Navigation - Travelers' Pitfall

With a spring in her step and a hum on her lips Kanja made her way across the treacherous terrain. Every once in a while her hum would fade as she came across the partially submerged corpse of a hapless traveler. She would scrutinize the ground around the body, sidestep once or twice, and then carry on her merry way completely unfazed by the gruesome death of a fellow creature. Quicksand, she believed, was one of those things set in motion by the gods to weed out stupid critters. Anyone with a little sense knew that quicksand was scarier in theory than in reality. If you didn't panic and flail around like a puss you had little to fear. Freeing yourself might be difficult, but it was certainly far from impossible.

Up ahead the foreleg of some kind of hoofed creature jutted out of the ground. It was amazing, really, how well the quicksand blended in with the rest of the terrain. If not for the decaying limb she wouldn't have been able to tell there was danger ahead. The surface of the mucky pool was smooth and innocuous-looking. It seemed that after some amount of time passed the sandy muck would smooth over and right itself in preparation of another attack. Like she'd done with other corpse filled pools, Kanja sidestepped the mess. Once to get around it, once more for good measure and then she began to move forwards agai-

Oh, balls. In an instant she was up to her neck in silty muck. The ground under her forepaws had crumbled away allowing her front half to slide in. Luckily, her back legs were still on firm ground. Unfortunately, the angle made lifting herself out difficult. Kanja wiggled around a bit to test the grip of the quicksand. She knew the gist of how it worked; how whatever force she used to try to free herself would be used against her. The giantess huffed. If she moved slowly and inched her way backwards she should (in theory) be able to free herself. Her ears flattened as a thought struck her. What if there were witnesses?

Forgetting for a moment that she was in danger Kanja lifted her head and cast a defiant glance across her surroundings. The last thing she wanted (almost rivaling dying this way) was for someone to see her right now. She couldn't - wouldn't - suffer such a blow to her dignity.

Chasing Twisters In The Canyon

"The hell kind of detour is this, Alkali?"  Pyralis lifted her eyes to the hawk that glided above her then back down to the skeletal corpse of some poor fool that had been trapped in quicksand and likely starved to death.  She hadn't meant to venture this far east but Alkali had assured her the resulting view would be worth it if they could survive the pitfall.

"Actually, I suggested going farther north through the mountains but you just had to go chasing that coyote."  Ok, so the bird had a point.  She licked her lips, that had certainly been a fun little game up until the coyote got swallowed by a pit of quick sand and of course curiosity got the better of Pyralis so she just had to go a little bit farther, and a little bit farther and a liiitttlle bit faaartther… until she might as well finish the journey.

Pyralis moved slow, carefully gauging each step, testing her weight lightly.  It was torturous!   Pyralis wasn't the most patient of creatures but she could when she had to be and Alkali, to her credit, was helping as she could.  The bird had taken to dropping stones, bones and whatever she could find along the trail to try and gauge the softness of the ground.  Pyralis was so focused on what she was doing that she almost missed the furry gray butt ahead of her.  She stared at it for a moment then let out a barking laugh as she trotted a bit to her left to gaze at the large female who was half stuck in the sand.  "Digging for treasure while tanning your backside, now there's a girl after my own heart!  Need some help?" She glanced at the woman's hind end and frowned slightly. "Did someone eat your tail while you've been out here?  It'd be easier to haul you out if you had a handle."  She snickered to herself while Alkali perched silently on a nearby cacti.

My Cathedral Is The Badlands

The quicksand had a very unusual consistency - one that if she were being honest she won't have wanted to experience. It was somewhere between a solid and a liquid. How it managed to be thick enough to hold her yet light enough to allow her to somewhat float was beyond her. Kanja attempted to raise a foreleg out of the muck and was rewarded with a fair amount of resistance and a bubbly squelch.

Having got a feel for what exactly she was dealing with, the giantess relaxed and allowed her foreleg to sink below the surface again. Seconds after her leg disappeared into the muck a voice reached her ears. Dammit. The insides of Kanja's ears flamed red as the stranger rained blows down upon her dignity. Dammit all to hell. Why, out of all the creatures that could have stumbled across her, did she have to get a smart ass? Why?

Kanja's ears briefly slicked back as she searched for a pithy response. Even when her ass wasn't in the air her stubby tail tended to draw unwanted attention. Seeing as she couldn't grow a full length tail there wasn't much she could do about it...unless she was in a particularly pissy mood. One of these days someone's rudeness was going to cost them their tail. "Nah," she said smartly, "It jumped into the muck and I'm trying to get it back."

The giantess glanced back to get a look at the stranger and to gauge what kind of reaction her words would illicit. Unless she quickly freed herself from this mess she was at the mercy of the stranger. Oh, how she loathed the idea. As for help...it would probably be wiser to swallow what remained of her pride and allow the woman to help her, but that was easier said than done. Kanja was nothing if not a proud creature. While she hated the idea of accepting help, she was also hesitant to try to free herself while the stranger stood there. The last thing she wanted was to make an even bigger fool of herself.

After a moment's hesitation Kanja sighed and gave in. Fine. She'd accept the help. With a upbeat tone that smoothly masked her displeasure, she chirped, "Some help would be great!" The words almost choked her, but what else could she say? 'Quit your jawing and just drag me out already'? Because that was guaranteed to go over so well.

She glanced back at the woman. "I think I can ease myself out if you can just..." Just what? Bite her on the ass and haul her out? Kanja didn't really want to be bitten on the ass. Maybe it was better to keep her suggestion vague and let whatever the woman decided to do to help be a surprise. "...Pull?"

Chasing Twisters In The Canyon

Oh the possibilities were endless!  Pyralis wished she had some berries or a bloody carcass.  The woman's tail was just the right length that Pyralis could paint a face on her backside and the tail would make a delightful nose.  She wished her kids were here, they'd get a kick out of this.  The woman didn't seem terribly amused by Pyralis' amusement and sassed back that her tail had obviously jumped in the sand.  Pyralis took a few tentative steps closer and peered into the shifting sand thoughtfully for a moment before clicking her tongue on her teeth. "'Fraid it's a lost cause love.  One must wonder what you ate that your tail would rather endure sweet oblivion than be attached to your ass."  She giggled she couldn't help herself.  Alkali shook her head and scowled at the pair of canines. "Pyralis, we have things to do and places to be would you please come to a decision."

Pyralis frowned.  Stupid hawk raining on her parade.  She stuck her tongue out at the bird as the stranger stated that some help would be great.  Pyralis trotted around toward the woman's back side at the awkward suggestion of pull.  Huh…  She was staring at the woman's rear-end trying to figure out what to grab ahold of when she realized that this woman was rather well built.  Quite well built in fact and as she studied the other she could only come to the conclusion that this woman was a skilled fighter.  She'd been around long enough to be able to tell… so why help some stranger for nothing in return?  She owed this mortal nothing.

Pyralis trotted back up toward the front of the woman, being careful not to get so close she'd suffer the same fate.  "You know, I must be honest with you.  I don't see what I'm getting out of this.  So how's about we strike a little deal.  I've a pair of brats, one in particular, that need training in battle and you strike me as a wily, gritty fighter.  You agree to train the runts up a bit and I'll pull you out and just to sweeten the deal you'll get free shelter, food and water.  What do you say?"  She could feel Alkali glaring at her.  There was no guarantee that after Pyralis pulled the woman out that she'd honor the bargain but Pyralis had a whole family of bored miscreants.  They could always do a little hunting later.

My Cathedral Is The Badlands

The stranger's words drew an amused snort from the woman. Well, at least she wasn't being a downright ass about this. It certainly could have been worse; Kanja could have been stuck with dick who simply stood at the edge of the pool and taunted her. This woman at least seemed willing to help.

Kanja shot a teasing look over her shoulder at the woman. "Must of been the last smart ass I ate." Hopefully the stranger could handle jokes as well as she dished them out. If not, oh well. It wasn't like the woman could reach her without putting her own self in danger. Perhaps the bird could find rocks or something to drop on her, but that seemed like a little too much effort for a few simple words. If she had to Kanja was prepared to free herself on her own.

What was this? Kanja wasn't quite sure what she was hearing. Sure, hearing that she looked like a gritty fighter was nice and all, but a teacher? She'd rather maul a couple brats than teach them. Still, there was more to the other than simply being rescued. Food, shelter and all that jazz were pretty nice.

Kanja mulled the idea over for several beats before replying. "Alright, But," And this could very well be a deal breaker, "I get to teach them how I want." She wasn't going to do any of that hippy dippy feel good bullshit. There wasn't a chance in hell that she was going to pat them on the head and tell them they were good little boys or girls who just needed to try a little harder whenever they failed at something. If they were shit, they were just shit. And there was no fixing that.

Chasing Twisters In The Canyon

Pyralis let out a chuckle at the woman's biting wit. "Touché". She was glad the woman was at least keeping a sense of humor about the whole thing. She inclined her head as the stranger pondered her offer, stating that she could teach them as she wanted. "Oh, certainly. They are to be seasoned for an oncoming war, I don't want them handled like sparrow eggs. That said there are restrictions. I don't want them killed or missing any limbs, eyes, etc. Scars… are part of the game. I have a capable healer who can see to your needs." Pyralis thought that was perfectly reasonable, to be expected even and if this woman was truly talented in the arts of battle well… Pyralis just might have to spar her, herself.

"Alright, then. Let's get you out of here." She met Alkali's eyes and gestured to the woman's tail before circling back around behind her. Pyralis stared at her ass, head tilting to the side for a moment. There really was no way she could do this without getting in the woman's personal space. Pick a cheek, any cheek… reaching out she seized the woman's left butt cheek, her own tail holding out behind her, bracing her limbs her tail twisted sharply to the left at the same time she pulled back while Alkali simultaneously seized the woman's tail and flapped powerfully with her wings. Each time Pyralis' swished her tail the two would pull in unison, hoping to free the trapped stranger.

My Cathedral Is The Badlands

An oncoming war, huh? That sounded...ominous. And more than a little fun. She had no desire to participate on anyone's behalf, but Kanja would happily stand on the sidelines and heckle. The giantess wouldn't take sides; no, she'd heckle whoever deserved it.

Kanja nodded her head in approval at Pyralis' words. They had to be functional, but not necessarily pretty. She could manage that. Probably. "That's reasonable." Food, shelter, a healer and someone to snark with. What else could she ask for?

"Alright, then. Let's get you out of here." Oh god, it was time. Her ears fell back and briefly lay flat as Pyralis circled around behind her. The death of her dignity had come far too soon. She wasn't sure if she could bear it - especially at the hands of this still unnamed stranger who she was already becoming enamored with.

Her teeth slammed together with an audible click as Pyralis clamped down on her butt cheek. "Alright", she decided, "no swearing." Or whimpering or whining, or anything, really, to further wound her pride. No, she was going to bear this indignity as quietly as she-

A hiss escaped from between her clenched teeth as not even a beat after Pyralis bit her, Kanja felt talons dig into her tail. What a sight they must have been. Her with her ass in the air, a wolf on one cheek and a bird where a tail should have been. Part of her was tempted to sink down into the quicksand and breathe in as deeply as she could.

Reluctantly she hobbled backwards as the dynamic duo pulled. With a long, drawn out squelch the muck released her and Kanja flopped over backwards. "Whew. Thanks," she said casually, determined to downplay the whole situation now that she was free. "The name's Kanja, by the way."

Chasing Twisters In The Canyon

They pulled and pulled and finally managed to pull the femme free. The effort sent Pyralis scrambling backwards as she lost her balance and fell on her butt. Alkali took to the sky and then slowly settled back down onto the ground. Pyralis got to her feet and shook the sand from her coat and her rear end. She let out a laugh and cheered. Yea they did it! "Excellent, now you're free and we have a deal. I live down in Auster, I'll show you where." She didn't quite feel like revealing where in Auster she lived, not yet, even with an army of her family always reading to maul an unsuspecting mortal.

"Nice to meet you Kanja. I'm Pyralis Abraxas. Follow me! My brother still owes me a bison, we may get to eat like kings when we return." Turning south she took off, eager to get out of this death trap of a place.

-exit-

My Cathedral Is The Badlands