[User] Hina noticed that Robin was concerned as she nodded quickly, "I-I think I need to pee!" She announced, and then nodded again when Robin asked her about her tail. "It was super ticklish and it gave me a weird feeling, but I don't know what it is about. Do you have a weird feeling when somebody touches your tail?" she pointed to her own leaning to the side, then glanced at Robin, noticing they were going to the stall. Hina was feeling grateful as she wanted to pee, so she didn't pee on Robin, as big girls don't pee unless in the toilet. "H-how did you know Robin? You must be super special!" She commented with a big grin on her muzzle, knowing that Robin must have been some kind of superhero or something.

[Assistant] Robin quickly stepped into the stall with the girl in her arms, using her dexterous tail to flip up the lid and start easing the door closed behind them. "Sometimes it does, especially where my tail meets my... bum," she said, barely censoring herself, "though I sometimes get a tingly pee feeling when other parts get touched too." She let the thought hang for a bit as she began to set the girl on the toilet, not wanting to be too up front just yet, the clawed finger on Hina's special spot pushing just firmly enough to be noticed as the woman adjusted her grip to lower the little girl down. As she lowered Hina down, a smile crossed her face at the comment of being "special," "Oh, I am very special. I know lots about cute cubs and have special powers." Little did the girl know that she would be getting a very personal experience with Robin's most special ''power''.

[User]
Hina listened to the lid of the toilet being flipped up with Robin's tail, which while also doing that was closing the door. She was some kind of special scaly lady! There was no doubt about it, and this whole new sensation thing Hina was feeling was something that the special scaly lady did! It must be some kind of gift for Hina being such a good girl for her parents! Though she listened to Robin nodding, "Ohhhhh? Near your butt? And you get the pee feeling too? That makes me happy. I was scared I was the only one!" Hina said with relief as she was placed on the toilet with a big smile on her muzzle.

As Robin adjusted Hina, she wiggled a bit with a small heavy pant due to the sensation, but she again didn't understand this as she felt some more pressure, "Ooooo~ th-the pee feeling kind of came back... Robin..." She announced it as she eyed the scaly lady concerned. Hina, though, was side-tracked when she heard Robin talk about knowing about cubs and kits like herself and she has special powers?! Hina's eyes were bulging, "I knew it!!! There was something special about you Robin! I felt a tingle when I saw you while playing in the water!" She announced, referencing that she did see Robin before she came over to say hi. That there was something deep within Hina that resonated with Robin, but she never understood what it was... till now! Robin was special, and she knew about Hina through and through, so that meant that it was meant to happen, the spark, and want to be closer to her!

[Assistant]
Robin smiled as the little girl reacted to her touches, concerned over the ''pee feeling'' and over her excitement and apparent feeling of connection that Hina felt when she saw Robin. She reached out a hand to stroke Hina's fur on the top of her head as her hidden surprise started to harden further at how easily things were progressing and how close they were now. "I felt something too, Hina, a happy warm feeling when I saw such a cute little girl having so much fun." She said with a genuine smile, and as she spoke, she rubbed her tail against Hina's shin, moving from her knee to her ankle slowly as she removed her sunglasses and hooked them on her bikini top, flashing the girl her yellow eyes.

"And you shouldn't worry about the 'pee feeling'. It's a really nice feeling, and it's your body's way of saying that it likes the touches or other stuff that's happening, kind of like your tingles when you saw me." She stroked the kit's cheek with one hand and gently caressed her shoulder with the other as she added, "I can show you what I mean. It'll feel odd at first, but I promise you'll enjoy it." At this thought, the surprise started to surge, a bump beginning to form in her bikini bottoms where you t had been tucked away while her tail continued to rub higher.

[User] Hina's tail was wagging quite a lot now as Robin was confirming how much she had the feeling as well when she saw Hina playing in the water! "R-really! So bring on the Pee feeling! My super special friend Robin said so!~ You gave me tingles and this pee feeling, not to mention you played with me! You are amazing Robin!" She said childishly despite what was really going on, which was her body was genuinely reacting to Robin's touches and the scale lady could actually tell. But to Hina, it was having fun and enjoying the time of her new scaly lady friend that she hadn't had before. This was a special friendship cause Robin was special and knew all kinds of kits and cubs and how they are and everything! The thoughts that Robin knew that Hina needed a playmate and that she wanted Hina to be happy were the surface thoughts on the little girl's mind, despite worrying about the tickle monster coming back before she could pee. She didn't want to pee on Robin and look like a little girl. She was a big girl now! Though those thoughts were sidelined by the burning feelings on her skin under her fur as Robin caressed her cheek and shoulder. Again, her body was reacting quite a lot to the touches, so she had a flush under her fur which was visible.

[Assistant] Robin chuckled and growled as the girl agreed to letting the dragoness give her that special feeling, the dominant side again getting excited, the girl really must have quite a lonely life if she was so excited for an adult like her to agree to give her attention and play with her. It was honestly sad and made Robin feel for the little kit, but it certainly didn't stop her intention to feel the girl up and have her way with the poor lonely girl if anything it only galvanized her intention to give the girl all the attention she wanted, even if it was more... mature. Unless the kit refused, Robin lifted her so that she could sit Hina on her lap with both the woman and girl's legs spread with one of Robin's arms across Hina's chest with a thumb on her nipple. "Don't worry about what comes next, this is all for that good feeling." The woman softly growled in the kit's ear as she pressed two fingers against Hina's crotch and dragged them up her young slit before pushing them downwards again after reaching the top of the little pussy. By now Robin's hidden member was starting to strain at the black fabric of her bikini, wanting so badly to show the girl how special she was.

[User] Hearing how Robin was reacting was making Hina giggle happily; she noticed that the scaly lady growled with a smile. So it must mean she is super happy to hear what Hina has to say! Then they shifted position, and she kind of giggled, going, "weee!~ This is like an amusement ride!" She teased playfully with a big grin, though she felt Robin's thumb and it made her twitch and giggle some with a soft moan underneath the giggling, "the feeling again... it is bad." She said with a breathier tone, and then she listened to Robin, "O-okay! The good feeling is weird, but it does feel good, and you are my playmate, so I know it must be good if you can make it happen!" She said shivering from Robin's breath when she spoke that to her. Then feeling pressure down on her middle, she let out a tiny yelp, and her breath subconsciously started to pick up in soft pants. The slow rubbing was starting to make her feel warm, "R-Robin, did the heat go up in here? I feel really warm!~" She commented as her breath was picking up again without her noticing, focusing on the good feeling that Robin mentioned.

[Assistant] Had Robin been a feline, she would have purred as Hina giggled with a hint of a deeper pleasure behind the giggles. It was thrilling to have a little girl so trusting of her, especially when the feeling came back. She smiled at Hina as she quickly changed her thinking to view the strange tingling as something good. She rested her cheek against Hina's as the girl started to pant, her smile becoming much more lewd and predatory. "Hmm, I think it might have..." she said in response to the girl, contemplating if it was too soon to get her to start stripping. As she contemplated her response, her thumb started to rub around the cute nipple still visible thanks to the clingy bikini top, her own nipples were hard and starting to poke against the kit's back as Robin pulled her closer. Her fingers traveled up and down the girl's covered cunny again and again, pressing a little more each time, starting to push the fabric between Hina's lips in hopes of seeing a cute camel toe in the skimpy swimsuit. "If it starts to get too hot you could always take off your top, sweetie. It's ok since we're both girls, and I think it could help you cool off a bit." The dragoness added more pressure to her rubbing thumb to help punctuate her thought. Robin had started to pant along with the girl, just from touching Hina, her voice thick with lust. Had the girl looked down between her legs and Robin's, she might have started to see the bulge between Robin's legs starting to stick out rather prominently.

[User] Hina just continued to get warmer as her body squirmed due to the amount of stimulation, but it all translated to more blossoming heat. Though when she felt the cheek of Robin rub against her, it erased any possible doubts as the little girl giggled hotly. Her voice was filled with something that she didn't understand, but Robin would pick out, but right now, she just looked down and then at Robin. She could also feel two things prodding her gently as she giggled from that, though it sounded like the kit had grown quite horny. But again, Hina was just really really warm and feeling good! Robin had shown her something special, and she was very special to Hina! Like a best friend that you never wanted to let go of! Hina did exactly that; she took a paw and laid it on Robin's as she could feel the kit grip it affectionately. As the stimulation continued, Hina began to feel more and more like a radiator, and the fabric below became damp, though with a different liquid than what Hina blurted out, "I-I peed... I am sorry, Robin!" She whimpered, feeling wet below, thinking she had wet herself. Though Robin did get her wish as a camel toe did show up due to some moisture that was building on the little girl's cunny. "A-alright! I need to! It is so hot in here!", She complained a bit as she tried to reach the string in the back but couldn't do it. She looked at Robin, "please untie it! I can't!" She said, though due to the tone changed, it sounded like she wanted to hop in bed with Robin, but the little kit didn't understand that context, even if it was presented. Also, Hina did notice the bump, but she didn't think much of it, despite the aura and what was going on; she just thought it was due to Robin being special at this point, hoping to get a little cooler from stripping.

[Assistant]
Robin could tell how the girl felt and was glad that Hina had no idea what those feelings were or how to detect them in someone else. Robin had intended to stay cool and collected, get Hina alone, use her to get off, and leave again, making sure to waste no time, but now with the kit on her lap and lust fogging her brain, she wanted to draw it out, especially now that she could tell Hina was getting hot and bothered too. Robin smiled and cooed as Hina placed her paw on the clawed hand, still teasing her chest, and simply nuzzled Hina's cheek when she apologized for wetting her bottoms. She continued to rub Hina's slit, her eyes locked on the lewd sight of a wet camel toe hinting at the treasure that lay underneath. She licked her lips at the thought of what Hina might taste like, what she'd feel like riding her cock. She was snapped out of her fantasy by Hina pawing at her back in desperation, needing to get her top off. She looked back at Hina as the kit asked for help, the undercurrent of being ready for sex not lost on the dragon.

She held back a predatory smile and gave the girl a more innocent look as her hand left the kit's chest to lean her forward and undo the knots holding the top on. She pulled it away and set it on the toilet paper holder and gave the bare nipples loving rubs before moving her hand further downwards. "There you go, Hina. Much better. And don't worry about your ''pee''. Let me get these bottoms off just in case it comes again." Her free hand moved towards the lower piece ready to pull them down or undo any other knots that might hold them together.

[User]
Though as they were doing this, Robin could hear the door to the women's bathroom open up as it sounded like one of the people on the bench. "Man, working under my husband is a bitch..." She walked into the stall next to them as she sat down, pulling down her slacks and preparing to use the restroom. She smelled the air and eyebrow raised, "Hm, interesting, stupid teens fucking in the stalls again. I won't let Hina do that..." She said to herself quietly, not realizing that she was in the stall with her but everything was deathly silent which helped Hina's mom, "God that man can bicker like a middle-area boss, fucking Christ." She swore which she often tried to keep a level head and mouth with Hina around but obliviously unaware of them being in the bathroom.

Hina could hear her mother come in but she looked to Robin and nuzzled back, assuming it was to what she said, but then her eyes wondered if she should say something. Hina stayed unreasonably quiet because she didn't want her new best friend to be in trouble with her momma. She was supposed to be playing in the ocean instead, but she was nearly naked with her best friend in a bathroom stall, and she was embarrassed by this. Though the actions made Hina writhe around as she tried to remain quiet, and the way she did it was she leaned into Robin's face or to the side and breathed into the scaly lady's ear, panting softly, knowing that if she did it outright, she would get caught by her mother.

"I-I am trying to be quiet... I wanna play more, and momma would get mad at me, and then I would be alone again." She whispered into Robin's ear as the girl just did the same by touching her arms softly with her paws, rubbing over her scales. She didn't know what it meant, but it did make Hina feel good, so she thought it may make Robin feel good while they were waiting for her mother to leave as she was using the bathroom. While they were waiting, Hina could only smile as she helped undo her bikini bottoms so that they couldn't get them wet again. She felt comfortable around Robin, so being naked wasn't a bad thing at least to her, as her tail swished which was brushing against Robin's stomach.

[Assistant]
Robin held back a frustrated groan; why did they have to get interrupted now that she had Hina near naked, and of all the people to come in it had to be her mom, that neglectful rude woman. She couldn't explain why she felt to angry with Hina's mom, the frustration at being interrupted didn't cover it and she'd normally be thrilled to see such inattentive parents but something about all this about Hina made it different.

She was glad that she still had Hina on her lap and returning her nuzzles, as it seemed it was the kit's turn to relax the dragon, and it was working well. She focused on the little fox on her lap and did her best to block out the woman, her hand cupping the girl's crotch as the other paused, gently rubbing Hina's hip, unsure if she should be so brash now, especially if the girl yelped in fear. She smiled and mostly held back a moan, letting out just a soft breathy noise of pleasure as the kit's breath warmed her scales. She nodded at Hina's words and looked into her eyes as the girl caressed her smooth scaled arms, her paws gliding over the softly defined muscles.

She didn't speak in return, but happily undid the fox's bottoms with her help. Again the clothing was deposited on the holder as Robin finally gave the kit's nude form a long once over, licking her lips at the sight of her nipples and pubic mound. She knew that they needed to be quiet but she couldn't resist not touching the girl and running her claws through her damp fur, and so as they sat together waiting for the woman to leave, Robin began to use a clawed finger to trace lines around Hina's bare pussy, not touching the slit and only venturing so close along the outer lips before tracing and rubbing Hina's stomach and around her tender nipples. Hoping to muffle any moans or other noises, the dragoness' other hand held the girl's face against the crook of the woman's neck while she nuzzled near Hina's ear and whispered, "We'll be alright, sweetie, just soft touches for now until she goes."

[User]
Hina's mother talked to herself more, "You know, all that smell... I wonder if he would be up for a romp I am on the edge of being unable to have kits, I wonder if he would quickly put a bun in... then maybe Hina...." She stopped and then laughed as they hear a toilet flush, "...haha who am I kidding? Hina would be a teen by the time this kit would be even old enough to play with. Maybe it was a stupid thought." she said out loud getting off the toilet and pulling her up her slacks. Then she headed out of the stall to the sinks to touch herself up, "Enough thoughts of those ...must be the idiot teens... Gods, I haven't had sex in a while." She commented idlily while checking her muzzle and various other things finally satisfied she eyed the bathroom wondering where the hell it was coming from.

Hina was adjusting on the scaly lady's lap, enjoying her being there, and she was also happy that she was helping Robin keep her cool. Which was a lot more attention on her, which made her happy despite the fact that she was touching Hina's middle and her hip. Hina felt herself about to gasp or moan, so she quickly moved her muzzle back to her ear and continued to try to force it into little breaths, very hot little breaths. She didn't understand why her body loved this so much, so her hips were twitching, conflicted to keep rubbing into her hand or not move, cause they weren't supposed to move, but why did she want to? Though her little paws didn't stop moving over the scaly lady's bumpy arms! They were fun to play on in some ways while feeling them were so cool! Though the intention was skewed, so did she think they were fun or did she want Robin to feel good? She couldn't tell much anymore cause of how hot and weird feeling her body was. There it was: Hina was naked and she blushed even more for some reason.

Why blush? After this thought, she began to kind of ignore her questions cause they felt dumb by now, of course, it was cause Super Robin was being Super! She knew kits and cubs~ So she knew why she was feeling this way, and Hina should just stop trying to question the reason! The soft yet sharp feelings were it the things on the ends of her paws? Were they claws like hers? But they felt weird! Tingly mixture of warm, lovely sensations flowing through the little kit. Then they moved further down near her middle, which she noticed that Robin was using her neck, and the kit pushed her muzzle into her neck to muffle a moan from the claw causing sparks. Or at least it felt like that cause she touched a 9v for fun and it felt like that down below! Then feeling Robin touch her chest and stomach made the whole kit become even hotter as her pants were getting louder subconsciously. "A-alright... Robin," She said softly into the scaly lady's ear while she let some pretty hot pants into her ear.

[Assistant]
Robin was glad she had Hina to keep her mind off of the woman in the next stall over. She was more worried about having another kit to keep Hina busy, it seemed. She could barely repress the desire to scare her away, yell at her, growl, anything to force her out. She also could barely repress the need to feel up Hina properly, maybe she could touch her just a little, maybe a few moans to affirm the woman's suspicions could get her out. Robin almost moaned as she felt Hina's hot breath on her ear, her cock desperately straining against the fabric now, the touches, the lewd panting moans, having a naked girl on her lap, both pussies radiating a smell of arousal, add in the chance to be caught and Robin was rock hard.

She didn't know yet about Hina wanting to make her feel good, but with how hot she was getting she'd make the girl pleasure her soon regardless of how much she wanted to or not. For now though she briefly reached down to adjust the bikini, letting her draconian member poke out a leg hole, a sold six inches of deep red flesh, pointed at the tip with ridges down the shaft and a knot at the base. After letting her secret free Robin brought her claws back up the kit's inner thigh, slowly drawing a line towards her hot young sex, and when her claws finally found the way she traced the bare slit from bottom to top with the softened point rubbing over where Hina's underdeveloped clit would be hiding.

As she finally touched, or better teasingly brushed, Hina's pussy Robin kissed the girl's forehead, acting more on instinct now that she was so hard and horny. "Such a good girl... we're going to have lots of fun..." she whispered as her claw trailed up and over Hina's navel, drifting towards one nipple to trace the little areola and over to the other to do the same. She kept Hina's face buried in her neck, knowing that she was playing a very dangerous game, but like the little girl in her lap she didn't want to stop. Her claw began to trace the girl's ribs, moving downwards again, teasing more attention for the virgin cunny while Robin shifted her legs and hips a little, accidentally poking Hina's leg as she tried to get more comfortable on the gold porcelain.


[User]
The low market was one of the most common gathering spots in The Dregs. It took place in a large square where a number of merchants set up their wares. While the silks and spices and other luxury goods seen in the great market were absent, the low market still sold food, drink, and other necessities like clothing. There were rumors that some merchants knew where certain illegal goods could be procured as well, but no one was entirely sure about that save those directly involved.

The market was bustling as always when the three skyrunner boys strolled into the square. They were obviously skyrunners from the light blue cloth bandannas that they wore around their heads, but even without this gang sign on their brows it would be easy for anyone who knew of the skyrunners to recognize them by the swagger in the boys' steps. The skyrunners, out of all the gangs of young children who roamed the dregs, were known to have the best territory, for they claimed the low market and had held it against other gangs' attempted takeovers. This meant that they could ask for protection money from all the merchants in return for acting as unofficial guards against unsanctioned thievery. Anyone who dared try to steal from or damage skyrunner territory would be harshly punished; the thief king's law might prohibit killing one another, but there were other ways to punish a beaten foe and it wasn't unusual for would-be invaders to limp away naked and shamed.

Raly was the oldest of the trio and easily recognized by his flame-red hair and freckled face. He grinned at one of his friends as they walked past a stall where a girl was selling vegetables, whispering to the other boy and drawing a snicker in response. He took an apple from a passing merchant, tossing the man a copper as he went by and took a bite, glancing around the market. They'd drawn patrol duty today and while Raly didn't really mind he also felt that it was a bit of a waste. It was an unwritten rule among the skyrunners that you didn't steal from your own territory, and so while the work wasn't unpleasant it meant that he wasn't out stealing himself, or seeking out adventure as only a boy without parents and with a talent for trouble could manage.

Most of the skyrunners... most of the gang members in The Dregs really... were boys. There were a few girls among them, but girls were often less-inclined to adventure (many adults said in private that girls simply had more sense). These three boys strutted about the market, eating food they purchased from the merchants and watching out for any invaders in their territory... or any trouble they could make that wouldn't get them lectured by their boss.

[Assistant]
Kimiko was out patrolling along the rooftops of the low market as she had become accustomed to, she could get around quickly and unnoticed since nobody ever looked up and the few that did only noticed the upper districts not the young urchin girl in the shadows luckily with her midnight black hair and her soot covered body she blended in quite well, the only thing that could stand out were her sapphire blue eyes but she had ways to keep them hidden if she needed. She had been out on the streets since she was 10 her mother became gravely ill and her father could barely afford both food and her mother's medicine so she decided it would be best for her to leave so that at least one of her parents would be able to survive without having to worry about feeding the young still growing girl.

That was 2 years ago she still stops by every now and then to show that she is doing fine bringing with her some of her spoils from her back alley deals and sprees. And that was what she was looking for now she'd check every alley from above to see if there were any what she called 'customers' that she could make some kind of deal with for: food, drink or shelter. Over her years on the streets she had developed a bit of a name for herself some people called her Kimiko the Shadow or The Shadow Child due to how she would seemingly appear in the alleyways out of nowhere, make her deal then disappear again often not even being remembered too well. She was fairly cute for an urchin girl even when covered in soot and grime how anybody could forget her was a mystery but it was one she rather enjoyed.

For some reason on this day she couldn't find any 'customers' so she started looking at the shops but unfortunately she could tell that all the shopkeepers were still on high alert from her last spree. "Damn! At this rate I'll go hungry today and forget finding a place to stay. I refuse to break into homes and stores for the night it is far too risky." Then she noticed three boys walking along the road and carefully moved away from the shadows she often called home to get a better look that was when she noticed the light blue bandanas. "Skyrunners," she said quietly, "Perfect. And one has an apple. Hmmm if I could join them that would make my life a bit easier they could offer protection, work, food and shelter." She mused before running a few rooftops ahead of them, "Hmmm I need to make an impression," she said to herself then she slipped the left strap of her tattered dress off of her shoulder then waited for the boys to get close to her once they were within earshot she made her move, "Wooo hooo, Skyrunners," she called before jumping down in front of them landing on all fours giving them a slight glimpse down her dress as she stood up.

She knew she was cute and wasn't afraid to use it to her advantage. "Hello there, hey can I have that apple or at least a bite. I haven't eaten anything all day. I mean look at me," she said as she pulled her tattered dress tight against her unnaturally slim form, "I'm practically skin and bones here." To her disappointment that didn't get much of a reaction from the boys she was going to have to make one of her deals. "OK, how about a trade? I can't pay you but I offer other services: I can kill for you, steal for you or I could do something special for you that boys seem to like getting from a cute girl like me. Interested?" She offered then waited for the boys' decision.

[User]
Raly was about thirteen, just on the cusp of his teenage years. He wasn't really sure of his exact age, being an orphan, but he estimated it was somewhere around there and like the other orphans he celebrated his birthday at the midwinter festival, that way they could all have one big party at the same time and they didn't have to worry about making up and remembering dates for a bunch of smaller ones. The plan worked as well as any other and it gave a little more celebration to the holidays. He had a light, wiry build with a bit of muscle from running, climbing, and staying fit. None of the Skyrunner boys were pudgy or anything, but most were in good condition. You had to be to keep up with the others, and that meant you ate when you could.

The boys were talking about what they'd do for the rest of the day once their patrol was over. They took these things quite seriously of course, and Raly just smiled and listened. He had his eye on one particular house in the next tier over. The merchant who lived there had left the city on business and taken his family with him, no one there now but a couple of guard dogs that servants came by to feed a couple of times a day. He'd watched the house well enough that he knew everyone's schedule and when the best time to break in would be. A bit of meat for the dogs to keep them quiet or one of the other tricks he knew and he could be into the house, grab a few valuables, and be out with no one the wiser.

He was half-focused on formulating plans so that he almost jumped when the girl came walking out of the alley. At first, he thought she was just a very young whore... it wasn't unheard of though it was frowned on and the way she had her dress slid slightly down certainly caught his attention, and that of the other boys as well. Then he listened to her and blinked in surprise. She was actually asking if she could join them? There was, of course, no rule against anyone joining who wanted to, provided they were willing to obey the gang's few rules and do their share of the work. The talk of killing made him mildly uncomfortable, he'd never killed anyone himself and didn't especially want to though he would if he was in danger. It was mainly the 'something special' that caught his attention and had the other boys stepping forward with broad grins on their faces. As with most boys, offerings of sex (or even suggestions that sex might be on offer) would quickly get their attention.

Raly put a hand on the back of each of their tunics and stepped forward himself, giving her his best grin. She was grubby, but cute enough and he could always put his burglary plans on hold for a day or so if it meant sex with a girl around his own age, but he was wary as well. He didn't know this girl and she'd just popped up suddenly offering to join them. Adam would give him hell if he let hormones get the better of him. With a flourish, he tossed her the apple he'd been about to bite into. "Here, go ahead and have it. You wanna be a Skyrunner, huh? You spend the first year as a Scamp, that means you do what the other members say. We teach you, you teach us, we get to know each other and then you get to be a full member after a year if you like. What do you say?" He was clearly eyeing her, his eyes drawn to the hint of chest that she was showing. If she said yes, there were all sorts of fun things they could do together, since part of 'doing what other gang members say' involved satisfying their needs. Get a bunch of boys and girls their age into close confines after all and you got a lot of messing around. Plus, it was a way to gauge who would be really committed to the idea of joining.

[Assistant]
Kimiko almost flinched when the apple was tossed at her but she was able to catch it. "Thanks," she said flashing a cute smile before taking a bite. When the boy mentioned joining the Skyrunners before she even asked she stopped mid-bite and blushed slightly. "Really you're offering to let me join. I would love to I was going to ask eventually anyway, if you would have me of course. Oh my name's Kimiko by the way, maybe you've heard of me. Or maybe one of my other names like Kimiko the Shadow or The Shadow Child." She continued as she ate. "So I'd start as a scamp huh and have to do 'whatever' the other members ask of me. I don't really like the sound of that but I can live with it. I already pretty much do that if it's what one of my 'customers' want." She said as she finished the apple then realized how the word 'customers' sounded, "Oh my I hope that doesn't make me sound like a whore calling them that but it is the only name I could think of. I would trade killing, stealing or those 'special services' for food, drink and shelter. But I take it as long as I do what I'm told being a Skyrunner will get me those. Right?"

She then noticed how the boys were looking at her, maybe her little skin show worked too well. "Uh... umm," she blushed and fixed her dress, "So umm what should I do first? Or do we need to wait until your leader approves of me? Oh and may I get your names too, please?" She said fidgeting as she started looking up at the rooftops, planning what routes she could take. She's never talked to anybody for this long before and it made her feel uncomfortable. It took all the self control she could muster to avoid running towards and up the nearest wall to the comfort of the rooftops and her beloved shadows.

[User]
So she was already experienced, more so even than anyone who had joined them in a long time. usually scamps were just little ones who were attracted by the idea of a life of adventure. This one clearly had been doing this sort of work at least for a bit. Well, maybe she'd be a scamp for less time then. That only meant that he'd have to take advantage of the situation while he still could. It was the name that really caught his attention. Kimiko the Shadow he had in fact heard of, the Skyrunners had heard that she'd been working on their turf without permission and Adam had said they were to bring her into the gang or otherwise teach her a lesson if they ran into her. This worked out just fine. "I'm Raly," he said, sticking a thumb toward himself. "My friends are Chas and Hart." The other boys watched her, grinning, though their smiles faltered a little when she fixed her dress.

Raly felt a mild twinge of disappointment, but it wasn't severe. He knew that if this worked out he'd be seeing everything Kimiko had to offer soon enough, and if it didn't then there were other ways he could get his rocks off tonight. "Yeah, you do what the gang asks, assuming they don't ask you to do anything really stupid or something that puts your life in danger. Anyone asks you to do something like that, just let someone else know." Most members of the gang knew better of course but you never knew who might decide to do something foolish one day. "First thing you do is come along with us and meet the current boss, that's Adam right now. He'll approve of you sure enough. Then we go get any stuff you left at the last place you were sleeping and take it back with us. Adam'll want to meet you, we've been hearing about some of the jobs you pulled. I'm not sure if he'll want to scream at you or ask you to marry him." The other boys laughed and fell into step around Kimiko with Raly leading the way, the boys acting almost like some sort of honor guard watching over a local celebrity or noble.

Raly walked fairly close to Kimiko. "So, how'd you wind up doing jobs for folks around here? Think you could identify a few of the people who came to you?" he asked casually. Of course, those who came to Kimiko would likely get a visit from the gang reminding them who was in charge in the market and that they were, of course, available for hire... at least for some things.

[Assistant]
Kimiko noticed a slight reaction when she mentioned her alias ''Kimiko the Shadow'' but she wasn't sure if it was a good or a bad reaction. "Hello, nice to meet you," she replied with another cute smile. "I understand," she replied after he finished his short speech almost blushing when he talked about Adam asking her to marry him, but realized how unlikely that would be and started laughing along with the boys. "As interesting as it would be to be asked about marriage I don't think the leader of the strongest gang in "The Dregs" would want to marry someone like me." When the other boys circled around her she got worried and instinctively reached behind her back into the two holes that lead to the weapons she kept strapped to her lower back. A young girl can't be too careful in these streets.

She no sooner wrapped her hands around the handles before she heard Raly start to speak and quickly took her hands off the weapons and returned them to her sides. "Umm, how should I begin? My mother became ill when I was 10 and my father started struggling to afford food for all of us and mom's medicine so I decided I should just leave so that he had one less mouth to feed. That was 2 years ago I still stop by every now and then to see how mom's doing and show that I'm fine so that they don't worry about me. I even bring some of my 'earnings' to them to try and help well when I can at least... SHOOT! Now that I think of it I might owe The Thief King a little... Or do I? Crap I don't know how that works do I have to present the 10% or do my 'customers' oh dear. I know where most of my first takes are going just to be safe."

She began before she got distracted, "Sorry about that little freak out, umm where was I again... oh yeah I remember so after I left my parents I was looking for something to eat and I ran into a girl in an alleyway and she was complaining about some guy that was stalking her I asked if I could help and she said yes... then after I dealt with him; I stole his clothes right off his back while he was passed out in a tavern and left a little note... he never went near her again. She was so happy that she took me to her house and convinced her father that I was a friend of hers and they took care of me that night and I've been 'working' ever since. As for names sorry I don't know them actually I never really got any of their names. I only met them in the alleys twice once to make the deal and again to turn it in and get 'paid' then we parted ways. only some got my name and hardly any of them even remembered me after we parted, when I happened to see them again they didn't recognize me, that is part of how I got my other names." She finished as the boys continued to lead her to their headquarters to meet Adam.

[User]
She was awfully cute, and her smile made Raly's heart skip a beat. Already he was thinking about what it would be like to shoot a load inside her and the thought lent a little haste to his steps as they walked down the street. Kimiko wouldn't have any problem with a scamp's duties, he was sure. While she had said she wasn't a whore, doing 'special favors' for men in return for food or shelter sounded awfully like one to him, not that he'd argue since it was clearly a bit of a sore spot with her. "You've got some really useful skills. I bet you'll be good to have with us." He meant it too, even if he was mainly thinking with his cock right now he genuinely felt that Kimiko the Shadow would be an asset to the gang.

They ducked down one street and then another. Pedestrians saw them and a few waved, Raly and the boys waving back. Eventually they came to a half-ruined warehouse by the city's edge. Two of the walls were partially rotted through and the roof had holes in it. "Doesn't look like much, huh?" said Raly. "Don't worry, there's more than meets the eye here." He motioned for Kimiko to follow and led the way into the building. Eventually, they reached a pile of crates, the sides of which had been broken open making a tunnel. "You'll have to crawl from here," he said, motioning for the other two boys to go first. "You next Kimiko, I'll go last." He wanted a good view of her bum while she crawled on all fours in front of him after all. The other two boys eagerly went ahead and then Raly followed Kimiko down the passage. Up ahead in the dim light from up above the girl would just barely make out a hole with a ladder leading down. This really looked like a group of children's ideal secret base. "Down the ladder, stay put once you get to the bottom," he advised her.

The ladder went down a fair ways down a narrow shaft but at the bottom was a wide tunnel stretching off in both directions. Immediately to the left of where Kimiko had come out though was a wooden door in the wall marked with the Skyrunner Sigil, a bluebird in flight. The others were waiting when she got down there and Raly, satisfied with the look he'd gotten, came down after her. "It's just through there, home sweet home."

[Assistant]
"Well you have to if you want to survive on the streets, don't you?" She said as she leaned in closer to him, "Any chance I can get a bath or something soon?" she said giggling at the reaction her question received from the boys. She thought about teasing them some but realized that probably wouldn't be a good idea. "So where exactly are we going? I've never been down these streets before, not even when doing the killing and stealing jobs." This got her nervous again and once again she reached for her weapons. However again she is stopped by Raly speaking. "Yeah doesn't look like much but then again you can't judge anything by how it looks. I mean just look at me. Do I look like someone who could do anything I have told you I did?" She waited for his response as they continued through the building.

After awhile the four of them came up to a bunch of broken crates then she saw the tunnel and heard she was going to have to crawl. She was glad when Raly told the other boys to go first and assumed he'd do the same but that was quickly dashed when he told her to go next. Kimiko knew why he wanted her to go first she was wearing a dress that was fairly short but at least she hand panties on today. She gave a small sigh of protest but started crawling anyway, she did promise to do ''whatever'' the other gang members want so it made sense to start now. Once she got out of the tunnel she noticed the hole and ladder and knew she was going to have to go down the ladder with the other boys waiting eagerly for her to climb down. _Damn, Raly you clever dog no wonder the boys were so eager to go first they knew they would have a nice view up my dress._ She looked down and blushed; Raly getting a good view of her butt was tolerable as he was cute and looked around her age, but those two weren't as cute and they looked younger than her. At first she thought to change her mind but then she figured the boys wouldn't allow that. So she decided to go with the lesser of two evils and climb down the ladder figuring that doing 'whatever' the other gang members want would end up with them seeing much more of her than just her panties so it would be better to start getting used to it now.

Once she got down the ladder her face was beat red knowing about the show she just gave Raly, Chas and Hart. After she regained her composure she looked around and noticed the wooden door and walked over to it and ran her hand over the sigil, "So this is really happening, I'm really going to join the Skyrunners," she said starting to get excited, " And I'm actually going to have a home again, wait I can still visit my parents right? If not I really need to stop by my old home to let them know. If I go for too long without visiting them they'll think I died and will probably lose the will to live themselves, I can NOT have that happening." the last line was said seriously. "So, mind if I open the door or is there some kind of code word or phrase?"

[User]
There were baths in the haven of course. Adam being fastidious as he was was VERY strict about making sure the area stayed free of filth to prevent disease from spreading through the Skyrunners like wildfire and he'd learned this from his own predecessors who had learned through long, bitter experience that there were many dangers on the streets, not all of them human or animal. Raly nodded in response to Kimiko's question about baths. "I'll show you when we get down there," he reassured her. In fact, the baths were among the fanciest part of the haven and frequent spot for all sorts of horseplay and other 'physical activities'.

The two boys in back noted that Kimiko was reaching for a weapon and behind her, hands had briefly reached for knives at their belts but neither tried to draw on her and their hands went back to their sides again when they were sure the girl wasn't going to attack. Sure enough both Chas and Hart lingered at the bottom of the ladder, their eyes drifting upward to Kimiko's panties and licking their lips. They were completely unashamed in how they looked at her, and though the two knew that Raly would almost certainly get to go first with the newcomer, the two younger boys were already planning for what they'd do when it was their turn, their adolescent fantasies fueled by a good look at Kimiko's panties and her coltish legs. They stepped aside when she came down at last, not even bothering to pretend they hadn't been looking. Raly in the meantime had a good look at how Kimiko's bum moved when she crawled, fantasizing about the girl on all fours in front of him.

"No password or anything," said Raly as he led the way to the door and opened it. "Someone's always on watch though and if anyone came in who no one recognized it'd be like they kicked a hornet's nest, every Skyrunner in the whole place would come after them and that wouldn't be pretty for whoever tried to come in uninvited unless they had a really good reason." The door opened easily and he gave Kimiko an encouraging grin. "You'll have a home here alright, and of course you can visit your parents. Lots of the other kiddies have parents and see them when they're not doing stuff for the gang. We live here though, don't forget that, and you'll be spending most of your time around here."

The door opened into a small entryway. A young boy, younger than Kimiko with chestnut colored hair was sitting with a charcoal stick in hand sketching on parchment. He looked up as the others entered, looking at Kimiko with interest and curiosity. He wore a kerchief too though his was a very light blue compared to the other boys, likely denoting him as another scamp. "Oh, you guys're back early? Who's this?"


[User]
Shaetiel took a sudden deep breath, body realizing that she had been holding it for what seemed like forever. She felt at her chest again, the memory of the stabbing still vivid in her mind. But now, nothing, no actual pain, she couldn't feel any blood or anything.

And yes, somehow this void was worse than what she had just experienced. She clutched the fabric of her nightshift to her, not that it was cold. Nor was it particularly warm. But before while terrifying, she could at least make some sense of it. Now, what was she to do? She had no idea where to go, or if she even should. What if there was a cliff just a few steps ahead? Or sharp stones which would cut her poor bare feet. Or some wild animal ready to rend her to pieces.

"H... hello?" she said, very softly. No echo, no indication that her voice carried anywhere. She felt that maybe she should remain quiet.

After a long moment, looking around fruitlessly for a direction to go, she just took a step forward, wincing slightly expecting something to happen. And nothing. After another long moment, she took another step, slowly making her way in the direction she was facing. There had to be something somewhere.

[Assistant]
That first step did reveal a few more strange tidbits about this place. Most notably was the floor's complete lack of anything resembling texture or temperature, making walking on bare feet a very strange experience indded. Her steps also appeared to make no sound, and indeed the only noise here were the sounds of her breathing and her heart beating in her chest. The total lack of any kind of indicator of direction was just as unsettling, like no matter what direction she went it felt like she was going the same way.

Time passed, though it was impossible to tell just how much, as if the darkness obscured the passage of time as easily as it did her sight. Perhaps even more strangely was the fact that she didn't seem to be in darkness at all, as she was easily able to see her own body. Instead it was almost as if the world was simply black, devoid of anything and everything. Or almost anything. A sound made itself apparent from the darkness, a deep, rumbling chuckle that somehow managed to be equal parts amused and sinister. It sounded as if it came from everywhere at once, an echoy, multi-timbred voice which dug into her very flesh and blood.

[User]
Shaetiel glanced around herself, looking everywhere at once, trying to find out where the sound was coming from. She was just getting used to the silence and the weirdness of the void, but the low rumbling laugh put her instantly on edge again. But it was clear she couldn't stay where she was. Whatever it was, it was surely not here to help her.

And so she ran, her step light and fast as she darted off into the void, hoping against hope that she could get away from whatever or whoever it was in the darkness. She felt as if she had never ran so fast, not had her heart beat so frantically, and then she was flying. Tripping over, she felt almost frozen in air before she landed on the ground, wincing and waiting for the inevitable pain. And nothing. The group was solid, yes yielding. She pushed herself up onto her knees, bewildered that she hadn't even scraped her hands or knees.

[Assistant] As the young girl ran the laughter seemed to follow her, a sound from the deep black, a constant backdrop to the sound of her rapidly beating heart. The moment she hit the ground, no pain or even particular pressure following it, the laughter grew only louder, somehow managing to echo in this empty space. "Aaah, you've met with a terrible fate, haven't you, little one?" the voice finally spoke, the rough, almost gravely voice cutting through the dark as if it was coming from right next to her. "One tiny little light flittering through the void. Almost poetic really, were it not for how pitiful you look in this moment."

[User]
The girl looked around herself. She hadn't outrun the voice, not even by a bit. She clutched at her nightshift, listening to the words coming from the darkness, but not really taking in their meaning. She was just so confused and lost.

"What... what do you want?" She asked aloud, glancing around herself still, trying to spot some form or shape. To see something in all this void. "I... I just want to go home."

[Assistant] No matter how much she turned or peered into the darkness there was nothing there, the owner of the voice only present by the force of his voice. "Oh, you poor little soul," he replied, a mocking, amused undertone to his voice, "You just want to go home? Little girl, you've never been further from home. Lost in the dark. No light. No escape." His voice lingered in the empty space, like a ringing in the back of her mind, intruding on her thoughts and senses in a way that made her feel dizzy. "It is a wonder that you haven't pieced the truth together yet, my dear. Then again, I suppose elves rarely think on the concept of death."

[User]
Shaetiel kept looking around as the voice spoke. First she was sure it was one way, and then the other, and yet it never changed. It was somehow all around, and yet nowhere.

Her shoulders sagged on hearing that she was far from her home, further than she had ever been, it seemed. And... death? But, she was herself, she was sure of it. There was nothing but darkness in the death of an elf... nothing but... void.

She shook her head hard from side to side, fighting back tears. "No, I am me still, I still feel and I have a body and I remember everything." She looked up into the darkness, as good a direction as any as her lower lip trembled. "Please, let me go."

[Assistant] Silence reigned for an impossibly long moment, the lack of the presence's voice almost deafening in the infinite darkness of the void around her. Then it returned as a thoughtful hum, almost booming in how it came from complete silence. "Such peculiar things you say, little one," the voice responded, a more neutral yet still sinister timbre to his voice, "You say you still feel, yet you do not shiver in a world devoid of sun and warmth. You say you have a body, but to mine eyes you are naught but a tiny flame in an infinite void. You say you remember everything... yet you don't even remember your own death," As he spoke the word an image flashed through her mind, a dagger plunging into her chest, her sight turning crimson, the mortal agony of her heart being pierced, the cold and darkness overtaking her. Almost as quickly as it arrived the memory faded along with the pain, leaving her clutching her chest and keeled over out of sheer bodily reaction. "It was a quick death at least, a quicker one than most can hope for."

[User]
The girl wiped the tears from her face. The memory of the stabbing was painful. "I wish I could forget it..." she said quietly, doing her best to not fall into hopeless crying. She didn't have mother or father to run to. "And it is not cold enough to shiver. And I am not a flame, I am a girl."

And despite her protestations, deep down, just beyond conscious thought, some part of her was beginning to see the truth to the spirit's words. She remembered the stabbing all too vividly... but actually dying, no. Just waking up here. She had felt nothing when she fell, when she touched herself or even the cloth clutched in her small hands. She knew it was all there, and yet not as it should be.

But she was scared, and lonely, and confused. She remembered her father's face, helping her with her studies just the other night. She remember swimming with her friends in the lake, the warm air on her skin as they dried off afterwards. So many things that she had already experienced in her young life.

She grew a bit defiant, the spirit was being silly. "And I am not dead or anything, I am right here, see?"

[Assistant] Another booming chuckle echoed throughout the impossibly large plane Shaetiel had found herself in, the being's voice growing just a tad more amused than sinister. "You are correct in one regard at least, I will grant you that," he replied, letting his words linger for a moment without expanding on his meaning. "The truth remains however, that you were spirited away from your bed one night by wicked men, and stabbed through the heart as part of their ceremony. Even you are incapable of denying this, are you not?" He gave her only enough time to utter a word or two before carrying on, the voice seeming to circle her now, sounding even closer than before. "As a result you have ended up here, in a world of darkness in-between life and death, a purgatory for souls incapable of moving on to their respective afterlife. I am afraid to say, my dear Shaetiel, that you will not be joining the eternal dream of your elven ancestors." There wasn't much threat in his voice, rather a matter-of-factly tone that came off almost cold.

[User]
Shaetiel remained on her knees, growing more and more confused. It didn't make sense to her, and she couldn't fully follow what the voice was saying. What is purgatory? In-between? It didn't make any sense to her.

But then the final words settled into her thoughts. She wouldn't join the eternal dream? How? Why? She was only a little girl, she had done nothing wrong in her life, not that ills prevented the passing on when it was time. Maybe it was hopeless then, to be lost alone forever. Her slim shoulders slumped as she propped herself from crumpling to the ground. "Then... then what happens to me?"

[Assistant]
As if her crestfallen look and voice was somehow amusing to him the being laughed out loud, a much greater sound than his chuckling had been, the floor of this endless place almost vibrating in response to it. It faded soon enough, its echoes disappearing into the darkness around her before he recovered enough from his mirth to speak again. "Ah, now that is the crux of why we are here, is it not?" he said, and one could almost imagine a cruel smirk on whatever face he might have, "Alas your fate was sealed even before you were born, my dear Shaetiel, as this would always have been your destination in the end." Ahead of the kneeling girl the darkness seemed to suddenly swirl and animate, taking on solid shapes as if it was clay drawn from the earth and sculpted by some unseen hand. The first to appear was the silhouette of an elven woman, wearing a flowing gown of seeping darkness which coursed into the dark plane around her, her hair almost as long to match it. She looked regal, proud even, standing with her head held high even as miserable shapes of dead or dying elves formed around her, reaching for her as if to beckon her for aid.

"This, is your ancestor," the voice continued, slightly softer now as it began to recall the past, "She lived during a time of great calamity for the elves, the harshness of the world threatening to wipe out a great deal of your people. Not even their strong spirits or ancestral magic was able to save them from the dangers they faced," he said as the darkness twisted and changed into a panorama of an elven city burning in dark flames, the unheard screams of perishing elves quite evident from the writhing masses of faces and hands that accompanied it, "and in her desperation for survival the woman began to look elsewhere for the power she would need." Once more the shadows changed, becoming the woman once more, her frail and weakened form pouring over a great pile of books at a table, frantically searching the pages even as ancient parchment turned to dust between her fingers. "So obsessed with the survival of herself and her family was she that no avenue of research was left untouched, and finally, after years of searching, she stumbled upon her salvation."

The dark plane around Shaetiel quivered and shook as more shapes took form, the woman appearing to now be performing some kind of grand ritual, dark symbols and glowing red runes encircling her as she read from some book held in her thin hands. "She discovered the name of a great demon lord," the voice continued unabated, the woman's shadowy body illuminated by glowing red light from her ritual, "she discovered me." In a maelstrom of fire and magic the shadowy puppet theater erupted before Shaetiel's eyes, another shadow shape taking form before the elven woman. It was a massive creature, a male demon who could scarcely stand at his full height in the chamber he had been summoned into, great twisted horns curving from his head, wings and tail sprouting from his back, and while his features were almost impossible to make out in the dark there was one striking feature that was obvious, namely his burning red eyes which glowered with the inferno of all the Hells.

[User]
Shaetiel found herself holding her breath, it felt like an eternity since she saw anything but herself, so the images were like the bright morning sun after a moonless night. More than that.

She only sort of followed what the voice was saying. She hadn't yet delved too much into ancient history yet, so she didn't really know of the time or the elven queen spoken of. Her eyes widened at the scenes before her, terrible and terrifying, and yet unable to look away. But demons? She knew of spirits, of course, she had even had a pet air sylph that played and looked after her as she grew up. But demons always sounded like something her parents would use to scare her with in stories around a fire. Could they have been real? Are they still?

And then she shrinked back as the demon was revealed, huge and imposing and full of dark menace. It was him, the voice, there was no doubt of it in her mind. It was a long moment before she found the will to speak, avoiding looking into the balefire eyes of the demon lord. "But... what does that have to do with me? That sounds as if it was so long ago"

[Assistant]
Once more the demon chuckled, amused and sinister as it had been all along, as if laughing at a joke only he understood. "Oh, it was a very long time ago indeed," he replied, almost a devilish purr to his voice, "I doubt few creatures in your world yet remains that remember the time of calamity of which I speak, but it is undeniable that it happened. After all..." he continued, the shadow shapes before her moving as the elven woman knelt before the demon, raising her hands as if in offering. In response the demon placed a hand upon her head, the difference in size between them so immense that he could have casually picked her up by the head if he'd so wanted.

"The pact that I made with your ancestor that day still remains. That I would ensure the survival of her lineage, make her descendants prosper, and bless them with a seed of my power." Again the images changed, this time returning as the demon and queen entangled on a large bed, their rhythmic movements and almost hypnotic embrace leaving little doubt as to what they were doing, even if they were only two shadowy shapes.

"My own blood was carried on through her descendants, making them great warriors and sorcerers. And the price for all of this? It's simple," The shapes disappeared into the inky darkness, the floor beneath her feet shifting almost as it was moving, and for a moment Shaetiel got the feeling that she was kneeling in the cupped hands of a giant beyond belief, "For the survival and prosperity of her bloodline, all I asked for in return... were the souls of any of her descendants who died an unrighteous death."

[User]
The images remained confusing to her. What pact? Was that some sort of agreement, she was certain that's what the word meant. And when the scene became one of sex, it left her even more confused, for while shadowy images, she was sure she could see pain on the queen's face, and yet she smiled in elation. How or why she wasn't sure, for she wasn't even sure what they were doing.

She let out a little gasp as the floor shifted beneath her, spreading out on her knees and steadying herself with her hands, hoping it would stop. "Is that... did that happen to me? Is that why I am here? But it was not my fault!"

[Assistant]
The 'floor' did seem to quiet, but some small part of her noticed that it had changed slightly, like it had texture and even a faint warmth now. The chuckle sounded once more, making the floor vibrate under her knees and hands. "Oh, that is very true, my dear Shaetiel, your death was no fault of yours," he responded, his voice softer and somehow darker at the same time, "You were stolen from your bed, a poor, defenseless little thing, and your life was taken from you by wicked men."

For a moment she could have sworn that the floor moved, an unseen breeze ruffling her garments, "They took everything from you: your home, your parents, your place in the world. All for the sake of their own wanton greed and selfish desires. It was undeniably unfair, but so is the nature of the world. The powerful take from the weak, as it has always been."

[User]
Tears welled up in her pretty blue eyes once again. It wasn't fair. She had done nothing, she didn't deserve this. She had a day planned with her best friend Ailil, and had even gone to sleep thinking of all the fun the would have in town the next morning. A morning that will never come now, for her.

"It is not fair," she said, voice trembling, "I want my home... I want my place in the world. Father said I had a keen sense for spellcraft, I was going to learn from Mother..." She trembled more, tears streaking hotly down her cheek, unnoticed that she could feel them. She sniffled, looking back up. "But you said I am not dead... well, like, proper dead. What does that mean?"

[Assistant] This time there was no laughter to accompany the demon's words, instead his voice was calm and serious, although the sinister timbre never went away. "It means, my dear little fire in the dark, that your soul was drawn to this transient place by the power of the pact. Not able to pass on to the afterlife, but also not able to return to who you once were. Do you understand?" he said, making sure to punctuate the last question as he slowly explained, "Your soul however, can live again. Through the power of my bloodline I can grant you rebirth, a chance to take your revenge on those evil, selfish men who took everything that you hold dear from you. Or, you can stay here in the gentle dark until your flame finally flickers out, granting you peace without closure."

[User]
She didn't fully grasp all that was being said to her, but she felt she understood.

Those evil men should pay for what they did, to make sure they couldn't do it again. What if they one day go after Ailil? But she didn't want to go out fighting and killing. She wanted to help others, and interact with the nature spirits. And what could she do, she was just a little girl, clearly she would just be overpowered again.

But she didn't want to just disappear, to stay in the horrible void of nothingness. She bit her lip in thought, then in a small voice, "What do I do? How do I live again?"

[Assistant] The shifting of the ground under her feet became evident at her words, like the world under her moved of its own volition, changing and coursing like an unseen river. "I will grant you one chance at a life, one that will be harsh and cruel and trying, yet also one with the potential for you to become strong," his voice rumbled from the dark, threatening to throw her to the ground by its sheer weight, "You will be reborn in my home plane, and with perhaps just a small amount of luck you can become something great." Before her eyes a light appeared, a swirling spiral of flame which penetrated the darkness, a beacon in the infinite blackness. "If you so wish, step inside the light, and become bound to me forevermore."

[User]
Shaetiel was suddenly hesitant. She wasn't sure what was going one, what was being offered to her. But the light was inviting, even if it was a blazing fiery red. She could almost feel heat off of it, or perhaps it was her imagination, but even the thought of it appealed to her so much more than this endless void.

What choice was there, really. She couldn't stay here, she was sure of it. And once she was alive again, she could find a way to get back to her life and parents, to be safe once again.

She got up, straightening her nightshift. "Please, take me away from here." she said, reaching out and stepping into the swirling spiral.


[User]
Joey seemed to have traveled for about an hour, calling out for the boy, not knowing of the kid's name. The heat of the day had just begun barreling through the trees, sometimes blazing through the trees, causing Joey to raise his hand above his eyes like a visor. He stopped a moment and retrieved a canteen from his backpack, only half full of water. After a gulp and the catch of breath to follow, he looked down to see shoe prints in front of him.

He looked behind him to see his own and found that it wasn't his, as this second pair were much smaller. The boy had magically been through here. Joey glistened with a smile, but soon frowned, realizing that he was now lost. Joey looked down at his tracks and saw that they disappeared after a few steps. Some of the soil he had been walking on was dry, therefore, unable to keep memory of his shoe print. He panicked a moment, reaching into his backpack to find his compass and map. He panicked even more, when he found that they were not in there. He sat down and searched through is backpack with ferocious speed. "I didn't leave them behind, did I?" He said aloud.

He couldn't hear the sounds of the RV camp anymore. Couldn't hear if anyone was calling out his name or the boy's. He dropped his backpack, slumping over it slightly, trying to think of what to do. No way in finding his way back. He realized he couldn't even hear the river that crossed close by the camp. "There's no way this is happening," Joey said aloud, again.

Joey looked out into the forest, seeing nothing but trees and shrubbery, and the second pair of shoe prints, left behind by the other boy. He looked and saw that these prints were going on for a while, through a naturally made trail. Joey started thinking of how the boy felt, being more lost than he was. The boy didn't even have the supplies that Joey had. The boy could die out there, faster than he could. Joey nodded, then got back up on his feet, after putting things back into his backpack, lifting it onto his shoulders ones more. He would find the boy and the both of them would get out safe and sound, before the day's end. As he was sure of himself, Joey followed the shoe prints for as long as he could, surprised that they hadn't disappeared like his own.

[Assistant]
The deer that had captured Tristan's imagination had lead him far away from the noisy group of hikers. He hardly cared, figuring he could easily find his way back if he wanted. The crappy part was that he really didn't want to go back. His mom had threatened to take his Gameboy away from him if he didn't try harder to go along with the stupid little camping activities, and he had thrown a fit. Tristan hated adults sometimes; they were so pushy and tried too hard. His mom was very guilty of this. No matter how many programs and after school clubs she tried to force him into, he found himself bored by the company of children his age. He'd much rather disappear unto a roof or treetop with a good book and an afternoon to himself.

For example, it had been an hour since he deviated away from the annoying group of campers. Within that time, Tristan had become a gritty explorer, hot in pursuit of the glorious Buck of Nine Winters. He had completely forgotten about the video game in his pocket that had cause his entire temper tantrum, and had become immersed in the world he imagined for himself instead. His ragged jeans and hoodie had become impenetrable armor, the forest a magical universe where animal spirits warred against each other. Tristan was hardly even aware of time, with all the private fun he was having.

The tan, sleek creature of the woods traversed a complex path through the trees, with the young boy trailing him unwaveringly. It didn't seem to mind that the little human was following, and only took to running when Tristan crunched an especially loud stick beneath his feet. He was feeling very proud of his progress so far, and was sure he'd corner the creature soon and deliver its corpse to the forest King. The nine-year-old had no idea that the farther he strayed away, the more he was estranged from any sort of human populace. Any hope of truly surviving the woods was dwindling as he wandered deeper and deeper into the wild, but little Tristan was oblivious to this fact and was dead-set on achieving some sort of imaginary goal.

[User]
Joey continued to follow the trail of shoe prints, sometimes seeming to fade, but quickly reappearing. He was still amazed that the young boy's tracks lasted this long. Not even his own did. Course, when he looked back, he saw that his shoes made an ever lasting trail as well, right over the smaller pattern. He continued forward, only stopping every ten or so minutes, to take a sip from the canteen, which is getting close to empty.

"I hope the river is nearby," He said aloud. Joey tended to talk to himself a lot, talk out loud, like someone else was there, talking back to him. Course, this voice was never heard, even to himself. But, he spoke, anyway. He couldn't hear the river, though. He must've traveled far, if he couldn't hear the river still. Joey sighed, knowing that he was indeed lost, as he put away the container, then continued forward.

There was a multitude of woodland creatures out here. Hunting would be prime out here, if he had the right equipment. Stray deer and elk wandered, as a rabbit hopped by Joey at one point, quickly scaring itself when it noticed him. Joey had once found a lonely little tree snake along the trail, too. Good thing it wasn't poisonous, as taught by his father.

Joey stopped again, realizing he was getting hungry. He went to reach into his backpack, where he had thrown in a large handful of granola bars, when he heard the snap of a twig up the path a little. It wasn't a deer, though. It seemed that he was the only one in the vicinity, excluding the various bugs and insects. He looked forward, as far as he could see, to see a deer after all. It was a buck of great size. A 7 point, maybe. Close to an 8, as far as Joey was able to tell.

The deer had looked to be focused on something, while at the same time, walking and grazing, picking off berries from various bushes or simply taking a mouthful of grass. Joey tried to follow it's gaze, but couldn't see anything at first. "Ah, I shouldn't focus on that, though," He spoke to himself, then looked down to find the trail again. It vanished after a short bit, but it seemed to have led in the direction of the deer. The boy must be over there. Joey slowly followed the path of the deer, hoping to see the boy.

[Assistant] Tristan's ears caught on to the distant, if quiet sound of another voice. Immediately he felt a flush of frustration, sure that it was somebody sent by his mother to follow him. Without disturbing the deer, he attempted to flatten himself into the ground, allowing the brush to hide his small body in its shade. He'd have to let the creature go its merry way, but it was worth it to lose whoever was chasing him. Tristan almost audibly sighed, suddenly realizing that his mom was probably furious and he'd surely lose the Gameboy for weeks.

[User]
Joey continued toward the deer, hoping that the boy would show. Through the corner of his eyes, he saw some ferns rustle a bit. He saw nothing around there, but didn't see any foliage, in either direction, move about after. Couldn't have been a rabbit, then. But, should he explore it or continue toward the deer?

As if to answer him through actions, the deer decided to trot off and soon disappear deeper into the woods. It was done being followed, apparently. Joey walked up to the spot of the now stationary ferns and found the boy, just laying there, looking like he was trying to hide. Joey was confused, was the boy hiding from him or the deer? The deer knew he was there, so his hiding wasn't all that great.

"The deer's gone. What are you doing laying on the ground?" Joey asked, without even trying to introduce himself, yet. Joey waited to see how the boy would respond, thinking that it was he, that the blond was hiding from. While waiting, he scouted the area. Still no sounds of other human beings. Surely, they're trying to call out for the both of them now. His father wouldn't be so worried, cause he taught Joey a little of how to survive in the wilderness. His mother would be a little worried, though. Not seemingly traumatized like this boy's mother, but she would feel sympathy in the aspect.

Joey looked back down to the boy and continued to wait for the response.

[Assistant]
"Oh." Tristan hurriedly sat up, realizing that this was futile. He brushes the leaves from his hair and pouted. "I didn't want you to see me."

He pulled his knees up to his chest and poked at the dirt, refusing to meet the other kid's eyes. However, he noted the sensible black DCs that he wore, and he assumed from that alone that he must be older. Tristan was always annoyed by older kids. They seemed to think they knew everything, and it was their purpose in life to tattle and boss other people around.

"I won't go back, so it's not worth it to hang around. Tell Mom to get lost." Tristan knew better then to think it would be enough to get rid of this pesky follower, but he could try. If anything he could climb a tree and wait him out.

[User]
He thought about what the boy just said. Joey couldn't help but smirk at that one, considering the current situation. "Well, I would tell her that, but it seems we're the ones who got lost first," he replied as he looked off into the army of trees and shrubbery surrounding them. "I went out to search for you, by myself, while everyone else was freaking out, looking for you around the camp, and as much as I'd hate to admit it, I got lost in the process."

Joey scouted the area, but for the life of him, he couldn't even guess the direction the camp would be at this time. He was amazed that he had gotten so far, in such small time. Even more amazed that he was able to catch up with the boy, considering the three hour head start. He could see nothing but trees and more trees. Only the slight natural trail was visible and that only went so far.

He looked back down to the boy and saw that the blond before him, was looking for a way to escape him. Joey had a momentary thought to let him, but the boy was younger than he. He couldn't leave him alone out here. Plus, Joey had been raised better. He would disgrace his family, if he left a perfectly able soldier behind. He wouldn't want to disappoint his father or brothers. Especially, Mike.

Joey sighed. "I wouldn't try to run. How would you find your way back without me? Besides, I got snacks. I'm betting you're about hungry right now." He smiled, proud of himself to think so quickly like that, as he reached into his backpack and pulled a couple granola bars from it, offering one to the boy, who's eyes glistened like a blue ocean.

[Assistant]
Tristan almost immediately melted into warmness towards the boy once offered food. All wariness left his posture, and he snatched a granola bar and tore into it. With a bite shoved in his mouth, he stood and dusted the back of his pants off. Finally he met the boy's eyes and smiled brightly.

"Fanks," he said, still chewing. After devouring the rest of the bar in less then a minute, he shoved the plastic wrapper into his pocket and held out a slightly-sticky hand. "I'm Tristan." Once the two shook hands, he stretched and scratched the back of his head nonchalantly. With a quick, appraising glance of the environment, he started forward in a random direction. "I'm not running, but I'm not staying in one place either," he said with a casual wave. "You coming?"

Tristan felt like he could easily find his way back, if only he wanted to hard enough. He pretended to recognize a group of trees and what could or couldn't be a path, and told himself it would only be a little while til he'd be back with his mom. He didn't really want her to worry, but he didn't want to look unsure of himself in front of this older boy either.

[User]
After Joey had introduced himself and shook the boy's hand, he looked up to the sun and used the shadows of the trees to determine the time of the day, as his father taught him. He managed to forget his watch back at camp, too, so this was the only way he thought to tell time. From what he could guess, it was just at the edge of 2 in the afternoon.

He sent his gaze back to the boy named Tristan, who suggested to go in an unknown direction. Joey would've spoken up, seeing that Tristan didn't really know where to go, except for the fact that, he too, did not know where to go. "Well, standing here doesn't get us anywhere closer back to camp. Let's go, then," Joey responded, as he engulfed his own granola bar, then pocketed the wrapper just as Tristan did.

Joey then started walking alongside the kid, who was rather shorter than him, though just about as skinny as he was. His shorts probably would have fit on Tristan, but feel more like pants to him. It wasn't long, during this walk, when the momentary silence had felt a little awkward. Joey had to start a conversation with the kid. Was probably going to spend a small amount of time with him, so may as well get to know him.

"So, why did you not want to go back to camp, exactly?" Joey asked, right away, unsure if Tristan would answer that one, just yet.

[Assistant]
Tristan spit into the dirt and kicked up a cloud of leaves and mud, frowning darkly. He wasn't going to be played a fool, just because of one granola bar. The boy still had his suspicions that this was his mom's way of setting him up to 'make friends and be normal.'

"What's it to you?" He answered hotly. "Better yet, what are you doing out here?" Tristan studied the other boy from the corner of his eye and realized why he looked familiar. "You're the camp-pet, anyways. Shouldn't you be off doing salutes or drills or whatever?"

[User]
Joey felt insulted with that last one, but he didn't want to show it. He had to try to be level headed in their current situation. "You know, I could have left you out here," He let slip, anyway. "I could have been back at the camp, playing my Gameboy. Could've gone home tomorrow, while you would've remained out here, alone, in god's know where, wondering if you were going to die tomorrow or not."

Joey paused for a moment, attempting to calm down from the small bit of anger he felt inside of him. "I came out here, cause I didn't want to think of what could happen to another kid out here. There's several dangers out there, that can feed upon you in a second. I came out here, cause it was the right thing to do. And I managed to get myself lost in the process."

He did feel bad for the words he said, although he knew he could've said worse. But, he was taught better. Joey walked off a small distance from Tristan, but kept close enough. He figured the boy would try to run off, given the distance between them now. Joey hoped that the kid wouldn't, though. Hoped that his words may have had a little effect on him, if any. "You should think about how your mom would feel, if you suddenly disappeared and never returned. She was already freaked out, back at the camp, being that you were gone for so long already. I only managed to find you, myself, cause I saw you walk into the woods."

[Assistant]
Tristan didn't like to listen to authority, but a tiny speck of instinct told him to listen when the older boy spoke. He hung his head when he brought up how frightened his mother would be; as frustrating as she could be, he loved his mother very much and hated putting her through this. However, this wasn't the first time he had taken off on an adventure by himself, and he was always able to get home before. He couldn't conceive of being really and truly lost, and for some reason believed that he could still find his way back to the trail, with or without this other boy.

However, after allowing silence to span between the two for several minutes, he sobbed loudly. Tristan froze in his tracks and broke down crying, not knowing how to cope with the sudden realization of being lost. He shoves both fists into his eyes as he cried loudly, unable to control the emotions that hit him right in the gut. He would never find his way back, he'd be stuck out here and some bear would eat him alive. His mom and dad were right, he was stupid for running off.

Tristan's shoulders shook as he took ragged breaths between each sob. He was still a boy, after all, and felt extremely small and weak in this large forest.

[User]
Not knowing how to respond to the kid now crying, Joey just thought to let him cry. Aside from the birds chirping about and the sounds of tears, the forest around them was relatively quiet. Joey could only stand there, leaning against a tree, watching the boy cry like his best friend had just died.

"Listen," Joey said after a few more minutes of listening to Tristan cry, "We'll get out of here." Joey reached up and grabbed the Celtic pendant that dangled from his neck. "By my word, I promise you, we'll make it back to the camp and we'll be sitting there, eating marshmallows. I'll let you even play my Gameboy," Joey added in, with a small grin. He didn't know if his words would get through to the younger one, nor did he know how much of his words he'd be able to uphold. But, he was determined to get out of here. Out of this forest.

Joey looked up to the sky and realized it's getting later in the evening. It must be about 4 now. They're gonna have to find a place to hold up for the night. He scouted around, but he saw nothing of the sort. A lot of the area around them was relatively flat with a few tiny hills here and there. He didn't know this forest at all. Joey didn't know where to go. He let go of his pendant and dropped his hand back down to the same level as the other, as he continued to lean against the tree, waiting for Tristan to pick himself back up.