The sky shines bright in Eureka, the northeastern winds cooling the city streets quite nicely. A shame that the agents gathering aren't able to take advantage of the lovely weather, however, as there were missions to do and a world to restore. It has, however, seemed to deter the mystery messenger from making an appearance at the meeting spot for the time they have outlined to join at. Soldiers and guards file in and out of the compound, all attending to their own business. Not a single other soul -- besides a small flock of birds coming to rest in a tree fifty feet from the compound -- are present, nor are they giving any of the arriving agents instructions. Perhaps the anonymous messenger is late?

*THUD* the ground shakes as Magnus lands, the fox having flown here by means of SCIENCE!, or rather the boosters strapped to his legs. He'd rise from his landing spot and cough out some of the dust he'd kicked up. "Whoever-COUGH-said that making a superhero landing is a cool and good way to make an entrance... deserves a prostate exam from Freddy Krueger." He waves his hands around to diffuse the dust he'd kicked up, then cast a wink and a wave at whatever stares he'd attracted. Garbed in a thick hooded black leather vest, loose cammo-patterned cargo trunks and a red undershirt, Magnus the fennec skips along merrily towards the meeting place. His arsenal had changed quite a bit over the years, though two things seemed to remain the same among it. While hidden, those who knew him well enough would remember he'd have his two concealed blades somewhere on his body, where as the rest was outwardly apparent!

With a kick in his step and a bounce in his gait, he nears the rendesvous point and finds a cozy spot to lean against, doing so on his shoulder as his back now carried more than just his pack. Perched on there was an automatic crossbow that could briefly be described as a thing of beauty, and just beneath it hanging horizontally across his lower back was a holstered M4 Carbine with an adjustable stock, such that it doesn't jut out like a sore thumb. The fox looked much more armored too, barely anything on him was exposed, save for his face, fingers and feet. More-so there was now a bandoleer across his chest, slung between his left hip and his right shoulder. Spare ammunition and other goodies were visible just there. In other words, he was a ready boye.

Near the meeting spot, leaning up against a wall with his arms crossed, was a dark-furred kitsune waiting for the arrival of the one who supposedly sent the message. He was dressed in a rather casual looking outfit that clung loosely to his form. On his back was an average-sized backpack and what appears to be an ornate hunting bow. He didn't look all too armored, rather for the sake of aesthetics or because it would inconvenience him in other ways. However, like an undercover cop or something similar, he did have a vest of kevlar under his shirt that should do a fair job at protecting anything vital. Seeing the arrival of Magnus, looking at decked out as ever, he pushes off the wall and makes his wave over to chat with him. It wasn't too long before the arrival of a tigress also draws his attention. He didn't immediately recognize them, but he would give a wave regardless.

"Heya Mags, trying to get yourself into some more trouble?" He says with a teasing tone. "Ah, and looks like we have another who couldn't resist the allure of adventure. Good to meet'cha'." He says towards the tigress. "Oh, right, wasn't the contact suppose to be here already? I've been waiting around but haven't seen hide nor hair of whoever we were supposed to meet."

When Nena wasn't at the manor to work, the maid's penchant for slacking came to the surface once again. Ambling down the street as if she had nowhere to be, enjoying the day for all intents and purposes. She did, of course, have somewhere to be, but until someone pointed her in that direction, she acted as if she didn't. Drawing on her cigarette, the many formed woman was orange and stripey today- And out of uniform to boot.

Of course, Nena's voice and accent tended to give her away- Not that deception was her intent- and today was no different in that regard. "Hey. What's up?" Is her greeting to Magnus as she meanders onto the scene, setting her large bag down at her feet. She had far fewer weapons to call her own, by comparison. A shotgun strapped to the bag, and a fancy dagger half concealed under her coat.

Zophah comes up in a rush on the Eureka compound in her usual atire: a vixen in a bikini, lab coat and boots. Besides her bag she carries around everywhere, this time she has a modern compound bow and a quiver full of arrows straped to her back. She goes over to hug Magnus hello before standing around likie everyone else, catching her breath. "so where is this mysterious person?" she asks to no one in particular.

As if cued by Zophah asking about the mystery man calling them, the birds would be spooked out of the tree by the movement of one of their kind. Landing on the cobblestone path in front of the agents, this particular pigeon takes a moment to preen himself before speaking up loud and clear. "Alright, everyone! Now that you all are finally here, listen up." The pigeon's voice, tinged with a faint Italian accent, commands a sense of authority over the others, or at least, a sense that the speaker is in a position of authority. "You may refer to me as Enzo. We are to set out with horses posthaste, after you have prepared supplies, and I will be giving directions on which path to follow. Hopefully, I have made myself clear?"

One would imagine that his beak was turned upwards in a sense of superiority, rather than being because he's a couple of feet too short to maintain level eye-contact with the agents. As he finishes speaking, a horse trainer wearing an outfit with the symbol of the Prometheans on it leads six horses through the main entrance of the outer wall. Two of them are Akhal-Tekes, two of them a Criollo, and one is an Appaloosa.

"I'm here to kick ass and chew bubblegum, and I'm all out of g-oh, wait..." the fennec reaches into his pocket and pulls out a large packet of minty fresh looking bubblegum strips. "Nevermind, I have lots more!" he'd snicker as he passes some around to whoever wants some, then flicks a piece into his own muzzle, chewing it up with a goofy smile on his face. "Sho what the heckie heck are we here fo-oop!" he'd flinch as is suddenly hugged. "Zoop? Hello!" the energetic lad greets, and passes a quick grope over the vixen's rump before they part. "Gum?" he offers, then puts the packet away.

"Aaaaaadventure!" his hand rises in response to Zen's question. "Ain't gonna stay sharp sitting at home picking lint from between my toes after all!" before looking down at his exposed feet. "Hmmm, although I probably should groom these soon. Maybe get a pedicure like all the pretty ladies." He'd place a hand on his hip, one behind his head, curve his figure just a tad as he casts a lidded gaze at Nena, before blowing her an air kiss. Dropping the act, the fennec yawns widely and stretches out.

Soon enough however their mystery man arrives, and expells all he has to say onto them. "Iiiii'm ready!" the fennec chymes immediately and goes for the Appaloosa horse. "I like this one, I will name it..." Magnus pauses and ducks down to peek at the animal's... privates. "I will name him Septimus! Because he's a gorgeous fucking bastard." The fox merrily as he hops right on top of his steed and grabs the reigns, swings them and yips "Giddyup!" before the animal rears up... and throws him right off. The fox lands right on his ass and rubs his head. "No oats for you when we get back!"

Zophah accepts the gum from Magnus, but politely stores it away in her bag for later. And when their host arrives she looks down at the talking pidgeon. Her mind racing through all of her knowledge on how an actual pidgeon could be talking like that. She can't find a reason besides 'Coyote did it' and so didn't think much else on the matter. "I'll take this horse." she says, picking one of the Akhal-Tekes. She struggles to get up on the horse, her knowledge on real hurses purely academic. There was her through experience with horse morphs, but she's quite sure that's not the kind of experience she's supposed to use in this situation.

"... Horses?" Nena shakes her fingers through her lengty black mane of hair, then nods. "Alright. I've never ridden a horse before, that should be interesting." Reshouldering her bag, she nods a greeting to the others, as well. With a flick of her wrist, she discards her burnt down cigarette and approaches one of the steeds. With how little she knew of horses, she had no particular preference on which, and ends up by a Criollo. "Can't be much different from riding my motorbike," she lies to herself as she tries to get mounted. Awkwardly. She manages it, eventually, upon which she returns Magnus' look with a grin. "If you're looking to get prettied up, I've had time to get pretty good at painting nails at least," she half-teases.

Zen gives an amused snicker to Magnus's greetings to everyone. He was always so 'over-the-top' that it was hard to maintain a straight face. Though, the arrival of the commanding pidgeon soon stole his attention away. Well, he wasn't expecting a pint-sized pidgeon to be running intel on this mission, but... stranger things have happened. Oh, and he mentioned we would be riding on horseback? Looking over to the different breeds of horses, the kitsune walks over and combs his hand down the neck of one of the Akhal-Tekes. "Huh, can't say I've ridden horseback before... though I've encountered something similar." He says, walking over to the side of the one he chose. It was roughly around that time that he sees Magnus get flung from his, causing him to grin wide. "Well, perhaps I know what not to do." He says with a sly tone before trying to mount his horse.

The horse tamer -- a female orca morph -- can't help but raise a hand to her lips and hide her laugh, seeing Magnus get flung right off of his seat. "That one's an old horse, and he can be quite stubborn too. Be careful about upsetting him." She then turns to the rest of the group. "These horses are specially trained. They won't be easy to ride for beginners, but there certainly would be worse candidates."

With that, Enzo flutters up and perches himself atop of Zen's shoulder, after the latter had saddled himself on the back of the Akhal-Tekes. "No questions? Good, I didn't want to bother anyway. Alright, from here, we turn west and then south out of the city. This is your last call to pick up supplies from any sort of settlement, so do so on the way out of here." A pause. "...oough, I almost don't want to look down, because all of your techniques are so, so wrong. Let's head out, and I'll instruct you all as we go." With that, he spreads his wings, signalling to head out.

It takes 6 days on horseback to reach the location, travelling for a total of six hours a day with frequent rests in between to let the horses regain their stamina. Enzo guides the party down the highway as the path is taken; some cities, many of them barren ghost towns, are passed through on the way along the coastline, but less and less frequently as they divert along the path further east from the shore. As the climate intensifies, his tutoring on how to properly ride starts to pay off, and everyone learns basic horseriding skills during their travels.

As the party travels, some... find it rougher than others. Zophah takes it the worst; while the assistance from the other agents and the supplies brought along help, the trip is the most tiring for her, being unused to living out in the wilderness and constantly on the move. Nena isn't as worse for wear, but living in the wild as the landscape around her transitions to sandy plains and scorching sun takes a toll on her. Zen and Magnus take it much better, though, and their expertise in the wilderness helps the others get by.

Some time after passing through the mountain range on the Arizona side of the border to California, the pigeon guide perched atop of Magnus's shoulder lets out a weary sigh. "Finally. Home sweet home." With a flap of his wings, he lifts into the air. "I'll go ahead; I am in desperate need of a bath with soap. I trust you four are competent enough to figure out where you have to go from here." Unless anyone objects quick enough, he takes off into the horizon, dipping back down past the short treeline formed by the foliage off the side of the road.

Straight ahead is a highway overpass and to the right side a tall pole with a logo on it -- one indicating the presence of a gas station -- and a road sign. On the latter, the white text that once read "Vicksburg Rd" on it has been sprayed over with black spray paint. It now has just a single, uppercase K, formatted in blackboard bold.