[PRP] The Hunt Begins (Eli, Haevan, Seth, Hunter, & Kamiko)

[Ruriska]

It had taken Hunter only minutes to prepare himself once he had been dropped off at Ruri’s. He had a tendency to take off at the drop of a hat and so he rarely unpacked the necessary items needed for a trip into the wilds. He slung his pack over his shoulder, adding a canteen of water and some food rations.

With his quiver and bow strapped to his back, a knife at his hip and a pack full of various supples, Hunter was ready for trouble. Ruri waved him a vague goodbye from the lounge room as he left; having already gotten the address from where he was going to be leaving her car.

When the four others arrived at the warehouse, Hunter had already been inside for ten minutes. Hearing the car stop out the front and then voices, he slowly made his way to the entrance. His gaze flicked over the four, coming to a stop at Haevan.

He had only been expecting Seth and Eli. Kamiko was an annoying addition, but if she wanted to get herself killed that was her problem. Haevan was another matter entirely. Even without having seen him for some time, wanting to keep the wolf safe was important.

As he stood there silently he almost barked out an order, denying Haevan the right to come along for the dangerous ride. Then remembered that he really had to right. They had parted ways and Hunter was not in charge of Haevan’s decisions.

“Hurry up.” He snapped before disappearing inside.  

[leon_a_darkangel]

Haevan would have likely given the taller male a piece of his mind if he'd gone so far as to tell him he couldn't come. Haevan didn't even like the idea that any of them were running off to a world they new nothing of; some one was liable to get hurt. Or worse. The lug head could worry all he wanted. Besides. They could have still been together, and if Hunter had yelled at him Haevan would have likely still have argued his case and point.

Narrowing his gaze momentarily he sighed. Yeah.. this was going to be difficult. At least on this end of things. It was clear Hunter was upset, but Haevan would stand his ground. Shouldering his bag he moved to head inside, still keeping an eye on Seth.

"Were ever this place is," Haevan began. "Its supposedly 'neutral'. 'n it's more 'n likely were dealin' with Bounty Hunters." He summarized filling Hunter in being that he hadn't been in the car.  

[Byagane319]

Kamiko simply ignored Hunter, she had come to the conclusion that she and the raccoon would never be friendly. But she wasn't coming for him, she was coming along for Eli. It was his sister in trouble and, as a good girlfriend, she felt it was her duty to offer her own services to the cause. She shouldered her pack, another small sound of metal clanking against each other was heard as well as the sound of a chain of some sort.

She took Eli's hand with a smile of encouragement and followed the raccoon into the warehouse. Her mind quickly took in all areas, noting their position and places of opportunity. After all Noe had been taken here so it was understandable for her to be nervous that more kidnappers might still be lurking in the area.

She also gave an encouraging smile to Haeven. She had head about their break up and that it hadn't been a very good one. Now the two former flames were thrown together in what could be a very emotional situation. She hoped the drama could be kept to a minimum and everyone would focus on Noe's recovery.  

[AnimeEyeshime]

Until Eli had seen Hunter, he had completely forgotten that the raccoon and Haevan had once been involved--and the immediate increase in tension had given him a very bad headache, not that he hadn't already been nursing a migraine aura earlier. He was sure Kamiko had been referring earlier to him staying behind to coordinate communication, and the further into this they got, the more he realized she was absolutely right. Until he had a handle on this...well, he probably shouldn't even be going now, but that wasn't an option. And even if he wasn't going to be much use in a fight, he was their best means back to Gaia, both communication-wise--and portal wise, in a real pinch, though he was sure Hunter's method was likely a bit less messy.

As Kamiko took his hand, his pounding headache eased a bit--it was a lot easier to crowd out what he was picking up from the others when he could focus on what he was picking up from Kamiko, intensified by their physical contact--and Kamiko was probably the only person in the group whose emotional state was relatively baseline--calming even, to the empathic kuppy. She had a very straightforward and very positive personality, which was more or less the only thing keeping Eli from going a bit wiggy on the others. He didn't think they'd let him come if any of them realized what was really going on inside his head.

"We have the possibility of a local contact, but it's not something we can count on," Eli continued after Haevan.  

[elfgurl1234]

Seth followed the others inside the warehouse without a word, expression oddly neutral. Haevan and Eli had summed up pretty well what Hunter would need to know, so he had no additional input. For the time being, his mind was only really focused on one task: Get through the portal, and go find Noe. Once they were inside, the cheetah cast a cursory glance about the warehouse before turning back to the others. "Are we all ready then?"  

[Ruriska]

Hunter waited in the dark empty space of the warehouse and listened, his expression now blank. He gave a shrug. "At this stage, nuetral or not, I classify them as the enemy. We need to go into this as if every single rock could somebody waiting to pounce." He was going to punch first and ask questions later. There was no room for second thoughts. However, if they did have a contact, that could be useful on figuring out how the world worked.

"When you're ready, I've marked an 'x' on the floor in chalk. Just stand around that so it will be easier for me to move us all." He moved over to the x and crossed his arms, gaze becoming oddly vague as he focused.  

[elfgurl1234]

After the instructions were given Seth stepped over to the X, needing no further invitation than that. The sooner they got going, the better. And even though the cheetah and raccoon didn't typically get along, he knew he could trust the other in this. When it came to Noe's safety, nothing else mattered really. Amber orbs lifted to look at the others, waiting patiently for them to join.  

[leon_a_darkangel]

Haevan only nodded in reply, fair enough x's marks the spot...right? The wolf tipped his hat down and moved over to stand beside Seth, the strange look on Hunter's face not lost on him. He might not have felt anything but it went without saying what Hunter was about to do.

However this turned out, or were ever it was they set foot. The goal remained the same, enemies or not. Take it as it was, they were all diving in blindly.  

[AnimeEyeshime]

Eli took a deep breath as he stepped forward to the x indicated, leaving only a small place around their little circle for Kamiko to join. He could feel the power building as Hunter focused, and now it was the kuppy's own nerves getting the better of him. He didn't do well with unknowns--everything he'd ever been taught told him to proceed slowly, study it out before making a leap. But there was no time for study; he had no choice but to do this blindly.

There is always a choice, Elti corrected him mentally.

Between going to save my sister and staying behind?

It is a choice, even if your own nature will not allow you to choose one of the paths. Now breathe, Eli. Everything will be all right.

He really hoped that would be the case; he dared not dwell too closely on what might happen if everything did not turn out all right.  

[Byagane319]

Kamiko took her place between Heaven and Eli. She didn't want to distract Hunter considering he was the enchanter here. She took Eli's hand again, giving him any strength and calm she could. While not magical she could use his own abilities to help him. But she did have the same thought process that Eli did at the moment.

She had always studied her nemesis, learned their habits and such. But this time there was no studying. Just instinct. For a moment, she was grateful to Hytech for her creation. She was a canine, a hunting dog to be in fact, and they were born with much instinct. She could use this to her advantage, what little it might give her in a strange new world. At least she wouldn't be alone. Haeven gave an instinctual sense of kinship and community. Even Eli did being half dog himself.

Now if only hunter had some canine in him, maybe she wouldn't be so annoyed by him so much. Then again maybe he did, one of those little yapping type dogs that are always annoying. She smirked a bit to herself and a wave of mirth flushed over her. Then she was back to business.  

[Ruriska]

It was hard for Hunter to really explain how what he did worked. It was like opening a trap door beneath his feet and letting them drop into another world. It was effort that was for sure. He pushed with his mind and the world went black. The feeling was one of falling while still, strangely enough, still remaining standing. It only lasted a moment before they roughly hit ground. Hunter staggered back a step or two; glad he hadn’t dropped them into the ocean or somewhere equally annoying. The entire trip was extremely disorientating and the raccoon took a moment to get his head together. The maximum he’d ever transported had been two people; five was stretching the limits.

When he had finally recovered he looked around, ears flicking back and forth. He drew his knife, holding it firmly in his hand just in case anything decided to launch a surprise attack. The area around directly in front of him was a lush and green; with the sounds of calling birds. The ground the stood on was muddy and Hunter sniffed, the scent of fires causing him to turn. Civilisation wasn’t exactly what you would call this shamble of buildings. The shacks stood haphazardly around, reaching as far as he could see.

All in a line the jungle had been cleared, making way for whoever lived here. Campfires were burning but Hunter couldn’t see a soul. Either they were all busy, or they’d decided that five random beastmen were something they didn’t want to hang around for. “Ah, what a delightful place.” He scanned the shacks, searching for anybody who might be hiding and could offer them some information.  

[Seth_Avi]

The world traveling itself was certainly a very strange sensation, and the rough landing was a bit of a surprise. Still, the cheetah managed to maintain his balance and recover fairly quickly from the trip. Amber orbs scoured the area and took in their surroundings as Seth slipped into hunting mode. After all, cheetahs hunted mostly by sight, so it was natural instinct for the Hyte. "We probably shouldn't stay out in the open here for very long," he remarked, also noting the suspicious lack of people. They were probably hiding. "It might be better for us to remain unseen by the locals. We don't really know if there is anything similar to us on this planet or not." And causing a panic certainly wouldn't help their cause any. Plus, if whoever was responsible for kidnapping Noe were to spot them it might only further impede their mission.  

[leon_a_darkangel]

Haevan closed his eyes, more out of reflect then anything else. It was..strange. To fall while remaining grounded, more like sinking really. Not that he was going to throw in his say so. They were hear and that was all that mattered.

His ears flicked, laying back listening. His wolf seemed almost drawn to the surface pushing the human side back a fraction. They were surrounded by endless amounts of woods, it was a feeling he'd only experienced as a young pup, and later when he spent time with his fathers clan at great length. Like any hunter of his kind, scent was his ultimate weapon along with hearing. His nose wiggled, scenting the air.

"Aye, dun't help we all smell foreign. Inta the woods, but stick close. 'ah don't smell 'n one right by us.. but they hav' the home advantage lads and lasses." He raised his voice just enough so everyone in the small group could hear a grim note in his voice. "This 's there home lands, 'n there woods. Familiar 'r not, we have ta be on guard." A low growl had settled in his throat, ears still laid back. His amber gold eyes scanned the shacks, and woods beyond. So far so good.

Unfortunately, it didn't solve there lack of direction. At least not yet.  

[Byagane319]

Wow, that was weird. But she had to be ready for anything! Kamiko quickly gathered her senses and looked around, her bright eyes taking in as much as possible. Without a word she nodded to Seth and Haeven. Her own breed made the forest something fun almost. Her kind were bred to flush out small game so the woods was a great place for that. But she pushed that aside for the moment. Her training began to take over as she stepped silently over the ground. She took care to move so that she disturbed nothing, not even a twig or branch.

Haeven was correct in them being out of their element. They had no idea of direction but they could map what they could see. Kamiko stole a glance around, marking certain trees that had unusal features to keep an idea of where they were. For every 10 feet she looked for another landmark to keep them on track incase they had to retreat.  

[AnimeEyeshime]

The sensation of dropping into this new world was not entirely unfamiliar to the magic kuppy, but Ti'ama-sponsored travel was a bit less disorentienting, that was for sure. Eli felt Elti reach for the sleeping Ti'ama of this world, and had to smirk as Elti relayed the information back to him--though that avenue of information was limited, this had once (a very, very long time ago) been part of the Old Empire. It wasn't surprising, most of the worlds in this general sector of space had been part of it once. With a sleeping Ti'ama though, it was incredibly unlikely they'd met a Contractor here.

Which did give him something of an advantage in combat--provided he could keep it together. Everyone focusing on their own abilities helped; there was tension but that was infinitely preferable to blind fury or deep despair, both of which he'd had far too much exposure to recently.

He followed the others into the woods with caution, keeping his eyes and ears open--and also keeping a mental eye out for traces of magic. Just because it was unlikely to find it didn't mean he wanted to be caught unprepared--and clearly they had some access to it, to transport Noe out here in the first place.

How's Shimy's contact coming?

Coming, she thinks, Elti replied.