisfied to see that they were still intact. I then wiped a hand across my forehead before tying my curly brown hair back.

Satisfied that I was ready to continue on, I looked at the landscape ahead of me. The ground was a dull brown color and I couldn’t’ see any grass or water. The ground continued to get darker, at least it looked that way, the farther you walked. I could make out the shapes of three huge volcanoes in the distance and the air smelt slightly of ash. These were The Terra Ignis Volcanoes, there was no doubt about it.

Infernus growled and looked up at me impatiently from where he sat by my side. I’d named him Infernus for his attitude, not because he was a Hellhound. His name meant Hell in Latin. It suited him, I thought.

“Fine, ready to go?” I sighed in defeat. Infernus didn’t say anything, he just started walking off in the other direction. Wonderful team work, truly. “Nice going Blair, you’re taking orders from a Hellhound,” I muttered to myself and walked a bit faster to catch up to Infernus.

I reached into my back pocket and pulled out a map of the area around the volcanoes. I needed to go to the largest of the volcanoes, where a cave was supposed to be. It was circled on the map. I didn’t know what I’d find inside, Anita hadn’t said. I guessed I’d figure it out when I got there.

Infernus was walking around beside me, looking completely at home in the heated area. His eyes were hard and focused and his ears were on the back of his head, showing he’d rather not be with me right now. Every so often he’d glance over at me, like he was just waiting for me to fall over and die. Nice.

The sun was baking overhead and its light was shinning right on me as I walked across the barren landscape. I reached my hand down and grabbed my water container from where it was clipped on my belt and took a swig. The water was warm, but it still felt nice as it ran down my throat.

“How do you stand this heat?” I panted, looking down at Infernus. He shrugged his shoulders, scowling at me in a ‘leave me alone’ kind of way. I did my best to send him the worst death glare I possibly could. Infernus made a little barking sound that sounded like laughter.

“Fine, two can play at that game,” I returned, looking away from the hound and down towards the map in front of me. I was so focused on ignoring Infernus and pretending to read the map that I forgot to watch where I was going. Not a minute passes before I crash head first into a tree. What is a tree doing out here anyways?

I looked up, my head pounding, just in time to see a nest wobbling on a lower branch. It was going to fall, and by the looks of it there was an egg in that nest. Normally the nest wouldn’t have fallen, but this tree was dead and its limbs were thin and weak. The nest wobbled to the side and fell over. I had to act fast.

I lunged over, grabbing the egg right before it hit the ground, but I landed flat on my stomach in the dirt. The ground was hot against my skin and so was the shell of the egg. I only had to glance at it to tell it was the egg of a Phoenix. Being a fire magi, I’d hatched Phoenix eggs before.

Then I heard a familiar barking sound and I looked over to seen none other than Infernus. The Hellhound was full out laughing this time. His eyes were watery with tears of laughter and he was slightly hunched forward. I found myself glaring at him.

“Would it kill you to help me here?” I scowled, holding the egg out too him. Infernus rolled his eyes and didn’t move. “Please?” I insisted, the hot ground burning my belly slightly. It was a wonder the bottom of my shoes hadn’t fried from all this walking yet.

Then the hot, heavy air was split by a loud screech. I looked up to the sky to see what appeared to be a moving fireball. But if you looked closer, you could tell it was a Phoenix. An angry mother Phoenix… And I was holding its egg.

“Uh-oh!” I gasped, shooting a desperate look towards Infernus. I pleaded with my eyes while I shifted the egg into one of my hands and attempted to get up without breaking it. I wasn’t fast enough. This wasn’t good.

Before I knew it the phoenix was flying towards me and I couldn’t move. Scrambling to my feet would risk cracking the egg and I couldn’t do that. The Phoenix screeched as its claws stretched out towards my face. I braced myself for the pain and closed my eyes.

Then I heard a growl and didn’t feel anything. I opened my eyes to see Infernus, the last thing I expected to come to my aid, snapping his jaws at the fiery bird. I took this as my chance to get to my feet, careful that I didn’t hurt the fragile egg.

Infernus still had the Phoenix distracted so I reached up on my tip toes and placed the nest back on the branch of the tree and gently placed the egg inside. Whew, that was a close one. I glanced over at Infernus, but I couldn’t tell if he was looking at me through the flashes of fire and angry screeches as fire fought fire.

“Run!” I yelled, hoping the Hellhound would get the picture as I took off in the other direction. I was praying that the Phoenix wouldn’t follow us and that it would just be happy I’d saved its egg. Then again, the bird had no idea I’d caught it before it fell. All it saw was a stranger holding its baby.

Soon enough I could see a shape out of the corner of my eye. I looked over to see Infernus racing along beside me. He was overtaking me easily and was moving with easy despite the fact that he was bleeding from a large gash on his shoulder. No doubt this was made from the claws of the phoenix. And it was for me. I now felt like I owed the hound something. I’d repay him somehow.

As they walked they plunged deeper and deeper into the woods, the amount of light becoming less the deeper in they went. Kora kept one hand on the Noctis’ neck, her vision failing her in the darkness. She could make out blurry shapes and figures in the darkness, but nothing clear enough to know where she was going. Moros however seemed to have an easier time, his eyes flashing in the darkness when a tiny amount of light caught them. When the light caught them they looked, for a second, less violet and redder, sending a chill down the magi’s spine.

They stumbled through the dense, dark woods, unable to even tell if the sun still hung in the sky. As it had been on the descent when they’d entered the woods, Kora’s best guess was that the sun was no longer in the sky now, or at least it was almost gone.

Taking hold of one of Moros spines she pulled the Enox to a stop. She needed to sit and, her legs aching from all the walking and stumbling over thing everything she couldn’t see. Carefully, she sat down on the ground, leaning against a tree. Moros followed suit, lying in the grass next to her, wings folded to his back.
Her eyes drooped closed and before she realized what had happened she’d drifted off to sleep in the darkness, the Enox remaining awake to keep her safe.

When she finally opened her eyes it took her a few seconds to realize they were in fact, open. She knew the woods were dark, but to be this dark it had to still be nighttime. As she went to sit up, having slumped over in her sleep, she felt something brush against her skin. At first she thought it was an animal, till she remembered the Noctis at her side and realized it was his wing that had brushed her, having been stretched out over her.

“Come on, we have to keep moving,” she said as she stood up. “I really shouldn’t have fallen asleep." There was a soft rustling as Moros stood up and bumped her gently so she was aware of where he was. She patted his nose, “I know you’re there,” she said, moving her hands till they reached his shoulders.
Carefully, she followed him as he began to walk through the dark woods once again.

They stumbled and wandered blindly through the woods, seemingly going in circles and getting nowhere but even more lost. Occasionally they would reach an area where the trees were a bit thinner and a few moonbeams filtered through the trees, but it only provided so much light, and it couldn’t be caught and carried with them, much to Kora’s dismay.

She was about ready to give up when she miss-stepped. She’d wandered a few paces ahead of the Enox, her eyes having slowly adjusted to the lack of light. This adjustment allowed her to see a little clearer, not much, but she could make out more shapes and forms.
What she didn’t see however was the small cliff and sheer drop till she stepped right off of it. A long scream escaped her mouth as she fell about 6 feet down before she hit the ground, painfully. She gasped in pain; she’d landed on her legs before rolling across the hard ground. As she pulled herself up with her arms she yelped and doubled over. Her legs and sides now ached in pain, and every move sent searing pain through her.

A noise caught her attention and she lifted her head up and found herself face to face with a large white wolf. It was snarling and didn’t look happy about her being there. There was a thud as Moros suddenly landed beside her and a sharp screeching sound as he struck out at the Direwolf with his claws. Something wet splashed against her skin and the Direwolf squealed as it jumped back. Blood spattered its snow-white coat where the Noctis’ claws had struck it, scratching its nose and shoulder.

It took a few steps back from Moros as he moved to protect a wounded Kora, teeth bared and making the most frightening sound she’d ever heard. It sounded like a hollow, screeching sound, and one that sent chills down her spine even though it wasn’t intended for her.

As she sat up she clutched her leg in pain. As she touched it she felt something warm under her fingers. Raising her hand she squinted in the darkness as she tried to look at it, something sticky and warm coating it. She felt her stomach knot sickeningly it was blood.

Something warm and velvety butted her face and it took her a second to realize that it was just Moros. She held onto him, wrapping her arms around his head as she trembled fearfully. Her leg was bleeding badly, probably broken judging by the fact that she couldn’t move it; her side was throbbing from where she’d landed after rolling across the ground. Tears stung her eyes as she began to cry, clinging to the young Noctis tightly. If she couldn’t walk, she was never going to be able to get out of the woods, and she didn’t want to be trapped here.

Moros sat down beside her and nuzzled her, letting her hold onto him. He bumped her with his head, causing her to let go. He folded his wings up snugly and made a movement with his head, flicking it back towards his back.

She looked at his back before dragging herself over, using her arms to pull herself onto his back. She winced and yelped in pain when her ribs pressed against his back. She clenched her teeth and fought back the urge to cry out as she crawled onto its back. She swiveled around and lay lengthwise along his back, head on his back and arms around his neck. Her chest heaved and tears of pain stung her eyes. Once she was safely on his back, Moros stood up and began trotting across the ground, heading in the same direction the wounded Direwolf had.

“Wait, why are we going this way?” she asked, but as expected, received no answer. Her head spun, blood dripped down her leg from the wound, splashing onto the ground as the Noctis ran.

His feet thudded over the ground as he ran, following the Direwolf, which looked to be a white blur up ahead. The Direwolf ducked under some bushes, vanishing from view. Moros skidded to a stop as he reached the same bushes before deciding to just run through them. The branches and leaves snapped and broke as he pushed through.

Kora raised her head; something seemed, different now and she couldn’t place her finger on it. Then it hit her there was light here! She couldn’t tell where it was coming from, but there was definitely a light. She looked around the new area, there were still plenty of trees, but there seemed to be an abundance of stone as well. She could hear the clacking of the Enox’s hooves and claws across it till the creature came to a stop.

She could make out the shapes of several Direwolves in the shadows, watching them carefully. They didn’t move or growl, but their eyes reflected in the soft light, tiny orbs amid the darkness. The injured Direwolf limped across the ground towards what seemed to be a small cave, and apparently the source of the light. Kora nudged Moros and the Enox trotted forward, she had to see what was going on.

The inside of the cave was lined with shimmering pale blue-white stones, some were embedded in the walls of the cave, and others lay on the ground. The Direwolf lay down in the soft light of the stones and then something very strange happened. The wounds that Moros had inflicted upon it began to heal, closing up and vanishing as if they weren’t even there. Now fully healed, it rose to its feet and padded out, carefully watching the Enox and the young magi.

Kora couldn’t believe what she’d just seen; the wolf had been completely healed! She rubbed her head; everything was spinning again, her blood-loss increasing with each passing second. Her grip on his back loosened and she barely noticed she was falling as she slid off his back to the ground. She felt something move her over the ground, and a gentle warmth as her eyes fell closed, darkness closing in around her.

…

Her head throbbed in pain and her whole body ached. Her eyes fluttered open slowly, her head swirling in a heavy fog.

“Ah, good see you’ve rejoined us,” said a familiar voice. “Had me worried for a bit.”

Kora blinked, trying to clear her head, “What happened, where am I?”

“Take it easy, you’ve been through a lot.” The voice belonged to Anita, the crazy old woman who’d lent her the Enox to go on a quest.

“How did I get back here?” she asked. The last thing she remembered was being in the depth of Silva forest and a glowing cave.

“Moros brought you back. I thought you were dead at first.” She said, “Wouldn’t that have been trouble?”

“Where is he, is he alright?” she asked, sitting up quickly, suddenly concerned for the creature.

“Oh he’s fine, a little winded form the long run, but he’s fine.” She patted the young magi’s head; “I’m surprised when you left you were terrified of him.”

“I guess, I realized he’s not that bad,” she said. She’d grown attached to the young Noctis, even if their travel had been brief. Then another realization hit her, “I didn’t complete it, I never grabbed the stone. I saw them, I think, but never grabbed them.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” said Anita with a wry grin. She held up a small, glowing crystal in one hand. “I found this in your bag, you must have grabbed it before you passed out.”

“What is it?” asked Kora.

“A Moonstone. They collect light from the moon, and it becomes a powerful healing magic. That’s why you’re still alive, however I would suggest you try not to exert yourself till you’re fully recovered. You lost a lot of blood.” She tucked the stone away and left the room, leaving Kora to lie back against the rather flat pillow.

She looked at the ceiling, she hadn’t just found the Moonstone, she’d found something within herself. She’d overcome her fear of the Enox in order to reach her goal, the thought of being around the Noctis no longer scared her, she’d conquered her fear. With a sigh she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, but not before she heard the gentle tapping of hooves and claws across the cave floor.

~FIN~