Oh at last: a drink to cool me. Padding over, eyes aglow. Ward and 'ware for strange surprises even here where Rangers rove.

Are you drinking, new Two-Feather or just sitting thinking pensive? Water's good for dusty riders.

Standing on Ram's back, Hoskar scans the area, seeing nothing to alarm him for now. Where those riders have gone, then? Guess we'll find out...or not.

Absorbed in watching the skies and horizons he starts when his familiar's meaning comes to him, shakes his head, and heads for the water.

Yes alright. I'm drinking. This time, try and stay away from my helmet afterwards.

He chuckles to himself. Thunder Girls. Impressive name. Wonder if they live up to it he muses.

The smell of the water wakes Hisser up, so he jumps down from the back of Carross and boldly walks to the watering hole, where he proceeds to drink his fill and then explores the trees and rock faces, scent marking as he goes and soon the air around the water is heavy with the smell of tom cat piss.

Tail-erect with pricked-up ears. Scents the other Manul present. Not the season now, but maybe if he wakens one day. Thinking onwards...

"Aye I've heard of them, though they're made up of gals from several clans" replies Leaper as he turns to Amara to continue

"Vingan band they are...Bunch of rebellious Impala girls who follows the red haired one."

"They have a taste for Bisons.....And their riders..."

Kobal laughs at that.  Then settles down to rest again.  They'd ridden long into last night to avoid the morokanth, and watching their water.  And soon he'd have to take over from Akala as sentry.

Amara looked mildly disgusted "Bison riders? It is hard to imagine any woman wishing to have one even for an evenings entertainment. They are impala riders...no doubt that a bison rider is the best they can aspire to. It is not a big thing to ride a bison, or an impala or an antelope." she shrugged "When and if we meet the group, it might be best to let me approach them."

As he searches for signs of the Rhino sept Ohanzee comes across another set of knots at the southern most exit from the camp site.

He grimaces when he see's and smells what Hisser is doing, "Sorry about that everyone, I'm sure, once he's got a spirit in him, he won't do that any more" He perks his ears up when he hears about the Thunder Girls, "More fighters, never a bad thing, shame they're Impalas though." He rummages through the treasure they gained from the harpies lair and holds up a pair of golden armbands, "Can I claim these as my own?"

Ohanzee returns holding the knot "They're holed up South of here in a cave about 1km from here. It's South and so are these Thunder Sisters or whatever they call themselves so it could be trouble for the sept if they come across each other."

He looks at the others "I'd like to go get them before it gets dark. Be good to have you along Amara of course, and others in case we come across that bunch and they decide to try something."

"Maybe tomorrow though, we need rest and the Queen and her people must be protected whilst they rest. Maybe whilst those who want to visit Pellas do so some of the rest of us can fetch the sept?"

Scrubby beard glistening with water droplets from a long deep draught, Hoskar thinks about Ohanzee's proposal a moment.

Why not. Count me in either way: they're rhino folk out there, and I expect the cat will want to stay here so we can all stay in touch.

If they turn out hostile, are we fighting or talking? Don't want us to look too much like a disorganised rabble by doing different things.

"If you're going to meet some Skywatchers there's no way I want to be left behind. Besides if we meet these Thunder Girls then it's probably better for all if I am present...even although they're unlikely to be as unreasonable as any of the Storm Bull worshipeprs we've come across." Amara let her mount drink as much as it needed to as she refilled ehr own skins and drank herself...upstream from the rhino.

Deciding to leave the spirit summoning for the next day a small group of the Rangers head south through the deep sided gorges of the Rocklands.

The vegetation is quite thick in places and small game in abundance giving the braves ample chance to catch some dinner...Jackrabbits, lizards and various ground fowl.

Back at the camp the Harpies roost amongst the trees, with their Queen holding court about the early evening fire.

Those searching for the cave see that the smoke from the fire is in the direction that they're travelling....

As they get closer to the smoke Ohanzee once more pulls the bullroarer from his gear, the mundane one this time of course "This is Rhino land, time to announce our arrival to the sept and to those who might call us enemies cower in fear.

"Let the others hide whilst the Rhinos stomp!"

Then raising the thing over his head he spins it eliciting that distinctive buzzing drone perhaps like a giant bee.

Amara nodded, a smile crossing her face as she agreed with Ohanzee. The bullroarer would announce their presence to all. Those who were expecting them and the Vingan impala riders. The mere sound would be enough to signify that they were not hostile and intent on hunting either the rhino riders or the impalas. "It is right and fitting to let all know that those who ride rhinos are present. Most of us have some inclination towards Orlanth, perhaps it will be enough to coax the Impala riders to visit."

Kobal throws a spare scrap of hide at Amara.



"I will come too," says Kobal, getting up.  If there might be action, he wants to be there.  "Besides, I hear they like bison riders.  Be good to have me along in case we come across that bunch and they decide to try something," he laughs, puffing out his chest.

"If we're late back, someone take my shift on the watch," he says over his shoulder as he readies Black Hoof.

As they ride off, he says quietly to Ohanzee and Amara, "I'm surprised you two rode off without seeking permission from your beloved Queen."  He grins.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:17, Wed 09 Dec 2015.

"She is safer where she is. We're the ones taking the risks. Her travels through these lands might be easier should we deal with any potential issues before they arise." she glanced over at Kobal "She is after all, essential to the restoration, far more than we are."

Almost immediately there is the a reply from up ahead.

BBBBbbbbbbbzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

And Ohanzee recognises it as the Bull roarer of Urrak.

Henal snorts at Amara's words and lets his cats jump down and start hunting for mice in the grass round the water.

"I'll stay here and rest as I still feel drained magically after our battles against chaos".

"That's Urrak!" Ohanzee exclaims excitedly, but then a wave of doubt flows over him driven by previous experiences out in the Wastes "Or at least it's his bullroarer."

He urges Wihakayda forward "Come, let's go!"

The Rangers push through an area of heavy scrub, following a trail which was certainly made by Rhinos not that long ago. It opens out into a grassy spot filled with Impalas, several Rhinos, wooden frames covered with stretched animal skins, three dome Impala tents, running children and two puppies.

Around a smoky fire sit a collection of semi naked impala braves, all female and half a dozen Rhino riders of both sexes. They're all laughing at some joke, passing a wobbling skin from hand to hand.

Urrak is standing in the middle of it all, a bull roarer coming to a slow stop above his head.

"You have returned!" he booms, a smile splitting his much lined face.

In the back ground the Rangers can see that a section of the nearest rock wall has been gorged out, presumably from an ancient serpent that must have once poured through this section of the Rocklands.

Rhinos turn to greet the newcomers, pregnant bellies wobbling and mouths raised as grunts echo this way and that.

Ohanzee returns the smile with his own broad grin "Just as we said we would, and with the hills clear a little more Chaos and for that matter a little greener." His smile turns to a grin to see the rhinos present have full bellies and the youngsters playing.

He looks at the gathered peoples, rhino riders and impala Vingans and he smiles "I see that you have made some new friends, or perhaps met some old ones? Well we have made some new friends too and we should talk about them before you meet them."

"I hope with Waha's good grace you all survived your quest?" asks the gruff old man

"Come I will introduce you all and hen we can talk the talk."

Whilst waiting for the Rangers to dismount he examines each braves' face carefully as if looking for some clue to what has happened.

Ohanzee slips from his mount and lets him go greet the other beasts and eat with them "By the grace of Waha and the actions of Queen Hilimaz Mushen our losses were less than they could have been."

He waits for the others and for Urrak to introduce them to the camp inhabitants. Realisation comes to him as he waits There are far fewer of us here, that is the cause of his concern! "The rest wait at the pool where we camped before, them and our new friends." he offers in a reassuring tone.

"The Morokanth braves of the Black Mud clan are gathering in great numbers at Hoof Crack. Their khan and several of our numbers have a blood grudge and despite our quest he was less than welcoming so we rode through the greater part of the night to put distance between them and us."

"I don't know why they gather but I worry that they mean to take the Earth Temple and the Giant's Finger Holes." He stops now. There is much to tell, but that just flowed from him before the introductions were even made, the urgency with which it was sitting inside him.

"Ah, interesting news indeed. I wonder what Egajia would make of this"



The Rhino elder advances on the campfire, where those sat around it have now stood on mass.

"This is my new wife Brinnak, who has looked after me since poor Unna passed away two years ago" he indicates a young woman in her early twenties who smiles at the Rangers. She's short, and wide and pregnant.

"My son Ukki and his wife Arrana and their two sons Ruck and Shove."

Ukki is a tall man that looks like he'd give Akala a run for his money in the huge stakes. Bright blue eyes stare out from under bushy eyebrows as he takes in the young braves before him. He's perhaps forty years old and covered in scars and runic tattoos. A follower of Waha and one of the empty ones by the looks of it, for nowhere does he carry the spirit rune. By his side his wife looks proud and fierce, and carries a highly polished club in her hands, the smooth ball at one end marked with the rune of Death. She nods her head, friendly but without a smile.

Their sons are both older than the Rangers and are an even physical mix of their parents' genes. That said they both greet the newcomers warmly, especially the Rhino Riders.

All stare at Kobal, wondering what his story is.

Those SkyWatchers present recognise each of Urrak's family members, some more than others.

"And these are the Thunder Girls"

He steps back, obviously waiting for the women to make their introductions.
This message was last edited by the player at 11:42, Wed 09 Dec 2015.