Ever since his vision, the nightingale, and the attacking ethereal creature Asmodeus had resigned himself to sleeping outside of the mouth of Riva's den, though in reality he got very little sleep through his 'guard duties'. On either side of him were his newly gifted puppies, whom Eligos had entrusted him with the duty to raise and train into fitting companions for his new rank of Accipiter. It took three times as much effort making sure that both Riva was sufficiently protected and that the puppies did not wander off or try eating any of the glowing fungus that had spread across the territory, but Deus was determined in his ability and promotion. He'd nearly dozed off, when a voice sounded from seemingly within his ear. Startling awake, he turned toward the puppies accusingly but found them curled up ontop of each other napping. The voice called out to him again and Deus bristled, kicking his hind foot out at Riva's den to try and subtly wake her. What had come for them now? Could Abraxas possibly be slightly more clear with his mysterious ways? "Speech"

A soft, melodic whisper entranced her dreams. She could almost hear the words, the rhythm, the wind, but the meaning was lost to her. Sometime later a knocking startled her awake. Her little head jerked upright, before she blinked sleep from her eyes. “Deus?” she asked in some confusion. He wasn’t outside her den again, was he? Opening the door, she looked at her large son with red rimmed, sleepy eyes. The memory of that voice still lingering like a bad aftertaste. “What are you doing out here love? Why don’t you come in, I can prepare a snack for you?” she suggested motherly as she leaned forward to kiss his cheek. ""

His mother's soft voice caught his ear and he turned his head to regard her, worried eyes softening with fondness as she offered him a snack. "Not now, mother, but thank you." Deus gave her a soft smile as she kissed his cheek, turning once more back to survey the dimly lit surroundings. "There's something out here - a voice called to me, though I can't seem to remember what it had said." The voice had been somehow painfully familiar, yet strange at the same time. Deus' ears flickered back a moment, his uncertainty betraying the calm and collected mask he wore. Once more that warm feeling of breath returned to his ear and he shuddered at the proximity of it, the voice sounding as a whisper and beckoning him forward. As it drew away, fireflies lifted from the grasses before him and into the air, slowly retreating from the pair as they danced and bobbed across the soft breeze. As they faded from view, so too did the voice. "Did you hear that?" He whispered to his mother.   "Speech"

Still shaking the remnants of sleep from her, Riva looked out past Deus to the night beyond. She shivered at his mention of a voice, which itched at a memory of a dream. It had just been a dream, right? She’d been sitting with an uneasy feeling ever since they had seen that nightingale. But Deus’s uncertainty forced her to push aside her own doubts, and she rested her paw gently over his. She hadn’t thought of something to say before a voice whispered between them. The hair on the back of her head stood up as the indecipherable words lingered for a moment. A pair of fireflies bobbed lazily in the air, and then they and the voice both vanished. Her grip tightened on Deus, and the memory that had been tinkling her began to slowly edge free of her memories. “Nightingale” it had whispered, in the exact same voice she heard now. “I… that voice… it was in my dreams” she whispered, weariness lining her voice for a moment. Then, she straightened, taking in a deep breath. That was just about enough of that. She marched past her son, out the door into the forest beyond. “Show yourself! Enough of these games around corners, enough scaring my son!” ""

Her paw came atop his, and Deus looked down to see the difference in size between mother and son. She was small, something to be protected, but still with so much fire of her own that sometimes he forgot who was protecting who. Riva had heard the voice as well, in her dreams, and Deus' fur stood further in alarm. He opened his mouth to encourage her back inside the den, when suddenly the small healer was marching into the forest yelling to the voice with as stern a voice as he'd ever heard her use. "Mother!" Half-whispered, half-shouted at her, following along urgently. "You can't talk to Abraxas like that!" His ears pulled flat against his skull and he glanced out at the trees, half expecting a specter of his God to show himself and smite them. "You're not scaring me, please forgive her." The Abraxas youth murmured, almost like a dejected child. "Speech"

Riva, still drawing her tiny statue up as much as it could, turned a stern look back at her son. When she spoke however, it wasn’t to the boy. “God or not, spooking young boys in the night is not the way to get your message across. Tell me what you wish, and if your request is something I can fiful within the bounds of my morals, I will do so.” She said, raising her voice once more, her eyes still on Deus. NIGHTINGALE she heard back, the whisper rising in the wind, brushing past her ears, and caressing her coat. “Yes, I am Nightingale” she said, hiding the way her ears quivered with her stern expression. She did not know if gods were real, but they where She would protect her son all the same. ""

Riva

The whisper on the wind intensifies, sounding as if it's speaking directly into your ear. When it fades away, you are left with nothing but an overwhelming sense of dread.

Maybe you shouldn't have done that...

Asmodeus

Whatever it is your mother was chasing, it seems to have fallen silent for you. You peer around worried, and catch a flash of movement. You dart your eyes after it and spot a scentless wolf stares at you in the distance, but it is too large, larger than any wolf you've ever seen, it's eyes flashing briefly in colors you've never seen before turning and disappearing below the horizon.

Maybe you shouldn't have done that...

His mother continued to shout very motherly-like at the voice, and Deus' ears only pulled tighter against his skull with worry. How could he protect her against the wrath of an angry, offended God? Preparing to intervene, he took a step forward but froze as his eyes fell upon a wolf in the distance. It stared at the pair so intensely that he felt it was staring through him, though Deus could not determine whether it was judgement, anger, or forgiveness in those multicolor eyes. It was larger then he'd ever seen, and though it carried no scent it did not matter to the Abraxas youth. He did not need proof to know that this was his God. "I'm sorry." He repeated to it softly, unsure if he was apologizing for his mother's outburst or for something else. Then before he knew it, the wolf turned and vanished below the horizon, leaving Deus feeling somehow empty inside. "Speech"

She was feeling rather impassioned as she stood tall and called out to that imperious voice on the wind. Enough of these whispers and hints, and out with it! She would not have her boy suffer even one more restless frightened night. Shaking her fist at the sky, she felt Deus step forward and tense. She let her eyes drift in the direction of his gaze... and found the wolf. The large, imposing figure who's coat did not so much as ruffle in the wind. It didn't cast a shadow despite the full moon above them, and despite her impassioned words, it did not speak. It simply stared, and then turned and vanished into the dark. Leaving their sight far more quickly quickly it should have.

A sense of dread filled her vains, clasping it's clawed hands about her heart and squeezing. She staggered beneath the weight of it, physically pulled to the ground. She shuddered at the emotions rolling through her. Too strong and alien to be her own, it was as through the specter itself had forced them into her vains. "I fear I have made a terrible mistake, my son. We...we must discover how to appease your.... our. God. And quickly."

Firefly Shoppe- Asmodeus

A firefly draws your attention nearby to reveal a cloaked figure with a small wooden table in front of him. On the table lay three items, with their prices beside them. "Choose wisely, and only choose one," the figure says. "If you can afford it, that is." Perhaps he accepts cŕ̷̕y̵̍͊stals and mushrö̸́̀ō̴̉ms... or perhaps its worth bargaining for something greater...


Inventory:

• Firefly Fone- 1 /
  It’s actually just a bunch of fireflies in the shape of a phone. Use it in any thread (and post in Maintenance) to summon the Firefly Shoppe to your location.
  
• Pungent Potion- 1 /
  This tiny bottle contains a green globby liquid, the label claims it was made from local mushrooms.
  
• Firefly Fone- 1 /
  It’s actually just a bunch of fireflies in the shape of a phone. Use it in any thread (and post in Maintenance) to summon the Firefly Shoppe to your location.
  

Firefly Shoppe- Riva

A firefly draws your attention nearby to reveal a cloaked figure with a small wooden table in front of him. On the table lay three items, with their prices beside them. "Choose wisely, and only choose one," the figure says. "If you can afford it, that is." Perhaps he accepts cŕ̷̕y̵̍͊stals and mushrö̸́̀ō̴̉ms... or perhaps its worth bargaining for something greater...


Inventory:

• Xtra shrink Potion- 2 /
  It comes in an extra tiny bottle. There’s barely even one drop!
  
• Cursed Litter Pass- 2 /
  This looks like it might cause something really weird to happen. The label says, “do not use if you are breastfeeding, pregnant, or plan to become pregnant,” but you can’t read… it’s probably dangerous, or really cool.
  
• Firefly Fone- 1 /
  It’s actually just a bunch of fireflies in the shape of a phone. Use it in any thread (and post in Maintenance) to summon the Firefly Shoppe to your location.
  

Asmodeus' mother spoke of finding a way to appease his God - and soon - and Deus nodded solemnly in reply. A flash of color then caught his eye and before them was an odd firefly-like creature standing infront of ... a store? Deus's brows furrowed but he did not argue the sight, merely nudging his mother with his shoulder and putting on his most polite expression. "Uhm, hello!" If this was a messenger of Abraxas, or a test, Asmodeus was not about to fail it. None of the items seemed very... godly, and Deus was a very devout follower. "Firstly, I apologize for my mother's stern words. Your items here are very.. nice, but could I perhaps ask of you to.. too." He stumbled over his words, a heat coming to his cheeks as he glanced toward his mother. "You must know the Gods, my God, Abraxas? I'd like you to ask from him perhaps.. a blessing, instead? Some tangible, irrefutable proof from Him that I am following in his path the way he wants me to?" Deus' feelings since he'd been the cause of Aureus' death had not been quiet nor secret, and more than anything the youth yearned to know that Abraxas was not angry at him for his role in losing the follower. "I can offer in return these mushrooms I have gathered [4 mushrooms] as well as my most prized possession - a quill, from my best friend Aoife's own mohawk." From the top of his cowboy hat Deus plucked the quill in question, holding it in his paws reverently before holding it out to the figure. OOC: Asmodeus wants a blessing from his god, in exchange for his 4 mushrooms in currency + prized quill possession. "Speech"

The feeling of dread slowly began to roll away, and she let out a small breath and got back to her feet. Her tiny body almost hidden in the shadow of her son. As she got to her feet a firefly fluttered past her nose, and her eyes snapped to it. Following it to… the creature that awaited her. It’s monkey-like shape wreathed in shadows and lights. She drew herself up, feeling the urge to say something snappish, and stopped herself. Perhaps if there was only herself here - but she would not have Deus smited beside her if it came to that. She bit her tongue and instead approached the stand. She could only assume the Abraxas god had a hand in this - but to what end? A blessing, or a curse? She couldn’t ignore the things she had seen, and she would not have someone her son loved so dearly against them. So, the little healer played ball. She dutifully looked at the items in front of her as Deus began to bargain for something more. There were limits to how far she was willing to go however, and would not be begging the god for a blessing today. Instead, she examined the shop. There was a teeny tiny bottle with a single drop of liquid. There were fireflies, shaped like a crescent moon - she scrunched up her nose, having had just about enough with moonly things. Her eyes instead moved to the final item. The label was indecipherable, but perhaps it was something she could experiment with and see if it would benefit the Aeris pack in any way. “Very well, I will choose this.” she said and pointed to the item (Cursed litter) ""

Firefly Shoppe- Asmodeus

The wolf asked for some proof of their god and what he did. The firefly guy took the goods and thought a moment before tossing a glance(?) towards the sky. "Perhaps it will be done," he said, and with a motion, offered Asmodeus the blessing. "Something fitting for what you offered."

Asmodeus feels prickling and tingling along the dark stripes on his back. Upon further inspection, thin needles seem to be growing from his skin.


You gain:

• Crystal quill Mutation- Tiny crystalline quills grow along the dark marks of your back. Gives fight bonus. (Applied 11/1)
  

You lose:

• Currency (x4)- Used in Firefly's Shoppe, and perhaps elsewhere...
  
• Prized Quill- Ooh... Spikey.
  
  

Firefly Shoppe- Riva

The man allows the woman to choose her item, accepts her currency, then vanishes. He must have places to be...


You gain:

• Cursed Litter Pass- This looks like it might cause something really weird to happen. The label says, “do not use if you are breastfeeding, pregnant, or plan to become pregnant,” but you can’t read… it’s probably dangerous, or really cool.
  

You lose:

• Currency (x2)- Used in Firefly's Shoppe, and perhaps elsewhere...