Rivers of silver, streets of gold

Tal huffed at Sah's peremptory tone, but since the other man was helping him out with a dangerous tiger hunt the courier held his tongue against further protest. This would be a lot more dangerous without the hunter's muscle and magic to back him up and if it worked a few cookies and a cake were a small price to pay.

His fingers twitched greedily at the thought of that airship as he placed the meat.

As it turned out, their timing couldn't have been better and the companions didn't even need to show themselves as lures. The molten tiger that appeared was young and not, perhaps, as wary as an elder beast would have been. It sniffed the first piece of meat and then licked it. The cat pulled back with a startled look - rhampire wasn't usually on its menu - but then pounced on the gobbet, snapping it up eagerly.

One, two, three. He paced along the bait trail, moving more quickly with each tasty morsel. Golden eyes gleamed with the same molten light as his stripes, greedy and glowing as he trotted into the shadowed area, drawn forward by the scent of an even larger hunk of meat just beyond--

An angry squall erupted as the tiger pounced towards the haunch and struck the net instead. Claws swept at the metal, catching at first but the steel was already softening beneath the heat. Droplets of molten gold splattered around the area as it struggled to tear through the obstruction between it and its prey.

The net's anchors gave way suddenly, folding down from the top over the big cat even as the lower sections glowed with a cherry-red heat where they draped across the tiger's back. The sudden release of tension caught him off-guard, however, and he tumbled forward. The rhampire meat caught in the net as it was rolled over and for a moment the tiger teetered on the edge of the pit before gravity tipped it over and dropped with an indignant yowl that ended in a grunt as it hit the bottom.

And then a truly pissed off snarl echoed up from the depths as it got its breath back.

"Now!" Tal called to Sah from his perch on the lowest root-branching of his own tree, having watched the entire show intently through his Goggles. He was already slipping down with the insulated pottery jar to begin scraping up the drip-splatters from the trees and ground.

I have never feared the storm

Sah watched the cat's approach with narrowed eyes, magic at the ready. Not just to follow their plan but to spring into defense should the need arise. But it seemed that luck was on their side as their preparations proved enough. As soon a the cat was trapped, Tal called out.

Yet Sah had already been on it. No sooner had the courier finished his sentence that the Abandoned had closed the lid. As he did so, he jumped down and helped Tal collect the rest of the drippings. "Do you have what you need?" Sah glanced back at the pit where a very angry cat was still yelling. It seemed that it was still preoccupied with the meat within to start trying ot burst open the lid. But he doubted that it would take long.

Sah

"Think so!" He seriously hoped so, because lingering in the pissed off tiger's vicinity didn't seem like a healthy life choice. Another muffled yowl echoed through the underground forest as the cat made angry noises around chewing the rhampire meat. The courier flashed the hunter an adrenaline-filled grin as the small jar sloshed to the brim with molten gold, and he quickly secured the lid so nothing would spill out or scald them.

He tiptoed over to the pit and peeked over the edge, studying the cat with his Goggles for a few more seconds and watching it prowl the small space as it ripped and tore at the increasingly-smaller hunks of meat. Its eyes seemed to gleam in the reflected light of its stripes and it looked up and met his eyes squarely. The tiger hissed and crouched over its meat and Tal hurriedly backed up.

"Let's get outta here! Boreal can keep an eye on th'tunnel from above an' make sure he gets out too." They'd come back if they needed to in order to free the tiger from their cage, but Tal still hoped it would be able to free itself after they'd put some distance between them. Suiting action to words, the courier started hoofing it for the Undergrove entrance they'd used before.

I have never feared the storm

Sah flashed Tal a feral grin in reply, "Good." Although their plan seemed to have worked this time, the Abandoned had no doubt a repeat trial would have worse results. No way the two of them could get lucky twice.

Once it was clear that they were done, Sah nodded for Lilly to lead the way out. He wanted to be in-between his pup and a potentially angry tiger at all times. The Abandoned sprinted after Tal, "Sounds good." With that final bit said, he fell silent as he sprinted alongside the courier, trying to put as much distance between them and the cat as possible.

Eventually Sah came to a stop and glanced behind them with furrowed brows, "I think we're probably far enough away now." Lilly walked over with a long tongue, wagging with her entire body. Her bonded reached down to ruffle her ears with a chuckle, "Enjoy your run, pup?" The wolf simply gave a small yip in agreement.

Sah

Boreal had stayed outside, not wanting to be stuck underground when her natural environment was the sky. She crooned encouragement as the boys and Lilly emerged from the tunnel and flapped up higher into the canopy when Tal shot her an image of what he wanted from her.

Running beside Sah and Lilly, Tal kept pace through the thick undergrowth of the Oerwoud. He was starting to gasp for breath when they slowed and he trotted to a halt, leaning against a tree and fending off a curious sentient vine with an irritated glare at the friendly foliage. "Yeah, at least I don't hear any roari--"

No sooner had he spoken than a roar reverberated through the jungle, startling smaller creatures to silence and sending several flocks of birds into flight. It was back the way they'd come from and Tal tensed for a moment, tilting his head to listen. After a few seconds another roar sounded from a little farther away and the courier relaxed with a grin. "Wherever he's goin', it's not after us. Thanks, Jester. Y'kept it from bein' too boring!" With a grin he nudged the hunter with his elbow, then took the time to carefully store the jar of drippings in his Bag.

Soon after Boreal rejoined them to much fussing and treats from Tal (for both companions) and the Halovians were able to begin the long walk home.

At least until they reached a certain Bridge...

~Fin~