Beauty of Youth

[85th]

Once upon a time there was a small sleepy town named Basil. The town was nestled in just between a crystal clear stream and a lush wood, called Chide Woods. The townsfolk were peaceful and went about their day with little disturbances, that is, until several of the town’s children went mysteriously missing. Search parties scowered the area, including Chide Woods. Alas, their search proved futile, not a trace of their beloved children was ever seen again. The adults of the town speculated they were eaten by a beast, or perhaps they ran away on their own accord, but the children all decided on their very own story. A witch. An evil which who lived in the deepest point of the wood, she’d steal children right out of their beds and take them to her house to fatten them up before brewing them in her stew. Of course, it was only a child’s tale…

Strias felt the night growing closer , he’d have to find a place to stay through the night, less he wanted to sleep on the street again- an experience most unpleasant. There was only one inn in the town, and it was located just at the town’s entrance, conveniently. The building was 3 stories high, built of sturdy lumber, most likely from the trees of the nearby wood. The windows were clear and well framed, it was a tidy little place. The wooden door was oiled well and didn’t make even the slightest squeak when pushed open.

His eyes still examining the small lobby with the single wooden table and 2 arm chairs of floral print, Strias approached the front desk where a middle aged woman stood, her bonnet tightly in place, hiding most of her strawberry blond hair.

“ Can I help you, sir?”

Strias reached a hand up from under his cloak and dropped 3 gold coins onto the woman’s leather guest book. She examined them then looked back to the young man, for an explanation. “ I’d like a room for the night please.” He said, mouth hidden behind the shield of his cloak’s collar.

“ We’ll have to make one up for you, please have a seat,” she extended an arm to the chairs. “ It’ll be only but a few moments.”

Strias followed her hand’s direction and felt he may as well sit. The chair was soft at least.

“ Erm… excuse me.. Young man?”

Strias, who had fallen into somewhat of a daze staring at the flickering fire which seemed all too soft to the touch, suddenly blinked and drew his attention to the woman. “ Y-yes?”

“ We have a shortage of rooms, you see. So, would you mind sharing the room with someone else, just for the night?”

Strias supposed he didn’t mind, he was only going to sleep anyhow. He gave her a small nod and she smiled, relieved, and hurried back up the stairs, holding her dress as not to trip.

[Beauty]

Slave skipped happily along behind her master, Lord Gregory Carth. The 20-year-old woman was thrilled to be going for a stroll through the woods and not have to carry anything. For once, Carth was carrying the simple, brown leather bag that contained wash items and his extra clothing.

She laughed, a sweet tinkling sound like silver bells on a clear day, as she watched a bird swoop low over their heads then up into the trees. Her long brown hair flowed out behind and around her as she twirled in random circles.

Her master, Lord Gregory Carth, walked along quietly, a small smile of amusement on his face. He didn’t know why he had offered to take her burden today, but it pleased him to see her being so happy and carefree.

While Slave laughed and danced around him, Carth was watching the woods. They seemed peaceful enough with the birds and the occasional rabbit or squirrel bounding across the path, but one never knew when another animal might appear. He’d never actually fought such things as bears or wolves or any other predatory animal for that matter, but he knew they could be in these woods.

Eventually, as the sun was starting to set, they came to a small glade. After a quick look around, Carth decided it was good enough for the night’s camp. He and Slave began their evening ritual for setting up camp. She pulled out the small amount of food they had left and got it ready to go over a fire while he collected firewood.

“Very good, Slave. Go ahead and get the bedrolls out too.”

Slave obeyed with no hesitation. While she did that, Carth started a small fire and began to heat their simple meal of beef and apples over the fire. By the time he finished getting the fire started and the food propped over it, Slave was done with her final chore and sat quietly by, awaiting further instruction.

“You may play here in the glade, but do not get out of my sight.”

With a cry of delight, Slave sprang up and began to explore the surrounding area. She picked several flowers and strung them through her hair and splashed around in the stream that went by, up to her ankles. She’d never been in a forest like this, so it was an entirely new experience for the young slave.

[Fen Rirbal]

The small town of Basil was unimpressive, just as the traveller had said. The quiet village had attracted alot of attention lately however, due to the rumors of children getting lost and eaten, and whatnot. The only way he'd ever become a well-respected knight would be by helping people in need, and thats what brought him here. Little, quiet Basil.

Fen patted his clothes with his hands and let out a deep sigh before making his way through the town's gate. He put a stride in his walk, trying to fit in with the rest of the commoners but really sticking out like a sore thumb. Several people walking down the street glanced up quickly at first sight of him, but then lowered their heads as if in disappointment.

He'd have to find a place to stay for the night first thing, since he was sure he wasn't the only do-gooder here. Rumors like these attracted all kinds of wanderers. Fen glanced around for the inn and found it to be just across the street. It looked cozy, like it was made for old people. In fact, all he saw were adults and the elderly. Not a single child could be seen playing on the cobblestone street.

"I guess...the rumors are true..." he muttered under his breath.

The youth opened the wooden door and stepped inside quietly, glancing around his surroundings. The place was...homely. In a good way, though. He noticed the only other person in the room was a boy, sitting in an arm chair with flowers all over it facing away from him.

Fen felt nervous initially, unsure of what to say, but decided to just approach the counter and wait. He tapped his fingers on the well-polished wood and looked around through bright blue eyes, reluctant to ringing the service bell in case the person who worked here was on their way back.

[Swing It]

" So you have no idea what happened to them? "

" No one does. The whole town is on edge, and for some unexplained reason, more and more kids like you keeping wandering into town."

" You mean you think someone is attracting kids to this town? "

" I wouldn't put it so delicatly. More likely some one, or some thing is forcing them to come here. "

" Hah! Fat chance. No body tells me what to do. You take care old man. " With that Jak rose to his feet and began marching towards the town. He had stopped at the old man's camp site to ask for a quick bite to eat. The speckled trout was delicious. His hunger satisfied and his spirit willing, Jak continued into the woods, avoiding any decernable path. He felt more at home amongst the bows of the great oaks than he ever did on a dusty road.

The soothing melody of a babbling brook echoed in Jak's ears. It was accompanied by the rhythmic swaying of the tree branches in the wind and the symphonie was complete. Never was there a more pleasing song than that of the forest. The band was interrupted by a much more intising sound. A young woman's laughter could be heard, just over the sound of the babbling brook and the swaying trees. Jak listened carefully as he made his way towards the source of the sound.

Several minutes later, Jak found himself at the brook's bank, and there, glistening in the pale moonlight, dancing about like a glorious forest nymph, a creature of untold beauty, was the girl. Her brown hair dangled menacingly across her ever so taunting chest. Jak moved forward slowly and spoke out.

" I don't mean to intrude, but what exactly are you doing out here in the woods alone? They say there have been disappearances you know. "

[85th]

((OOC: make sur eyou guys keep checking the recruitment thread cuz I posted a few specifics there. It would help a lot if you guys were all in the inn, if not you might be kinda waiting a while until everyone goes to sleep.)

Strias leaned forward in the chair so he could crane his neck around the side to see who had just entered. Not that it was any of his business, but he was curious as most boys his age were. His gaze lingered for a few moments, wondering if the new arrival was a boy or a girl. It’d be rude to ask, so for now he’d just let himself wonder.

“ She’s up fixing a room. That inn keeper, I mean,” said Strias leaning over the arm rest, his burgundy hair tickling a small spot between his eyes. The more he looked at the arrival the more he was leaning towards ‘male’. A name would probably clear things up.But where did he come off asking for the person’s name, he’d never seen them before in his life and probably never would again. He must have been bored to wonder so much about someone’s gender.

“ The room’s all ready!” The inn keeper’s footsteps fell lightly upon the wooden stairs, in fact, her dress made more sound rustling against its own fabric than the woman made herself. But for such a small lady she had large voice. “ Oh!” with a sudden surprise said the woman. She dropped her dress from her hands, letting it fall down to her ankles. Her hands went to her waist, at east one of them did, the other brushed some stray strawberry star hair from her face. “ Well I suppose there’ll be no surprise in who you’ll be sharing the room with, young man.”

With a short smile Strias stood up from the chair to introduce himself, more interested in the character’s name than he was anything else. “ I’m Strias Blackbird, pleasure to meet you,” he extended a gloved hand. The inn keeper oversaw the two boys’ meeting with a smile on her face, they reminded her of her own boys…. Before they ran away. The clock struck 9 in the evening and the whole inn was filled with the striking chime.

“ Nine already..?” whispered the woman with no smile left on her aging face. “ You two had better get yourselves ready for bed, it’s lights out at ten! Now c’mon, I’ll show you to your room,” she beckoned them to follow her up the stairs.

~*~*~

As nine came upon the forest the animals seemed to retreat to their own homes, leaving the forest soundless and still. From the forest you could se the lights in the town begin to go out, to get to a decent place to stay for the night travelers would have to make haste.

[Beauty]

Slave stopped her dancing abruptly as she first heard then saw a new person enter the glade. She had been enjoying herself and had not heard a single, telltale rustle of someone approaching. Soft, brown eyes looked quickly between the man and Master and back again nervously.

“Slave is not supposed to talk to strangers. Slave just does whatever Master says. Slave is happy when Master is pleased with her.”

Though her eyes held the potential of astute intelligence, it was clear from her tone of voice and grammar that she was unschooled in anything remotely like an education. Still, she smiled a warm, friendly smile and beckoned to him to follow her to the fire Lord Carth was tending.

“See? Slave is not alone. Master will protect her from disappearances, whatever those are.”


Across the glade, Carth looked up when he no longer heard Slave’s laughter. Lips tightened into a thin line as he saw a young half-elf approach and speak to his slave. Worse, she answered him. That was intolerable and would need to be dealt with later. For now, it appeared that they were to have a guest for at least a little while.

He tended the fire, waiting patiently for Slave and their guest to arrive at the fire. He did not have enough to share and was glad of it. Perhaps if there were no food to be had, the young man would keep on going and leave well enough alone.

[Fen Rirbal]

His fingers stopped tapping when he heard the voice from behind him. The youth spun around quickly, his braid falling across his shoulder as he looked to the reddish-brown haired boy who spoke to him. Fen was surprised at first, but after a moment he smiled faintly and nodded in understanding.

"Thanks. You are?" he just managed to ask, as the innkeeper made her entrance into the room. She seemed surprised at another guest, and was acting a little strange. Fen didn't take much notice in it, and glanced back to the youth who had spoken to him as he approached him.

The fellow blue-eyed boy introduced himself as Strias and held out his hand. Fen was still getting used to the customs of outsiders, but he had seen merchants along the streets of villages doing this when finishing some sort of business deal. Fen tilted his head and grasped Strias' hand in his, shaking it like he had seen on occasion before.

"My name's Fen. Pleasure...to meet you Strias," he said with a wide smile, hoping he'd got it right. The chiming of the timepiece on the wall rang throughout the room, surprising him a little, his hand still in Strias'.

The innkeeper insisted they follow her to the room they were sharing, and Fen nodded to her, bringing his hand back to his side and following after ahead of Strias. He'd been sleeping in the wilderness the last few nights, which wasn't bad, but now he wanted to be closer to the source of the rumors. He hadn't forgotten why he'd come here.

[Swing It]

" Well hey there. " said Jak, addressing the young girls ' master '. Personally Jak disapproved of slavery. It had been outlawed before he was even born in his continent, apparently such laws weren't in effect in this continent. However, it really wasn't his buisness what another man did with his time and money, so he decided he would be brief. " I didn't mean to intrude on your evening sir. I had just been concerned about the girl, with all the young men and women who have gone missing lately. However I see now that she is in capable hands so I'll leave you two be. " Jak bowed in respect and ventured once again into the woods.

Jak had been walking for several minutes, heading in the direction of the town's orange glow. He stopped suddenly and listened. "...Nothing...not even the sound of a falling leaf. Even the brook has stopped flowing...I think it's time I got out of here, there is something...wrong with this place. " Jak quickened his pace which eventually turned into a jog.

Behind him he could hear footsteps, quick ones. Too quick. These steps weren't of any beast or man he had encountered before. Jak's jog turned into an all out sprint as he desperatly ran for the town, trying his hardest to get there. He was a good fighter, but he was no warrior. Only a warrior could take on whatever was chasing him so quickly.

Sweat began to bead on Jak's forehead as ran, panting all the way. " What I wouldn't give to be wearing my old cleats right now. " Suddenly...all was well. Jak's footsteps were no longer on soft grass, but on cobblestones. He had made it into the town.

Walking down the street, he scanned the buildings for an inn. The closest seemed to be closed for the night. " Well...I am pretty tired from all that running. This place will have to do. "

With that, Jak stepped lightly towards the large inn. He creeped his way along the outside wall and ventured around back. He removed from his pocket his trusty lock pick and went to work.

After a minute or two of tinkering, he felt the lock snap, and unhinge. He removed it from the door, laying it upon the ground beside him. He crept into the building, staying low as he could. It was dark, quiet, judging by his surroundings he guessed he was in some sort of office. " This will have to do. " said Jak as he plopped himself onto the velvet couch. He closed his eyes and let himself drift into dream land.

[NekoRulers]

Ayano yawned as she tramped through the forest. She was getting tired from the day's hike. Irritably, the cat-girl swung her bo at some brush in her way. The plants swished as they were knocked aside.

"Idiot..." she muttered to herself, "Turn right my a-"

She was cut off abruptly as her companion, Beako, pressed itself against her lips in a silencing manner. The tiny blue bird continued to float there, hushing his friend. Ayano sensed his meaning and remained silent. For a moment all she could hear was the twittering of random birds and the general sounds of forest trees. She twitched her blond cat-ears, straining to hear whatever was bothering Beako. Then she heard it. Footsteps that sounded unnatural. Strange in many ways. For starters, only a terrible creature could cause such unusual non-hyperness in her familiar. She clutched her bo tighter, the carvings in the wood causing temporary impressions in her hands.

"I hear it," whispered Ayano to Beako, "Let's go now."

He peeped quizzically, knowing that she would usually try to take on a challenge like that one. But, the neko was tired from the hike. She could always come out to find the thing later. The cat-girl brushed some of her long black hair out of her face and continued to walk. It was near dark before Ayano reached civilization.

"Basil," said the cat-girl, reading the sign aloud to herself.

"Peep." mimicked Beako

Ayano aimed a playful swat at it before trotting towards the village. She knew Beako was expecting more play, but she wasn't in the mood. It showed in her gold eyes that she was still dwelling. She was dwelling on what she had heard.

Before she knew it, she was standing in front of an inn. It seemed extrememly busy for one of its size. Unfortunately it also seemed to be the only one for a while. She would have to sleep there. The cat-girl hesitated before walking inside.

[85th]

Upstairs Strias examined the room, not much was needed to please him. All he wanted was a bed to sleep in. The room had two twin size beds, navy blue cotton sheets tucked in neatly, topped with a fluffy white pillow. It was better than Strias had hoped for.

“ I hope everything will be okay for your two boys,” said the innkeeper, making a final ‘fluff’ on both the pillows. Smoothing down her white apron she stood aside the door and carefully watched the boys’ expressions for satisfaction. Strias didn’t have much of an expression at all, he was tired and just anted to get to sleep. But his meek offer of a smile and thanks was enough for the inn keeper woman.

“ If you boys need anything, don’t hesitate to just ring the bell. Good night now,” She exited the room, but on the way out took hold of the door while one hand fumbled through some keys in her apron pocket. The jingling noise caught Strias’ attention and he peeked over his shoulder for just a glance. He ended up doing a double take when he saw the innkeeper placing a key in their door, it seemed like she was locking it.

“ Um, pardon me, but… are you locking the door?” Strias asked turning around completely now. As if it were the most natural thing the innkeeper tested out the newly locked door, and when satisfied put the smile back on her concentrated face.

“ That’s right. Don’t you worry your little heads. It’s just sort of a policy around here. What with all the children going missing we like to keep them safely locked up should anything happen during the night. You understand.”

Strias didn’t understand but he was in no mood to argue about it. The lady seemed nice enough and if it was policy… well, then it was policy. So he nodded his sleepy head and watched the woman shut the door, confining them into the room.

“ How strange…,” yawned Strias. Outside, through the window, he could see the town’s lights going off. They must have been on a strict schedule. “ I’ll take the window bed,” Strias said while still gazing outside. In a sort of daze he wondered why all the children in the town were missing. But the second yawned called him out of the daze and to the bed. He didn’t even feel like removing his cloak, he was so tired. The pillow called his head and he rested on his side, still fully clothed and armed. He intended to sit back up and remove his gear but, before he new it, and before he could say goodnight to his roomate, his eyelids closed themselves and he was swept away by sleep.

~*~*~

The inn keeper did her rounds through the inn, making sure all the lanterns in the hallway were out and all guests were back in their rooms. She was most disappointed when she found the figure of a young man resting just inside the door of the inn. If it wasn’t outrageous that he’d broken in, it was more outrageous that he wasn’t in a proper room!

“Ahem!’ She placed her hands on her hips and looked down at the boy. “ And what do you think you’re doing?”

Before he could answer another guest arrived. Ayano was like nothing the innkeeper had ever seen before, and so she couldn’t help but stare. “ Hello there? Can I help you?”

[Beauty]

Carth said nothing as their guest spoke and then moved on. He pulled the food from the fire so it could cool, his demeanor much cooler than it had been.

”What have I told you about speaking to strangers?”

Slave looked down at the ground shamefaced as she dug the toes of her right foot in the ground. “Master says Slave is not supposed to speak to anyone unless Master tells her to.”

”Correct, that’s very good. Now, why did you disobey that a few minutes ago?”

“Slave is sorry, Master. She won’t do it again. She was surprised by the strange man’s appearance and forgot. The man wanted to know why Slave was all alone, but Slave wasn’t all alone because you were here Master.”

She stopped abruptly as Carth made a shushing motion to her. Head cocked, he listened carefully to the sounds of the forest, or rather, the lack there of. Without any explanation, he doused the flames of the fire and pulled Slave close to him. He didn’t know what the young man had been talking about when he mentioned disappearances, but the fact that the forest was silent was very ominous.

“Here, eat quickly and quietly. Then go straight to sleep. We will finish this discussion in the morning.”

Slave nodded and took her small portion of food. It wasn’t much, just a few slices of meat and one apple, but it still tasted delicious to her. Carth ate as well, though he still kept a wary watch on the forest around them.

“Master? What’s wrong?”

”Hush, my pretty one, there is something strange in the forest, but don’t worry, I’ll protect you.”

He wrapped one arm around her protectively, noting that she was shivering despite the warmth of the evening. Slave was obviously scared as she huddled next to her master. Whatever it was, it was big enough to make the master put out the fire. Normally, he wouldn’t have done that.

At last though, she fell asleep in his arms. He set her down on the ground gently, resolving to stay awake and keep guard the whole night through. Nevertheless, he too, soon drifted off to sleep, sleeping deeper than he had in a very long time.

[Swing It]

"Hit one out of the park for me. Okay big brother? "

“ Uh….nnnr…Li-Lilly……Lilly where am I? ”

Jak was abruptly snatched out of his dream. He sat up in a cold sweat and gazed about the room sporadically. At first he wasn’t sure what had awakened him, his mind was still trying to adjust to the sudden jump start. Suddenly it dawned upon him; he had been awakened by the sound of a voice. He looked to the door way to see and elderly woman standing in it. Judging by her attire and her large key ring, Jak guessed she was the inn keeper.

“ Well this is positively fantastic. ” said Jak sarcastically to himself. It appeared as though he had been caught.

Before Jak could speak in his defense however, the woman’s attention was altered to face the door. Jak rose to his feet and sneakily eased his way behind the old woman. Whatever was distracting her, it had just saved his ass for the night.

Jak tip toed his way past the old woman and towards the stairs; he steadily made his way up them and down the hallway. He removed his trusty lock pick once again and slipped it into the lock of one of the room doors. A few clicks and turns and she was open. Jak pushed open the room door and found himself standing in front of two other young men, one with red-brown hair and the other with...white? Interesting.

“ Uh….Hey guys. What's shakin? ” Said Jak with a wide, nervous grin.

[85th]

“W-where’d that boy go?!” the innkeeper woman looked this way and that, even spun around. There was no trace of Jak, and she let out a heavy sigh. Nevermind him, there was still this young woman who needed to be housed for the night. She hated to have to room her with those two boys from easier, but they seemed nice enough…

“ I unfortunately have no rooms available right now, but if you don’t mind sharing…,” she said to Ayano with her hands folded on themselves over the poofy skirt of her dull floral print dress. “ Well, I’ll show you the room and you can tell me what you think…,” The innkeeper beckoned for Ayano to follow and led her up to the room in which Strias, Fen, and now Jak inhabited.

~*~*~~

With a start Strias sat up from his peaceful slumber. The voice had pulled him out of whatever short dream was beginning. Groggily she peered over at the door through squinted eyes. Another roomate? But there were only two beds… How Inconvenient.

“ Huh… that door was locked,” Strias stated matter of factly while rubbing the sleep from his blue eyes. “ How’d you..?” More awake now, he was at least able to speak without feeling a strange dryness in his mouth, still, the tingly feeling in his arms hadn’t waned entirely. “ Eh… never mind,” He rubbed his hair and took the pillow and blanket along with him to the wooden floor. He’d slept on worse, he didn’t care, so long as he got some rest. “ You can have that bed… goodnight- huh?”

Again he was disturbed, this time by the light knocks made by the inn keeper. She couldn’t understand how the door had come unlocked , at least, until she spotted Jak inside the room. “ It’s you! Young man, you should have just told me you needed a place to stay. I’m sorry it’s so crowded for all of you, but it’s just for one night, right? How about I’ll give you all discounts, and breakfast in the morning, for free.” she smiled convincingly, hoping the four youths would agree.

Strias, who only wanted sleep nodded and laid himself upon the floor, head upon the pillow and blanket draped over him like a second cloak. “ As long as I can sleep…,” he mumbled with his back turned to the door.

[Fen Rirbal]

Fen was as satisfied as he could’ve been with a room, nodding to the innkeeper and smiling sincerely. He walked over to his bed and began to set his assortment of weapons and items on the desk at the end of the bed, when the sudden jingling sound coming from the direction of the door caught his attention. Strias asked the innkeeper for him, and something didn’t set will within him when he heard the aged woman’s answer. He didn’t like feeling trapped.

The white-haired boy decided there wasn’t much he could do about it if he was going to continue his stay here, so he finished organizing his items and flopped on his bed, bouncing once before lying on his back. When Strias claimed the bed closest to the only exit, Fen just nodded and said quietly, “Oh…well, okay.”

He really didn’t enjoy feeling trapped, but he didn’t want to cause any confrontation. The other boy seemed nice enough, and by the looks of it he had fallen asleep already anyway. Fen sighed and gazed at the ceiling with arms at his sides and his left leg hanging off the bed, swaying back and forth in boredom.

His stomach grumbled, reminding him of his hunger just as he heard someone toying with the lock again, this time more hastily, with more frequent jingling. Fen sat up with his legs crossed and looked over to his roommate, who still slept peacefully, and then looked back towards the door.

As another boy burst in and greeted the two of them, Fen raised a brow.

“Uh…hello.” Fen wasn’t that startled by the newcomer’s intrusion, and from this distance he could grab his bow and take this mystery boy out in case he turned out to have hostile intentions.

The innkeeper soon followed and it looked like they were all sharing the room now. Fen didn’t mind, especially after so many years of sharing a room even smaller than this with all of his older siblings. Before the raids began anyway…

During that time, the room he and his brothers and sisters had shared became less and less crowded.

Fen shook off that depressing feeling as it began to creep back into his mind, looking back to his roommate who now made the floor his new place of rest. His own eyes began to close themselves now as sleep took him over. The blue-eyed youth decided to rest his eyes for a moment and before he knew it his head was atop a comfortable pillow and he was out of it.

[NekoRulers]

“ Hello there? Can I help you?”

Ayano smiled at the innkeeper, trying to ignore the obvious staring. She supposed she should have been used to it by now. Shrugging her pack a little higher on one shoulder, the cat-girl made her decision. She would stay here for the night, only because she was too tired to go anywhere else.

“Can I have a room, please? It doesn’t have to be anything fancy. Just a place to stay the night.” she said wearily, hiding an oncoming yawn.

As she waited to have her room assigned, Ayano looked around the place. It seemed like one of those neat little places that was popular with the younger people. The neko sat down in a nearby green chair, along with some other people. Ayano tried to relax, and do her best not to hear what the other people were saying. It was only polite. Beako began to snore (though it was more of squeak). She was quickly jolted out of her fatigued stupor by a sentence from the room’s other occupants.

“The poor children,” said the one with blue hair, his face alight with a disgusting excitement “I wonder what got them.”

“I don’t know…” murmured his companion thoughtfully, “They just went missing.”

“There were those awful footprints,” whimpered the female clinging to his arm.

“True, too true. But no hunters actually got anywhere with them, correct?”

“Precisely. They, ah, went missing or came back empty handed.”

“Excuse me.” said Ayano quickly, but politely.

They turned to her with accusing looks on their faces. None of the trio looked too friendly over all. They had the roughed up presence of people that had seen harsh things.

“Can we help you?” the woman asked, fingering some of her red tresses

“I was just curious,” the cat-girl began “I didn’t mean to overhear your conversation-”

“Of course you didn’t!” laughed the blue headed man, “purely accidental I’m sure.”

“No, really!” Ayano began to protest before realizing the teasing was in good humor. “There are children disappearing, here?”

“Mhmm…” hummed the third

“And nobody can figure out who is doing this?”

“The footprints, girl!” exclaimed the woman “It all points to a creature.”

Ayano immediately thought of the noises she had heard in the forest. As soon as excitement subsided, exhaustion once again inserted itself into her mind. And slowly, ever so slowly, she nodded of to sleep in her chair.

[Beauty]

Once asleep, both Carth and his slave slept peacefully. Slave dreamt of nothing, her deep breaths indicating deep sleep. Carth, on the other hand, had many dreams, all of them very good in his opinion. His dreams were filled with visions of beautiful women, clad in scanty clothes if they were clothed at all, all desiring his attentions.

The coals from the doused fire quickly lost what little heat they had in the night air. There was not a single nightbird singing, neither could any sounds be heard of other creatures of the night that dwelt on the ground. It was perfectly quiet. Had he been awake, Carth would have found it suspicious, but he was too busy dreaming of buxom young women fawning over him to notice has he slumbered on.

Slave shivered in her sleep and moved closer to Carth for warmth. Her clothing was not very warm to begin with, so she got cold easily. Carth’s arm automatically went around her, holding her close to him. In his dreams he had a gorgeous blonde in front him doing a variety of pleasurable activities. In reality, his hand strayed across Slave’s body, repeating the same fondling motions he was doing in his dreams.

This did not completely wake Slave, though she moaned lightly and changed her position. Teased by her master’s perverted dreams and actions, she too began to dream, but of only one person: her master.

[Swing It]

After the old inn keeper left the room, everyone who occupied it fell quickly into a deep slumber, all but Jak. His blood had benn too heated from all the excitement. He wasn’t falling asleep for a long time.

Jak sat out on the window sill, his feet dangling over the edge. His eyes were locked on the forest just outside the city walls. What had chased him before? Surely any beast searching for a meal would have caught him and that would have been it. This creature, whatever it was, seemed to be…taunting him. It would draw closer to him, close enough to reach out and grab him, then it would mysteriously dart to the left or right and run along side him. No beast of the forest would waste time with that. Whatever chased him had to be selfaware.

Jak’s attention turned to the moon. It was bright and beautiful, full moons always were. Jak’s trance was violently ripped apart as a horrifying sound echoed out of the forest. It sounded like…laughter, an evil cackle that was a cross between a creepy old woman yelling at the children in the street, and the brutal slaughter of a wild boar. As soon as he heard it, he knew what made that sound. It was the very creature that had been toying with him before. The laughter came at such a surprise it almost sent Jak falling to his death. He barely managed to force himself to fall backwards into the room. Jak hid the floor hard and rolled backward into the opposite wall. He pantded heavily, his back rpessed against the wall. He was a capable young man, strong and brave, but whatever made that sound had petrified him. He turned to the others in the room.

“D-D-Did you guys f-fucking hear that? ”

But the others were fast asleep. Nothing but the sound of light breathing now. Jak’s eyes returned once again to the window which was still open. Outside the window he could still see the full moon, filling up the night sky. He rose to his feet and slowly crept toward the window. He closed it tight, locked it shut and threw the curtains over it.

“ That’ll be enough star gazing for tonight.” He said as he lay down on the floor. He stared up at the ceiling for what seemed like hours, till his eyes became heavy, and he slowly drifted off to sleep.

[85th]

The sleepy little town just aside of the woods closed down for the night. The lantern man extinguished the tall street lanterns and the shops closed, the candles in windows went out and all grew silent and still. The stars and moon were the only light that existed there. But the moon’s full face provided decent light, casting a silver glow on edges and corners, reflecting off the cobble stone street polished down by the many years of wear.

For hours the stillness and silence continue, the town itself was asleep, left to dream about the day it would wake into. However, by the stroke of midnight the silence and the stillness were disturbed. A small breeze picked up, rushing through the town, tossing autumn leaves about. The breeze grew into a swift wind which rattled shutters and knocked over woven baskets near the closed merchant carts. The clouds above moved over the stars and moon, suffocated the light. The down grew dark, darker than any human could see, but even the cats were inside. This unsettling wind lasted for near a fll minute before the air settled still again and the clouds swept themselves away letting the moon shine back down upon the town.

The silence in the town was broken, not by an abrupt clash but by a smooth and soothing song, sung in an angelic voice. The song gently flowed through the town, brushing itself against the tightly fastened doors, seeming to search for an opening. Rejected by all the song retreated toward the edge of town. There the open window of the inn welcomed the voice into the room of the sleeping Fen, Jak, and Strias. The sound itself seem to brush aside the boys’ hair like a tender mother’s hand. The sweet melody filled their ears, and like a siren’s song cast a hypnotic enchantment upon the youth.

His eyes fluttered open, fighting the grogginess. All Strias could think about was the voice that sang that beautiful song. It was calling him. It was calling all the youth of the town. How sweet the notes sounded to his ears, he had to find the source of the song, surely wherever it came from would be wonderful.

From the door came the sound of the lock turning, unleashing the boys from their prison. Who unlocked the door? It didn’t matter. Without waiting to see if the other boys would follow him Strias pulled open the door, leaving his blanket and pillow upon the floor behind him. From the open door to the room the song filled the entire inn. Every room was filled with the sound, however, not every room was stirred. The adults merely turned in bed and continued sleeping as if there was no sound at all. Ayano’s ears, however, would be able to hear the sweet voice calling to her.

“ Awake from thy sleep, my dear children. Awake from thy sleep. Follow the sound my dear children, follow the sound. Leave behind your troubles, dear children, leave them behind. Follow my voice dear children, follow my voice.”

Strias exited the inn, leaving the door wide open. To hear where the sound was coming from he stood in the middle of the cobble stone street, ears alert, but eyes partially shut, still awaking from his sleep. The wonderful song seemed to be coming from the woods…

~~~~
The voice was needless to say floating about the woods, but would only be heard by the ears of a youth…

[NekoRulers]

Ayano was running through a forest. Her feet were bare and torn, her invisible chain mail missing. She had no idea why she was running, but she was. With a heaving gasp, the cat-girl recognized the ache of worn out muscles. However long she had been running, it was getting to her. Whatever she was running from was going to catch up. She would have to fight. The neko reached for her bo. Where it had been there was only space. And then it came. It all its terrible glory. The sight of it widened her eyes in fear.

“ Awake from thy sleep, my dear children. Awake from thy sleep. Follow the sound my dear children, follow the sound. Leave behind your troubles, dear children, leave them behind. Follow my voice dear children, follow my voice.”

The cat-girl’s eyes cracked open ever so slowly. The voice that awakened her from her sleep sounded so sweet that she could hardly be angry. It was asking her to come to the forest, and she knew that she wanted to follow. Then… What the heck is that voice? I had better get some sleep before tomorrow. Ayano’s emotions conflicted as the voice called. Her cat half the only thing keeping her on the couch. Each time the voice swelled, she almost dashed out the door. Then she would catch herself and sit back down. Her cat ears twitched in agitation as she tried to sort out her thoughts. There was only one thing that could cause her human and cat half to conflict. Witchcraft. Or sorcery, or magic, basically some kind of power. Obviously it was designed to call to a human, but not an animal. The realization cleared her head like a dunk in icy water. And then the voice swelled again and she began to feel the mist rising to obscure her brain again. Not a chance, she thought and tried to push it away but it was too strong.

I’d better go, Ayano thought to herself. The pretty voice won’t wait forever. Not a chance, she changed her mind once more. There must be something that could stop this madness. Conflicting identities couldn’t be good for her in the long run. Slowly, the cat-girl groped around inside her pack sluggishly, as if moving through swamp water. Then her hand clasped around what she was looking for. Fighting another vocal surge, she pressed the vegetation to her nose and inhaled as fast as she could. What was it they had called it at the market? Catnip, that was it. Anyhow, it sent the cat part of her brain racing. Just enough to counter the human half that was being sharpened by the mysterious voice. And suddenly the voice didn’t sound too sweet anymore, and Ayano could resist its pull just enough.

The cat-girl stood up, and stretched slightly. Her muscles were a little sore from napping in a sitting position. Note to self: never sleep in a chair again. She was right minded, but it wouldn’t hurt to check… Ayano found her bo and checked that her invisible chain mail was still on. She let out a barley audible sigh of relief. And now what to do about that voice. Turning back to her chair, the neko noted that Beako was still fast asleep. Good, she thought to herself. I’ll let him stay here for now. Ayano just realized she had unconsciously made a decision. She was going to find what was making that sound, and she was going to stop it. If this wasn’t what was making the young people disappear then she was part dog. With a decisive manner, Ayano stepped into the hall and strode out the door. On her way out, she noticed something odd. The door was open and unlocked.

She had seen someone lock it before she fell asleep…

[Beauty]

Slave and Carth slept deeply in the small woodland glade. Carth’s dreams had faded away for the time being and in so doing, his hands stopped their exploration of Slave’s more sensitive areas. Neither felt the wind that blew the clouds over the full moon. Neither stirred at first at the sound of a voice singing. Then Carth, rolled over, releasing Slave from his arms as she slowly opened her eyes.

What pretty singing! Slave likes it.

She sat up and looked around, trying to see who was singing so sweetly. She could see no one, but the voice sounded so beautiful, she felt she just had to find out who was singing. Softly, so as not to wake her master, Slave stood and began walking toward the voice. She didn’t understand what the voice meant by its song, but she didn’t care either. She would be back before morning and Master would never know she was gone. All would be well.

Carth did not hear any singing. He muttered something in his sleep, but otherwise did not stir from his slumber. His previous dreams were returning to him and that made him happy. Oblivious to the world, the young elven lord slept on whilst Slave walked blindly through the forest, following the mysterious, beautiful voice that sung so sweetly.

[Swing It]

“ Arg!! Son of a bitch! ” screamed Jak, holding his ears. “ What the fuck is that?!? ” There was a ghastly song in the air. It faded in and out between and the voice of an angel to the screeching horror of a thousand banshees. Jak winced in pain as he tried to block out the sound. He looked over to the window which had somehow been opened. “Rrrg. I fucking locked that!”

Jak pitifully crawled his way over to the window and shut it tight, making sure he locked it this time. He could still here the sound, but it was muffled now, not so intense on his ultra-sensitive ears. He looked about the room before asking whether or not anyone else could hear it, but most of them were gone. The cat girl and the brown headed one were missing. The silver one still lay sleeping.

“ Hey! Where did ever-” Jak was swiftly interrupted. What he saw before him petrified him. There, beside the bed where the silver one lay, not floating, not flying, simply existing, was what appeared to be a poltergeist. Her hair drifted about around her head as if she were under water. Her face was non-existent, nothing but a white silhouette figure was before him. She spoke quietly, yet menacingly.

“ Follow the sound my dear children, follow the sound. Leave behind your troubles, dear children, leave them behind. Follow my voice dear children, follow my voice.”

“Wha-what are you?” muttered Jak, stumbling back into the wall.

“ Hush little one, come with me. Close your eyes, drift off to sleep. You’ll see your friends, in my dungeon you’ll meet. Just close your eyes, follow your feet.”

“ Wait! No don’t….what are…..uuhn. ” and then there was darkness.