HPU: Sunset Plateau

[valerio]

Belisarius was about to shrug that memory away...when he frowned.
the wolf snapped his fingers. "Cats! You drew my attention because you smelled of cats! I'm sure of it!"

[xhunterko]

"Ghost stories? Ghost stories?" Mitch said with a slight smile, "You mean actual, real, ghost stories? You mean tales of fishermen being dragged to the bottom of the ocean for their desires ghost stories? Or restless spirits being hunted down by other restless spirits ghost stories? Or do you want children being snatched away from their rooms by the undead ghost stories? Or do you want happy little tales of ghost cats feeding hungry mice? Or kids getting spooked cause of little monsters in the closets? Cause we don't have any of those ghost stories sorry."

[valerio]

Ghosts.
Want to know about ghosts? Those ghosts born not out of folklore, but out of your own mistakes? Ghosts of those friends and companions who counted on you and instead died?
Valiant's neutral expression didn't betray the growing turmoil as he kept looking at the fire.
At the thing burning in it.
The thing that still burned of sizzling blood, singing fur and charring fresh-cut flesh.
Valiant fought back the wave of nausea. It was gone, it happened a lifetime ago, a life that won't be back!
But still they were there. He didn't need to turn to see them, smell their dead figures, feel their grim satisfaction at his torment.
You lost one arm, their silent words told him. And your career. Big deal. because of you, we lost our lives. Wanna trade?
Valiant looked at his metallic hand, watched at the fingers flexing, as if animated by another will. His eyes then moved to his left wrist, the fur hiding the scars...
One swipe, that was all.
This time would work...

[QuartzOrren]

Quartz looked at the doctor.

It's our sack. We collected stuff with our owner. He was hiking with us. We ended up here.

[razgriz]

Belisarius was about to shrug that memory away...when he frowned.
the wolf snapped his fingers. "Cats! You drew my attention because you smelled of cats! I'm sure of it!"

"...Okay, that's probably my brother you smell," Archimedes said, "the only other time I was really around cats for a while was at the shelter and that was months ago..."

[valerio]

Belisarius shrugged. "Oh. You see, I used to stop by shelters and interact with their guests during my migration quest for a mate. I always ended up giving an old book or two to the young ones." He chuckled. "Sorry for bothering you."

[RandomGeekNamedBrent]

I'd say being an amatuer psychiatrist is pretty cool. So what do you do when you're not traveling the world and curing the sick?

"Well, I occasionally text with one of the other pets I met on my travels, but outside of that, I haven't had much chance to do anything." Saying this, she realized she may not be ready for the suburban lifestyle.

[valerio]

His wolf's words finally connected to Valiant's brain. he snapped off his waking nightmare and his ghosts disappeared, and the things burning were only pieces of wood. He fought back the wave of dizziness, while he wondered how had that cup of tea ended up in his paws. He sipped it carefully Hmm, not bad! Who did it? then said, "You looked for a mate...in the shelters?"
Belisarius blushed in the cutest way. "Heh, after reading some romance novels i had started fantasizing about a handsome guest falling in my arms out of gratitude. Then we'd start living in the forest. Why are you looking at me like that, love?"
Valiant shrugged. "Oh, nothing. I just wonder what you read to decide I was the right one..."

[Seth]

I'd say being an amatuer psychiatrist is pretty cool. So what do you do when you're not traveling the world and curing the sick?

"Well, I occasionally text with one of the other pets I met on my travels, but outside of that, I haven't had much chance to do anything." Saying this, she realized she may not be ready for the suburban lifestyle.

Same here, I never had time to pick up a hobby or anything like that, I just kind of wander around all day and watch movies all night.

[IceKitsune]

Quartz looked at the doctor.

It's our sack. We collected stuff with our owner. He was hiking with us. We ended up here.

"Ok then, Is he in trouble should we be calling the police to look for him? Because we are going to close for the night soon." He asked the two of them.

"Well any type of ghost stories would work Mitch as long as they are scary. And anyone can go first if they are ready with a story." Lance said as he looked around the fire and sipping his tea.

[QuartzOrren]

It's fine. We'll find him. I think he chipped us, or something. Quartz said waiting for the cages, and thinking about how to escape if they came.

[razgriz]

Belisarius shrugged. "Oh. You see, I used to stop by shelters and interact with their guests during my migration quest for a mate. I always ended up giving an old book or two to the young ones." He chuckled. "Sorry for bothering you."

Archimedes was unsure what to say. He wasn't bothered or anything but he did wonder if there was a connection... He had noreal memory of a wolf but some kind of canine-like creature from early life... He dismissed the idea for now though, he'd always thought it was an angel, a ghost or just something special.

Quartz looked at the doctor.

It's our sack. We collected stuff with our owner. He was hiking with us. We ended up here.

"Ok then, Is he in trouble should we be calling the police to look for him? Because we are going to close for the night soon." He asked the two of them.

"Well any type of ghost stories would work Mitch as long as they are scary. And anyone can go first if they are ready with a story." Lance said as he looked around the fire and sipping his tea.

"I'll go!" Nate said, "I just need something." He ran off into the darkness to grab some things from his bags. In total, he was gone probably only two or three minutes. Stories were something he loved. On the way back he leapt up into a tree until he was around the fire ring, but high enough to be partially, if not entirely out of sight.

It took a second but he pitched his voice to be a bit deeper and more narrative really.

"There was once an Opera House in France, small but famous because of its rich patrons. Inside, strange things would happen and there was no apparent cause" The cat leapt from tree to tree as he narrated, barley visible at any point. "One night, a back drop would fall, the next perhaps a lamp would explode. Until, eventually a letter showed up, it said something like: 'Fondest Greetings and welcome to my opera house. You may stay hear but a salary is to be payed. Should you chose not to heed my requirements, a great disaster will befall you!'"

The cat was silent, briefly, and all was quiet. "This worked, at first and for years to come, until someone new bought the opera house,and he decided... not to pay the Opera Ghost for his generosity in letting them stay... Things went wrong. Backdrops crashed, lights exploded, even the talents of the performers could not stand up to his trickery. The greatest singers could but only croak on the stage. Dancers slipped and tripped with no apparent reason. Nothing worked. All while more letters came, directing the owners to pay the Opera Ghost his salary."

Once more, Nate was quiet, he stealthily moved away from the fire (using trees and a cape he brought with him as cover) but spoke only louder so as to make them think he was still there. "They decided they would try to mess with the Phantom of the Opera, the Opera Ghost, the hideous beast from beneath the streets. He was as much a man as a freak. All that stood between him and destroying the Opera House was the love of his life. A girl named Christine. She was a dancer and singer there."

Now the cat had to get ready for his approaching finally. "In vengance, he destroyed the Opera House's Chandelier and then things only escalated. Soon, the police came to stop him... They could not. He fled to his lair, dragging Christine with him.... He was going to be caught, as the police and townspeople tried to follow them...." The cat ran forward, quietly, "there was no turning back. Past, the point of no return!" He leaped into the light, lit up by the fire now, he stood on a tall stump. "I am the Phantom of the Opera. I ran... only to haunt the world again and again." He threw down something, a small sphere, it hit the ground and sparked to make a small blinding flash. The cat dropped off the stump and disappeared.

[xhunterko]

Mitch was almost blinded and almost dropped his tea. After rubbing his eyes for a second, he set it down and gave a small standing aplause.

"Well done sir!" Mitch said, calling out to the dark, "Although next time try not to surprise everyone with very close firework displays! Well, if you don't mind then, I'll go last. Preferebly after dinner. Say that reminds me." Mitch then walked over to the cabin door and peered in.

"Hey Iblis? Iblis you still in here?" He asked.

[Leafolawl]

Iblis looked over his shoulder at the raccoon-like figure that appeared in the cabin's doorway. "Are you blind or something?" He said from atop the bunk-bed he'd claimed the top bed of, most of the contents of his bag spread out around him in a chaotic manner. Looking back into the bag his eyes narrowed in an annoyed fashion, then he proceeded to produce a small bag of catnip from it as he said. "Know where the closest trash can is?"

[xhunterko]

"No I'm not, har har. Just didn't see you there. No I don't though, it's probablt out back somewhere," Mitch said, "However, if your interested, we're telling ghost stories out here by the fire if you wanna join."

[IceKitsune]

Lance shook a bit as he sipped his tea. "That was a good story Nate, very scary especially with the smoke bomb at the end." He said "Any one else have a story or should I go next?" He asked.

It's fine. We'll find him. I think he chipped us, or something. Quartz said waiting for the cages, and thinking about how to escape if they came.

"Ok then if you sure hes fine if your chipped he should be able to find you soon then." He said as he motioned for the nurse to get the cages open and she did so opening the doors and telling the two to get in.

(OOC: these cages are of course more like the ones Grape was in as a Kitten just without the TV and a bit smaller.)

[valerio]

Rikki raised her paw.
"True to Sant'Antonio Abbate, this is our story!
"One day, Valiant and I were looking out for a bunch of feral cubs. I know, not something we are usually asked to work on, but you see that place, Parco Svevia, is one national reserve for local fauna, at least one that the State actually tried to preserve. It is said that the first Italian Wolfdogs were born there.
"Anyway, poaching activity had been reported in Parco Svevia, and since the Mafia will make money with nearly everything, Val and I and another couple of teams were sent to investigate. Five wolf cubs, a whole litter, had disappeared before they could be injected their GPS trackers. Val and I had been assigned the night shift... well, we volunteered for it, Valiant assuming that the poachers wouldn't be so silly as to operate during daytime.
"Parco Svevia isn't exactly a small place, and the cubs' parents couldn't be of help (especially since law couldn't allow them to participate in the search except as consultant, whatever that means. Weird!). Val and I--"
"We had covered an area of three square kilometers," Valiant took over. "when we happened into this human child. He had no documents, identified himself as Vincenzo Spaccapietra. When we questioned him, he said yes, he had seen the cubs. They were being held by, his words, 'three bad men with big guns'. Then he had asked us if we could bring him home, he was accompanying his father at work when he had wandered away and got lost."
"I decided I could stay with the boy and keep him company," Rikki went on. "Not the best idea exactly, since we were supposed to give priority to the human, but we also had an assignment, and I was already calling for support the momen Valiant left us."
"When I reached the encampment, it was like Vincenzo had described it. A cage holding the cubs, drugged into sleep. The poachers were there, two sleeping in their tent, one mounting guard. I could smell the drugs he was on to stay awake. That was a problem, you know: if used properly, certain drugs will make anyone alert and vigilant, not sloppy and drowsy. Not to mention he could be immune to a certain degree of pain. And I had to take him down, disarm him and use his weapon to force the others to surrender.
"At least, the wind was in my favor, so I could stalk to the encampment without being noticed. I was so close to that guy, and yet it was like being so far away... You see, even if, given the conditions, I could use lethal force, it's not like in the movies, I didn't have some 'super fast attack' to bring him down with one swipe.
"I was elaborating the strategy to adopt, when out of the blue I hear Vincenzo! I nearly jumped out of my fur, and yes, there he was, talking to that man, asking him if he would bring him home to his parents!
"The poacher was stunned, I was both terrified! At this point, I had no choice. Luckily, the guy was giving me his back and I attacked." Valiant chuckled. "I swear, just like Chuck Norris: roundhouse kick, straight to his back. He grunted and fell down, temporarily paralized. I took his gun and hit him at the head with the butt. Then I shot in the air to shock his accomplices awake. From there on, it went smoth. I made them tie each other's hands, and just when I was taking care of the last one, Rikki came running."
"Val nearly ate my muzzle for allowing Vincenzo to come to the encampent, and I let him vent for almost a minute (boy, you should hear him when he becomes creative!) before I asked him, 'Okay, furbone, can you tell me where he is now?"
"I looked at her as if she had gone crazy, then I turned and pointed at him, saying, 'He's just where I told him to stay, the--' And yes, I just made that funny face when you're taken by surprise.
"Vincenzo wasn't there. Of course, right there on the spot I assumed he had wandered away... Then I noticed one thing that I should have noticed whe we met him, something even Rikki failed to notice."
"No footprints. And no scent. We were tired and so focused about our quarry, that we hadn't paid attention to the fact that he had moved without moving a leaf or snapping a branch. Well, to give you the short version, Vincenzo Spaccapietra, as we discovered later, was the son of a sulphur miner back before the mine was closed and Parco Svevio was opened. They died in a cave-in along with six other children, since they were used in the sulphur mines back then. Their remains were never recovered. They said that the ghosts of those children still wander in the park, looking for their parents... Well," she shrugged. "Now we know it's true."

[The Moon Howler]

"A spirit that aids others even if it doesn't realize it..." Will scratched his chin in deep thought "We call them Ken-Te'nai or literally translated 'helpful shadow'."
He sighed "There are legends about those." the cat smiled, mostly to himself "They said few of those wandered around the islands where I lived."
He turned to the two canines and the ferret "Thank you for reminding me about the Ken-Te'nai. I wish to continue with a story that happened to me, if there are no objections, of course."

[RandomGeekNamedBrent]

Same here, I never had time to pick up a hobby or anything like that, I just kind of wander around all day and watch movies all night.

"then I guess we both have to do some adjustment to our way of living."

[Leafolawl]

"No I'm not, har har. Just didn't see you there. No I don't though, it's probablt out back somewhere," Mitch said, "However, if your interested, we're telling ghost stories out here by the fire if you wanna join."

"Well, might as well pass the time somehow." Iblis said, sliding down off the bunk-bed, using his left arm to push off the bed with. It was obvious it was somehow done uncomfortably when he started visibly rolling his shoulder for a moment before letting it just drop back down limply, grumbling about something. "Don't touch my stuff." He said as he walked through the door out of the cabin.

[Seth]

Same here, I never had time to pick up a hobby or anything like that, I just kind of wander around all day and watch movies all night.

"then I guess we both have to do some adjustment to our way of living."

Yep, I guess we do.

[QuartzOrren]

Quartz and Katherine got in, and Quartz nodded to the doctor. He made sure had the sack, and his custom-made lockpick.


[ooc:Hopefully, the cage will be lockpickable.]

[xhunterko]

"Don't worry," Mitch said, noticing his arm but saying nothing moved out of his way. Mitch gave a look that he made sure he noticed though. Mitch didn't miss out on the story though. He went back to his spot and picked up his tea.

"A spirit that aids others even if it doesn't realize it..." Will scratched his chin in deep thought "We call them Ken-Te'nai or literally translated 'helpful shadow'."
He sighed "There are legends about those." the cat smiled, mostly to himself "They said few of those wandered around the islands where I lived."
He turned to the two canines and the ferret "Thank you for reminding me about the Ken-Te'nai. I wish to continue with a story that happened to me, if there are no objections, of course."

"Oooooohhh, yes do!" Mitch said excitedly, "We're always keen to hear other cultures ghost tales. And I loved the story Rikki and Val, in the towns, you hear a lot of mines collapsing and all in our home country. It's sad really."

[valerio]

"By all means, do. I love how other cultures interact with the spiritual world."

[Leafolawl]

Iblis walked around to the back of the building where the small raccoon-like pet said there might be a trash can, and sure enough, there was a trash can. "Good riddance." He said as he threw the small bag away before heading to the campfire where the other pets were. "Great, full house." He grumbled to himself, heading over to the least crowded area around the fire and taking a seat.

[IceKitsune]

Lance looked a little stunned as he finished his tea "Wow I wish I could run into a real ghost." He said as he looked to Iblis who just sat down. "Hey. We were telling ghost stories in case you didn't know. You have one you want to share?" Lance said.

[The Moon Howler]

"By all means, do. I love how other cultures interact with the spiritual world."

"Very well" Will said as he put down his cup of tea "But before I start..." he turned to the newcomer "Friend, would you like a cup of tea?"

[QuartzOrren]

[Ignore me IceKitsune why don't you...]

Quartz took Katherine's hand and nodded,know she knew what it meant.

Katherine smiled at the doctor, opening her constallation log.

[IceKitsune]

[Ignore me IceKitsune why don't you...]

Quartz took Katherine's hand and nodded,know she knew what it meant.

Katherine smiled at the doctor, opening her constallation log.

The Nurse closed the door to the cage locking it with the key which they took with them as they walked out of the room turning the lights out. As the door closed they the Doctor whispered a quick Goodnight to the animals and left.

(OOC: Sorry )

[QuartzOrren]

[thanks]
Quartz waved. When the door closed, he quickly took the lockpick inside the sack,and successfully picked the lock then freeing Katherine.

---

Katherine grinned maliciously. She opened a window and safely got Quartz out with her. They sighed, happy to be free.

[ To the campsite!]

[Leafolawl]

"I'm not a tea person and I don't have any stories, I'm just here to listen and pass the time." Iblis said before turning a bored stare at the fire.

[The Moon Howler]

"As you wish, friend." Will stood up "Okay, let's begin with the story."
"Where I come from, stories were told about the Mano-Te'nai: the wandering shadows. They could be seen only at night. There are two kinds of Mano-Te'nai: Ken-Te-nai, the helpful shadows and Gap-Te'nai, the deceiving shadows. They have no exact form, yet you could see them - The two eerie flames they have as eyes. They appear to the lost and can lead them either to their village or their demise." he made a small pause "And now for my story: It was 4 ago when this happened to me. I was an apprentice in the Poi back then. I was sent along with a young ocelot, called Maria, an apprentice huntress to gather some ingredients for the elders."
He paused, knelt down to take his tea and took a sip. Then let put the tea down, grinned and continued "Well, after we quickly finished our task and collected everything, we decided to have some fun. Well, we played until dark. When we went back to the village, we got lost and the sky was cloudy, so we couldn't see the stars, nor we managed to see the Bonfires of Kaneka. After a while we lost each other in the darkness of the night. After a while I saw a pair of tiny lights not far from me. I thought it was a search group and went towards them. When I reached the spot, I saw nothing more than the same darkness, yet when I turned to my right, I saw the same lights and followed them."
Will made another pause and took a deep breath before continuing "After a while, I heard whimpering, which I recognized - it was Maria. When I reached her, I saw the reason of her whimpers - she fell into a trap and hurt her leg. I helped her to get out and used the same kind of medicine I used on you, just in a raw form." he glanced at Eris "I even ruined my cowl for the bandages." then he muttered under his nose "Though it was one heck of a good cowl." Will smiled once more and continued "Once I took care of her, I saw the light once more, but this time, the lights were more like embers and I could swear that I saw a shadowy figure, who motioned me to follow. And so I did follow, with Maria in my arms. The figure lead us through the trees and long-abandoned paths, until I heard voices and saw lights from torches. I looked around, but the figure was nowhere to be found, so I continued to the group ahead. Luckily for us, Kaneka did sent a search group and they were more than happy to see us. When we headed to Kaneka, I turned my head to the wilderness and saw that same figure and it seemed ... satisfied."
Will sat down "When we got into the village, I told the elders that same story and they simply smiled at me. They didn't believe me, except for the elder I was assigned under - she believed me and explained to me about the spirits. Ever since that night, she was... softer to me." he took the bowl and took a sip from the tea "That is my story of how I met Ken-Te'nai, the helpful shadow."

[QuartzOrren]

Quartz saw a sign saying,“State park campsites 2 miles.”

Katherine saw it too. She started running towards it, possibly passing other pets outside.

[valerio]

Rikki raised her cup to toast. "Here's to a great story."
"So..." Valiant said, "The spirits in your country are more...present than in ours, I take it?"

[The Moon Howler]

Will shrugged "No one knows for sure how old Ken-Te'nai are. They might be a thousand years old or they might be one day old. One thing's for sure - They are doing this on their own, for their own reasons."

[valerio]

Valiant's eyes went past the feline, to the...presences standing behind him. As if to remind him not to lower his guard, that a small talk around the fire wouldn't ease the pain...
"Tell me. How do you, in your culture I mean, deal with those...who won't let go of you?"

[The Moon Howler]

Will shook his head "What do you mean by that?"

[valerio]

Valiant shrugged. "Ah, nothing. Nevermind."

[xhunterko]

Mitch perked an ear towards what Valiant had said.

While they didn't have anything special, they did do something.

"Talk to me later okay?" Mitch whispered to him.

"Personal stories are almost always the best stories," Mitch said to Will.

[The Moon Howler]

"Personal experience is the best story one could tell." Will replied with a nod at Mitch "So, who's next?"