Rock, Paper, Scissors...

[Roose Hurro]

Nature's Tears...



Sev allowed himself a moment's pleasure at Mei's touch. Something to divert his attentions from the tingle crawling up his spine and making his quills rise. Just a moment, before her words brought him back...

... "I feel the same as you, Mei... something isn't right." He still kept hold of her paws as he turned, then broke her pause by using his grip to "encourage" her movement, just before breaking his grip. His own movements, decisive, as he crossed the distance, broke cover at the stream-bank, and.......

....... Still portions of the stream had an unnatural sheen, dead fish floating along in the eddies. With his Third Eye, Sev could see a fish "ghost" poking at its own dead body caught in debris near shore.

Sev remained silent and tense, his gaze directed upstream.......

[Mei]

THAT'S what that smell was. She cringed at the dead fish. Mei liked eating fish, but fresh fish... these had long since passed.

"What the he-..." She trailed off, noticing Sev's tenseness. "What is it?" She whispered.

[Roose Hurro]

Spirits Restless...



Sev also liked eating fish.......

But this...

... "I don't know... animal spirits normally pass without lingering. I'm seeing dead fish with my eyes, each one with a restless fish spirit attached to it. My Spirit Eye has never seen this before........"

Sev couldn't help but be disturbed. Whatever was going on upstream wasn't natural. Wasn't...

... "Mei..." He turned towards her, determination in all three of his eyes... "follow me." He avoided the water as he paced his way upstream.......

[Mei]

Mei, although white in color, went even more pale. She felt the blood drain from her extremeties and had to fight her body's natural reaction to pass out. She steeled herself against the feeling and followed sev determinedly, also avoiding looking at the fish.

[Roose Hurro]

Funeral Procession...



Sev wasn't avoiding the fish. Something was wrong with the water, not just with restless spirits. He didn't know of any toxin that would cause such a reaction to Spirit energies... but it was possible whatever was contaminating the water could, if touched... well, Sev didn't want to find out what it would do. So he continued leading Mei upstream, careful to watch and listen, to use any sense he could bring to bear to warn him of any danger ahead. He couldn't do anything for the dead fish, but he could find out what had done this. He... they!... would just have to be careful.

He didn't want to see more death like this. Because he loved nature. Had spent the best times of his childhood exploring Life, even though his people knew much about Death. Perhaps this was why he'd rejected becoming a Seer. He much wanted to experience Life, not be surrounded by Spirits and their issues. Not to live with death and the dead for a living. Like his father...

... "Mei... I'm sorry I dragged you into this. If you want to go back......."

Sev let that sentence hang.

[Mei]

She pushed back the feeling that made the fur on the back of her neck stand up as they walked further upstream. "No, lets keep going... besides. If i let every creepy feeling ive had paralyze me to the spot or send me running home, you and i would have never met face to face!" She winked at Sev.

As they rounded a bend in the stream, the feeling became worse and could not be ignored. She visibly shivered, her fur bushed out all down her back and her ears went flat against her head. "Sev..." she started, but a dark figure behind a tree caught her attention...

[Roose Hurro]

Returnings...



Sev hadn't expected she'd turn and run. And she'd... Mei had never paralyzed to any spot, not even when a demon had sprung from their Third. He'd simply made the offer, because every "creepy feeling" that swept up and down his spine made him worry for her. Temporary lover status didn't change his feelings for her, his desire to not see her hurt. Or dead. Offer her a way to return, where she could be safe. Or as safe as anyone could be. Any place safer than where they were. Or where they were going.

Mei... they never would have met at all, had neither of them been the adventurous sort. Her wink's suggestive nature made him smile a tight smile. Grim as things looked, he tried to lighten the heaviness in his heart. For her.......

"Sev..."

Apparently his efforts hadn't helped, Mei's ears flat against her head, her whole body shivering.......

....... and now, some dark figure behind a tree, so unexpected his quills went fully erect as his own ears went flat.

Sev didn't hesitate to insert himself between Mei and this.......