Welcome to Gaia! ::

She could tell he was slightly uncomfortable but that just made him cute. She liked shy guys. Ok so she liked MOST guys but that was beside the point. So, he was a guardian animal just like her. Interesting. She had never met a horse guardian. But then again horses were protective of their herd so why not? His questions were normal, she was more than happy to answer them.

"I live with my family group; parents, siblings, aunts, uncles. That sort of thing. We travel about the lands in a pride. The only time we are solitary is when we are given a guardian assignment. Then whomever is choosen will leave the tribe until his or her assignment is complete," she said.

This was why so many thought Sphnix's were solitary. Whenver they encountered one it was alone. But rarely were two ever needed to guard something. However some of her kind had been left for thousands of years to guard something, human memories were so small. Her father had told her stories of a distant cousin who was STILL guarding an ancient temple. His only reprieve was when they came to visit every 20 years or so. Ah well. One day she would get an assignment and terrorize anyone who tried to infiltrate her guarded area.

"I have friends outside my clan but mostly the undead, as they are our natural friends. Mummies and such you know," she grinned. It was a natural and accpeted friendship between her kind and mummies. Cats were the guradians of the underworld and mummies respected them. In return the sphnix would guard the vunerable mummy until it was strong enough to take care of itself. It was this partnership that gave her resistance to hexes and curses. Mummies weren't always good at their spells in the beginning.

"Ah I see. That must be very annoying for your age to be used against you when you merely wish experience. Thankfully my family wishes all to see what life is like. Good or bad, harsh or gentle; it must be seen so one is prepared," she smiled sweetly at him. She felt bad for the boil. How annoying she would be if her parents had refused to take her places merely because she was too young. Her brothers had tried that once and she had snuck out anyway. Then they had gotten in trouble for not telling their parents were they had gone with me. She giggled to herself a bit then looked back to the horse.

"Oh mummies are interesting creatures! Bit wobbly with thier magic at first but they get better with practice. My best ghouldfriend is Haspet, she can cast some wicked curses," she laughed a bit. She remembered the time she and Has had been out when a boy mummy had pulled out one of Tari's feathers. Has and cursed him to burp feathers for a whole day. It had been very hilarious.

"So you don't get to meet any other creatures? Not even ghosts and such?" that surprised her. Most creatures at least had some contact with others. She was also not getting any closer to him. She realised he must have that 'personal space' mentality. Then again horses didn't liked to be pinned. The freedom of running was usually their preference.

"Ah you have a rite of passage too!" Tari's face lit up. She was so excited to meet another creature that went through a rite of adulthood. "We sphnix have one as well. All cubs must go through their Rite of Pride. It's when we gain the ability to become a fully formed Sphnix. Not the little form here," she motioned to herself. Normaly Sphnix were huge creatures with terrifying roars. Tari thought she had the roar practiced pretty good herself.

"Hmm, well mummies were once humans but have come back from the dead. They can be many things but they are all preserved bodies in some shape or form. In my country, mummies are bound in linen and preserved with oils and other secret chemicals. Most have cursing or hexing abilities. But I've heard of other mummies preserved in bogs, ice, and even regular sand," she thought as she spoke, trying to remember all she had learned about mummies. They were a varied group but she liked her kind the best, they smelled better due to the oils they were preserved with.

'Sphinx have ties with many creatures. Mummies, were-creatures, ghosts, even some crafted creatures. It depends on where the pride travels," she nodded. She shivered even under her feathers, "I do wish they'd do something about the window. But tell me about your rite? Do you have to battle or go on a quest of some sort?"

((gonna head off to bed after this post))

Petro looked pretty damn pleased himself. He hadn't expected to run into another monster who was also a guardian of sorts, granted he hadn't seen for himself what sphinxes guarded but it was still an honorable thing to do. He studied the ghoul, wondering how large they must really be if her current form was considered little and if they could rival those of his elders.

"Bound in linen?" he canted his head, "Like that one?" he asked, gesturing towards the small mummy he'd seen in the train car.

"Sounds like you've met a whole lot of other creatures." Way to state the obvious Petro. When the sphinx shivered and remarked about the window, the boil suggested "Maybe we should go closer to the others?" It didn't occur to Petro to offer his own body heat, seeing as how he too felt the chill. At the question about his rite of passage, the tikbalang looked thoughtful for a moment. He wasn't certain sharing too much information about his specie was a good idea, but he figured since she was as also a guardian creature she would know and understand the importance of keeping things in confidence. He wouldn't be repeating what she'd told him, but all the same he decided to make it clear, "I'd appreciate it if you didn't share this with anyone else." His voice dropped low when the other winged ghoul (there were a lot of winged ones, he realized) offered her jacket to the sphinx. "My kind goes on a journey that tests our minds and bodies. The actual destination varies for each and we're not always guaranteed to return. When we come back with proof of our success, we are given our adult name depending on our journey."

He folded his arms across his chest, though his skin was still prickled with goosebumps, it hadn't been as bad as before Tari's wing wrapped around him. He turned his attention towards the gryphon, "You aren't bothered by the cold?"

A logical student may have recognized the options. Laiha only had a moment to laugh in triumph and clutch the little trinket to her chest before the car door opened again. She gasped and looked up, eyes narrowing. Was something else coming to attack them all? Of course, what she saw instead were delicious, delicious gno-- FOOD.

Oh thank jack they were bringing food! Food to eat! Certainly it would be fancy food, which Laiha was not particularly fond of or opposed to. She hastily shoved the skulls and leaves into her pocket and dove at the nearest "table" to take her seat. She paid no mind to her companions, the thought of food excited her too far. She was so anxious she nearly ate a candle, flame and all.

[[ It took me another person to remind me Cupid was one of Santa's reindeer. Clearly I am the best ever. |D Also anyone can feel free to sit with Laiha, I promise she won't bite (them). ]]

Sepheran hadn't noticed the slight chill until he was slowly nodding off. Being a cold-blooded monster Sepheran never did well with the cold. It wasn't long until he had drifted into a light sleep.

Sepheran didn't even seem to stir when food had begun to be brought in by the gnomes, and that's saying something. If there was one thing Sepheran enjoyed it was a nice warm meal in his belly. Instead he sat alone in one of the vacant seats his cold body slumped slightly. Well...luckily the candles might provide some heat that will end up warming the car enough for him to wake up in time to grab some leftovers or something.