The Hunt Begins

The druidess continued to smile. "Oh...you mean, like this?" She snapped her fingers, and poof! Little Anariel had entirely vanished from sight. A little bird was left standing in her spot, the dress of leaves and the tiara having disappeared as well. The bird looked up at Vanesse, and bounced around in a little dance in the snow, chirping enthusiastically at Vanesse. "Cheep! Cheep! Cheep!"

Vanessë closed her eyes and began to shift. Her clothes seemed to be enchanted as they went with her in her shift. Vanessë gazed at the bird, now a beautiful pitch black wolf with the same startling blue-silver eyes. It seemed as if her fur was the same hue as her leather armor.

The little blue jay bounced around more in the snow, before giving her wings a quick flap. She landed on the wolf, still chirping happily. "Cheep cheep, CHEEP CHEEP!!!"

Vanessë flicked her left ear once, then began to walk along silently again. Her paws drifted across the snow as if she were gliding across the top instead of walking across it.

"Cheep!" Anariel continued her chirping all the while, glancing up towards the stars, and then around at the trees. "Cheep!"

((Mobile version HAR HAR))

After about ten minutes of walking, the pair came across a rather deep-looking cave. Without a moment's hesitation Vanessë began to skillfully descend into the cave. Her ears flicked every so often, checking for dangers.

Anariel began to silence her chirping, warily peering about the cave. There was a very faint breeze, as a fully grown elf stood beside Vanesse, her eyes glowing in the blackness. "Hi!" she whispered, though her voice seemed to carry through the narrow tunnel somewhat more than she had expected.

Vanessë began to turn her head to look back at the elf but stopped as a low snarl echoed throughout the cavernous cave. Vanessë froze, trying to pinpoint the source, but doesn't seem to be able to.

At this moment, there came a very enchanting green light that illuminated through the cave. Atop Anariel's tree branch of a staff, a glowing orb seemed to rest. "Stay resolute! We will find him!" Anariel began to make rather inhuman noises. The tongue was very rough and rugged, but very soothing at the same time. "Ana ra thal ola maka," a phrase which was quickly followed by a low howl.

With the cavern partially illuminated, the pair would have seen several circular holes, obviously how the chimaera navigates throughout the complex. In one of them two pairs of glinting eyes shone through the darkness. Much how a cat's eyes shine when light reflects.

Anariel walked straight up towards the glowing eyes, kneeling down. "Oh dear, have the mean men so often come to hurt you, or have you been rash, dearest child of nature's blessing?"

The Chimaera quickly backed farther into the hole, its eyes wide not with anger or malice, but with fear. Vanessë looked around, making sure nothing else could sneak up. As she watched another set of eyes appeared in the hole right by the original, where the first chimaera was hiding.

Anariel peered around the cave, her eyes narrowed. "He is afraid." She turned her eyes back towards the spot in which the creature resided. "What is it that strikes fear into you, child of nature?" The druidess bowed her head, her silver eyes darkening behind her eyelids. "What is it that you fear?"

Vanessë murmured, "The men around here HAVE been poking around lately . . ." She spotted the second pair of eyes. "Or maybe it's something else. Chimaera are loners unless they are with a mate."

Anariel shut her eyes, inhaling and exhaling deeply, as the green light atop her tree branch gently flashed in and out in the darkness. She seemed as though she were trying to communicate with the beasts on a deeper level, her mind falling into a slight meditative state.

The male slowly crawled out of the hole, hooves and claws clacking against the stone. In the light it would appear that he looked nothing like the photo. His scales and fur are pure white. He ruffled his gigantic draconic wings as he moved out of the cramped space. The scales sparkled like stars every time light appeared in the cavern. The white lion head seemed to have had a full, fluffy looking mane and even the dragon head seemed to have had a short mane covering the scales at the back of his head and neck. The goat seemed to just be eating moss off of the cavern wall while the snake and other two heads looked at the pair curiously.

The druidess slowly approached the creature, reaching her hand out to place it atop the dragon head. She spoke softly in the tongue of beasts, her expression tranquil and reassuring.

The Chimaera lowered his head, and slowly scratched out in the rock, "I . . . killed . . . . no one."
At this point the female slowly crawled out. She was a light gray color and the manes were absent. Vanessë watched carefully, slowly going up to the female.

"What is it, then?" inquired Anariel in a soothing tone. "What is it that you fear? What is it that terrorizes the near North?"

The male backed up, and scratched into the stone, "Unnatural things....are...coming..to the North."

"Unnatural things? Is it the kingdoms of Men or Dwarves or Gnomes, blowing the tops off of the mountains for their mines?"

The male shook his draconic head quickly, and the female quickly retreated back into the cave.
More scratching into the stone can be heard.
"The...smells...in...air...unnatural. Evil."

"Yet there is nothing specific?" Anariel peered into one set of the creature's eyes.

The Chimaera backed away again, shaking all three heads this time. He ruffled his wings nervously.