Alliance of the Unlikely

[Kuro Kasai]

She had a mischievous smile on her face as she said, 'Then how can I get you down?' She turned and easily hopped to another branch, swaying with the movement of the branch instinctively. Tio traveled along the branch, remembering all the little tips and tricks from her childhood, and made it to the end of the branch to watch the chaos below. 'Besides if you want to stay with me, it's the fastest way to travel.' She sent him a reassuring smile 'It's not usually that violent, but it can be just as fast.' Tio turned her attention to the adventurers as they finished off the Goblins and tried to get their bearings after the abrupt goblin attack attack.


Tio watched as the people tried to salvage what was left of the wagon and it's cargo with a pitying look on her face. She understood their plight and knew that it would be next to impossible for them to get back to town without at least one (or more) of them dieing for one or more reasons; the Goblins would be back (they always come back), plus their supplies had been burned with the wagon, leaving them injured and hungry. She didn't want to just leave them there, but knew she couldn't help them without risking them trying to kill or capture her because of her unique species. Tio sighed heavily. 'What to do, what to do.'

 

[Karate Cat]

Catirahl sent his annoyance throughout their telepathic connection. 'I can get down by myself, thank you very much.' He wouldn't let this Dragon mocked the cats, the naturals of climbing trees. With a skillful leap he went down to another branch below Tio's. Here he could see the ground better while keeping himself unnoticed.


He could feel Ariadne scratching his back out of stress, but he ignored her plea.


The humans had finished the Goblins rather quickly since they no longer need to protect their cart. That left them with no supplies, though, and now they were scrambling for anything useful left intact. Food was of course of utmost importance. Thankfully some crates containing beef jerky survived the fire. With enough planning that should last them a few days of journey. Tio's worry seep in to Catirahl and reminded him of the Goblin problem. Trekking back out of the forest should be doable. Fighting back constant Goblin aggression while running away would be hard.


'Hey, Tio, this is something I learned when helping humans in my town,' Catirahl sent her a mental image of him traveling down the city sewer, hunting down Dire Rats infestation. 'The Rats are hard to kill when they group together, so I can't kill them all by myself. What I do is find the Queen. Strike the Queen, and the rest of the herd fell apart. Think we can do that with those green things?'

 

[Kuro Kasai]

Tio tilted her head thoughtfully and said, 'Goblins work a little differently than dire rats, they do follow a central leader, however they tend to think more selfishly and don't follow orders well. If we are going to get rid of the Goblins we would have to take all of them down or take them over and one of us becomes their leader. Which is next to impossible.' She turned her head to look down at the rest of the tree and absentmindedly considered how she would get to the next tree from here as she thought over their problem.


She hopped down a couple of branches, ran along one, before taking a flying leap for an adjacent branch of the opposite tree. With this method they could travel safely and run into little problems as they journeyed. It would have been faster to fly but she knew Catirahl wouldn't be up for it for a while. 'I think that we should stick to the trees, not coming down until we are a relatively safe distance away and until I get my strength back up again.' Tio motioned with her head that he should follow before turning and jumping onto the next branch, making for another tree. 'When I do, I can then fly you to the nearest town and drop you off there, where we will part ways. Sound like a plan?'





She turned to look at him and said, 'That is, if you don't want to stay with me of course?'

 

[Karate Cat]

Catirahl followed Tio as the Dragon nimbly leapt from one branches to the other. It's true that proceeding like this would be safest, as Goblins weren't known as climbers. Catirahl instinctively knew that upon seeing their build. They were indeed capable of shooting them down with projectile, but as long as they moved stealthily there should be no danger of that. He felt a bit sad leaving the humans behind, but nothing he could do about it. The adventurers had moved out from their previous spot, most likely searching for safer place to regain their energy. He wondered whether they would meet again one day.


The cat stopped on a branch one tree behind Tio upon hearing that she would dropped them off another town. Saying it that way sounded like she thought they were just a burden to her. He felt slightly annoyed by that. Ignoring the plan, he jumped off the branch, using the trunk to slow down his speed before doing a somersault and landed on the ground. Ariadne almost pissed herself again from that.


She did followed with a question whether he wanted to stay or not, but he was already down by that time. 'Let's proceed. It'll be okay. I can fight,' he said confidently. The truth was a bit hard to verify, as he was just a normal house cat, but his pride refused to let himself be babysit by Tio. Defiantly he tread in the open road. Things seemed safe so far, except for a rustling on the bushes on the right side...


"Grrr!"


From the bush came out a short green-skinned humanoid with pale, blank eyes. A goblin! This one looked a bit different from the rest. Goblins tend to wear armors stolen from their victims, but this one was naked save a simple plaincloth tied around its waist, functioning as makeshift skirt covering its part above the knees. Its right hand was holding a crude wooden club. Catirahl stopped right on his track, both the cat and the Dire Rat frozen in place unable to move out of fear. The Goblin didn't seem to notice them yet even though they're right in front of it.


Ah...their eyes met.


Catirahl let out a low growl, while the Goblin just stared. Just...stared. It scratched its bald head, just standing there slackjawed.


"Mrr..."


They kept the little staring contest for a while. Catirahl's suspicion grew more with every passing seconds. 'Hey, Tio...' he called out through the telepathic link. 'Is this guy...an idiot?'

 

[Kuro Kasai]

She felt his irritation as she discussed her plan with him and sighed, rolling her eyes. 'Male pride, I swear.' Tio watched as he jumped down to the ground and shook her head, 'That pride will get him killed', she thought to herself. She continued jumping from branch to branch as Catriahl walked on the ground, until she heard rustling in the bushes that is. She tensed, ready to swoop in, grab Catriahl and run at any moment. They weren't ready to face anything yet.


When the Goblin came out of the bushes, a snarl started in her throat before she saw that it had no armor and relaxed, laying down on the branch and huffing. 'Geez! I was actually nervous for a moment.' Her eyes alighted on the Goblin after Catirahl's comment and stifled a laugh at the idiotic look on the Goblins face, saying, 'This one is not very powerful, you can kill him easily. There would be little point however, so just go around him, he won't hurt you. Yet.' Tio stood up and stretched like a cat, yawning, before turning and continued on her way like nothing had happened.


'Godess, all this stress will turn my scales grey before long!' She thought to herself.

 

[Karate Cat]

Catirahl still eyed the Goblin warily, but decided to trust Tio's words and went his way. Even when he got closer and went past it, the Goblin did nothing. Just staring. It looked more confused than deceiving. The cat sighed. Everything can happen in the outside world, huh. At first he thought all Goblins were scary little creatures, but now this one appeared. No matter. Just ignore it, just ignore it...


He kept walking while watching Tio hopping from one branch to another above him. 'You seems accustomed to this place. Come to think of it, we were just following the humans, but why are you here in the first place? Were you traveling, or...'


The cat stopped his question upon noticing a presence behind him. He peeked a bit to see the silhouette of that Goblin standing there. Still far, but clearly their distance didn't change much from before. He proceed further a few meters forward, then peeked back. The Goblin was still within seeing distance. It didn't show any sign of violence or danger, just...staring. When the cat started moving again, it followed suit. When he stopped, it did as well. Ariadne shuffled atop Catirahl's back, feeling unease from the Goblin's presence.


'Hey Tio...that thing is still following us. He didn't do anything, just...following. That's...creepy.'

 

[Kuro Kasai]

She didnt look at him as she thought through a way to answer him. Acording to her clans laws, she could not tell other creatures with the intent to harm her kind about their culture. She knew instinctively that Catirahl had, right now, no intent to harm her or her people; however she had not known him for long and could not let the fact that he'd saved her color her thoughts. She was ready to tell him when he descovered that the Goblin was following them. She giggled and conveyed her amusiment to him through their connection, saying, 'They do that.' She left it at that and continued along her semi- air born route.


((I'm so sorry that I've been gone for so long, I haven't abandoned the rp! I'm sorry!))

 

[Karate Cat]

Catirahl sensed the hesitation when she was about to answer him, but clearly the goblin situation served as a good distraction upon the subject. The cat knew courtesy just like a human would; he didn't attempt to delve further. Right now they were comrades traversing the same path, and honestly having a strong dragon with them made the journey felt safer. If someone would look from afar they would be greatly amused by the sight. A Cat, with a Dire Rat hugging its back, a Dragon hopping from branches to branches up above, and from a slight distance from the three was a blank-eyed Goblin following them around. Any casual observer would be questioning how crazy they were at the moment.


The road was quiet saves for the moving and rustling of the forest. The Goblin grunts from time to time, but more like because that's what they do usually. The nice wind blowing made the Cat drowsy. In fact, he was sure that Ariadne had fallen asleep on his back because she had been really quiet.


'Are we there yet?' He called out to Tio. Now that the tension from earlier had completely gone, he began to desire food. Maybe they can catch some prey? It was a shame that they couldn't stay with the adventurers. Easy food is best food.

 

[Kuro Kasai]

Tio smiled to herself at his courtesy, she knew that among other creatures that it was rare. She could feel herself starting to tired and sighed in frustration, she could normally go days without rest or food, which was essential for migrating, but because the curse had been so traumatic it was taking her body longer to recover than she wanted. She sighed and stopped on the branch she happened to be on and called out to Catirahl, ' No we aren't there yet but we can stop and rest for a little while.' She looked over her shoulder, looking for the tell-tale signs of any pursuit, and when she found none, settled on her branch. 'Come up here, it will be safer.'


She sent him a sharp grin, full of amusement and good humor, 'Plus it will keep you away from your new admirer.'

 

[Karate Cat]

<p>


The cat stopped below the branch Tio was perching upon. He looked up. The dragon was quite high above ground, but surely a cat would be well-equipped to scale the trunk. Not likely for the goblin, though. Somehow he felt a weird feeling when he thought of that thing giving up on them and leaving. Perhaps he got attached after all?


</p>


<p>


Nah, no way.


</p>


<p>


<em>'Good idea. Then here I come.'</em> He jumped toward a trunk, using his claws to make a foothold, and then leap up unto nearby branches, one step at a time, until he finally reached Tio's elevation. The branch was quite thick, capable of holding the two beast plus a rat.


</p>


<p>


<em>'How far are we from your destination?'</em> Catirahl inquired. He wasn't familiar with the outside world, after all, and aside from knowing that Tio wanted to reach a town, not much else entered his mind. Furthermore, while a cat like him could sneak in easily, how would a Dragon like Tio would do that? It was a mystery on its own.


</p>


<p>


When he peeked downward, he saw a green thing sitting on the root of the tree. The Goblin didn't left yet, he instead just stopped there at their tree and sat down, staring blankly at point unknown. <em>'Huh, he's not leaving...'</em>


</p>

 

[Kuro Kasai]

Tio looked down absentmindedly at their Goblin follower and said, 'I don't have a particular destination in mind, but I know that we need to get to a town so we can find out just where we are exactly. Once we know that then we can go from there.' She sent him a sideways glance as she offered, 'That is if you want to journey with me of course.' Tio moved closer to the base of the tree, mostly because it was better for sleeping, being both wider and more stable than being out on a limb. Once there she stretched out in the sun and gathered her energy for what would most likely be a long talk. 


'If you intend to travel with me, let me tell you now that it will be hard and more difficult than you can probably imagine right now. I intend to lift this curse placed upon me by finding the witch who placed it and thereby asking her to remove it. Which will more than likely be a task that will take quite a bit of both my patience and skill to overcome. If you want to come with me...' She shifted just enough from her position to look him in the eyes, she wanted him to understand that this was important and would most likely be one of the most important decisions of his life. 'You cannot come as you are. You will have to learn skills to survive on your own and be able to communicate with and understand other creatures in case something happens to me.'  Tio sent him a soft smile and said, 'I'd rather not leave a friend in a situation that they cannot get out of, if I can help it that is.'

 

[Karate Cat]

Catirahl followed Tio closer to the base of the tree, sitting across her on the limb facing outward. Even with her being scaled down by the curse, the cat was still comparably lighter than here. Even with the Dire Rat sleeping atop his back. Therefore he felt secure enough where he was. But moving here was actually better. From here he could keep watch of the Goblin below, while it couldn't look at them in return. It was still sitting while leaning on the trunk, still looking forward without any definite reason. Seems like it was relaxing. What a carefree fellow.


Tio's words of warning didn't convince him to leave. Deep down he already knew. From the moment he decided by pure whim to follow the adventurers outside, he didn't expect to have an easy life anymore. Of course he knew that the Witch was a bad news. Of course he knew that the journey would be perilous. But then again, he was not the type of cat who would stop from that. The scaredy cat lives another day, or so they say. However...


'Oh, please stop, it's getting old already,' Catirahl scoffed. 'I'll let you know that I am Sir Catirahl the Brave. From the moment I entered this world, survival has always been my middle name. There has never been a danger that Sir Catirahl couldn't overcome. Not in the past. Not in the now. And certainly, not in the future.'


He lifted up his right paw and bumped it on Tio's leg. 'And Sir Catirahl the Brave is not someone who will leave his friend behind, no matter how dangerous it is. Heed me well, silly Dragon, for when the end comes and our journey dropped its curtain, you shall be most thankful to ever meet me. I'm coming with you, and that is final.'


An arrogant smirk. Stupid, suicidal even. But certainly, a commendable foolishness.


'As for that last issue, wouldn't it be faster if you teach me how to do this communication thing? Why can I talk like this with you, but not with Ariadne, the human, or even that Goblin thing? What is this sensation that is entering my body every time I connected with you this way? Teach me, Tiolth.' His eyes sparkled with curiosity.

 

[Kuro Kasai]

Tio listened to his little speech and felt a little better than before but not by much. The real world doesn't care how much you declare that you will not be conquered by it, that you will instead conquer it; all the world cared about was what you do, not what you say. Because it was actions that moved the world, the spoken (and often written) word was heard and understood but not truly believed. So it was with little surprise that Tio wasn't quite sure he could live up to what he said, however if she knew anything about him in the short time that she'd known him, it would be that he would try. Which was precisely why she was worried, he was effectively a newborn in a way, fumbling around, learning things the hard way until he got his feet under him and without someone there to watch him he was likely to get himself in a situation that he wouldn't know (or want) to get out of. 


Tio sent him a thoroughly amused but happy smile, trying to hide her worry with little success, it would be nice to have company. 'We shall see.' She then turned more serious and focused her attention on their little 'friend' resting down below. 'We can discuss what you can learn later, however our most pressing problem is this little one, he is just a baby right now but he will only continue to get stronger and smarter, not to mention grow if he continues to travel with us it will become a problem. His scent alone will drive away our prey, and while there are ways to get around that, it will take a lot more magic and/or resources than I have right now to do it. He is also another meat eater, it will take all of our time just to try to feed him until he can learn to hunt for himself.'  She turned her eyes to Catirahl and spoke to him saying, 'In short, he is, as of right now, more trouble than he is worth.' She sent him a playful smirk  'Kind of like you in a sense.' 


'However, if we keep him, he can become a powerful ally, given the right investments. If we were to take him on as a if he were our own, he would think us his parents and defend us if the need ever arises. He could also become a capable hunter and decidedly deadly opponent. His scent does drive away animals, the good and the bad, but it could be an added protection on our journey. He would also be a deterrent for magical creatures as well, because his hide is hard to pierce and when eaten Goblin meat is pretty rancid.' At this she wrinkled her nose childishly, as if she had tasted it before and would like to not experience it again. Ever.


'So,' She said, turning serious again. 'What do you want to do with him?' 

 

[Karate Cat]

Catirahl listened to her speech with an annoyed look. Their telepathic connection didn't allow her to hide her feelings, which made him know about her worries. Catirahl didn't like to make his friends worry, especially if the reason was because they think he's incapable. For a moment he looked like he wanted to retort, but he stopped.


Tio only said the truth. He knew it, he knew that the world is not like the town he used to live in. There will be no humans to take care of him, no walls to protect him from harm, no soft blanket waiting for him to tuck in for the night. In this case, Tio was right that he was nothing more than a pebble on the road. But he was determined to try. Cats are natural predator. He wouldn't back down just because the path "looks dangerous". Hey, we can only live once, so we should go for it, right?


Putting her words aside for now, he turned his attention to the Goblin. Tio seemed intrigued with the green thing, while Catirahl and Ariadne just felt an instinctive feeling of contempt. Perhaps it was like what the Dragon said. Animals naturally avoided Goblins, not just because of the scent but because of their unpredictable ferocity.


He scoffed upon Tio's remark of him being a trouble. Clearly a cat is more gracious, more useful than the green thing! 'I have no idea what to do with him. If he keeps on following us, then we can't do anything about it. Unless...you want to kill him,' he started feeling the claws tucked in his paws. Will they do it? Killing the Goblin? 'But I don't think it's necessary for now. Sir Catirahl the Brave is not someone who will take life in such a vulgar way. I don't know about taking him with us though. I guess...just wait and see for now.'

 

[Kuro Kasai]

Tio nodded at his advice and turned her head into the wind, sniffing out their trail and seeing what was ahead of them. It was almost dark and they needed to decide what to do about shelter, food and their destination. She quickly told him as much, adding, 'Night time will come soon enough and it will take us a while to get to the place I have in mind. We should get going.'  Tio calmly stood up, arching up and stretching out all of her muscles leisurely. She hopped off the branch, spreading her wings once she was clear of the tree and above the road, flying lazily. 'Do you want to try and fly again? Or wait another day?' Almost as an afterthought she added, 'It would make getting to our destination faster, and much easier on all of us.'

 

[Karate Cat]

Catirahl leaped down the branches following Tio, landing on the ground beside her hovering figure. He gave her a really disgusted look upon seeing her wings flapping lazily. No flight, thank you. Perhaps later, but now is a no no. His stomach still churning whenever he recalled the last flight he took with Tio. That memory didn't seem to fade easily.


'I'd rather travel by foot, thank you. Now hurry,' he took the lead on the road. As Tio had said, night was closing in and they need to find a shelter sooner or later. Although, they can just sleep atop branches like before. Cats had natural stealth in their gait, and Tio was small enough to avoid detection.