After The Prospects have Glittered

by **Kalesserimamoru** on November 8th, 2013, 12:47 am

Timestamp: 21th of Fall 513 A.V.

Mamoru awoke, finding himself curiously tangled in the vines and foliage in the undergrowth near a couple of trees that seemed to share roots. He wasn't back in Zinrah, but far away. After the surprise Dhani attack while he was still morphed into a Myrian had got him caught in the mix and on the wrong side. The trickster had gotten beaten pretty fast and he was out of the fight, left to coast down the flowing rivers until he came to a stop.

He barely recalled fighting his way back to shore and crawling a doze or so feet to hide himself in the mess of foliage that he found himself in now. He would also be surprised to learn that he had slept the night and half the day after. Slowly, he crawled out of the bushes, the katana on his back fighting to stay in place with the many vines tugging at it. He stood up and stretched, and act that caused him minimum pain from the bruises that he had gotten during the assault.

Looking down he could see the discoloring in his body right where the pinch and soreness were located. He had to wonder if it all had been worth a fish, a single fish. It didn't matter that it was supposed to be so delicious and hard to catch. If not for his luck and quick survival instinct, Mamoru could have been killed. However he didn't, as he stood there now, he started to feel better and would feel even more like himself once he got to moving.

All thisss for one fisssh. Thisss had better be good.

Those thoughts seemed to echo inside his mind as he reached into his loincloth and retrieved the fish. Luckily nothing had gotten to it while he was asleep, but he was still faced with a day old fish. Of course at this point he didn't realize it. Hmm...it sseemsss to ssmell louder now, isss it going bad sso soon? Mamoru decided then to go on and eat it. It was better to do so than let it rot out. But first he needed a drink, having been sleeping for so long after been hurt, left him very thirsty.

Mamoru started to walk back down the path he half-remembered that he took to get there. The basin was nearby, a body of water that large went on for a stretch and it was where he had crawled out from before he passed out a second time. He walked on and one, keeping his ears and eyes open for any and all signs of life. As far as he knew, the Myrian group, or Dhani could still be around and he wasn't in the shape to fight off either. Plus with the Myrians basically being demigods themselves, there was no way a single, Dhani could take them on.

It took him some time, but eventually the trickster found the basin, somewhere close to where he had climbed out before. Kneeling by the shore, he reached cupped hands inside and scooped the water into his hands and drank. It was a satisfying feeling, a cool drink to save his dried tongue from curling into his throat and choking him to death. He reached into the waters a second and third time, drinking the water to cool himself off and to refresh before he made ready to eat.

"Now then, time to eat."

by **Kalesserimamoru** on November 8th, 2013, 1:35 am

Mamoru hacked and coughed as he sat by the basin shore. Even after drinking the fresh water his throat still felt raw and his voice was raspy and almost gone. He had thought it dehydration, but for some reason his throat felt sore and dry even after he drank. Perhaps it had something to do with his thrilling performance a day ago. What a show he had put on, charming all the monkeys into letting him into their member's only club with hypnosis through song. It was a pretty clever thing to try on such short notice, and he had to be pleased with the out come.

"Ahh...wondersss never ceassse. I sshould have howled and ssqueaked. That would have gotten a much better ressponssse."

The trickster laughed and he laughed hard, even at the expense of his throat. Coughing again and frowning with discomfort, he rubbed at his throat as he slowly stood up and headed further into the jungle. He had to decide if he wanted to cook it, or eat it raw. Raw foods were fine at points, but now with this fish already catching a smell, he wondered if it would taste better if he cooked it. What the hai, cooking won't take long anyway, at leasst not how I do it.

Mamoru stood in place, yellow-green eyes searching the jungle floor for twigs and small branches, anything that could be used to make a fire. It seemed the Dhani was committing himself to search after search, after search. First was the hunt for the glittering, rainbow fish. Next was the search for water, and now for wood to make a fire. Mamoru was becoming quite the outdoors-men. He traveled along through the jungle, picking up any twigs and sticks that he could find, having a hand full on each side.

He turned back, finding a clean, open place and sat the collected items down. He frowned as he looked upon the pitiful display before him. The Dhani would be lucky to get a spark from this, let a lone an actual fire. He returned to his work, searching the jungle floor for what he needed until he became impatient. Mamoru started upward into the canopy and examined the low-hanging branches on the trees. Now that's what I need. With that thought, he took a running start towards the tree, and leaped into the air, where he caught hold on the lowest hanging branch.

Like a monkey himself, the trickster shook and swung himself under the branch, while pulling down on it until the arm snapped. He landed on the ground with a thud, knees bending to catch himself upright, and a pain rolled up his body that caused him to hiss. "Ack! If I ever find out who that Dhani wasss, I'll kill him. If he'ss sstill alive, and if not...I'll jusst beat hisss next of kin." Back to his tiny pile, the trickster broke the branch in half, twice and placed it on top of the rest that he had collected. He made two more trips into the jungle to fetch more branches, and broke those and added them before he would be done.

"Now I have to make the fire...great."

Sadly he didn't have anything on him besides the katana and it was back into the work, this time to find dry rocks to use for the fire. This would take him more time, as rocks weren't as easy to spot in the jungle. Mamoru roamed out, long and far, even going in a circle before he would find two that would work for him. By this time, he was thinking of just eating the fish as it was, but with the last items he needed in hand, he made his way back to the make shift camp.

He sat down beside the pile of broken branches, twigs, and sticks and struck one rock against the other. He tried it again and again, but only was able to get sparks. Leaning closer to the pile, he struck the rock against the other a bit harder which created even more sparks, but nothing caught. Taking a moment to see what needed to be done, or what was missing, Mamoru remembered something that he saw another do some time ago.

He moved a few paces away and collected any weeds, straw, stalks, anything that could help start the fire and stuffed the items in between and on top of the wood. Trying it again, he placed the rocks closer to the pile and struck the rock against the other again and again until sparks splatter across the pile and a tiny bit of smoke started to fizz. Mamoru started to blow into the stack, trying to help bring life to the fire.

by **Kalesserimamoru** on November 8th, 2013, 2:19 am

It was a slow process and it seemed that with a bit more work he would have gotten the fire to light. However, there was a crackling of foliage behind him, and the Dhani spun around while ripping his katana from the makeshift sheath on his back. There was something, someone out there. Was it the Dhani, or more Myrians? He couldn't see anything from where he sat but he had heard something. Scurrying behind the closest, biggest tree, Mamoru settled himself and forced the djed into his body to act.

He put forth the thoughts, recalling the model that he had used only days before. He still wasn't sure what to expect, but it was more than likely to be Myrian than Dhani. After all the Myrians ruled the jungle with an iron fist, the Dhani that was fearless enough to attack them was dead by now, he was sure of it. Mamoru continued his work, the reshaping taking place all at once from head to toe. The long dark hair atop his head curled slightly and became fuller, yellow-green eyes turned brown, and the dark pupils swelled into the sockets.

The tanned skinned replaced the pale shade of his own, and his face and body contorted to create a very feminine shape. Being Tin-tin again also put him as risk of running into the fang that he had met before, and after what happened the last time they met, he wasn't sure how he would be greeted. The morph continued, and he did feel pain as the muscles that were sore were forced to move and tighten to fit a slimmer body type. He was lucky that he hadn't been too badly injured and that he had slept for so long or else he might find a full morph impossible.

The muscular build of the trickster was simply crushed, leaving only an hour glass shape with slender, slightly muscular arms and legs, where a thicker set had once been. The square, rock shape of his chest filled out, becoming soft, flush mounds that settled right into the ripped top that he still wore. In a way, the katana appeared to be growing in his hand, but in reality it was Mamoru that was becoming smaller and thinner. Once the morph was complete, he crawled slowly to one end and peeked out into the jungle.

Now then...who isss out there?

Big brown eyes blinked curiously as small teeth lightly bit into pouty lips. There was no one in sight, and he was sure that with the amount of time it took to shift, they would have gotten closer to him by now. Then he heard it again, a rustling in the foliage to his right. Slowly, he moved on the ground, bare feet making light steps as he tried to muffle the sound as much as possible. The katana was held low to the ground and pointing towards his back, which he hoped would keep it from catching any hard light that might tell where his was.

Snap

Looking down quickly, he noticed that he had stepped on a long thin twig, a twig so tender that even light steps would crush it. Who ever or what ever was out there surely heard him, they had too. Mamoru looked up again and his eyes widen as he looked through the bushes and saw monkeys, but not the ones he expected.

by **Kalesserimamoru** on November 8th, 2013, 7:49 pm

It was quite the surprise to see in the jungle, at least for the trickster who spent most of his life in the tunnels underground. Looking through the vines, he saw three small monkeys, all with very dark fur, big eyes and tiny noses. They were babies, the off spring of some much larger animal that was likely nearby. Mamoru licked his lips, he hadn't eaten in a full day and he was very hungry after all that he had been through. What a wonderful meal it would be to enjoy baby monkey along with his special rainbow fish.

Slowly he slipped his blade back into the sheath on his back. These creatures, even so young were fast and clumsily nimble, he would have to stalk them and catch them before he could eat them. He also knew that he would need to be fast and get the job done before it's mother returned, or woke up. Still licking the pouty, pinks lips on his face, Mamoru slowly crawled closer. He moved around the tree instead of going into the vines which would have created more sound.

Come to Mamoru my little lunch furballsss.

Suddenly the three started off into the brush, no signal or sound that he heard could aid him in what caught their attention. But just as he started to follow, he heard a sound in the tree above, an almost chuckling sound. Mamoru looked up and saw yet another baby monkey in the tree playing with a long, thick vine. It was interesting to see, and he wouldn't have thought they could climb so young, but there it was in the tree having the time of it's life.

Now thisss sshould be eassy, and I'll do it without clawssss thiss time. After all, if sshe can do it sso can I.

Mamoru thought for a moment about the half breed Tinnok, and how she seemed to enjoy climbing trees in the jungle. He too liked the advantage of the world from so far up and while he could do things that she couldn't to better aid his climb, the trickster wanted to prove that he could just as well without such powers. She was in his head it seemed, and he found himself curious about her life and what it was like for her. The two always seemed to have some sort of contest going between them and this was just another one to add to it.

Ready? Here I come little monkey.

The monkey continued to play in the tree as Mamoru moved against it and slowly started to climb up. It was harder than he remembered, mostly because it had been so long since he had tried to climb a tree without using claws. His fingers slipped, bare feet failing to hold contact with the bark long enough for him to work his way upward. He tried again, pawing at the sides of the tree until he found a grip in the bark and slowly pulled himself up. He reached a branch that he clung too and used it to pull himself up to a resting position.

Looking up, he could still see the monkey playing with vines and some sort of nut that he had found. It was going well so far, and with the monkey busy he wouldn't notice him coming. Mamoru continued the climb, keeping his now lithe body against the tree as he moved, finding a new discomfort with the bark of the tree pressing against his now tender chest. He glanced up again just to make sure that he had still gone unnoticed when he suddenly slipped.

Flamesss!

The trickster hung from his arms, legs flailing beneath him as he tried to hold on with all he had. A quick glance down would tell him just how high up he now was and that falling wasn't an option. Using his upper body strength, he held tightly to the branch and pulled his body up enough to where he could wrap his legs around the same branch to hold on.

by **Kalesserimamoru** on November 8th, 2013, 8:36 pm

Completely oblivious to the predator stalking him below, the monkey continued to play. It was a cheerful little thing, making little grunts and bouncing on the tree as if it was already king of the jungle. Mamoru stood up on the branch and once again hugged the tree to continue the climb. He was closer to the monkey now, which meant that he needed to be extra careful that he didn't allow himself to be seen.

He moved up another branch, finding his footing before he would reach up and kick his legs out to catch the branch across from him. The monkey was right there, his back turned to Mamoru as he played, still having no clue he was being hunted. Just as he was about to climb onto the branch to sneak up behind it, the little monkey suddenly leaped onto a thick vine hanging down from the tree and swung himself over to the next tree.

Flamesss!

Mamoru was beside himself now, after so much hard work the monkey simply swung to the next tree. But he wouldn't be out done, if the monkey could do it so could he. With that though he leaped out himself, catching hold of one of the think vines hanging from the tall trees and swung himself across. It was a strange feeling, a quick rush of adrenaline that warmed his cold blood from head to toe. As he flew across, he watched the monkey land, and at once it fell onto it's rear and started to slide down the branches of the tree.

There was thick coat of moss on the branches and body of the tree which made it hard to walk on, and with the momentum the little monkey had, he was too fast to catch himself. Mamoru didn't fare any better. The adventurous Dhani did manage to clear the branch without crashing into it, but the moment he landed, he too fell on his rear and started to slide down the wicked branches right behind the monkey. The little monkey raged on as he slid downward, turning himself into a clumsy fall that landed him onto a lower branch where he continued to slide down the tree anyway.

The monkey howled, and as he saw himself out of limb, Mamoru did to. The trickster slid right off the edge of the branch and soared downward. One hand reached out to catch hold of another mossy branch. He slipped quickly, but the short pull did guide him towards the next tree, where he landed on another moss branch and his slide towards the ground continued behind the monkey. This wasn't what he had expected at all, and if he had known, he would have just hunted down the three that he had saw first.

The mossy descend continued, as both monkey and Dhani slid down, and around an obstacle of branches before they could see the jungle floor again. A smile slowly crept it's way up his face then, the idea came to mind to leap out and pounce on the monkey the moment it's tiny feet touched the ground. You're mine! With the ground in sight and the monkey about to find the ground first, Mamoru leaped out and landed on top of the tiny thing.

by **Kalesserimamoru** on November 8th, 2013, 9:21 pm

It had worked finally, after all the trouble and embarrassing moments, Mamoru had the monkey in his clutches. He looked down, finding the small animal laying beneath him. It looked up at him, big brown eyes full of curiosity and friendliness. It didn't seem to be afraid of him at all. Perhaps it was used to seeing Myrians, or could have felt a kinship, since in Mamoru's eyes they were all monkeys anyway.

"You're about to be food little one. You'll go nicely with my fish."

The tiny monkey chuckled at him, or something like it. The little animal really wasn't afraid and looked into his eyes as if they were family. Mamoru frowned, he didn't like the thing smiling at him, looking as if he was a parent. He was going to eat it after all. The tiny monkey chuckled again, it's toes grabbing onto his loincloth while it grabbed his hand and started to bite his finger.

"Sstop it you..I'm the one that'ss going to bite. You jusst lay there and.."

Mamoru didn't know what the monkey was up to or why it was being so friendly. He also didn't understand his own reaction and why he was sitting there cuddling the monkey. If someone were to walk by, they would get a very different impression than what he would have thought was happening. There was no one near by, but he was being watched. Not far from where they both hand landed, a pair of large, golden eyes watched them carefully from it's hiding place in the undergrowth.

It seemed that the trickster wasn't the only thing hungry and looking for a meal. It appeared as shadows, midnight black fur sleek on it's back, and it's ears turned low on it's head. The beast's claws dug into the ground and it's tail wavering slowly behind it. Mamoru still held the small monkey in his arms when something called to him, a sense of sort that something wasn't right. On instinct, he scurried back with the monkey in his lap and looked out and around him.

That's when he saw it, a black panther slowly stalking them. It stepped out into the opening, eyes of embers fixated on them. The panther growled at him, and Mamoru growled back, using his morphing ability to match the sound and frequency of the large cat's voice.

This seemed to stall the beast for a tick, but not enough to make it run. The panther looked hungry and stared for food. It moved closer, this time releasing a lower snarl. Mamoru moved back further, the small monkey in his arms now holding tightly to the cloth at his chest while it cried for help. One hand reached over his shoulder, and once again he pulled his katana free.

by **Kalesserimamoru** on November 11th, 2013, 9:22 pm

The air around them was thin, the tension thick and their blood pumping through their bodies. The panther looked to make a meal, and it was doubtful that it caried which it got it's paws on.

The giant cat narrowed it's eyes, ears folding further back onto it's furry head. The baby monkey would be a good meal for it, but so would the slender human carrying it. The beast growled again, and lowered it's body, making ready for a pounce.

Suddenly the panther leaped for them both, claws extended and ready to rip flesh from bone. Mamoru tried to balance his weight on the balls of his feet as he lifted his katana and held it at an almost horizontal level before his eyes.

When the panther struck, he jumped back, arm swinging out to strike at the beast with his weapon. The quick swipe led steel to meet claws. The giant cat paused, as it pulled back it's leg where it's claws and part of it's toes were now missing.

Scurrying back further, Mamoru put the big tree between them and slowly moved back. It would be a much different fight if he wasn't trying to protect the howling monkey in his arms, but this catch belonged to him and he wasn't about to let a panther take it from him. He also knew that the moment he put the animal down it would run off and that would be the end of it. He was stuck now trying to fight with one arm and keeping the monkey with the other.

"Sstupid cat! Take off!"

Mamoru could see the fur of the panther, the wounded paw lightly pressing into the ground before the nose of the beast appeared from behind the tree. Hurrying backwards again, Mamoru pushed himself off the ground and leaped towards a low, hanging branch on the nearest tree and tried to pull himself up.

He was lucky that he had wounded the cat's paw, making it favor the wound and slowing it's pace down. But with the monkey in one arm, he couldn't pull himself onto the branch and ended up only kicking off of it to propel himself back further away from the huge cat.

"Away!!" he hissed again, swinging his blade to try and scare the approaching beast.

by **Kalesserimamoru** on November 13th, 2013, 6:08 pm

The panther stalked him still, walking in a semi circle back and forth. It moved closer again, lowering it's body and rolling it's shoulders as it made ready to pounce. Mamoru saw this, he had noticed this type of movement the last time before it jumped at him. Size to size at the moment Mamoru wasn't a match for the giant and he didn't have the time to morph into anything bigger. At the moment, all he could do was try and keep his flesh from being ripped off.

Dark brown eyes met the gaze of the yellow eyed beast. Predator vs predator, Dhani vs panther. The beast leaped at him and Mamoru tossed himself into the bushes to evade the attack. It worked, but as he landed hard on the ground, the tiny monkey rolled out of his clutches and scurried off yelping. But the Dhani didn't have time to mourn his lost, the panther slipped through the brush as well, ready for another go.

Mamoru spun himself on his back, legs kicking out and Katana swinging over his head, just in case the animal got to him before he could turn around to face it. The panther growled loudly this time, a much more fierce cry than before. The trickster..Tin tin? doubled back, swinging the katana again to try and hold the beast back. If only he had time to morph this would be over and down with, but the beast didn't give him the time to try.

Quickly, the beast darted left, then turn right in a fake as he pounced on the Myrian morphed Dhani. Mamoru tried to launch himself backwards in time, but the beast landed upon him, claws digging into his arm turning tanned flesh crimson red. Fingers curled tighter around the katana as he thrust it forward, finding a home in the ribs of the animal. The panther howled in pain, paws swinging wildly in a mad furry. Mamoru pushed away but not in time before claws raked into his exposed back.

This time it was the trickster to cry out before he stumbled and crashed into a tree. The panther was wounded, but it wasn't dead yet and Mamoru had used up what strength he had left. He released his morphed form, taking a deep breath as he coughed and choked again. It would be a battle to the death and who ever got the next attack in would be the victor. Suddenly a large grey flash burst through the jungle and slammed right into the panther, sending it tumbling across the ground.

Looking up, the trickster's eyes grew wide as he looked upon a large ape standing as tall as a human. It had to be the father of the tiny monkeys he had saw and tried to hunt before. The panther tried to rise slowly, but with it being injured it was quickly defeated by the raging ape. It was a very aggressive kill and it was over as fast as it had started. The ape turned back to find Mamoru, but the sly Dhani had already slipped back through the bushes had hid himself against a tree. He wasn't in any shape to face the giant and he knew it wasn't worth the try.

His earlier soreness and new wounds were enough to let him know that he had lost on this day. He wouldn't get to enjoy monkey, but if he waited until the ape left, perhaps he could salvage what was left of the panther. If not, he did still have his fish.

by **Traverse** on December 10th, 2013, 6:41 pm

Mamuro

Experience:

Acrobatics 2 XP
Climbing 3 XP
Intimidation 1 XP
Katana 2 XP
Morphing 1 XP
Observation 4 XP
Wilderness Survival 2 XP

Lore:

The Importance of Finding a Water Source
How to Start a Fire
Climbing Without Claws
The Difficulty of Eating Cute Friendly Prey
Copying the Sound of a Panther(Morphing)

Injuries:

+ 1 set of claw marks upon the back, will require quarter of a season to heal, and will leave scars unless treated.

Additional Notes :

If you have any questions, concerns, accolades, complaints, etc about your grade, drop me a PM and we can most certainly talk it out.

As always, Safe Travels!