Nightwhispers: Silence/Chapter 3

Taggart is sleeping.

Sparhawk is last seen walking between visions, piercing the envelope and not constrained by the narrative. Their journey guiding them towards the heart, someone's heart. Balina, having hunted an awakened Dream watched as she plucked Taggart and Apostasy from other's dreams. They are clustered around a peaceful lake, as the young girl goes about her most cryptic art.

Having convinced herself that Taggart and Apo are fine, and knowing full well that Dream isn't going to give her a straight answer, Balina listens to the conscious girls, but keeping her eyes, and nose, on the water. She's seen several dreams shattered, but there are still people in the pub left unaccounted for.

"Dream, what are we doing here?" Apo asks the little girl, seeking to make sense of what's going on. "I know this is another attack by Shadow, but what exactly is he doing?"

Taggart yawns large and wolf-like, though he's human once again, tongue rolling as he tilts his head left and right, cracking a few times. He squints and looks about, "Wut're we doin' still asleep? Wait..." The Irishman scowls and looks around a bit more, sitting up as he recognizes the various people about the lake. "Dream... wut're you doin' up, then?"

[Between] Sparhawk travels on in the self-generated perfect darkness, seeking the vanished and/or trapped friends by the sound of their narratives. As before, one hand holds a brass key, and a hole to objective reality is carried in the back of hir mind.

The little girl is playing with the water, and without looking away says simply, "He hunts. He needs..." and then gently stirs the water. Without looking she says, "I am uncertain why I was drawn out, but I am scared." she answers.

[Between] Sparhawk's key turns, and a door cracks open slowly, the shadows pulling backward as light is released into the small musty room. A small girl's room, decorated oddly, and a young girl curled up with her arms around her knees, her tails enwrapping her, and she's sobbing.

Apostasy rests a hand lightly on Dream's shoulder. "Don't worry. He'll have to go through me if he wants you... and he already knows I'm no pushover." She frowns slightly. "Needs what? A new vessel? Hare proving too much for him? Or something else?"

"First to find, last to know," mutters Balina, rolling her head. "Hey everyone, I smell something divine inside of Kaylah! Oh, don't worry, sure it's nothing." Keeping some distance from Dream, she sits, then lies on the grass near the shore. "I'll be more than happy to hunt back if you'll just point me in the right direction."

[Between] Sparhawk is possibly less reassuring than shi wants to be, a curtain of darkness entering the room, but a hummed tune comes from within. Something of a victorian lullaby. Shi moves into the room, just far enough to leave hindmostquarters keeping the door open, and folds down into a sphinx-like seat. "Hey," shi says as a greeting.

[Between] Kaylah reacts startled to the voice. She blinks and makes a small squeek, and looks up at the bubble of darkness her eyes going wide. She shivers again, and wipes some of the wetness around her eyes. The room surrounding them is bright pink, weird twisted images lining the walls, the common theme being alone. There are no exits to the room, except one, which is heavily locked as if to reinforce the prison cell the room very much is. Also except for the door Spar opened in the wall.

Dreams voice is calm, and she says, "I think he means to trade. Your friends, for my father." and she points to an image of their friends surrounded by shadow, narrowing around them.

Apostasy lilts, "Well that's no good. We need to be stopping that sort of thing."

[Between] Without the First Sense of sight Spar is only vaguely aware of the color and content of the walls, but the feelings of being walled in and alone are acute. "Hey," shi says again, then continues. "It's impolite to waltz in and start off with hugging, so I invite you to come over to your weird science uncle in your own time."

Balina snarls, "If Coyote was anywhere nearby, I'd know. I've smelled bits and pieces, but nothing... alive. Nothing to say he's been in the city at all. Then again, you said he awakens tonight. What are you planning, Dream?"

[Between] Kaylah overcomes her disbelief, and runs forward into the bubble of darkness and clings immediately to one of Spar's legs. She's shaking and shivering at this point, but largely silent.

Taggart mumbles a bit, standing up and running his hand through his hair. "Dream don't plan... she dreams." The Irishman groans and stretches, and sighs, waving a hand at the young girl, "Come here, luv..."

[Between] Sparhawk grins, in the manner of Kaylah's godfather. "You are not alone," shi says firmly while bundling up the Kaylah that survived contact with the darkness that peels fiction away from truth. "Every moment of every day, someone thinks about you, even if they're not huggin' right then. Bet you'd like to go back home with your moms?"

Dream looks up at Taggart for a moment and then moves toward him, "You were always nice to me." she says to Taggart as she holds out a hand.

[Between] Kaylah nods despite the darkness, not really thinking about it. "I... I miss my mamas, and uncle Taggart, and my sisters." sniffling. She holds tight against Sparhawk, not letting even remotely go, not for a second. Clinging to him like he's a life preserver.

Balina gets up, walking over to the water and idly tapping at it with a paw. She's more or less given up on talking, but has no other leads now that she's found what she thought she was after.

Taggart smiles at the young girl, taking her hand in his while he kneels down, gently leading her into a protective hug. "Well, have ta raturn tha favor, ya know." After a moment of the short embrace, he leans back and holds her at arm’s length. "He dun' kicked ya out fer a bit, then? Nightmares ain't quite yer cup'a'tea, aye?"

[Between] Sparhawk continues hugging, and slips a heavy key into Kaylah's clenched grip. "You don't have to be here. You're only stuck here because someone convinced you y'should be. You may not be able to choose your yesterdays, but Tomorrow is always open to you." With philosophy stated, shi rises to hir feet and bows out of the room, backing through the hole shi made with intent on looking for the probable desperation of Sorien.

Apostasy takes a seat on the beach, watching Tag and Dream curiously.

[Other] Balina finds herself falling, suddenly torn from where she was standing like a riptide. The fast and sudden rush is overwhelming.

Dream sneezes, as she's hugged, and then Balina is gone, like she was never there to begin with. The girl shakes her head, "He tries to hold the nightmares together, but they keep falling apart on him." She doesn't seem to notice Balina missing.

[Between] Sparhawk pierces the dreamfold again with Kaylah striding on hir back. Walking between in the nothingness it becomes easier to see images and thoughts, many of them her own. Like a sea of imagination Spar catches a glimpse of a Koi in the air, appearing to follow hir, swimming along. There are nightmares like thunderclouds storming in the distance, a particular nasty black cloud around the library of hir mind.

[Other] Balina is buffeted by rocks, clinging to them to slow her flush down what appear to be rapids now. There are flashes of trees, and land on either side as she slips, but the most intense smell, is that of Coyote. The smell is intense and getting closer.

Apostasy blinks. "Uh, guys? I know you're having a moment and all, but... Balina just got sucked into the lake.

[Between] Sparhawk frowns a little. "This is less familiar than it probably should be. And if that's Las over there...we're doing funny things with perceived time again, heh." Shi hums along with some other chunks of the Fantasia movie, drawn to the library area.

Taggart frowns gently and leans in, giving Dream a little kiss on her cheek. "Aye, well... we're that sort that mucks things about fer'im, then. We'll fix it, darlin'. Always do." He glances to Apostasy without showing much concern, "Well, she's tha habit ta go pokin'er nose where she shouldn't." The man stands up and looks at Apo, eyebrows raising upward, "Ideas, then?"

Apostasy shrugs. "Unless Dream has other ideas, all I can see is "jump in after her" or "do nothing, assume she'll be fine", to be honest."

[Other] Blinking and gasping, desperately trying to at least avoid drowning and only barely starting to realize where she is, Balina tries to make for shore. You can't fight the rapids, but you can at least swim sideways. The fact that she can't SEE the shore, or know if one exists, is secondary to at least regaining control.

Dream grins widely and says, "Come with me, and I'll let you meet my friend!" offering her hand out.

[Between] The library is expansive, full of ideas that are, will be, and will never be. Books line the shelves with millennia of knowledge foretold, but it is sick with corruption. Thorny vines wrap sections, while Shadow's hunters fill another. There is a faint scent of blood filling the place.

Apostasy looks at Dream. "Sure!" She stands and takes the little girl's hand with a smile.

[Other] The inevitable flow is that, it’s there as if to tell Balina not to fight, why bother, that's how things will simply be. It commands one to let go and follow.

Taggart follows after, as well.

[Between] "They keep the Bad Ideas section locked," Sparhawk confides in Kaylah, "And no one knows what the Good Ideas shelf looks like. S'why there's so many, got to try and find the one important one." Unless something interferes in a spectacular way shi'll keep moving steadily onward in search of [REDACTED] and Sori, bearing hir tools and something-like-a-niece.

The little girl takes a hand from each, and walks them both forward, the first step they take the whole place shimmers and warps, and they find themselves inside a cocoon of Trees. The trees spiking high into the heavens above blocking everything out around, their varied barks showing the plethora of shapes the world takes. In the center there's a small fox, it’s bleeding from both its legs and its eyes are closed. Labored breaths struggle to remain at its lips.

[Other] No, there really isn't a shore. There are, however, still plenty of rocks and other obstacles. Briefly considering if this was better or worse than listen to two people swoon over Dream (no matter what she may already owe the girl, herself), the wolf begins swimming downstream directly, eager to at least get to the end on her own terms.

[Other] The entire river comes to a halt, suddenly going motionless, almost paralyzed by the shift. Balina finds it strangely easy to navigate, and shore is not far in the distance, while the stentch of Coyote grows thicker ever yet.

Apostasy drops Dream's hand when she sees the injured fox, running over to it. "I've had absolutely no luck with this so far, but..." she murmurs, as she holds her hands above the injuries and the blue glow of her healing springs forth.

[Other] Balina does what Balina does. Shore is reached, and she begins bounding after the smell, her previously-shackled urge to hunt released with abandon.

The namidian magic shines brightly, and reacts oddly to the fox, causing a sudden bloom and growth around it, as vines burst out of the ground, knitting into the foxes legs. They twist and morph and nourishment flows into the creature, which yips in response.

"Ack!" Apo exclaims, the light of healing blinking out as she scrambles back a bit, before moing forward tentatively to examine what's happened.

[Between] Sparhawk finds the place easy to navigate, the stretching corridors shrinking as shi heads directly for the area she wants. She narrows focus, and despite hearing cries, and screams to distract her, very little penetrates her cover. The shadow's hunters moving right past her without any notice. Spar sees signs leading towards a section of the library about birth.

[Other] The loping feral finds it easier to concentrate; they can taste the scent in their muzzle. Her stomach pangs, and her paw itches. Endlessly it follows, until she finds an unmarked grave. Coyote's grave. Alone, abandoned in the forest, hidden well by all except for his thick stench.

Taggart remains quiet, watching. Thoughts are obviously processing rapidly behind his emerald eyes, however.

Dream moves forward and says, "Uncle, you know better than to let him know you're here! I've brought friends to help." the girl smiles and grins. The fox responds with a quiet stare, it's legs still knitting, but the creature rooted in place.

Apostasy headtilts. "Uncle?" She looks back at the fox, and resumes healing it, accelerating the process she appears to have kick started.

[Between] Sparhawk murmurs, "Never woulda thought it would get this large," as shi approaches the birth books section, annoyingly unresponsive to the ghouls and goblins and bits of undigested cheese.

[Between] The books are dusty, and unused, and the dustiest of them old is an ancient one. It's written in a language so old; it is written in pure emotion. As Spar flips through the pages, she feels that of a mother's love, the joy of creation, the despair of loss. It is so raw, and intense it’s nearly breathtaking, so powerful in fact it can only be the birth of something of enormous magnitude. Kaylah asks, "Why is that book empty?" from on back.

[Other] Under normal circumstances, Balina might have found this anticlimactic. She's known Coyote is dead since her first night in the pub. However, this is the first time her stomach has ever grumbled at something that's supposed to be dead. Scratching that itchy paw against the dirt, her nose always as close to the ground as possible, she starts working her way down.

Dream nods, and the fox yips with some disdain. It turns and begins to gnaw at the vines holding it in place, and slowly rips its paws out from the ground.

Her work done, Apo step back again and waits for some sort of explanation.

[Other] As Balina digs, she finds a loose spleen, and then a fragment of intestine, and a tooth. She keeps digging and uncovers treasure after treasure, fragments of bone, and ash, but the potency of the scent disagrees with the assessment of death.

The fox huffs at Apostasy and holds its head up. A small snort as it looks away it crosses its paws and lays down, giving the three a cold shoulder.

[Other] Pieces are, as they're dug out, separated as best as possible from the dirt. Except the spleen; Balina gnaws that one to keep her jaws busy while she keeps going. If she weren't so focused on her task, she might wonder more about why the gibs are so randomly strewn through the dirt; this isn't how a body is usually buried.

Apostasy giggles at the fox. "Fine, be that way. Must suck to be indebted to me, though."

Taggart puts his head down, frowning and in deep thought. Arms cross over his chest, a hand rising to pinch at the bridge of his nose. Hand falls away and his head raises, but his eyes are still closed, then it tilts to one side and lifts an ear to the sky, as if listening to something. "I think... I wanna move away from whoever this is... gonna try sumthin' daft."

[Between] Sparhawk gives no answer for some time, held compelled by the story told in the language that never translates properly to the speaker's lips. Eventually Kaylah's question catches up with hir and shi says, "I don't know, O smallest of flailytails. Perhaps we can get Elaine, or her half-sister Dream, to teach you later." Shi flips to the end to see what is there, in the manner of the Elephant's Child.

Taggart growls gently, "Don't be pissin' off tha God, Apo."

The fox lifts up on all its paws and turns around to glare at Apostasy. It hops and yips at her madly, fury in its eyes. Dream intercedes and says, "You need to stop acting younger than me, uncle." and points at the tree line. There are only three standing there now as the edge of the tree line has broken open. The forest beyond there's some strange animal noises, and dirt being flung out of a hole in the ground.

[Between] Kaylah hops down from Spar's back to grab her own book, this one a picture book. She looks the thing over, it seems quite modern and new compared to the one Spar is holding, but it’s also told in pictures and short phrases. A story of the first dream. She holds it up to Sparhawk and says, "Would you read this to me?"

Balina's so caught up in digging into Coyote that she doesn't notice the brand new, very strong scents that invade her graveyard looting frenzy.

[Between] Sparhawk runs hir fingers over the new book, placing the ancient and dusty one back on its shelf. "If you think it's important, m'dear. There are other people hangin' around that could use some heroics soon." That said shi turns the first page and begins telling the story, full of the creative interpretations that Spar gives to all the stories shi tells.

Apostasy giggles again at the fox, unable to stop herself. She looks then in the direction that Dream points, and starts. "We should, uh, probably investigate that, huh?"

[Unknown] Taggart was one moment before in the forest, and before his thought and will even processed the wind whipped chill of a street on early winter’s day now greets him. An old ancient movie theatre nearby, and the black covered hare, blinks up at him from down the road. It glowers at him from a safe distance away.

[Between] Kaylah claps as Spar reads, the story tells of the early man being plagued by nightmares, keeping them focused on the end, that giant monsters will harm them at every turn and why bother to struggle and grow. Every night man would go to bed and the next day would be worse. And then man invented dream, and dreamed, the nightmares had nowhere to go, and the next day was better.

[Unknown] Taggart glances about and tucks the end of a scarf into an old, black peacoat that he's suddenly been wearing the whole time, hands slipping into the fore pockets before he turns to face ShadowHare. A shrill whistle from between his teeth, winking with intimidating grin, "Oi there, Bunny! Think you'n'me should'ave ourselves a chat!" His hollar carries down the windswept street in front of the cinema, slowly starting to walk toward the twin Gods, boots clomping heavily on the concrete.

[Between] Sparhawk concludes, "So you see, Tomorrow is in our hands. And/or heads. We make it brighter and darker by what we do today, and tonight." Shi closes the book with a satisfying thump and offers it to Kaylah. "Can you put this away neatly so everyone else can find it later?"

[Unknown] The hare looks at the man, "My child, what can I do for you?" the words practically hiss out of the rabbit, not an ounce of the native god's voice in that comment. The eyes flashing red as the light surrounding the two dim.

Dream moves to her uncle's side and wraps her arms around the fox's neck in a hug. "You know he'll owe you for this, and even though he will brag that its him, you know you are the reason." and then she lets go, and pushes the fox in the direction of the gravesite as another bone is flung from the hole in the earth.

[Between] Kaylah looks a little disappointed not being able to keep it, but follows instructions ever so precisely. She neatly tucks it in, and climbs back up on Spar's back. The hunters still scouring the library for whatever used to be here, frantically searching for something, the dark hungry globes searching for prey, but still not noticing the two.

Apostasy looks at Dream, then the fox, then shrugs and pads towards the hole in the ground, cautiously.

[Between] Sparhawk taps Kaylah lightly on the forehead. "You know this story and it's inside you now. And as this is a library, you can come back to hear it again...but so can everyone else. No good hoarding it." With that shi deigns to pay attention to the hunters, humming a tune about already having what one needs, and having a rest, leaving that in hir wake as shi travels on.

[Unknown] The Wolf and Man shakes his head slowly, clucking his tongue with disappointment. "Come on, then... I ain't no child'a'yers. Mebbe distant relations, but... got no Shadow in me. You know that fairly well, doncha?" A playful and intimidating wink of an emerald eye, cocky as his hands flip up the collar of his peacoat. "So... why don't ya jus'... move on out... and it don't need ta get ugly."

[Unknown] The creature laughs now, "What, do you think you could possibly do to me? Will you swallow me like Coyote once did, and try to use me? I've heard rabbit tastes good." There's a momentary blink of his eyes, and cock of his head.

Apostasy approaches the hole, and inside is a large wolf, digging and scratching at the ground, her nose seeking out all sorts of things, her eyes completely closed. Something... odd looking is chewed to bits by her paw. She huffs as she finds another bone, and tosses that out, it nearly colliding with Apo. Behind her, the fox approaches the hole, tentatively.

Apostasy yelps as the bone whizzes by her face, ducking away from the hole. "'Ey! Balina! Watch what you're doing! That almost hit me!" she calls into the hole, indignantly.

[Between] The library once had hir friends, but they are no longer there, the hunter’s lost and frantic search making it rather obvious they have fled from the library. Spar returns to the land of dream, and moves from image to image, movies, and dreams of movies that don't exist, and shi travels through them, back into hir childhood. Then shi finds a book, this one very different from those in the library, for this isn't a book of knowledge, rather it’s a living and breathing world contained in paper.

[Unknown] Taggart clears his throat, shaking his head. "No, no... usin' tha power uva God ain't my style, friend. I'm more tha sort ta jus'keep it safe and tucked away. Ya know... you've got yer Magic... I got mine." The man shrugs and sighs, "Eit'er way... it don't really matter'ere. Ain't yer place. Yer treadin' on all sortsa toes there. 'fore long, yer gunna draw a whole bunch'attention that you don't want... and it won't be from us Mortals."

[Between] Sparhawk regards this deeper dream with great interest, one that can happen in the light of day just as well. With another check of hir supplies and rider, shi pushes into this living story.

[Unknown] Shadow-Hare laughs, laughs and laughs. "What makes you think that wasn't why I came?" The hare now behind Taggart, as if he was there the entire time. He's but a meter away.

Balina pauses mid-scratch, with the odd feeling that someone's walked in on her doing something embarrassing. Slowly, she cranes her head back, opening her eyes to see Apostasy peering down. Discreetly covering the remains of the spleen with her back paw as she turns around, she pops her forelegs up out of the hole. Given the size of a Balinawolf, the fact that she's just barely able to do so means she's gotten rather deep, even for a grave. She gives an innocent smile to Apo, but before she finishes opening her mouth to greet the wingly wolf, her nose gets enough Coyote funk out of it to catch scent of the fox. Her back legs begin to scrabble, and her expression hardens, growling the whole way out.

Apostasy darts back a bit as Balina starts growling and scrabbling her way out of the hole. "Hey, hey, what gives? What's got you all riled up all of a sudden?"

The fox bolts forward and snags a bone, and then books it past Dream, heading back for its cubby in the trees. The thing has a panicked look on its face.

"What the...Hey! Get back here with that, you little jerk!" Apo yells after the fleeing fox. She places a - probably futile - restraining hand on Balina's shoulder to stop her charging madly after him until some sort of explanation can be garnered.

[Between] The book cover has an entwined snake upon its front, and as Spar begins to read, he hears the call and plight of the people of its land. The people call out for help, for a hero.

Dream laughs, and laughs, giggling madly at the chase, the fleeing fox.

[Between] Sparhawk inevitably shifts to humming the theme of the movie of the book, seeking out the young hero who has a poor understanding of other people. Because that is where everyone will be assembled, around the main character. Might accidently be a fluffy dragon by the time shi appears, too.

[Unknown] Taggart gives a small shake of his head, "Yanno... I'd be careful'bout that poppin'about ya do. Might end up somewhere ya don't like. 'cause... yer like... everywhere all at tha same time er summat, right? And... if that's true... means yer already in me stomach... and usin' Dream logic... means yer there, since... I kin' make this MY dream whenver I really care ta spare tha effort." A wicked and dominant grin finds his mouth, winking at the Hare again. "Right?"!

Balina snarls and champs her teeth a few times, but Apo's hand, the fox's rapid departure, and parts of Balina screaming that Dream is RIGHT THERE are enough that she doesn't immediately give chase, much as she wants to. The fact that she never got out of the hole is completely unrelated. Looking once more at Apo, then nodding to Dream, she turns back around, snaps up the last of the scraps at her paws, and goes back to digging. "Saving time," she growls at the dirt.

[Unknown] For a brief moment, the rabbit's eyes flicker with fear, and in a flash he's gone, with the shadow still thick where he was. No sight of him, Taggart's alone in the abandoned alley, the theatre still bright.

Apostasy quirks an eyebrow as Balina goes back to digging... and then sets off in pursuit of the fox, following his scent trail - a mix of strong fox smell, and terror. She giggles to herself at that as she runs, loping along on all fours.

[Storybook] And Sparhawk finds hirself on the back of a very furry dragon. The wind blows wildly, and Kaylah clings tight, she's cheering, or screaming, or something that’s a mix of fear and delight.

Apostasy reaches the glade, and enters quickly after the fox. The fox huffs as it sees Apostasy catch up, and drops the bone onto the ground inside the glade. Vines reach up immediately and seep into the bone, the thing twisting and warping and then the sound of laughter, Coyote's laughter reverberates, Balina can smell Coyote like she's inside of him, and then with a noise that sounds almost like a bloop, the various parts of coyote begin to simply fade from existence.

[Storybook] Sparhawk grins widely. "All good dragons have proper handholds!" shi shouts into the wind as shi crawls forward to the part that does less flailing-like-a-kite-tail. Still seeking the people who might not need rescuing after all.

Apostasy blinks as the bone is quickly altered by the vines, and starts at the sound of laughter, almost deafening her. "Augh! What the hell just happened??"

[Unknown] Taggart gives a bit of a smirk, but shakes it away, the cockiness quickly fading as the needed bid for power is gone. His eyes glance up to theater, turning to look at the name of the picture showing.

There is, incidentally, light shining through the keyhole of the theater's door. Especially if the door is open. It will hang in the air without need for actual door support.

[Unknown] The name is faded but reads "What Dreams May Come". There's a light dusting of snow now on the street.

[Grave] As her nose has already been full of Coyote for the last however long she's been digging, Balina fails to notice as the smell permeates the rest of the dream. The 'bloop' coming from her stomach, however, is a pretty good distraction. Working her way out of the hole she's dug herself, the task aided by the more quiet anger of having chosen poorly, she glances off in the direction she remembered the fox running. Looking over at Dream, she tries as best as she can to gesture at her own back with her nose, muttering a low, "Okay, which way did they go?"

Apostasy feels a hand grab hers, the little girl saying, "Papa's awake." and she grins over at the fox, who seems a little irritated, "You think everyone's going to forget you now don't you?" and the fox huffs at that.

Apostasy looks down at Dream in shock, and then smiles. "The old bastard is back again? He better not be expecting a big hug hello from me."

[Unknown] Taggart frowns gently, but heads into the theater, knowing in his Mind's Eye that the door isn't locked.

[Storybook] The dragon now soars directly toward the ground; the friends are like tiny ants from way up high but visible. The sound of Coyote's laughter echoes in Spar's ears. The dragon himself is laughing, and roars loudly.

[Unknown] The rickety theatre hasn't been kept up well, but the door does open, and inside the click of the projector echoes throughout the room. On the screen there's a movie playing, although it's flashes of images of stories rather than the movie from the placard outside. There is one viewer, someone strapped to a chair, their eyes held open as they are forced to watch the film. Their hands are gripped tightly against the chair they are bound to.

[Storybook] Sparhawk laughs too! Because flying is fun, as is success! One more step toward victory, and there's a semitransparent bear giving wet licks to the faces of the comatose pubgoers on the farthest outside.

[Unknown Theatre] Taggart makes his way down the aisle of the theatre, eyes watching the stories flashing on the screen before he turns his attention to the person strapped and watching. His level of concern doesn't seem to raise, and he makes his way to their chair, head tilting to one side as he tries to discern the person's identity.

[Grave?] Balina heads off towards the fox's last known trail, hoping to pick up something, anything over the smell of Coyote everywhere. Her stomach feels cheated, or at least tricked, and something about that has to be done before she's going to be able to rest easy tonight.

Dream nods up at Apostasy, saying "Yup!" happily, and then moves over to comfort the fox. Balian catches up to the two pretty quickly, and when she enters, the smell of the other, finally overcomes the scent of Coyote.

Apostasy gives Balina a small wave. "Done with graverobbing and scavenging carrion for tonight then, Balina?" she asks with a grin.

[Storybook] And Falkor dives, crashing into the ground with a loud roar, thumping Sparhawk and Kaylah up under Falkor's ear. They can hear voices of their friends, and family about, and Kaylah's ears perk.

Balina huffs, then takes a deep careful sniff, the smell of even Fox smelling sweet and clean compared to the last few minutes. "Only for the moment," she grins, padding past the pair as she continues following her nose.

Apostasy chuckles and rolls her eyes before turning her attention back to Dream. "So what exactly have we achieved? Our friends all still seem to be stuck in nightmares."

[Unknown Theatre] Taggart sees an image of [REDACTED] on the screen. She appears to be overwhelmed by hordes of creatures, with a hollow image of Kaylah and Sorien behind her; she looks both determined and frightened on the screen, her blades in hand, the question running through her mind of avoiding violence. This image hovers in place, sticking for longer than the others. The person in the seat is nondescript, could be an everyman, generic down to the T, a little bit feminine, a little bit masculine, a little bit young and old, all at the same time. His face is frozen in a picture of abject terror.

[Storybook] "D-mail delivery," Sparhawk's voice sings out, "Things precious and rare!" Shi hops off nimbly after mussing Falcor's hairstyle, keeping hir left hand firmly upon the Kaylah rider. A call especially important because shi is still wrapped in darkness and defended against things of shadow.

The group doesn't seem to notice Spar, and is busy getting up on the dragon, cheering happily, however Sparhawk notices Coyote-Sorien wink at hir, and signal for her to get on too.

[Storybook] Spar grumbles a bit as shi is immediately forced to retread terrain. "Clearly something is going on because no one has hounded me for explanations and explanations of those explanations." Taking advantage of being largely ignored, everyone ends up with a key, tied to a bracelet with a string that goes to be a remember-me string around their finger. Except Sori, who is paying far too much attention for reverse pickpocketing.

Balina sniffs the air, Foxes scent is almost overwhelming to her, the bloodlust she's been driven towards this entire time comes to a peak. He stole Coyote, he's the one that has tormented her!

Dream answers Apostasy, "It's time to wake soon, but it's also time for me to say goodbye." the little girl says, hugging tightly around her uncle's neck, who stiffens as Balina approaches.

Apostasy places a restraining hand on Balina again. "Hey! Control yourself. Stop letting the Fenrir in you call the shots." She smiles warmly at Dream and says "Don't be a stranger, Dream. Come visit sometime."

[Storybook] And Falkor takes off in the wrong direction into the nothingness. Each member of the group finding their own door with a key in the void, and then they wake, choking on things. Taggart, Balina and Apostasy the only three still asleep.

Balina stops, but her eyes remain locked on Fox. Dream, as always, grounds her a little, and as long as Fox keeps the girl hostage like that, she won't pounce. She does everything short of it, however, hunkering down and baring her teeth in a fashion that may or may not be a grin.

Apostasy looks at Dream. "You may want to figure out how to wake her up and get her out of here before she decides eating Fox is more important than you not getting hurt."

Fox yips loudly now at Balina, again, and again. He then nips at Dream, forcing her to let go and charges at Balina.

[Unknown Theatre] Taggart sits down in the seat next to the non-descript person, reaching over to casually remove the devices that are keeping its eyes open. He snaps a few fingers in front of their eyes, glancing over his shoulder at the scene on the screen. "Sleep, friend." A mumble before Taggart stands back up and makes his way up to the screen, preparing to throw his Will into the Dream in front of him.

Balina pounces, teeth and claws prepared to do what they were formed to do.

The man's eyes are still open, almost catatonic at this point, but he does blink for a moment, and with him, the dream fades black around everyone, and then on again. As Taggart reaches the screen and touches it, his hand dips right in.

The little fox goes for the throat of the titanic wolf in front of him. He certainly has balls, being dwarfed by a giant wolf.

Apostasy steps back to give Balina some space, not bothered trying to stop the fight Fox apparently wants so badly.

Taggart gives a bit of a sigh and jumps into the Dream, man becoming manwolf in the process. Appearing next to the group of his friends, he turns and immediately strikes out at Sorien and Kaylah, claws swiping through the air.

Balina has already committed to going teeth-first into the morsel in front of her. There is no plan, there is no strategy. There is only her tormenter, and her mouth.

The fake Sori and Kaylah melt under his claws, and [REDACTED] cries out and finally makes a slash at Taggart, just as the dream blinks out again, and this time the void is longer, and then they're back. [REDACTED]' blade is on the ground, and she's on her knees in front of Taggart sobbing.

The dream blinking in and out, as Balina bites down on Fox, she tastes him and his blood flowing into her mouth, and then there is nothing, and when reality returns, the fox is limping on the ground, it's ears drooped, glaring. It growls and then sneers, and Balina and Apostasy find themselves falling, and both wake at once to a room full of friends. Bal still having the taste of Fox in her mouth.

Apostasy jolts awake all of a sudden. "Gah!" She looks around, blinking, and sees she's back in the Pub, awake again. "Well. That was fun. Let's not do that again. Also, bad Balina. No treats for you."

Manwolf becomes man again and Taggart kneels down, gripping his dear friend's shoulders to give her a soft shake. "S'a'dream, [REDACTED]. Tell yerself ta wake up. You are in control, now..."

[REDACTED] blinks, and looks up at the monster that is now her friend. She looks at the prone and dust shapes that she once thought was her family, and she shivers. She pulls Taggart into a hug, clinging to him, and the dream blinks out again, and when it returns, the two are gone.[[Category:[REDACTED] Events]]