It's disgusting inside, the creature's stomach wall conforming to Ohanzee's squashed body. It hurts too as digestive acid begins to burn.

It's far from quiet, with gurgling, half heard shouts and a heart beating strongly, and just in front of the brave's eyes he can see something glowing ever so slightly.

Amara let out an exasperated sigh, rolling her eyes as Ohanzee kissed her. Then the cliff toad's tongue reached out and sucked Ohanzee in. Amara started laughing, despite the seriousness of the situation. reaching to her back, she pulled a javelin from her quiver whispering her charm to make it split in flight and started throwing at the toad. It was too big to risk fighting in hand to hand. Amara had hoped the toad would be smart enough to leave them alone...but as her grandmother said "if you keep poking the fire, eventually you will be burned"...and the time for leaving it alone was over.

"We're drawing attention from the rock lizards...this fight might get a lot bigger."

With his eyes wide in near panic, and a tremor in his voice Melock turns to Voras, "I don't suppose you know fire arrow?"

"Help him he's dying!" Umbra calls frantically as he flaps about.

"Humph muph!" come a muffled cry.

Rushing up as he sees the panicked group, Voras sets his bundle of javelins down and says to Melock, "Alas, I don't."

Voras prepares to toss the first of his javelins, hoping he's not unlucky enough to impale Ohanzee inside the toad.  "Pray that this is not Daka Fal's day to judge Ohanzee."

Sehana's spine tingles. Here is one of the legendary Wandering Rangers, whom she had just met, dying before her eyes. Still in her full regalia, she has javelins to cast, but she thinks first about Ohanzee, how she would be terrified in his situation.

So, instead she brings out an empty eggshell with a single hole, which she whispers into, "You do not die tonight, Ohanzee. I have already bound this beast so it cannot get away. Your companions, your friends, will save you yet, otherwise call me a liar as a Sun Hawk."

Her speech goes directly into Ohanzee's mind, even as he writhes inside the giant toad's foul gullet.

Then, she readies her first javelin to hurl.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:07, Sun 28 Feb 2016.

Henal takes up a javelin and hurls it at the gigantic toad after he tries a spell of confusion on it.

"Waha guide my arm, help us slay this monstrosity"
This message was last edited by the player at 10:53, Sun 28 Feb 2016.

"No, I do not, Wise One," Kobal replies to the aunt of Salen, with a shake of the head.  "I have not spoken much to the Queen.  Others among our Rangers have talked more to her, but I don't think she has shared her plans with them, as they have disclosed nothing to the rest of us.

"Hopefully the appearance of the Queen is a sign that the Green and the old times are approaching."

It all happens at once....

Despite the binding spell the Toad still attempts a jump. It's just leaving the ground when it's thick hide is pierced by several javelins, thrown by Amara, Voras, Sehana and Henal and a disruption spell from Melock where he stands in the entrance to the caves.

It staggers for a moment after dropping back to the floor and with an almighty retch vomits up Ohanzee, who slithers to the ground, unmoving and possibly dead.

Then with one final shudder the toad slumps to the ground, extinguishing the flames and causing the island to vanish in the darkness.

"I hope you are right, though it will take some convincing when other Clans hear that there are Harpies here. It will be Chaos first that crosses their mind. So I expect us to be visited by Storm Bulls before the season is out" replies Darga.

He seems to relish the idea.

"We heard that Black Shields have arrived. Is it true they have joined with your clan? How will this bode for us? Are they planning to move against us?"

"Aye and what about the water in the pools, when will they be cleaned. We are tired of the never ending work to carry water from that small pool in the caves below to water everyone. Thank Waha that it seems to be bottomless and is fresh."

Whilst the others talk Kobal is conscious of their chieftain's eyes resting on him.

Henal stares over at the island. "Anybody want to swim over there and see if Ohanzee is still alive?"

Arriving too late on the scene to be of use in the fight, Hoskar takes one look, almost jumps in, then thinks twice. We've had a lot of trouble from not preparing lately. Anyone got rope? Till then, let's see how bad it is doing what he really should have done from the start, he murmurs his magic, aided by Condor, to check if Ohanzee's alive...and whether there's anything else alive and unexpected in the pool.

Ohanzee and the Toad both come back as being alive...Nothing in the pool...yet.

Voras knows he's not a strong swimmer, but he feels he must do everything he can to aid Ohanzee.  Casting a spell of light on another javelin, he casts it well wide of where he knows Ohanzee to lie, attempting to shed some light on the situation.  He strips down to as little clothing as possible as he prepares to enter the water and attempt to make his way to the island.

Leaper covers Voras with his bow, shouting to Hoskar "Is Ohanzee alive?"

"I'll come with you" replies Sand Fox, who putting his Praxian distrust of water and aversion to swimming to one side, follows Voras.

"Someone get rope from our stores in the caves" he adds waiting in the shallows

This is strange, where am I? There is no down, I'm sure there used to be a down but I can't feel the pull of the Earth dragging me down. Every way is the yielding press of... what is it?

Was there pain? I'm sure there was pain, but not now, where has it gone?

A heat all over me, inside me even. I'm sure I was burning up but it's gone, it's... warm, it's comfortable. It's so hard to breath, why am I struggling to breath when I don't need to, it's so warm and... encasing in here.

I'm... not me. I'm... yet to be me. I'm.... That's it, I'm waiting to be born, here in my mother's womb waiting to be.

The eyes of the one who was Ohanzee slowly close for the last time but then within the Darkness a deeper Darkness sweeps past those eyes. I'm not alone! Who's there? Do I have a twin here? There was another I'm sure there was another... a... brother.

Are you there? Who are you?

I am here. I am Eyota

Are my brother?

In a manner of speaking

Why do you have a name? Names are not given until you are born!

You gave me the name. You have many names, you are Ohanzee Shappa, Ohanzee Blue Arm, Ohanzee River King, Ohanzee Chosen of Raven.

There are more names that you are known by but now is not the time. Look, a shiny thing.

There are no shiny things here in our mother's womb, only darkness and warmth and the pressing of her belly all about.

There is a shiny here look Again a deeper Darkness flashes across his now open eyes and as it passes he notices that there is the faintest of glows within the Darkness.

Ooohh, a shiny! Mother will not mind if I look after it for her. After all she'd not have left it here if she minded. His fingers reach up to his face where it is, the wall off the womb always pressing but yielding enough to allow movement. He touches it, fingers groping around it I'll just look after it. I'll be safe with me.

Nice and safe, nice and safe. That's it, hold it nice and tight, don't slip away now, don't let it slip away now.

Fingers reach around encasing the light in a tight grasp That's right, nice and tight. Don't slip away.

With a tight grip on the light the being who would be Ohanzee curls up into a ball comfortable and safe within his mother's womb and as he does so there is a tug, a ripping, a great spasm.

There is a down again, the pull of the Earth returns, a squelching thump of body hitting land and the curled up naked form.

Cold. It's so cold. I'll sleep.

No, you must stay awake.

I am just born. I have not the energy to wail and the only thing left to do is sleep... now.
This message was last edited by the player at 11:26, Mon 29 Feb 2016.

Melock quickly runs to the caves, grabs a rope and runs back. Standing in the tunnel, he keeps hold of one end and throws the rest to Sand Fox, "be careful, attach the rope to both of you." he wraps his end of the rope round himself and holds tight, "Hoskar, come and help me, we'll probably need the strength from your shield."

Yes! He's alive! Nothing else showing but the toad.

He hastens over to help Melock; strengthening himself as he runs in and doing likewise to the Raven brave on his return.

Sand fox ties the other end around his waist and dives after Voras who is already in difficulties, having floundered almost immediately once out of his depth. The Red Thorn helps pull the Sun Hawk back into the shallows so that he is standing once more.


From the other side of the island comes a loud splash.

The giant Toad has disappeared in to the depths...

The Bright Treasure warms my surface and reflects a myriad of colours as the children play in my shallows, splashing each other, filling the air about with their shrill laughter and the Water below with the same sound though dulled by my form. Throughout me I feel the fish swimming, moving through my body, catfish sifting the murky depths filtering the silt of my bed, others prowling the waters above this hunting the insects that flit along on or above my surface laying eggs, mating or breaking free of me for their time in the air above.

I feel another splash, over by the trees that border my southern shores and briefly my body is entered by a kingfisher, that is gone as quickly as it arrived, fish held tightly in its beak, my surface still indented by the time it is back in the air.

Tap, tap, tap the ever so small immersion of the female dragonfly tails as she lays her precious eggs in my body, trusting totally to the flying prowess of their mates as they hold them in flight and carry them from plant stem to plant stem. Splosh as one such male, the female he carries and the precious load she carries are snatched from the air by a leaping tilapia who in turn it taken by the snap of the pike that sharks through the shadows.

Frogs chirp before leaping into my body and diving for the cover of leaves, as a shadow passes by carried by a pair of long legs feet folding as the enter and leave my body leaving barely a ripple. The stab of a spear-like bill and a fish is dragged out of me struggling for life and trying to breath in the element that contains too much air.

All about and throughout me is the sound, the sight, the smell and the taste of Life and Death, of the cycle as it should be with spirits respected, leaving and returning in good order.

Trying once more Voras and Sand Fox get across to the island, the deep water only several metres wide at the closest point. There they find Ohanzee, his skin nearly all burnt away and on the verge of death. His hands are clasped together and refuse to budge.

As they carefully lift him, Sand Fox having cast a small healing charm to stabilise the brave, they turn and see the water ripple as something long moves just below the surface as it circles the island.

In the darkness there is the flap of wings and the frantic tone of a bound spirit flitting about the braves on the island now that the toad is gone, but ever alert to the possibility of tongue, fish or serpent launching from benieth the waters. "Light, cast some light on the situation."

"I can see, of course I can see but the Harpies need light. Give them light so they can fly and they might carry you back!"