You've escaped a fair distance from the territory of the wraith mix Akkanka, however Guide still hasn't relaxed. Although it's hard to tell, it appears the tail of the fox-like guide even more of a bottle brush than usual.
"We're safe now, right?" You suggest, hoping for reassurance. " We got away from Akkanka without so much as a scratch."
"Well..." Guide just sort of trails off.
"Well? Oh THAT'S comforting!" You say, crossing your arms across your chest and glaring. "What are we walking into now?!"
"We might be fine. It depends on how far Onraa and Sepultura's daughters have wandered. This isn't part of their normal territory, but you never know with those two." Guide replies. He's paying more attention to the surrounding area than to your conversation.
You remembered the Disturbed and Burial Raveenesses. The former was absolutely psychotic, and the later was just flat out creepy, though not outwardly malicious. Either of their kids would be enough to have you heading in the other direction. The idea of both of them together raises hair on the back of your neck. If you knew which direction would get you away from the potential of meeting them, you'd already be running.
"Might? That's a great comfort. So why are we risking our lives like this?"
"This happens to be the fastest way to Rynduuk's territory." Guide admits sheepishly.
You grumble, "Don't you ever watch horror movies? The short cut is ALWAYS a bad idea."
"Would it surprise you to know I do watch horror movies?" Guide inquires, a bit of his usual humor returning to his voice.
You're about to reply to that when a scream of rage rips through the woods, a fair distance from you but getting closer. Had the situation been less serious you might have laughed at the sight of all the fur on Guide's back standing on end. However, the fact that your hair is trying to do the same kills the urge.
Guide stops dead in the path to announce, "Wanderer, stay here. I'm going to see what that was."
"Now we're splitting up?! Can I have the movie script to tear up please?" You joke nervously. The begging that he not leave is left to your expression.
Guide flashes a grin for your humor for an instant before sternly stating, "If those are wild Qualirons on the loose I can't afford to have you with me. The bubble that protects us against the Raveen won't work on the Qualirons and you can't defend yourself. Just stay here and keep quiet, you should be fine. Remember, if Onraa's daughter does show up, she can't get you through the shield. "
Without waiting for a reply he takes off. You're left to take a seat with your back against a tree and wait, jumping at every twig crack and warble.
You're actually beginning to calm down when something large limps into your line of sight and promptly collapses with a pitiful little mew. You recognize this combination of sewn together flesh with a little tremor of terror. It isn't Onraa, as she didn't have the patches of black, almost star speckled red tinted flesh. This must be the daughter, and judging from the scars all over her hide she's either an awful fighter or is a nutcase just like her mother. Somehow you suspect it's the later.
Maybe if you leave quietly, she won't wake up?
"Play?" A pair of red eyes slide open to study you thoughtfully. You jump in surprise, somehow she doesn't look nearly so injured now. There seems to be a fair bit of blood on her, but she doesn't appear to be the least concerned by it. You don't have time to do much other than take a few, hasty steps backwards before the Disturbed Raveeness is on you...
Thankfully all you suffer are a skinned elbow and some bruises as you trip backwards over a protruding root and tumble over. The lunging Raveen bounces off thin air in front of you with a little yowl. You have a wonderful opportunity to observe teeth and claw as she repeatedly throws herself at the shield, bouncing off each time.
It takes longer than you could possibly imagine for her to tire of throwing herself at the shield. Your heart rate is actually beginning to drop by the end of it, as the shield shows no sign of weakening. The disturbed moves off a short distance away and sinks to the ground in a graceless flop.
"She's pouting, if that's what you're wondering." States a reasonable voice from just behind your shoulder.
Needless to say, you just about get airtime on the resulting jump. Somehow, another Raveeness with the oddly fluffy ears of Sepultura, stands with her chin well within the boundaries of what you thought the shield protected.
You scramble away with haste.
"Wha?" It's all you can manage.
"Pouting." The purple Raveeness states succinctly. "She's upset that her playing at being injured doesn't work nearly as well as it did when she was a cub. Most sentients intelligent enough to speak have the sense to stay away from her now, even if she is attempting to evoke sympathy."
You can't tell if the black fur around her shoulders belongs to her, or if it's some sort of collar. The glowing hourglass at her throat, and the golden ankh hanging from her shoulder confuse the issue. The purple of her pelt darkens at her front legs and lightens significantly by the whip like tip of her tail, but the most significant detail is her markings, which mimic her skeletal structure.
She pauses there, and seems to note your study. "Oh, unless you meant the this?" The topic of 'this' is explained as she takes a few steps forward and pokes you in the leg.
She doesn't smile as you jump backwards once again, which surprises you a bit. Of course, that's a minor shock compared to the fact that she can get through the shield.
" I haven't any intent or interest in harming you." The purple Raveen states. Now that she's proven her point she takes a seat a short distance from you and wraps her thin tail neatly around her legs. "And that is both a statement of intent and an explanation as to why I don't rebound like Itami does."
"Oh."
Evidently Taimu takes this to be an inquiry for further information, because she adds detail, " Previously, it was bound to intent alone. We had some injuries due to that, as Itami has a somewhat warped concept of harm. She's just looking to, well, play. " She gives a 'go figure' sort of shrug, " Now the warding bound to intent and likeliness of harm occurring, so I think we've managed to close the majority of the loopholes."
"Won't anyone play?" Itami whines, earning both your attention and Taimu's.
"Akkanka said she might consider target practice with you later if you behave, " Taimu answers.
"Really?" You're not certain what in that suggestion has the Disturbed female reacting as if it's Christmas morning.
"Yes, but only if you behave. You really shouldn't have lead Guide off like that. You'll get blamed if the Wanderer gets hurt."
"I didn't do nothin'." The disturbed is pouting again.
"You didn't do anything," Taimu promptly corrects her. "And you did do something, since as you can see the Wanderer is lacking a guide."
" But he won't let me play with the wanderers when he's here."
"This wanderer isn't nearly toothy enough to play with, just look at it." Taimu glances your way as if leading by example.
Itami follows Taimu's gaze and frowns in agreement, "Nope, but the shield is fun."
"We may need to drop the amount of electric jolt the shield gives out when something hits it, " Taimu confides to you, ears seeming to wilt a bit. "Itami's finding it a bit too entertaining."
The Burial mix assesses your reaction to that little display correctly. Maybe the whole 'jaw hanging open in surprise' thing was common to Raveen too.
" In a Disturbed Kat, the natural order of pleasure and pain is reversed, " the Burial Mix explains, returning to her lecturing tone she was using with you from the all-too patient voice she was using with the disturbed. " I've more or less got her trained to understand the difference between pain and pleasure as other beings understand it, but she does slip occasionally."
"Trained?" You can only gape. How exactly does one train a frankenstien mess of flesh like Itami? Even if Taimu is more than freaky herself, you can't imagine how it would work.
"Yes, positive reinforcement works as well on Itami as anyone else. Itami really is quite intelligent... Despite what her language skills would say to the contrary. Although in her case the term positive might appear a bit misleading..."
When you finally slip away from the two and meet up with Guide again you're not too sure who is scarier: Itami, or her keeper.