Suddenly the singing is joined by a second voice, a harsh one that growls and snarls, and almost sounds like an angry dog...

"Stop it!  Stop it now, or we'll punish you again!  Stop it!"

The singing fades away, and transforms into a quiet whimpering.

Miss Cuddles stopped short as the second voice was heard, her ears perking up and swivelling  to try and determine which direction the voice came from.

"Punish? Who do you suppose is being punished?  Should we help them?"

Midnight shook his head firmly.  Much better to keep on keeping on.

Looking about at the other cats, Mephistopheles growled, "Punishing somebody for singing doesn't seem right.  And I don't like the sound of that second voice any more than the first.  We should at least take a look."

As an afterthought he added, "As long as Dreamcatcher doesn't object.  This quest is for his benefit, after all."

"It may be best if we 'got eyes on' this troublesome individual, as they say," Sir Percy agrees. "He might come after us next, after all."

Mister Pig indicates that he has no objection to a small detour.  "As Sir Percy says, it might be best to at least have an idea what these creatures are, since they could well detect us, and decide to hunt us down."

The first voice is still quietly whimpering, with occasional forays into sobbing, interspersed with indistinct muttering and short, barking outbursts of hysterical laughter, which seem to be quickly stifled.

The other voice, the harsh growling one, has lapsed back into silence.

"I think the sounds are coming from that direction." Dreamcatcher tilts his head to indicate a mound of rubble to the left of their route.

"I agree - we need to find out what is making these noises and if either poses a threat to us.  I do not wish to have something dangerous at our backs if it can be helped."

Miss Cuddles voiced her opinion to the others and made to follow Mister Pig and the others in search of the strange voices.

There seems to be some slight disagreement among the cats.  A disagreement that is easily solved.

After some thought, Mister Pig suggests, "Those who wish to investigate can do so.  Those who don't, can stay here."

And he starts to climb the rubble, deeming it safe enough with its binding of ivy.  He is soon joined by others who are not intimidated by the phrase "Curiosity killed the cat."

From the top of the mound they see a strange, and horrific, sight at the bottom of the far side.

There is a creature there that looks almost like a small human male, one aged about ten years, laying naked on the ground.  Its dirty skin is pierced through with equally dirty feathers.  It only has one arm, the other being just a stump covered with a black tarry substance, and there is a considerable quantity of dried blood around the stump.

The figure is secured in place by heavy chains around its neck and waist, and its eyes are concealed by more of the tar-like material.  It is whimpering quietly.

Two more creatures are nearby.  Hideous, amorphous things, with limbs like a spider's, but tipped with long-fingered hands.  Their bodies are covered with coarse hair that writhes like nests of snakes as the move about.

Mister Pig growls deep in his throat, and spits out a single word...

"Boggins!"

It ain't curiosity any more, decides Midnight and he too climbs the rubble as fast as he can, practically running up that mound in fact, ready to fight the horrible bogginses.

21:31, Today: P-P rolled 5 evens using 8d6 with the Advantage system with rolls of 3, 5, 4, 6, 6, 2, 6, 1.  Climb Legs 5 + Climber 3.

Sir Percy's aristocratic blood is stirred by the presence of his ancestral enemy, and he scrambles to keep up with Midnight.

07:15, Today: Milk-Whiskers rolled 2 evens using 4d6 with the Advantage system with rolls of 1, 2, 6, 3.  Legs.

Miss Cuddles followed the others over the rough terrain, taking small, dainty steps as she placed each paw carefully before moving on.  The thought of boggins torturing another creature almost made her throw caution to the wind ... almost.

As she crested the rise not too far behind her friends, she stopped and considered what was before them.  "What do you think that small creature is? She asked quietly before adding, "We should have a plan before we just go down there."

"I would imagine it's a mad god" suggested Midnight with his quietly kittenish voice, "All that matters is THOSE are bogginses.".

Sunny followed along slowly. He wasn't sure what was going on exactly as his ears were still well covered. As he crested the rubble, he spotted the boggins and a low growl escaped his throat. He looked at his allies closely, trying to decide their aim in this situation. AS much as he'd love to crunch boggins, he wanted to know the situation first. Cat's with unsure footing fell no matter their luck. This reminded him of that time the boys' friends had put that long, green vegetable behind him while he was eating.

"The creature is chained up, and clearly being tormented and 'punished' by the Boggins." Dreamcatcher growls, "Obviously it needs our help.  We can ask it what it is after we rescue it."

"It might be more amenable to answering when it is freed."

He starts looking about for anything that might give them an extra advantage here.

"Obviously." Katerina Auguste murmured softly and mostly to herself, as if she wouldn't help free the creature from boggins just because she didn't know what it was!

She also scanned the area to see what, if anything they could use against the boggins, as well as looking for other boggins which might be hiding.

Dancer crouched low on the rubble heap and studied the area around and about.  Two boggins was not a problem, but best be sure there were no more lurking about.  And, while he was at it, he thought about a plan of attack, one that would be safe.

After all, it wouldn't do to simply charge down on the boggins, stumble on the rubble, and arrive at the fight with a broken leg.  Or a broken neck.

Sir Percy studies the battlefield-to-be, trying to determine the best angle of attack.

09:19, Today: Milk-Whiskers rolled 1 evens using 4d6 with the Advantage system ((2, 1, 5, 3)).

Midnight is not a planner.  He's a CAT! and the best way to fight is to strike first.  This he seeks to do with fur erect and tail lifted over his head to point at the Bogginses a he seeks to draw the lightning to destroy them.
12:24, Today: P-P rolled 4 evens using 6d6 with the Advantage system with rolls of 2, 4, 1, 3, 2, 4.  Tail (call the lightning to fight the Bogginses).

Some of the cats are looking about, trying to decide how best to attack the Boggins.  One of the vile creatures, meanwhile, picks up a length of wood and starts scraping it against a large slab of rough stone, tittering as it works to sharpen it.

Who can say what mischief it plans with his makeshift weapon? 

The second Boggin is searching around the area for something it can use.  It finds a length of rope, so rotted that it almost falls apart when handled, and casts it aside with a snarl.  Finally it picks up jagged piece of rubble, and a cruel grin spreads across it misshapen face.

Overhead the flickering lightning seems to have found a voice, as a deep rumbling builds among the clouds.

The Boggins glance up, and then go back to what they're doing.  The one with the sharp-edged stone draws back one twisted limb to hurl the missile at the prisoner...

There is a loud boom, and a brilliant flash, as a bolt of lightning drops from the sky.  The Boggin falls dead instantly, still clutching its projectile, smoke billowing up from the smouldering corpse. 

The other drops its sharpened board and shrieks in terror.

Which causes the prisoner to howl and laugh insanely, even though it cannot be aware of what is happening...

Bones Fleabag, for his part, trotted confidently past the lightning-struck Boggin and attempted to get a good look at their captive.

"Hello? We're here to help you, I suppose. What's your name?" He asked as he rounded the corner to find the captive.

Mephistopheles yowled in fright as the lightning burned his vision, but soon recovered. "Good job Midnight!" he declared, then did a double-take as he spotted Bones trotting blithely down the hill.

"What in the name of Hephaestus' paisley underwear?  Oh, good grief!"  And he too skipped and danced down the slope to help his friend.

"If I die here, I'll never forgive Bones." he grumbled as he went.

Eyeing the rubble looming over the boggin sharpening a weapon, Sir Percy decides to take the better part of valour and be crafty instead of courageous. He flicks his tail at the slop, trying to push the stones into sliding down into an avalanche that will bury the boggin. It may be tricky, but let it never be said that Sir Percy Higgleton III will not help out a chap in need!

06:56, Today: Milk-Whiskers rolled 2 evens using 6d6 with the Advantage system ((4, 5, 2, 1, 1, 5)).

Miss Cuddles felt all her fur stand on end with the lightning strike which killed the one boggin.  Everything seemed to be happening as they normally did with cats ... all at once and a bit all over the place, but she could work with that.  It looked as if Sir Percy had the same thought as she did, so she tried to assist in getting a land-slide started.


OOC:
06:35, Today: Miss Cuddles rolled 2 evens using 4d6 with the Advantage system ((1, 3, 4, 4)).

The strange creature turns its head, with its obscured eyes, towards the sound of Bones' voice and howls at him. 

Behind Bones and Mephistopheles the remaining Boggin screeches angrily and waves its sharpened piece of wood at them.  The screech is suddenly drowned out by a loud rumbling, and the rubble pile nearest to the Boggin suddenly collapses.  The unpleasant creature vanishes in a cloud of dust and shifting debris.

In the stillness that follows, the prisoner stops howling, coughs, and then says in a hoarse, childish voice, "Help me, please.  I can't see, and everything hurts.  My name is... Joey... I think.  Hard to remember just now."

"It's a child!" Mephistopheles yowled in disgust, coming up behind Bones.  "They were hurting a child!"

He moved closer to the chained victim and sniffed at the substance covering the stump of his arm, and his eyes.  Then he examined one of the feathers.  "I think we could pull these right through, if we were careful."