Akim lu'e Taala --- (Private)

[Sixteenth Order]

As she was taken around the waist and brought into the air by Naajra's bounding leaps, Monika was left speechless as she watched the horrifying creature be left behind where she was nearly slaughtered on spot. Speechless and breathless, her gasp being knocked from her when she was lifted from the ground as the 'tiger' came in to kill her. "Y-Yeah... a tiger."

And then she noticed their height. Monika clung to him, tucking her head into his neck. She had no fear of heights reaching the height of a three story building in just as many seconds left her shuddering. That and the creature below. "Well... this makes getting back to the ship more difficult I'd say."

But then a voice caught her ear. "Monika?!" It sounded like one of the people on the crew. He must have seen Naajra and her be bounded up into the trees as an orange flash against the darkening sky. The crewman ran into the clearing and Monika nearly thrashed herself away from Naajra, almost slipping from the tree as she did. "No! Get away!"

[Aeirlana]

The great tiger, who quite unlike an earth tiger, was not very good at climbing, was now roaring below Naajra and Monika, clearly irritated that his lunch got away from him. He hissed almost snakeishly afterwards, and much to the misfortune of the human who had stumbled allong it's path, had now caught sight of a new target. Crouching down like a spring loading itself, moments later it was bounding towards the human...

At this point, Naajra knew what would happen, and quickly he turned himself so that Monika had to face in the oposite direction of the impending carnage. This of course would not have stopped the sounds of that man's death cry and the crushing of sinew and bone from reaching their ears.

Although Naajra had never known the now dead human that had done no crime but take a wrong turn in the woods, these events clearly had a disheartening affect on him. Though at the time, Monika could not have truely known why.

[Sixteenth Order]

She found herself flinching at every sound of a bone crunching and she shuddered when she first heard the man cry out, burying her face into Naajra's good shoulder. No tears came but she had noticed his expression moments before. Why was he mourning for the human?

She felt now wasn't the best time to ask, considering that three stories below the massive tiger was still eating its lunch. Now she had even more to tell the captain and she couldn't simply avoid bringing it up. They would notice that he was gone, if not that night eventually, and she would have to explain. But what if they did not believe it to be a tiger that slew him but one of Naajra's kind? Monika paled further at the sounds of the feasting cat and the image of most of the crew attacking their village.

Monika looked up after there was no more to be eaten, looking up at Naajra softly and saw that his expression remained. And why he wore it she couldn't put a finger on. Shivering from the last event she gave them both some comfort by rubbing his cheek a bit and hugging him with her other arm,

[Aeirlana]

Naajra stayed silent for a long moment. Finally breatheing deeply and, now that the tiger had walked off to eat it's meal in peace, he felt confident enough to slowly climb down the tree. He did not speak once the entire way down, trying instead to focus on climbing and not the heaviness that hung over his heart now.

"You must return to your people...to warn them of what the Nishimna says. They will listen to you better. ......We will likely have moved our village by the time we meet again, for safety."

[Sixteenth Order]

On the climb down, Monika sat still and glanced around, surprised by the overwhelming beauty rather than the horrorific area below, but couldn't entirely focus on the scenery. Running through her head were images of returning to the crew. Most of them would either be greatly irritated or relieved, and Harumi would probably be a mix between the two. Perhaps scold her for running off and nearly getting killed in the process. But Monika knew the captain would be furious as ever. She nibbled into her lip, wondering how everyone would be after she told them of the crew man's death.

Monika stepped over any blood as they got to the ground and looked down at the scene. She would need something as proof, so they could at least think and possibly realize Naajra's kind wasn't holding onto him for hostaging or harmful purposes. Feeling weakness in her knees Monika bent down and picked up a hand scarf dripping in blood that he must have dropped when attacked. Her hands shook and felt the blood drip down her fingers. Hopefully no one would consider her of the murder.

With her other hand Monika took the camera off from around her neck and gently pushed it at Naajra, putting on a smile. "Well, if we are to see each other again like you say, can you take some pictures for me? You just have to press that button on the top left and wait for the photo to come out. Just shake the paper after and take pictures of whatever you want. Of course though, don't touch the switch on the back or that would turn flash back on... That bright light. I'd do it but... well I'm sure you'd have a lot of fun with it and I'm not sure when or if Harumi or anyone will let me venture off again anytime soon."

[Aeirlana]

Naajra looked tentatively at the camera before eventually takeing it in his hands and finding all the buttons that she had pointed out. He then turned and decided to take a test-picture of Monika. He then quite exitedly began waving the picture arround for it to develop. And once it began to show the faint traces of Monika inside of it, he looked very pleased with himself.

"It coppied you! Now I have a smaller Mo'nikha~!"

...not far from there, Harumi was now wandering the strange woods with her husband tagging allong nervously somewhere behind her. She was armed only with a flashlight and quickly she caught sight of them. Assuming that Naajra was an enemy, she was quick to use that flashlight too.

"GET AWAY FROM HER YOU FEIND!"

Her husband could hardly have stopped her, but he at least shouted, "No! Harumi!" after her.

But as we all know, flashing that light in Naajra's eyes was enough to blind and confuse him. Still, he knew enough to run away while he still had the chance, takeing the camera and picture with him. He was gone in seconds, swift as he was.

Harumi ran up to Monika, "Are you alright?! Everyone's been looking for you!"

[Cloudiecloud]

At his pleasure and excitement with her photograph she found laughter easily coming again in spite of the ground they stood on. It wasn't so bad being around Naajra, even if his entire tribe save for him and perhaps the woman with white hair seemed to despise her very existence. But she would go back with news once she was allowed, and she would want to see Naajra anyway. And all those pictures he would take had her excited to. "Yep, a smaller Monika. All the colors will fade in soon too and you can carry me wherever you go even if I'm gone."

The happy moment ended in shock as she heard Harumi yelling. Her eyes widened and she pushed lightly at Naajra, trying to get him facing the right direction as he was blinded. She was thanking whatever deities or relations these orange people may have had for giving Naajra such strength and swift legs to carry him by.

Monika sighed in relief and turned to face Harumi as the woman fast approached, already ready to be scolded. "I'm fine I just... Don't look down okay?" She pleaded, grabbing one of Harumi's shoulders and with the other hand her chin. She knew that eventually the dreadful smell would cause her to look down so Monika wanted to stop her before hand. There wasn't much remains seeing as that creature had dragged off the body. "It isn't what it looks like anyway. Naajra wouldn't have been able to stop him in the first place and he was only protecting me, it was a lion-tiger thing that got the man... I don't know what I'm going to say to the captain about this."