{Ahzenai} New Thread! (Please Lock)

[Zoë]

Zoë returned to the cave, taking everything in. She'd been gone for a long while, and could see that she'd missed several Ahzenai. The new additions to the group preened themselves by the river and walked by their human companions and chatted with others of their kind. She gazed at them with interest. Their colors were certainly riveting.

There was a sudden movement in her peripheral, and she turned to face the new Ahzenai, high up on a rock. She spoke. She wanted shiny things. Didn't every girl? A small huff of a laugh escaped Zoë's throat.

She remained on the ground, watching this new Ahzenai with immense curiosity. She seemed a little full of herself, but not so much that is was annoying. It was actually kind of endearing. And she seemed to be short with people. A little irritable. Zoë liked her the more she watched her. The only problem was, she had nothing shiny to give this Ahzenai. Zoë's skull-and-crossbone earrings just wouldn't do. And there was the problem of not knowing her name.

Well, this Ahzenai isn't going to get a present, but she would get the honor of meeting the ever-charming Zoë the girl thought to herself. She grinned as she sauntered over to the base of the rock.

As she neared, her nerves nearly failed her. Ahzenai are A LOT bigger up close. Sure, Zoë had actually touched one before, but this one, whatever her name was, had this almighty look about her. Zoë got the impression that she was nothing to this Ahzenai. She tried to speak, but what came out sounded like a dying kitten. She tried again.

"Hey you." Oh, that's really respectful. I bet you just earned some major brownie points with that one. Zoë berated herself. "Uh, sorry. I guess I didn't catch your name." Wow, do you sound lame. "I just wanted to say hello. You're really a beautiful Ahzenai. Um..." Say something witty, girl! "Life without you would be like a broken pencil...pointless" What are you trying to do...did you just use a pickup line on an Ahzenai? "You know, I'm just gonna leave before I humiliate myself further. Thanks."

Zoë went over to the river and splashed some water in her face. Then she sat against a rock and banged her head gently against the wall, listening to the other Ahzenai talking to their companions. Maybe she would ask them how they woo-ed their Ahzenai. Because Rusalka (Zoë had only just learned her name) was not going to choose a girl who used pickup lines on Ahzenai.

[Bast-et]

Adrian stumbled into the cave mouth and flopped on his back. He heard a voice he hadn't listened to in years say,
"Well, Rah, look who's here?"
"Looks kinda like that boy we met a few years back in the US"
"Why so he does!"

Adrian sat up and turned his head around to see them.
"Hey Bast, nice to see you again AhnenRah." he said nodding. "I finally found it. I've been climbing mountains all over the us with hopes that it would find me" He said in awe. "I'm here"
Bast and Rah exchanged smiles.
"Glad your one of the lucky ones." Bast said with a smile, "Some people never find the cave"
"Yes, Levorith just found a companion, so you should have time to rest and clean up" Rah told the boy.
"Rest first I think" the boy said, and he pulled a role of aluminum foil out of his bag. Rah and Bast watched as he molded it into the shape of an Ahzenai. Just as he was about to smash it Bast cried out,
"NO" startled Adrian stopped and looked at her.
"Keep it and give it to the next Ahzenai you woo. They like gifts." then she reached in her pocket and pulled out a sharp dagger.
"Here, you can give them this too. I hasn't seemed to give us much luck yet" said Bast wryly. Adrian thanked them a glanced at the swirling vortex.
"Look, it's changing colors!" he shouted to them. Rah and Bast smiled at him and shoved him towards the new Ahzenai.
"Off you go kiddo" said Bast
"Good luck Adrian" Rah told him

Wow, she's gorgeous. What if she doesn't like me? I still smell from my hikes. Gosh, shes so graceful. This is so nerve-racking. She's gonna hate me. I really hope she doesn't. I want her to like me. Adrians uncertainties whipped through his mind, but didn't show as he stepped towards Rusalka with a grin.
"Hello Rusalka, I'm Adrian" only a trace of shyness crept into his voice. "You mentioned liking shiny things... So I've decided to give this to you" He told her as he pulled his aluminum foil statue out of his bag. He set it by her and told her about through all of his lonely trips through the mountains, the only thing that kept him going was the thought of meeting and Ahzenai- he now realized her- and his foil sculpting. "It just feels good how you can transform something so flat into a 3D sculpture. And I love shiny stuff too" he told her smiling. Then he pulled the shiny dagger from his pocket.
"This was a gift to me, and I'd like to give it to you. If we travel together I'd like to think we would share everything, and I wanted to show I'm serious about that. And daggers are very useful too." Adrian pulled off one piece od aluminum and deftly shaped it into a delicate rose. He handed it to her with a wink and told her,
"Until next time... hopefully we won't have to wait too long"

[spiff]

Oh, I didn't expect Levorith to join me! 8D

Xuen looked at Levorith, surprise clearly etched upon her face as he approached her once more. All suggestions of a charmer had dissipated, and in its place was an almost brutally honest Ahzenai. Her brow furrowed in confusion and, before she could help it, said rather archly, "Well, at least I didn't lie about my personality twice." Rather than feeling proud at her success, she merely felt even more confused about this multilayered Ahzenai, and even a bit irate. Here was someone who had put up an appearance of an ordinary, indifferent character, only to shatter that image with a saucy and suave one, and then have that illusion wiped away, too!
Her mouth clamped shut automatically as she registered the nasty tone of her voice. "Sorry," she muttered, feeling like a blundering idiot. She had thought she had put up the act pretty well, but Levorith was either particularly observant or she was a bad actress. Xuen's voice returned to its usual soft melodious lilt as she said in response to his question, "To see how you wuld react, just like how you also put up that facade to see how all of us would react, I guess. She shrugged. "Anyway, it obviously didn't work." Xuen offered him a sheepish smile, feeling like rather foolish now that the shock of his second personality change had worn off but still eyeing him suspiciously as if she thought he would make yet another personality change. She was still in the process of uncovering the different points of her own personality, which often led to odd mood switches.
"My owner, if you would call her that, lets me come and go from our home as often as I please. I know she'll be the same with you; she's not the type to grow too posessive of her companions. She would regard you as an equal, a brother, rather than a pet. Shall I show you our house?"

Eep, Rusalka is just too pretty to resist... eue

"I might not have the most impressive things to show you right now..."

I arrived just in time to witness a mahogany paw step out into the cavern. The new Ahzenai took its time in emerging from the vortex, each step leisurely and without haste. "Rusalka!" Valcyon boomed. "Rusalka," I murmured to myself as I watched her. I had originally come to check up on Xuen and see what she was doing, but all thoughts of her fled my brain once I saw the breathtaking array of colors that decorated Rusalka's fur in tiger-like stripes. Everything about her, from the blend of rich browns and creamy whites to the way the previously mentioned colors came to merge on her face was perfect. Perfect. I didn't use the p-word too often lest it deduce from the meaning, but one look at the stunning new Ahzenai and I knew she was worthy of using it for. I strained my eyes even harder and was able to make out the delicate diamond shapes traced on her russet paws. For me, this only made her even more gorgeous than she already was, cheesy as that may sound.
I watched as she approached approached a group of Ahzenai, only to dance back out of reach and retreat to a high rock when one of the humans tried to near her. I was brought back to another time, to another Ahzenai that I had tried to woo. Rutoriel had leaped onto a small plateau, forcing her suitors to climb it. Rusalka licked her lip and winked to the population of the cave. "Do any of you have any shiny trinkets? I love shiny objects," she sang. I settled myself on a rock and propped my elbows on my knees as I watched some hopefuls offer shiny objects to her. They each showed shiny things to Rusalka, but I noticed that they were all gifts of rocks and jewelry. I wanted to show her something unique, something that was different than what everyone else had if I wanted to make a lasting impression. Wait, what? When did I decide to woo her?
I made up my mind: I was going to try and woo the stunning Ahzenai. I took my water bottle out from my pack; I would need it. There was a measly puddle of water gathered in the indents at the bottom of the bottle, and I swigged it all down in one go."Something that's not generic," I muttered, a slight smile gracing my features as I stooped by the river and refilled the bottle. If this wasn't going to impress her, then I didn't know what would.
I slowly made my way over to where she perched. I didn't have any need to rush, after all, unlike some of the suitors I saw. The way they rushed up to her, you would think that their very lives hung in the balance. Scaling the rock plinth with ease, I waited for the people in front of me to finish up. Wouldn't Rusalka get tired of all the rocks and such thrust at her? Sure, they were shiny, but they were all the same. At last it was my turn. "Rusalka," I greeted simply. "My name is |Ƨακσяιαи · Я α ɢ ɛ|."
Keeping my eyes trained on her, I said, "I see that people have many shiny things they have to present to you. Does seeing the same things get boring after a while?" I paused to gauge for a reaction, but there was none. I had not expected anything and was unsurprised. "I am a traveller; I come and go from places all over the world. If you do like those rocks and jewelry they show you, I can ensure you that we will encounter many more of those if you choose to join me. However, I am quite certain what I have here is not anything you expect." Here, I stopped again to (hopefully) build up the suspense. I heard someone tap their foot impatiently behind me and bit back a smirk. Some of these suitors were truly amusing how they were so desperate to woo an Ahzenai. I took out my water bottle and set it in front of her, still carefully watching Rusalka's face. "You are probably wondering what I am getting at. This" - I reached out to tap the bottle - "is a water bottle. I'm quite sure you already know that; to assume you don't would be an insult to your intelligence. At first glance, it is nothing more than a piece of plastic filled with water. But that is mere deception. Water can work wonders."
I unscrewed the bottle of the cap and carefully tilted the bottle, held in my right hand, so that a single drop of water fell onto one of the fingernails on my left hand. I held the finger up to her. "This single drop of water is reflective and shiny. If you hold it up to the sun or even a lamp, the light catches it just so that it dances with marvelous colors." I turned my finger over and let the droplet slide to the other side of the finger. "Water can make ordinary things glisten and sparkle. My skin isn't shiny, but water can make it appear so." The drop of water indeed made my flesh look shiny where it rested. I tipped my finger down and let the drop fall and instead scooped up a handful of dirt. "Soil. Powdery and dry." I rubbed it between my fingers and it crumbled to the ground before her. I scooped the miniature mound up again and dripped water onto it, instantly transforming it into a puddle of mud. "Pour some water on it and it becomes mud. Mud, wet and mirror-like. It might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word 'shiny' but it fits the definition all the same." I pulled my hair out of its ponytail. Holding up a thin ribbon of it, I wet it and showed it to her. "My hair becomes shiny when it is wet. True, it already shines naturally, but even if it didn't, water would make it do so." I picked up a rock and set it before Rusalka. "This rock is plain and ordinary. It holds no luster, no glamor." I dumped about half the remaining water on top of it. "Water makes it shimmer like a jewel. And held underneath the sun, it positively sparkles." I regarded the rock, trying to prepare my next words.
"This bring me to my next topic: the sun. Have you ever seen the dew on the grass or on a flower in early morning? Have you ever seen how the sun reflects off of those tiny drops of dew? The sun, just like water, can make normal things look extroardinary. Shiny. Polished. Glimmering. And you like that, don't you?" I was aware that I was beginning to ramble, and decided to cut straight to the point; I had kept the other suitors waiting long enough and was probably starting to bore Rusalka.
"I shouldn't detain you for much longer, Rusalka. But what I am saying is this: things can become shiny if you find a way to make it so. It doesn't have to be only jewels or polished rocks that are shiny. Let your imagination run free. You can find wonder in the simplest of things. The plastic of my water bottle is shiny, even. When viewed beneath the sun, rainbows play across its surface. Blades of grass. The cover of a book. A magazine. A pen. Freshly fallen snow." I was struggling to express what I wanted to say, but no amount of words could have done so. I had so much I wanted to tell Rusalka. I could take years explaining to her what I meant. But I was running out of time and needed to conclude this woo soon. "I would love greatly for you to join me on my travels. I have another Ahzenai, Xuen, whom you could befriend. We journey everywhere, and if you would accompany us, you would find there are so many things to uncover, so many ways to look beyond the picture frame. I may not have shown you much just now, but come with me and I will personally make it so that you see things beyond the realms of your imagination. As I said before, you can find dazzling shine, striking beauty, in everything. You just have to look hard enough to find it." I bowed my head, hoping that my words would make an impact on her.
I capped the bottle and flashed Rusalka a fleeting smile. "What I showed you may not be what you were seeking, and you might like the jewelry that others have presented you with, but it is refreshing to have a change every once in a while, no?"

"...but accompany me on my travels and I guarantee that you will see wonders beyond the reach of even your wildest dreams."

The format of the woo is a little choppy. e.e It's a bit lame and rambling, but I really had fun thinking outside the box. :3

[Horneddragon]

* a bit of a disclaimer, Callie is Australian, and both she and Jerico speak with a bit of a modified Australian accent. I will exaggerate the pronunciation for their words while I wright.
* Im using my sharp dagger item

Rusalka

* About a week before Hand*
Jerico shook the water from his fiery pelt. His modified board laid beached next to him, still wet from his early morning ride. He turned, his eyes scanning the breathtaking scene before him, The Australian sunrise turned the Ocean into Jewels, each wave crashing on the sand a cascade of diamonds and sapphires. He opened his mouth in a large exaggerated yawn, taking in the site of his companion Callie catching her final wave.

His heart swelled with pride as he watched her ride it in, she moved so gracefully like she was born on the water. It was not long before she plopped herself down on the sandy beach next to him beaming out over the ocean.
" 'ey there Jerrico, wacha thinkin?"
The Ahzenai flicked his ears in acknowledgement of his companion's question, but did not answer.
"Jerrico?"
Callie Laid a hand on he fire colored Ahzenai's shoulder, a shiver went through his body in response.
"I reckon, yah miss it don cha?"
He turned, a questioning look in his turquoise eyes.
"Yah Home, Jerrico, yah home"
Finally he spoke,
"This, This is My 'ome"
"Yah, no What I mean Jerrico, the place yah was born"
He turned to gaze back out over the sea,
"Ahzen?"
The word rolled off his tongue, bringing with its his first memories of that place. He had not stayed around long, finding the darkness of the cave, and the lack of a large body of water quite disturbing. In stead he came here, to this humble existence by the sea.
"Maybay, I dunno"
"Well I'd Like to say it some die."

* A few days later*

Jerico Padded down long sandy stretch of the island. He was propelled by a whim, an old fragment of a memory. Callie His stead fast companion walked along beside of him.

"Jerrico, What are we doin'? "
she asked, her voice cracking slightly. A light smile touched Jerico's lips as he replied
" Oi am not entirely sure."
Cally Shook her head, her brown curls still wet from their early morning surfing.
" Oi dunt no why oi fallaw yah then."
with a chuckle he rubbed his still soaked fur over her legs, she let out a squeak in reply as his weight knocked her over, and they fell to the sand in a giggling bundle.
"Yah Follaw me 'cause yah love me"
He leaned in close and licked her face until,
"Jerrico! gut'ff may!"
she giggled pushing the Ahzenai off of her,she rolled to face the Ahzenai, who turned to look at her. Something caught his eye.
It was off in the distance, but he could still make it out, slowly he sat up, Ignoring his companion for the time being, his eyes boring into the hole that had not been there before. an opening in the rock face of the cliff, an opening to Ahzen.

A shiver passed through him, as the realization sunk in.
"Jerrico? What is ut?"
Callie's voice only partly pierced through the fog that had settled over the Ahzenai, and she rolled over to see what was bothering her companion so much.
"What is that Jerrico?"
she did not wait for an answer, and quickly got to her feet, heading for the cave opening. Jerico followed close behind.
It did not take them long to traverse the remaining distance, Callie fueled by curiosity, and her companion by shock, were soon standing in the cave's mouth, Its musty stale oder a shock after breathing in the salty tang of the ocean for so long.
"Wha is thes place Jerrico?"
after a long pause the realization hit her,
No way! This is Ahzen isnt it Jerrico?
A smile spread across her face as she looked around, taking in each individual sight, her eyes lingering a second more on Valcyon.
" Well com'n then! I want to explore the pace yah wa born'n!"
Jerico groaned, he never really wanted to show Callie Ahzen, he just never had much of a connection to the place, but it seemed Ahzen itself had other plans.

They made their way down the small slope that lead deeper into the cavern, Callie's expression of wonderment growing with each step. Slowly the salty scent of the ocean was replaced by the musty scent of fur and stale air. the Familiar crashing of breaking waves replaced by the constant thunder of the water fall.
Ahzen was crowded with humans, Ahzenai, and other animals, and much to his displeasure all of them seemed to be looking directly at the duo. They were quite the sight to see, Callie was still clad in her surfing bikini, both were soaked through, and covered in sand. A low chuckle escaped his mouth,
Oh well
he mumbled,
let them wonder.

Soon they had traversed much of the cave, they found themselves standing on the banks of the Ahzen, the crisp cool water astounded Callie, and she bent down dipping her hand in the water, a perfect picture of Jerico, when her first came forth from the vortex. With a sigh Jerico tore his eyes from the scene, letting them drift for a few seconds, they came to settle on the vortex.
He cocked his head to the side, not all too certain about what was happening. It danced with color, a deep teal green, that reminded him a little of sea foam, and the deepest browns, he let out a light growl of pain as the light brightened sending spots across his vision.

he blinked a furiously, in in attempt to clear his sight, and finally the spots dispersed revealing the single most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He felt his jaw drop in awe, She moved like a dancer everything in perfect unison.
Rusalka!
Her name reverberated across Ahzen, echoing into perfect harmony through out the area. He found himself purring with delight, it caught in his throat as embarrassment settled over him. Callie's soft hand rested on Jerico's shoulder,
"She'z Quit' pretti don'cha thank?"
Jerico managed a small nod, still awestruck by the beautiful Ahzenai.
"Ah cun tell yah like her Jerrico."
They watched the stunning ahzenai slowly walk towards a large group of humans and other ahzenai. she stood for a few seconds, but at the slightest movement of one of the front ones she quickly retreated to a high rock, dancing the whole way.
"do any of you have any shiny trinkets? I love shiny things."
Her call was light and beautiful, and it sent Jerico's mind spinning, his heart fell as the realization settled over him, he had nothing shiny. Callie saw her companions crestfallen look, and with a smile she tapped his shoulder, reaching into her small waterproof pouch she pulled out a faded clam, she locked eyes with Jerico holding out the clam, no words passed between them. Gingerly he reached out and grasped the clam firmly in his teeth, turning he loped off in the direction of the other Ahzenai. leaving Callie behind to her own devices.

Slowly he made his way to Rusalka, weaving through the crowding masses with relative ease. soon he stood at the base of the rock, feeling much like a prince waiting to rescue his princess from the thigh dower of doom. All that was missing was the waiting dragon. He scaled the rock. his determination to get to Rusalka was solidified, all that mattered in the world was her.

With a sharp grunt he hauled himself over the edge and onto the rocks top. He gingerly laid the clam on the ground next to him, wile he attempted to catch his breath. Surfing was something he could do without tiring, but scaling a rock? that was a whole new level of physical exertion, but she was worth it. His gasps slowly subsiding to panting, he looked up.

This close her beauty was dazzling, all he wanted to do was please her, he wanted to make her happy. As his breathing slowed he sat up, allowing a lopsided smile to come over his face.

" 'ello mah beauty, oi am Jerrico. I take et yaherr name is Rusalka. t's quite a pritty name."
he looked down at the ground shifting the clam in between his claws. He had not really though through what he was going to say to her once he got up here, and now he wished he would have at least thought of something.
" oi, well, we Live bah the sea, she is quite the beauty, baught i must say it is but a shadow in yer beauty."
I heard yah say you like shiny things? see this? This is a clam, Its dark an' not very impressive on the outside.
Methodically he slid two of his claws in between the lips of the shell,
"Its what' on the in'side that count' "
His mussles rippled under his pelt, as he attempted to pry open the shell. With a loud pop, it fell open. He caught it in his claws, and promptly scraped out the gooey innards, revealing the shimmering rainbow colored inside.
Dis, is called a clam, they create an amazing little jewel called a pearl,
He held up a small perfectly round orb, pinched securely between two claws, the sunlight caught the side, turning it into a shimmering orb of rainbows.
dey are one a the most beautiful wonders of the world. An i can say oi ave found plenty o dem around the area were i live.
dragging his eyes from the pearl he looked up to the beauty of Rusalka's face.
I think ya'd like it by the ocean, It is a body of liquid emeralds, and onyx. each crashin' wave n wite cap a cascade a diamonds. She sparkles on the best of days, and glimmers on the worst. She brings for an array of beauty from her depths, n'd if yah choose to stay with me, oi will showar yah with pearls and shells like this one, and i will bathe you in the raw beauty that is the sea.
he bowed his head at her, and he turned to leave. still dazzled by her beauty he failed to watch his footing, soft pad came down on the sharp surface of a dagger, with a sharp yep he tumbled down the slope of the rock, landing in a heap on the ground. Whimpering he collected himself enough to limp over to Callie, were he settled down licking his wounded paw, hoping his fall did not push the beautiful Ahzenai away from him forever.

[Livalathia]

After the attraction of the last Ahzenai everything was finally quiet again. As everyone started to think that it may take longer than usual for a new arival a familiar flickering pattern from the swirling vortex began to beam with a bright light.

Finite colors began to fade in, all swirling within the whirlpool-like shape of energy. Colors of green, teal, and a variety of browns were now evident.

Finally a form could be seen from behind the veil of light. Without haste a slender paw emerged forward as the uniquely striped Ahzenai reached towards her new found home.
Landing on the rock surface softly, the light behind her took to its usual brightness.

Shifting her eyes open and forward, she raised herself to a correct stance her eyes lifted in unison with her own body movement, to find those of Valcon.

In response he nodded in acknowlegement and called out her name: "Rusalka" he bellowed.

She looked at him a moment, reciting the name in her head, then gave a quick nod back and proceeded forward. In front of her were humans with other Ahzenai companions and a little far off were scattered Ahzenai throughout the cavern merrily swaggering about.
A quick decision directed her paws towards this lively bunch of energy that seemed to pull her towards them. Nearing, she stopped a few feet away and gave them all a good curious look at.

As soon as one of the two legs made an attempt to step closer she retreated up a rock high enough to be out of reach, then hunched down, licked her upper lip, winked one eye, and said "do any of you have any shiny trinkets? I love shiny things."

Designed and Written by Neara.

Judging will occur on the 20th.

[WIP]

Zeoryler looked around Ahzen curiously as he sat next to Silver, sitting back on her rock waiting for the time when she would woo another companion. Unfortunately Solaris was with them and sitting on the other side of Silver, looking around tiredly. Zeo never did like him, he was to sarcastic and witty for him, and honestly he wished that the other Ahzenai would chose not to travel with them more of the time. As Zeoryler's thoughts traveled around to different things he noticed the vortex light up; signaling that a new Ahzenai would be coming into the world. Silver obviously noticed too because she sat up straighter next to him and stared at the vortex with a curious look. It seemed watched the vortex was never the same for her every time a new Ahzenai came out and this time was no different.
When the new Ahzenai finally came out of the vortex Zeoryler's eyes locked onto her and he couldn't help but stare a little. Her colors were simple yet beautiful. He turned his head to look at Silver who was staring at her too, normally she didn't like to stare and neither did he but it was hard not to stare at this beautiful female in front of them.
When Valcyon spoke her name, he felt Silver jump a little at the sudden sound; like always, and that made him smile a bit. "Rusalka" Zeoryler said in a hushed tone, letting her name slip off his tongue easily. He watched her as she walked toward everyone then stop dead in her tracks seeming to think about something then turn around and jump onto a rock just out of reach. Then she spoke, "Do any of you have any shiny trinkets? I love shiny things."
Zeo turned his head to look back at Silver who seemed to be contemplating something. "Are you going to try to woo her?" He asked curiously and his human companion looked at him with a smile and nodded "I think so. But all I have to show her is pictures of the things we have seen on our travels that are shiny." Zeoryler thought about that and smiled a moment later "Well maybe that's best, then she'll see what things are out there in the world that she could travel too." Silver smiled at that comment and ran her hand over his pelt which made him lean into her hand, seeking her gentle touch.
"I'm not so sure that's going to work" another voice pipped in. It was Solaris's voice and that made Zeoryler look at him and let a small growl escape through his teeth. Silver patted his head to calm him down then looked at her other other companion and she tilted her head to the side "Why is that Solaris?" she asked him, Zeo waited for the other males answer impatiently. But soon Solaris shrugged his huge shoulders and stood up, letting his tail sweep the ground once. "Well she may like the pictures but who's to say she wont want something shiny to hold onto to?" Solaris questioned and that made Zeoryler stand as well, but he didn't say anything instead he started to walk with grace over to where the female was perched.
As he walked he swished his tail, letting it sweep across the dusty surface of the ground. He felt his companions presence behind him, and he also felt Solaris's presence coming up next to him. Zeoryler huffed and walked faster, yet very gracefully over to Rusalka and stopped just in view of her on the ground and sat back on his haunches watching her and waiting for Silver. Solaris walked up next to him, but did not sit down and when Silver reached the two males she didn't stop where they did, instead she walked closer to the female and bowed like she had with Zeoryler and that made him crack a small smile.
"Hello Rusalka. My names Silver" The girl said with a smile and Zeoryler stood again and walked closer, not bothering to sit again and Silver spoke again with a smile, laying a gentle hand on his pelt. "This is my companion Zeoryler" Silver said happily, and then Solaris walked up next to her and Silver motioned toward him and again spoke, "This is Solaris..a traveling companion at times and a wander at other times." Zeo rolled his eyes at that comment but otherwise kept his mouth shut about that and nodded his head toward the female "Its a pleasure to meet you." Silver giggled quietly at that then pulled a small picture book out of her bag that she had carried with her.
It was full of the pictures she had taken when they had traveled to all the different places around the world. Zeoryler loved them, mostly because he could look at them and remember when they were there. As he thought about those things Silver spoke up again "So I heard you like shiny things. Unfortunately I have nothing to physically give you, but I have pictures that I can show you" she said gently opening up her picture book and looking through the photo's that she had taken.
Zeoryler watched her as she picked out her first picture and held it up for Rusalka to look at. It was a picture of a disco ball, and Silver smiled "This is quite shiny when the light hits it in many different ways, and the way the light hits it makes it sparkle...its quite magical to see" She said slowly, obviously not knowing if she was doing this right so Zeoryler spoke up to help her explain things better. "When she took me with her to see it, it was indeed quite shiny, almost so shiny that it was blinding" He laughed and Solaris huffed "Its more sparkly then shiny, but then again it is kinda blinding" the other male muttered.
Silver didn't really listen to either male and went on flipping through her book, she then found what she was looking for and held it up. It was a picture of crystals that they had seen in a natural cave. Much like Ahzen but it wasn't as - unnatural -. The crystals grew on their own, and the people who kept exploring the cave kept people from ruining them. Silver smiled seeming to remember it like Zeo had and then she spoke again. "These are crystals. They grew in a cave, and they were polished so that people could view their real glassy, shiny color. I know the picture doesn't do it justice, but its the best I have of them i'm afraid" Silver muttered the last part a little unhappily, but then she began to flip through her pictures again and seemed to find another rather quickly.
This time Zeoryler saw she picked the one of the sculpture called "The Cloud Gate" or as most people seemed to call it -'The Bean'-. It was quite a wonder to see, and the reflective surface was also quite amazing. He smiled this time and spoke instead of Silver. "That's one of the shiniest things I have personally seen on our travels, and its also reflective" Zeo said quietly. Solaris laughed and shook his head "Its quite a sight to behold I will admit that" he said and Silver smiled at the two males before she turned her attention back to the female.
"If you travel with me, I'll make sure to take you to see these things and anything else that you would want to see. But I'll also let you go on your own if you wish to." She said smiling, not seeming to open up more now that she had been talking. Silver bowed again and smiled at the female once more than laid the 3 pictures down in front of the female on the ground and backed away.
Zeoryler paused as Silver started to walk away and then nodded his head to the female and smiled "See you around Rusalka" He murmured quietly before he turned and walked after his human companion. Solaris said his good bye then fallowed after them as well. "I don't know if I did that right" Silver murmured as they returned to her stone and she sat down but Zeoryler nudged her and shrugged "It was worth a try" he said calmly, comforting her and she smiled back. Now all they could do was sit and wait for her to chose who she left with.


O.o I didn't expect my woo to be that long xD

[TheScamperPony]

Wow! Congrats! ^^

ZOMG SHE IS EPICAL. :3 I shall be entering for her. <3

[Queen Vivane]

Hivani was still in a black mood so I left her to her sulking and stood with Kalathae. "Y'know I dont get what the big deal is with this gal" she said with a shake of her head. I yawned and watched the humans go completely nuts over Rusalka I think her name was, "you know what I cant be bothered with staying here these humans are just aggravating me; lets head home and make more brownies" I said to her as I examined my onyx clawed paws. "Hivani, stop sulking or y'all will be left b'hind" Kalathae said with a smirk, the lilac ahzenai glowered at her dark coated companion but followed never the less

[Shiko Hayashi]

I'd like to nominate someone!
Their Username: Zoë
Link to Woo: Same Page
Why you like this woo: Well... I know it's sudden, but when I read it, I really liked how it was put together. It wasn't too detailed, wasn't too dull, it was just right. I like how small it is compared to others, and I really enjoyed the perspective of the character. Well done Zoë.

[Noctilida]

Thorry, it can be human jewelry, yes? They can look at it without putting it on.

Halfhuman, yes you may.

Veggie, that's fine. =3

Indigo, yes, you got a shiny rock item for participating.

She-Hound, go ahead! I can't wait to see~

HD. Surfing Ahz. WIN. 8D

Could we try to keep congrats and other comments in the chat or fan club please?

[37down]

After the attraction of the last Ahzenai everything was finally quiet again. As everyone started to think that it may take longer than usual for a new arival a familiar flickering pattern from the swirling vortex began to beam with a bright light.

Finite colors began to fade in, all swirling within the whirlpool-like shape of energy. Colors of green, teal, and a variety of browns were now evident.

Finally a form could be seen from behind the veil of light. Without haste a slender paw emerged forward as the uniquely striped Ahzenai reached towards her new found home.
Landing on the rock surface softly, the light behind her took to its usual brightness.

Shifting her eyes open and forward, she raised herself to a correct stance her eyes lifted in unison with her own body movement, to find those of Valcon.

In response he nodded in acknowlegement and called out her name: "Rusalka" he bellowed.

She looked at him a moment, reciting the name in her head, then gave a quick nod back and proceeded forward. In front of her were humans with other Ahzenai companions and a little far off were scattered Ahzenai throughout the cavern merrily swaggering about.
A quick decision directed her paws towards this lively bunch of energy that seemed to pull her towards them. Nearing, she stopped a few feet away and gave them all a good curious look at.

As soon as one of the two legs made an attempt to step closer she retreated up a rock high enough to be out of reach, then hunched down, licked her upper lip, winked one eye, and said "do any of you have any shiny trinkets? I love shiny things."

Designed and Written by Neara.

Judging will occur on the 20th.

I quietly slipped into the dank darkness of the cave. I scanned quickly around me to take in the situation; I saw a group of people milling around something up ahead and saw some cat-like creatures with horns even further in. The fact that these cats had horns might have taken me for surprize, had I had any actual expectations of what I would find here. I had only come after hearing the rumors whispered in the streets and in the dark alleys, so in coming here, I had no idea of what it would truly be like and what would go on; seeing as how often rumors were woefully inacurate.

I adjust my old round headphones on my head and smiled. The only thing that the radio in them got in this cave was static. Perfect. I only ever listened to static and I hated it when I went to a new place and the setting I had it on got the actual music. Then I had to flip around and find one with static. And it had to be complete static, no clips or pieces of voices coming through, it had to be pure white noise.

I glanced around some more and my eyes lit upon the cave wall. Interesting, I thought as I strode over to it. It seemed to be made out of a rock that contained a strange metal ore in it. I ran my hand lightly along the rock and smiled to myself. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a piece of rock that had fallen off. As I reached down to pick it up, I heard Char slip into the cave behind me. "What are you doing?" he growled. Char always growled whatever he said, it came from months spent practicing to sound tough. Not that Char wasn't tough, it's just that the first thing you think when you see an eight-year-old boy isn't generally 'tough'. People tended to think things more like 'cute' or 'adorable', and the last thing Char wanted to be thought of was cute.

I turned around and gave him a smile, "Do you know what this is?" I asked staring into his black eyes and holding out the rock to him . Char studied it for a moment, certain that this was another one of my quizes to see how much he had learned from my lessons. He scratched his head "Er, some sort of metal ore?... I don't know." I only smiled more "Well neither do I. This is a completly new compound to me. I haven't seen anything like this which leads me to believe this is some sort of new compound brought about by the unique atmospheric and crust content here." I studied the rock some more already devising tests to determine what it was made of and what properties it had, I took a lodestone out of my pocket and determined the metal was in fact ferrous.

Char shifted around behind me. "I thought we were here to get an anschluss, not look at rocks." I paused, he knew full well what they were called, but I had to corect him anyway, "They are called Ahzenai, and yes we are." I said a bit regrettfully and put the rock in my pocket. I turned around and surveyed the others, I watched their movements carefully and after a while decided that, while some of them were experienced fighters none seemed to be an immediate threat to us. I started to edge around them to get a better view of what they all were looking at.

Char stalked behind me giving the other people a contemptuous look. "Huh," he said "These guys don't stand a chance, they don't look like they could fight their way out of a paper bag." One of the other suitors glanced over and snorted in contempt at the both of us. I could tell what he was thinking; Yeah, like the eight year old boy and the skinny blonde teenage girl know anything about fighting. But then, I also knew that we could easily beat him. Not only was Char stronger than any full-grown man and ten of his closest friends, but I was also much stronger than I looked. Besides, I thought as i looked him up and down once again, I could tell from the way he stood that his fighting style was based off of his strength and more conventional moves, I fought with my wits and tended to use the unexpected moves I had created to my advantage. And I might not look like it but despite my looks, I was rather smart, actually my powers made me a genius, or as Char had once said "If the normal person's brain had the computing power of one of those one dollar calculators, your brain would still have the power of a super computer." Char glared at the guy with a look of pure hatred in his black eyes, but I made a dismissing motion with my hand to stop Char from getting into a fight.

I sighed, time to break it to him. "Char, we are not here to fight for one, you have to woo an Ahzenai to get one." Char raised his eyebrows, "We're gonna what!?"
I shook my head "I am going to woo one, or try to get one to join our crew."
Char thought about it for a moment before asking, "So, what am I here for then?"
I smiled "You are here because, whilst I am not planning on a fight, I need you to be on the look out for one or be my back up in case something does happen."
Char rolled his eyes but said "Right, rule #1: Never asume anything." I nodded and suddenly I could see what the others had been staring at; I stopped and stared at it in awe.

Even Char let out low whistle when he saw it, a swirling vortex that as we watched seem to grow more luminous and more colorful. As I watched I couldn't help but imagine that this was what the birth of a star or of a galaxy might look like. Suddenly a slender creature strode out from the vortex and her eyes came even with another Ahzenai. "Rusalka" he bellowed. Rusalka seemed to take him in for a moment before she turned with a decisive movement towards the group of people, but just before one could reach her she jumped up ontop of a rock and said "do any of you have any shiny trinkets? I love shiny things."

I let out a small chuckle at this Rusalka. I liked her, she seemed quick and clever, and the way she seemed to analyze the new creatures around her so fast, reminded me of myself a bit. I liked this challenge and had already made up my mind about what I would do, but I still turned to Char and asked "What do you think of when you hear the word shiny?", just to test him.
"Uh," he said narrowing his eyes in concentration, "the inside of candy wrappers... uh.... Wait! Stars! Stars shine!"
I shook my head but was glad, I could always count on Char's first thoughts being of food. "Stars are luminous not shiny, but back to the candy, what is the inside of the wrappers coated with?"
Char paused for a moment. "Some sort of aluminum coating?"
"Correct!" I said, "Now, aluminum is a metal, so what is the shiniest metal?"
Char sighed, he knew this would turn into a chemistry test somehow, "Uh, chrome?"
Aurora smiled "Yes, but technecally the metal is called chromium; number 24 on the periodic table." I said and took from my bag a small metalic rock that was chromium.

"Now we shall just wait until the others are done with their endeavors." I said and waited until everyone else seemed finished. Finally I told Char to hang back and I strode up to Rusalka. I looked her fur up and down memorizing the pattern unconciously before I turned to look at her directly. I gave her a small smile, dipped my head as a sign of respect, and said "Hello. I thouroughly enjoyed your challenge though I fear I might have taken it a bit too literally, I often do. I am not one to ramble on so here is my offer, chromium, the shiniest metal, not to metion element, there is." I said placed it gently on ground in front of Rusalka. "Though, chromium isn't just special because of its shine. What makes it so special is that many trinkes and such can be chrome plated so that chromite can make them shiny too, and that when it oxidizes it doesn't form rust like iron but a clear film. Chromium gives emeralds their green color and rubies their red color. Small amounts of chromium are necessary to your health. And chromite is incredibly special because it is an element; every single atom in this is all the same, unlike you or me who are made up of hundreds of different combinations of atoms..." I paused for a moment, lost in thought of all the wonders of chromium, then I shook my head and focused.

"You should probably know what brought me here, however. I am here to search for a new member of my crew." I nodded my head in Char's direction. "He is a part of my crew, though, I figured that since he despises to be social, and since I am the leader, I would talk to you alone."

"I think you would fit well with our crew, you seem clever and seem to be able to take in your environment and adapt to it quicky, which is key in our group. However, be warned, our crew is not for the faint of heart, we live a hard life and get by using our wits and outsmarting everyone esle. Loyalty is key and if you question even for a second if you should join us, you probably shouldn't. But if you do join, you are not gaining a friend, you are gaining a family. You are gaining a crew that will have your back until the death and will always be there for you, and each of us would expect the same in return from you." I said calmly and staring deep into her eyes to get the message across a clearly as I could.

"I wish you the best of luck and offer you this advice: while I say that if you have second thoughts about joining our team that you probably shouldn't, the same should be said for all the others. You should have no doubts about who to go with, and if you do, you probably haven't found the right person yet." I paused again and glanced around at all the other trinkets that had been left with her, mainly jewelry and other shiny rocks, I smiled as I identified the other types of rocks. Good, others had given her rocks, that meant that if she chose me it would not be just based on the object, but on the person, and really, that was the most important part to me. "So, bonne chance, and I hope whoever you pick has very big pockets to carry all this around."

I turned around and strode back into the shadows with Char following close behind. He smiled as he came up behind me "Missing your rock yet?" he asked jokingly, knowing how much I love rocks.
"Ah," I said "I miss it like I would a brother. Each rock is different and unique, no two are the same, I do hope it found a good home."

{XD sorry this is so long, had lots of fun writing it though.}