(PRP) Find Me a Treasure (outside the cave).

[Nyx Queen of Darkness]

 

[Nyx Queen of Darkness]

Semuan-Ya Vasszuraj was anxious. It was not a feeling that she liked, let alone tolerated. How could one plan when in the back of their mind, they knew the plan was going to fail? There were too many with her...But without them, she would not have the resources to find her treasure. She could feel her heart pounding as she stood right outside the cave. Something wasn't right, but she had brought them here already. And they would come back without her if she called it of, and it was her treasure. Hers.

Looking at the rag-tag crew that she had brought together, she skimmed over them. They were here because of their specialities, it was why she had chosen some of them. The others had just been inevitable, package deals. It wrankled her that these fools could be so trust of others...so caring, so open to generosity. What after all was the use in bringing someone that was useless and splitting up her gold?

It had been her find, her plan...and with much hesitation she had asked for help. Her experience with "help" had not ever turned out well. Not at all. The last time she had been with a group, she had been injured. She had traveled and almost died to get away from---She pushed the thought from her mind. She would not think of her sisters now.

But the fact was, she had not trusted for so long. To show any faith in these...these....necessary companions, the thought of which left a nasty taste in her mouth, was unbearable. And many of them were male, which was even more distasteful.

Despite having left the Flock, she still believed, to an extent, as they did. Males were accessories, not equals. And it had been with a heavy heart and sharp tongue that she had allowed any of them to come along.

Waiting, she watched the solemn blue skies turn to stormy grey, as they grouped together thinking of what to say before they entered the cave  

[SilverShieldwolf]

Mahina looked at the entrance and back to the mare that gathered them all. Something felt off, but it was just probably nerves for all the different Soquili around. The bag she carried with the little seathi father and son splashed some water out as it seemed to be about mares, again. The lizard on her back seemed content to lay there and absorb the heat of the sun.

A glance at the rest of them, made her shift her wings. Her mountain lion was curled up around her hoofs, giving a look at the bag. On the trip following Semuan-Ya Vasszuraj, there seemed to be tension between her and the males. Mahina didn't know the Flock ways and was unaware of the feeling between their females and males.

Feeling that they had stopped, Clover popped his head out of the waterbag. There were a couple of shinies out there on the larger Soquili and he wanted to maybe just take a look at them. Some how he got stuck with his dad and had to hear all about love and mares. It could drive a young stallion crazy. He wasn't looking for love, but knew that it would happen when it would.

A soft purr had the young seathi looking down. The sun came between the clouds and hit the mountain lion's pretties. Clover tried to scramble out of the water to get to the items. His hoofs over the edge and straining to pull himself over, he knew it was a lost cause, but still he tried.  

[Aukai Oceansoul]

Ichthian pressed his ear against the sides of his carry-sac. He could hear nothing yet, would he be able to when they talked? Or would it be all muffled words. He was excited and so happy he at lest had company. He son was in the same bag...mostly. It seemed Clover was trying to escape. Ichthian suspected that shinies were the culprit as they were the usual suspect. He was glad to see that Clover could not possibly wrench himself completely out of the water. He would have had a lot of ugly explaining to do had the young seathi actually managed it. He gave a dark look. Menthe, his mate, would be furious. He shuddered at the concept. He didn't think he ever saw her get mad and he wasn't going to start now. So for good measure he tugged gently on his sons tail.

Zerafin lounged happily on the pretty mare beneath him. He liked her she was green and black, like him, but not. She was very nice to let him ride and bask on her. He got good rays from here and he wouldn't have to walk all the time. When it got dark in the cave, as he suspected it would his energy levels wouldn't be very accommodating. And she was nice and warm. He would have to get off to hunt though. It was going to be interesting for him to get back on. His eyes closed waiting for the words of Semuan-Ya, which he was sure would come in time.

Nefar was already napping in his bag awaiting the first words that would arouse him. It was either that or the other seathi in the bag would wake him up, whichever came first.  

[Jovi of Shadows]

Not far from the majority of the large group, and standing in the shade of one of the various trees in the area stood a peculiar looking stallion. His hide was lightly scaled with spikes protruding along his spine, connected together by a thick black membrane. His tail as well, long and heavily muscled swayed out behind him as the kelpie surveyed all who had gathered. He had not expected such a large group to partake in the expedition, and felt unsettled by the idea of relying on so many strangers, but that did little to change his mind about participating. After all, he had been promised riches, as did everyone else no doubt, and would not let this opportunity slip away untried.

Around his neck and resting against his chest hung a bag most similar to a shallow basket, strewn together by bits of corral and seaweed, woven in places by hair and other such materials such as shark hide or clam shell: a carrying device of merlok make. Recently acquired, and soon to be discarded once it purpose was no longer required, it held in it fresh water of his charge's approval. The pair, the kelpie and his seathi 'business partner', had spent a good portion of the day soaking and the later part getting to this very place. Desvayne wanted to be certain that his skin would not have the chance to dry out any time soon, and so had chosen this place in the shade to keep out of the sun. Now? He would wait for them proceed, and soon shifted his attention to the one in charge- a mare by the name of Semuan. They had spoken briefly before in regards to signing onto the mission, but he knew little else of her or any of the others currently involved.

Tucking his chin to his chest the stallion snorted at the surface of the water, through a hole just roughly larger than the size of a seathi, and inspected the contraption. It was designed to ensure as little water was spilled as possible, via high walls that curved inward and opened up at the very top. "Are you sure you're okay in there, Cyllene?" the stallion questioned quietly, having been somewhat worried about his small companion's safety since the begining of their journey.  

[Faithofthefallen]

Ellette eyes the mouth of the cave with a wary interest from her position off to Semuan-Ya's left. So it was treasure they were after eh? She shook her head, she didn't like the ideal of traveling down into the bowels of the earth just for a bit of sparkle, but it wasn't her place to question. She was only here to make sure that the adventurers returned free from harm, where they wanted to go and what they decided to do was none of her business.

Her hawk familiar, Lioth, perched in his usual place on her back, grumbling about the folly of their mission. She had tried to convince him to remain on the surface, caves were no place for a creature of the sky, but he had stubbornly refused. Lioth was nothing if not steadfast and he would follow her anywhere, of course that didn't mean he wouldn't try to convince her that going elsewhere was a much better idea.

Aryon stood with her as well, she was endlessly grateful for the storm that had kept them together this last winter. He was her pupil in the fighting arts and had grown to be her dearest friend. The usual stern mask she presented to the world melted away as she smiled at him affectionately. She had been afraid that he would choose to go his own separate way when the time came to depart to meet Semuan, but he had chosen to accompany her seemingly without a second thought.

Ellette sized up the ragtag group of travelers, surely they all had their uses or they wouldn't be here, she would have to wait and see what they were. She began to stretch, limbering up in preparation for the trials ahead as she waited for Semuan-Ya to announce it was time to begin.
(Barracus will come in later >D)  

[Zakiax]

The dark eyes of the mare scanned her surroundings. It was interesting to see all the types of soq who where brought together for this little exploration. In truth the mare wasn't really interested in the treasure, more or less she was just here for the adventure. Meeting other unique soq was a plus as well. It had been quite some time since she went on a group exploration like this. The last time she had been in a group was when she was a foal.

Taking her eyes off of her surroundings she glanced back at the carry-sac which held her friend inside. "Hey, Ilyrana how are you doing back there?" She questioned her concern towards her friend. She hoped that the seathi would be able to hear her through the carry-sac. There was a hint of excitement in her voice as she tried containing herself, so she could hear the explanations from the mare who had brought them together about their tasks in this adventure.

Illyrana, she hadn't been in contact with the seathi since their last exploration together as foals. Once she head that she was going to be carrying a seathi she had been excited. She'd be able to ask it all sorts of questions, but once she found out that it was her friend from so long ago her excitement had increased, switching to asking questions to trying to catch up with her old friend. She was happy to at least come in contact with one of the foals from that adventure, at least she'd have someone she knew well here.

Lilith finally moved her eyes away from the carry-sac, but kept her ears upon it just in case her friend decided to reply back to her. She took in the appearances of those who had gathered thus far. It seemed quite a few of them also carried sacs on their back. Everyone seemed so different in their own way, in appearance and most likely in skill, Lilith began to wonder why she was picked to go along with this adventure, maybe just her love of adventure was enough or the fact that she really didn't have her eye on the treasure which was to come. Her mind continued to drift as her eyes continued to take in the appearances of those around her.  

[That Artemis]

Knuckle swaggered up to the group gathered in front of the cave. This was gonna be awesome, adventure, treasure, danger...how could he resist? When he'd first heard of the expedition through the grape vine, he leaped at the chance to participate. It meant he had to leave Regin for a while but if he could bring her something nice to make up for it he was pretty sure she would forgive him.

Looking around at the others, he realized he was one of the last to arrive. There was a tension in the air as everyone assessed each other and he smirked to himself. He tipped his head forward a bit and looked at the so called leader over his shades. She looked hostile towards the whole group, so why did she get them together in the first place? Oh well, time would tell...and there'd probably be a fight for him to get into.

Aryon shuffled nervously. On the way here he could tell there was something wrong with him. How had they gotten here? He had just followed Ellette because he didn't know what else to do. The area around where they had spent the winter was the only place he could really remember...the path to the river, the cave, through the forest to the clearing where some flowers grew, and that was it. His mother and sister were clear to him and the place he grew up but there was nothing where the knowledge of how to get back to them should have been.

The journey to this cave had been unsettling. He couldn't remember the way to get back to their place in the forest and it scared him. Had that fall really messed him up that badly? Aryon unconsciously sidled closer to Ellette, they only familiar thing in the whole world at the moment.  

[Phail Ninja]

The water sloshed around the bag from side to side with each step that Desvayne took. Remarkably, not even one drop managed to escape through the small opening at the top. Merlok contraptions seemed to work wonders when it came to water retention.

Inside the bag, a small Seathi was spinning frantically in quick circles, partly due to the pendular motion of the bag, and partly due to the quick twirling of her tail. The speed of such turns would be enough to set even the strongest stomach on edge, yet Cyllene beamed with excitement. "Whee whee whee whee whee!" The faint chant came from the spinning orange blur within the bag.

When she felt the bag grow still for a moment, she allowed her tail to slow to a halt. Her body kept spinning round in furious circles for a few seconds longer before finally coming to a rest. The insides of the bag seemed to swim before her eyes. Shells danced around with green fronds of seaweed across the shark hide. Slowly her mind rightened itself so she could see straight. She liked her bag. It was pretty, and kept the water in, which was always a bonus when you needed it to survive. She made a mental note to grab it and drag it back to her lair along with her share of the treasure. Thyone, her sea otter familiar who had faithfully stayed behind to guard her home, would help carry the stuff through the water when she got back.

Hearing her carrier ask her a question, she hooked her front hooves around the lip of the bag and poked her head out. She just about fit. Normally, she would have some sort of sarcastic or snappy and vain comeback at the ready, but for the moment her fun-loving side had crept through and she had no space left for unpleasantries. Besides, she liked her carrier. He was a nice... whatchamacallit... a nice kelpi, that was it! She liked Desvayne. So far, he was one of the few people who didn't have a nasty nickname that she'd given them. Then again, she had been bribed with treasure.

"I'm more than fine." She giggled happily, marveling at the stallion's pretty colors. If he was a necklace, she'd have stolen him away long ago. "Des doesn't need to worry so much." She hadn't given him a mean nickname, but his name had been shortened nonetheless.

 

[Nyx Queen of Darkness]

Lightening flashed across the brilliant sky as Semuan-Ya looked once more over her motley crew. She was wary of them, afraid of betrayal...but most of them did not know each other and in that there was a benefit. They could not all turn against her. Besides, she had kept the exact location of the treasure a secret, or at least secret enough. They all knew it was somewhere deep within the caves, but not much else.

When she had found the map, long before she found the cave, she had memorized it and destroyed it. If she couldn't have it, no one else would. So, after all, there was not too much to fear until the treasure was in sight.

She let out a small hiss, "Comesssss withssss messsss." She tilted her head, and folded her scaled wings close to her body as she slipped within the edge of the cave. The cool air blew across her as the wind picked up and the sky rumbled again. What a perfect day for a treasure hunt.

"Wesssss allssss heressss fors treasuressssss. Deepsss withinssss thesss cavessss laysss somethingsss ofsss valuesssss. Noss onesss seensss forsss longsss timess. Andsss whensss we'ressss outsss. Wesss shalllsss sharesss the treasuressss equaliesss." She smiled in a satisfied way.

"For a dayssss theress bess noesss waterssss. Thensss wess will sesss the riversss. Then wessss shallsss swimss. I Hopessss yousss can swimsss" She nodded her head, "Readies?"  

[Aukai Oceansoul]

Ichthian had his ear pressed to the side of his bag again. Heu thought he had caught at least half of the hissing coming from the other side but the bag and water distorted some of the sound. Something about equal shares, which was good but what else did she say? Wait... Days without water?! Presumably she meant withing the cave and not in the seathi/lobster bags. As long as he personally had water, he was happy. Ooo rivers, underground rivers, now that sounded like fun! Ichthian grinned at his son. He was glad he got to spend this time with him. He had also heard that there were two female seathis also in the group. He was always happy to meet new friends. Maybe one would fall for Mr. Shiny over there, Ichthian thought. It suddently got darker in the bag so either a cloud had gone over the sun or they had entered the cave. Either way, he thought, the journey has begun.

Zerafin mourned the impending loss of his sun. At least the mare he was draped across was warm and friendly. His tongue flickered out, tasting the air. What he found was a myriad of soquili smells. A myriad of personalities. He filed all the smells and who they belonged to into his mind. This would help later in identifying those who spoke in the dark.
He stared at the seathi bags wondering which one Cyllene was in. He had met her when she sprayed water in his face. He was having such a nice nap too. Zerafin lay his head down on his ride's back, tongue still flickering.

The only part of Sumuan-Ya's speech Nefar paid attention to was the river part. He couldn't wait. He hadn't explored in ages. Sure he migrated but that was not the same as exploring! An there were no sea turtle on this trip. They were his least favorite companions. They were always talking and too much talking annoyed him. Sumuan-Ya's speech was short and he liked it. Got right down to the point she did, no useless jabbbering. He decided he liked her for that reason alone. Nefar clacked his heavy claws, and resigned himself to listening for the lady soquili. She had such a nice voice and such a unique way of speaking. This made her words all the more pecious because they were rare.  

[SilverShieldwolf]

Mahina felt the bag shift and looked down. One of the seathi was trying to get out and go after something. She couldn't help but giggle. They seemed to be having fun.

Clover, with his front hoofs out, fell back down at the tug on his tail. "Dad. There is a whole lot of shiny things out there." Not waiting to hear a reply, he worked his way back up to the top. At that point he could hear the leader talking about cave and treasures. His eyes shined at the thought of shinies to bring back to his mom.

The mare listened intently as Semuan-Ya explained more of where they were going. The thought of no water for days didn't appeal to her that much, but they were going to be in a cave, so it shouldn't be that bad. She turned to look at the lizard on her back and wondered how he would do.

She put her nose near him. "Will you be okay in the cave?" It was a concern she had as they started moving.  

[Phail Ninja]

The only real reason that Cyllene listened to the strange-hissing mare was because of her pretty coloring. The gold scales shimmered in the light, instantly drawing her eyes. She instinctively leaned forwards, stretching out from the bag as if she hoped to reach the mare and steal her scales. But as she heard the water slosh and the bag teeter dangerously beneath her, she quickly snapped out of it and retreated. She needed to stay in the bag to survive.

But still, she was glad to have such a shiny person leading. It made up for everyone else. Des was nice, because he looked like the pottery she sometimes picked up. But the others... well, some were blue and others just looked like dried out seaweed. Most of them looked very very very dull.

Puffing out some air, she was about to duck back under the water to rehydrate the skin on her face, when she saw a handsome Seathi out of the corner of her eye. She froze and turned to look. He was pretty, with electric blue hair and sea-foam green markings. The thing she liked most after treasure was pretty males. Throwing a wink at him, she dived back down into the bag. Her face had been getting unpleasantly dry.

As the moisture seeped in, her mind whirred. How much treasure would there be? There were a lot of people. Would she get a lot? Just because she was small didn't mean she was allowed to get cut out of the prize! Once her face was sufficiently wet, she stuck her head back out into the air and wiggled her tail. When would they go? She wanted to start!

 

[Faithofthefallen]

Ellette stared at the yawning entrance to the cavern with more than a little trepidation filling her warm brown eyes. The moist air pouring from the cave mouth carried the musty smell of fungus and stale water. It was dark in there, so very dark, and she was highly conscious of the fact that Aryon was her only true friend among this mismatched group of travelers. Could she trust these strangers?

Her gaze was a bit uneasy as she surveyed the members of the crowd now gathered around Semuan-ya, the exotic looking mare with her scales, fangs, and vast leathery wings made Elle the most nervous. She spoke in a reptilian hiss that sent shivers crawling down her spine and Ellette was all too conscious of the glistening white fangs that protruded from her mouth. A few of the others were small, Seathi, she reasoned, with a glance at their flippers, although she had never encountered the small water-bound race of soquili before she recognized them by description. They seemed well enough but she felt shy and awkward, unsure how to introduce herself to creatures she hadn't been sure actually existed before today. There was a green winged mare, a large stallion with a mouth full of fangs and spikes and fins; and a strange spotted stallion that smelled of the desert and swaggered around cockily, as if he owned the place.

All in all Ellette felt insignificant when faced with the others' outlandish looks. She had no wings, fins, horns,scales, or sharp teeth. Her coloring was muted and natural.The only thing she could bring to the table were her skills and experience in combat. She had been hired to protect, although now that she got a good look at her charges she was feeling wholly unnecessary. This seemed like a self-sufficient group if ever there was one.

Self consciously she pressed herself against Aryon's side for reassurance before stepping foreword and following their eccentric leader through the opening and into the darkness. Lightning streaked across the sky and thunder rolled as she stepped across the threshold, someone more superstitious than the ever-practical Ellette might have taken that as a warning. Regardless she felt a creeping apprehension as she moved farther down to make room for the rest of their party to squeeze in. the start of the tunnel was very narrow and she felt a momentary surge of panic. Until they encountered a wider chamber, there would be no way of going back the way they came. The tunnel was too tight, there was no way they could turn around without getting stuck between the walls.

"How will we see?" She called out to Semuan-Ya in a plaintive voice, peering down into the velvety darkness, hating herself for the quavering that betrayed her nervousness. She was a mare used to open skies and rolling hills, the cold dank unfamiliarity of the cave threw her of balance and made her feel vulnerable.