Now I understand Vultures better... {SH}

[kabuto_rocks]

It was going to be a good day. Kabuto could feel it. Despite the fact she was currently wandering round in what appeared to be a rather marshy area, it did nothing to dampen her positive spirit. If only all the members of her party felt the same way...

He couldn't believe she'd convinced him to come. It was everything he feared it would be and more. Octile was currently up to his ankles in thick, swampy mud, and the view ahead only promised more of the same. He wasn't even sure how they'd reached here in the first place! One minute he'd been on normal, solid ground, the next...splat.

The weird thing was, no one else seemed bothered. The K9 (what was his name? Some kind of food item if he remembered correctly) complained occasionally of hunger pangs, but apart from that he seemed perfectly content to walk through muddy nothingness. Even the Gryphon was weird! Especially the Gryphon. What Octile had heard was that these Volpes were supposed to be fussy, vain and generally not that nice. But this one...

Look at that cool rock! Rocky called excitedly, pouncing forward. His front legs sunk clumsily, but he didn't seem to care. Half his body was covered in mud from jumping and darting around so much. Not even Kabuto who had a habit of kneeling/sitting down in awkward places had as much mud on her

[kabuto_rocks]

"Let's see!" Octile watched in amazement as Kabuto hurried forward to check out the rock. Of course, with her feet sinking in so much, it took her a while, changing the definition of 'hurry' in the process. When she did finally reach it, she knelt down with a small splat to examine the stone. Octile shook his head with disbelief. She really was the craziest human imaginable!

"I doubt anything could be hiding under that. It's too small." She sounded somewhat disappointed as she got back to feet, ready to search the next unlikely place. Rocky seemed saddened by the lack of interest displayed by his owner.

But look what a cool shape it is! He protested to the Red Volpe. Sighing, Octile began to explain.
We're not looking for 'cool shapes'. We're looking for places creatures or objects could be found in Seeing the Gryphon's slightly baffled look, he rolled his eyes Okay then, examples Glancing around, he spotted a promising-looking bush There we go! That bush for example. Lots of things live in bushes. Or people could drop items in bushes. Do you get it?

Possibly. Bushes aren't that interesting though... Clearly the Gryphon was a lost cause. Octile squidged his way over and checked the bush just to make sure. Nope, nothing. Oh well, at least he was trying to look sensibly. Unlike the other morons he was with

[kabuto_rocks]

Suddenly the Gryphon bounded off once more, clearly attracted by something else. Octile shook his head yet again, when he heard the plodding footsteps of the K9 finally catching up to him. Smores was not the fastest Volpe around. Actually, he was one of the slowest. Ever.

How you doing there Smores? Now he could see the K9, it was easy to remember his name. The chubby Volpe shook his head, looking rather worn out.

Not well. I don't get it. We haven't found anything yet. Can't we just stop and have some lunch? Typical. A one track mind. Already the K9 was visualizing the kinds of food he could be eating. Chocolate or burgers or chicken or biscuits...

[kabuto_rocks]

Bingo! Kabuto smiled brightly as she spotted a series of trees wound together in a big clump. It seemed like the perfect place for things to be found in. Putting two fingers in her mouth, she whistled loudly to attract the attention of her companions.

Ouch...He hated that sound! So shrill! What did his owner want now? Why couldn't she just call them over like a normal person? Still grumbling, Octile padded over, his white tail swishing. He was quickly beat by the eager bounce of Rocky. In fact, he had to stop suddenly to avoid crashing into the daft brute.

Watch it! He grumbled, before taking a seat at Kabuto's feet. He needed a rest. They'd be walking through this bizarre place for a solid hour now. His owner had one of those sadistic-set minds that insisted on walking pointlessly for days on end. The Gryphon was already sat impatiently beside him, eyes lit up with excitement. The K9 arrived a few minutes later, flopping down with an exhausted 'flump!'

[kabuto_rocks]

"Okay everyone!" Kabuto couldn't keep the excitement from her voice. Clearly she couldn't wait to start hunting properly, "In order to get the best results, I think we should split up. Now this group of trees looks like a good place for things to be found. It's like a miniature forest!" All three Volpes tilted their heads simultaneously in doubt. Sure, there were a fair amount of trees, 10, maybe 20. But to call them a forest was a bit over the top.

"So, three of us (including myself) will search in this patch. Octile, you and Rocky can explore this bit with me. Smores, why don't you root around in a couple of those bushes there?" The K9 yipped gratefully, his chocolate tail wagging. Searching in the trees would mean a lot of walking and jumping and such. The bushes were only a few feet away, and could be checked through in a jiffy. Perfect task for the ever-so-slightly lazy Volpe.

"Got it everyone? Let's start searching!" She punched her fist into the air, then dropped it quickly and blushed. Instantly, the Gryphon leaped to his feet, shook himself all over and darted into the patch of trees. He began glancing around, looking for certain things. Ooh, there was a bit of a hole there! Using his clawed front legs, he began to dig at the hole rooted under a tree

[kabuto_rocks]

Happy with his chosen setting, Smores padded over to the bushes. He sniffed first, checking to see if he could smell any creatures or such. Nope, all he could smell was the swampy ground. Still, he supposed creatures here might be built for camouflage. With some difficultly, he pushed himself through the thick branches so he could see the middle. Uh oh, he was a little bit stuck. Wiggling frantically, he finally managed to break free, and he landed with a soft thump in the center of the plants. Right, now to look around...

The Red Volpe watched with amusement at the K9's antics, before getting to his feet and padding into the forest. Both his owner and Rocky were already there, both searching energetically. The Gryphon seemed to be trying to dig, while his owner was busy trying (and failing) to climb a tree. Going over to the left, he began to peak behind bushes, look up a trees etc. Basic searching stuff really. He tried sniffing, but not really knowing what the creatures around here smelt like, he felt that wouldn't be too successful a method. He was back to random looking he guessed.

Kabuto gasped as she nearly fell, just reaching out and grabbing a branch in time. To be honest, she had little practice climbing trees. Climbing anything really-she was quite afraid of heights. Still, this tree wasn't that high up. And the marshy ground had to provide some sort of soft landing...right?

Not having found anything yet, she gripped tightly onto the branch and tried to figure out the best way to go higher. Preferably without falling back down first

[Fluffy]

Two lizard-frog-like creatures croaked in a throaty cry in the hole where the gryphon was digging. What was their fate now?! To be eaten, that was the only thing to happen to any sort of creature with their den being dug up by a volpe. The hole the creatures resided wasn't much of a tunnel, though just a simple den left over by another creature. Their red eyes stared at the digging claws coming ever so closer..

[kabuto_rocks]

It was with great gusto that Rocky continued to dig. In fact, if it hadn't been for the creature's cry, he might have continued digging and caused a horrible accident. Fortunately, he heard the sound and stopped scratching up the dirt. Tilting his head, he bent down and peered at the space he had made.

And four red eyes peered back. The Gryphon almost jumped in shock, but quickly stopped himself. He didn't want to give them the chance to escape. Grinning, he blinked happily before calling out.

Hey! Look what I found! He lay down, putting his front legs on either side so that the creatures hopefully wouldn't be able to get past. Trying not to scare them, he admired them. They looked kinda like frogs, but with longer legs. He thought they were pretty neat actually, with their orange feet and webbed toes.
Hi there He muttered more quietly. He doubted they'd understand him, but it didn't hurt to be polite.

The loud squawking that had come from the Gryphon's beak startled Kabuto so much that she nearly fell again. Glancing across, she could see his black and white pelt roughly through the branches. She really hoped it was important. Rocky had a tendency of focusing on the less vital details. Still, she had to go look. But how to get out of this tree?

[kabuto_rocks]

The Red Volpe had just been peering under a tree when he heard the Gryphon squawking. The noise caused him to jump, bashing his head in the process.
Oww... That dumb bird! What was he on about? He doubted it was anything much of interest. Still, he supposed it was up to him to go find out. The K9 was far too lazy, and Kabuto couldn't understand their language.

Rubbing his head with his paw, Octile half-ran towards the direction of the sound. He saw the tail feathers of the Gryphon first, waggling excitedly in the air. Frowning, Octile pricked his ears. What the-? Was Rocky talking to himself? Oh no, he'd lost it hadn't he?

Rocky! What are you doing? Rocky jumped at the voice, and turned his head with a grin.
Octile! Come and look at these He nodded towards his legs for some reason. Confused, the Normal padded forward...and saw what Rocky had been talking to. What were those things?

Aren't they great? He beamed excitedly I call the one on the left Bud and the one on the right is Suki. They're kind of funny-looking, but cute in their way right? I don't know what they are though. Didn't think it polite to ask The Gryphon was chattering away, complete oblivious to Octile's look of amazement.

You...You're completely insane

[kabuto_rocks]

Huh? Why wasn't Octile excited? Rocky's face dropped in visible disappointment. His head drooped slightly and he blinked up curiously at the male.
Why am I insane? He frowned. He'd been called several things before by the Red Volpe-usually insults, although he was sure they were meant in good spirit. But insane? Nope, that was a new one.

Because! Look at these creatures. You have no idea what they are, or where they came from. They could be dangerous! He had to admit, he found their red eyes a little creepy. Kind of...wide and staring. Gave him shivers.

I know where they came from. Right here, from this hole. I dug them up myself He beamed proudly, then adopted a sort of defensive tone Besides, you're probably just jealous. You know Kabuto will love them too, and you just wish you had found them Octile opened his mouth to protest, then changed his mind. He had to admit, Rocky was right. These were exactly the kind of unusual critters his human had a tendency to fuss over. She would probably revel in joy over their red eyes and webbed toes.

Look! She's coming over now Rocky let out a hideous squawk again to alert his owner to their position. Octile winced and shook his head. So much craziness...

[kabuto_rocks]

Finally, she had managed to dislodge herself from that tree. It hadn't been easy. First of all, she had to climb back down as far as she could. She managed about three feet off the ground, then snagged her favourite hoodie on a passing branch. It had been tough trying to free herself without ripping the garment, but she had managed it in the end. Her last obstacle came from the fact there were no more stable branches for her to climb down to. In the end she had just flung herself out of the tree, trusting the swampy ground to do it's job and soften her fall. She had landed with a not-too-elegant thump, resulting in a slightly bruised foot and a very muddy leg.

But none of that mattered now. She was free, back on good old solid ground once more. And she had something to investigate. It hadn't been too tricky locating the noisy Gryphon. When she reached him she was surprised to find Octile standing beside him, looking rather peeved. Mind you, she thought, that was his normal expression most of the time. It would be more surprising to find him looking joyous.

"What's going on?" She quizzed the boys, squatting down beside them. Rocky gave another squawk and nodded towards his front legs. Frowning, Kabuto peered closer. She could see a little hole of sorts, obviously the Gryphon's handiwork. But wait...what was that? Two pairs of eyes-creatures!

Grinning, she gave Rocky a quick hug.
"You genius!" She smiled, "Aww, aren't they adorable? They look like Frogs, but even cooler. And their orange feet are neat, aren't they?" Realizing she might have been talking too loud, she lowered her voice, "Hello. Aren't you things gorgeous, eh? I remember reading about a species that looked quite like you. What were they called? Huela? Huema? Something like that. Anyway, you are brilliant. Would you like to come home with me?" She wasn't really expecting an answer, but that didn't stop her talking. Actually, she was rather like a human version of Rocky, in her own strange way

[kabuto_rocks]

{I trust it's okay to roleplay as the Huena now?}

To be honest, the two creatures were rather...baffled. They had both been terrified when those silver claws had first began to dig them up. They had been even more terrified when those said claws vanished, and were replaced by the beak of a giant monster. The first had squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for that bite that would end his life...

Then opened them again several seconds later, when no such bite came. What was going on? Why hadn't they been crushed yet? He could see what the beak was attached to now, a rather strange looking, bird-like Volpe. It was making an awful lot of excited noise, which wasn't exactly reassuring. The first Huena had nudged his companion, eager to make a dash for it...before two front paws came crashing down on either side, blocking any chance of escape.

Both of them had had no choice but to sit there, watching this giant as he chattered away. It was strange-he seemed to be talking to them, almost as if he had no intention of gulping them down. Still, they huddled together nervously. What if he changed his mind?

Their fears had been almost confirmed when a second Volpe appeared. It was a Red male, who seemed to be barking angrily about something. Surely he would eat them? But, once more, fate smiled down on them. Perhaps this bird-like Volpe was protecting them? It certainly seemed that way. The first one croaked to the second thoughtfully. Maybe...maybe if they stuck around this Volpe? Would that be too crazy an idea? If this Volpe had intended to eat them, would he have not done so already? They thought about this for a few seconds, troubled by what their decision should be.

And then the human appeared

[kabuto_rocks]

The human was almost as scary as the Volpe had first been. This giant mass of blonde hair and yellow cap loomed into view ominously. She seemed very excited, even more so than the black and white creature. She was chattering away in her human-speak in rather an alarming manner. Still, she didn't seem to pose an immediate threat...

Does she honestly think they understand her? Octile grumbled. Rocky just grinned in reply.
She called me a 'genius'. Told ya she'd like them! Ha! That lump of feathers a genius? More like bird-brained.
Whatever. I'm going to go back and start looking again. I trust you'll be alright with your ribbity friends? Determined to get back to a sane world, he turned round and began to pad back. Time to start searching again.

Phew, that Red male had gone away now. The Huena relaxed slightly, and began to croak to each other once more. It seemed only logical-this bird Volpe must have chased the red one away. If that were so, then it would be safest to stick with this Volpe for as long as they could. Hopefully he would continue to protect them.

Nodding in agreement, the creatures decided to stick to this plan for now. If danger appeared, then yes, they would probably flee. But the safest plan at the moment would be to follow this male, and so they would do so

[kabuto_rocks]

"Huh. They seemed pretty attached to you Rocky," Kabuto observed the way they seemed to be sheltering under Rocky's shadow, rather than cowering like they were before, "You know, stay here for a while and see if you can get them to follow you okay? I'm going to join Octile and Smores in hunting." Funny...Smores hadn't come when he had heard Rocky squawking. Maybe he had found something too? Or perhaps (much more likely) he was just being lazy.

Actually, it was the latter option that prevented Smores from leaving his bush. That, and the fact he couldn't find the exit. Still, he had begun to root around the, er...roots. Peeking under them, sniffing round them. He was beginning to feel like a detective really, searching for clues. A hungry detective, but a detective none the less. He had once met a Volpe who claimed to know a detective. Probably just a lie, but you could never tell.

Octile thought he had heard a faint rustling somewhere nearby, which seemed quite promising. Using a mixture of his nose, ears and eyes, he thought he had located the right plant. Before he advanced though, he hesitated. What would he do when he found the creature? He'd never done well with small, furry things. Temprus, Graevia, Pups...it was all the same story. They disliked him

[Fluffy]

Nestled in a bush, that's a good spot to lay eggs, a creature would likely think. And it is, well, unless there might be creatures around out searching. But then again, what creature in their right minds would eat eggs like these?! Rock solid, pointed and shimmery, what kind of creature would lay eggs like these to start with anyway? Smores was rather close to the eggs' hiding spot, lightly hidden under some dead vegetation and dirt. However, that shimmer was bound to catch the volpe's attention...