Following Henal, the small group of braves intending to gain new familiars are soon outside the opening to the shrine of Pallas.

Tree branches are pushed back, revealing the narrow crack in the rock, the surface all around the dark hole looking as if something has scratched the rock with huge claws.

Upwards they go, the small Thunderbird brave leading the way, passing through the narrow, bone filled cave and then up on to the top of the massive rock.

As the braves ascended the steep crevice the smell of cat grows stronger and stronger, the musk making their noses wrinkle and their cat companions meow plaintively. Added to this was the sound of cat purring, which by the time they reached the top made speech almost impossible.

They find themselves in a circular pit some twenty metres wide, with smooth walls a lance length in height (3m).  The floor is covered in bones similar in number to those below, the only difference being their size....It's herd beasts and humans that have met their end here.

In the centre is a crude stone pillar, vaguely reminiscent of a tall sitting cat. It's been scratched so much that it is now barely recognisable.

"You have come back..." comes a voice. Perhaps from the pillar, or just behind each brave....It's too hard to tell.

He flinches when he hears Pallas's voice and can't help but mutter to himself, "Lets hope he's friendlier this time." He looks around to see if the others flinched as well, "Yes we have," He hesitates, unsure what to say to Pallas and looks to his fellow Rangers for help.

Amara stepped forward. "Yes, we came back. We said we would and that we looked forward to having you as a friend as opposed to an enemy. We can be good friends to you."

"I am your shaman and I come here with sacrifices and gifts so you will help us bind spirits into cats as our familars".

Nixa and Sand Fox both look suitably spooked and both hold up their meat sacrifices for the hungry spirit. Two live jack rabbits, their feet kicking in panic as if they realise their fate.

"We bring gifts"

Even the Manul cats who will shortly filled with spirits, look frightened, their tails wrapped tightly around their rear ends and ears flattened.

"Ah....Food....I am happy.....I sense you have used your medicine bundle Henal longgrass, it served you well I hope?"



"Purr...Purr....Mmmmmm"

"Sit all of you and let us begin....Give me your gifts....."

The purring has got louder still and as the Rangers take their places the air begins to chill, hair on arms and necks rise and the space darkens....

Moving forward to put his jack rabbit next to the stone statue, the Ranger quickly moves back, the rabbit staying still as if hypnotised...

"I bring you jackrabbit, trickster and trouble maker....Good meat and soul.....May your feat be satisfying..."

The sacrificial pile grows, each brave returning to sit and under Pallas and Henal's instruction to purr loudly...

One by one the gifted animals slump as their life force is drained by the Manul cat spirit.

Tarosh gifts Pallas some spirit instead of prey and then sits down, he raises an eyebrow when he is told to purr, He's got to be winding us up, but he's in charge so I better do it. "Purr... purr... purr..." while he purrs, he strokes Hisser to try and keep him calm.

Henal settles back making purring noises, gifting some of his spirit to Pallas, with Rikki staring at him looking concerned.

Amara brought forth one of the sables she'd managed to capture. "A magnificent gift, for a magnificent spirit." she said before she knelt in front of the pillar and since the others were doing it, she didn't feel self conscious and purred loudly to appease and please Pallas.

Amara's sacrifice elicits a whole cacophony of happy cat sounds and immediately over the sides of the pit comes a tide of hungry Manul cats of every shape, size and colour imaginable. Amongst them are spirit cats, drawn by the promise of food and the chance to walk amongst the living once more.

"Pick your spirit...Be careful though...Make sure they are sated on both flesh and soul"

The sable buckles at the knees, totally hidden by thrashing cats and dies without a sound.

Still purring Tarosh waits until a spirit cat gets near to him and then, while stroking Hisser, he gifts the spirit a bit of temporary pow to attract it. It looks suspiciously at Tarosh, but after a moment, it slowly makes its way towards him, eyeing him up and down and then walking around Hisser, inspecting the body its being offered.
"Come with me spirit and you can have a body again and all the pleasures that go with it."
Hisser stares back at the spirit, hackles raised and his tail fluffed up like a bottle brush. Tarosh feeds it another bit of pow to get its attention, which works so well that the spirit turns and attacks him. The fight lasts longer than the one with Pallas, but has the same outcome, though it is a close thing. Panting with exhaustion and having given up on the purring, Tarosh manhandles the spirit into Hisser's body, who's eyes briefly glow as the spirit takes control. He looks at the cat, "Welcome Manul spirit." and feeds it some dried meat, "I'll get you something alive when we leave this place, or if you want the joy of hunting it yourself there is plenty of game near our camp."
The cat licks the dried meat, but leaves it on the floor, "Though I have gone by other names in the past, I like the name Hisser, so you can call me that." He stands and stretches his new body, "I want to chase and rip something to pieces." Hisser pads towards the mass of cats and Pallas's spirit and yowls at him, before turning and heading back to Tarosh. He too stands, "My thanks Pallas." and gives the last of the pow from his other bound spirit. He turns and heads out of the cave with Hisser following closely behind him, where he waits for the others to finish, while Hisser explores the surrounding area.

Amara waited with patience as the cats streamed around them. The aggressive ones she ignored, even as they hissed approaching her. She sat down on the ground, her legs crossed and waited. She didn't have long to wait, one of the spirits moved forward, its eyes filled with curiousity. Amara smiled reaching her fingertips out. "I am looking for a brave spirit. You might be the one most ideally suited to me. We live a hard life...but as you can see by the gifts we have brought, one that can be very rewarding. As my partner and familiar, you will eat and hunt and see many new things. "

It was to her surprise the cat didn't back away, but instead moved forward. Amara gave it some of her spirit "Together, you and I shall become powerful and known and when your time on this place is done you shall return to where you are, having tasted the wonders that this world has to offer." The spirit cat creeped forward, almost stalking the body of the manul lying in her lap. "Your home shall be in this body" she reached for the matrix to help her new found friend take its place at her side.

As the spirit and the body merged, the cat ruffled its fur, shaking violently before stepping out to look at her. "Welcome my friend. Your name is Spot" Amara turned to face Pallas and bowed "My thanks to you for your generous gift" Amara returned to Spot gifting the spirit yet more of her soul and some jerky she'd brought for the occasion, to be rewarded by purring from her new familiar.

Nixa and Sand Fox find appropriate spirits for themselves, quickly binding them to their Manul cats, after using charms to subdue and control.

They look nervous as well they should for binding was a dangerous task that could end up in possession or the complete destruction of their soul.

By now the once living sacrifices were nothing more than bone and hide and it looked as if the remaining spirits and cats might sart looking for further prey....

Puuuuuuuurrrrrrrr.........Puuuuuuuurrrrrrrr.

Henal sits waiting for a cat spirit to come to him watching as they flow past. As one approaches taking its time and watching him he speaks to it. "Come and have a body again taste food and hunt with me and my other cat in the world. Our life is full of risk and adventure."

He gifts it some of his spirit and then watches it enter the body of Blue Eye who shivers and shakes as the spirit establishes itself.

"Now your name is Blue Eye and you can ride with me, shaman of Pallas and slayer of chaos".

Henal resumes purring stroking the new familiar and feeding it some meat as it purrs and rubs up against him.

As Henal binds his new familiar he can't help noticing how the atmosphere has changed, everywhere he looks cats both living and dead are staring at him and his companions.

Greedily.

"Pallas, remember that we have brought you sacrifice and gifts, so send away your followers so we can return again with more of the sacrifices that you wish for. As your shaman hear me speak.

There's a moment of silence, then something large and invisible lands amongst the cats scattering them this way and that. There's meowing, screeches and wails as they try and get away from Pallas' anger.

"You are safe, as always...Well maybe until I get bored with you Henal cat friend. Will you stay with me now...We could hunt together....Perhaps find you a cat wife?"

"This is not that time for us to hunt together now Pallas. I will return with more sacrifices before too long and then maybe I should take a bride." Henal stands and gestures to the others to stand and make an exit.

"Now is time for us to go and find more prey for our own food and let the cats know the besast they will be riding on when we leave".

With that Pallas disappears chasing away the other manual cats up and over the pit's edge and out over the rock.