The rolling hills were gentle but they had currently reached a small valley where a particular scene greeted them. A cornered animal was trying to fight its way out a death circle. The animal was recognized by all and its hide and plates looked very much like Koreth's armor. The piglet must have been cut off from its family and about 8 or 9 small canines surrounded it. It was strange to see how the pack toyed with the defenseless animal but did not get around to killing it for some reason. A small canine would approach and bite the piglet and retreat and the whole pack would surround it as it squealed its fear to the four winds.

Elric reaches down quickly to hold Whisper back as the tagster begins to growl at the creatures below. "Easy Whisper easy now." Looking up to the group "What are those things? Should we give them room or take in some target practice with our bows?"

"Don't have a bow, but I can see what me mind can do if yer all up fer a fight . . . " The mul raises and eyebrow to the rest of the pac.

"Bloody dogs, why don't they just kill the bloody aprig instead of tormenting it..." Koreth adds, watching one of the zacals once again nip the squealing aprig "Can you eat them dogs? I'm getting mighty tired of scrab brain pudding and trail bread."

The noble warrior clenches his spear in a hunter's stance, wondering if he could manage to spear one of the stringy looking canines and if it would be worth it. "Can't taste any worse than those roasted spiders...." he cringed as he remembered his least favorite traditional dwarven dish. It had taken a week to wash the taste out of his mouth.

Whisper drops into a low attack stance, a deep rumble echoes through his chest. Elric recognizes the signs and slowly releases his grip on the tagster. "Ok then, if that is the way of it. Your enemies are my enemies." Elric unshoulders his bow and strings it. Drawing an arrow he notches it and draws a half draw turning to the group. "I can not speak for the group in this but my pledged companion has issues with these creatures and thus do I." With that he draws fully and takes aim.

"You would fight a battle just because of that cat?" Koreth's brow wrinkles, then he mumbles to himself "and just who is the master anyways?"

"Looking back, there is no master or slave, we are companions. I would and have fought battles for you along with others of this pak and I do not call anyone master!"

<At least I'll get a decent meal out of this> the noble warrior consoles himself as he approaches with his spear towards one of the small canines.

"Well if everyone else is getting into it . . ." Rayne pulls her sword free and grabs her tortoise blade, looking for the best opponent to strike.

MINDSCAPE
While scanning her opponents with her eyes, the mul decides to have a look with her mind as well. Rayne appears in the mindscape and each of the dogs are before her surrounding the piglet. A fist invisible to all but the mul begins to form beside one of the canines.

BACK ON THE SMALL HILL

Gaigin snorted and grumbled loudly, wiping the thick sheen of sweat from his brow and wishing he could spare the water to dunk his head. Seeing Elric raise his bow and vow to aid his little friend, Gaigin finally spies the collection of Zhackal's surrounding the lone Aprig. Realizing the pack's intent, Gaigin smacked his forehead and let out a loud, deep sigh.

"Githspit! Must we slaughter, skin, and eat, every kank-spawned beast we come across? I'm already damned tired o' draggin' every pissin' bit o chitin, bone, and hide we come across! I'm a bloody fighter, not a damned pack animal! All I bloody wanted out o' this trip was a nice pile o' ceramic, and maybe a few souvenirs from along the way...and what do I get? I get some strange illness that almost kills me, I lose everything I bloody own, and in total I manage to accumulate about four dozen new scars, a hundred and fifty pounds of dead bloody animal bits, and one obsidian battle-axe that'll bust into shards the minute I try to use the bloody thing! Yet here we are, finally safely on our way to blessed civilization, and we idly decide to take on a pack of who-knows-what on the off chance that maybe they won't turn out to be a hell of a lot more than little bloody puppy dogs! Finally we meet some damned beasts that aren't out to rend us limb from limb and eat us, mostly 'cuz that 'prig was there first, and we decide to throw gith-piss to the winds and attack 'em! And why do we do this insane thing? Why? Because the damned little cat don't like the way them things smell! I, a caravan guard of many years experience, am takin' orders from a bloody kitten!"

Rolling his eyes and muttering under his breath, Gaigin reached for his waterskin and drank heavily after his tirade. Sighing once again, the big fighter reached over his shoulder and drew out his spear, holding it firm in front of him. Shaking his head and dropping his bulky load to the sands, Gaigin shrugged, and performed a courtly bow before the wide eyed cat.

"Well, o' Master. When shall we attack? Might as well grab something decent to eat, since we're locked on this insane course already."

Aryus looks about the situation rather unamused and emotionless. Inside however the windmage felt relieved. It seemed that he and his companions have come across too many battles of late, everyone of them a life or death struggle. This situation in front of them at least felt less threatening. Seeing his companions draw weapons to attack the little creatures Aryus whispers to himself, "May the winds pacify their hard edged minds."

Before anyone jumps forward for the attack Aryus makes the comment, "Must we fight anything that moves around here. If these psionic dogs are merely seeking their prey then let nature take its course. Tak, you of all people should understand the cycle of life and death."

The small hunter eyes the situation as if from afar, he was no stranger to life and death struggles and the eternal game of hunter and prey. Yet these dogs were looking for a new type of sustenance. He had heard of them, small desert dogs that fed off emotions, fear in particular. Yet as strange as it may seem to some, it is a form of life-energy and Tak could point out many long-legged folks who seemed to thrive in the fear of others just as these dogs were doing. Tak shrugs his small shoulders, "We can't do much for the piglet at this time, even if we did manage to kill all the canines it is more than likely that some other predator will kill the pig." The halfling looks about the group and warns, "Do what you want but be advised that those are not mere puppies, those dogs can bring about your worst fears. As for me, I am quite content to finish off the scrab meat. I shall hunt tomorrow morning or at dusk if there is need of other food." With that, the small hunter sits on top of the dune watching the spectacle being ready to jump in should his aid be needed."

The expectation was felt in the air and Elric finally released both kitten and a bone tipped arrow. The missile sped true and the first warning that the dog pack received of intruders was the loud yelping of a pregnant bitch that Elric had partially felled. The dog dragged itself on the ground trying to loose the arrow from its side all the while yelping out its pain. The shaft broke leaving blood smeared grasses where the bitch had crawled. A large looking older male lifted its muzzle towards the olive tinged sky and barked out its challenge. The rest of the pack formed close to him while two of the members quickly jumped on the aprig killing it almost instantaneously. The pack formed a semi-circle around the fallen pig but did not retreat as the humanoids and a large kitten approached.

"Must all things draw blood." Reluctantly Aryus draws his spear and approaches the creatures.

The young tagster, Whisper, rumbled with anger. His keen eyesight showed the zacals in eerie detail as they circled the aprig. Whisper's instinctive hatred of the zacals raged through him. Drawing on his nexus with the ease of one born to it Whisper steps into the mindscape.

MINDSCAPE
The form of a large tagster charges down a dune toward the zacals. The tagster rushes forward gaining speed as continues its charge. At the last moment as it nears it target, it roars and leaps bearing tooth and claw on the zacal.

The large canines are all there, each had taken a slightly different stripped color. The mindscape seemed cold as the fetid breath from the dogs was clearly seen emerging from their muzzles. Fangs, exaggerated canines protruded from their snouts capable of rending flesh with ease. One of the canines growled and paired of with the onrushing kitten. The kitten jumped but the dog was faster much faster and easily avoided the attack.

All of the sudden Rayne stepped into the mindscape as well. The mul had her normal attire on and her weapons mimicked the ones she held in real life, except that her longsword was shiny-black as if made from obsidian rather than bone. Two of the dogs slowly circled towards her and the mul prepared her defense. An image of Whisper's mother springs to mind and instantly the full grown tagster appears. The cat blocks the advance of one of the canines, creating a solid, furry doorway of safety for the mul. Taking advantage of this opportunity, she lets the invisible fist fly at the canine she was initially targeting, knocking it back so hard it rolled a few feet before gaining its footing once again. One of the dogs yelps as it slowly gets up somehow not placing its front foot down right; the dog limps closer to the pack's leader.

Whisper recognizes his mother and is startled at her appearance, the cat looses its concentration and the large dog does not offer any mercy. It howls and yelps as it bites deep into the kitten's throat; only the cat's sharp reflexes and sharper claws saved it from certain death. The dog comes away with a nasty scratch and again Whisper is confused by his mother's image nearby and it softly calls out to her.

Two more dogs break formation and approach the mul (4 total) and its rather large tagster while Whisper has its hands full with the canine, its bleeding throat and its mixed emotions.

BACK IN THE REAL WORLD

The kitten seems distracted by something and its ferocity is mixed with a soft tenderness that comes over its features. Elric doesn't quite understand what is going on but rather prepares another arrow. Tak had warned them of the psionic dogs so he imagines that the kitten is battling on their own ground.

More yelping is heard from the back of the group and it sounds like another, even larger pack of dogs is approaching. The dogs can't be seen yet but their yelping is matched by the pack in front of them as more than one dog raises its muzzle towards the sun and howls away a maddening bark.

Your actions…

OUT OF CHARACTER

HEALTH STATUS

Remember the scale:

Healthy (H) 100% hitpoints remaining

Slightly Wounded (SiW) 75% to 100% hitpoints remaining

Wounded (W) 50% to 75% hitpoints remaining

Seriously Wounded (SeW) 25% to 50% hitpoints remaining

Mortally Wounded (MW) 0% to 25% hitpoints remaining

Gaigin (W)

Koreth (SiW)

Ayrus (SiW)

Tak (H)

Rayne (H), (SiW)

Mendi (SiW)

Elric (H)

Whisper (H), (SeW)

6 ZACALS (H)

1 ZACAL (H), W)

2 ZACALS (W)

GENERAL

If it is to be combat, you will reach them this coming round so give me 2 rounds of actions please. These are psionic dogs so let me have any psionic defenses if any.

Questions, comments, and suggestions please.

L8r,

Fabian