Fantasy Unlikely Partners

[Flutterby]

Ilaria mulled over his idea through a few bites of sandwich. "It would make a lot more sense for the demons to be possessing the pets, instead of what Seth suggested." She said quietly, and then nodded.
"I think that's where we should start, the missing dogs." Ilaria finished her sandwich slowly, and then fished a yogurt out of their groceries. She polished it off quickly, and then flopped back to lay on the bed. "Probably don't really have time of another nap.." She mumbled, and rolled to look out the slider at Rex. "How good is he really at tracking? The trails will be days old."

 

[Tharivle]

"He has had a bit of practice." Chris said with a smile. "Also domestic animals are easier to track, because they have all the smells of a human house on them as well. Also the dogs wouldn't have run away until they were possessed, and demon leaves a sulfur smell." Chris finished up his sandwich. "We do need to ask around to figure out who has had a pet missing. Doesn't matter how good of a tracker he is if we don't give him something to track."

 

[Flutterby]

Ilaria gave a humph. "It's not going to be easy to get the locals to tell a pair of strangers who just showed up, where to find the families whose pets have mysteriously all gone missing at the same time." She sighed softly, and dropped a forearm over her eyes to block the sun coming in from the slider.
"But.. maybe not if you're a concerned police officer with a great track record in the Seattle area..." She murmured, lifting her arm to look at him with one eye. "Are you able to play that card? Or is that weird?"

 

[Tharivle]

Chris smiled mischievously, "I can do one better." Chris pulled out his County police badge, the one that he didn't give to the mayor of Mullbrook. "Who needs hackers when you have magic." Chris opened the credential wallet and the lettering and badge shimmered and became unreadable. When it stopped shimmering it was no longer for the sheriffs office from the Seattle county Mullbrook was in, but the sheriffs office for the Colorado county that Larkspur was in. "A teck savvy guy made a vires and added a bit of magic to make it untraceable. So even if someone called me out as a fake, they can look me up and it will show my employment at this sheriffs office for the last year. And the badge is a simple illusion spell that can be changed. If someone breaks the enchantment it will be blank with a piece of brass where the badge is." Chris smiled again. "I was sent by the county because someone called reporting several local animals missing."

 

[Flutterby]

Ilaria grinned slowly, and shook her head slightly. "That's kind of mean.. but genius." She said, and sat up slowly. As terrible as she felt, it wouldn't make sense wait until her functioning-hours to go and ask around. With a groan, she pulled her shoes back onto her feet.
"I guess we better get a move on, now that we have a lead," She said quietly, and stood from the bed, pulling on a pair of sunglasses. Man, she hated the afternoon.

 

[Tharivle]

"You sure you are up for walking and talking?" Chris said in a teasing tone.
Chris started packing up their food supplies, carefully packing them into the little fridge so that nothing would fall out when it was next opened. Before he finished he had pulled out an apple and took a happy crunch before closing off the bag and putting it in the fridge. When he was done cleaning up he put his own shoes on and smiled at Ilaria, "Are you ready?"

 

[Flutterby]

Ilaria gave him a look, because she would've find it anyone normally, but in that moment, she did not. "Let's just go," She grumbled, and lead the way to the car.
They were pulling out of the hotel parking lot, when Ilaria heard the distant sound of a siren. Within a few seconds, a police car, followed closely by an ambulance, flashed by. They were headed to the center of the tiny town.

 

[Tharivle]

Rex met them around by the car. Chris was opening the door to let Rex into the back as the police and ambulance went by. Chris raised an eyebrow and got into the car. There was a scanner in the car and Chris turned it on. He didn't know if he would pick something up, being so far from where he actually worked but he tried anyway. "What do you think Ari? Should we follow slowly?"

 

[Flutterby]

Ilaria silently watched the emergency vehicles flash by, and didn't answer him for a moment. Something flipped in her stomach, and for a moment she thought she might lose her lunch. But then she nodded, and cleared her throat before saying, "Yeah. Follow. But I have a bad feeling."

The emergency vehicles went straight downtown, which was really only a main road with a few offshoots, and then turned. There wasn't much between the main drag and where they stopped, just about a half mile of sidewalks, and a few houses. The vehicles were stopped in front of a store, standing alone. The awning in front of it was brightly colored- it reminded Ilaria of candy.
There were civilian vehicles too, behind the police line, and as Ilaria looked more closely, she saw that there was a group of children talking to the police. They all had puffy eyes and tear-staines cheeks. Her stomach flipped again.

Behind several police cars that looked strategically arrange, the ambulance was sitting with it's engine running. As they pulled up, the paramedics were loading someone into it, and their faces did not look good.
"Shit.." Ilaria whispered, "What the hell happened?"

 

[Tharivle]

Chis didn't have to drive to fast to keep up because they were still in town. "I don't know Ari." Chris got out and then let Rex out before starting toward one of the police officers there.
As he approached the officer turned to them and said, "I'm sorry sir, you can't go in there right now." He looked down at Rex and added, "And your dog should wait in the car."
Chris nodded and then pulled out his badge. "I was sent to investigate the dogs that keep going missing. What is going in there?" The officer relaxed a bit and smiled sadly, "It is nice to have some backup. The state police have already been called for. Strange things are happening all over town." Chris nodded and asked," What sort of strange things?"

 

[Flutterby]

The officer hesitated, and glanced at Ilaria. She still had her sun glasses on, and as he looked at her, she tossed her hair over her shoulder and looked casually toward the scene unfolding. The officer looked back at Chris, maybe looking for an explanation of who she was, but explained anyway.
"Started with the missing dogs." He looked in the direction toward his left, the side of town that was closer to the mountains, and pointed. "Mostly on that side of town. We're up to.. I don't know, maybe 10 over the last month."
"Last week, we had a pair of kids wander off. One minute they we're in their front yard, the next they were gone. Found them on that same side of town, just in the woods." He sighed, and added, "They said they followed a dog out there."
He glanced behind him, and then continued. "And then this. Building with the bright awning is a toy store, owned by a Mr. Daniel Warner. Somebody broke in and beat him within inches of his life." The officer shifted uncomfortably, and his voice was tight as he continued. "There were a few kids inside at the time. They say.. they say it was some sort of monster. Uh.." He pulled a small notepad out of his pocket and flipped it open, and then read, "About 7 feet tall, with hair all over, red eyes, sharp teeth, and uh... wings and spikes on it's back."
He put the notebook away and said, "Must've been terrifying for those kids, ya know, for their little brains to make the person into a real life monster.. but it isn't all that helpful for an investigation."

Ilaria listened closely, and was extremely careful to keep her expression nuetral. Her blood ran cold when he read the description given by the children. Her heart hurt for them, but a part of her was glad that it had been kids. If adults had witnessed this, the entire supernatural world would be at risk of exposure.

 

[Tharivle]

Chris listened intently as the officer talked then answered, "We were sent here to maybe track some of the dogs, because so many have gone missing." Chris gestured to Rex then Ilaria, "This is Rex, and she is Ilaria, my partner." Chris paused before asking, "Is it alright if we take a look around?"
"Have at it." The officer said. Then he walked away.

"Alright Rex. Once around, then in." Rex perked up at the sound of his name then started trotting to the side of the building. Chris followed about 5 feet behind. Rex lead the way around the building with his nose to the ground, occasionally stopping to look around or smell something a little longer. Once they got back to the front of the building Rex stopped and lightly growled while pawing at the floor. Chris looked at what Rex was standing over, it was a scratch in the deck leading into the store. Chris could see similar scratches about 4 feet apart leading to the door. "Footprints." Chris said as he glanced at Ilaria. Rex lead them into the store but stopped, confused. "It had wings, that is for sure."
The tops of the shelves were trashed and a few had been pushed over. The wrecked lead in a straight line from the door to the register. Whatever had attacked had jumped or flew to the top of the shelves and then ran along the top that get where it was going faster.

 

[Flutterby]

As they walked toward the building, Ilaria's eyes rested on the children, a group of five, who all looked to be about 6 years old. They were scuffed up, like they had done some running and hiding, and all looked horribly terrified. A pain settled in her heart, and she was glad to be wearing sun glasses. Tears had welled up in her eyes, and she blinked them away as Chris pointed something out to her.
'Footprints' he said. She followed his gesture down to the decking, and noted the deep, wide-set scratches in its surface. The creature clearly had five toes, and walked upright; the humans could easily mistake it for marks from the bottom of hiking spikes, which wouldn't be uncommon around here.
She had to slide her sunglasses to the top of her head as she entered the store. When she did, she paused in the doorway, her face screwed up in disgust. Clearly, Chris couldn't smell it very well, but it almost gagged her. She glanced at Rex, with a bit of a question in her expression.
"It smells like death in here," She muttered, as she glanced around. Ilaria noted the destruction at the top of the store, and as she walked in, she could smell the iron scent of blood. She glanced over the counter, behind the register, and was met with at least a pint or two of blood. There were streaks and flecks, and one pronounced puddle, probably where the man had fallen and stayed near the end of the attack.
Ilaria frowned, and began to follow what looked like a child's bloody footprints. They lead into a back room, where a phone was still hanging off the hook. "One of the kids called 911 from back here," She called back out to Chris, with a sigh.

 

[Tharivle]

Chris said nothing in response to her first statement. He could smell the sulfur and blood too, but it didn't bother him quite as much. "I can't imagine how scared they must have been."
Chris walked around the rest of the store noting how nothing seemed out of place, except from the door to the counter. It seemed that whatever had attacked had just wanted to attack. There was no interest in any of the material things. "This doesn't make any since." Chris said as he walked back to Ilaria. "Demons attack because they are hungry or because they were told to. And if this one was hungry it would have taken two kids, not try to kill the store manager. So what told this one to attack, and why?"

 

[Flutterby]

Ilaria glanced around the back room, and moved over toward a desk. She flipped through a couple of papers on top of the desk, which were mostly financial stuff for the store and junk mail. There didn't seem to be anything of interest.
She turned and looked at the shelf behind her, noticing a framed photo. It was two guys, and a dog, on what looked like a hunting trip up in the mountains. Ilaria picked up the picture, and carried it out into the main room with her.
As she did, the deputy they had spoken to outside was walking in through the front door.
"Y'all find anything?" He asked, glancing between them.
Ilaria held up the photo. "Was the victim a hunter?"
The officer nodded, "Yeah, Jack was probably the best outdoorsman in the town. Great shot, even better tracker. Thats his dog, Cooper." There was a pause, and the deputy added, "Cooper went missing a couple days ago, Jack was real cut up about it. I think he was making trips into the mountains to look for 'im."
Ilaria nodded thoughtfully, and said "Thanks," before returning to the back room and replacing the photo.
The officer looked at Chris, to see if he needed anything.

 

[Tharivle]

"Chris nodded as she showed him the photo. "Maybe he saw something he wasn't suppose to?"
The officer walked in and asked them what they found. "Don't know why, but someone took it upon themselves to beat up the manager and trash the place on the way out. It is now a detective problem." Chris said calmly in response. "Could you tell us where abouts he went searching for Cooper. It would be helpful to know where the locals would look if they decided to look for the dogs."
The officer thought about his question for a bit then responded, "On his last trip he went to the west. He went through the miners trail. Very rugged train, the trail is almost climbing in some parts. There are a few abandoned mines in that area." The man stopped for a second then added, "Most people that have gone looking have gone to the east of town. Much nicer terrain That area is a popular camping area."
"Thanks for your time, sorry we couldn't be more help." Chris said with a smile. Chris lead the way out and Rex followed. On the way back to the car Chris said, "So what do we think? Did he accidently find something and they tried to kill him for it?"

 

[Flutterby]

Ilaria listened from the back room, as Chris talked to the deputy, glancing through some more papers. There wasn't anything to suggest that Jack was anything other than human, so she wandered back out as Chris was finishing up. She gave the officer a nod, and followed him out. She flipped her sunglasses back onto her face, and gave him a glance as she climbed back into the car.
"That's exactly what I think. But why not finish the job? Why attack him, in broad daylight, with witnesses, but not kill him?" She frowned. "You think the kids called 911 before the end of the attack, scared them off?"
Ilaria pulled out a map-brochure that she had snagged from the hotel lobby and opened it. Sure enough, to the west of town, there was an area marked with old mine trails. There brochure said they were 'recommended for experienced hikers only.' It was going to be a long day.

 

[Tharivle]

Chris was opening the door for Rex when felt a tug on the back of his shirt. "Mr. Police officer." Said a child's voice. Chris turned and standing in front of him was a 7 ish year old girl. Chris smiled down at her and then took a knee so his eyes were level with hers. "You okay deer."
The girl nodded, but had obviously been crying recently. "Are you here to find my doggy?" She asked.
Chris smiled again and responded, "Yes, me and my dog and my partner are here to help find the missing dogs and people."
"The other man didn't believe me..." She stopped talking and looked down.
"I will believe you. What happened." Chris said softly.
"It was a big dark man with bat wings and claws. He attacked the toy man." She said quietly.
"Okay, do you remember anything else about the man with wings?' Chris asked.
"No... He was really scary. But the other man was not. The other man stopped the scary man."
Chris did a good job at hiding his surprise and asked, "What other man? What did he look like?"
The girl relaxed a bit as she switched from thinking about the demon to who or what stopped it. "He was very tall, had to duck to get in through the door. He looked like a tree,,, Like his skin was like a tree." She paused and Chris glanced up at Ilaria then looked back. "As soon as the tree man walked in the scary man flew up to the top of the shelves and ran away. Then the tree man chased after him."
Chris was about to say something to her when a woman's cut him off, "There you are! After what happened, why would you walk away like that?' A woman came and took the little girls hand and started leading her away. "Sorry about that officer. Kids and their imagination when they are scared." She said with a half smile as she turned to lead her daughter away. "But mommy, he believed me....." The rest of what the little girl said was muffled as they turned and walked away.
Chris stood and let Rex in then got into the car himself. Before starting the car he looked at Ilaria, "A warrior Dryad?"

 

[Flutterby]

Ilaria listened to the conversation from the car, with a guarded expression on her face. She had tried her best to keep her face a neutral as possible while they were in public; it was the height of the day, and the sun made her want to curl up and die.
There was a twitch, at the corner of her mouth, when the little girl said the second man had looked like a tree, as her stomach did a cartwheel. Ilaria turned away partially, pressing one hand over her lips and waiting for her stomach to settle. That's impossible. It's simply not possible.
She had almost convinced herself of that, when a voice in her head said, Why would a child lie?

Ilaria waited until Chris was in the car to put on her seat belt, and glanced at him when he spoke. "It has to be. There's no way.. but it has to be." She said softly, her voice somewhat strained.
"What now? How would we find a warrior dryad who.. well who has obviously been in hiding? We would see it, if we came across it, but it could be anywhere right now." She was mostly thinking out loud. Ilaira leaned down for a moment, putting her elbows on her knees and taking a few deep breaths. She felt sick. She straightened up and cleared her throat. "Our only real lead is the mines. Maybe we should start there."

 

[Tharivle]

"I agree. I guess we are going to the mines." Chris answered as he started the car and put it in drive. Chris drove back to the hotel. Once they got there he outfitted himself much like he did for the battle at the grove, but this time he left his M1 in its case and strapped on various hunting knives and his police issue handgun.
He had a small separate pack that was tucked inside his large duffle bag. The pack was more of a survival pack than a day bag. There was a first aid kit, a fire starter kit, small sewing kit, and other various little doodads that would only be useful in extreme circumstances. But everything in the bag was small and lightweight, and every piece had its own little elastic band or pocket. Nothing was extra and nothing was out of place. The bag itself was only the size of a normal school backpack, and hugged his back in a way that let him maintain a great deal of mobility.
Chris looked through his pack for about 2 minutes, just checking to see if anything was out of place. Wile he looked he asked, "What are you taking? How long do you want to be out tonight?"

 

[Flutterby]

Ilaria walked into the hotel room behind Chris, and turned directly into the bathroom. She sat down on the floor, back against the bathtub, and let the cold from the tiles seep into her body. She could hear Chris moving around, unzipping his bag and digging around through stuff, but didn't really pay attention until he asked her what she was taking.
"Guns," She called, and then blinked a few times to actually think about the answer. "Food." She added. "Something to help with the sun."
Feeling a little better, the moon child stood and went into the main room, grabbing her small backpack and emptying it onto the bed.
The gun case fell out unceremoniously, and she put on a hip holster to carry one of them. The other stayed in the case, which went back in the bag. She tossed the clothes into the dresser, and then dug around until she found a pair of socks that were suspiciously large. Inside, a small case was hidden. She took out one of the nine vials, and then put the case into her bag along with snacks and a rain jacket. Lastly, she took a pocket knife out of her back pocket, and stabbed the wax seal on the vial.
Inside was a black liquid, ink-like, and she quickly poured it down her throat and swallowed with a grimace. "Ready," was all she said, as she turned to grab a drink of water to wash away the horrendous taste.

 

[Tharivle]

By the time Ilaria came out of the bathroom Chris was done checking his pack. He then switched to packing food. He had a big bag of trail mix and a couple apples, and a larger bag of jerky. He also grabbed a few bottles of water. He started loading all the dry food and water into a bag that he took out of his pack. It was custom built to clip onto the back of his pack or to be worn as a separate backpack. "You okay Ari?" Chris asked after she drank the vial of whatever it was she took.

 

[Flutterby]

Ilaria emerged from the bathroom looking significantly less green. She glanced up as she zipped up her bag and pulled it on.
"It's still my death month, Chris. Being out during the day is really not fun." She tucked her phone into her back pocket. "I had forgotten that part a little because of being in the Grove. But it's different in the real world." Ilaria clipped the fastener at her chest and hooked her thumbs underneath the straps near her waist.
"Let's just go, ill be fine now." She pulled on her shoes, and motioned for him to lead the way back out.

 

[Tharivle]

Chris looked at her a little suspiciously. He was fine with spells and healing herbs, but for some reason he never liked potions. Because unless you make them yourself you don't know for sure what is in them. But if she says she is fine and doesn't want to talk about it, then that is her deal.
"Alright then. Lets go." Chris said as he walked out.
Ilaria navigated wile Chris drove, and it only took them about 10 minutes to get to the small parking lot that was at the head of the trail. There was a geological map of the surrounding area and it showed the trail and some of the locations of the abandoned mines. The trail was actually two trails wrapped into one. The park was located around one mountain, and there was a trail that more or less was a circle, snaking its way around the mountain through the forestry foothills. And the other trail was shorter but snaked up into the mountain. The first trail was rated at easy difficulty, but the second, the one that went up instead of around was rated at hard. There were several smaller trails that connected the two as they went trough the park, allowing for people to make shortcuts, or easier routs. There were also a few side trails that lead to lookouts or to the peek.
After looking at the map for a bit Chris said, "So what do you think. Circle the mountain and come back tomorrow if we don't find anything or just go to the top and back checking as many mines along the way as we can?"

 

[Flutterby]

Ilaria looked back at him, noticing his suspicion, but not giving into it. As much as they had become friends, or whatever they were, there were some secrets of her kind that she was not ready to share with him. Like the fact that the black liquid was a potion, that included some of one's own blood. It tasted like soap and lemons, but worked wonders, and learning to make it is as close to a coming-of-age event as a Moon Child gets.

Ilaria looked at the map, glancing between it and the rocky mountain in front of her to find her bearings. She was already mulling over the question he asked, before it came out of his mouth.
"I think we should go up first. Give us a vantage point, maybe we'll spot that dryad, or a sign of where we should go. Then check a few mine entrances, be back to the car before dark." She looked at the trailhead that would lead them to the peak, and frowned a little. She hadn't been on a serious hike in a while; this was going to be a little difficult.