Another animal - a bird, maybe? or an odd bug? - approached the stag, but then it spoke, and so he knew it was a bird. Bugs couldn't speak, he knew that.

He stiffened, as the lights vanished. It went dark, and his ears twitched as he began to hear whispers of his own name. What was going on? Why had he thought this was a good idea?

"Pri-ide, hello." he returned the greeting, nodding politely at Charoite, although it was likely that the bird couldn't see it. His magic tugged at him, and he leaned down, gripping a chunk of dead wood in his teeth. The glow that overtook it was dim, but it was glow enough to provide some light. He peered into the darkness, fur bristling, attempting to see what it was that had drawn the stags attention.

@Dragon @Charoite @Selena @Pride

I've been on a lonely tripdragging along a lonely shadow

Electric Storm, Electric Storm, Electric Storm, Don't Cry Baby
Selena slinked along as cautiously as she could while still following the strange dancing globe before her. It didn’t seem to be a creature in and of itself. It was possibly caused by magic of some sort. Her experience with such things had been very limited over the cycles, but she knew it could do many strange and wonderous things. The important question, therefore, was what kind of creature could cause such magic? And, more importantly, for what purpose? Her thoughts were soon interrupted by a particularly annoying bug flying down close to her ears. Mosquitos, flies, and other such irksome things were common enough in Cetus that it didn’t faze her much. That was until the creature turned back towards her, revealing itself to not be a bug at all. Selena took a moment to compose herself from the shock of the sudden meeting before answering. It helped that the bird was quite small, even for a bird, and a prey species to her. Her normal internal alarm bells did not go off. It was perplexing that such a small creature was so bold, though. “Oh, ah, yes. Yes, I am.” Emerald eyes found themselves once again mesmerized by the floating fire. The bobcat felt compelled to resume following it once more after her momentary delay. For whatever reason it felt like she couldn’t let it leave her sight. So she moved forward as though sleepwalking until her paws came to the edge of a clearing blanketed by the fog. The most immediate thing was the feeling the clearing had. It was similar to when sparks appeared on her fur, a feeling that wasn’t quite tactile but something else. Next was the myriad of scents that alerted her that she was not the first and only traveler to this particular clearing. At least one scent was familiar to her as the two of them shared Cetus as a home. Still, none of them were from creatures she knew well which caused the fur along her back below her gem to bristle. Then the clearing faded into complete darkness as the flames, as more had appeared like a strange herd of mythic creatures, extinguished as one. Claws immediately came out as ears flattened against her skull. One thing that Selena knew how to do well was how to react to an unwelcomed situation. She didn’t know which way lead back to her den but that fact did not appear to matter much at the moment. After all, any direction would lead away from here. A cream-colored paw lifted by hesitated as a strange sound came to her ears. A voice.… A voice that was saying something, something she couldn’t understand. The strangeness of the situation made her pause while straining to make sense of the utterance. And then she realized what it was. Her name. Again and again ... and again. Goosebumps traveled over her skin causing every strand of fur on her body to extend. How could this strange creature, whatever and where ever it was, know her name? Why was it calling her? She was paralyzed as fear began to grip her mind. What could it possibly want with her? And then it moved. She gave a low, throaty yowl in warning to the unseen creature. Speech Thoughts Tags: @Charoite @Pride @Dragon @Yoosung @Septiezal Notes:

GHOSTLIGHT

YOU'VE ENCOUNTERED: SHADEBEAST

SHADEBEAST

100 / 100 HP    100%

The black shape stepped into the clearing, visible for a moment only as a blur shrouded in shadows that seemed to roll off its hide. Two glowing red eyes blinked in the black fog, and a scarlet gem glinted at its chest. It took two long, uneven steps toward the white stag, the obvious prey that stood clear in the glade, Pride's white hide making him an obvious target.

For a brief instant, the roiling black fog around the creature seemed to clear, revealing a doglike beast with a horribly emaciated frame that towered over even the white stag, at least eight feet tall, with fangs far too long for its snout. The whispers intensified in this moment, and all present would hear threats murmured in their mind, threats to all of those they might care for, threats of terrible fates directed to loved ones by name.

In this instant the Shade-beast sprang for Pride, its shadows hurtling forward with it to engulf the white stag in darkness--shrouding itself and its chosen prey from sight.

Septiezal 100/100

Pride 100/100

Dragon 100/100

Yoosung 100/100

Charoite 100/100

Selena 100/100

@Septiezal @Pride @Dragon @Yoosung @Charoite @Selena

There was an eerie, low yowling sound, and the dog's head snapped to the side, taking in a bulky cat. He hadn't known cats could make a sound like that, and he rather wished he hadn't learned so.

His ears perked as a black shape appeared, the only thing truly visible a pair of glowing red eyes and a glinting gem, with a staggering stride. And then, for a brief moment, he could make out a canid figure, massive in side and horribly thin, before it was on Pride. There was a whisper in his mind, murmuring threats to himself and the few Gembounds he had met while awake.

And then Pride was gone, vanishing into the shadows that surrounded the beast. His eyes widened, and before he realized what he was doing, he had snatched up a rock, which began to glow brightly, and flung it into the shadows, attempting to alight the darkness.

I've been on a lonely tripdragging along a lonely shadow

The stag startled as something black and large emerged from the shadows. His head came up, nostrils flaring. Despite his encounter with the creature who had tried to take Huckleberry, he still did not expect mindless monsters in the caves--and tried to speak to it, for a brief instant.

"Are you--" He'd meant to ask "are you friendly," or perhaps "are you hostile," but before he could get the final word out the animal had leapt for him.

Question answered, he thought grimly, and without time to call his magic, instinct took over. He reared up and back, his branching antlers dropping to face the intruder with long, blade-sharp tines thrusting at the dark.

He hit nothing--but nothing hit him, either, and he felt the sharp rush of wind indicating movement at an angle to him. Perhaps it had averted to avoid his charge, at least. He turned that way, backing quickly up, and flinched a little as a glowing stone hurtled into the pool of darkness. In that pool he could briefly see the slavering jaws, the pointed teeth, the glowing red eyes.

...Hell, he thought, heart racing as he gathered his magicka for what was undoubtedly going to be a battle.

The alligator watched, and of course, the black dog attacked. Grim aggravation ran through him. This was his territory; this was the home of the Children of Rot. They couldn't have some monstrous something wandering around attacking them, here; this would have to be dealt with right here and now.

He focused, for a moment, deciding that the best way to deal with this would not, for once, be fire.

It took him longer than he'd expected to draw the shape of the magicka together, to lift himself into the air. Blood-red and shrouded black wings spread, monstrous in their own right; ghostly demonic horns curled back, draconic, from his skull. When he lifted, though, it wasn't intimidating so much as comical: he hung precisely vertical, heavy tail pointed straight down, too bulky to even begin to look the part of a sinuous dragon.

Still, he was not harmless.

The wings beat once, twice, and he was airborne; magic-supported and seeming to grin as his jaws opened. He then hurtled suddenly forward, a missile with scales, throwing himself with his magical flight straight at the dog that Yoosung had made visible in the darkness.

He aimed to get a jaw-hold, but missed; more than that he tried to simply throw his massive bulk into the stranger, to throw it, to damage it, to grapple it.

And, eventually, he hoped--to kill it.

GHOSTLIGHT

YOU HAVE ENGAGED SHADEBEAST

SHADEBEAST

83 / 100 HP

The shadows shifted in the center of the clearing. The white stag had thrust forward, antlers-first, and the Shadebeast seemed to turn in midair, landing a few paces away. A bellowing growl ripped through the darkness, surreal and ominous. The sound did not belong to this world.

Yoosung's bright stone shot forth, and there was a sharp, hissing snarl as the rock thumped off the beast's hide. The dull light chased away only a little of the shadows, but now the others outside the clearing could see the swift dance of the white stag's legs and the black hound's clawed paws in the muck.

As flying alligator hurtled into the clearing, the dog leapt aside. The creature still struck him, knocking him staggering--but he vanished an instant later, the heavy reptile likely landing in the muck after the heavy collision.

For a moment, all was still and silent. And then a shadow coalesced behind Yoosung, and the black dog lunged in silence for the other-dog, this light-dog, this bright-dog, that had dared defy it.

Or perhaps it saw Yoosung as easier prey.

Septiezal 100/100

Pride 100/100

Dragon 100/100

Yoosung 100/100

Charoite 100/100

Selena 100/100

Shadebeast has been struck by Yoosung's stone, and taken 11 damage. It has taken 6 damage from Dragon's flying tackle.

It is now lunging for Yoosung. Should it strike, its bite will feel burning cold, its fangs like ice, numbing where it hits.

@Septiezal @Pride @Dragon @Yoosung @Charoite @Selena

The dog narrowed his eyes, trying to make out the being in the shadows. It was vaguely dog-like, he could tell, but that was all. The white of Pride's fur stood out starkly in the shadows, and as he watched the dog missed, but the stag didn't strike him either.

Something rose from the swamp - vaguely reptilian, with antlers and wings, and then flung itself into the shadows and at the beast. It made contact with the beast, but the monster vanished, and the reptile splattered into the muck.

And then the dark-dog was charging at him.

And later, he would never be able to say what, exactly, had happened. Maybe the monster had stumbled, or miscalculated, or maybe he had jumped out of the way without thinking. All he knew was that one moment it was rushing him, and the next his fangs were snapping shut an inch from its flesh - if it could be called that.

I've been on a lonely tripdragging along a lonely shadow

The stag wheeled, antlers slicing through nothing but air. Silver eyes drove frantically through the darkness--could he even see over how hard his heart was beating?

But there was nothing, nothing but--oh!

He took a sharp, airborne bound--all four hooves thrusting up, flinging mud, plunging back into the wet--toward Yoosung. His magicka gathered, his head dropping low as if he were about to charge.

His heart was still hammering too fast in his chest.

His intention had been to grab the monster. To fling it, to slam in into the trees with nothing but the magic of his mind. Instead his vision exploded into stars, something cracking in his consciousness.

Everything went black; the stag collapsed, breathing shallowly, in the black mud.

The thing was far too close to the dog to use his fire. He'd intended to, turning with jaws agape, ready to blast billowing flame from his gullet--but he'd have struck Yoosung.

Dragon hissed with frustration, a deep and guttural sound, and drove in--competetive ferocity driving him--for a physical confrontation. He loved to fight, really; he enjoyed the thrill of combat. He was oblivious to the stag collapsing behind him. Instead he used the last of his magical wings to drive him more swiftly, and then charged through the mud, throwing himself for the black dog. He snapped with powerful jaws, trying to sieze onto its chest, or face, or throat, and roll with all his weight--to rend, and to tear.

Jaws snapped shut on nothing, a loud clap resounding in the air. The dog seemed to be having the same trouble, and Dragon felt certain that this enemy was using magic of some kind to move in a wholly unnatural way.

He braced himself for its next attack. Let it come for me; I will destroy it!