Closed The Red in the White

[Jomi]

“Ah the little ghost has a question,”

The monster was taunting him, the ghost's posture stiffened beside the creature as a thin curl pulled at the corners of her transparent lips.

“But I will give you hint. There is only one and it likes to make its home in the trees. Oops.. that was two.”

The warm tropical breeze turned to a bitting wind as Jomi's agitated mists whipped around him sending an icy chill over the deck, his face cold and impassive. Jomi made an effort to reign in his mists, pulling them toward his core and packing packing them down to create definition in his body. Taking carful effort to sculpt his face, if only so the Otani could clearly see the intense hateful glare in his eyes. He was scared, frustrated, and helpless, a combination he hadn't felt since life. Now his one chance at hope for this doomed mission, a clue to the whereabouts of their prey, was crushed under the weight of what was perhaps the most useless information they could have been given.

"What an astute observation, 'Birds make their nests in trees'." Jomi deadpanned, maintaining prolong and intensely uncomfortable eye contact with the creature. "Any other brilliant wisdom you wish to impart on us mortals? Perhaps you would like to use your godly knowledge to answer the ultimate question..do bears really shit in the woods?"

Allister was the first to appear from the lower decks, a sharp scythe grin on his face, cocky swagger in he is step and a loaded pack strapped to his back. Jomi felt his coiled mists begin to relax, the Kelvic was a welcome reprieve from the ghosts own spiralling self-doubts. “Hey, Jamie- do you think she’s related to the granadile that I’m wearing?” The kelvic patted his pants, grin widening.

The ghost made a show of rolling his eyes, "it's Jomi, fleaba-"

“You dare disgrace the brethren of the sea?!”

The monster was fast, liquid body slithered across the deck to grab hold of the cocky Kelvic's face. Jomi blinked forward instinctually, aiming for Allister's centre mass, and if the Kelvic were to allow it, seeped his mists into the muscles and tendons of his thin wiry body. The ghost filled the space in Allister's lungs and behind his eyes, taking his shape like water poured into a vase. The clumsy possession was all Jomi could think to do, the ghost wasn't strong enough fight off the monster alone, but with the Hyena's physique and Jomi's ability to push Allister past his limits they had a fighting chance.

Not that they needed one. The Otani retreated as quickly as she came, spitting one final warning into their shared face as she left.

Once she was out of sight, the ghost gingerly peeled away from the Kelvic's body, pulling away from his muscles and lifting off his skin just in time to hear the spiritists admonishment. Jomi scowled as he bit his tongue, letting the quip go unchallenged, they had more important things to worry about right now.

Two more joined their party as Madeira urged Jomi to scout ahead, warning him not to go to far.

"You have my ring don't you? Just call me back, its not like you'll lose me." Jomi tilted his head to the pack that pulled down on Allister's shoulders, the tell-tale click of glass could be heard as he stepped into the dingy. "Is that Spooks mists? Let me have some now, I doubt my human eyes will be able to see too far otherwise." Madeira had been experimenting with her soulmist recipe, using the blood of animals allowed her ghosts to absorb some of those animals skills. Although the addled, possession weary cat was a useless predator, his eyes and ability to see in the dark were something else, and likely invaluable in the thick jungle.

Once equipped with the cats sensitive vision, the ghosts marched on ahead. Rising above the thick foliage to scan the tree-tops for the elusive glowing bird.

[Allister]

Allister was pensive. The creature stared into the black eyes with anger and whirling pools of mystery but would find no fear within the hyena. She would see the glaring rage of another animal; the honey badger. Jomi’s possession had been sudden but Allister was so used to giving other people their way that stepping aside for a guest driver was easy. It felt weird- cold but burning. Then it was over and Allister was none the worse for ware. The former slave had no regard for his life beyond maintaining it as a means of serving, protecting and loving his bond mate. His devotion to Madeira was beyond anything his stunted imagination could describe. One could only hold so many thoughts in the cage of an unwilling servant. The spiritist was fragile, delicate and the center of the universe so when her arm exploded into the flaming appendage of a skeletal minion the kelvic giggled in delight. Just before the Otani released his face, the performer winked and let his wide grin open up for her to take as a parting gift.

Allister fell into awe every time the blonde moved whether it was to address him in annoyance at his childish behavior or to discuss matters of preparation with the other sailors. The previous events of the season and this journey had blessed the kelvic’s normally unremarkable sight with a gift. He could look at the lady Craven in any setting, style or light and picture the small curves and alabaster skin in its natural beauty.

Without having to be told, Allister moved with the group but not before shooting an ornery grin to the ghost. While they never got along much or talked hardly at all- the kelvic had enjoyed ganging up on the Otani even if it was in poor judgement. Once in the small landing craft, the weathered hands now laden with callouses took up a pair of oars and the sailor in training put his back into the motion. Muscles rippled underneath the leather jacket and even so much it constricted him. In a flash of bruised leather, he shed the coat and retook his tools in rhythm with the red-haired man after only missing one stroke. The long arms painted in ugly depictions flexed and eased while his core rose and sank to the task of keeping pace. Sweat beaded on his brow and a serious demeanor settled upon the normally jovial countenance. Intensity and focus could be found making a home here as he stared back at the odd creatures which clung to the main ship.

When they made landfall, Allister was the second man out and splashed through the shallows with the other sailors to haul the boat up onto the sands and rocks. Before Madeira could even attempt to get out on her own, she would find the kelvic waiting in humble silence to lift her free of the wooden craft and onto dryer soil. Once she was steady, he would retrieve his coat and their pack and reoutfit for the journey ahead. Allister stared into the dense jungle wilderness and wrinkled his nose. The canine in him was bristling to be let loose but that was not his call to make- it was hers. Black eyes bored into her being while he pushed confidence, trust and love through the bond. Anything he could toss at her to keep her steady- he would. At the very least, Jomi could possess one of the other men which would give Madeira full control of any situation-- the two men seemed decent enough but Allister didn’t trust people who refused to speak. He knew all of the things that rolled around in his mind; most of which were filthy, dangerous or worse and when the man with golden eyes just stared about- well; he only painted a glowing target on his own throat.

“One day seems awful short of a span to find a bird in this place…”

[Taurina]

The jungle was dark under the midnight moon. Trees stretching up into the sky waved subtle in the breeze, leaves occasionally shaking as some animal or another jumped or pounced from one branch to another. The foliage teemed with life. From the mother who hunted to feed her babies to the spider who wove her web to feed herself. There was no safe space, no easy path, but the task set before the travelers was not impossible either. Not even in this place so full of life.

Tav helped Allister in rowing the boat towards shore. The Inarta was quiet and thoughtful, his gaze hardly on the group before him but instead constantly keeping watch over the too still sea. It was eerie how they all had just disappeared, it concerned him greatly though he did not bring it up. Enda was quiet as well where he sat at the back of the boat. The Svefra’s ocean gaze was transfixed on the tree tops, looking for any sign of the white bird for which they hunted.

When shore came near the men helped Allister with grounding the boat the making sure it would not be lost. They payed the woman and Kelvic little attention as they gathered their things and triple checked that everything was secure and in possession. Once the other two were ready, they would approach where they stood on the beach just in time to hear Allister’s comment.

“Otani are known for being mischievous, they like games,” Enda commented as though he were chewing on some thought just out of reach.

“The bird will nest closer rather than farther from its food source. It sounds like they think this bay is where it likes to hunt,” Tav chimed in, his tone slow as if he were still recovering from the jolt that was being woken up in the middle of the night, but his eyes were bright and alert, “did any of you see which direction it went in?”

The Inarta asked his question but only stared from Madeira and Allister for a chime before his gaze wandered. It was unlikely any of them would be able to see anything from where they were, but he had to try. His eyes fixed on the tree tops, looking for the glowing white that would mark the bird. All he saw was Jomi, the ghost having risen up high to look himself. He might have been their best shot. Tav was happy to have him anyway, even if he did not express that. This was not Wind Reach, they had no Wind Eagles to help them, so a ghost was the nearest thing to wings they had.

“You should tell your Kelvic to shift,” Tav pointed out, that golden gaze fixing on Madeira, “it will be easier. Those instincts will help.”

Enda shook his head and gave his friend a slight glare. They had volunteered to help, not take the lead nor make demands. The Inarta shrugged and the Svefra looked to Madeira. “You tell us what you would like us to do. We will do our best to keep you safe,” Enda told her, “but you are our leader tonight.” It was rare for the sailors to heed the words of the woman and Kelvic on the boat, so many were afraid of her and the butchered man was more equal now than superior. Here though, things were different. The Otani had fixed on Madeira specifically, Enda was not going to mess with that. “Tell us where to go.”

[Madeira Dusk]

Madeira did not attempt to climb out of the boat herself. She stood at the bow and lifted her arms when the Kelvic came back for her like it was only to be expected. She kissed him chastely on the forehead in thanks as her feet touched dry sand, then turned to the dark, impenetrable jungle where they must venture. The moonlight tangled in the trees and choked itself on the thick foliage so not much managed to reached the forrest floor. And she did not like the skittering and wild cries she heard down there.

“One day seems awful short of a span to find a bird in this place…”

Allister spoke softly, she could feel his mind whirling in a direction and at a pace that she could not fathom. The shape of his feelings that slipped through their bond were sharp and animalistic, their calculations running on some primal edge her own race lost millennia ago. The hyena in him was awake and alive and chewing at the bars of his mutilated human skin.

Soon Tav and Edda joined them on the beach. She turned toward their volunteers as they spoke. They would be the most useful on this excursion, as they had knowledge of the wilds that she and her own men lacked, so she listened carefully to everything they had to say.

“It entered the forest from that direction”, she said immediately in answer to Tav’s question, pointing to the edge of the beach a little less than half a kilometre away. She couldn’t read a map or compass, and wouldn’t know what to do with a sextant if one was handed to her, but she was observant if nothing else. “That makes sense, that the bird would nest close.”

The conversation was short, and suddenly they were all looking to her for instruction. The Spiritist nodded under the weight of their combined stares.

“Alright, alright. Go ahead and shift, Allister. Give me the pack, I can handle it, but please keep the fetish.” She took the pack from her bondmate and dug around inside, surfacing with a handful of lined strips and a small knife. “Even if the bird glows we won’t see anything else in the dark. See if you can make a torch, Enda” She threw the linen to Svefra. Then with the knife she opened a vein in her wrist and wiped away a bead of blood. With it she drew a sixteen point star in her palm. Closing her eyes and stilling her mind, she folded her hand and drew a tether to her servant by the drop of his soulmist in her black ring.

“Jomi…” she breathed. The ghost materialized instantly.

“We’ll comb the beach and jungle starting from where we saw it enter”, she stated, squinting at the ground while she organized her thoughts. “There must be signs of its existence, scat or fish bones or feathers or anything. Jomi can go first. He’ll be faster than us, and being indestructible has it’s perks. He can tell us if were about to run into anything dangerous or unsurpassable. Allister has the senses and the instinct, he’ll go next and try to sniff out a clue or a trail. Enda, as you have the light and the machete, can clear and light our path. I’ll be behind him, and Tav and his bow can watch all our backs. It’s a giant glowing bird, how hard can it be to find?” By the end of her speech she was awash with nerves. Allister was right, one night was not enough time.

She hefted the pack onto her back and felt her heels sink into the sand. Gods, it was heavy. But there was nothing else to do but grit her teeth and bear it. She would slow them down, but she hoped it wouldn’t be by much.

“Lead the way, Jomi”, she waved the ghost forward.

As they trekked down the beach, with the sinister waves on one side and the dark, chattering jungle on the other, Madeira scanned the ground before them looking for anything at all that could be a sign of their mysterious bird. She didn’t know what would happen if they failed, but she was unwilling to find out. And if that meant going on some dangerous, idiotic scavenger hunt in the jungle, so be it. She just hopped they would all make it out.

x

[Jomi]

The jungle moved as it were a living thing Jomi mused while jewel bright bugs scattered as the electric touch of the ghosts mists brushed by. The stinging cold a foreign and unwelcome sensation in the sweltering oppressive heat on the jungle. Even under the light of Leth a layer of humidity sat trapped under the thick foliage. But the ghost floated above the crowded jungle unaware and unaffected, stepping though the wild untamed trees and vines rather than around them, eyes flickering between the under brush and the tree tops.

The ghost traveled farther into the jungle as the motley crew landed on the beach, letting the living prepare themselves and organize as he scouted ahead. The cats-blood enhanced eyes allowed the ghost to see farther than his human eyes, and with all the detail he's have been able to see if his surroundings had been bathed in light. But that gift was undercut somewhat by the thick invasive plants that grew wild over the terrain, cutting off Jomi's line of sight. The ghost muttered angrily as he stepped past a cavernous fern the size of his torso growing out the side of a tree.

"If I were a giant, glowing bird, where would I be?"

Right on cue a large rustling to the left of him perked up the ghost ears. Suspended in the canopy twenty meters away a large leafy patch nestled in the crook of a tree branch trembled violently, as if some large animal was adjusting itself within. The perfect spot for a bird to nest. A glimmer of hope flared within the ghosts chest as he floated cautiously toward it, two tendrils of soulmist peeled off his form and extended ahead of him. Jomi's face and body became murky and undefined as he abandoned his materialization in order to concentrate intensely on activating the mists, preparing the tendrils to jump out and snag anything that moved.

Jomi approached the bundle of leaves delicately, hooking one tendril under a smaller branch and slowly pulling it up, the other poised to strike.

But the universe had other plans.

Jomi felt a familier tugging sensation pulling at his core and in the time it took to blink was back on the beach, tendrils still extended his face dark and crestfallen. Madeira stood in front on him wiping the blood of the summoning star off her hands as she began issuing orders, taking the pack off Allister's back and waving the ghost ahead, looking for all the world as if they were headed for war.

"Alright, when we get back were gonna need to place some ground rules for that shyke. 'Cause this ain't working for me." The ghost hissed bitterly. This was not the first time a summons had interrupted him at the worst possible time, and he doubted it would be the last.

Letting go of his projection the ghost pulled his mists towards himself. Packing them down to create a solid border around himself and solidifying his colour to better help his companions see him in the low light.

"I found something in the jungle" the ghost lifted his arm to run his hand through the hair on top his head as he addressed the group. A tick he retained from life when struggling to explain himself. "Its a nest. Kinda. Well I don't actually know, since Tits felt like that was a good time to call me back. But there was a big noise and it looked like somewhere a bird would hang out..." A tick passed as the ghost fell silent, never being one for leadership, or really any type of decision making, the ghost struggled to find the words or the confidence he needed to convince the group to follow him. His arms fell dejectedly to his side as he clenched his teeth and growled in frustration.

"Petch it."

Jomi let go of his materialization and shot himself towards Madeira, entering her body in his typical jarring fashion. Rushing to sync himself with her mind as he molded his essence to her shape. After so much time spent in her possession trained body, Jomi was as use to her soul as she was to his, and had little difficulty making himself at home in the spiritist. He pushed his surface memories into their shared mind to show the suspicious nest and the path he travelled to get there. Once satisfied she'd been brought up to speed in his little side adventure, the ghost peeled himself off her bones and gathered his mists in front of the spiritist. Once safely detached Jomi condensed him mists into his preferred shape as he addressed the others.

"Follow me, I'll lead you to it."

[Allister]

The kelvic paused a moment but only to consider whether or not Madeira should actually carry their pack. It would be better handled if laid across the shoulders of one of the sailors but that was not his decision to make. The black eyes zeroed in on the place indicated by his bond mate and then narrowed. Allister had not been out in the wilds for a long long time and that was when he was still in chains. A hand idly touched the raised skin of his brand before he shook off the notion and stripped from his clothes. He removed everything except the necklace with the sharktooth upon it which remained around his neck. In a flash of light, the man was gone and the wild dog stood in his place with striped fur and a grin plastered lazily across the muzzle.

The hyena gathered his clothing in his mouth and padded over to Madeira and set them at her feet to be stuffed in the pack. The scavenger twisted his body against her leg then trotted up the beach a ways. It was odd to move on four legs- balance was easier and rhythm was intrinsic but the effort was so very different. The animal took off suddenly and ran along the heavy sand where the surf spilled onto the land. Heavy feet and dulled claws flipped clumps of sand behind him as he barreled towards the darkness of the cove’s inner border. When he had gone far enough, the dog tried to turn sharply but found his body bore too much momentum and it sent him tumbling into the sand. Allister quickly recovered and shook his fur once he got back on all fours.

The large canine panted lightly then bolted back towards the blonde who represented absolutely everything that he loved. One his way, something mad his diamond-shaped ears flatten and the hyena skidded to a stop. Breaths rattled from his chest but the twitching in the soft hairs which lined the big ears raised the heckles on his back. Allister turned and moved towards the darkened jungle with its dense foliage and myriad of smells. There was something eerie about this particular place; not the jungle in general but the area directly in front of him. Then it dawned on the simple mind. There wasn’t a sound!

Where they had landed, where he had fallen- these locations had bugs and birds and critters that moved and communicated which all made sense. A lush environment like this would be filled with life. Yet here, a small recess of beach that led up to its face of grass and trees, there was not a single sound coming from within. Allister had to admit that the tingling sensation was unwelcomed. He did not like it nor did he like what it might portend but he had to tell someone. He sat down on his haunches and looked over his shoulder towards Madeira. With a split-tick decision, he dug a small set of two holes on either side of the silent zone into the deep dand then ran back to his beloved. When he reached her, he transformed back to his human self in a flickering of light then stood before her stark naked without a thought to his condition; sand clinging to his body and nested into his hair.

“There’s a part of the jungle where it’s absolutely quiet- it’s weird and...creepy.” He had love in his eyes and concern in the bond as he stared at her. Allister did not want to put Madeira in danger and he felt like that place held some kind of bad juju that he didn’t wish for her to be exposed. The man sighed. He knew arguing with Madeira was more of a folly than trying to pull the sailing vessel aground by himself so he remained silent in wait for her decision. He could shift back easily enough or remain on two legs.

Either way- he had begun a small process where he pictured the hacked up body parts of Daniel and how the warm blood had made him feel. Those memories filled his mind as fuel for a fire that he would unleash on anything that tried to harm his goddess. The love and concern suddenly became a mortar and pestle as the black eyes churned out malice as he stared at the jungle. Madeira would be fine, he convinced himself. She would be just fine because he would kill to protect her. He took this truth and laid it out across the bond like a bridge for her to walk upon- a safe place to tread no matter how dangerous the road.

[Taurina]

Jungles are sinister places. Filled with fanged beasts and plants with poison sometimes worse than facing the mouthful of teeth. It buzzed alive with the sounds of insects chittering and birds calling. Clawed cats pouncing and gentle rodents running. Circle of life, it had to be this way. But for the travelers, death was not the door they were searching for. Rather avoiding; it would take careful steps to get them where they wanted to go.

Madeira was a leader as she took charge of their little group, even if she was nervous and doubting that they would succeed. Both Tav and Enda quietly accepted her directions and did as she demanded of them. The Svefra taking the bit of clothe mixed with a piece of dried wood that he used to make a torch. It did not take him too terribly long, no time wasted. Tav was grouchier about taking the direction of the woman. Taking direction from anyone he considered less than, less knowing, less experienced, rubbed him the wrong way. But his friend was more knowing here and Enda didn’t want to chance fate. So the Inarta would play along until it became dangerous to do so.

As the red haired man pulled free his bow and knocked it ready with an arrow, the butchered man became a dog and the ghost was no where to be found. Tav watched the exchange closely and saw how Madeira was weighed down by their pack. He knew it would slow them down and they did not have that time to waste, so he went over to her and stretched out a hand.

“Let me carry that for you.” Not a demand, really, but close enough to one. If she gave it to him, he would put it on his back and adjust accordingly. If she decided to keep it for herself, he would give her a disapprovingly look but push the matter no further. Just take a step back and fall in line.

First it was the Ghost who came back- was brought back. Bitter words filled his mouth -could it be called a mouth when one was not living?- before he declared what he had found. A place where the treetops rustled? Interesting. The sailors exchanged a look, it could be a nest indeed. Then the Kelvic returned. Worry coating his lips as he stood there with no regard for his state of undress. The sailors listened and frowned. Quiet.. quiet was not good. Not in this place where sound penetrated every barrier.

Both of the sailors were tense as the woman’s companions laid out their findings for her. They were uneasy, but Enda had left leadership up to Madeira. Tav was silently cursing him for it. His seething apparent in his eyes and the way he gripped his bow. Enda carefully avoided his friend’s gaze, keeping a firm hold on the torch in his hand.

This jungle was like all jungles. A dangerous and dark place filled with all those fanged beasts and horrible plants. Jomi had found what he thought was a nest, though he had not yet gotten to see it. Allister had found a place of silence- near pure silence. They had laid their findings at their mistress’ feet, not realizing that the place each spoke of was one in the same. A place causing for hope in one and unrest in the other. The woman would have to figure out and decide not only for herself, but for the group, what to trust. What to risk. The time limit of a night did not leave her much room for mistakes.

[Madeira Dusk]

Madeira was not thrilled about the idea of burdening their marksman, but she was also not thrilled with the possibility of slowing them down, or worse, being unable to get out of harms way. In the end she gave the pack to Tav with a polite "thank you".

But before they continued in their chosen direction, Jomi had something to say. The ghost explained his finding in fits and starts, growing more frustrated as he failed to convey exactly what he saw. Finally, growling like a poked dog and his soulmist visibly ruffled, he spat an expletive and lunged at her.

Quite used to his ineloquence and childish attempts at problem solving, Madeira couldn't say she was surprised. Wordlessly she let him have the run of her body, barely stumbling as the inexperienced ghost tried to muscle himself into a graceful possession. Memories that were not her own were all but shouted at her as the ghost made use of the connection to convey what he couldn't with his words. When he eventually lifted off her bones she let out the breath she had been holding and blinked hard, dizzy from the influx of foreign thoughts.

Allister trotted back to them as she shook off the possession. He had found something too. Or rather, he found a suspicious lack of something. It wasn't much to go on, and his brevity made it worse. But the concern he was feeding through the bond and his addendum that the place was weird and creepy was enough to put together that he didn't trust it one bit.

Well, she wasn't about to traipse off into some spooky part of the dangerous jungle when there was no clue that the bird was even inside. At least Jomi's mysterious rustling tree was a plausible place the creature could be hiding. The risk was high that there was something less than friendly in that tree; but better a risk they know than one they didn't.

"Well, whatever the quiet might be will have to wait." she rolled her shoulders, relishing the freedom from the pack and the ghost. "We don't have time to investigate. And it makes sense that our bird would be in the trees, eating its fish. Show us this mysterious tree, Jomi." Though with his memories in her head she would have no problem finding it herself, it would be the height of folly to have someone as frail as herself lead the way.

Shaking back the sleeve of her blouse, she lifted her bracer. Her arm erupted into green flame as before, with her arm nothing but a ghastly, crispy skeleton underneath. It wasn't as much light as Enda was conjuring with his torch, but it was enough to see by in the close quarters of the forest.

x

[Jomi]

Jomi's mind drifted as Allister said his piece. What could cause a jungle, a place so densely packed with life, to become silent? A predator perhaps? A monster? Jomi agreed with Madeira on this one, they should stay far away from the silent jungle.

"Show us this mysterious tree, Jomi."

The ghosts shroud flickered briefly as he snapped back to his senses. Jomi kept silent save for a curt nod before turning back to the jungle. In the moment of privacy he was granted with his back to the group the ghosts face crumpled, showing the doubts he hid from the others. They couldn't afford detours or dead ends, if Jomi inadvertently ended up leading the group to a different animals den on a hunch, he'd be responsible if they don't make it back on time. The thought gnawed at him and echoed through his mind as the ghost drifted ahead.

Jomi concentrated hard to gather his mists and pack them together, drawing them up and in as they stepped off the beach and into the thick, muggy jungle. Bringing definition to his limbs and features and a defined edge around his body as he worked to settle his agitated mists. Giving the group a better visual with which to follow him. Jomi drifted up, his body floating above Allister and Madeira to better see ahead of them as he wound his way around the crowded foliage and the small animals that scattered as the footsteps drew nearer. Pausing every few meters to look behind him and make sure everyone was still behind him and accounted for. Jomi tried his hardest to use his cats blood eyes and vantage point to lead the group through the easiest path but the trek was still slow and laborious now that the living had to fight their way through the underbrush.

Jomi slowed his pace as they came up to the tree he had tried to investigate earlier. Several tendrils of mists reached from his shroud as Jomi set his concentration to activate his flickering mists, giving them physical properties in order to pull aside a large patch of purple flowering plants growing at its base one by one. Tilting them backwards so that the rest of the group could see up the towering, moss covered trunk.

Jomi stared up the dense patch of leaves nestled in a crook about midway up the tree, puffing out his cheeks as if letting out a long exhale.

"You all better find somewhere safe to hide. Just in case whatever's up there has claws."

The ghost drifted up, eyes fixed on the what he suspected was a nest. As he drew nearer to the thick tangle of leaves the ghost dropped his materialization and projection, instead preparing his mind and mists to possess whatever was in there.

[Allister]

Allister deferred to the wise counsel of his bond mate. Madeira elected to pursue Jomi’s lead instead of the stillness that had raised the hyena’s heckles. The black eyes took note of the sailor who had taken their pack upon himself and the narrowed gaze was an unforgiving as the aptly named jungle where they stood. He did not like anyone outside of their inner circle which was comprised of more dead people than living. In fact, Allister only liked a handful of people and they were all gone. All except Madeira but like wasn’t a suitable word for how he felt about her; his goddess and his love. Countless times, he had flooded the bond with his feelings and thoughts regarding the spiritst. The kelvic was also very vocal about his support and affection towards the Lady Craven. Never would he ever hide the raw admiration and pure adoration that surged through his pale form when she was near.

The decision was made. Allister stood next to his lover in full nudity. He didn’t care even as the sand clung to his ankles, feet and hands. They moved onward and he let the green light of the monstrous hand wash over him. Such power exuded from the confident young woman that it sent a chill up his spine. He walked softly in her shadow and lifted his gaze to every lurching shadow; every crunching twig. His jaw was set and the power he had spent a few seasons building felt small in such a massive wilderness but the mind of Allister was confident of one thing; absolutes. He was absolutely certain that Madeira would make sound choices for them and he absolutely knew that the hyena would give all of himself to protect her.

They walked on behind Jomi- the ghost seemed to be sustaining himself rather well. As they drew near the trees, Allister’s heckles rose and his skin jumped into a million tiny bumps like gooseflesh. Even the fetish he wore seemed to be pushed up by the impression of caution that flooded the kelvic. His concern spilled into the bond and Allister turned to Madeira with his black eyes wide. “This is it- that place!” he shouted in a whisper. He took a step closer to her and laid a long, slender finger over her lips. “Listen.” Allister drew back a half step after believing that his point had been made. There were no sounds other than their combined breathing. The noisy bugs, chirping critters and chattering wildlife could be heard but only at a distance. The lapping of the waves against the shore seemed to be closer. Once he was sure that the spiritist had noticed the anomaly, he leaned in and stopped just shy of pressing his mouth against her ear. “This is the silent place I told you about…”

Allister stepped around in front of his woman and took the quarterstaff from the sailor who had held it for him. The man could shift in a heartbeat but he felt it wisest to stay in his human form while the discovery of this nest was unveiled. The former slave was feeling fear but it was more a question of whether or not he could defend Madeira. He cared not about his own safety and would happily sacrifice himself for her should the situation arise but he was not careless as he once had been. Allister had every intention of spending as much time with the beautiful blonde as she would allow- especially if it meant he would get to feast upon her again. The memories ran through his mind and he felt that familiar rush of blood but he calmed himself in light of the seriousness of the situation.

Jomi announced that everyone should get back. The hyena didn’t care for such words so he placed himself directly between Madeira and the nest. He spread his legs into a balanced stance then gripped the weapon with a equally spaced set of hands. The bony fingers and their calloused skin locked into a position of readiness while the black eyes stared at the ghastly hands of the dead kelvic while he tugged down on the branches which protected the nest.

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