Nightwhispers: Silence/Chapter 1

The two are discussing something of concern, and Balina has been pacing back and forth, following her new instincts of concern while Spar reminds her of how not-dangerous this all is. The quarry, a memory of Hare, the great one, which invaded the hivemind in more ways than one and left quite an impression. Spar's trying to calm Balina enough for the possibility of sleep to be entertained.

Sparhawk squawks, "I have some chamomile tea, if that works on you. And a stunningly comfortable couch. I do hope not to have to resort to the cartoonishly large hammer?"

The top floor of King's Department Store is still something of a mess, the cafeteria area not entirely reconstructed and broken-down racks leaning against the wall. A couple kids look out the windows at the cityscape and appear bored out of their skulls.

A collection of copper tubes lead to a tall brass tank in the centre of the floor, electrical wires snaking all over the place like a toy factory in better repair.

Balina continues pacing. "As much my own fault as anything. No, tea's probably a bad idea. Usually sleep on a cold steel floor these days, so comfort's not really a problem. I should have come later, or at least had less to think about. You never really told me what, exactly, you're going to do to me after I finally clock out, by the way."

Sparhawk taps the side of hir head--which is still the giant firebird, sitting cross legged on the mostly-ruined carpet. "I'll find you and pull you into my dream once you're properly doing REM sleep stuff. It's easier to find you when you are physically nearby, hence inviting you here in the first place. After that...it's a dream, innit? What would you like me to say about it?"

Balina stops, giving a theatrical sigh and a helpless shrug. "I was hoping against hope that, eventually, someone would say something about this that made sense. Forgive me for still expecting that, but old habits. Fine, just point me to a chilly corner to curl up in, and I'll have to take your word for it." With that, she shucks her pack and belt, dropping them onto an empty table, while loosening straps on her outfit.

Sparhawk grins. "It's maaaaagic. Verifiably so. We got a walk-in freezer if you want it that cold, but it's kind of August and all we have is shade."

Balina finishes her adjustments, just as the rest of her begins to bulk up and fill the plates back out, soon resulting in a probably-inadequate set of plates stretched over a wolf 6' high. The fact that she's still just normal dog-sized to her host does not go unnoticed, but at least she tries not to show it. "Long as it's got air, that sounds wonderful," she growls, "Might have to ask about getting one set up back at the dealership, now that you mention it."

"It certainly consumes our air conditioning budget from Zephyr's power generators," says Sparhawk. Shi scoots over to the cafeteria area and points at a heavy steel door. "No lights, but it's not air-tight. Anything else you need? Ice cream, pillow, decorative lace icicles?"

Balina looks up at Spar, then shakes her head and starts padding along to the door. "Just get the handle for me, and I think we're set. There aren't any locks on there, are there?"

Sparhawk leans way over and tugs carefully on the handle, letting out a cool breeze that rolls over Balankles. "No, but it's not really radio-tight either. If you don't trust me, you can still phone home from inside the box."

( Balina settles in, and dream comes surprisingly quick, it’s as if Balina is drawn toward something faster than she ever has. Her nose carries her into a hunt, a great chase. Prey! )

Sparhawk waits around for a minute in case there is any urgent knocking from the inside, listening to the heavy wolfpads going in a circle three times. Then shi goes over to a subtle wall-coloured door and opens it, jamming hir arm into the wellspring in the janitor's closet and melting away to nothing. Hir own dreams come as a matter of course, entering the tropical island before moving to the memory of the pub and the sound of strong drumming rain.

A fleeing deer-shaped blur runs ahead of Balina, always out of reach but never out of sight. It moves through unimportant places only known by what obstacles they stick out in futile attempt to catch the hunter, until the deer evaporates and Balina finds herself in an unoccupied edition of Taggart's Pub.

The pub is quite empty, eerily so, but the rules still stand out heavy on the wall, and the new occupant finds herself stark nude, half furred and half skinned, paws firmly on the ground. An odd shape and smell fills the room, one she recognizes but not from where.

Balina sniffs around, confused. The fact that she's gone from forest to pub doesn't register, but what she's doing here completely eludes her. A part of her recognizes it as an empty pub, but the rest of her, especially her nose, insists that she's in the middle of a hunt. A few chairs, not quite scooted into their table, are investigated and knocked aside as she continues looking, eventually putting a couple of paws atop the bar and peering at the racks behind.

Sparhawk is unable to fool a divine nose; everything smells like there is Sparhawk rubbed all over it. And then there is a Sparhawk, standing in the middle of the room. "One of those where everyone's naked, eh?"

Balina starts, more surprised that she didn't find the source than actually-- yep, she's naked. Her clean paw goes over her face, while said face thumps onto the bar for a moment. With a sound surprisingly akin to the clearing of a throat, she says, "I'm not really going to be allowed any dignity tonight, am I?" as she picks herself back up and pads over to the middle of the room, sitting on the floor in front of the apparition.

The elephant in the room, is a rabbit, a hare to be precise, it sits with red eyes blinking at the two as they discuss. Unspeaking, it wriggles its nose at them and watches.

"It could be worse," says Spar, not necessarily the one standing around looking amused. "I may contain the least amount of jerk of any trickster you know." The bird waves a hand and then there has been people in the pub the whole time, chatting away and clinking glasses and paying no attention to the naked pair. "Start here..."

Balina snarls, "And yet, here I am, naked and begging." Glancing around, she fails to register any of the faces as anyone she knows. Small blessings, at least. "We're not here to help me get over a fear of being naked in a designated no-no-pants zone. Whose head are we in now?"

Sparhawk's puppet taps its head in a mimicry of the gesture Bal saw in the so-called real world less than one sleep ago. "Mine, and have you forgotten why you were here?"

The hare speaks, voice familiar to Spar and distant to Balina, "I'm sure she's here to eat me. Or play a trick on me, or just be gullible like that fool Fenris and let me chain her up."

"That explains the smell. And we're here to do the same thing I do--" the wolf-thing is caught off guard, but is on all fours and bristling what fur she has, trying to take in the whole room at once.

"--to know the nature of Hare, yes. Hello, thinks-with-dick, you're looking memorable today." Sparhawk's voice remains curiously sourceless, in the manner of inner monologue.

And now Hare is over a prone form of Lasair, in the shape of a part-hare, and he's fucking her. Her sneers at Sparhawk, "I beg to differ, I think you all just like thinking about my dick."

This is precisely the sort of thing Balina's been waiting for. Thankfully, she's prepared enough that she doesn't immediately leap, but growls are issued and nostrils are flaring, and her stance has braced for a pounce, just in case. "This how most of *your* nights go, Spar?" she yells over herself in between growls and the occasional bark, "Show up at Taggart's place, invite in a couple of gods, have a little orgy?"

The pub feels hot, blushing and flushed with arousal. The fiery bird banters back, "Las can have the dick if I can have the balls!" At the same time Spar's voice whispers in Balinears, "No, just /this/ one. Pay attention."

Hare quips, "And you let a wet dog in here? For shame, this place used to be so pretty when it had a statue of me." he trails off, and looks pretty blissful as Lasair looks near orgasm under his mighty care.

[Wake] The bar is pretty active this evening, Cilan and Apo are in a corner, sweetly nuzzling, while Sori and [REDACTED] are teaching Kay something from a book. Many occupants mill about, and out of the regulars the only two missing are Balina and Sparhawk. The lack of Balina in particular is quite... noticeable. Taggart himself has yet to step out.

[Dream] Fuck the chatter, fuck the fucking. There is a Hare here, and it doesn't want Balina to be polite. She pounces, her form reclaiming the rest of its fur and leaving just an angry Fenrir wolf behind. No heed is given for the prone Lasair, and any lingering worries about being in a Spardream fall to the wayside. There is predator, there is prey. Nothing else matters.

[Dream] The hare's suddenly resting on top of Balina's back, and he whispers into her ear, "You will have to wait your turn to get a piece of me sweet thing." The grin on the little hare's face is a mile wide, and his red eyes remain as eerie as they always are. Lasair is no longer to be seen, having disappeared with a loud orgasmic cry. Balina is unable to see the hare, though she can smell him, and his shadow stretches across the bar.

[Wake] Taggart makes his way out into the pub, glancing around slightly before he moves to pour himself a beer. He seems rather lax tonight, giving a yawn as he sits down with the stout to sip at.

[Wake] Apo pauses in her nuzzling and cuddling with Cilan to wave over to Taggart. "Heya Taggart! How goes?"

[Wake] The den's comments are suddenly interrupted by a loud bark, Balina's voice twisted in fury, Tag recognizes it instantly. It comes from nowhere and everywhere at once.

[Dream] The Sparhawk shape is also gone, retreating into watching and maintaining the dream in the proper direction. So far shi thinks things are going well, no actual explosions yet.

[Dream] Balina has gone into a blood haze. If it wasn't going to be that easy, what was all of this for? Hare was so gracious as to not actually put any weight on her back, or this work be easy. Instead, she simply thrashes about, desperate to find where the smell is coming from, and certain that it's RIGHT HERE. The fact that it looks like she's chasing her tail is purely coincidence.

[Wake] Taggart glances up to Apostasy with a small smile and a light shrug. "Doin' well, I sappose. N'you?"

[Dream] The Hare takes a moment to sit on the nonexistent Sparhawk, and whispers, "Nice job keeping my other half out. But wise one, did you think he would play all nice-like and let you dangle something like this in front of him? The little bunny is then in front of Balina, but his scent is gone. Perhaps a figment, it does look up at the big wolf and sneers. His shadow casts up the wall, almost menacing. He however is silent.

[Wake] And the bark repeats, and then one by one, the occupants of the bar pass out, falling into awkward positions. Apostasy and Taggart the only ones remaining aware.

[Wake] "I'm doing well too," Apo replies. She gently extricates herself from Cil, giving her a kiss as she goes, and pauses as everyone passes out. "I didn't do it!"

[Wake] The man blinks a few times as everyone passes out and raises an eyebrow. The hand holding his beer slowly drops down and sets it to the bartop, clearing his throat. "Well... that's a bit odd, then..."

[Wake] Apo move about the room, shaking people, trying to wake them. She sniffs at the air, trying to detect any unusual scents. "What's going on here?"

[Dream] The pub shifts from blushing to having firm walls and ramrod-straight bottles. "Our time was useful and lovely," comes a mantra-like chanting. Relying on trying to fill every cubic centimetre with love, as shi's been doing for the past months.

[Wake] Even little Kaylah is asleep, [REDACTED]' head has fallen onto Sori's shoulder, the two still wrapped around and the little girl snoozing in their lap. No amount of shaking causes any stirring at all.

[Dream] Balina halts, staring at the thing in front of her. A patch of ice has formed beneath her, and frost is wisping off as she bends down and sniffs once, twice. It's not what she's after, but its attitude is setting off little warning sounds, deep in the back of her head. She's still convinced this is a hunt, but the inner wolf is confused and looking to the rest of Balina for guidance. Sadly, Balina is at least as lost as the rest of her.

[Dream] The shadow slowly shrinks along the wall as the room... alters. He speaks from not his body, filling the room with, "And you think he will take the direct approach?" and the hare isn't in front of Balina, perhaps has never been there. The room itself flickers with dim light, and a cry is heard from Sorien. Then another echo, [REDACTED]' voice. Then other voices flash, one after another, a cacophony of cries of pain.

[Wake] Taggart makes his way out from behind the bar, doing the same as Apostasy. A hand grips a few friends, trying to shake them awake. "Wut tha bloody'ell?"

[Dream] Sparhawk frowns. "That's not...Sori's not even asleep right now. Explosion status pending." The dream-maker starts building a keyhole at the stairs into the room, one lit from behind.

[Wake] Apo and Tag both feel a pull, like something is tugging at their very soul, trying to rip them from inside. Apo's body reacts with a flash of bright light, while Tag feels the oncoming pain of a shift.

[Dream] There are, thankfully, a few things Balina and Balinawolf can agree on. Her general concern and her bestial loyalty tend to mix well, and she begins bounding around the room, hoping to see or smell or hear any of her friends.

[Wake] Apo yelps in pain and falls to her knees, squeezing her eyes shut as her tattoos flare with bright light. "Agh! What the hell!"

[Wake] Taggart gives a groan, squeezing his eyes shut and growling in his throat and chest. A hand slips up to his temple, rubbing at it as his shoulders twitch. "Wut tha BLOODY'ELL!?"

[Wake] Regaining her feet, Apo looks over at Taggart, and her eyes widen in recognition of the early stages of a change. "Ah, shit. Any chance you won't be trying to brutally murder and or rape everyone here if or when you change? Cause a roomful of sleeping people is not a good battlefield."

[Wake] Black blood drips out of both Apo's black nose, and the changing human's.

[Dream] The voices quiet, but the presences and smells fill the room. Scents of fear, the true scents many friends. They flood the room like a thick mist. Images, faces. Rihko sits crying in a hospital gown, propped up on a bed a human in shape but not in smell or personality. In the middle of the bar still, surrounded by its walls. She doesn't seem aware of either Spar nor Bal.

[Wake] A hand slips to Taggart's nose, dabbing at the black blood dripping from it. He groans again, shaking his head.

[Dream] In proper dream-logic fashion, Balina fails to recognize anything out of place at the situation; there isn't enough rational Balina active right now to do anything other than recognize there's a problem. She puts paws up near Rihko, but, finding the woman unresponsive, whimpers slightly and continues looking.

[Wake] Apo reaches a hand up to her nose when she feels it dripping, gasping in shock when she sees the black blood. "Not again!" She hurries over to Tag. "Maaaaybe we should leave the area full of sleeping potential victims while we still can then."

[Dream] Sparhawk works on things, because this is what Sparhawks do: take things and hammer them into shapes. Bearing in mind that explosions don't stop on their own, shi whispers to the glowing keyhole. "This is your name: your name is Tomorrow." Bearing two things in mind, shi begins telling a story to hirself, in the shape of an old-fashioned shiny brass key.

[Wake] Now the voices that Spar and Balina had heard, carry over into the real world. Voices, one by one, of the sleeping people penetrate into the room, but not emerging from a single pair of lips.

[Dream] Spar pushes the shape of the dream, the door opening and pulling Balina with her. The two of them shake themselves awake, separately, together. The real world freezer surrounding Balina, while the comforting home that is Spar's wellspring welcomes hir.

[Wake] Apo looks about, confused, ears flicking this way and that, as she hears the voices of her friends and family coming from... somewhere.

[King's Tower] Balina awakes with a yelp and a start, going through the usual process of waking in record time. Still, waking up in near-total darkness in a room of only some familiarity is disorienting; she bangs against a few walls before finally pushing the exit knob with her nose and stumbling into the cafeteria proper.

[King's Tower] Sparhawk frowns some more, booted out of hir own head. A ghostly bear ambles over toward the freezer while the main Spar assumes the Thinker's pose, which is just as uncomfortable for a shoddily-constructed hexataur as a greek model. The key, less physical with the mind shoved into a body and busy running it, takes more effort to keep the story going.

[Wake] Taggart starts to get upset... even more than he already is. This stuff isn't supposed to be happening in HIS pub. This is the safe place. This is the untouchable. How DARE this shit happen in HIS home. An angered snort sprays a bit of black blood from his nostrils, eyes twitching as the man growls long and constant.

[Wake] Apo shakes Taggart a little. "Hey! Keep it together! Getting all pissed off about... whatever is pissing you off extra, is -really- not helpful right now!"

[Wake] There's a soft voice, Kay's, barely a whisper, but she seems to be the calmest, her voice finally peaks with a, "Don't be sad."

[King's Tower] The real problem is those voices, they must be a figment to taunt them sent by the Shadow, surely they weren't... real.

[Wake] At the sound of Kay's voice, Apo looks about wildly. "Kay? Kay! Can you hear me, little sis?"

[King's Tower] Balina blinks a little in the light; anything's bright after spending an evening in a freezer. Eventually, she notices the bear. "Where's the rest of you?" she yawns, "I think I need to raise complaints with the management." She glances over at the table, reassuring her that her things are safe. She stays what she is for now, though.

[King's Tower] The bear-shaped soul chunk growfs a greeting to the wolf-shaped Balina, sparkling a little. Because it can. That is not the part of Sparhawk made of Words though, so it sits there and looks like it expects something. Meanwhile, the primary Sparhawk resides within the wellspring and holds the shape of the key in hir mind, whispering to it. "This is your name: The Nature Of Being Human is Deciding Who You Are. We define ourselves. No one can take this from us."

[Wake] Taggart shrugs Apostasy away, glaring over his shoulder at her as he leans over the bar a bit, bracing himself against the edge. "You yellin' at them ain't doin' much better!" His head spasms to one side, more muscles bunching in his shoulders as the change tries to take him.

[King's Tower] "Not quite what I was hoping for." Balina sits down, yawning once more as she starts looking around. "Please don't make me go trace hir down. I'm trying not to make a scene the first time I'm here."

[Wake] Apo looks at Tag with disbelief. "Seriously? You want to do this -now-, of all times? Real good idea, that."

[Wake] Taggart spins and sticks a finger out at Apostasy, "I never WANT ta do it, Apo! Ya got this bad habit'a'jus' NOT listenin' ta ANY bloody thing I say!" More muscle spasms and his blood crusted nostrils flare and relax, trying to breath in and out at a slower pace.

Radio Static forms on both ends, Sorien's radio humming with a voice, a single word. "Help" unison of many. It is mirrored by the one among Balina's stuff.

[Wake] Apo growls softly. "Well, as much as I'd love to argue and point out you offering no suggestions thusfar for me to actually disagree with or ignore in the first place, I think I'm going to check out Sori's radio instead." With that, she heads over to Sori's radio, and picks it up. "Hello? Can anyone hear me? Where are you?"

[King's Tower] Well, that's one way to wake up a Balina. The distance is covered in a couple of bounds, the comm hastily fumbled out of her belt. Curses ensue, and after a few moments, Balina is struggling to get her straps adjusted to her less-huge frame and hit buttons on her comm at the same time. "Recent calls, recent calls, how the HELL did that come in without ringing?"

No response from the dreamers, but Bal and Apo's voices transfer just fine over the radio.

[King's Tower] The bear listens to the radio with interest, following the wolf with less abandon. It growfs at Apostasy, over long-range radio, carrying vague familiarity.

[King's Tower] Balina eyes her radio as she fails to find a source for the distress call, but she does pick up on Apostasy's own distress while she's at it. "Apo? Yeah, I'm here, and if Spar will quit with this dancing bear nonsense, shi's around somewhere. What's wrong? Bad dreams, too?"

[Wake] "Balina! Was that you just then? Calling for help?" Apo asks, glad to hear that -someone- else is around. "Uh.. dream? No, no dreaming. I think everyone else might be. The pub is all full of sleeping people, and none of them will wake up. It's just me and Taggart here, and he's busy being all... Taggart-ish. And trying not to turn into a murderbeast."

[Dream] Sparhawk, the one who makes Hope into shield and sword, dives back into the collective unconscious that is only a few steps away from the shared pack-mind. Shi doesn't have a godhunter's nose, but shi's been tracking things in the waking world for years now and seeks the other end of the radio call--with a key in one hand, hope in another, and a keyhole held within hir mind.

[Dream] And a door unlocks, inside is a large cinema house, one of those art houses that showed independent films. The projector looks as if its running for an empty audience, the old film clicking and clacking as the reels run loud in the room.

[King's Tower] "Everyone else is passed out? That's... not a coincidence, is it." Balina's comm is on speaker, while she's been busily redressing and adjusting her equipment. "Spar finally took me on that dream vacation shi'd promised, and it ended rather badly and abruptly. In the pub, with a lot of unhappy people. Unless THIS BEAR IS GOING TO GET SOMEONE WHO CAN HELP, I'll be down as fast as four legs can carry me."

[Wake] Even though Balina can't possibly see it, Apo nods. "Right, got it. See you soon."

[King's Tower] The bear regards Balina mildly, then puts a paw on her knee. There is a brief commotion from over by the windows, some mild clanking of iron on glass, then a squawking voice shouts, "Hoy, wolfie! Got a quick ride to the pub if you want it!" A mostly-gryphon wearing a latex collar waves encouragingly.

[Wake] The various prone and sleeping people also begin to bleed, though this is red blood, dripping slowly out their nostrils, or mouths. It's not dramatic or rushed, but it's glaringly an issue.

[King's Tower] It wasn't the help she expected, but Balina begrudgingly admits that there's no way she'd get to the pub faster on feet. Reluctantly, she heads for the window, preparing for boarding.

[Wake] Taggart hears a voice inside his head, familiar, calming.

(Ferox, for the first time in ages, instead of simply being a part of Taggart, asserts her personality and jabs at Taggart. "They need you now. He has them. You knew this was coming.")

[Wake] Taggart starts, suddenly, his head tilting to one side. The man frowns, eyes darting left and then right, before he suddenly bounds over the bartop and scrambles for something beneath the bartop. "How much you weigh, Apo?" His voice calls from beneath the oak.

[Dream] The dream theatre is playing images of Spar's friends. He's watching right now watching a man that used to be Sorien, driving a car while strange monsters roam the city, an injured friend next to him is barely keeping herself together.

[Wake] Apo blinks at the question. "Uh... I dunno? Not that much? Why?"

[Wake] Taggart stands up, tossing pills into his mouth before a prescription bottle flies through the air toward Apostasy. "I'm goin' under in mebbe..." The man's eyes roll up into his head and then he faceplants onto the oak bartop, heavily, probably breaking his nose. In fact, a splash of blood sprays against the dark wood before he rolls off and slams into the ground behind the bar.

[Dream] Taggart is standing in the road, a car heading in his direction, and it swerves out of the way barely missing him. He's standing alone and a man, and injured woman are in the car, although the look on the man's face is one of pure stubbornness, one quite familiar that tickles at the back of his memory.

On the screen, a big shapeless beast almost causes an accident, although it's acting rather... not monsterous.

[Dream] Sparhawk is very large. Being in more than one place at once...still beyond the reach of even hir dreams. /Listening/ in more than one place, that is what shi has been doing since Lasair dove into hir link. There is a bear and a pile o' kids who never were without Spar in their heads until last month, and have never felt the need to shut hir out. "Hello, uncreative one. This is not you, you cannot tell stories." With full confidence shi turns straight around and walks out the door of the theater, out where the /real/ people will be found.

[King's Tower] Nothing like mind-linked twins to get synchronized acrobatics down, a small mob of kids stretching Balina between the mostly-gryphon twins and carrying her off Pubward!

[Wake] Apo snatches the bottle out of the air, and wince when Tag breaks his nose on the bartop. "Ouch... prooobably should've sat down or something before doing that. Oh well." She finds herself a lounger to lie on, and speaks into Sori's radio, still in her other hand. "Hey, Balina? Me and Taggart are doing the potentially suicidal thing and putting ourselves to sleep. Just so you know when you show up." That said, she pops some pills and passes out.

[Dream] Outside the theatre, Shadow Hare sits, blinking at the Bird. The red eyes glowing and watching, however it doesn't approach. The empty street blows with hollow chilling winds, and the rain is coming down.

[Midair] Balina foolishly left her comm on speaker, so her side is mostly wind noise. She catches about two words of Apo's reply; 'potentially' and 'sleep'. Knowing full well it's not going to be heard, she shouts back, "Dumbest thing I've heard all night, and I was in Spar's head for most of it!" as the twins carry her along.

[Dream] Apo's drawn somewhere, and blinks awake, in a small room. A hospital room with a broken woman lying on the bed. There's another sleeping woman, much younger on a chair nearby. The steady thrum of the monitors humming away.

[Dream] Taggart blinks rapidly as he regains his senses from the near accident. He looks around, quickly, trying to gather where he is. "Well... that's that, then." The man looks down at himself, fingers long and clawed, wolfish, and human at the same time. Emerald eyes blink once more and he throws his will around as if he were shouldering his way through a crowd, grabbing onto dream and claiming it as his own.

[Dream] Sparhawk inclines hir head politely to Shadowhare. "Greetings and defiance," shi quotes, then looks at the door to the theatre. Entrances are exits too. This is a place to remember a keyhole.

[Dream] Apo's wing's flutter a little as she looks around. "Huh. Not what I expected..." She quickly moves to the woman in the bed, trying to figure out if she knows her or not, and what her injuries are.

[Dream] Taggart is himself in shape rather than one of the shapeless beasts he can sense off in the distance. The car isn't far ahead and he smells something very familiar there. Bolting toward it, it begins to drive again, speeding off, the man inside looks back at him. Again, a familiar expression. But the car is not able to outpace and Taggart slowly gains.

[Dream] The hare says before Spar can leave, "Your struggles amuse me, and I enjoy watching your friends suffer. They are delicious I might add. And this is all your fault."

[Dream] The lady looks up at her, her body desiccated from cancer, and barely being kept alive on life support. She is not familiar at all to Apostasy, but her eyes widen and she croaks out around a feeding tube, "Angel!" and her eyes roll up into her head.

[Dream] The Irish wolf bounds down the road after the car, taking vicious bites and claw swipes at any bit of shapeless beast he can get his hands on. He must keep the car safe... and consume any of that darkness that threatens it.

[Dream] Spar grins and says, "I suffer from a crippling lack of self-doubt. Forget Photons." With the command word spoken, a globe of perfect darkness (should) envelop Spar, leaving the Second Sense of placefeel to guide hir to the place in this metaphorical city where hir friends are suffering.

[Dream] Apo smiles gently at the woman, and speaks, even if she can't be seen or heard. "You poor woman... you don't deserve this... let me see if I can help." She places one hand just over the woman's forehead, the other over her heart, and closes her eyes. A soft blue glow begins to emanate as she tries to heal the woman's cancer-riddled body.

[Wake] Balina arrives at the pub not too much later, brought safely to the ground. The entire group lay sleeping in comfortable positions, except Taggart who appears to have shattered some body parts, that are just starting to begin to knit. Blood is all over the place, and -everyone- stinks of a combination of scents Balina recognizes quite well. Shadow, his scent overpowers practically everything in the place. In fact it's hard to not choke on it all.

[Dream] Taggart swipes beast after beast away, keeping the car safe as it speeds for a hospital in the middle of the city. The car arrives and slows to a stop, and the two inside have a rather heated discussion, although the man seems not to notice Taggart watching. He has an expression of frustration, and eventually the woman crawls out of the car and onto her hands and knees. She begins to shift and change into a shapeless creature like all the others. She's crying out in pain as the car begins to edge away from her.

[Dream] Spar is enveloped in darkness, and begins to walk blindly into the dream. A warmth of the key in hir hand accompanies her as she searches. She finds her way into a strange place, a deep cavern with voices and sounds, pure and utter darkness. The sounds of movement ahead, paws, voices. Narg's voice, raspy and breathless, and another voice familiar yet strange.

[Dream] Apostasy feels the woman's cancer and pain well up inside, it begins to tear at her and her wings shed feathers. The woman below rasps again, but for a short moment seems to find peace. Apo's overwhelmed by pain and slumps in a corner, just as the sleeping woman in the chair wakes up. She seems lost, and tries to collect herself, as she searches the room and zeros in on the woman in the bed. She cringes, and says, "Mom..." Time seems to stretch, and eventually the woman finds the strength to unplug the machine, and the dream shatters, flinging Apo into the void.

[Wake] There is a bear in the pub as well, watching Balina mildly. The transport kids loiter awkwardly for a moment, then start sidling for the exit. "You know where to reach us, madam..."

[Wake] This is... precisely what Balina was afraid she was going to find. Waving off the kids, she briefly considers doing first aid on Taggart, but rules it out for a number of reasons. Instead, she starts poking around. Sleepers are examined, and a mental checklist is tested. As choking as the Shadow haze may be, Balina drops to all fours and starts looking for Kay's scent. Even if she couldn't find anything in the dream, she can do this.

[Dream] Sparhawk murmurs, "Incorruptible Pure Pureness," sniffing and feeling for the things that the Shadow does not own. Going toward Narg's voice, ignorant of what the husky might be seeing but unafraid.

[Wake] Balina manages to zero in on Kay's scent despite the choking and overpowering presence that fills the room. The hunter inside calls and she pushes through, and she finds herself... somewhere else. Dream perhaps, but it's not a nightmare or anything like she was in before. Rather she's at a clearing around a lake. A small girl is there, not Kaylah, but very much the person inside that she has smelled before.

[Dream] Apo stands again, painfully, as her wings slowly return to their former glory. "That... was painful. But at least I gave her some small measure of comfort." She looks about herself. "Whelp, no point sitting around." Since she can't see anything, she just picks a direction and starts walking.

[Dream] Sparhawk follows towards Narg's voice, and there are words of encouragement to Narg, who seems confused. The woman is carrying her, and grunting but at the same time trying to keep them both quiet. Eventually they emerge from the darkness into the light, and Spar can hear the discussion ahead. That is, until Apo collides with them.

[Dream] Taggart moves to the woman losing her form and wraps his arms around her gently. The manwolf gives her hair a gentle pet as she changes and corrupts before his jaws spread and then snap shut on her face, pulling her body and soul into his own.

[Lake] Balina begins to pick herself back up, before realizing that she's a Fenrir wolf again. Her attempts to do so anyway fall on deaf limbs, as *something* is too insistent that she stay as she is. "Where is Kaylah?" she howls, afraid of what she'll do if she gets close enough to have a normal conversation.

[Dream] Apo yelps in surprise as she runs straight into the pair of women. "Ack! Sorry!"

[Dream] The man in the car spins the car around, and then leaps out, charging at Taggart and then swings something hard at Taggart's head while he's busy consuming. And the dream shatters.

[Dream] The blob of darkness behind Narg and...whoever that is...chuckles quietly. The key in hir right hand hangs heavy, weighed down with the possibilities of tomorrow. "Is this where you want to be?" comes Spar's voice in a whisper.

[Lake] The little human girl looks up at Balina and holds out a hand, saying ever so softly, "Sleeping. She was called to help." the cryptic words remain. She doesn't seem afraid of the massive wolf in the slightest, which is almost unnerving.

[Dream] The noise Apo makes startles the pair, and they begin to bolt, off into the light. Apo emerges not far behind them into the light, and sees a multitailed grown woman carrying a rather old looking husky, who's barely skin and bones, her stomach looking as if it had eaten itself to keep her alive.

(The key in Sparhawk's hand speaks privately, "I am showing you the strength of your friends.")

[Dream] Apo calls out to the fleeing pair "Wait! Stop! I can help!"

[Dream] Sparhawk is quiet, and moves up alongside Apo. The oblong blob is aimed off at where the pair fled to. Shi murmurs with the quality of inaudibility to the key, "Let us remind them of the path to tomorrow."

[Lake] Balina hesitates. On one hand, this thing is obviously divine, and that's not many letters off from 'dinner'. On the other, this thing *smells like Kay*. A few cautious steps are taken, bringing the Balinawolf closer. "I don't like metaphors," she growls, her stance tense and her words slightly forced, "and I don't like anything else going on tonight. I came to help Kaylah. I found you. I can guess why. What's next?"

[Broken Dream] Taggart walks through nothingness, head down and looking at his feet while he's lost in thought. Literally.

[Dream] Apo's wings work fine, and she's perfectly able to follow, though the two people in the distance don't seem to listen or stop. It's unclear whether Apo is aware of Spar's presence.

[Dream] Apo sighs and takes to the air, chasing after the two. She calls to Spar as she goes. "You coming?"

[Lake] The girl approaches Balina and puts a hand up to her muzzle. "You must help them free themselves. They are keeping themselves asleep, not him. He is using them to hurt each other and themselves." she scritches the fur lightly and then turns back to the Lake. "Father will awake tonight." she says.

[Dream] The dark blob leaps into the air after Apo, weaving around with the joy of catching wind currents and dancing on them. "Of course!" shi shouts, following hir friends around the place. Ideally there will be a clear sign when Apo catches up, because flying blind is still mildly inconvenient.

[Dream] Time stretches again, and it takes time for Apo and Spar to find the pair again, just as they duck under a bridge into shadows and... disappear. There is a distinct smell of smoke, although no fire around.

[Lake] Balina snorts, moving her nose away from the little girl's reach. "More riddles. Fine. Where are they? I'm new at this crazy dream logic."

[Dream] Apo growls softly as the pair vanish just as they catch up with them. "Dammit! Quit doing that!" She drops to the ground and sniffs, trying to track where the smell of smoke is coming from so she can follow it to its source.

[Lake] The girl bends down to the lake water, and scoops her hand into the water. She picks it up into the air and lets it fall to the water below. The ripples in the water coalesce, and Taggart's shape is there. The girl reaches in, and picks him up like a paper doll, then blows. She stretches and falls at Balina's feet. Dream says softly, "He was right."

[Dream] Sparhawk hums a reasonably jaunty showtune as shi draws up next to Apo again. Those well-versed in Shirley Temple might recognize it involving the word Tomorrow. "So that was Narg, and who was the other girl?"

[Dream] Apo shrugs. "No idea. I could've tried to help, if they hadn't run off like that, though." She sniffs more, still trying to track down the source of the smoke.

[Dream] Apo catches scent quickly, it leads to the bridge, which enters a rather thick shadow again. The fire and bodies... the scent of Narg... and Kaylah? Yes, definitely her.

[Dream] "What the... little sis?" Apo mutters, mostly to herself, as she catches the scent of Kay. She moves confidently into the shadows beneath the bridge.

[Lake] Balina leans down and sniffs, confirming that, yes, there's a Taggart there. She nudges him with the side of her muzzle a couple of times, then looks back up. "Right about what?"

[Dream] Spar smirks invisibly. "Heh. Little princess." Shi follows the second sniffin' wolf under the bridge, sending hir mind on a quick scan through the three constructs: key, keyhole, and lightlessness.

[Dream] The bridge is a short path, and then they're in a small village, on fire. Narg's underneath one of the buildings, and the woman, clearly Kaylah in an older age steps out of one of the cabins, carrying a small baby. Her ears are pressed low, and the child is unmoving in her arms.

[Dream] Apo pauses as she sees the... grown up Kay? She moves closer, reaching out an unsteady hand. "...little sis? Is that you?"

[Lake] Dream says, "Destiny." and turns back to the lake water, causing more flickers. The image showing both Spar and Apo emerging from the bridge.

[Dream] If Kaylah hears Apo, she doesn't seem to acknowledge it. And in front of Kaylah, from a shadow steps Sorien, carrying one of [REDACTED]' swords. She grins and holds it out toward Kaylah, the shadow flashing in her eyes. And then suddenly a weakened Nark is behind Sorien and attempts to knock her down. Sorien is knocked off balance and lets the sword slip and slide into Narg's chest.

[Dream] "Whoa! What the fuck??!" Apo yells, darting forward and driving a kick into "Sorien"'s back, before turning to Narg. "Hold on... this is gonna hurt!" she says, gripping the hilt of the sword. One hand is positioned close to the wound, and begins to emit the blue healing glow, as she yanks the sword free and focuses all her energy into healing.

[Lake] Balina prods Taggart a few more times, until she finally catches signs that the man is breathing normally. Ignoring the silliness of someone being asleep in a dream, she steps closer to the water, watching intently. "You realize," she mutters, just barely audible, "that if you don't start talking sense, eventually I'm going to start gnawing on you until you do, Kay smell or not."

[Dream] Apo knocks Sorien into a blade Kaylah has held out. Her eyes are hard, and cold, tired. As Apo tries to pull Narg back to life, the radiant energy enters Narg and the dream shatters.

[Dream] Sparhawk strolls on up to the stricken, starved husky. "Heroic sacrifices are amazing choices that we make," shi says conversationally. "But making sure it is the right cliff to leap off of is important. Is this where you see everything heading, Lady of Russell and Jahrine?" Then the dream is broken, and Spar does not get an answer.

[Dream] "Oh come on! Again?!" Apo says in dismay. "To hell with this, then." She just sits where she is and lets her mind wander.

[Lake] Dream patiently plucks Apo from the water, and puts her down with Taggart and Balina.

[Lake] Taggart appears to be sleeping.

[Dream] The shape of Narg's dream flickers around as Apo leaves, and Spar walks confidently on as the dreams and individuals coalesce.

[Lake] A yelp is heard from Apo as she's suddenly plucked from the void out onto a lakeshore. She smiles at the girl, though. "Heya Dream! We gotta stop meeting like this! Though at least I'm wearing clothes this time."

[Dream] Spar mutters something not quite formed, then reaches up to hir ear. "I have a radio," shi announces to the world, "And no one here can shut me up. Apo, respond. I will find the others." In the bird's wake there is a key, though shi has not lost one.

[Lake] Apo lets out a little "meep" as her radio squawks in a Sparlike manner, before replying. "Uh, yeah, ok. Good luck. I'll stay here with Dream, I guess."[[Category:[REDACTED] Events]]