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Morag turned to look back at the new skull-hat Elcca sported when her brother spoke, eyeing the macabre thing. It wasn't unusual for some to wear skulls as decoration, it just wasn't done all that often, at least in the firekin lands. There was something off about it and she had to think for a while before she realized what it was, her steps slowing.

"Oh! I've seen something like that before... its a Baboon." She glanced around, giving another on the ground a bump with a paw. "It looks like a lot of them died here... I didn't know there were troops of them up this way. They're not terribly good hunting, but I've caught one or two in the past."

The idea of maybe using the skulls as disguise was an intriguing one... but she didn't know enough about their enemy to guess how effective it would be.

Baboon? Mwako'damu had never seen such a thing before. The fangs on the skull were enough to give the idea that they could be fierce creatures if provoked. They had to have been cornered, or something The something, he did not want to consider.

"If we had an idea of what the nergui sported, if anything, for adornments on their pelts, we could try to disguise ourselves, even for sheer fact of covering the red on some of our pelts. Though some of us have darker coats, less pronounced or given for any idea of alarm, the red, if seen by any watcher of theirs, or bird, could alert them to our location. But if we are guised as they are, it could throw them off, or at least, if spotted, dismiss any immediate cause for action."

What could they use?

If there were skulls, there could be sun dried pieces of pelt and scrap around, couldn't there?

"If we found any pieces of hide, also, it could even keep the sun off, try to keep us cool as we move on," he suggested.

They needed to make use of whatever they came across, if it could benefit their cause.

"Even marking wise, if we came across any pools of caches of clay, even water and ash, it could dull down the red. We are firekin, it is in our blood, and though we may not want to dull down the exterior of who we are, it could help us in the short term." His mother used paints for the slabs of the firekin history, surely they could use natural supplements to guise themselves.

Oh and now they were talking of dress up?

The black snake hissed savagely, sliding through the eye socket of a skull and emerging from the other. He lifted his proud head up, the fanned neck of his species shivering with irritation. This was all a game to them, wasn't it? Would it be a game when they were all dying.

"Look at where we ssstand, foolisssh onesss. Upon a land of death and darknesssss and terror." His tongue flicked rapidly, an angry gleam having come into his eyes now. "Thisss land isss not your home. It isss unfamiliar and cruel. It isss a dark place filled with dark omensss. What doesss it matter what died here? Baboon or lion, dead is dead."

And there was too much chatter and too much silence and the snake left his 'skull' behind to wind across towards Aithne. Oh the omens. The omens.

He never should have come.

Thabiti stood silent as he looked over the baboon graveyard they stood upon. It would appear that Morag was correct that a troop inhabited the area before they were slaughtered. His mind gave little option outside of the Nergui to commit such a massacre. Bones were scattered everywhere, it was not as if these primates had died of natural causes, or they'd form a body. The dark Hongshan plucked a skull from the ground, narrowing his eyes at it with disdain. Among the group, he was one of the few that had been in the Nergui's company the longest. The memories were haunting, inspiring vengeful notions.

The little black cobra was right, this place was of death. He nodded as it hissed. The place was rancid with decay and the texture under his paws were... unsettling to say the least. As a predator, bones were a natural thing, but this place did not seem to feel as such. The less time they spent here, the better. But even so, going onward is but walking closer to death.

"Nergui not all like Fire kin. Different colors. Different markings." Thabiti turned to the group, noting each present. They all shared similar colors, similar markings. They were related distantly or immediate. If anything, it would appear he and Serkan, as well as the snakes and birds, were those unrelated. "You all look like Fia and," turning toward Nyimak, "Nyimak. Pretend we are family to Nergui."

It was an idea. They all resembled one another quite a bit, and those who didn't could be the blacksheeps of the family. He wasn't entirely familiar if Nergui had distant tribes, but it was a shot. If they came across any birds, perhaps a convincing story would need to be in the works.

"Nergui are different color, markings. Nergui wear skulls, bones, and pelts. Nergui are savage and dangerous .... monsters." Thabiti placed the skull on his head with a scowl, picking up a piece of scrap hide, tossing it over his neck. "We be monsters too."

For once, Elcca didn't look amused. She shook the skull off her head, and let it clatter to the ground with a smack. A crack appeared. "Skulls are bad luck," she said quite simply, as if this was something known to everyone. "Too much life energy. If you all want to look like crazy people, then fine. I don't wear bones."

She made a fairly good show of sticking her nose in the air and stepping over the rest of the baboon remains. Maybe she'd have to warm up to the snake fellow after all. These firekin clearly didn't understand that certain things had bad properties!

And maybe she was just a tad vain.

Yoan, on the other hand, took to the idea. The crow dislodged himself from Elcca's shoulder, but kept himself low to the ground as he poked around the animal's remains. "Many creatures probably die in these mountains. The Nergui will have skattered or made use of anything like this. If we want to make disguises, it would be best we look here."

"The Nergui like bright markings and strange designs- but the normal ones, they just cover their pelts with whatever crude things they can find. A group of bright red lions may not be able to pass as nergui, but you can at least try to conceal yourselves from a distance," the crow started.

"I'd think you of all people would know those things are bad luck," Elcca muttered.

Yoan blinked his bright eyes. "Practicality outweighs bad luck. I say we take a moment and see if we can find anything among the rocks."

arrow Lots of animals come through the desert, looking for shelter. Unfortunately the mountains offer little. Good thing for us though, we might as well look around!

If you want to select an item, roll the dice 1-10. You may obtain:

1. Baboon pelt
2. Baboon skull
3. Strange black feathers
4. Absolutely nothing :[
5. What is quite possibly the largest rodent you have ever seen
6. Broken antelope horn
7. Tattered fabric
8. Gold coin
9. Bright red clay
10. BAD LUCK; something is heard growling.

[ If you already indicated finding an item/skull, you may keep it. ]

Well that made some sense. If they were trying to sneak up on the Nergui, it would help to look like them. For once he was glad of his slightly different fur. Sure, he had red, but he had lots of white too. No one else here was as pale as him. Maybe he could find some scraps of skin or hide to toss over his back in place of his red cape, which he'd left behind. That would hide some of the red too.

He spent a few brief moments scuffing about through the rocks, keeping an eye on the others. Probably they would not want to delay too long, and he would be content to continue empty-paw'd. As he shifted a rock though something caught his eye. A glint of something not quite the same as the stone around it. An odd shape. Gingerly reaching between the stones, he fished out a small disc of hard material, coated in grit and dirt and sand. Deciding it was harmless, he licked it over, spitting briefly to remove the grit from his tongue. A now-shiny gold coin glinted up from his paw at him.

That was something! It matched the golden cuffs he kept his cape on with, and that made him smile. As for making a disguise though, it was pitiful. It would barely cover one of his eyes, let alone any markings. Still, he didn't quite want to leave it behind. While the others searched, he fumbled to twist some long grasses around it, securing it to a strand of his mane, so that it hung down over his forehead. He'd discover later on the trip that it would bounce annoyingly, occasionally even whacking him in the face. For now though, he was mightily pleased with the...whatever the thing he'd found was.

To that, Elcca simply shook her head. She was well aware of the less open minded nature of the firekin. To Yoan, it had been the whole reason he'd wanted to come to this place. To get away from all the things that she inevitably got them in trouble with. But it would be hard to break the seeress. She knew omens when she saw them, and bad luck was sure to follow it.

...but not entirely wanting to be left out either, she started to search around the rocks and alcoves. Any bones were hastily kicked aside. There were other properties in the world that could be manipulated to their favor, should they find them.

"See, bad luck," Elcca said flatly as Morag discovered the giant rat. As if that was all the proof in the world she needed.

Another stone pushed aside, and she noticed a glint. It was another coin, mirroring the one Saoi had found. It was pretty, but she had plenty of baubles back home. She let it roll away in disinterest.

As it rolled across the ground, Yoan landed and picked it up in his bill. He hopped over towards Mwako and Kooka, and dropped it in front of them. "There you go," he said pleasantly.