The coyote yelped as he missed, tumbling head over tail, the parchment crumpling as he landed on it but, thankfully, not tearing or ripping. He sat up, shaking his head to clear it, sneezing and scratching behind his ears, before seeing the sled again as it chased after Nemo.

'SLED!'

One-track-minded, Ischium leaped to his paws, and took off after it at a full sprint.

Garnet-Epsilon

Epsilon flapped off as quickly as they could with their precarious prize, wrapping their forelegs around it like arms and curling it close as they flap skittered away... and into Tunnel P. It would be safe there, or at least both the tiny Gembound and its salty prize would be out from underfoot.

They decide to retrieve their other, more crinkly prize at a later time, when there's less chaotic foot traffic and they have less of a chance of being spotted. With a glance out at the bones, hoping that they could retrieve the skull and not lose the gift to another, Epsilon hides fully back in Tunnel P.

;Exit Garnet-Epsilon

Electrum

He can feel the scroll caught in his tail, and so he tightens his curled tail around it and braces for impact, flapping once or twice before being able to skid to a landing on his hind legs.

Swapping the scroll's grip to his jaw, he whips his head back and forth, looking for Haven, who he can hear calling out for him across the cave.

"Haven, I'm coming- I got the scroll!" he trumpets, of course being nearly unintelligible sue to the scroll clasped in his teeth, but he continues over anyway, bounding over and sliding to a stop near the other, nosing at the sharp shiny stick and soft things.. tied to it?

Electrum spits out the scroll, and leans his head down to further inspect the other's prize. "Huh. Looks like you got some soft stuff and something to like... tie it together?" he huffs, and shifts on his hind feet and whips his tail.

"We can look at it later, I wanna get out of here- it's creepy. Why don't we find somewhere else to look at these?" he nudges the other towards what we know as Tunnel K, "Let's go this way..."

@Haven
;Exit Electrum unless stopped.

The dragoness initially hissed at him before realizing who it was, and sighed in relief.

Haven reached her head out to bump Electrum gently, before huffing as she shook her head, "I grabbed the first thing I could... sorry if it's not what you expected."

She nodded at the other's words, definitely agreeing. She didn't like this place, so filled with chaos that it practically stunk of it. Her wings spread and she took to the air, faster with her wings than she was on her piddly little feet.

"You owe me!", she squawked at him, letting go of the item with one foot so she could swipe at his head, missing, of course, "That was a mess! I nearly died, I swear..."

Haven followed him out, eager to get away and to maybe flop down and rest for a few moments.

@Electrum

Exit Haven unless stopped.

Ischium's frantic movements dislodged a prize, the final object atop the sled, which tumbled into his path.

It was a sack, one smelling deliciously hot and buttery. Within, the coyote would find a stone slab, and on it, carved engravings showing corn harvested, then heated until it bursts into popcorn. This is accompanied by a container of mysteriously hot, buttered popcorn, and a handful of fresh corn kernels.

The sled is now empty, though it continues to careen on many legs here and there throughout Canis. There's several chests remaining, two of which have items in them.

@Ischium

Sorda looked down at the scrap of leather curiously, prodding it with a claw and trying to decipher the diagrams on it's surface. It was hard to focus on anything, though, with the sled and all the other gembound running around. She stashed her new find by the wooden wheels. It looked like most of the items had been claimed, but she looked around to see if she could find anything that had been missed.

And lo and behold, she found another chest pressed against a cave wall, hidden in the shadows. Though slightly wary- she had seen a 'chest' attack another gembound- she was far too curious to not try at all. Still, she kept tense just in case anything did happen.

tags:
notes:

coding by wulf for template purposes

Sorda's chest popped open, its jagged-toothed maw... inert.

Phew.

Within lay a fine wooden loom, aged but intact, with woven wool twisted through it, half-woven into yarn. This has, attached to it, one sock.

The Collector, observing, noted now that it all seemed to be over. He sighed; they were so uncreative. Quietly he appeared, just manifested, so it seemed, right behind Sorda. "You know," he said, his rich, smooth voice abrupt behind her, "You all could have tamed the chests, or taken them, or befriended the Energetic Sled, but you're all so-..."

He sighed, gesturing vaguely, and shook his head, as if he couldn't find the words. "Ahh, never mind. But please do ensure that my gifts do not go to waste. I look forward to seeing what you all do with them, hmm? Ta ta."

The Collector, the many-legged sled, and all the chests abruptly vanished from Canis, a flicker of light and then nothing; the Gembound were now left with their strange prizes.

A gentle rain of hot, buttered popcorn began to fall, and would continue for nearly an hour.

Event: Achievement Unlocked has been completed! Characters may exit, or may eat popcorn for awhile.

@Sorda @Ischium @Dip @Aran @Rainstorm @Nemo

'FOOD!'

Was it a good idea for a canine to eat something that smelled buttery?

Probably not.

But the sack that landed in his path smelled delicious, and he started drooling enough that he had to drop the parchment or risk soaking it to uselessness, lunging to slam his paws down on the sack and sinking his teeth into it, unelegantly ripping it open. The stone slab was given a sniff, the container of hot, buttered popcorn being what he was after. He shoved the kernels aside (they looked tasty but they weren't warm and didn't smell like butter (whatever that was!)

Into the container his head went, and there was very loud crunching as he began to feast, tail waggling, quickly accompanied by his whole body, and happy-tasty-yummy coyote noises (which would later be joined by canines-are-lactose-intolerant-my-tummy-hurts noises), until he'd emptied the container, and something was raining down on his back.

He tried to pull his head back, and found himself well stuck. The coyote's eyes bulged, and he began to backpedal furiously as though he could magically just walk out of the container, flailing his head from side to side with loud squalls, ass low to the ground and back hunched as he scurried back like a cat with its head stuck in a bag.

this was linked but it was impossible to see on the table: a cat with its head stuck in a bag

swear words but are you really surprised?

Well, way to make assumptions, Assgol. (Oh, that was a funny nickname that he'd never employ against the Collector.) What if he'd been the one faced with a splinter machine? Surely, he'd also panic in a mad scramble to get away from it and a face-mauling.

Eythan sulked from his place, only scowling further as the mimic disappeared from sight in a flicker of lights and then - "what the fuck?" At first, it seemed like snowflakes cascading from nowhere, but they were piping-hot and... salty-smelling?

"Fuckin' hell," he grunted, tail flicking side-to-side, "you're making a mess." All this shit all up in the bones? It better be edible... crunch! "Aw, shit..." it was kind of okay.

There he sat, without a gift for his niece - but, at least having a decent time plucking popcorn from the air like fat flakes.

exit eythan

For a long moment, Dip simply studied the piece of paper in her hands. Whatever it was, she was sure it had some kind of use. Even if she couldn't do anything with it (it looked too brittle for armour, really) someone out there must have some kind of purpose for this... sludge.

As she watched it, a kernel of buttered popcorn fell onto the page.

Serendipity lifted her hand, picked the popcorn off it, and inspected it. And then, as you so often do, stuck it into her mouth and ate it. It was good, at least. The humanoid set Delta down and started to fold the paper away into one of her pockets. "Weird," she commented to the hybrid, but...

She looked back into the hut, and then out into the popcorn rain. She looked down at her teapot, and let out a little huff as she opened the top. Her hand hovered over the opening and a slough of water went pouring into the basin, filling it.

Dip stepped out into Canis, wandering, looking up. "Fuck it," she said, as she caught another kernel with her mouth. She had time.

exit dip