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 Posted: Sun Apr 14, 2013 4:13 pm
Harper gave another whoop before she was pulled away. For a moment she thought the female was going to strangle her for her latest stunt, but what came out was...an introduction?
"...Harper." She said at length, her eyes darting between Nina's hand and her face. "You know, you don't look like a Nina. Sounds a little too girly for you."
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Posted: Sun Apr 14, 2013 5:40 pm
Nina perked her ears forward, and then nodded. "Harper." Slowly, she leaned back, letting go of Harper's shoulder. "Well, it's not as though I named myself." She crossed her arms over her chest and closed her eyes, thinking about her father. He really was going to have her hide when she got back.
"So, do you often abduct random strangers, or is this something new you do?"
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Posted: Sun Apr 21, 2013 7:56 pm
"I supposed not." Harper took a deep breath and settled in. She slipped her satchel from her shoulder and sat it beside her on the cart with care.
"If you'll remember, I didn't abduct you. I gave you a choice to live." Her tone was defensive, but much more deflated now that she couldn't outright scream at the other female. It would have drawn too much attention. "...If I had another choice, I would have taken it."
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Posted: Sun Apr 21, 2013 8:58 pm
Nina smirked lightly. "Not much of'a choice. 'Come with me, or lead these killers to your family.' Yeah.... Pretty sure there was only one choice there."
She looked back along the dusty trail they were kicking up. "Aye. I'm pretty sure you're not fond of being chased by those guys, either..."
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Posted: Sun May 05, 2013 8:01 pm
Harper put a hand over her face, and slid it upwards, fluffing up her bangs before the copper strands fell back over her eyes. "You think?" She scoffed, and turned herself to get a better view at Nina around the same time the wagon hit a rut in the road. The action tossed her up a few inches and landed her down with a curse. "This thing...it's not like anything else out there...No one has seen it with their own eyes, but everyone has heard of it. It's why Raflas' Mountain has such a nasty reputation. Thousands have tried to obtain it; none have returned. That kind of thing." She waved her hand in the air, as if the whole thing were so drivel.
After a second she clenched that same hand, "Those guys were just bandits before, and when they robbed me, they found my notes. Now they want a piece of it." She turned to Nina. "I'm not letting you leave til I have it. You'll die if you do, but you're not a prisoner. I need a partner. Someone who can cover what I can't. If we make it out alive, I'll be in your debt."
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Posted: Mon May 06, 2013 11:52 am
Sighing, Nina leaned to put her elbows onto her legs, and laid her chin onto her hands. Not the best way to sit, considering every other second seemed to bring them to another mountainous bump in the road, her head was spinning. She was going on an adventure... For something that might not even exist outside of a story...
Partner? Right..... This sucked. She looked at the pack on her back and frowned. THe money she'd made selling this stuff was supposed to go to fixing the cellar, and now it would go to chasing a fairy tale.
Her lips pressed slightly as her brown gaze slid back to Harper. "So, if none have ever returned, what makes you think that you'll succeed? What's in that special book of yours that has you so confident?"
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Posted: Tue May 14, 2013 9:34 pm
If she could only remember all the warnings her father had told her...something about magic? Definitely magic. Eh, oh well, she shrugged. It couldn't have been very important if she'd forgotten it that quickly.
"Because it's me," she answered with a 'duh' stare. "This is a book of notes that my family has compiled for years, and if the answer to getting to the top of of that mountain and back isn't inside this, then we might as well slit our wrists now."
Just as she was about to make the motion across her wrists with an imaginary blade, the wagon hit another pot hole, flinging her into the tail gate.
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Posted: Wed May 15, 2013 6:41 pm
Brow cocking, Nina let out a short snort. Right. Because Harper was so capable of everything. She looked to the book, looked to Harper, and closed her eyes. It all depended on a collection of papers from a bunch of taur who never got to their treasure.
Her hands slapped to her seat to brace against the sudden bump. Bracing one hand, she reached out and grabbed Harper's arm, yanking the cattaur back to safer ground.
"Oy! Fella's! I know we're in a hurry, but can we get there in one piece, please?" she called up the those pulling the bouncing wagon, wondering if the old thing wouldn't break an axle before reaching their destination.
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Posted: Thu May 23, 2013 9:20 pm
"Sure'as can, miss!" One of the pair closest to the cart called back to them, even going as far as to turn his head to look at the pair. "D'ya sees the trees, there? Pas'm is the mount! Can't sees it now cas'a trees and clouds." When he turned back around, he alerted the rest of his party, and while the team didn't slow down much, most of the larger holes were avoided.
Meanwhile, Harper was busying herself by cursing the centaurs to the seven hells, all while trying to rid herself of Nina's hold. As soon as she was upright, the cat clutched her satchel to her chest and held on for dear life to the side of the arm with her other arm. Still, eager eyes sought out the mountain beyond the trees. Speaking of it, now that she wasn't as tense, well...."...Do you feel that?" It was a dark energy, one that had her very fur curling. "All of that dark magic...it's amazing!"
Harper was practically smiling by the time they rounded the bend and saw the mountain itself.
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Posted: Fri May 24, 2013 5:41 pm
Feeling her cautionary grip yanked against, Nina snorted and released Harper's arm. Some appreciation that was!
As they neared the mountain, she found a weight growing on her shoulders. Obviously, her magic senses weren't as strong as the cattaur's, but she still had a bit of sense of the dark magic ahead. The more excited Harper became, the less willing Nina felt. Was there really so much dark magic ahead? Her arms slowly hugged around herself, and tightened when the mountain itself came into view. Good gods... it was huge!! How were they supposed to climb to the peak of that?! "Are you kidding me?!" she shrieked angrily, glaring daggers at Harper.
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Posted: Sun May 26, 2013 12:18 pm
The mountain spiraled out before them. With a One-hundred-twenty foot perimeter around it's base all plant life had shriveled and died, leaving a stark contrast to the vast plains of foliage around it. The birds that so busily romped in the trees around them made special notice not to go near the darker area while flying their routes. Even the centaurs, proud and determined that they were, visibly slowed as fearful wariness settled into their bones.
A mountain with nothing, but dark rock ascending skyward into patches of thick fog. Harper could have cried with glee. It was everything her book had described and more! "Oh please," Harper moaned, and rolled her eyes. Their team pulled a wide circle in a clearing, or was it a bog?, before shuffling to an uneasy stop. "It's-!"
"Wrecked, Miss," The centaur in front finished for her. He visibly shivered and rubbed his bare arms. "I just don't feel right leavin' two younglings such as yer'selves out here, on yer own. Maybe we can go back, send someone else-"
"No, no!" Harper squealed, eagerly slipped out the back of the cart to scuttled up to him. "Thank you for your concern, but we're fine. Right, Broomhilda?"
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Posted: Sun May 26, 2013 3:15 pm
Nina was trying hard to not punch Harper square on the nose. He eyes went back to the mountain, and she felt another shiver go through her. Even the plant life was avoiding that mountain! She thought about her weak magic for giving plants health, and wondered if the mountain's aura would make her shrivel and wilt, too.
When the centaur voiced his concerns, she almost told him that she wasn't moving from that spot! She looked at Harper, and took a deep breath. "Yes... We'll be fine. I must find my- ..my husband." She put a hand to her cheek and dropped her gaze. This was so stupid. Her thoughts drifted to the man that she had wanted as a husband; who only saw her as a friend... What would he say if he could see her now?! "As quickly as possible. There's no time."
Doing her best to give her legs strength, she dropped down from the cart and joined the others. "Thank you for bringing us this far. We can go on from here."
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Posted: Sun May 26, 2013 7:42 pm
Now, here was some hard evidence that Nina couldn't refute. A place this delicious diabolical had to have some great treasure tucked away; a treasure that was ripe for the picking! Harper patted the centaur's bicep and started to walk, head turned up, a little swagger in her step.
It wasn't until she looked back at Nina that her mojo died. "Buck up, buttercup, we haven't even started the real journey yet." Naturally, she put her some space between the pair and the centaurs before bringing it up.
"If you get the lead out of your paws we may even be able to make it to the bog of lost souls before nightfall."
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Posted: Sun May 26, 2013 9:14 pm
Buttercup? Nina glared over at Harper. "The real journey, through the bog of lost souls." She looked up the the mountain's peak, hidden by the heavy, dark clouds. A glance back showed the centaurs all watching the two women head on forward. The lead tossed them a short salute, and turned his team to head back to base.
Growling, Nina faced forward again. "Harper, I swear, if this treasure of yours turns out to be a myth, and we manage to make it back alive, your hide is going to decorate the floor of my cellar." She didn't want to go another step closer to the dismal mountain, but her paws kept moving. If she felt this way now... how was she going to be when they actually reached the foreboding rock?
Just get it over with. Hurry and just get it over with...
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Posted: Mon May 27, 2013 6:57 pm
Harper had always been excited by the oddest of things since she was a little kit. Her father, Reyson, blamed Rees' influence, but no matter the outcome she had a profound amount of excitement upon setting foot onto the ashen soil. She was afraid, yes, a little terrified, but the possible rewards far outweighed it.
"Would you just shut up, and stop your whining for two seconds?" Harper hissed, rolling her eyes, and turning her head around to glare at Nina. " You're going to give me a head ache. It's like you've never been out on your own before. Would you feel better if I held your hand?"
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