Completed I'm On a Boat

[Cricket]

29th of Spring, 514
Riverfall City

Cricket had run into Riverfall without so much as a thought to her safety when she had run away from the woman in the orchards. So far, she had visited several places, trying to find somewhere she could hide. Everywhere she had been had some problem or worse, she had been found and swept out with the morning dust. In a pool of glimmering light, the Kelvic stood from her previous night's nest, clumsily pulling on the clothes she would need to blend in with the world. Lapis park, home to colorful stones and obnoxious night bugs. Pulling the shirt over her white - well they used to be white, now they were brownish gray from running around - shorts. Reaching into a hole in a tree nearby, she pulled her pack out.

She was quick so as not to draw too much attention to herself leaving the park. Cricket slid into the streets as stores began to open. So far she had explored one side of the city. The smithy had been the most unwelcoming so far. It had been quiet when she arrived that first night, so hiding in the rafters seemed like a good idea. It was when the fires started and the hammer on metal noises woke her. It had been a mess as she fell from the rafters, haphazardly changed to grab her pack, and was chased out into the streets - in the nude, one might add - by a man covered in blue paint. It had been hard finding somewhere safe. No where seemed safe.

Cricket turned to the ever thunderous sound of the river. It scared her, knowing that there was the possibility of death just to get to the other side. She could hear children now, asking why the squirrel Kelvic wanted to cross the bridge. However, she was rapidly running out of choices for hiding places. Taking a big breath and puffing out her chest like the child she was, she headed back towards the main gates and beyond.

Her feet had brought her to the edge of the bridge, where fear gripped her. The noise of the water going under and over was more terrifying than she had imagined. Even more shocking than that were the people. Some of them walked back and forth, tugging on animals or pulling children along with them. Some of them were running between the walls that kept them from impaling themselves on the rocks below. Some of them were atop their father's shoulders, whom walked increasingly close to the wall. Cricket went white. She had to do it. She had to make it across.

Picking the middle ground, Cricket found herself putting one foot in front of the other. A few feet in and she bit the bullet, running down the bridge screaming like a mad woman. "No die! No die!" Came her uneducated cries. It was like parting the seas as people made way for her. All she got were strange stares and weird looks from the children. After she had crossed the bridge, she didn't stop running. Instinct would not let her. In a city of stone, all she craved at the moment was a tree.

To her greatest delight, her running brought her to a new park. She turned into it, tearing down the path to the nearest, tallest tree she could find. Breathing heavily, she huddled there, clutching her bag tightly to herself. "No die...no die..."

Freedom really wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

[Cricket]

30th of Spring, 514
Riverfall City

Cricket had left the safety of the trees in search of something absolutely dire. Food. It was the only thing on her mind as she climbed down from the tree she had hid her pack in. Part of her wanted to change and bring it with her, unwilling to lose everything if it was stolen. Then again, what did a Kelvic need clothes and coin for? As a squirrel, nuts and berries were a perfectly acceptable diet. Her belly grumbled as she sniffed the air. Where on earth was she going to find nuts or berries? Sitting back on her hind legs, she flicked her tail. Cricket's condition had not changed much. There was still caked blood around her neck where her collar had been. She was still dirty, and due to malnutrition, she was beginning to lose patches of fur. Her end tail was beginning to look like a rat tail with wisps of hair struggling to hold on.

Picking up her tiny paws, she scurried out of the park - Semele Park specifically, but she had been too afraid to look at the sign coming in. As soon as she left, the sweet aroma of fresh bread caught her nose. Whiskers tilted down the street from where the smell was coming from. Was that a nut smell mixed with the bread? And berries? Her pace quickened as she bounded toward the aroma. Being inconspicuous was easier than she thought it would be. No one was looking down at their feet as she maneuvered through the busy street. As long as she kept herself in the gutter, where she probably would be mistaken for a sewer rat or something, she figured that no one would care.

Oh how wrong she was. One of the stuffy ladies, in a frilly skirt and outrageous hat screeched when she saw the squirrel. Her tail was not helping her case either. "Rat! It's a rat!" Cricket sat back on her haunches, looking around. Where is this rat? I don't see a ra- Her thoughts were interrupted as a boot came stomping down on the street right next to her. A shrill squeak left her mouth as she jumped away from it. Without even looking back, she found herself weaving into an alley. She wanted to leave the loud shouts behind her as quickly as possible. Bounding around a corner, she found herself hiding under a pile of papers. Uncontrollable shakes took over her body as she waited. Wait for death or for silence.

Instinct told her to get out of the city. She waited a bell or so, curled up beneath those papers until she thought she was safe. Her empty belly had been forgotten as she meagerly picked her way around the back of buildings to the park. It was safer among the trees, where she could not be seen and no one wanted to step on her. At least she wouldn't be mistaken for a rat. Weary, she managed to climb up her tree and collapse into the Y of a branch. How much longer would she be able to handle this?

[Cricket]

31st of Spring, 514
Riverfall Docks

She was delirious. Cricket had managed to put on the over-sized shirt she had, stuff the shorts in her pack, and leave Semele park. Her steps were short, her gaze shallow. People were everywhere, and they frightened her. Especially since most of them looked at her like she was diseased. Sunken eyes, bloody raw neck, and dirty clothes. A beggar at its worst. Stumbling down the same street she had come running down a day or two prior, she could barely concentrate. Cricket was hungry, tired, and dirty. At this rate, she was going to be very sick and soon dead if no one helped her.

Racket nearby, and the smell of food and body odor drew her off the street in another direction than that which she had intended. Colorful tents soon met her and more people than she had ever recalled seeing in one place caused her to wake from her delirium. What was this place? Why were there so many people in one place? Didn't they know that predators would lurk nearby to poach the weak and sickly? Wait - wasn't she weak and sickly? Nausea overtook her as she pushed her way into the crowd of the Zhongjie Warrens. The more central she was, the less likely she would disappear as someone meal.

What she hadn't expected was getting so turned around. There were so much stimuli to be had, between loud noises, barking blue people, and aromas ranging from sweet to savory to downright awful. One vendor had sprayed this stuff in her face that smelled like honey and dead people saying it was a "perfume." Cricket had coughed and shied away, only to be yelled at that she smelled better than she had before. Cricket grumbled, holding her pack tightly to her. Children were yanking at their parents pants, begging for sweets. Some got them, some got swatted away. Others simply handed shiny coins to people and received things from the tables. Approaching one of these tables that had something that smelled nice, she watched one of these strange transaction. Curious, she looked at the blue man that was on the other side. "Food? Cricket questioned.

"Do you have the Mizas for it beggar? No? Get lost."

The anger was enough to get Cricket away from the table, scurrying down the street. Eventually she came out on the other side of the warrens, suddenly unaware of where she was. Stepping into an alley, Cricket found herself slumping down against the wall. It was then, from her new lower level, that she saw this trash pile in the corner. Most of it was papers and other non-edible things, but there was something there that looked good. Crawling over to the trash pile, she dug around until she found the hunk of mold bread she had eyed under the papers. There was fuzzy green stuff on it, which she casually wiped away on her shirt. Observing the rock solid bread, she rolled her shoulders. Even something like this was good enough for a beggar right?

In this little alley of hers, she chewed on the bread like the ravenous beast that was in her. No one would have looked at her and thought she was a Kelvic, graceful and wily like her squirrelly self should have shown. Instead, many were probably curious if she was a Nuit. Of course, she knew nothing of other races. All Cricket knew so far was that blue people existed, she existed, and humans enjoyed spraying themselves to smell like dead people.

Several bells later, she managed to push herself back up and out into the street. The sun was setting by now, and most of the people were heading into buildings. The warrens had calmed down and she managed to make it back the way she had come through earlier that morning safely. Still somewhat turned around, she followed a street towards the thunderous sound of the waterfall, expecting to find the bridge. Instead, it took her down to the docks. Dimly lit by the few lamps that had already been lit in the setting sun, she was overcome with curiosity. It smelled strange down here, a mix between fish, salt, and sweat. Her feet carried her, although she was still lost. Everything was loud as the waterfall crashed on the rocks. Weary and frightened, she headed away from the falls, eager to find somewhere safe to sleep.

What she saw next excited her. There, on the water, stood a tall tree without any branches or leaves. She did not care. All she knew was that there were many of them out on the water, like a dead forest. It was as close to safe as she was going to get tonight. Walking down the docks, she noticed that these trees were on small islands made of wood. Strange magic it seemed, for a tree to be tall and skinny on top but wide and strong at the bottom. Shrugging, she began to look for an easy way onto one of these islands. Soon, she saw a plank stretched out from the dock to one of these floating trees. It was pretty, this island, with a sign that said it was Laviku's Wrath. Whatever a Laviku was, Cricket was happy to board this island. It was quiet, which must mean it was safe. No one would kick her off. Especially when she got to the top of that tree.

Looking around, she was met with pretty much nothing on the island save a barrel. Stumbling over to it, she looked around it. It smelled strange, and did not seem to have any way of getting in. Snooping around further, she found a pile of rope. Although not ideal, she decided it would do. Plopping her pack in the center and shoving her over-sized shirt into, she coiled the rope around it until it blended in well. In a glittering ball of light, the small girl transformed into her squirrel. If anyone had been around to see it, before they could blink, she was up the tall tree and pulling herself into the bird's nest. It was here she flopped on her back and looked up at the stars. Just before she fell asleep, she contemplated what a 'Laviku' would look like.

[Cricket]

32nd of Spring, 514
Laviku's Wrath

The hot sun warmed her fur from her special nest atop the tree without leaves. It had been the best night's sleep she had gotten. The island had rocked her to sleep, bumping against the dock lightly as it was carried on the water. Unrolling herself from the sleeping ball, she stretched. Looking around, she was slightly surprised at how high the sun was. How long had she slept? Climbing the rim of the nest, she sat on the edge. Scratching idly at her raw neck, she looked around. There were so many islands. Some had lone trees like Laviku's Wrath. Others had none, and some had two or more. Flicking her tail, she looked back to the pier. Rough men and women were working with ropes and nets. It was then that she noted a man coming towards her island. Not only was he coming towards it, he was playing with it.

Wary, she crouched to make herself as small as possible, her dirty red fur blending in just a little with the boat. As he undid the ropes that held the island to Riverfall's pier, her stomach lurched. Had he seen her get on the island and was not sending her out to sea? Thankfully, that did not seem to be the case. He boarded the island with a large creature. It looked like a squirrel, long and dark. Except that it's tail was smooth. Odd. Cricket was prepared to go down and investigate when the person came to settle in front of a wheel. Then her world lurched. With a squeak, she fell back into the nest as the island rocked to life.

It took her a few moments to bring her dizzy world back into focus from bonking her head on the nest floor. When she managed to pull herself up, she saw Riverfall falling away. The cliffs, an inviting gate to those entering Riverfall became judgmental guards as the sailed out. Tipping her nose down, she noted that her tree was no longer "leafless". A great billowing fabric had been drawn up it's length and was full with air. As they passed through the safety of the harbor, Cricket really began to worry. There was nothing ahead except the great blue waters. What trouble had she gotten herself into now?

[Gossamer]

XP AWARD!
Thanks for threading in Riverfall.

Character: Cricket
Experience: Observation +4, Investigation +4, Foraging +3
Lore: RF Smithy : Inhospitable Place, Lapis Park: Somewhat safe to sleep in, Squirrels are oft mistaken for rats. Being a Stowaway, Knowing Starvation

Additional Note: I gave you investigation because you seemed to be investigating the city. If you’d like something else in its place, let me know… I’m opne to changing it.