The Mystics. *Private Arani and QOPR*

[AdAstrα]

"I..I don't know what it could have been,really." Ayira said anxiously, "I can feel something's going on as well, but whatever it is doesn't seem to be affecting me quite as much.." Her ears perked up as Hatari mentioned Hofu. "That's odd." She concluded, frowning. "Him
appearing like that in your vision..if that's what it was..I do wonder what that is supposed to mean.."

Vitani looked down. "I'm fine." she said, "I just..it was a bit frightening, that's all."

[Arani]

Hatari nodded at Ayria. When her aunt said she was fine, just frightened by her sudden episode, Hatari looked her strait in the eye. "I'm sorry. I wish I could give warning, I really do. I think we all got scared by it... and by this whole Tania/Hofu deal. Lets just keep going." She started to walk in the direction of the footprints that she had noticed only a moment ago, Tahi close behind.

[AdAstrα]

Vitani and Ayira both nodded and began to walk, the latter trembling slightly and trying to ignore the nausea hitting her like a tidal wave. She could feel the others gazing at her every now and then as if they expected her to have some sort of vision as well, but there were no signs of this as of yet. Ayira often felt nauseous and lightheaded whenever she deliberately chose to ignore the voices of her ancestors. It was nothing unusual. She would have mentioned this to her companions had it seemed relevant to her at the time, but her mind was now set on finding the missing adolescent. If Hofu had already found her..she knew all too well what an easy target a lonely lioness would be for a strong lion like him..

[Arani]

Tahi glanced at Ayria again. It was weird having another mystic around. Gave him the chills, actually. Then again, Ayria WAS older than Hatari and didn't look nearly as wreakless, but when ever Hatari went off on her own due to a vision it nearly gave him a heart attack every time. He never admitted it though... He couldn't show weakness. A king never shows weakness.

They kept walking in silence, everyone keeping to their own thoughts. Hatari sniffed the air and stopped for a brief moment, then kept walking. "There's something up ahead." She announced suddenly, making everyone jump out of their thoughts. "Can't you smell it?"

[AdAstrα]

Ayira looked up and sniffed the air. Hatari was right. The warm breeze tenderly stroking her face was laced with a strange, yet familiar scent that made her heart lurch violently inside her chest. She frowned. "I can." she said silently, closing her eyes as she took a deep breath. "But what is it? I don't really.." She fell silent, finally giving in to the voices echoing inside her head. Did the answer lie within their words? She listened carefully, trying to understand. But they mumbled. They were still distant, still out of reach.
She sighed. "I don't understand." she muttered, more to herself than anyone else, "It's all so strange.."

Vitani shot her a look of wonder . She was tempted to ask who she was talking to, but decided against it, realising this would most likely come across as rude. Instead she turned to Hatari. "Looks like we'll have to be even more careful then. I have no idea what that might be." she said.

[Arani]

Hatari nodded and glanced at Ayria. She knew what Aryia was doing, who she was talking to. She would probably talk to her about it later, so she set it aside for the time being. "It's defenatly not Hofu OR Tania. It almost smells like..." Hatari's eyes widened. It wasn't possible.... was it? "Tahi!" She turned to him abruptly, making him jump. "The first day Hofu came here, he had a much different scent then he does now, not as... dark as now, don't you remember? It almost smells like... like that, with a hint of something else." The something else that she couldn't place a name on.

[AdAstrα]

Vitani raised her eyebrows and began to carefully sniff the air. "You sure?" she asked doubtfully, "I always thought he smelled like..earth. Or mud. But maybe that's just me." she added rapidly as the others stared at her in a somewhat bewildered manner. She turned to Ayira. "Your sense of smell is good,right? Do you smell anything erm.. Anything you recognize or.."
"I smell a lion." Ayira interjected, "But not a lion I recognize, which makes sense, because I never met Hofu before today. At least not that I can recall."

[Arani]

Tahi sniffed the air as well. "I think it's just you, Hati." He said doubtfully. "I think Vitani is pretty close with the earth scent. I can smell Hofu, but I've had his scent in my nose all day. You sure it's not something else?" He asked.

"I dunno." Hatari admitted. "Guess it's just me, false alarm, sorry." She said qucikly. They kept walking in silence, eeryon more cautious. They were soon at the gorge. "Well, were here." She said, looking around. "See anything?"

[AdAstrα]

Vitani scanned the landscape. "Well, my eyesight ain't what it used to be.." she muttered, "But I don't see anything."
She sighed. "I knew we shouldn't have gone here in the first place, I mean come on, why would Tania have gone here? It doesn't make any.."
"But listen!" Ayira gasped, cautiously taking a few steps forward. "Don't you hear it?"
Vitani snorted, a little bit annoyed with Ayira for interrupting her rant. "Hear what?" she said, frowning. "I can't hear anything."
Ayira glared at her.
"Well neither can I!" she said huffily, "No birds, no animals..nothing. It's all gone so..quiet."

[Arani]

"Well, it can mean one of two things." Hatari said slowly, looking around. "One, Hofu IS here and probably attacked Tania, or two, the animals were to lazy this afternoon." She shot her head towards a few blades of grass near them, growing between a crack in the ground. She walked over and sniffed them. They were red. "This is blood." She said as everyone else crammed in to see.

Tahi sniffed the blood, then closed his eyes, his head dropped a little. "Tania's blood." He said sadly.