The Wolf's Journey [Job/Private/Menat]

Job Info:

She kept wondering how she found herself in positions where she woke up at the crack of dawn. She was one of the nightlife, enjoying a dance among the stars, or drinking the night away with friends while enjoying good food. That was how the queen of Meridia chose to enjoy herself on most days, but now it was time for a different way of relaxation. She'd be going on a mini-vacation with her eldest daughter, Menat her little wolf. Most of her kids looked close to her but Menat was striking, looking like a young Merrze without as thick eyebrows or dark skin, and she definitely had her father's wild hairline.

She could fawn over her daughter all she wanted but they had spent the night before packing, and now as the sun was rising Merrze was finishing up some food for their breakfast and lunch as they had a long flight ahead of them. She knew her cub would be peeking her head around the corner soon. She just finished slicing the sandwiches she would pack it in the final basket, she packed a total of three baskets of food and had a fresh watermelon as well. With the food packed all that would need to done was to load everything onto the back of the skywhale.

"Alright Ery, it's gonna take us probably about 5 hours of flying if we just cruise, take it easy you've had a lot of high-stress flying recently you don't need to go full speed." She comforted as she paced over to the gentle beast resting outside the cabin. Their clothing was already resting outside. Thankfully she wouldn't have to worry too much about her other kids. Merlin would be tutored during most of the days and Li had agreed to babysit while the mother and daughter would go on their training retreat, hopefully she could handle the three younger kids.

These worries would be shaken free, Merrze always worried now, faced with what she had they had to be strong enough to survive into adolescence it felt like. She could trust her friend, she could trust to leave the country in this time while they were focusing on summer farming and herding. It was peaceful, it was okay she could just try to find peace in thinking about. Trying to distract she would toss the ropes up over the beast, gently tying around it's soft but strong flesh.

With Merrze's strength and speed, it would only take 10 minutes to get their travel supplies on the back of her lovely beast. "I know I'm sorry baby, I hope it's not too tight for you, I got plenty of feed for you, some fresh birds, and some nice tall grass that's been growing nicely." she would say, gently while stroking the side of the beasts large face.

"BWAWOOOOOOOO!" it would moan at her, hopefully not loud enough to awake those that were still sleeping. A smirk would crack her lips as she gently patted him. Now she just had to get her feisty young daughter on the back to get ready for their ride.

Her bare feet would pitter-patter up the steps, she'd go grab some gear real quick while making sure her daughter was up. As she waltzed into the hall, down the way with her steps creaking the wood she would speak.

"I hope a certain rambunctious wolf hasn't forgotten about her vacation with her mother. It'd be a shame if I had to go by myself and she was left here with her little siblings." Playfully her tone would roll out as she moved past Menats room to go into her own. Grabbing her bracelet in case of emergency she would leave her weapons. Now it was time to go.

631/1000

Spoiler:

As the morning rays of sun began to rise over the horizon and pierce the heavy homemade curtains covering Menat's window the magically aged teenager found herself rolling over onto her side. Her hand took a firm grasp of her weighty blanket and yanked it over her head as she fought to remain sleeping. Since her mother had taken it on herself to produce more siblings for Menat the young wolf had seemingly gotten stuck with the less than enjoyable tasks of caring for her younger siblings when something went wrong in the night. For about a week now it had been Merzan that had taken it upon himself to wake her each night. The youth seemed to have developed some sort of recurring nightmare, or at the very least consistent bad dreams, on a regular basis and, as his eldest sibling, Menat was the one that had to help him settle back to sleep.

Unlike her mother, who was now able to sleep soundly and wake promptly at the very crack of dawn, Menat now found herself fighting for ever ounce of sleep she could manage. It was during her attempt at twisting around in her blankets that she felt something was off and the amount of room she had to move felt far more restricted than it should have been for such a sizeable bed as hers. That was what forced the redhead to crack her eyes in annoyance to try and find out where her bed space had gone. Her blankets had created a large mass that took up the entirety of her bed between herself and the edge, one that make her pull those very blankets back and see what they were concealing. The sight that awaited her simply caused her to sigh quietly.

The twins had somehow found their way into her bed once again while she had managed to get some sleep the night before. It was a harmless action so she found herself unable to get mad at the duo but she did wish they'd stop doing it given that she had taken to sleeping in only a pair of shorts. It was just a more comfortable state for the tomboy. As much as she wanted to just throw the blankets back over her and fall back asleep she knew that with the twins in the bed with her it'd be far less comfortable, even if she did secretly love their attachment to her, and instead opted to swing her legs over the side of the bed opposite her youngest siblings. Before she could get to her feet she was greeted with the sounds of Ery's attempts at a soft bellow from towards the front of their home. Standing to her full height, despite her still being shorter than her mother, Menat made her way around the bed to better access the twins.

Tenderly she scooped the both of them up at once, relocating them to the middle of her bed before tucking them back in while they slept, all to ensure one of them didn't knock the other off the edge of the bed by accident. As Menat began to reach for the handle of her door she could hear her mother's voice traveling past her room on her way to her own, the Empress commenting about how she hoped a "certain wolf" hadn't forgotten about their vacation together. And, in truth, until that comment fully brought Menat into the realm of the waking, she had actually forgotten that today was the day they were to leave for their trip. She wanted to curse but reminded herself that the twins were asleep in her bed just behind her and found herself fighting that urge. Instead she simply turned on her heels and made way for her wardrobe.

WC: 635 / 1,000

Piercer:

Flying Carpet:

Shard of Solomon:

As her young daughter would take the chance to get ready Merrze rushed by again as she made her way to her wardrobe to change into better clothes for relaxing. Wrapping her resting clothes in a burlap sack she had the last of the stuff she needed ready as she would slip into a variation of her favorite outfit but in a purple variation. As soon as the outfit dressed her body her barefoot would pick up once again she she would rush by Menats room again.

"I whipped up a quick breakfast as I was doing lunch, It's just a basket with some hard-boiled eggs, jerky, fresh fruits of multiple kinds, some cheese and some bread as well. Should hold us off for most of the journey but I got a large lunch for later." She tried to inform her daughter quickly.

Merrze wasn't much a fan of being late but they were still making some decent time it seemed, maybe she was just too used to rushing from all of her work. It was fine to enjoy life every once in a while and to take it slow. She had to enjoy these moments with her kids, that's why she wanted to do these type things with the, to plan stuff for them to all do.

Her thoughts almost distracted her from the fact the hall door leading outside was closed. Thankfully right as her face almost went first thing into oak. With that little mishap out the way she'd just continue outside, where Ery was already getting to hover knowing he has a long day ahead of him.


"I know I know buddy she'll be out in a sec, she's going as fast as she can. She would tease playfully as the whale seemed to moan a little. Menat did only just wake up by the looks of it 3 minutes ago, fanalis were fast but they were also grumpy. Despite her energy, she wasn't a fan of being up now, but if they started the day with bat attitudes. Afterall a bad mood could breed bad moments, and a high-stress situation with one of these two fanalis wasn't the best idea.

With her thoughts-boggling around in her head, she leaped up, hopping onto the back of the beast with ease with her great strength, but the ropes on the side could provide useful assistance as well. Giving the beasts smooth skin a pat once again it's cry would bellow out.

AWHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO


With her daughter stepping out soon Li would be arriving on time to help take care of the kids. As the ex-assassin would walk by Merrze would give her a wave, and a friendly head's up. "Menats trying to get away from them and get ready while they're still sleepy so they're probably gonna have a lot of energy. Just make sure they get enough to eat, play, bath and sleep at least 8 hours, only Merlin has classes but that's not until noon. He'll fill you in more. So I hope you can have some fun."

The Kou woman would give her boss a sly smirk. "Well it's not my worst battle but I think these tough opponents will give me a run for my money. So thank ya boss, the troops will be taken care off."

As the two laughed she would disappear in the house, leaving the door slightly cracked, it was about time for their journey to set off soon.

1210/1000

Menat found heself doing her absolute best to remain as silent as possible as she attempted to pull on her clothing. She didn't want to wake her youngest siblings as she was trying to get ready but the task was proving far more difficult than she would have expected. Having managed to change from her sleep shorts into a clean pair of panties and one of her preferred "combat" skirts she could hear her mother speaking from the other side of her door once more, seemingly telling the teenager that she had prepared breakfast as well as their lunch for their trip. Pulling on her top Menat slipped out of her room, making sure she and her door were both as silent as possible while giving her sleeping siblings one last loving glance.

Her hair was wild and unruly, hanging down to the small of her back and looking, as always, like it had never once been brushed in her life. Which wouldn't have been far from the mark for anyone that guessed as much, given Menat never took the time to groom herself like a typical girl would. She did, however, retrieve the enchanted cloth her father left her as a child from her room on her way out, using it to tie her savage hair into a messy ponytail by the base of her skull. Outside she could hear her mother's whale bellow once more and began to wonder if the beast was trying to tell her to hurry up already. As she was about to begin making her way for the door, not exactly in any mood to be eating so soon after being woken up, Menat found herself pausing after the first step.

"Where'd I leave Piercer?" She questioned to herself. "Oh! Right." She recalled the location of her favorite, and only, weapon. These late nights were starting to take a toll on her. Honestly, she really did love her siblings. But if this is what it was like to be a mother with young children then Menat didn't feel any real desire to follow her mother in that aspect any time soon. Thankfully it wasn't hard to locate a twenty-two inch spear, as it would happen the weapon was left by the entrance to their home much like one would leave an umbrella or a walking stick. She felt like it was a sign that she was beginning to lose her mind, slowly but effectively.

With her beloved weapon in hand, hair tied with the enchanted cloth gifted from her father, and the shining crystal shard in her breast pocket she stepped past her mother's friend as she entered the abode. "The twins are in my room Li, they snuck into my bed again last night so I just left them there." She informed the Kou woman, clearly knowing why she was here. Outside she found her mother having taken her position upon their travelling companion. "Ery, can you keep it down please? We don't need to wake the twins before I can sneak away from them." The younger woman chastised the behemoth softly as she herself climbed up onto its back.

WC: 528
Menat TWC: 1,163 / 1,000

She'd look down from the beast, giving her daughter a chance to hop up.

"Day's breaking but we got some time, feel free to rest when you get on up here, got some things to snack on for breakfast my dear." She playfully spoke as she patted the spot next to her.

After a brief moment for them to settle in the call to fly would go off. "WHHHOOOOOOOOOOYEEETTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!! The sharp whistle would crack the air, as the beast would start to flap its wings, beginning its' ascension. Ery would burst upward, the air forming around them as it went for a higher elevation. As the air domed around them, their senses would soon return as the gentle cruise would begin.

In reality, their speed was great but nowhere near Ery's top, for now they wished to move among the clouds. As the sun's red smile would diffuse, dancing amongst the sky while smoothing into gentle oranges and domination yellow as the bright blue sky wished to greet them as well. Ery had no reason to flux up a storm either so despite the altitude they'd be able to enjoy the flight.

"Like I said my wolf feel free to nap if you'd like to, it's gonna be a bit of a flight. In order to get to the southern spas its gonna take a few hours, Ery could get us there in a quarter of the time, at 2 hours if we really wanted but there's no need to push it." She'd say as the snaapppp of her jerky would follow. She'd worked up an appetite getting ready for their mother-daughter trip.

"Aye I know things are weird Menat, but we're gonna have some fun on this trip, we both deserve the chance to relax don't you agree?" She'd ask while hoping to give some peace. Both of their lives had high tensions and responsibilities of their own. Being born fanalis was already a burden to carry, one they had the luxury of forgetting in Meridia. She had to do more, to prove more because of it. It worried her of what responsibilities she'd have to place on her kids, especially her eldest.

She'd try to joke a little. "Personally, I think I'll take up my own offer and take a nap she was warm, she tried to only show kindness to her kids. They could do wrong yes, but people needed chances, they needed the change to grow and live. She'd denied some people that option, she felt hypocritical knowing she'd have to end more. The least she could do was teach the next generation to be more forgiving, kinder, so they wouldn't be scared and ruthless the way she once was.

Her eyes would rest, letting the blanket of the sun's warmth tuck her in, she'd worked hard, now lion wanted to enjoy a nap in the sun, and then maybe it would be time for some lunch.

1701/1000

Settling down beside her mother, making herself comfy upon the giant beast's back besides Merr. The magically aged girl wanted to be a stereotypical teenager and roll her eyes at her mother's lecturing about having something to eat from the snacks she had packed for them but she instead found herself stifling a giggle. In truth she was still only just a child, barely a few years older than Merlin and the fact that her mother was going off on a getaway with her, and that she was instructing her to eat some of the food she had made for the trip herself. Her early wake-up grumpiness finally fading away.

"Mama, Ery here made it pretty clear he wanted me awake." She responded to Merr's suggestion of her daughter taking a rest while they traveled. "I'm sure he doesn't want me waking up just to fall back asleep on his back right after." She explained with a giggle. Once more the young girl she really was surfacing onto her matured face. Playfully she gave the majestic giant a pat on his massive back, softly rubbing the spot for several seconds after. She did, however, move her hands behind her to lean back on her arms and watch the clouds pass by them. It hadn't been long since they had taken off from their home when Menat's mother began to explain that it would take them some time, several hours in fact, for them to get to their destination. Of course they both knew Ery would be able to make the trip faster, cutting it down to roughly a quarter of the time, two hours or so, yet there was no need for such a rush.

While Menat hadn't yet touched to travel snacks her mother had packed for them that hadn't stopped Merrze from taking out some jerky for herself, snapping off a piece with her teeth before beginning to speak again. She explained that she knew everything felt weird lately, trying to sympathize with her daughter, before claiming they were going to have a good time on their trip and that both of them deserved to have some time to relax. "Well, I don't think I'd need it as much as you if you didn't always make me take care of my siblings Mama." The child replied sharply, not exactly hiding how annoying she found it to have to always take care of her brothers and sisters instead of her mother. Yet it was nothing out of place for a child and was only a comment of annoyance rather than hatred or anger.

Yet her mother soon decided to take her own offer and soon fell submissive to the warmth of the sun before falling asleep on her whale's back. Once more leaving her daughter to handle things in her stead. "Ery, you know where we're going right? Mama fell asleep." The girl sighed.

WC: 486
TWC: 1,649 / 1,000

Merrze would wake up to find there wasn't any time for lunch. Maybe it was from getting up early every day or just here large workload but she slept through the entire trip pretty much. The Sun had moved more than a couple of marks in the sky. More importantly, the camp resort they were visiting was in sight. It was mostly tent from the people who were visiting the location but further in wooden buildings built alongside the trees would function as the establishments. There seemed to be a few people roaming, but not as many as there were tents, she was guessing people were already out at places or currently eating. She could use some food since she slept through lunch, but first, she'd turn to speak to her daughter as the whale began to land.

"Well, sorry I slept through Lunch, but all we have to do is let them know we've made it and set up our tent, we can do that real quick. Tonight and tomorrow are your nights so you get to pick what we do, sparring, spa, hiking or so on." She'd list off ideas, hoping Menat had wanted to do something. She focused on getting their stuff off the whale quickly.

Dusting her hands off she turned to Menat again. "Alright, can you please finish setting up the tent, anywhere is fine except maybe the fly traps. I'll be right back after checking and grabbing some wine for dinner dear."

It was only a quick walk to the grand cabin which actually sat inside the trees. She always enjoyed climbing trees but she'd just jump up to save some time. Knock Knock Knock she'd tap at the door.

"Come in!" a voice would ring.

She'd walk in, hoping to see the young woman she'd met when she'd first ran across this place but it seemed to be nothing other than some strange man. His skin was olive with short, curly oily black hair. His weasel-like stare would pierce into the fanalis.

"Hello, I'm Merrze, I discussed a visit with the manager, I'm just checking in and was gonna grab a bottle of wine. She'd say, keeping her control but confusion was hidden behind her collected expression.

"Ah yes yes, we've been expecting you. I'm currently running things in the managers place, she's currently out procuring some extra supplies for our fine resort. Please just grab a bottle or two, it'll be included in your bill at the end, they all have price markers under them." He would rattle out towards her.

His responses almost seemed to meld together but she'd just continue on. "Well thank you uh Sir, I'll just grab a couple of bottles and head on out. If I have any more questions I'll let you know, have yourself a nice night."

As she'd head out the door he'd respond one last time to the fanalis. "You can call me Vernon, and I hope you enjoy your stay here." His toothy grin being the last image she saw as Merrze would exit the main cabin, leaving to return to her little wolf.

"Well I'm ready to settle in for the night I don't know about you. I got Apricot wine and Reiman red ale, which I think will pair nicely with dinner." The fanalis would speak up as she approached her daughter. They'd accomplished their task, now they could settle in for the night.

Wordcount: 2000+/1000

Spoiler:

Despite what she had said about going back to sleep during their travel Menat may have acted tougher than her body was willing. It appeared that, like her mother, she had also found herself falling asleep as Ery continued to "swim" his way through the skies towards their destination. It had actually only been when Merrze herself woke up first, claiming that she had slept through lunch, that woke Menat up herself as a result. True to her tomboy fashion she had fallen asleep in possibly one of the least feminine positions possible. Not that she cared, especially while it was only the two of them atop the massive sky whale with no others to see what they did.

By this time her mother's beast had begun to bring them down for as gentle of a landing as such a giant could make. There was also a quick rundown of their to-do list once they had landed and extracted themselves from atop the giant's back along with their stuff. When everything was unstrapped from the whale her mother's next act did nothing to surprise Menat. Asking that the girl finish setting up their camp while she went off to go check in. Of course her mother hadn't even bothered to wait around for her daughter to answer, instead simply heading off to some kind of main cabin. When her mother was far enough away, knowing full-well how extraordinary her hearing was as a Fanalis, Menat simply muttered under her breath. "Like I wasn't expecting that kind of thing this trip. Just didn't expect it to happen this soon."

Giving Ery a gently pat on his side to thank him she instructed her mother's partner that he was free to go do whatever he wanted as she doubted either of them would need him again until their trip was over. And even if they did then there was always her magic cloth left to her by her father that currently tied her hair back. With a sigh she began to look around, searching for a spot she found suitable for their camp setup. Given the sheer size of the creature they arrived on it was clear that she was among a more open field than she'd prefer. Thankful that her mother at least managed to strap their belongings together into one sizable bundle she was able to take it over her shoulder by a single cord.

A line of trees sat along the edge of the clearing and felt the perfect place to set up their camp. At the very least it was a less open space and offered the duo some kind of cover should they need it. She wasn't going to just settle for right at the line to the field either. No Menat was willing to trek deeper into the trees to find a suitable space to set up their camp. She was sure her mother would be able to track her. The young girl had to admit, compared to the rapid growth of Meridia and the bustling of Reim, this forest retreat was actually already incredibly soothing for her and so far it had only been lugging their belongings through the trees. Her ears twitched as the sound of flowing currents otherwise too soft for those without the senses of a Fanalis to hear met them.

It was like a Siren's song to the young redhead, her stride shifting to follow the soft rustling of running water. The sound grew in intensity as she approached closer, the flow picking up to a roaring rush. It was no simple stream she had uncovered but a full-blown waterfall crashing against the ground where the falling water slammed into what had pooled at bottom only to push it away into a stream that eventually turned into a gentle flow. Much like the sound that had lured Menat to her current location. "A waterfall!" She said the simple fact with such childlike awe as she watched those falling currents. "This is perfect!" She dropped the belongings her mother had packed to the ground behind her.

It was like the waterfall itself had reinvigorated her just from being near it. Energy brimmed and flowed out of every action took while in the process of setting up their new campsite and temporary home for the week. The tent had been erected, a pit dug for the duo to use for their fires and even the logs for the first one set up meticulously in its center and waiting for an ember to set them ablaze. By this point Menat had finished getting things ready and her mother had still yet to return. A rumbling from her abdomen reminded the young Fanalis of the fact that she had yet to eat anything since her mother's whale had woken her before their trip. Fishing around among the uneaten snacks and lunches Merrze had packed for the trip both of them had fallen asleep on the young girl simply hummed to herself. Only stopping when she found what she had been looking for. Between taking the supplies down from Ery and her transporting them through the woods the jerky her mother had been chewing on earlier had gotten buried in their belongings. With a smile the future heiress of Meridia fished a few pieces out for herself, immediately bringing one up to clasp between her teeth, before sitting down to wait out her mother's arrival on a log she had dragged over to use as a bench before the fire pit. "Mamma makes the best jerky." She giggled to herself as she tore the dried meat apart, twisting her wrist in one direction and her head in the opposite.

She couldn't afford to let herself get too lost in the deliciousness of her mother's snacks, no matter how much she'd have liked to do as such. She still recalled how she had been informed that the night, and that of the following day, were to be used how she decided. Her mother had given her some ideas when they arrived. Making mention of things like sparring or hiking or even a spa. That last option made Menat chuckle to herself. As if she would want to be pampered like some wealthy Reim trophy wife. She couldn't even be bothered to brush her hair after all.

WC: 1,0062 / 1,000
Chain WC: 2,711

Merrze would track back in the path that lined the way of the jungle. She always felt at home in the jungles of the world. It's not that she hated cities, from her exploits it was obviously far from that. Nature just allowed for breath, for freedom in one's life. It was something she appreciated, something she hoped to appreciate with her eldest child. Merrze enjoyed the prestige and fashion of their new world but it would never make her forsake her roots. Walkling towards her camp her fingers would trace the vines, the woods. She wanted to feel the life of the forest. Her shoes would be tied to the waist of her pants, around the metal belt guard. Stepping through the leaves, pressing the cool mud. It reminded of her years ago when she trained in the jungles. Learning to improve her body, learning to use magoi manipulation.

Sigh. "Now's really not the time to reminisce though is it. I should pick up the pace." She had thought. Moving forward she'd pick up the pace. Moving into a light jog, which moves her through three trees with ease. Leaping past and over branches, the sounds of crackling water would guide the way for her. Musically with the splashing water, the slight sound of a giggle would expose the location she was looking for. Hoping down from the tree's she'd make her way down to her young cub.

She'd say "I see you're enjoying some the snacks, some of the things I prepared for dinner we're gonna have to bring them some of it as our payment for staying" Looking around the camp she'd be impressed with her daughters work. Before taking the chance to gather up the food it seemed like a good moment to relax. "You picked a wonderful place to set up." she'd say, continuing "You did great, I hope we can actually spend some time together but I think the only time we're gonna have to spend working is dinner. I think they'll be more grateful than your baby siblings."

While joking around Merrze would take in a deep breath, she'd enjoy the fresh scenery. The White Lioness couldn't have picked a better place herself. She'd have no trouble sleeping here, even the caws of the birds were inviting. "I'm glad our home is still close to the jungles, its the best place to unwind. We might have to do some stuff at night but a midnight swim is always fun."

Waltzing over she'd sort through the boxes which held their food, she had brought some extras in case they ate too much on the journey, with her having slept at least they'd be put to use. It also saved her the hassle of having to hunt down and cook more food for this night. She just wanted to spend time with her daughter, but she fell asleep, had to do duties, at least they could try and talk on the way to the retreat pavilion. She'd nudge, offering her daughter the chance to join her. Once her daughter had gotten up it was time to mosey on out.

As the two fanalis made their way through the jungle, and Merrze carried the food, she'd continue to talk. "Given it any thought what you wanna do tonight and tomorrow? With us only needing to handle dinner we should be able to enjoy all of our other time. I know it's not ideal but it's better than being bothered by politics every hour. As her daughter had the chance to reply they'd walk up towards the pavilion their ears would pick up the ongoing commotion.

Even with their decent hearing, it would be hard to make out words with everyone speaking over one another. It was clear they were in some sort of panic about something. There were others who were sitting, seemingly unaware. As she looked closely, throughout those sitting waiting for food, and the crowd, her eyes scanned for the Camp Master. The sleazy intern manager was surrounded by the crowd. She'd only met Vernon a few hours ago, but whether or not she was crept by him she'd need to calm those around to get some answers.

"WHEEEEEEEET!" Her sharp whistle would crack, gathering everyone's attention. "I"ve got dinner, braised pork belly, and some vegetable stew. We've got plenty of leftover rice from our lunch as well. Try to dig in, while everyone eats we can get this sorted out." There seemed to be some minor protest but Merrze's gaze seemed to persuade most of them. Vernon would say "Sit down and enjoy dinner, our fine guest has provided such a large spread. We can get things dealt with but an empty stomach solves nothing."

The food would barely cool their tempers, but it would provide some chance for her and Vernon to talk. This was probably a good chance to include her daughter as well. "Come on Menat, looks like there are some questions to ask and I think I might need your help. Hopefully, it's minor." She could only hope it was, but based on their reactions it was anything but.

She'd walk up, asking "What's the issue here Vernon?"

"Well it seems that one of the young customers has gone missing, she went out for a mud bath with friends, stayed in longer while they left and she's yet to return. I've warned people to stay on the path, I'm sure the young boy got lost, but I'm worried an animal might've got him." The slick-haired man would explain as sweat and nervousness painted his face.

They didn't have guards or proper security since most of the time it was capable people that came here. Occasionally it seemed there were those who were ignorant but she was surprised someone would be so careless. "Me and my daughter are pretty capable, we'll go look for him" she'd offer.

That would be a lifesaver! I'd pay you in return and take off your cooking duty!" He'd say excitingly with a rat-faced smile. That would at least provide Merrze and Menat more time together, even if they had to spend their goodnight time working. "Well Menat, my wolf it looks like our first activity for the night is looking for a lost boy."

Word Count: 1,050/1,000

Code:

[b]Job Name:[/b] Trouble Rocks the Ride
[b]Job Rank:[/b] C
[b]Job Location:[/b] The Plains
[b]Job Reward:[/b] 7,000 Huang | 100 XP
[b]Job Prerequisites:[/b] A path and a problem
[b]Job Overview:[/b] Things are looking pretty rough as the screams half lead the mother-daughter pair to a group of bandits that seemed to have swiped a young fanalis boy from the camp, take care of these scumbags and bring them back as proof.


Merrze would lift her head, in order to find the young man that went missing they'd have to move quickly, if he'd only gone missing recently they still had the chance to save him. She would start to hustle, guiding the way for her and her daughter. With a leap, she'd hop into the trees. They'd need a vantage point, plus it would let them travel quicker. She'd turn around, looking down on her daughter. She'd say "Hop on up, let's see who can move through the trees the quickest!" Her roar would follow with a firm kick-off from the branch she was on.

Leaves drifted towards the ground as it shook through its frame towards the earth. Each step would carry her weight behind them, pressing her off further as she kept her ears open. Passion and light-heartedness might've been the expression she tried to carry but worry was prevalent. The fanalis was aware of how melancholy would drape her if her offspring had been swiped. It wasn't a good feeling, it wasn't the first time she knew the feeling either. Memories of Ku weren't what she needed at this moment, even if it was something the lioness had no control over. A heavy heart would be replaced by watchful eyes and alert ears. She'd find this child, and find out who was trying to take them.

"Keep your ears open Menat, while still in the jungle their movement will be noisy and obvious. We actually have a better chance of catching them in the brush before they get free. Its likely we'll get lost in here if we spend too much time here." While giving watchful commands to her daughter she'd leap from tree to tree, spreading out from her daughter but keeping close enough to Alert her. After a moment of scanning, her eyes would catch something. There was a trail of cut vines and stomped bushes. They'd left a clear trail, yet they would need to take advantage of their surprise attack.

She'd wave over at Menat, alerting her to come over. "Looks like we found our mark, its time to move quietly use vines and hop softly between the trees." Following her own advice, the mother would swing between the trees, only jumping off lightly so as not to catapult herself. They'd made decent ground by the looks of it, and by the size of the path it seemed that there was a decent-sized group.

It was a shame she didn't have any beasts to help her currently, but she was her own weapon. With most of her equipment back at camp she could rely on her fists. The time would be close approaching as she could hear voices in the distance. It was rough, like a man who had smoked clove cigarettes for years. She'd pay attention, listening close to the grating voice while slowly closing in.

"We gots to hurry, I doubt there are any guests that could stop us but it won't be long till someone's looking for us. We were warned we'd only have smile gaps of time to pull this off, we do well here we got a steady job boys!" The voice rallied the group, as 5 other men holding a tied-up child. Upon closer inspection his eyes were closed, he was knocked out by the look of it. His hair was also a radiant scarlet. He had to be a young fanalis, sedative was probably used so he couldn't resist. It made sense that there were quite a few of them.

Based on the equipment they were carrying, and their builds she summed up their strength pretty quickly. They'd be of no trouble for Merrze, but this wasn't just about her. They had to secure the kid, it would be better, and more efficient to have a coordinated strike. With a low voice, she would speak to Menat "I'm going to drop down between them to break their ranks. I want you to take advantage of that moment to hop and attack the leader while I try to secure the boy. We could take these guys in our sleep but we have to be careful, its possible they have some drugs or medicines."

With her command, she'd hop forward, leading until they would reach a small clearing in the jungle brush. Now was her moment to pounce. Soaring into the air she would drop down from the trees, landing between them, causing two of the men to stumble back towards their leader.

"What the?!?" One would scream as an assault would soon follow. A Bumbling Bash from one would charge towards her, while two of the men would hold on to the boy. She'd take the charge, as he pushed her Merrze would drive her elbow into the back of the neck. The force of the blow would put the man to sleep, and it would leave her with two other targets. One would pull out his blade, drawing it towards the sleeping boy's throat.

"Not on my watch!" She'd shout, flash stepping towards the pair. In a flash she would be upon them both, grasping the villain who dared to try and cut the boy. With a quick move of her hands she'd swipe his blade, knocking it out of his hand and grasp the boy with her open left arm. Following her foot would sweep, knocking the two men down as they tried to free the child from her iron grasp. She would not yield, she would not bend. As the two assailants would fall to the ground she would perform a swift punch to each of their chests in order to put them out of commission.

"Sigh, well at least that parts done, lets get you back to safety." Standing up with the boy she'd look towards the three that were left, Menat had this challenge but the mother would stay vigilant. Even with a person in her arms, she'd rush to kick the opponent's jaw off if she needed to protect her cub.

WordCount: 1,011/1,000

Stamina: 500/510

Notes: Flash step used, knocked out each enemy with a basic attack.

[b]Enemy Name:[/b] Black Robbed Bandits x6 [b]Enemy Tier:[/b] C-tier [b]Damage Required to Defeat:[/b] C-tier [b]Description:[/b] A group of human individuals who seem to vary in size and shape, being slightly fit equipped with dagger 40cm long capable of doing C-tier damage. They cover their faces black cloth to hide their identities. [b]Abilities:[/b] [list] [*]Slurry Slash- The target does a vertical slash with their weapon while stumbling forward to do C-tier damage. [*]Bumbling Bash- The bandit tumbles forward 5m knocking down anything in it's path. [*]Semi-Perfect Parry- The user Parries an oncoming attack of up to C-tier, causing them to stabber and fall over. [/list]: