|
Post by Fiera Ferella on May 24, 2020 18:41:29 GMT -6
The rakai sarane growled at her a bit, but eventually came along. They were both stubborn beasts, but usually Fiera was the one that could win out like that. The two of them crossed the garden together, stepping over the rubble delicately. When they got to the tunnel, Fiera walked right on in, seeing no need to hesitate. Victor pulled her forward as well, as eager to move on as she was. He pressed his nose to the ground, sniffing loudly. Speaking of the ground, the sand of the crystal garden gave way to fresh mulch. The hedges were so high that while it was still bright in the tunnel, the bushes were so tall on either side that she could barely see the sky as a bright blue strip in the sky above her. The wind rustled the hedges, making that strip undulate like a stream and putting a fresh scent in the air.
Fiera 15 Victor 32.0/34.0 15
|
|
|
Post by Fiera Ferella on May 25, 2020 16:20:59 GMT -6
Fiera hoped that she wouldn't be attacked right here and now- or stepped on, as it were. Despite the narrowness of the path, there wasn't actually a lot of cover for her and Victor, and she felt awfully exposed while simultaneously not being able to see through the hedges for any attackers. Granted, there was only one enemy here that she was expecting, but she had no clue as to what angle it would be coming from. Needless to say, the idea of the nyssa bursting out of the hedges on either side of her put a bit of extra pep in her step. Victor seemed just as eager to get going, as she could see his ears rotating around, looking for the sources of any sounds. The mulch crunched softly under their feet as they neared the end of the tunnel. Fiera pushed forward, wanting to clear those last couple feet.
Fiera 16 Victor 32.1/34.1 16
|
|
|
Post by Fiera Ferella on May 25, 2020 16:29:27 GMT -6
One last burst of speed, and they exited the hedge tunnel into another clearing. Once again, it was total destruction. It looked like this clearing originally contained a beautiful pavilion and some picnic tables. They were all painted pretty and white and well maintained. Fiera could easily imagine the old woman who owned this place throwing fancy parties here, for friends and family. Birthday parties, book clubs. Well, she doubted she would be able to throw those for a while- this place was wrecked. What was the nyssa here for anyway? There weren't even any plants here, or the crystals that the nyssa found so attractive the first time around. Other than the grass under her feet and Victor's paws, there was only the hedges here for plant life. "Not even anything for the darn thing to eat..." Fiera said, overturning a shattered plank from a well demolished picnic table.
Fiera 17 Victor 32.2/34.2 17
|
|
|
Post by Fiera Ferella on May 25, 2020 16:40:31 GMT -6
But no, there had to be a reason WHY it was here, right? Fiera dropped Victor's leash again, determined to do some sleuthing. The rakai wandered off, happy to do his own thing while Fiera got back into investigation mode. The humanish clambered up into the wreckage of the pavilion, poking amongst the wreckage. Sure enough, nothing seemed chewed on, or even deliberately destroyed. So the nyssa wasn't hungry, and it wasn't angry. Fiera looked at the tall hedges around her, their wavering tops. It didn't look like it burst through the walls around here either. But if it wasn't trying to destroy all this stuff, why stick around in the clearing at all? It wasn't like it could sit down without hurting itself- goodness knew there were plenty of other places to settle down for a nice nap. Instead it just seemed to prefer deconstructing every piece of architecture in the area.
Fiera 18 Victor 32.3/34.3 18
|
|
|
Post by Fiera Ferella on May 25, 2020 17:07:59 GMT -6
There wasn't anything hidden in the area, either. She was hoping to find something hidden between the floor of the pavilion and the ground, opened up by the nyssa's rampage, but there was nothing but bare dirt and dead bugs. Perhaps if there was something under the pavilion hidden by a trap door, like spare food or fertilizer or something, it would justify the structure being ripped apart... but no. Nothing. Fiera huffed, frustrated, and threw the planks back down. "Great. Another dead end. Find anything over there, Victor?" She called over to her sarane. The blue beast looked up at her, and then turned to one of the hedge tunnels leading out of the clearing. Fiera followed his gaze, but could see nothing but more hedge rows. "Well, great. Time to go wander around some more." Fiera sighed, and hopped down off of the wreckage fo the pavilion. She would probably get a splinter hanging around any longer anyway.
Fiera 19 Victor 32.4/34.4 19
|
|
|
Post by Fiera Ferella on May 25, 2020 18:24:02 GMT -6
Fiera trotted toward Victor, at least somewhat pleased. Victor was a good tracker- she learned that much during their adventure in the eccentric's mansion last year. If there was anyone she trusted to find this nyssa, it was him. How big was this place, anyway? The last time she was here she thought there was only one or two clearings, but it was clear this place was less "nice rock garden" and more "hedge maze". Frankly, she'd be amazed if she could find her way back out after this. Still, she had no other options than to keep looking. With any luck she'd find the nyssa soon... or the reason that it was here. There had to be one, now that it was warded away from the crystals. At least she had a goal now- if she could figure out what the beast wanted, she could get it to leave that much easier.
Fiera 20 Victor 33.0/35.0 20
|
|
|
Post by Jack on May 27, 2020 16:29:22 GMT -6
There was a great creaking sound just to the south of where the woman stood with her Rakai-Sarane, perhaps that was the great Nyssa? It had to be, what else would be that loud?
[Nothing happens, 7-18]
|
|
|
Post by Fiera Ferella on May 28, 2020 14:01:01 GMT -6
Sure enough, as she and Victor looked down the path, she heard a creaking noise in the distance. Could it be...? Even if it wasn't their wayward nyssa, they had to at least go check. After all, hedges didn't creak like that, and there were no trees large enough to create that sort of sound. "Come on, Victor!" Fiera said excitedly, running down the trail. She didn't even bother picking the rakai sarane's leash up- he seemed capable of keeping up on his own. The humanish and rakai made good progress together, making their way to the next clearing. They were so close! Fiera could practically taste the victory, and it was just as sweet as it ever was. When they arrived in the clearing though, a strange expression crept across Fiera's face. She didn't find anything BAD, but... what Fiera and Victor saw definitely wasn't expected.
Fiera 1 Victor 33.1/35.1 21
|
|
|
Post by Fiera Ferella on May 28, 2020 18:53:52 GMT -6
The clearing was just as ruined as the ones that they had passed through before, but with a notable difference- it was covered in snoozing nyssa. To anyone else, it would look like a grove of trees at first glance, but Fiera knew better. Also, they had faces and limbs, that was pretty distinctive. The critters were heaped together in piles, snoring loudly with their leaves shivering from the sound. "Great. There's gotta be what... six nyssa here?" She said to Victor while gesticulating at them. She couldn't blame the rakai sarane for bringing her here though. He was set to look for nyssa, and nyssa he had found for her. But she had to admit... not what she was tasked to find. The old woman had INSISTED that it was the same nyssa as last time, with the same tendency to get into her things and ruin her garden.
Fiera 2 Victor 33.2/35.2 22
|
|
|
Post by Fiera Ferella on May 28, 2020 19:04:13 GMT -6
And yet, this wasn't one large nyssa. This was many still quite large, but much smaller than she remembered nyssa, having a nice nap in the remains of another sand garden. They were mostly oak nyssa, but Fiera could see the bright red spots of one or two maples. What were they doing here? Fiera didn't want to get too close and spook them, but she could try to come up with theories. Perhaps the old woman was mistaken? Perhaps she saw these all moving at once and thought it was the mega nyssa? Before Fiera could get too far with that idea though, Fiera heard a noise. It was almost inaudible at first, a base grumble that she felt as a sense of dread in her stomach as opposed to a sound in her ears that slowly rose to a loud screech echoing across the entirety of the gardens.
Fiera 3 Victor 33.3/35.3 23
|
|
|
Post by Fiera Ferella on May 28, 2020 19:32:59 GMT -6
Victor snarled, his flames flaring and the scales on his hackles rising at the sound, even as it echoed and faded away. Fiera had to admit, her tail was a little poofier than usual too. "Oh... now THAT... was the sound that a very large nyssa would make." And then suddenly... it all clicked. Why would the nyssa come here if not for food? If not for some sort of supply it was looking for? Now she was realizing though that her assumption was correct. The nyssa had come here for its friends. Specifically, she knew that nyssa tended to travel in groups naturally, as wandering copses of trees or walking forests if the group was large enough. A place like this though, with its mazelike and incredibly tall hedges and myriad clearings, it would be easy for creatures even as large as nyssa to get lost and separated from each other.
Fiera 4 Victor 33.4/35.4 24
|
|
|
Post by Fiera Ferella on May 28, 2020 19:38:21 GMT -6
It looked like the majority of the group had stopped here while the much larger (and thus faster by comparison) head nyssa went on ahead and only realized later that it had gotten lost. Now these ones were taking quite a pleasant nap while the giant nyssa realized how alone it was. One thing led to another, and the garden was slowly destroyed as the nyssa searched for its fellows. It looked like the rest of the glen was too deeply asleep for its calls to reach them either. But maybe if Fiera could lead it to them... then they would all leave together. The garden wouldn't get wrecked anymore, she could go talk to the old woman, collect her quest points, and go home already. It was the perfect solution! She just needed to follow that roar to its source and find a way to lead it back here.
Fiera 5 Victor 34.0/36.0 25
|
|
|
Post by Fiera Ferella on May 29, 2020 16:38:13 GMT -6
"Come on Victor, let's go!" Fiera said, tugging on the rakai's leash to try and get him to come away from the pile of nyssa, which he was busy sniffing furiously. "Come on, we need to go find the big one!" She urged, finally pulling her rakai away. She had heard the general direction the bellow came from- hopefully the nyssa wouldn't have moved far since then. After all, how quickly could such a critter move? It was huge too, so hopefully, it wouldn't get away TOO quickly. As she approached the hedge though, she realized she couldn't make a straight beeline for it. She couldn't even begin to see the other side of the hedge where she was, and it was too thick for her and Victor to push through. She would be cut to ribbons within minutes if she were to even try. She'd have to find an alternate route.
Fiera 6 Victor 34.1/36.1 26
|
|
|
Post by Fiera Ferella on May 29, 2020 21:25:18 GMT -6
That alternate route would probably have to be the hedge tunnels, now that she thought about it. It's not like there were any better options. She tugged on Victor's leash again, urging him forward. Victor growled slightly, but Fiera only rolled her eyes. He knew better than to try and bite her. Soon though, they were off down the tunnel, with a renewed goal. They had to find the giant nyssa and lead it back to its grove before they woke up and moved on again. If they didn't, chances are they'd all keep getting lost and would end up destroying the garden entirely. And if they did that, the old woman would be devastated. And if the old woman was devastated, then Fiera wouldn't get paid, and she would have spent a whole day getting hot and sweaty for absolutely nothing. And Fiera was not the type to waste her time.
Fiera 7 Victor 34.2/36.2 27
|
|
|
Post by Fiera Ferella on May 29, 2020 21:29:32 GMT -6
The woodchips flew up under her feet as she dashed down the hedgerow. As she and her rakai sarane ran however, another bellow started up in the distance. Once again, it was an almost earthquake-like rumble, and Fiera could have almost sworn that she saw some of the woodchips under her feet get bounced along the ground with the vibrations. From there it raised into a trumpeting screech, reverberating for what must have been miles before dying away again. Fiera rubbed one ear and sighed. "Believe me buddy, I wish you were waking your friends up with that noise too. For my sake..." She grumbled. Victor sneezed in agreement, shaking his head- his ears were far more sensitive than hers, after all. But at least now she knew she was definitely on the right path. That bellow had been dead ahead, meaning that the nyssa had to be close by.
Fiera 8 Victor 34.3/36.3 28
|
|