Soul Searching

[Darragh Harper]

Darragh felt Finny’s fear of him weigh on his heart, and the stoat looked none the happier as he listened to Madam Lorelei in silence. He had expected a little more fight from the kit. What he’d said had been more or less the standard Dad Is Annoyed speech he and his brothers and sisters had heard a hundred times on family outings. Behave, or I’ll beat you black and blue! The Harper kits never were truly well-behaved until threats were made about going to bed with no supper. Finny on the other paw… it occurred to Darragh that the little fox didn’t have a gaggle of siblings to diffuse and spread the Adult’s ire around with. And really, hadn’t he been so harsh because it had been him that Finny was copying in the first place?

Mentally noting to make it up to Finny later, Darragh took off his rag-mask and wrapped it up. Once Silvie was on the mend, perhaps he could give the kit a coin to go buy a treat, a reward for a job well done. Better wait until they were out of this shop for that, though. Darragh suspected Kaii at least would be none-too-thrilled if the youngest Foskateer decided to spend it on a cursed amulet or an eyeball in a jar. Thank goodness Madam Lorelei herself seemed unfazed by the unflattering names Finny had called her. Darragh sniffed the candied chestnut he’d been given. Satisfied it was coated in something sweet, not poisonous, he popped it in his mouth. Everybeast knew it was apples that old witches poisoned, anyway.

Considering amulets though… Darragh’s paw went to his mouth in shock as Swifttail tore the black stone pendant from his neck, and rushed to Silvie’s side in distress. Tears stung at the poet’s eyes as his heart, so sensitive to romantic gestures (particularly if they were twisted into tragedy) felt even heavier. The amulet that Silvie had given him, in protecting Swifttail, watched over its original owner no longer.

Darragh put his paw on Finny’s shoulder to move them both forward to comfort Swifttail… then Kaii’s firm tone froze him in place. The stoat’s grey-blue eyes looked up at the taller, commanding presence of the marble fox, and grew moist. They seemed to yearn at Kaii, surely, there is time for a hug?

Seconds count, when your loved one is in pain, came the imagined reply, an unforgiving truth as sure as two and two made four.

Darragh patted Finny and gave him a nod, indicating they should get closer to Swift, and the distraught Madam Lorelei. He wasn’t sure what to make of the idea that a malevolent spirit had invaded Silvie’s body. In the world of the infirmary aboard the Golden Hide, the body was filled with fluids and flesh, and Darragh had seen enough of both while helping Dr. Barrett. He had a feeling neither the surgeon nor Kaii, the scientist among them, would accept such an explanation, especially since Silvie’s body displayed such physical symptoms. Yet Darragh had never seen the scalpel dissect ailments like melancholia or mania, and those were as real as cuts and bruises.

“We’ve brave hearts and stubborn minds all of us, ma’am,” Darragh said, straightening his back. “I know I’d not be alone in thinkin’ there’s no risk I wouldn’t take for every beast in this room.”

Brave words that the poet was more than ready to turn into courageous action.

 

[Madame Lorelei]

As Swifttail’s paw made contact with Silvertongue’s chest, it was hot to the touch. Painfully so. The amulet started to grow warm in his paw, and Madame Lorelei grabbed his wrist to pull him away.

“I’m sorry. The amulet is merely a preventative measure. It can not reverse what has already occurred.” She said, sighing heavily. The old vixen stepped back and sat back down in her chair, reaching for her tea once more.

“It’s all my fault. I did not impress upon him the full extent of the danger he was in. I feared he would not believe, or worse, throw away the amulet, his one source of protection.”

She looked at all the other beasts before her. “You see, it started many seasons ago, well beyond any of your own years. I was born into a coven. A sisterhood of seers, soothsayers… occultists and witches. When I was but a kit, it was said I had great potential, and I was carefully trained to make the best use of my power. By the time I was around the same age as you young beasts, I was made the High Priestess of my coven.”

Madame Lorelei took a deep sip of her tea. “I know it all sounds strange, but do be warned. There are stranger things yet to come.” Her eye suddenly became dark, and her gaze haunted, looking at something a thousand miles away.

“On certain portentous evenings- carefully selected for their astrological potency, I would gather my devotees around an ancient onyx table, and, joining paws with them, I would send my spirit out into the void. Safely tethered by their vital energies, I was free to wander the Spirit Realm in search of dark communion and impossible power.”

Her paws started to tremble as she held the teacup.

“On one particularly fruitful venture, I found myself in a vast expanse of windswept dunes. Ahead, the stone spires of a pyramidal temple called down jagged bolts from a roiling, angry sky. Undaunted, I crossed the threshold of the towering aperture, settled myself upon the central dais, and prepared for the coming sacrifice. Back then, I was not yet wise enough to know fear.”

Well, she clearly knew fear now. The old vixen seemed reluctant to continue the story, or- her truth, as much as a fairytale as it may seem. Taking another long sip from her tea, she spoke once more.

“I could not see it, but I knew it was there. A shapeless, nameless, lifeless entity of unimaginable power. The thing I had been searching for, for so many years. I offered everything I had. Every virtue. Every vice. But it wanted none of that. So, I offered the soul of my firstborn child. That, and only that, seemed to please it, and yet it still wanted more. It seeked to breach out into our own world, using my body as its host. So, drawing vitality from the assembled mediums, I held fast against the thing, and stole a portion of its power!”

Madame Lorelei laughed. “It was a thrill unlike any I had ever felt before! Imbued with strange currents of infernal origin, my apotheosis was complete... but power… power does not come without cost. Emerging from my trance, I was met with the charred, steaming corpses of my acolytes sprawled out about the floor. Even before I could begin to weep for them, I could sense the eldritch entity stalking the edges of my consciousness, probing for weaknesses.”

Madame Lorelei fondled the tea cup in her paws.

“I had become a beacon - a conduit to unknown regions... and have been assailed by those blasphemous forces ever since. I am shrouded by an endless night where the beast prowls and whispers to me all the secrets I could ever want to know and more. It is only with the use of my talismans that I can keep it at bay.”

The old vixen sat her cup of tea aside. “I took a vow of celibacy, and I celebrated- so foolishly I thought I had tricked the entity out of its prize. Little did I know, it would extract what it wanted from me one way or another. Over time, I learned more about it, and eventually it decided on a title that I would be able to comprehend: The Dark King. It constantly reminded me of my bargain, burning into my mind and very soul its terrible words and knowledge. My talismans kept it at a minimum, and I let myself get complacent.”

Madame Lorelei sighed, almost wistfully. “I met a handsome young bard named Darksnout Songfox. We flirted, but I of course never went any further than that, and eventually he found another vixen to start a family with. For whatever reason, I felt attached to Darksnout and I stayed around. Even helped with the birth of his son, Firetail. I was like family after sometime, without actually being family. I made sure to stay distant, but… I suppose I hadn’t been distant enough. When Firetail was grown, and found a vixen of his own, he named me as his child’s godmother. That was when I knew- the Dark King would have my ‘first born’. Wasting no time, I researched into various charms and discovered the Eye of Nattu Bazar. I tried to warn Silvertongue’s parents of the impending danger, but they dismissed my concerns as superficial. Superstition. Who would blame them. I insisted, however, and gifted the amulet to Silvertongue once he was born. I thought I had truly won then.”

She looked over at Silvertongue. “Right now, the Dark King is likely planning to take over Silvertongue’s body, and use it as a host for his own maligned form. There is a way we can help him… we must cast our spirits from our own bodies, and venture into the Spirit Realm. If we can find where Silvertongue’s spirit is, and if necessary, free him, he will be awakened in his own body… I hope. The Dark King will most likely try and impede any rescue efforts. It will not be an easy task, but I need the help of young beasts like yourselves, with strong wills and stronger hearts yet.”

She looked out at the assembled beasts before her. They were Silvertongue’s only hope.

@SwifttailTheFox @Kaii Nashirou @FinnianBrightfur @Darragh Harper

 

[SwifttailTheFox]

The moment his paw brushed Silvertongue’s chest, heat seared through him like he had touched a hot coal. Swifttail yelped, jerking back as Lorelei seized his wrist and pulled him away. The amulet in his other paw throbbed hot as iron. He stumbled, tail lashing, and half-fell into Kaii’s steady arms.

For a breath, he just stayed there... panting, trembling, clutching the chain as though it might burn through his pads. Lorelei’s voice carried on, heavy and strange, every word pressing down on him until his legs felt hollow. The Dark King. Bargains. Spirits. Sacrifice. He blinked, ears flat, heart hammering too fast to make sense of any of it.

This wasn’t sickness. This wasn’t anything he understood. And he was terrified.

He wiped at his eyes with the back of his paw, breath catching. Then he swallowed hard and forced himself upright. His gaze went first to Kaii, whose presence still anchored him, then to the poet and the kit.

“I don’t understand it,” he admitted, voice cracking low. “But I’ll not leave him to this. Not Silvie. If we’ve to walk through shadows t’get him back, then I’ll go. No matter what it takes.”

He turned to Darragh, eyes glistening but fierce with sudden urgency.
“Ye said it, mate... no risk is too great. We’ll bring him back, aye?”

And to Finnian, softer but no less sure, he offered a paw.
“We’ll need every heart we’ve got. Come with us, Finny. Silvie needs us.”

 

[Kaii Nashirou]

As Darragh and Finn reacted to his words, coming closer and cooling off, Kaii was content with the fact his words spoke to the group. Swifttail fell into his arms and Kaii, instinctively offered a brotherly hug to the platinum fox. In the absence of their lover who needed help, Kaii knew he had to step up to help the one who was closest to the bard.

And as the story offered by the older vixen unravelled, Kaii... was not going to argue or question most of it. He would've preferred if the vixen was more down to the point, instead of oversharing the history of her life in this situation, but the context provided was something. Albeit the issue was, said something was not at all helpful now.

Swifttail repeated the sentiments of the group. They all had to act, they all had to take a risk here, Silvie needed them.

Kaii straightened, though he still held Swifttail for their comfort, albeit not too tightly, basically showing that they can leave at will. He decided to chip in with the very same calm authoritative voice as before, albeit not demanding one. Kaii simply communicated in his way that this is not a matter he would compromise on.

"Madam, with the causes known, as you hear, we are all ready to help. But, I am assured, none of us know much about the occult force you mention. Would you mind giving us more specific instructions? How can we cast our spirits in order to fight that whole Dark King?" Kaii asked while looking at Darr and Finn. His expression wasn't changing, but Kaii had hoped that Darr would gather that it was the same look, asking for assistance, that he had previously gave the young poet in the Hide's hold during their (mis)handling of the Idol.

As for Finny? Kaii saw that the kit had a lot of questions beaming from their pose, so he raised his pawfinger in a sort of a warning. It was not the time, albeit Finn knew that Kaii would love nothing less than thoroughly explaining to this kit all that he knew. It just had to wait till later.

 

[FinnianBrightfur]

Finn was nudged back into the group, a touch more muted. His muzzle had gone off talking by itself, and gotten him in trouble. Unfortunately, he had many questions now Many of the words the old vixen used were foreign to him. Several times during her story, he nearly opened his muzzle to speak -- but Darragh's paw rested heavily on his shoulder.

Eventually he was nudged towards Swift -- who looked rather distraught at this. Muzzled by the group, the foxkit could at least offer his support. He drew alongside Swift, fished his way under the todd's arm, and pulled his paw to rest over his breast. He peeked upwards to give the fox a reassuring look.

While Finn didn't understand every bit of Mme Lorelei's story, he understood enough. She had traded Silvie for power -- but had received the short end of the stick. Now, she needed more brave souls willing to fight her battle. One burning question remained, however. How they were to have any hope of defeating the Dark King? While Kaii gave voice to Finn's question, the foxkit couldn't help but add his own.

"Yeh, what are we gonna do, pee on 'im?" he asked indignantly.

Finn glanced over to Kaii, who was holding up his finger.

Oh dear.

The foxkit's ears folded, and he hid behind Swift's forearm shyly with a sheepish, apologetic, and slightly nervous smile.

 

[Darragh Harper]

Darragh did not like Madam Lorelei’s story, not one bit. He believed her - every word, for who would make up such a horrific crime as offering their firstborn child to a spirit of evil, while their godson lay wracked in pain and suffering on the table? Furthermore, his own experience of poetic tragedy, irony and morality fables about calling upon forces beyond beastly understanding, all rang in truthful harmony with the old vixen’s tale. Perhaps that’s what made even the most fanciful legends of dark magic so enduring - that dark grain of terrible truth, that the once-upon-a-time of a grim fairytale had not been so long ago nor far away after all.

Darragh and Kaii exchanged looks. Kaii seemed to Darragh to be a boat pole-jack guiding his raft down a rapid river, poling left and right to avoid jagged rocks - questions that had no answers that could be placed in the marble fox’s mental map of reality. Kaii wanted to get to the underlying structure, the function of how to save Silvie, without breaking apart on the form his illness took, which defied scientific reason. Or… did it?

“We might not know the biological characteristics of the Dark King,” Darragh offered to Kaii, “Nor possess whatever kind of seeing-glass that may reveal the habitations of such entities as the Madam describes. Yet even in our short time in the service of the Navy, we’ve seen some villainous creatures come from the very depths of the ocean that no textbook yet describes! Things with glowin’ tentacles and teeth like needles, that we’d call a sailor’s yarn if we didn’t see it ourselves served in the galley with a slice of lemon!

Let’s then consider the Dark King in the same way - a kind of intelligent beast that exists somewhere in nature. And if it is of this world, then it must be constrained by rules like anythin’ else. Just as the fish must swim, and I can’t hop over buildings. Let’s forget the how it does what it does for the moment. As long as we know what constrains it, what laws set down in its very nature it must abide by… perhaps we’ve a chance of defeatin’ it.

As far castin’ our spirits… I admit, Madam Lorelei, your tale leaves me with certain apprehensions as to the quality of your character. Aye, I think it fair to say you are a witch, and that afears me. But I see the way you look at Silvie, and that I do trust. Just know that if you’re expectin’ to sacrifice us to bring Silvie back, like you did your acolytes for power… know that you will have killed his soul when he discovers such a crime done in his name.”

Darragh folded his arms. Did he really think Madam Lorelei would be duplicitous, hoping to burn the bodies and souls of a few young, naive strangers to bring her grandson back? Would she see it as worth it, even if he hated her, even if he would avenge them? The only thing Darragh was certain of, was that he would take the chance to save Silvie anyway. The alternative, that Lorelei’s intentions were wholly good, and that he might throw away Silvie’s life due to his suspicions, was the far worse of two possible bad outcomes.

 

[Madame Lorelei]

"Casting your spirits, yes. Casting your spirits out of your bodies and into the Spirit Realm. That is exactly how YOU all will help Silvertongue. Believe me, I would have done it myself, but I am not as powerful as I was in my heyday." Madame Lorelei stood up, and she moved the tray of tea off of her table and back onto the stove. She was disappointed that nobeast else wanted tea. "Casting one's soul is an art that takes decades to master. You beasts will have less than a day to learn what took me twenty years of my life."

The eldery vixen walked back over to the table. Grabbing the tablecloth in her paws, she ripped it away, revealing that the table was made of pure onyx. The same table from her story. There were warped spots where a terrible burning flame must have engulfed her acolytes.

"Now let me assure you, I am not intending to sacrifice you." She looked at Darr specifically. "If you recall, I drew strength from my followers when I went into the Spirit Realm. In the same way, you all will draw strength from me."

Madame Lorelei sat down at the table, and she ran her paw over it, a lukewarm smile on her face. "For the first expedition, I will cast my own soul out to join you. I know I just said that I couldn't, but it's just that I can't do it very often anymore. I can't just have you blindly stumbling about for your first out-of-body experience."

Madame Lorelei looked up at the gathered group. "Let me be very blunt. I do not expect this to be done in a single day. You will most likely have to rest, and return tomorrow, and the day after that. This could be a week-long or multiple-week endeavor. The Dark King is a powerful and dangerous entity. He will not give up Silvertongue's soul so easily."

Madame Lorelei sighed heavily. "It is ill advised to divine one's own fate... but I am almost certain I am not going to survive to see Silvertongue returned to us safely. I'm okay with that. I've lived long enough. I mean, look at me, for Kitsune's sake!" She cackled a bit, but the laugh faded quickly. "I would trade places with Silvertongue in an instant, if I could. I have a feeling the Dark King would take my soul just as quickly."

"You're all young, strong beasts. You have your whole lives ahead of you. When this is all over... live out your lives to the fullest. And you." She looked at Swifttail specifically. "Take care of Silvertongue, won't you?"

@SwifttailTheFox @Kaii Nashirou @Darragh Harper @FinnianBrightfur

 

[SwifttailTheFox]

Swifttail’s ears flicked back as Lorelei spoke of decades of training, of weeks or months even, lost to the Spirit Realm. His stomach knotted, and he shook his head in disbelief.

“Gates… how’re we meant t’ do this in a day, when it took ye that long? An’ if it takes weeks… what of m' blacksmith apprenticeship? What of our duties? We can’t just vanish from the world that long, can we?”

His paw clenched against his tunic, the amulet still hot against his chest. Fear edged his voice, but there was urgency in it too.

He turned, looking up at Kaii with wet, searching eyes.
“Kaii… ye’re the one what makes sense of things. Mayhap this ain’t like yer usual science, but mayhap ye can chart it like science. Learn its rules, an’ teach it back t’ us. If there’s a way t’ see the shape o’ this realm, it’s you who’ll find it. The rest of us...” he gestured faintly to Finn and Darragh, “...we’ll need ye t’ put it in words we can grasp.”

He drew a shaky breath, but there was resolve in it now. His gaze moved to each of his companions in turn, as if binding them together with the weight of his eyes.

“We’ve got mind in you, Kaii. Heart in you, Darr. An’ fire in you, Finny. An’ together, we’ve the strength t’ see this through. If we hold fast, Silvie won’t fall. I swear it.”

Swifttail pressed the amulet tight to his chest and faced Lorelei again.
“Tell us what we need t’ do. We’ll see it through.”

 

[Kaii Nashirou]

What Darragh said was right. Kaii just wasn't sure why he needed to state it to him. It was all valid observations but Darragh of all present beasts knew that Kaii had methods to tackle the arcane. The marble fox decided to not comment on that, just politely nod. After all there were much bigger issues at paws. Finny's comment was crass, but it showed the impatience. Darr maybe too was grasping at straws, seeking any solution. That brought him to just accepting how the two tried to help in any way they could.

The words of Madame Lorelei were of some help. They were however not bringing any good news. Spending an entire day just to learn this art, then potentially weeks to solve this matter? It was all of course doable, no price to high for their friend, but Kaii was trying to figure out how to make it more efficient. Faster. Better. The issue was that he had no skill in occult matters like this. The best he had was his mind.

A mind that his friends wished to rely on. Swift said so. Darr implied so. Finn hopefully knew so.

As such he stepped over to Silvie and pulled out his notepad and a pencil.

Empiric method was what he could start with, but ultimately it probably would require relativism, perspectivism and infinitism. As he started to speak flatly, calmly and with focus, he was writing down his observations. "Dark King exists, is capable of exerting power and physically affecting Silvertongue. That is what we know for sure." Kaii ran his paws over Silvertongue's blackened veins. "Pulse is heightened from pain, the blackening spreads from the heart, that obviously means it transmits with blood, ergo the lifeforce itself."

Kaii then took out a small piece of bandage and used his claw to pinch one of the blackened vessels on his arm. The blood itself wasn't black. He quickly bandaged over it. "Transmits with blood but is not a part of it. Looks like a sort of vessel corruption. Makes sense considering this entity tries to take over the body. Presumably it would be seen on the nerves as well."

Kaii further opened his mind to the nonsense, he was an analyst, capable of processing a lot of data, he just had to reconsider sources of said data. "They are definitely intelligent as established, but also, that means we could do something here. Assuming the way it spreads... It only took Silvertongue down once it corrupted him. Technically, should we also get corrupted, while connected to the same source, we could end within the same realm. The way it operates makes it logical, as if we were to connect our lifelines directly to Silvertongue's, we would create continuity."

Operating strongly in the realm of deduction, Kaii also cut his own paw slightly with his claw, just enough to draw blood. Then he slowly started unbandaging the nip he did to his bardic friend. "It will not be pleasant to any of us, but I assume it will be much quicker solution to enter this realm, while risky, it also means we are there independently and can be removed with as little as a tug here in the real world. All we have to do is to connect our open vessels to his corrupted ones."

Kaii twitched his nose and whiskers, looking to his friends with grim but near unbreakable determination. "That is all I can propose at my current knowledge. No matter what, the dark king is, as you've said Darr, confined by rules we simply are not aware of. I cannot learn them before seeing them, thus we have to delve into this realm no matter what. I know it will be harsh probably, especially for you Swift, to see the deepest pains of your lover's psyche. But my oaths to you are still true. I will serve with all I have to keep you safe there. Especially you Finn. I may not be your family, but I will protect you as one."

And then he looked at Madame Lorelei. "May I proceed?"

 

[FinnianBrightfur]

Finn held onto Swift's wrist as he listened to the adults talking. As a young kit, Finn was a free agent. He had no duties or obligations to attend to, other than whenever the Hide disembarked again on it's next voyage. He had no family to care for, and the vast majority of his closest friends were in this room. His only concerns were for safety, and how they intended to defeat the Dark King.

As Darragh spoke, Finn listened carefully. Though he had no affection for Mme Lorelei's profession, he hadn't considered the possibility she was planning to sacrifice them for Silvie's life. The stoat spoke well though, and Finn watched carefully to see how the old crone vixen would react. A wave of sorrow ebbed at his footpaws as he realized the vixen's intention -- her life for Silvie's. While that was a far more tolerable position, Finn didn't like the thought of that either.

Quiet as he was, Finn's ears perked as Kaii began to assess Silvie's body. The kit gently drew away from Swift, and stood next to Kaii to assist. After all, he'd have done the same aboard the Hide. Though, with his limited knowledge, Finn merely served as a second check to Kaii's observations, and nodded along. His ears folded back at the todd's suggestion of entering the spirit realm. He'd already been through that experience once, and it was... quite unpleasant. But like Captain Talinn... Silvie was one of the first beasts he met on the Hide. Finn'd gladly suffer for his sake.

Standing near Silvie's head, Finn gently brushed his paw down between the fox's ears. "We're comin' for ya Silvie..."

 

[Darragh Harper]

Darragh fell silent. It was rare that he felt his words were useless, but this seemed to be one of those times. This was not the kind of problem he could solve by just thinking about it, or by being literary and imaginative. This was a problem of such complexity that it needed expertise, the knowledge that had been accumulated over generations of study. Whatever he had to say about it was like assembling a sandcastle on a beach in the shadow of a coastal fort.

The poet’s life had been blowing in the breeze ever since he had left home. He had set down a few new roots that had turned into obligations - duty to the Navy, rent to the landlord. There was no master in this world that would give any care for their underlings without tallying up to the cost to themselves. It was left to the likes of Darragh to take their leave without consent, care for their sick and dying with the meagre leftovers of their pay, and suffer a beating for ‘indolence’ or other less savoury accusations upon their return. It had happened before, and Darragh was resigned to the fact it would happen again. What else could he do? Let Silvie die, and live with that evermore? So that he could turn up for a roll call on the Hide and get barked at to spit and polish the doorknobs?

As resolved as he was to stay, Darragh was unsure exactly what he was being asked to do. Casting his spirit out of his body sounded an awful lot like a euphemistic way of saying dying, but he was at least sure they weren’t going to help Silvie by willingly dropping dead. As for the concept of a Spirit Realm itself, he was a poet, not a priest. Darragh’s religious bearings mostly revolved around crimes in this world being judged and punished in the next. The Harper household had tended to invoke the divine as a curse rather than a topic of deep debate. However, when they had… lost kits, naturally all the youngest of Darragh’s siblings had wanted to know where their brother or sister had gone.

Someplace better, father would say. Back to the earth whence we all came, said his mother, a bit more bluntly. When it fell to Darragh to settle the kits to sleep, he had had to invent that ‘someplace better’, and tell them stories of the kinds of adventures their lost siblings were having. Sometimes he invented castles in the sky, or palaces of glass at the bottom of the sea. He would invent fairy kings and flying ships, magic books and spells cast with a pawful of stardust, and always there were feasts and friends. It kept squirmy little stoats quiet and reassured, but somehow always left a soreness in Darragh’s heart. He had never asked any of his brothers and sisters what age they stopped believing in his invented afterlives. Even the eldest had listened to him on the hardest nights.

“The Spirit Realm,” Darragh blurted out, his words halting like there were paws constricting his throat. “Is… that’s the afterlife, isn’t it? Am… Am I goin’ to see… others? Am I goin’ to see the dead?”

The question sounded pathetic and stupid in Darragh’s ears. Had everybeast already worked this out five minutes ago, seen right through Lorelei’s dramatic ghost story for what she actually meant? She was sending them to Hellgates, wasn’t she? Actual Hellgates, they were all just too scared to say it! There was no ‘Spirit Realm’, the lying vixen was just adding sugar to the poison. Darragh’s paws were shaking. He had clung onto his own fairytales to conceal the dark abyss of not knowing what had become of the souls of his dead siblings. His little brother Tadhg, who had been so serious and thoughtful for a kit. Rowdy and wild Fiadh, who they were sure would grow up into a bandit queen. Sweet Bronagh who collected flowers, and cried when she found them dried up and brown in the little box she kept them in…

Darragh blinked tears, looking down at Silvie. They had written a song together to farewell the dead. It was too soon to think he might have to sing it by himself, with no lute to accompany him. It was too terrifying to imagine they might be reunited in a place that had never been touched by song.

 

[Madame Lorelei]

Madame Lorelei paused. Darr's question seemed to catch her off guard. "You know, dear... it's such a vague term. In this instance, you are not entering the 'afterlife', because you are not dying. Imagine it is like... a very vivid dream. The dreaming world and the afterlife are very closely entwined and inter-tangled. Will you see spirits of those who passed? It is entirely possible. It's dependent on WHERE exactly you end up. The Dark Forest is a vast place, and souls tend to wander more often than not. You can not let yourself be distracted by such things, for there are dangers lurking in the realm beyond as well."

She turned to Kaii. "Your observations are entirely correct, young Todd. I must warn you, this method is far more volatile as you said. There is a high chance you will be thrusting yourself into a dangerous situation as soon as you arrive. I trust you are ready to face whatever you may find on the other side. So, once you have established the connection, close your eyes and take deep breaths. Empty your mind, and block out all stimuli around you. Only then will you be able to cast your soul out to the realm beyond."

@Kaii Nashirou @SwifttailTheFox @FinnianBrightfur @Darragh Harper

 

[SwifttailTheFox]

Swifttail’s heart still pounded like a forge hammer in his chest. Lorelei’s words sank deep, settling somewhere between dread and awe. The talk of souls and spirits and of seeing the dead made his fur bristle. He cast a look toward Darragh, understanding now why the stoat had asked what he did. The question struck too close to home. The thought of seeing the faces of his own lost kin again... the ones he’d never been able to bury... made his stomach twist.

"So it’s not death, then… just dreamin’ with yer soul out wanderin’?" he asked quietly. His paw lingered over the amulet at his chest as he exhaled, long and shaky. "Still sounds enough t’ chill a fox’s fur."

He looked back at Darragh, his voice gentler. "But if we do see them… maybe it’s not all bad. Maybe some things we lost come back t’ guide us."

The flicker of fear was finally starting to wane, replaced by something steadier. He turned toward Kaii, meeting the marble fox’s calm with his own growing conviction. Stepping closer, he placed a paw against his companion’s shoulder.

"You’ve done it, Kaii. Ye found a way when all seemed lost. None else could’ve made sense o’ this madness." A small grin found its way onto his muzzle.

His gaze shifted next to Darragh and Finnian, the warmth flaring to his eyes. "An’ Darragh, mate… you’re the heart that keeps us steady. Don’t lose that now. We’ll face whatever comes, together." Then, softer, to the younger fox: "Finny, you’ve the spark that keeps the dark away. Don’t hide it. I’ll need that fire, an’ so will Silvie."

He stepped forward, placing his paw upon the onyx table. The stone was cold and biting beneath his pads, yet he held it firm, grounding himself to the moment.

"Right, then. Whatever it takes, I’m with ye. Clinker can hire some other attic slave..." His tail flicked once, silver catching the sickly green light of the crystal ball. "We’ll do this together. We’ll bring him home."

 

[Kaii Nashirou]

Kaii didn't bother with wasting any time. Finding appropriate spots to cut and access Silvertongue's corrupted veins. He was not a surgeon, but precise work was his forte. He made only sure to not cut visibly large or pulsing vessels to assure that his friend won't bleed out. going through his fur to find them, he spoke without turning his head. "Come over please, prepare your paws for a cut. Let me do it so that your cuts will match the ones I've made already." Kaii now considered that there were a lot of blood diseases he had read about and if he could make the others risk getting those in this situation.

But he chose to think that they were all in this together, it wasn't just his burden to care.

Swift was already there, Kaii took his paw gently and gave him the same cut he earlier did to himself. "That is nothing for now Swift. Let us solve this fully, then you may thank us all. Wait till we are all ready." The marble fox requested as he moved to the youngest of them all.

Finnian was also just by Silvertongue's head. Kaii moved to them and pulled their head to his torso while taking kit's paw and giving them cut, making sure it will hurt as little as possible. The marble fox then brought his paw close to one of the woulds he made on the bard's body.

FInally, Darragh just came closer as well. Kaii gave him a cut to with explanation of his own. "Rationally, what we are is far beyond what science can tell. But sharing dreams, deliriums or visions is not unheard of. That is what is suspect for us to happen, based on how this Dark King affects our friend and what I can fully observe. Yes it was said it will be a vivid dream, but I suspect we thus will be able to share our delusions and memories. Something that I hope you all are ready... I hold no secrets towards any of you, but I hope my grim past will not be of issue to you."

Kaii then did the last important thing he could think of, turning to the old vixen. "I suspect you need not be told so, but I ask for you to care for our bodies in the process."

And now, with all their paws hovering over the wounds on their dear bard, Kaii sternly nodded with determination. "Gentlebeasts. Let us do this." He brought his cut paw to the one on Silertongue's body and felt the sting as their bloods have mixed.

It didn't took long till his veins too have blackened. It hurt, but not enough to make him falter or flinch, though it may have been just his sheer stubbornness. His vision slowly faded as he observed the rest too falling into this realm of the unknown. He was thrilled but more so, he wished to help and was happy to do so.

 

[Silvertongue Songfox]

Meanwhile...​

Darkness. Pain. Silvertongue was trapped in a black void chained up, by... something unnatural. Slimy and pulsating like tentacles. He could barely move his arms an inch. His head hung low. Each breath was labored, and painful, his chest being constricted as well. "Madame Lorelei..." He wheezed. "Please, hurry... I don't think I have much-"

"Time... Master Songfox?" A deep, rumbling voice asked, echoing all around Silvertongue. "Is it really that... time, again?"

Footsteps, and then a large black wolf, dressed in the finest black silk coat, cravat and breeches, along with a flowing cape. Silvertongue glared at this figure, albeit weakly.

"Why are you in such a hurry to... leave, young master? It feels as if you've just arrived."

The Wolf walked closer, its golden eyes glowing, and he grabbed Silvertongue's chin, forcing him to look up. "Surely you can stay a little longer~"

Silvertongue spat a big wad of blood into The Wolf's face. "You disgust me."

The Wolf grimaced, stepping back and licking its chops, cleaning the blood away. "And you... excite me, Master Songfox~" It grinned widely, baring its teeth. "Such a tenacious soul... it will make breaking you all the more delectable."

Suddenly, The Wolf stumbled back, howling in pain and gripping its chest. Silvertongue felt it too, it was as if he was being held over a fire. He couldn't help but scream. At the same time, however, Silvertongue felt the bonds holding him weaken, and he wrenched himself out of them, falling to the- ground? Or at least what counted as ground in this realm- and gasping for air, pulling at the inky black ropes that constricted his breath, yanking them away.

"NO!" The Wolf roared out, his body contorting, his clothes ripping away as his form became more monstrous, more feral.

Silvertongue yelped and he scrambled to his feet. turning and starting to run somewhere, anywhere, just away from The Wolf.

The Wolf grinned, his smile unnaturally wide and filled with too many teeth. His raised a paw and snapped his fingers.

The ground gave way under Silvertongue, and he found himself falling, infinitely falling into infinite nothingness- until he slammed into the ground again. Silvertongue sat up with a groan, looking around, and was almost blinded by the brightness. The sky was a bright pink, with a big yellow sun in the distance. The ground seemed to be paved, at least, but as he looked around he realized that he was standing on a platform floating in another endless void. There were actually edges that he could fall off if he wasn't careful. The entire thing seemed to be built like an obstacle course, with ramps and walls and tall towers scattered about. "What... what is this place?" Silvertongue asked.

"I'm so glad you asked, Master Songfox." The Wolf appeared behind Silvertongue, still in his monstrous form, each word from the slathering beast caused drool to drip from it's jaws. "What do you think of my little playground? It's... Not Perfect."

Silvertongue shook his head, refusing to engage with The Wolf. "Come on, Silvertongue. Wake up, wake up!"

The Wolf cackled. "I'm afraid it won't be that easy, Master Songfox. I still have... quite the grip... on your soul." It placed a claw against Silvertongue's chest, pointing directly at his heart. "And I won't be letting go so easily. But... since you have escaped my grasp... I decided I want to have a bit of fun with you. So go ahead. RUN. Try and wake up. And keep this interesting for me... won't you, Master Songfox?"

Without warning, The Wolf lunged forward and Silvertongue jumped back just as the beasts jaws snapped down where he had been standing. Silvertongue turned and started to run. There was no escape in this colorful hellscape, but he ran regardless. The Wolf howled and gave chase, galloping after him.

Silvertongue kept trying to wake up, closing his eyes and praying, smacking himself, pinching and even biting, but he did not wake. The Wolf was easily catching up to him.

"BE BETTER!" The Wolf roared out its challenge. "RUN FASTER! BE BETTER! RUN FASTER! BE BETTER! RUN FASTER!"

And so Silvertongue ran, stumbling over himself and turning a corner to sprint as fast as his legs could carry him, with The Wolf hot on his heels. He needed something to defend himself.

"Think, think..." Silvertongue tried to manifest a weapon in his paws, and his lute appeared. "This could work.." He said with an eyebrow raised.

He turned around and, seeing The Wolf on top of him, slammed the lute down on its muzzle. The Wolf growled and stepped back. Seemed it was only stunned, but that gave Silvertongue time to run, and get some more space between them. He ran, his legs were on fire, but he ran, and that's when he heard The Wolf howl, and the slamming of paws on the ground. He barely had time to turn around and see that it had caught up to him in an instant, slamming into him and throwing him to the ground, its meaty paws wrapping around Silvertongue's throat. Silvertongue choked, gasping for air and punching at The Wolf, trying to wrench its claws away.

The Wolf laughed maniaclly. "Your struggle is PATHETIC, Songfox!"

That's when Kaii and the others arrived. Well, more accurately, they seemed to just manifest themselves there. Silvertongue and The Wolf stared in shock, with Silvertongue still locked in the deadly chokehold.

The Wolf moved quickly, releasing Silvertongue and standing, transforming into his more 'presentable' self, dressed as royalty. Silvertongue gasped for air, sitting up and looking towards the others. "N-no... it's too dangerous for you to be here." He whimpered.

"Now, now..." The Wolf dusted cleared it's throat. "Master Songfox, why didn't you tell me we were expecting... company? I would have... spruced the place up." It motioned to the chaotic colorful landscape they were in. "Please excuse the mess, it's been far too long since we've had this many... visitors... from the waking world." The Wolf salivated, eyeing the group with obvious hunger.

Silvertongue shakily stood up, running over to Swifttail and collapsing into his arms. "Go." He whispered. "Go, please. You're all in terrible danger."

@SwifttailTheFox @Kaii Nashirou @FinnianBrightfur @Darragh Harper

 

[SwifttailTheFox]

Swifttail watched as Kaii moved methodically down the line. The marble fox’s steady precision was a small mercy amid the tension coiling in the room. When his turn came, he braced himself and winced as the blade bit into his offered injured left paw. The sting burned hotter than expected, a sharp, living pain that seemed to hum up his arm. Still, he didn’t pull away. The tang of iron filled the air as he pressed his paw to Silvertongue’s. The warmth of mingled blood pulsed between them, strange and rhythmic, like their hearts were already beating in sync.

He looked once at Kaii’s calm, at Darragh’s quiet worry, at Finn’s brave little frown and found his courage there. The faint brush of the kit’s paw met his own for an instant, grounding him just before the world began to tilt.

“Hold fast... for Silvie.”

The world bled apart.

Heat spread through his veins, a crawling blackness chasing it up his arm. Sound folded inward. His heartbeat turning to thunder, then fading to nothing. The air collapsed around him, color bleeding into dark, then shattering into a violent wash of pink light.

He hit the ground with a soft thud. It felt wrong. Too light.

It held him, but it didn’t feel like ground. Every step felt buoyant, spongy without give... like walking on foam when expecting hardwood. Shapes and colors flickered and echoed with each breath, much too bright and clear to be reality. The world shimmered...and yet his touch and smell felt numb, like his body didn’t quite belong in it.

As his daze began to subside, something moved ahead, and a figure suddenly collapsed into his arms, gasping. Silvertongue.

Swifttail stumbled forward, barely steady on his paws, and caught him as he fell. The bard’s body was heavy, trembling... and for the first time since the ritual began, something felt solid. Real. Swifttail pulled him close, voice cracking.

“Silvie...! I’ve got ye.”

Then came the voice.

It rolled through the air like silk wrapped around thunder, vibrating in his ribs. The Wolf stood there, regal and monstrous all at once, black fur rippling beneath a coat of impossible finery, eyes glowing gold and hungry.

Swifttail’s fur rose. His tail bristled. Every instinct screamed to run, but he didn’t.

“Ye’ll not lay another claw on him.”