DreamLyrics™ Play-by-Post Forums Hall of Fame - Latest Top 10 completed games OAHE: Once upon an All Hallows Eve Soot - Another Wonderful Hike

One of her Burden's favorite places to hike in Silver Ford is Two Peaks State Park. It has a variety of trails and offers scenic views of the lake. Today is no different it is an early morning hike which means it is a bit cooler now that fall has firmly ensconced itself in northern New England. Yet Soot's coat of fur takes care of any concerns and her Burden for once actually wore appropriate attire.

The sun is shining and there is a light breeze off the lake. They have passed other hikers also enjoying the morning. But as they hike and her Burden pauses to enjoy the view and eat some trail mix Soot catches the scent of something recently dead. As a Warder she knows that smell all too well, it powers her magic to protect her Burden.

The day was a lovely one and some of the other hikers paused to offer proper acknowledgements. One's water was already empty so Soot batted at it a bit until the hiker noticed and realized he hadn't filled up before leaving. He stated he was going to fill up at one of the trail heads.

Feeling quite content with herself, Soot was wandering back and forth, not feeling the desire to perch on a pack just yet. Her whiskers twitched at bit and with a curious "mrrrooow?" she slipped off to better investigate the smell. Her Burden will call if he's to move on. She would probably even answer. They'd reached this agreement long ago. Only when climbing would she tolerate those awful ropes. Awful when on a being, fun when coiled on the floor daring to be uncoiled.

The smell was stronger as she climbed higher. Soon she was at the summit of the one of the two peaks in this state park. A large circle was obvious to Soot. Marked by the skeleton of a larger rodent. Something had created a ward at the top of this small mountain.

Someone claimed it as territory? Soot was confused and looked more closely, trying to discern the type of ward.

The ward is one of protection. Whatever was done within that little circle, which was most certainly cat sized, as in she would have made on of a similar size, needed to be shielded from something.

Then she saw it. Almost completely consumed by whatever the ritual was, a small leg bone of an animal about the size of a kitten.

Soot investigated further. She saw the rodent skeleton, presumably that was for the ward. What was the smaller bone for?

There isn't an explanation of what the smaller bone was for at least not readily apparent. The smaller bone was definitely that of a small cat, likely a kitten, which was against the laws of Parliament. Something had sacrificed a sapient animal for their magic. It would be powerful or so the rumors went, but it was heinous.

She growled and sniffed more closely doing her best to try to figure it out. One ward to hide and one sentient sacrifice for... something.

But what?

Not good. Not good at all. Someone was breaking things and bringing kittens into it too. Not being able to have one made Soot very protective of kittens - and of untaken Burdens who were just large, clumsy kittens after all.

Answers were not forthcoming from her current vantage point.

Leaving one ear tuned to her burden, Soot figured the best way to get to the circle.

A couple of hops and Soot would easily make the circle. It was in a slight depression in the middle of some rocks. The rocks conveniently enough were arranged perfectly for the ward. There was some of that lovely black stuff that she liked from the hole that held burning things in her Burden's home.

She looked at it more closely trying to figure it out. Just what was it?

She knew better than to leap into the circle. Instead she nosed at the rocks that made the circle.

The rocks were loose but the ward the contained was solid. It didn't want to budge for her nosing.

Interesting, frustrating, interesting. Soot couldn't decide which word it should be. Taking a quick pause to wash one hear, she regarded the ward again looking for a weak bit. A thread to pull. Something.

Soot knows that no ward is impenetrable. It might difficult to cross but all can be crossed. This one is well made, a master Warder for sure. She pokes and prods and pushes, and then she finds it, a weak spot. She will still have to exert herself to get through but it seems possible here.

Soot's whiskers tilt forward in pleasure as she begins to exert herself. She can't learn more about what went on within the circle until she slips through the warding. She's uncertain if what's within is dangerous so it a cautious cat who reviews how to best enter.

Alert to her surroundings, she begins. Hopefully her Burden will rest for a while longer. She doesn't want to have to figure out how to get back here as it's a ways from their dwelling.

She is able to slip past the ward. Then she is in the small circle with the bones in the middle. The circle is big enough for a modest sized cat to pace around inside. The bones from the sapient animal are probably over a week old, but it isn't like there is a cat science to know for sure.

She looks around more carefully to see if she can gain many more knowledge. If it's a week old, she probably can't pick up any scents (not, praise all paws being a dog), but if there are visual or scent clues she'll try.

There are marks in the dirt that would lead one to believe it was done by a cat or other small creature with sharp claws. Not much else to learn.

Soot mrrred her annoyance and slipped out of the warding. She wasn't sure if she would be able to connect this warding and its structure with another warding if she saw it and say "this was the creator of it," but she could try.

Once out of the circle she would show her disdain and back kick some dirt on it and trot off to meet up with her Burden. Hopefully he hadn't gotten into trouble being left alone for so long.

Leaving the warding offered a different view point. She had to slip back in to be sure but a quick trip back and forth across the ward confirmed it. It was like one of the windows the Burden's made. It allowed one to see differently, places far away became near. That was the function of the little place. One could sit here and with a bit of magical effort look any where in the surrounding environs.

Soot scratched at an ear as she thought. It was a medium sized thought - one that would bring on the desire for a nap later, but not right now.

She tried to use the place to see her Burden. And she would look at the place more closely to see if it could be disrupted. She wasn't considering doing it just yet but... some things were good to know.

The working could be focused on her Burden but the close proximity made him look gargantuan.

Soot is pretty sure that she should be able to disrupt the magics if she wished to do so.

[OOC: Unless there is something more, it seems like a good thing to report at the Parliament. Hey maybe in the Parliament of the New Moon thread even.... ;)]

Soot would experiment a bit more to see how far away it would work before with a flirt of her tail she would leave to go back to her Burden.

She would bring this up at the next Parliament.



ooc oooh, what a surprise!

[OOC: Well cats have to feel wanted don't they...]