Endurance the Fungal Forest travel

Nami scampered through the rocky outcropping, looking for things in the various caves. Nothing in particular, she wasn't the treasure seeking type. She just liked exploring areas different from the desert she had called home for the majority of her life! But boy was she not suited for some of these areas... Used to the heat, what the average drakiri would consider a light breeze was like an icy gust of wind to her. Maybe one of the caves could offer temporary shelter? Or at least a spot to rest. Even better if it had something interesting. She picked the closest one and walked in, ears perked.

Mahazcier was left alone in her cave like burrow. Without her three idiots in her den left her completely alone. The breeze outside made her slightly content in the fact of her den being this large. If it wasn't for the sound of something small entering her den caught her attention and held it captive. Sadly enough the lighting was poor and didn't offer any help in seeing if her visitor was another Drakiri or just a base animal.
"who go there?" she said almost a low growl

Yasu fly for some time looking down to see patch to land in that was clear of trees. As she land she thought she heard a growl but low as she look around to see if something was watching her or even hunting her. Nope nothing. She look to the cave that was not to far from her and saw a tail end of a smaller drak. A sprite? She turn to follow the sprite into a cave but her gut told her there was another too in the cave but she stop and look down to see she was walk right over the sprite.

Nami, with little to no regard for any possible danger, kept walking deeper into the cave. A good thing she did too, otherwise she would have been squished flatter than a pancake by that overeager dracus.
"Hello!" She turned around, then cranes her head further and further upwards to take her huge body in. Doing so caused her to lose her balance and fall over, but she wasn't embarrassed or deterred from continuing the conversation at all. "You exploring too?" Her tail bobbed up and down slightly, making it obvious that she didn't like standing still. "Or do you live here?" Nami let out a little gasp. "Is this cave your home?

Mahaziver slowly lowered her head back to her forlegs after getting no response from the intruder. As far as she knew she was safe from most creatures that would threaten to harm her or her hord of golden trinkets. As her ears lowered she could hear voices from a distance. Her gut told her to just wait it out

She let out a laugh and lower her head. "That i am but no this is not my home but i have feeling it is some one home but i saw you going in and thought to keep you safe." She then look deeper into the cave. "Is there someone in here?" she listen as she look at the smaller drak.

"Oh, you don't have to keep me safe!" She chuckled, not offended by the implication that she was weak. "I did hear a growl though! Wanna go check it out?" She pawed at the rocky floor impatiently, looking excited. "Maybe it's a monster! I have no idea what kind of beasts live out here, but I'm sure I can handle it."
Without even waiting for a response, she scampered off and leapt towards the first thing she could smell in the dim light. This.....succeeded only in her leaping onto Mahaziver. 'Onto' being a loose term considering their size difference. Her hooves had no purchase and she immediately fell off, yelps muffled by mane fur.

Mahaziver opened her eyes with only a split second to spare. Something was in her den and it jumped on her. Without much though she accidentally slipped off her pile of gold and silver. She couldn't see well what was going on. With little time to fully calm down she ended up ramming her own thick skull into the hardend clay wall that she was always so happy with. With a slight thud she fell backwards and almost landed on one of the two who entered her den

Yasu watch her run off into the cave and then follow her but stop when she saw the Q'lin who almost land on the sprite. "Oh oh sorry if this was your home we had no idea." She saw the gold and sliver she was hording and look to the Q'lin then the sprite. "You ok small one?" she look some what worried but maybe the sprite was ok and she was over worrying about this.

She popped up, scrabbling around and kicking the valuable trinkets all over the place. Try as she might to escape, Nami was stuck in place. While the q'lin may have missed her body, her tail hadn't been quite so lucky and was now pinned to the ground.
At least the sprite seemed to be more irritated than in pain. She tried to tug it free, only kicking Mahaziver in the jaw.

Mahaziver was slow to get up from her fall. With her ears back she looked at the two who were in her home. "Yes this is my home. I honestly wasn't expecting another Drakiri for weeks. What are you doing here anyways?" She said as she looked at the two with a narrowing gaze. Her golden eyes seemed to look at their forms but still couldn't figure out what breeds of Drakiri they were. She swears that having Zain around was ruining her ability to see in dim places because he glowed like the fliping moon.

Yasu saw her golden eyes narrowing and lower head. "I am so sorry. I was exploring butt looking for the spring that is said to be in a forest but seeing the coves around here i kinda want to check them out." she grinned but in a friendly way.

Nami sprung to her feet easily. "Yup! Just exploring here too." She flicked her tail as she squinted at Mahaziver. It had been much easier to see Yasu since they met out the mouth of the cave, but this other drakiri was still a mystery. "You live here, wanna show us around? At least let us get a look at you!" She didn't sound scared or apologetic in the slightest, although she wasn't exactly arrogant. Just..... Excited. Even standing in place, she was in constant motion. "Surely you're not gonna just lay around like a big lump 'cause you're not expecting company for weeks, are ya?"

"I honestly like laying around thank you very much. As for your intrusion on my home it's a little strange don't you think. My home isn't that impressive anyways." Mahaziver's tone of voice was monotone as she realized they weren't a threat.

Yasu look at the eye or will what she can see in the darkness of the cave. "Hmm why not all of us head to the spring that in the forest. It not like someone will steal your stuff." She told the Q'lin as she look down at Nami. "If she does not want to show us around then don't push it. There are other caves you can check out that are not someone home." she laugh lightly.

"Yeah, I don't want your treasure!" Nami affirmed, dipping her head to sniff at a coin. "It just spells gross and metallic anyway." She stuck her tongue out in mock distaste before nudging it back to the rest of the scattered pile. "Also! You saying that your house isn't very impressive means that deep down, you really do wanna see something impressive, right?" Infallible logic, surely. "Maybe you'll find something to spruce up the place! Like treasure or something. You like shiny things, right? Besides, even if you dont find any you'll still have seen some sights prettier than these rock walls! And you can't put a price on that." She smiled, looking at Mahaziver as though she immediately expected a positive answer.

"if I say yes to joining you will you stop talking?" Mahaziver said as she realized one was a really small Sprite. She looked down at her before looked back up at the other one. "what type of Drakiri are you supposed to be?"

Yasu look at the Q'lin and smiled. "Bantam Dracus but if i was not a bantam i think i would be too big for the cave." her laugh was light and soft. "Will if you want to join us. I am not sure what the other drak was wanting to do." She lower her head to the small drak.

Nami swished her tail happily, letting out a giggle. "Maybe! But you'll have to get up off your butt first!" She was soon distracted by the other question and Yasu's anwer. "Really?" She looked surprised. "You're so big, I never would have guessed!"

Mahaziver looked down at the Sprite. "Keep talking and you might become my lunch." She said as she rose off the ground. Her snake like tail clutched close to her body her golden pearl.

Yasu frown at Mahaziver as she shake her head. "If she like to talk then let her." What the sprite said made her laugh. "Will i am big but not as big as there who are not a batam." She look at the two. "Now you two want to come and find this spring?"

"You'd have to catch me if you want to lay even a paw on me." She looked confident in her speed. But Mahaziver had a mugh longer stride, so who knows? Hopefully it wouldn't come to that. "You can chase me to your heart's content if you come with us. To the spring...wherever it is."

"if it gets you out of my lair than fine. Besides I would like to see what the heck your even talking about." Mahaziver said as she started to the entrance to the den

She follow after the the Q'lin as she snort. "Is magical spring somewhere in the dark and i heard story's that it pretty dark so we have to stick with one other so we don't get lost from each other ok?" She look at the two of them.

She followed as well. "Fine with me as long as you two can keep pace!" The sprite scampered up to the front of the cave, blinking in the bright sunlight. It was harsh after the cave's complete lack of light. "Do you know which direction it's in?"

Mahaziver looked at the Sprite. She slightly chuckled at how small she really was. If she ever got overly annoying Mahaziver could always step on her, but that seems like something Lucifer would do instead of her

"That what i been all day looking to find way to it but as i said the forest is dark but i think we are close to a path we can take." She look at them both as she walk. "Just try to stay close to one other or we could end up lost from each other."

"Yup! Heard ya the first time.... Uh." She turned around. "What's your name anyways? Both of you. We oughtta know who to call out for if we get separated, yeah?"

"Mahaziver. I honestly don't know why I was named that but it's my name." Mahaziver looked at the two other Drakiri waiting for their names to be spoken. While she waited she sat down and watched them

"Yasu." Her eyes look over at Mahaziver and she left a eye brow. 'No sitting around. we have much walking to do and no time to sit who knows if there something in the forest that could hunt us."

"I'm Nami!" She looked at Yasu and laughed. "If something comes after us I'll send it running! Don't underestimate me just 'cause I'm small." She looked off into the forest, seeing a shaded path through the trees. It was impossible to see how far it led in, it was so dark. It was foreboding indeed....but the sprite tried not to let it bother her.

With a sigh Mahaziver got up and looked at the two of them. She just wanted to get going alright so she could be sure that her hord was safe when she got back. "Can we go already?"

"Yes come on." She took lead it seem and walk but look at the Q'lin. "We where walking but stopping not going to help." She shake her head as she notice how dark it was getting in the forest. It was not warm too from the sun but a bit cool.

Nami ignored the two's squabbling. Unless things came to blows she was sure it'd be fine. Of course, there was the fact that they could unintentionally alert those with less savory intentions..... But Nami wasn't afraid. The cold and dark of the forest bothered her more than anything else at the moment.
The further in the group went, the stranger the forest seemed to appear. Gone were the trees that let in at least a little sun, replaced by what she could only guess were..... Giant mushrooms? They blocked out the light entirely, causing Nami to bump into Mahaziver's backside after walking a little too quickly.

Mahaziver looked down at the Sprite who bumped into her. Without saying a word she picked up the sprite with her tail and moved Nami infrount of herself. Even with Mahaziver's poor eyesight as of now she respected the two other drikiri to a certain extent

Yasu try her best to see where that where going as she too bump into some of the Giant mushrooms but the last one she bump into glow when she did and she look back to see that as she was walking and again bump right into one and her horns got stuck as she whip her head around she broke off some of the glowing Giant mushroom. "Will then it will make for good light i guess." she laugh.

While Nami squirmed in Mahaziver's grip at first, she laughed after being set down. She looked back at the Q'lin and grinned sheepishly, although there was a little sparkle of mischief in her eye. She laughed when Yasu got mushroom stuck on her horn. "I wonder if these shrooms are bouncy?" The sprite poked one experimentally with a hoof. "Or if they taste good! In any case, I guess our light problem has been solved."

"I wouldn't eat them. If I remember correctly Lucifer ate one and got majorly sick. As for taste I don't know." Her pearl returned to the grasp of her tail which made it easier to move around as it coiled around like a python around it's pray.

"Like what she said. Eating one may not be good for us." She shake her head. "And having one of us sick will not be fun at all." she laugh at that. "Yeah for now i will keep it on my head but when we find the spring and get out of here it not staying on my horns." she roll her eyes.

Nami pursed her lips. "If they're poisonous, I don't think I have too much to worry about. Living in the desert dealing with scorpions and the like, one gets used to it. Or was it venom...?" She shrugged. "Eh, doesn't matter. I'm not very hungry now anyway." She shook herself, fur puffing up in the cool air. This dislodged spores from some of the nearby mushrooms, sending her into a sneezing fit.

Mahaziver looked down at the Sprite. "just because you live in the desert doesn't make you immune to every type of poison in the book. Trust me." As she looked over at the much larger Drakiri she let out a sigh

She heard what Nami said then what Mahaziver said too. "Mahaziver is right you know." she walk as she look around at all the huge mushrooms around them. "And we can't take the risk of you getting sick out here in this dark forest as it seem like only mushrooms grow here and who knows if any herbs do."

"Yeah, I guess so." She flicked her tail nonchalantly. "If we get hungry we can probably find some small animals or something, right? Surely something other than shrooms lives here." Nami squinted into the darkness. "Although I get the feeling that anything living out here will see us long before we see them.... I can barely smell anything with all these spores." As if if to make her point, she sneezed again.

"This is why I prefer my cave but whatever. Not like I'm risking my treasure being stolen or anything like that." Mahaziver said with a cold tone. She was always a little on the grumpy side of things. Her flicked at a few small insects that were trying to get a bite out of her face.

"Likely bugs if you like eating bugs but then again i did hunt before coming out here so my belly is full but i don't think we will be here long." She look around before spotting firefly's dancing about before that dart off and down the path. "I wonder how close we are?" She said out loud.

Nami just giggled at Mahaziver's grumbling. The bugs didn't bother her very much, but then again she was a smaller target and likely not as appetizing looking. "Ooh, fireflies!" A little slow on the uptake there. Although, to be fair, Yasu was very much taking up most of the path in front of her. If she wasn't as bouncy and energetic as she was, she would ask about riding on her shoulders. It would certainly be a glance into the life of someone that much taller! "Maybe we're getting closer? They wouldn't be wandering off in the middle of nowhere, I hope."

Mahaziver looked around at the shear vastness of the darkness. The sprite was definitely a sight for her sore eyes. She couldn't remember ever really seeing a Sprite until now. As she continued alongside Nami she just realized how much smaller she actually was compared to her.

She walk as she look over at Nami. "Take it you like firefly's?" she asked as she look to her laughing. "You can see them if you like just stay close to me. She look at Mahaziver. "And as for your treasure. I think your fine no one going to take anything of yours."

She laughed in return. "Maybe a little! You never see stuff like that in the desert, anyway. The temperatures are much too extreme." Resisting the urge to chase the little bugs, she continued on. "But I got used to them so I'm honestly feeling a little chilly here."

Mahaziver looked down at the sprite who was talking about being cold. To her she wasn't really cold or hot so she was at the perfect body temperature in her mind.

Yasu then pick the sprite up and put her in her poof mane. "You can stay warm in my mane and that should help you as we travel." she look around as she felt the pull of the spring and it magic. "We are close."

"Mmmf." She said something that was muffled by Yasu's fur. It took a bit of adjusting, but her head poked out soon enough. She was only barely visible. "Wow!" Nami breathed, looking around. "This is so cool!" Why hadn't she tried this before? "I can see everything from up here! Look, I'm so tall now!" She waved at Mahaziver, grinning.

Mahaziver looked up at the sprite before running ahead. With her already bad eyesight she ended up ramming her head into one of the large fungi. Luckily for her she was far enough ahead that her companions didn't see it

Yasu listen to the sprite as she laugh. "Having fun are we?" She stop and think. "We are close can you feel the magic from the spring?"

Nami closed her eyes, trying to feel it. There was certainly some strange feeling, a sort of tug in the direction they were heading. Her eyes shot open. "I...." Her voice was quiet, almost mesmerized at first, but soon quickened back into its usual perky tone. "I think so!" She'd been concentrating so hard she wouldn't have noticed Mahaziver's blunder even if she was close enough. "Have you ever been to a magic spring before? What are they like?"

"no." The blunt answer seemed to catch the sprite off guard but it was enough to get her to go quiet for a little while. Mahaziver could hear something but it was hard to tell what it was

"No sadly but i read about them and boy do that sound amazing." She look at Mahaziver but then just smiled at Nami.

Nami wasn't too fazed by the curt response. Maybe Mahaziver would be happier when they finally reached the spring! She was excited to see it herself, at least. "Can they give us cool magic powers?"

"Don't know... Don't care really ether really." She said with some thought. Mahaziver looked at the two drikiri. She was always cold to others

Yasu frown at Mahaziver. "Came on cheer up a bit and stop being cold tower us." She look at Nami. "Don't know that something i should've aske about." she walked as she look away from the Q"lin.

"I suppose we'll have to see, in that case." She seemed content. "I love a good surprise." Nami settled back into Yasu's mane for a few seconds before saying something that was muffled by the fur once again. Her little head popped back out, looking at Mahaziver. "Hey, what if you got a spell that helped you find treasure? Wouldn't that be cool?"

Mahaziver knew that if the boys heard her say that they would probably be yelling the word no. "It would be helpful I know that much." She said with another flick of her ears at the wretched bugs. They definitely wanted to taste her blood or something like that

She laugh as she watch the sprite as she walk making sure not to walk into anything as she did. She left a brow. "Why not a spell to hide your treasure from thief's?"

"Ooh, that would be a good one! Or a spell to boobytrap your cave!" She grinned. "Wouldn't it? If I got a spell...... I would want something to help me.... Um." Nami paused, thinking. "Something to help me jump really high! Oh, or fly! That way I could explore anywhere!"

"I don't need to boobytrap my cave usually. Mainly because whenever I leave one of the idiots are usually there making sure no one breaks in and steals my gold." Mahaziver looked at her strange companions. As if by a harsh chance of fate her pearl rolled out of the grasp of her snake like tail. As it rolled away of course mahaziver ran after it. The pearl was after all made of solid gold

Yasu was about to say something but saw her pearl roll off and turn around and follow her with the still glowing mushroom hat on her horns. "I am not going to take it i just giving you light so you can see where it going."

Nami giggled. Yasu didn't strike her at all as the greedy type, and if Mahaziver reacted to her help negatively.... Well, that would be her own problem. "Say, what do those thingies do anyway? Are they magic? Or do they just look pretty?"

"I honestly have no idea what their for but mine was the only gift I got from my dad. I don't know why it's important to me but it is." Her ears lowered as she picked up the golden orb

Yasu look at her. "Will that nice of him to give it to you." she smiled. "We should get back to walking to the spring. We are so close."

"Oh, so it's like a family heirloom kinda deal?" She seemed satisfied with that answer. "That's cool. I don't have anything like that but it's for the best because I'd probably lose it, haha."

"not exactly a heirloom. It just shows that I'm a pure q'lin. As for the pearl let's just say that my father only gave it to me because it was the only one he had around." Memories of her past flooded the q'lins mind. As she continued to walk twords the spring her entire body language was hard to read

Yasu kept her mouth close as she just walk but look back at the Q'lin now and then. She could almost see it as she try to look closer.

"So if you didn't have one, like, you lost it or something, would you still be a pure q'lin?" Nami tilted her head in curiosity. "What of someone tried to steal it and they weren't a q'lin? Would they be able to?"

"it's just a symbol that's all. I don't honestly know what it means to my breed but it is something we all have." Mahaziver looked at the sprite. With a sigh she looked back at her pearl

Yasu listen to the two as she walk before seeing it now. She heard the sounds of the water from the spring and the smell. "You two look." She pointed.

Nami turned to see the spring, all but forgetting the conversation she'd been having with Mahaziver. At the sight of the sparkling water she leapt out of Yasu's mane, climbing up the dracus's neck and jumping off of her snout to run towards it.
This truly was a magical place... The water itself seemed to glow, and the fireflies that had been here and there on the paths gathered in the small clearing. The sprite splashed into the shallows, tail flicking droplets of water into the air. "Think this is safe to drink?"

"no idea. It's probably safe but I don't know." Mahaziver looked around. A sense of dread overcame her but she held her Mouth shut just in case she was just being paranoid

"I would think so after all many draks have likely made it here." She look at the two.

"Okay!" She immediately stuck her muzzle in to slurp at the water. Done after a few moments, she popped back out and skipped over to the others. "Mmmm, that was refreshing! You guys should take a drink too since we've been walking for so long." Nami went still for a moment, thinking. "It doesn't taste special or anything, though. So much for a magic spring. ....Or maybe it just takes a while to kick in?" She giggled.

"go ahead." Mahaziver said as she looked around. The feeling of being watched burning into her skull and she hated it

Yasu took a drink as she left her head back up she look at Mahaziver. "We should head back now." She look at the Q'lin.

"Already?" Nami looked a little disappointed. "But we just got here!" She turned to look at Mahaziver, pouting. "And you haven't even come over to the water. What's got you so distracted?"
Unbeknownst to her... If any of them were the distracted ones, it was herself. Out in the fungus something was approaching, and the q'lin seemed to be the only one to pick up on it so far. Something was circling the clearing. Something.....unfriendly.

Mahaziver looked at the tiny sprite before looked around. Everything in her told her to run or to hide. "I just feel uneasy ok. Like we're being watched or something bad going to happen alright" Mahaziver looked around only to see something dart behind a tree. Her gut yelled at her to run but sadly she stood her ground

She look at them both but look around too seeing something out there moving from tree to tree.